"I know you," Saber said.
'Has she regained her memory? That makes sense, since Shirou is not a magician,' Ian thought. 'I doubt it.'
"The Rune runes that appeared when you attacked Berserker. I recognized them because my master used to talk about that incessantly," Saber continued. "You are Arcane Emperor."
Ian The corners of his mouth twitched, "I guess your master is one of the magicians I summoned."
"Do you know me?" Saber asked.
"Yes, the legendary King Arthur, the ruler of Camelot, and the disciple of Merlin."
"Wait, are you King Arthur?" Tohsaka asked. "But... but..."
"Am I a woman?" Saber, also known as Artoria Pendragon, asked. "I concealed my name and gender because I believed that people would be more inclined to accept a man as their ruler rather than a woman."
"I think that's understandable," Tohsaka nodded. Saber looked at Ian, "My master used to often talk about you, your ideals, creativity, love for people, and your Arcane Runes."
"I'm sure it would be a pleasure to talk to him, too."
"You don't remember?" Saber asked.
"Unfortunately, I don't remember."
"Well, considering your identity, it's understandable that Holy Grail won't let you come into the world with your complete memories," Saber commented. If there is a Servant who can eliminate the influence of Holy Grail without winning the war, it can only be Arcane Emperor.
"Why didn't you tell me that you lost your memory?" Tohsaka asked, realizing why he asked so many questions after being summoned.
"You need to trust me as soon as possible, so if you know that I have forgotten a part of my life, things will get complicated."
"You lied to me."
"For that, I apologize to you," Ian replied, Tohsaka turned over Byakugan; she decided to give him the cold shoulder from now on. Ian ignored the little girl's temper and focused on Saber:
"What on earth do you want to say?"
"I'm curious if you have the same desires as me," she asked.
"I'm afraid not."
"Why not? Don't you want to see your Empire revived? Get a chance to start over, right your past mistakes, and even make those gods pay for what they did to you," Saber asked.
"I haven't decided yet," Ian replied, and he wasn't lying. After hearing his own legend, he also wanted to establish another branch of the Arcane Empire in this world; his intuition told him that doing so might have other benefits, and he even considered returning to all the worlds he had visited before, leaving the same Empire behind. However, he remained skeptical about Akasha and the dangers that existed in this world.
"You may not be who I thought you were," Saber said, looking at him.
"I know what you are thinking - we are similar," Ian added. "However, I know more than you. For example, I know that Holy Grail cannot fulfill your wishes and that your attempts are in vain."
"Are you trying to convince me to give up the war? Don't waste your efforts."
"Let me ask you: Do you remember what happened near the end of the last war?"
Saber frowned, "I remember."
"You have been with Kiritsugu Emiya for a while. Do you think he is a good person?"
"No; he is a magician with an iron will, no bottom line, no morals, and will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals and ambitions," Saber replied.
"So, why would a person like this make such a decision? Why did he give up Holy Grail and force you to destroy it?" Ian asked.
"Because...Holy Grail can't give him what he wants." Saber turned pale when she came to this conclusion.
"Assuming that Holy Grail is omnipotent, why can't it fulfill Kiritsugu's wish? The answer is simple: either Holy Grail's power is limited, or there is something wrong with it."
"No, this is impossible," Saber stood up and said. "You are lying and trying to play psychological warfare."
Ian shrugged, "I don't care if you believe it or not."
"If Holy Grail has a problem, why are you pursuing it?"
"Because I know what's wrong with it, and I know how to exploit it. But you're not me, right?"
"In that case, I just need to force you to help me," Saber said, summoning Excalibur (Excalibur).
"Saber... what are you doing?... Stop."
Everyone looked at the pale Shirou, who woke up.
"Master!" Saber rushed to him and helped him sit down. "How do you feel?"
"Better," Shirou replied. After calming down, he looked at Ian, "Are you telling the truth?" Ian looked directly into his eyes, then turned his head and ignored him.
"Don't be rude," Tohsaka said.
"I told you, I won't hide my contempt for him."
"Where did I offend you?" Shirou asked, but Ian pretended not to hear; he summoned a book and started reading.
"Ignore him," Tohsaka changed the subject. "But he is telling the truth. Holy Grail has been contaminated since the last war."
"Providing intelligence to the enemy, right?" Ian commented.
"Shut up and read your book," Tohsaka shouted. "I'm still angry with you because of your lies."
"I can't believe how much was involved in the last war, considering my adoptive father was also involved," Shirou sighed. "Saber, why didn't you tell me that you knew him and served him?"
"I just remembered," she replied softly.
"When are we leaving?" Ian interrupted the conversation and asked. "He is awake and you have returned the favor. Can we resume our hostile relationship?"
Tohsaka paused, "You are right." She stood up and looked at Shirou, "You are fine now. Since you chose to participate in this war, we are veritable enemies. I will not show mercy when we meet next time, so be prepared."
Tohsaka headed for the door, but Shirou shouted, "Wait, Tohsaka. There's no need for this; you're my friend and I don't want to be your enemy."
"Then you are looking for death."
"This is my Master," Ian praised. "Focus on winning this war and reviving Tohsaka's name. In the future, you can have any man you want, you don't have to commit to that bastard."
"You can be annoying sometimes, you know that?"
"For the rest of your life, when you become the top modern magician of this century, you will thank me for my wisdom," Ian replied, and Tohsaka decided to ignore him. Ian took this opportunity to recall his conversation with Saber and focus on Merlin of this universe.
The relationship between them was that of peers rather than master and disciple, and this thought made him feel secretly happy. They walked on the way home, silent all the way.
After arriving home, Tohsaka claimed that she was tired and wanted to go to bed. Ian wanted to discuss their next strategy, but did not insist. After all, it was a long day for a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old teenager.
So he took the time to review some of the benefits he had gained since coming into this world.