Dating Caster

[Tsk--]

Medea, having been stirred by some unpleasant memories, seemed to have no choice but to vent the dissatisfaction in her heart onto the wine cup before her.

And she was not the only one who was dissatisfied.

Saber was furious; her most cherished wish had been ruthlessly mocked by Archer, which, in her eyes, was the greatest insult imaginable.

"...Archer, what is so funny?"

"--Calling yourself a king--praised by all the people--to think such a person would actually feel 'regret'? Ha! How can this not make one laugh? A masterpiece! Saber, I have discovered that you are the greatest entertainment at this banquet!"

Because he could not stop laughing, Archer's words were fragmented.

"King of Knights... do you intend to deny the history you created?" Even Rider frowned, watching Saber with some displeasure.

"That is exactly right... Are you surprised? Is it laughable? As a king, the country I dedicated myself to was destroyed. I mourn it; what is wrong with that?" Regarding her own ideals, Saber did not hesitate, answering Rider's questioning with a firm expression.

"Hey, hey, Rider, did you hear that? This little girl who calls herself the King of Knights... actually said something about 'dedicating herself to the country'!" Hearing Saber's reply, Archer burst into laughter once again, as if he had heard a hilarious joke.

Answering Archer was Rider's gradually deepening silence. But to Saber, this was the same insult as being mocked. Thus, Saber angrily questioned the two kings:

"I do not understand what is so funny. As a king, one should naturally step forward and strive for the prosperity of one's country!"

"You are wrong."

Rider firmly and seriously denied her words:

"It is not the king who dedicates himself to the country, but the country and the people who dedicate everything they have to the king. The so-called king is the one whom the 'country' looks up to, respects, and follows with its will! That is what a king is!"

The furious Saber could no longer suppress the anger in her heart, her voice turning slightly hoarse from rage:

"Isn't that just a tyrant? Rider, Archer, you two being kings like that is the greatest mistake of all."

"Indeed, but we are not just tyrants; we are also heroes."

Rider replied calmly, not even moving an eyebrow, for there was no need for doubt; he firmly believed that the path of kingship he walked was the truth.

"Therefore, Saber, if a king feels dissatisfied with the results of his governance, it only proves that he is an incompetent ruler, even worse than a tyrant."

"Tsk--"

An untimely sneer suddenly rang out in the increasingly intense banquet. Although it was barely audible compared to the arguments of the kings, this slightly rude laughter still did not escape the ears of everyone present.

Thus, everyone turned their gazes toward the owner of the laughter, that conspicuous purple figure at the banquet.

At this moment, in the eyes of everyone, a faint blush appeared on the cheeks of Caster, extending upward to her earlobes and downward along her fair neck...

[Is she drunk?]

Looking at the unusual Medea beside him, Wang Xiaoming felt a bit puzzled; she hadn't drunk that much, had she? However, this was also his first time seeing Medea drink; perhaps she was not good at holding her liquor?

Although his mind was wandering, Wang Xiaoming still subconsciously straightened his back and leaned his body backward.

Medea did not refuse Wang Xiaoming's kindness. She leaned slightly to the right, and her right arm rested against Wang Xiaoming's side.

This intimate yet not ambiguous posture made Wang Xiaoming lose his focus for a moment.

As for whether the wine of the current era could truly make a Witch from the Age of Gods drunk? That was a question only Medea herself knew the answer to.

"Hey, Caster, I cannot just pretend I didn't hear that laugh of yours!"

It was not just Rider; regarding that undisguised sneer, the other two kings also glared at Medea. If Rider hadn't spoken first, that golden king would have likely already thrown a "mongrel" at her.

Wang Xiaoming felt his body stiffen. He could feel that the smoke of war originally directed at Saber had all shifted here, and with triple the intensity.

However, the person leaning beside him at this moment clearly had no self-awareness that she had incurred public wrath. As if completely ignoring the atmosphere, Medea sneered again.

"Oh Rider, who is both a tyrant and a hero, are you sure you really want me to say it?"

"A king should listen to the opinions of all people. If you have any suggestions, you may naturally speak them."

Rider's heroic reply caused Medea's eyes, which were half-closed from the slight intoxication, to open. Her lips parted slightly:

"..."

This is likely the last chapter before the book goes live.

Emmmm.

Allow me to leave a cliffhanger here.

I will talk about other things in the "going live" announcement later. 233

(Running away!)

Going Live Announcement

I have been reading novels for many years.

I have also written quite a lot of words in novels.

This is my first time going live, so I am a little excited. 23333

I have written so many words; I am truly grateful that you could accompany me to this point.

Thank you very much.

As for the extra updates after going live:

I'll save the extra chapters for the weekend.

Because I still have to attend my thesis defense during the day QAQ.

As for the number of extra chapters, let's base it on the number of first-day subscriptions.

If we hit over one thousand first-day subscriptions, I'll add two chapters (though I feel like that's unreachable).

The more subscriptions, the more extra chapters (this is even less scientific).

If the average subscription count is high, I'll consider switching to two chapters a day (a perfect attendance record that feels lightyears away).

In short, the book will officially launch tomorrow morning at ten o'clock sharp~

I am begging for your first-day subscriptions!

Chapter 57. High Energy Ahead (Seeking First-Day Subscriptions!)

"I originally thought this banquet would offer some interesting insights, but looking at it now..."

Medea's azure eyes, half-closed from a slight tipsiness, swept across the three kings one by one:

"It's nothing more than two self-righteous people engaging in ridiculous and boring posturing."

Medea's words caused the heroic smile that had yet to fade from Rider's lips to suddenly freeze, and even a flash of astonishment crossed Archer's crimson eyes.

The two kings could never have imagined that anyone would dare to make such arrogant and unbridled remarks at a banquet.

Even Saber's face was filled with confusion and bewilderment; she couldn't fathom why Caster would step in to break the tension for her.

Silence—

It was an atmosphere even heavier than when Saber had spoken earlier.

"Hey, Caster—"

It was Rider again, but this time, his deep voice suppressed a rage that was on the verge of erupting:

"Although this is a banquet for heroes, if you don't offer any justification for your words, then..."

Although Rider didn't finish his sentence, everyone present understood that if Caster couldn't provide a reasonable explanation, this banquet would have to come to an end; after all, the wrath of three kings was not something easily endured.

Yet, the person who had single-handedly caused this situation didn't seem to have any such self-awareness. After glancing at Rider, Medea spoke in her half-drunken voice, though her words still reached everyone's ears clearly: "King of Conquerors Iskandar, the world-renowned Alexander the Great, your footsteps have trodden upon three continents, your fame has not diminished in a thousand years, and you are an undying legend—your goal was to see the end of the world."

There was only a calm, plain narration in Medea's voice, without a hint of sarcasm:

"You call yourself a tyrant, yet you take pride in it, because you conveyed your wishes and your will to your people, and you guided them on their path forward. Even if the nation was destroyed, the path you walked was glorious, and you have no regrets."

Kind words always make people feel pleasant, but Medea's purpose in saying this was clearly not to praise Rider's achievements.

"However..."

Medea's tone shifted:

"King of Conquerors, you campaigned your entire life, leaving rivers of blood in your wake, causing countless people to lose their homelands and become displaced. No matter what your initial wishes were, they cannot change the weight of this slaughter. Your soldiers also had parents and wives, but because of your ideals—while they were away on campaign, their parents might have died of old age without seeing them again, their wives might have wept daily in worry, their children might have grown to adulthood without ever meeting their own fathers, or perhaps your soldiers had long grown weary of war and longed to return, only to die in a foreign land."

"Yet even so, your soldiers still trusted you, loved you, and were willing to follow your footsteps to conquer city-state after city-state. As a king, you should rightfully feel proud to possess such an army."

"Indeed," Rider said solemnly.

"At any time, they are my peerless army, my greatest treasure, and my path of kingship."

To Rider's proud words, Medea continued, noncommittally:

"Then, as a king, have you ever considered that after your death, your empire was split into four parts because of your decisions, your and your army's hard work turned to nothing, your once quiet and peaceful homeland was engulfed in the flames of war, and those soldiers of yours even had to raise their weapons against their former comrades and brothers-in-arms just to survive?"

"Iskandar, perhaps you are a peerless general when it comes to leading troops, but as the king of the Macedonian Empire... your shortsightedness was the root cause that destroyed your nation."

"...So, I have never denied that I am a tyrant."

After a long silence, Rider gave a wry smile, then puffed out his chest, his gaze firm:

"I will mourn and shed tears for the fall of Macedonia, because these were my decisions, so I should rightfully bear this stain, but I have absolutely no regrets."

Rider's words caused Saber's expression to darken.

"Viper, it seems your venom didn't have much of an effect on Rider."

Once Rider finished speaking, Archer, who had been watching the show from the side, suddenly laughed.

Viper was his new nickname for Medea.

"Heh—"

To this slanderous label, Medea was not angry; instead, she let out a laugh that bordered on mockery.

"And what does that make you, who had your hope for immortality eaten by a snake?"

Medea said something profound that left everyone present unable to react for a moment.

"Mongrel, you..."

Archer's expression changed violently.

Snap.

Tohsaka Tokiomi, who was peering into the banquet through his magecraft, didn't even notice the teacup slipping from his hand and shattering on the floor.

"Kirei, Caster must have recognized Archer's identity, right?"

Tohsaka Tokiomi muttered to himself.

"Judging by Caster's words just now, although I don't know by what means, it seems she has indeed learned Archer's true name."

Kirei Kotomine's calm and composed voice came through the communicator.

"Have Assassin gather immediately, even if it means using a Command Spell! You must not let Caster continue to reveal anything else."

"As you command, my teacher."

Ending the communication, Kirei Kotomine looked expressionlessly at the several Heroic Spirits in the distance. A faint red light flickered over the Command Spell on the back of his right hand, but for some reason, the red glow dimmed once more. He turned and left the spot.

Regardless of what thoughts Tohsaka Tokiomi and Kirei Kotomine might have had, the debate at the banquet continued.

"Mongrel, you!"

Medea's unexpected words caused Archer's expression to change violently.

"A mongrel? Then what should someone like you, a half-human, half-god, be called? Archer?"

Another retort successfully ignited the fury in Archer's heart.

"Woman, you are courting death!"

Archer's crimson eyes burned with a rage like red lotus flames.

Watching the golden Archer before her become enraged by her provocation, Medea, already feeling a bit tipsy, felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction and no longer held back: