I'm really not a top magician

Hearing Saber ask this question, the sarcastic expression on C Dai's face became even more intense, without even the slightest hint of concealment.

However, Mashu, who was watching the conversation between the two, was keenly aware of the fleeting sadness on C Dai's face. That expression was something Mashu had never seen before.

She couldn't even imagine that this energetic girl would show such a sad expression. Just by seeing that expression, Mashu seemed to hear C Dai saying: I will never approve of you.

Saber's questioning made C very unhappy. She tried her best to suppress her expression, but now she couldn't help it anymore. She stared at Saber with wide eyes:

"Why? Because I don't approve of you! Artoria! Why would you make such a wish?!"

C Dai shouted loudly. The sudden increase in volume directly attracted the attention of everyone present, but C Dai himself seemed to be angry and did not notice the gazes of the crowd.

"Because I regret it."

"Regret? Ha, that's just an excuse."

C Dai scoffed, "Well, since you say you regret it, then let me ask you, as a king, do you regret every decision you make?"

Faced with C Dai's question, Saber thought seriously and then shook her head:

"No, every decision was the best choice I could make at the time."

"That's right, because every decision I make is the most perfect choice I can make as the ideal king. There is no..."

The most perfect decision you could have made. No decision could have been more correct than the order you gave at that time. So, what do you regret?"

That’s right, since she doesn’t regret taking responsibility, nor does she regret the decisions she made in the past ten years, then what does Saber regret?

"I...I want to change the king selection..." Saber said weakly.

"It's useless. Born a British Red Dragon, you were the best choice at the time. You knew it clearly, yet you still wanted to pin your hopes on a miracle. If you're not a little girl, what are you?"

ps: 19 chapters left

P.S. I finally have time to update, it’s not easy.

Chapter 246: My Own Denial

Saber wanted to refute something, but she was refuted by herself and was completely confused at the moment.

C Daiben wanted to say something more, hoping to scold Saber and wake her up, but was stopped by Aika Sajo.

"It seems that there is a conflict between our servants. We will leave first, Irisviel."

As Shatiao Aige said this, he pulled C Dai away.

The courtyard of Einzbern instantly lost all its brilliance because of the departure of Aigo Sajo, as if Aigo Sajo was like a light.

After all the enemies left, Saber stood alone in the courtyard in silence. Irisviel couldn't help but feel that the scene looked familiar. This lonely figure was the same as when they were fighting in the warehouse street.

But today, there was no trace of satisfaction on her face after defeating a powerful enemy. That thoughtful and melancholy expression made Irisviel very uneasy.

“Saber…”

"If she had stopped and listened to me when I called her the last time...what would I have said?"

I don't know who this question is being asked to.

Saber turned around with a wry smile on her face, perhaps mocking herself.

"I remember that King Arthur doesn't understand other people's feelings. A knight who left me once said so."

That might be the thought of a knight among the Knights of the Round Table.

Irisviel shook her head and said to Saber, "Saber, you are the ideal king. Your Noble Phantasm proves it."

Like other heroic spirits, Saber possesses the Sword of Contracted Victory. This treasure is also the embodiment of her beliefs, and no one can deny this proud brilliance.

"Indeed, I want to be the king of my ideals. To avoid making mistakes, I never care about personal feelings and never reveal my true feelings."

"To sacrifice oneself in order to fulfill one's duty as king."

"As long as I can win wars and make the right policies, I will be a perfect king. Therefore, I never seek anyone's understanding. Even if I am seen as aloof, I believe that is the proper attitude of a king."

"But I ultimately rejected it myself. Is this belief really correct?"

At this moment, Irisviel finally understood why Saber hesitated.

King Arthur finally met a tragic end, being deserted by his friends and relatives.

It was precisely because she wanted to undo that tragic outcome that Saber came here to fight for the Holy Grail. But even this wish was rejected by her other self. If insults like Iskandar's only angered the Knight King, then the words of this other Altria were nothing more than a denial of Saber's efforts up to that point.

"Saber, even if fate is unavoidable, it doesn't mean it's predetermined."

After a moment of silence, Irisviel suddenly said.

"What do you mean?" Saber asked.

"The future is not predetermined. Luck, chance, and a host of unexpected events ultimately determine the shape of destiny."

Irisviel replied, "So, just because you are the King of Knights doesn't mean you are doomed. Therefore, you must strive for the Holy Grail all the more."

After pondering for a moment, Saber nodded:

"...Yeah, you're right."

Once upon a time, the king's magician warned her that if she drew the sword of destiny, she would inevitably face destruction.

But even so, she never looked back.

Although she was enlightened, she didn't really realize what it meant. Even though she couldn't believe in hope, she still believed that her wishes were correct.

Therefore, when she saw the outcome of the prophecy with her own eyes, she could not accept the fact.

There are only prayers, only wishes.

She wondered if there was some mistake.

The path I follow should have a more fitting ending.

This thought turned her into a Heroic Spirit and guided her to Fuyuki's Holy Grail.

Although Saber still felt pain and confusion in her heart at the moment because of what her other self said,

However, seeing the pained expression on Irisviel's face due to her worry for her, Saber knew that she could not dwell on this.

"Thank you Irisviel, I almost lost the most precious thing."

Saber nodded, her eyes still as clear and calm as before, sparkling with confidence.

"If you ask about my merits and demerits as a king, you won't get the answer in the past. Now it's time to ask about the Holy Grail. That's why I'm here."

"Right, that is it."

Irisviel breathed a sigh of relief. This proud Knight King was not suited to that kind of introspective, melancholic expression. Following her own convictions and moving forward—that was how she should be.

That sword of light also restrains her constant victory.

Chapter 247 C's Thank You

The King's Selection Meeting ended, and everyone left the Einzbern Castle.

For a moment, the sky was pitch black, and only the surrounding street lights were still on, but they were indeed insignificant compared to the darkness.

Walking on the deserted road, the people who had just escaped from the battle felt dazed.

It was not until this time that everyone gradually realized that today's battle was not successful.

In fact, they were tricked by the rider.

It should have been a scene where everyone was besieging Gilgamesh, but now it has become a scene where everyone has to face the alliance of Rider and Archer at the same time.

According to the information previously provided by Aika Sajo.

Rider's Noble Phantasm, [King's Army], is a unique barrier that allows him to continuously summon his former subordinates as independent Servants to fight against the enemy.

Normally, a large-scale magic like the Innate Barrier requires a long time to chant. This is the price of activating the Innate Barrier. However, Rider's Noble Phantasm requires no chant at all and can be activated almost instantly.

Once all the personnel are summoned, they will form a legion of tens of thousands of people.

All members of the Legion are genuine Heroic Spirits. Although they are limited by the King of Conquerors' abilities and do not possess any Noble Phantasms, they are summoned by Rider's abilities and are not assigned to specific classes according to the rules of the Holy Grail War. Therefore, none of them possess any classes or class-related skills. There are even some Heroic Spirits who are stronger than the King of Conquerors himself.

The entire legion has a great reputation, and some of the legionaries are the founders of the future dynasty. Even Alexander's beloved horse Bucephalus was summoned as a heroic spirit. It can be said that it is the crystallization of the bond between Alexander and his subordinates.

This army of tens of thousands of people is the most troublesome.

Similarly, Gilgamesh himself possesses the King's Treasure, which can store countless treasures.

The alliance between these two people completely bankrupted Aika Sakaki's previous plan to besiege Gilgamesh.

This should have been a perfect encirclement operation, but now it was being exploited, and a fan encirclement was formed again, surrounding Aika Sajo.

Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but sigh.

At this time, Aika Sajo was walking in front of the team, and her mind was full of thoughts about future strategic issues.

She wasn't a gifted person.

She was well aware of how much talent she possessed, and the reason she had been able to control the situation of the Holy Grail War so far was because she had read the original work.

Without the content of the original work, he would not have been able to survive until now.

She is not a genius, but she is someone who has considered all possibilities and made plans from the very beginning.

But the current situation has far exceeded her expectations.

As someone who always acts according to a plan, she felt a little lost for a moment.

"Oh, I was careless."

Sajo Aige sighed helplessly, "We can't get carried away by a temporary advantage."

Aika Sajo wonders why she was discovered by Rider.

Now to sum up,

Probably just one thing - doing something useless.

Before this, all of Aika Sajo's plans were carried out for her own purposes.

Using superficial actions to conceal one's true purpose is a common tactic used by Sajo Aika, but the core of all superficial actions is to act for one's true purpose.

This is also the reason why all of Aika Sajo's previous plans were successful.

And now,

The plan to ambush the assassin was a complete failure. Even if there was no ambush, everyone present could have defeated the assassin, so the ambush plan was completely unnecessary. It was just a plan that Sajo Aika came up with on the spur of the moment.

Although the assassin was completely eliminated, it did not help the core purpose.

On the contrary, because of this unnecessary action, the rider saw through the true purpose of his actions.

"This kind of mistake is really fatal."

Thinking of this, Sajo Aige sighed helplessly.

But it has already happened, so there is no need to regret it.

Before she was old enough to understand, her father

Before her time travel, a close friend of Sajo Aika once said something that has left a lasting impression on her: "Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that—every day there's something to do. Reality will never disappear, so why not just stop running and run with it? So, don't regret it, because if you stop, you'll feel uneasy. I've had those times myself."

Because of this, no matter what, Aika Sajo will never regret it.

At this moment, C Dai suddenly walked up from behind.

"Master, are you okay?"

C Dai asked kindly. As Sajo Aika's servant, she was keenly aware of her own mater and was feeling a bit down. Perhaps it was due to the rider's incident.

That's why I came up to comfort you.

"Oh, Altria, I'm fine. Don't worry."

Shajo Aige waved her hand.

"Is that so? I'm relieved then. I thought you'd be in pain for a long time, Master. It seems you've adjusted even faster than I thought."

C smiled.

"You're overthinking it. I'm actually still feeling pretty bad. But I understand that no matter how painful the past was, it's still the past. If you keep dwelling on the past, you'll feel uneasy. And once you feel uneasy, you can't move forward."

Shajo Aige said meaningfully.

"Yes, that's right."

C nodded thoughtfully, with a slightly sad expression on his face, but this expression was sad for others.

"By the way, Master?" C Dai suddenly said, "Thank you for stopping me just now. If it weren't for you, I might have said something very unpleasant..."