A Question-and-Answer System Among Heroic Spirits, Section 44

Qin Shi Huang: "In that case, what meaning does this wish of yours have?"

"Qin Shi Huang is right."

Iskandar also said gravely, "Saber, are you trying to deny your own history?"

"What's wrong with what I think?!"

Artoria growled, "The homeland I devoted myself to was lost in my hands! It pains me, so what's wrong with wanting to save it?!"

Gilgamesh sneered. "Devoted yourself? Hahaha..."

"What's so funny?!"

Artoria raged, "As a king, what's wrong with stepping forward when your country is in peril?!"

"Oh, there's no point telling him that."

Ishtar said flatly, "This one never cared about his country or his people. Even the gods couldn't stand watching his atrocities in Uruk."

"Shut up, you stupid goddess."

Gilgamesh snorted. "You gods are hardly any better."

"Of course there's nothing wrong with a king stepping forward to protect his country."

Iskandar calmly interjected, "But you've gotten one thing wrong. A king shouldn't devote himself to his country. His country and people should devote themselves to their king."

Qin Shi Huang praised him. "Not bad, King of Conquerors. Though you are a king, you understand the way of an emperor well."

"What are you all talking about?!"

Artoria disagreed. "Wouldn't that amount to a tyrant's dictatorship?!"

Qin Shi Huang said evenly, "An emperor's rule is a dictatorship."

Iskandar also said, "You fail to recognize your own mistakes and only think of going back for a second playthrough. How are you any different from a foolish ruler?"

"Are you saying none of you have ever thought that way?!"

Artoria frowned. "Don't forget, weren't all your countries replaced after your deaths?"

"I can assure you, I've never thought that way."

Iskandar said seriously, "I will mourn, and I will shed tears, but I will never regret it."

"The same goes for me. I would only reflect on what I failed to do well during my lifetime."

Qin Shi Huang said seriously, "Only for soldiers is sacrifice an honor."

Iskandar: "A king has only one task: to guide his country correctly."

Artoria disagreed. "No, a king should sacrifice herself for her ideals!"

"Ideals, heh..."

Qin Shi Huang said gravely, "Unrealistic ideals will only bring negative consequences."

"On that point, I speak from experience."

Iskandar: "King of Knights, are you a king or a slave to your people?"

"To rule a country, one naturally cannot be like ordinary people."

Artoria said quietly, "Conquerors like you wouldn't understand..."

Chapter 50: The king's way

"A king without desires is nothing but a decorative vase to his country!"

Iskandar countered, "Saber, you are an incorruptible saint, but not everyone is as selfless as you."

"Who would truly yearn for the path of martyrdom?"

"A king should possess greed, laugh the loudest, and keep his impure and pure sides in balance. Only then will his subjects envy him and be captivated by him."

Hearing Iskandar's words, Qin Shi Huang, Zhang Jue, and the other Chinese Heroic Spirits saw him in a somewhat new light.

They hadn't expected Iskandar to understand not only the way of an emperor, but also the balance of yin and yang.

Sure enough, a man who had conquered such a vast territory couldn't possibly be a simple-minded brute.

"King of Knights, your justice and ideals may indeed have saved your people, but what ultimately became of those you saved?"

Iskandar continued, "You kept saving them, yet knew nothing of guiding them. You ignored your subjects' bewilderment. You appeared lofty and pure, but in truth, you were lost in your ideals."

"You aren't a true king at all, merely someone bound by the halo of an idol called a king!"

"What..."

Iskandar's words dealt Artoria a heavy blow, and she lost her balance and sank to the ground.

"Saber!"

Irisviel hurried to support her.

But Artoria's eyes were now vacant, and she had already fallen into self-doubt.

"Aaagh..."

Just then, the Knight of the Lake abruptly rose to his feet, agitatedly trying to say something, but his Mad Enhancement as a Berserker left him unable to form a complete sentence.

"Oh, Berserker, it seems you have a different opinion."

Iskandar said somewhat helplessly, "I'd like to hear your opinion, but unfortunately, you can't speak."

"What's so difficult about that?"

Qin Shi Huang raised his hand. "Berserker, I command you to temporarily regain your sanity."

Qin Shi Huang was simply that extravagant: he used a Command Spell outright.

Then, under the Command Spell's suppression, the Knight of the Lake finally settled down.

"Arthur... my king..."

The Knight of the Lake spoke in a hoarse voice, then removed his helmet.

He was a weathered, burly man with short, tousled purple hair.

"You're Sir Lancelot!"

Artoria shot to her feet upon seeing the Knight of the Lake's true face.

The Knight of the Lake's true name had finally been revealed.

Iskandar: "Lancelot? If I remember correctly, wasn't he..."

Waver: "That's right. The famous Knight of the Lake of the Knights of the Round Table, and the chief culprit behind their collapse."

"I see. So he's a former subordinate of the King of Knights."

Iskandar smiled. "Judging by the look of him, though, he should still be loyal to his king."

"Sir Lancelot, I never imagined you would become a Berserker."

Artoria was somewhat stunned.

She truly couldn't imagine that the heroic knight of those days had now become a mad dog.

"Was it because of me..."

"No! This was my own choice."

Having finally regained his sanity, Lancelot said with an agonized expression, "I was the one who led Britain to its destruction. I was the one who caused Gareth's death. I no longer deserve to serve as a knight."

Artoria: "Sir Lancelot..."

"My king, please do not lose your way over a few words from others."

Lancelot knelt before Artoria and declared loudly, "Your way of kingship was not wrong. We knights who followed you all acknowledged you as our king from the bottom of our hearts!"

"Do not forget, you were the one who saved Britain. The people supported you from their hearts. Without you, Britain would likely have been destroyed long ago."

"Sir Lancelot..."

Hearing Lancelot's words, Artoria finally recovered.

Yes, although she had failed in the end, who could say with certainty that her way of kingship was wrong?

Iskandar frowned. "Berserker, are you saying my thinking is wrong?"

"I am not denying your way of kingship."

Lancelot said seriously, "But everyone has their own way of living. My king's way of kingship once led Britain to glory. It is certainly not as worthless as you claim."

"Hahaha, is that so? It seems I was hasty in my judgment."

Iskandar laughed. "King of Knights, you have a fine subordinate."

Artoria: "Thank you, Sir Lancelot."

"Please do not say that, my king."

Lancelot bowed. "It is our duty to defend your honor."

Iskandar: "Then you're the only one left, Qin Shi Huang. What is your wish?"

Qin Shi Huang: "Hmph, what a pointless question. As a Ruler, I naturally have no wish."