After Saber calmly stated her long-cherished wish, someone suddenly laughed.
It was a vulgar whisper that defied any understanding, and the laughter came from the mouth of Gilgamesh, who radiated golden light. In the face of great insults, Saber couldn't help but frown, even though she knew this person's personality was defined by such an ego.
"What qualifies a tyrant like you to sneer?"
Archer didn't pay any attention to Saber's questioning, laughing breathlessly as he replied intermittently.
"Claiming to be a king and being praised by all the people—how can such a person be 'unwilling'? Hahaha! How can this not make people laugh? A masterpiece! Saber, you are the best clown!"
Hearing such an answer, Saber couldn't help but clench the wine glass in her hand.
"I don't understand what is funny about this. As a king, you should naturally stand up and work for the prosperity of your country!"
"No, you're wrong!"
Rider firmly and solemnly dismissed Saber's words.
"Don't be mistaken. It is the king who gives his life, but the country and the people give everything they have to the king."
"What did you say—"
Saber couldn't hold back her anger any longer, and she shouted.
"—Is that not a tyrant! Rider, Archer, what a mistake you made in being kings!"
"Yes, but we are not just tyrants; we are heroes," Rider replied calmly, not even moving an eyebrow. "So Saber, if a king is not satisfied with the results of his governance, it only means he is a fool of a king, worse than a tyrant."
Unlike Archer, who constantly mocked Saber, Rider denied her fundamentally. Saber furrowed her eyebrows and retorted in a sharp tone.
"Iskandar, do you... are you really not the slightest bit reluctant to see the empire you created split into four parts? Don't you want to do it all over again and save the country?"
"I don't want to." The King of Conquest replied immediately, his chest held high, as he looked directly into the stern gaze of the King of Knights. "If my decisions and those of my courtiers lead to such an outcome, then destruction is inevitable. I will mourn and shed tears, but I will not regret it."
"How could it be..."
"Not to mention the stupid act of trying to subvert history, which is an insult to all human beings in the era I constructed!"
Saber denied Rider's proud words.
"You say this only based on the glory of warriors. The people do not think so; what they need is salvation."
"You mean they want the king's salvation?" Rider shrugged his shoulders and laughed. "I don't understand. What is the point of such a thing?"
"This is the duty of a king!" This time it was Saber's turn to speak proudly. "Right rule, right order—that is what all subjects expect."
"Are you the slave of 'righteousness', then?"
"If you want to say that, you may. Only by dedicating oneself to one's ideals is one worthy of being a king."
Without a hint of doubt, the young King of Knights nodded.
"People can understand law and order through the king, and the king should not embody something that will pass away with the king's death, but something more honorable."
Looking at Saber, who remained resolute, Rider shook his head as if pitying her.
"It's not a path of survival that people would choose."
"Yes. If you are born to be a king, you cannot expect to live an ordinary life."
In order to become a perfect monarch, in order to become the embodiment of ideals, she was willing to give up her body and throw away her personal feelings. The life of the young girl named Artoria changed forever the moment she pulled the sword out of the rock. Since then, she has become synonymous with undefeated legends, hymns, and dreams. There were pains and there were troubles, but there was the glory of victory. Her unchanging belief still supports her sword-holding arm.
"King of Conquest, people like you who only care about yourselves will not understand my beliefs! You are just an overlord who is carried away by desire!" Saber shouted.
Rider's eyes immediately widened as he was scolded.
"A king without desire is worse than a vase!" Rider's shouts of rage, combined with his massive size, made him even more terrifying. "Saber, you just said 'dedicate yourself to your ideals.' Indeed, you used to be an incorruptible saint, holy to the point that no one else could match. But who wants to look forward to martyrdom for their ideals? Who wants to think day and night about a so-called saint who can only comfort the people, but cannot guide them? Only by showing desire and eulogizing the ultimate glory can we lead the country and the people to the right path."
After drinking the wine in his cup, the King of Conquest corrected her.
"To be a king is to have stronger desires than anyone else, to be bolder than anyone else, and to be more grand than anyone else. He should be a human being who is both pure and turbid, more real than anyone else. Only in this way can the courtiers be convinced by the king, and the people have the longing in their hearts: 'If only I were the king!'"
"Such governance... where is the justice?"
"None. There is no such thing as justice in the way of kings, so there is no remorse."
"..."
He asserted it so harshly that Saber was furious.
"Is it wrong to carry out your beliefs?" At this time, a voice came, and it did not belong to any of the kings present.
"The king's talk—is that what you can interject in, mongrel!" Gilgamesh looked at Shirou, who had suddenly spoken, with murderous eyes, but there was not the slightest fear in the latter's eyes.
Yes, he was simply indifferent to life and death, standing firm. Even Gilgamesh couldn't help but frown. He wasn't angry; he was just surprised that a child could look at him like that.
"It has been a blessing for you for several lifetimes just to be allowed to look upon our glory here, yet you don't know your place and interject? Do you really want to die that much?" As Archer spoke, a sword glowing with golden light slowly emerged from his side.
"Wait, Archer." Rider raised his hand to stop Archer's further actions, then looked at Shirou. "I'd like to know what you think."
Hearing Rider's question, Shirou continued.
"Although I am not a king, I am a commoner who identifies with Saber's ideals. Unlike you, she is genuinely worried about her people, so she deserves my respect."