What, exactly, was his wish?
Waver Velvet sat in his room, staring at the world map in his hands as he found himself thinking about it.
It was a childish question.
Or rather, only starting to ask that question now seemed childish.
Rider had asked him that very question back then.
And how had he answered at the time?
Waver clenched the map.
"I want other people's respect."
And how had Rider answered?
"Do you intend to live by the judgment of others?"
Then he had slapped him.
"Rather than making that kind of wish, you may as well wish to grow thirty centimeters taller."
Ha.
He had really been angry then.
But...
"To conquer the world, first conquer yourself?"
He silently pondered those words that Alexander, Matou Kariya, and Manlio had all said to him.
What did it mean to conquer oneself?
Even now, Waver still did not understand.
Because the more deeply he examined himself, the smaller he felt.
What kind of people were the Masters in this Holy Grail War?
His teacher, Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald; Tohsaka Tokiomi of the Tohsaka Family; Matou Kariya of the Matou Family—they were all exceptionally talented magi.
Emiya Kiritsugu, a mage killer so cruel and vile it was beyond imagination.
Kirei Kotomine, an incomprehensible oddity, yet one who held high standing in both the Church and the Association.
And then there was Ryuunosuke Uryuu, a terrifying serial killer.
Every one of them was a renowned figure, no matter how one looked at it.
And compared to them, he... seemed like nothing more than a tiny existence who could be ignored at will.
Like... the thesis he had painstakingly prepared for an entire year being displayed by his teacher in class as a joke.
"Small..."
Yes, he had always been just a nobody.