A Nation Unto Himself / Saber, You Don't Understand People's Hearts...

"Why... why do you want a physical body so much?" Waver asked weakly, rubbing his forehead.

"Because this is the foundation of conquest!" The King of Conquerors clenched his fist and said firmly.

Gilgamesh looked at the King of Conquerors in silence. In the King of Conquerors' expression, whether it was Arthur, Gilgamesh, or even Saber, one could see a firm will.

This is no joke; it truly is the Conqueror King of Conquerors the Holy Grail into the world!

"I've made up my mind—Rider, I'm going to kill you with my own hands."

Suddenly, Gilgamesh stopped calling the King of Conquerors the 'False King' and stopped referring to himself as "this King," instead acknowledging the hero before him and speaking earnestly...

Chapter 298 One Man Is One Country

"Hahaha, if you can do it, then come on!" The King of Conquerors laughed heartily without fear. "I've also been eyeing your Noble Phantasms. You'd better be prepared, I'm not only going to get the Holy Grail, I'm going to plunder you clean. Archer, you've really been too careless to let the King of Conquerors drink such fine wine."

Upon hearing this, Gilgamesh merely smiled slightly and remained silent.

"And you? King of Knights who rules Britain, what regrets and desires led you to answer the Holy Grail's call?" The King of Conquerors turned his gaze to Saber, unusually addressing her by name.

Arthur stopped drinking and instead looked up at Saber with interest.

When asked the question, Saber looked directly at the King of Conquerors and said in a serious tone the words that had almost cursed her for life, "I will save my homeland, I will change the fate of Britain's destruction!"

The powerful voice that came from Saber caused the atmosphere to fall into silence.

Arthur suddenly braced himself with his hands behind his back, watching the show with an air of schadenfreude.

As expected, after a moment of silence...

The King of Conquerors picked at his ear with his finger, and as if he hadn't heard clearly, asked again, "What did you just say?"

"The Holy Grail possesses the omnipotent power to grant any wish, no matter how difficult, so I want to change the fate of England!" Obedient seemed oblivious to the changing atmosphere around him, and continued to express his wish in response to the Holy Grail.

"Wait... wait a minute! Um, Saber? I want to confirm, the destruction of Ying Kingdom was during your reign, right?" The King of Conquerors still seemed somewhat incredulous as he said, "You mean to 'change fate,' to revive history?"

"Yes, I can't forgive myself!" Saber still didn't realize anything was wrong and said firmly, "Because of me, that's how it ended, so I'm very unwilling... I want to change that ending."

Saber's words made the atmosphere even more eerie.

"Pfft... Haha~"

Before long, a vulgar laugh came from the mouth of the King of Heroes of the noble Wu Beibi.

This atmosphere was broken by Gilgamesh's loud laughter.

"Archer, what are you laughing at?" Saber heard the undisguised sarcasm in the laughter and glared at Gilgamesh, speaking in a deep voice.

"Hey, you two, did you hear that?" Gilgamesh ignored Saber and instead chuckled at Arthur and the King of Conquerors, "The 'false king' truly lives up to his name. He calls himself king, receives the praise of all people, yet claims to be dissatisfied and wants to change his fate! This is absolutely hilarious! Saber, you really are the best clown in this war!"

The King of Conquerors remained silent, lost in thought.

Arthur, however, smiled without saying a word and watched quietly.

With his ability to know the plot intimately, Arthur understands everyone present very well.

Saber's words stemmed from self-doubt; she felt unsuitable to be king and wanted to use the Holy Grail's power to choose a more suitable person to rule Britain.

But this wish, in the face of the ancient and renowned kings, the 'King of Conquerors' and the 'King of Heroes', who left behind great achievements, became a self-denial. Such a person was simply a clown and not worthy of being a king at all.

Throughout human history, dynasties have risen and fallen, and sages and kings have emerged one after another.

Throughout human history, dynasties have risen and fallen, and sages and kings have emerged one after another.

Everyone has their own style, and so do champions.

He might be a wise Wise King Gilgamesh who cares for the people and the world at the expense of himself; or a tyrant who, in order to consolidate his power and intimidate his courtiers, disregards all human emotions; or a Haki overlord who leads his army into battle...

Every king's life is different, and their styles of ruling the country are also different.

But these champions all have one thing in common: an unwavering determination.

Whether it's the path of the king, the path of the tyrant, or the path of the emperor, it's all about forging ahead without any regrets.

No matter the final outcome or how the world perceives you, a true champion will never deny himself.

Because the path of the king is inherently lonely.

Therefore, Gilgamesh couldn't help but burst into laughter when he heard Saber deny him.

Although Arthur knew this, he couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Although he inherited the identity of 'Arthur Pendragon', he had no Knights of the Round Table, nor the Kingdom of Britain.

Just like in the sea, Arthur's goal at that time was not to become a sea god, but simply to complete the [Achievement Quest].

He is not a ruler who can govern a country well!

If we were to assign a title to a king, it would be someone like Gilgamesh, who is the king of a nation all by himself.

After all, although Arthur did not have Britain, he did have the paradise of Avalon, an island that could be described as a paradise on earth.

It was Arthur's stronghold, and also his home.

In terms of strength, he is a being who can single-handedly awe the world.

"Saber... no, King of Knights! Do you really want to deny the history you created?" At this moment, the silent King of Conquerors finally spoke, his face no longer showing his usual cheerfulness, but instead asking seriously.

"Exactly! Are you surprised? What's so funny? I am a king, and the country I dedicated my life to has been destroyed. What's wrong with me mourning it?" Saber finally noticed that something was wrong and said, puzzled.

"Hahaha... This is hilarious! Rider, I apologize for my earlier words. This isn't a boring banquet, but a delightful performance." Gilgamesh laughed again, then suddenly looked at Arthur and said, "Lancer, did you see that? This 'clown' who calls himself the King of Knights actually talked about sacrificing himself for his country?!"

Arthur rolled his eyes slightly after hearing Gilgamesh's words.

Don't drag me into this!

Also, are you sure your statement about calling yourself the King of Knights isn't a veiled reference to me?

Chapter 299 Saber, you don't understand people's hearts.

"Archer, that's enough! If you want a duel, I'll fight you to the bitter end!" After being mocked by Gilgamesh time and time again, Saber couldn't help but stand up and glare at him angrily.

"Saber, you're wrong!"

Before Gilgamesh could speak, the King of Conquerors interrupted, saying earnestly, "It is not the king who sacrifices himself, but the nation and the people who dedicate everything to the king! Don't get that wrong!"

"What are you saying?!" Saber exclaimed, unable to contain her anger. "Isn't that being a tyrant? Rider, Archer, the way you rule is the biggest mistake you've ever made!"

"Indeed! We are not only tyrants, but also heroes." The King of Conquerors calmly acknowledged, and then reminded her, "So, Saber! If a king is dissatisfied with the results of his rule, it only proves that he is a foolish ruler, even worse than a tyrant."

Saber frowned, her tone sharp as she retorted, "Rider... no, Iskandar, the empire you built has ultimately been split into four parts. Don't you feel any resentment about this? Don't you want to start over and save your country?"

"No!" The King of Conquerors answered almost without hesitation. He gazed at Saber and said, "If my decisions and those of my subjects have led to this outcome, then destruction is inevitable. I may mourn it, I may grieve for it, but I will never regret it!"

"How could this be..." Saber's eyes trembled, her face showing disbelief.

The King of Conquerors suddenly turned to look at Arthur and asked, "Lancer, have you ever regretted your path of kingship?"

"I have never regretted my choice!" Arthur shook his head, then thought for a moment and said calmly, "But I also don't think Saber's wish is anything to laugh at!"

"Kings are all determined to move forward without hesitation. Just like Rider, you wanted a physical body, and Saber's wish was to save her country. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Lancer, you..."

After hearing Arthur's words, Saber looked at him with a slightly moved expression, while the King of Conquerors of Conquerors was about to retort.

Arthur suddenly said, "But... Saber! I don't see any confidence in your eyes! Your wish isn't to go back in time and personally avert that tragedy, is it?"

"..." Saber fell silent for a moment, and Arthur and the other two noticed her momentary panic.

"Ha... what a laughable clown." Gilgamesh sneered again.

"It seems you're making it more serious than Rider described," Arthur said calmly. "You're denying your own abilities!"

"I see!" The King of Conquerors said in a deep voice, his expression extremely serious. "I thought your desire to overturn the history you created was foolish enough. But I never expected that you, Saber, would actually want to abandon your own path of kingship!"

"I..." Saber took a few steps back, her face pale, and looked at Arthur and the other two with a confused expression.

"Saber, you are no longer worthy of being a king." The King of Conquerors's imposing figure slowly rose to his feet, his gaze stern as he stared at Saber, and said in a deep voice, "To be a king and yet want to overturn your own history is utterly foolish. However, I must admit that what Lancer said can be loosely regarded as a kind of unwavering kingly path."

"However, your desire is not only to overturn history, but also to abandon your throne and deny the great achievements you have made in the past."

"What you're doing is an insult to all of humanity who shaped our time, and to the Britain people of your time (aibi)."

"You only think about rescue, but you don't understand! Have you ever considered the consequences of your thoughts about going back to save your homeland and changing Britain's fate?"

"Rider, you've gone a bit too far..." Arthur suddenly spoke up to remind him.

"Sorry! I lost my composure a bit..." The King of Conquerors scratched his head somewhat sheepishly, but his gaze towards Saber was filled with disappointment as he said, "Saber, what a king should do is not to comfort his people, nor to sacrifice himself for the country! A person without desires or wants is not a king, but a saint!"

"People learn about law and order through the king; proper rule and proper order are what all subjects expect! And the king himself must possess desires, desires stronger than anyone else's! He must be more unrestrained than anyone else, more easily angered than anyone else; he should be a human being who contains both clarity and turbidity, more real than anyone else."

"Only in this way can the king win the hearts of his subjects, and only then can they feel the longing in their hearts that 'I wish I were the king!'"

"But... where is justice in this kind of governance?" Saber's rebuttal lacked conviction.

If Arthur hadn't exposed her true desires, she might have stubbornly argued back.

But now, I feel lost.

"Justice?" Both the King of Conquerors and Gilgamesh raised their eyebrows. "What is that?"

Even Arthur couldn't help but rub his temples, reminding her, "Saber, there is never any such thing as justice in the path of a king."

In wars between nations, each side believes itself to be righteous, while the other side is often seen as evil!

Therefore, justice is always created by the victors!

The King of Conquerors agreed, saying, "That's right, the path of the king has no justice, nor does it bring regret!"

"Saber, you are a king who bears the name of a knight! Your justice and ideals may have saved the country and the people for a time, which is why your name has been passed down to this day. But you should also know what kind of fate awaited that country that was saved, right?"

"I..."

"That's right, just like you right now!"

"You only know how to save them, but you never guide them. You haven't let them understand what 'the king's desire' is! You abandoned them, lost and confused, while you, with your own self-righteous and pure demeanor, revel in your petty ideals! Even now, you still want to insult them, deny yourself, and overturn their existing beliefs!"

"Saber, you don't understand people's hearts--".

Chapter 300 Reality Marble

--Understanding people's hearts.

These four words were like a heavy hammer blow, utterly plunging Saber into despair.

The fall of King Arthur and the collapse of Britain can be attributed to the saying, "King Arthur, ~ did not understand human nature."

This was said by Tristan of the Knights of the Round Table, after which he left the Knights of the Round Table and later regretted it for the rest of his life because of this meaningless remark.

Unfortunately, this statement gradually sowed discord among the other knights, who began to doubt whether 'King Arthur' could still lead them... Ultimately, the exposure of Lancelot's relationship with Guinevere brought the Knights of the Round Table to the brink of collapse.

Now, the King of Conquerors's words, "He doesn't understand people's hearts," have once again left Saber feeling lost.

Seeing Saber completely lost in confusion, the King of Conquerors, Gilgamesh, and Arthur remained silent, instead raising their glasses to take a sip.

It's time for this little girl to wake up and think things through.

"..."

At that moment, a chill suddenly crept into the surrounding air.

A dense killing intent permeated the invisible atmosphere, sweeping over everyone's bodies.

Suddenly, human figures, wearing skull masks and black robes, slowly emerged from the air.

This silent approach is a skill belonging to Assassin class – Presence Concealment.

Clearly, these humanoid figures wearing skull masks are 'Assassins'!

"A... Assassins, how can there be so many Assassins?" Waver said in a panic as he looked at the 'Assassins' surrounding them.

"Have we been under surveillance by these guys all along?" Irisviel exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise.

Lost in confusion after suffering a heavy blow, Saber forcibly shook off those thoughts, quickly shielding Irisviel behind her, and looking warily at the approaching 'Assassin'.