First of all, for Shirou, who doesn't even know about Servants, let alone the Holy Grail War, Rin and Saber diligently explained things to him.
The two of them seemed angry at Shirou's ignorance, but... well, it's not that bad, right? I, along with Ruby, took out the drinks and snacks from Shirou's house, put them on a tray, and brought them over.
"Here, have these while you talk."
"Ah, thanks, Archer."
"... Thank you."
"Wait, this is our stuff!?"
"Can't you treat your life's savior to at least this much? How stingy, Emiya-san."
"At least ask before taking it..."
"Haha. I didn't have the courage to interrupt."
I didn't have the courage to interrupt between Rin and Saber, who were testing the limits of patience. I also have to stay quiet when my wives fight amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Seibah was munching on the snacks instead of the drinks.
"I think I understand now..."
"It doesn't seem like you do. On top of that, your Saber isn't even in perfect condition. From what I see, she hasn't recovered from the wound Lancer gave her, and it looks difficult for her to restore her magical energy."
"As you said, I am not in perfect condition. You could say I am incomplete..."
"Eh, is that so?"
"You admit it just like that? Since I can see through you, there's no point in hiding the cards I hold. In that case, it's better to inform you, an enemy, and let Shirou understand the current situation more deeply."
"You have good character too... Honestly, it's a waste having Saber! If she made a contract with me, she'd be invincible!"
That makes me a little sad...
"Hey, are you saying I'm lacking?"
"Of course, you greenhorn!"
"Well, more like a novice than a greenhorn. If you don't know yourself in a war like this, you'll just die. In Ulster, if you don't know, you die. Young warriors aren't taught that beasts are beasts; they're just thrown in so they learn to kill on their own. Well, I don't like that method... In short, Emiya-san, you don't understand your own weakness. Not just compared to Rin, but even to other Masters, you are the weakest."
Since Sakura, not Shinji, is the real Master, he is the weakest Master.
"Is it that much..."
"It's my piece of advice. Even if it weren't us or Lancer, there's no pair as incomplete as you two. If you meet another Servant, honestly, the possibility of defeat is high. Artoria, she cannot properly unleash her power because of your shortcomings. That means your role is more important than anything."
There's no reason to talk about beliefs here. His sense of justice... I am not his future self, and I have no reason to argue about that belief. Everyone harbors impossible, lofty ideals. As long as I don't kill him, Emiya Shirou won't give up. Because those who hold beliefs are frightening.
"... And, the person I want to talk to is not you, but Saber."
"D-debt, is it about that..."
Artoria with eyes that openly show unease.
"It's not about the debt. Well, I'll have you repay it someday. I want to talk with the two of you... Come up to the roof."
I first went out to the yard, lightly jumped up, and sat on the roof tiles. Artoria followed. Her shoulders look painful.
Keeeng~
"This is... a rune?"
"A Primordial Rune. This is on the house~ Your magical energy should be roughly recovered as a bonus."
"... I do not wish to owe you any more favors."
"It's not an added debt, so don't worry about it. Now then... where should we start? Shall we talk about your story?"
"My, story?"
Artoria, who doesn't seem to grasp what kind of story this is, since it's not about debt.
"First, let's start with Merlin."
"... Yes."
She seems to like that.
"First, Artoria. Do you think you are strong?"
"... It may be arrogance, but yes."
"I wonder... For a great hero, you are lacking. Not the current you, but in terms of overall power."
"What did you say?"
"Listen first. I'm not insulting you... Merlin, Merlin is certainly capable to an irritating degree when it comes to teaching. From a young age, you received his education and cultivated numerous knowledge and powers. However... your strength is mediocre. To put it badly, it's so-so; to put it nicely, it's just average. You're not exceptionally great in any one aspect. Are you a master of spearmanship like Setanta? Do you have tremendous skill like Heracles or Hector? Honestly, you are exactly average among great heroes."
"Why are you saying that?"
"Seems your pride is hurt. But, I wanted to tell you. Being that overflowing with confidence means you think you're strong, which leads to carelessness. Even modern humans have people with tremendous skill. So be careful... The point is, that bastard Merlin raised you as a king, not as a knight, so your talent never fully bloomed. You're a flower that bloomed beautifully but stopped halfway... Your essence is that of a dragon, Artoria. But... do you possess any dragon power other than your magical energy core?"
"That is..."
"Innate intuition? Many other Servants also have intuition. That can't be considered a special power of a dragon... Do you possess tremendous defensive power like Siegfried? Did you gain wisdom like Sigurd? Or do you have a dragon's lung capacity like some dragon idol? No... That is Merlin's mistake. He raised you too much as just a human."
"No, in the end, there was something strange..."
"Anyway! Artoria... you couldn't bloom your talent because of your circumstances. That fact is truly regrettable. If your talent had bloomed, you would have become the strongest knight, unmatched even by Setanta, surpassing even Lancelot. On top of that, working as a king for ten years caused your skills to decline, leading to your current state. It's Merlin's mistake... He made a hero, not the strongest. You are not using the power of the Red Dragon you possess at all. Even compared to Vortigern, the difference is severe. The Vortigern I met before you were born was a man who handled dragon power far better than the current you."
"You know Vortigern?"
"I saw his face briefly before returning... He too suffered from fate's tricks..."
A man who had to kill his own brother, Uther, due to his own fate; Britain's judge who decided to become the absolute evil himself... Fate is truly cruel. That bastard Merlin didn't say anything, did he? He deserves a beating. You deliberately blocked me with a bounded field because you knew I'd see this, you bastard. Go scratch your belly in your tower.
"If Merlin had tried a little harder and further developed your heart, your power, the rebellion might not have happened... Before overwhelming power, even a populace full of discontent can do nothing."
"But that is..."
"If you think it's not, then why do you regret it?"
"!?"
"Is there a rule that says someone who becomes king in your place wouldn't do so? What if that was actually the correct answer? What if using fear politics like a tyrant, like Qin Shi Huang, to create forced peace was the correct answer? If the Holy Grail gave you such an answer, would you still say no?"
"....."
"Artoria... you are still young. An adult, but a child. The moment your physical growth stopped, your world stopped too... Those around you only revered you; they didn't understand you. You were just a lonely king. For such a solitary king to achieve peace, ruling through fear like Qin Shi Huang might have been the correct answer. If not... you should have advanced together with everyone. The king's path differs for each; it's not right for me to say do this or that. Ten years ago, or by your standards, just a while ago, other kings denied and laughed at you, so you must feel bad. You probably think I'm doing the same... I'm not denying it, am I?"
"Eh...?"
How could I deny it? Everyone has a past they want to change. Even if they know they shouldn't change it and that it was for the best, they always regret it. The wound of sending off my wives still remains in my heart.
"Your regret is natural. Anyone would want to deny their failures and want to change them. But... no one, not even you, can change that outcome. Even if it were me, it would be impossible."
"How can that be..."
"... Artoria. Where there is a beginning, there is always an end. No matter what that beginning was like, even if the end was the worst form... the past cannot be changed. The only thing we can change is the future ahead. We cannot change the past. Heroes like me have no interest in a second life. We are not attached to life. We are attached to unfulfilled wishes. Of course, there are cases where a second life is desired... but most are not. If they are heroes, that is. Not Heroic Spirits, but heroes like us."
"Hero..."
"I'm not saying you are not a hero. I'm talking about humans of the same kind as me. Still... we all have regrets. Even so, the unchangeable is the past. If we have any right... it is the chance to change the future. The past cannot be changed. Humans die and entrust everything to future generations. Do you know why the warriors of Ulster are said to not fear death?"
"Why is that?"
"Among people, children are born. Children symbolize people's future... Because there were children to entrust their backs to, warriors who took to the battlefield could overcome the fear of death. Not just children, but friends, lovers, people they wanted to protect with their lives... Because they existed, the warriors of Ulster overcame death. Artoria. No matter how much you cling to the past and want to change it... that is a story that disregards your parents."
"My parents, you say...?"
"... Let's talk about your story for a moment. Before you were born... the story of our journey undertaken for you... Let's talk about your father Uther and your sister Morgan... no, Nimue. Why your father Uther and his brother Vortigern became divided. From 1500 years ago... no, the story of Britain rushing towards ruin before you were born. In Britain... there were two brothers. The two sons of the Pendragon family, Uther Pendragon and Vortigern Pendragon. Let's start from the story of that time."