"...So, Professor, why have you suddenly decided to withdraw from the Holy Grail War?" Accompanied by Iskandar, Waver Velvet finally caught up to Kayneth and asked the question that had been weighing on his mind.
"Because it's meaningless."
Kayneth answered flatly.
"...Huh?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Waver was completely baffled.
"The Clock Tower has received confidential information regarding the truth behind this Holy Grail War."
"It's a mess left behind by the Masters who participated in the previous war."
"In short..."
"The so-called Holy Grail War has already lost its original purpose."
"Even if I were to emerge victorious, it wouldn't earn me an achievement worthy of recording in my academic career."
"All I'd gain is a pile of mud..."
"And a waste of my time."
He turned to Waver.
"So, Waver."
"Come back to the Clock Tower with me."
"Without the support of Sola-Ui and myself, relying on Rider's strength alone won't be enough to carry you to the end."
"...Go back with Professor Kayneth?"
Waver fell silent.
Something about this felt wrong.
His instincts told him so.
Yet he couldn't quite put it into words.
Since when was Professor Kayneth this easy to talk to?
"Whelp."
"If you decide to leave, I won't stop you."
Iskandar spoke unexpectedly.
"...Rider?"
Waver looked back at him in surprise.
"You're saying the same thing?"
Iskandar smiled calmly.
"It seems Lord Kayneth has already uncovered the truth behind the Holy Grail—that so-called omnipotent wish-granting device."
"If that's the case..."
"Then I no longer need to concern myself with winning this war."
"I can simply revel in conquest."
"Crush everything before me."
"And after losing my Master..."
"I'll indulge myself one final time."
"...Why?"
Waver's face was full of confusion.
"Why can you give up so easily too?"
"Waver Velvet..."
"There was once a time when I fought in pursuit of something that might never have existed."
"...The Oceanus."
Waver immediately understood.
"That's right."
Iskandar nodded.
"I once boasted to my soldiers that I would lead them to the Oceanus."
"But because of that promise..."
"Many of the men who believed my words without hesitation followed me to their deaths."
He lowered his eyes.
"Even until the very end..."
"They still believed in the Oceanus I had promised them."
"Thinking back on it now..."
"I can only feel ashamed."
From inside his cloak, Iskandar took out the illustrated world atlas he had treasured ever since being summoned.
"When I learned the knowledge of this era..."
"It dealt me quite a blow."
"I never imagined that the world was actually a closed sphere."
"For someone who had devoted his life to seeking the endless sea..."
"It was a rather cruel joke."
"But..."
"The moment I saw the map..."
"I had no choice but to accept reality."
He looked at Waver.
"So, Waver Velvet..."
"I don't want anyone else to die chasing empty words of mine."
"I don't want anyone sacrificing their lives pursuing a dream that never truly existed."
"If the Holy Grail never existed in the first place..."
"Then our passion..."
"Our determination..."
"All of it loses its meaning."
"So, Waver..."
"Even if you leave here together with Lord Kayneth..."
"I won't hold even the slightest resentment."
"I'll simply accept it..."
"And continue fighting until the day I fall."
"Hahahahaha!"
"That would be a fitting end..."
"For the King of Conquerors!"
Iskandar threw back his head and laughed heartily.
"...Rider..."
Waver was deeply moved.
For a brief moment...
The thought of giving up surfaced in his heart.
But just as quickly...
He clenched his fists.
Looking at both Kayneth and Iskandar, who were urging him to withdraw, his eyes became resolute.
"No!"
He shook his head firmly.
"I'm not like those soldiers who simply followed your dream!"
"To begin with..."
"I'm not your subject."
"This war was started by me."
"You were the one who answered my summons."
"So..."
"It's my responsibility to look after someone like you..."
"A guy who doesn't know the first thing about modern life."
"If I don't personally see this war through to the very end..."
"Then none of this will have meant anything!"
His final declaration carried unexpected conviction.
Even Kayneth couldn't hide a trace of surprise.
The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly before he resumed his usual stern expression.
"In that case..."
"You may remain here with this man who has already died once..."
"And face your own ending, Waver Velvet."
"...Huh?!"
Waver's determined façade collapsed instantly.
The future Kayneth had painted terrified him.
In the end...
Kayneth and Sola-Ui departed.
Before leaving, however, Kayneth entrusted Waver with two additional Command Seals and fully replenished Iskandar's mana in advance.
Waver silently looked down at the crimson Command Seals now engraved upon the back of his hand.
Even until the very end...
He still couldn't understand what Professor Kayneth had truly thought of him.
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