"Liar. At that level, a Reality Marble would require a lot of mana just to activate. And once activated, maintaining the summoned army would be an unexpected consumption for you, right?"
"..."
"When I first saw it, I thought it was as efficient as you said. But the magic power you drew from my circuits during the initial battle with the Assassin is a bit too little now compared to what is needed."
Waver had a mistaken understanding of the amount of mana that Ionioi Hetairoi needed to consume. Even magecraft must follow the principle of equivalent exchange; it is definitely not easy to unleash a Reality Marble of such a massive scale. Waver couldn't help but be angry at his own naivety.
"Rider, why didn't you even use the mana I was supposed to provide, but used your own stored reserves instead? And you did it both times... What exactly are your intentions?"
"This... Hm." Rider sighed deeply, appearing as though it were hard to explain. "Frankly, as a Servant, I am a pure soul. If I were to involve you in my full magical output, it would threaten your life."
"Even then, it would have been fine—I was prepared," Waver whispered, looking at the ground. "I don't want this to be your war alone. This is my first time in combat. If I don't shed blood and sacrifice to win, it will be meaningless."
What Waver couldn't give up was the conviction in his heart.
"Do you know what I'm trying to do with the Holy Grail? I don't care what happens after I take it. I just want to prove it to everybody. I want to make sure that I, Waver, even as I am, can use my own hands to get what belongs to me."
"—But, boy. That only makes sense if the Holy Grail really exists, right?"
Rider's unexpected words made Waver speechless for a moment. "... Huh?"
"Does the Holy Grail of Fuyuki, which everyone is fighting for with bloodshot eyes, really exist? It's just a legend, and no one has seen it with their own eyes, have they?"
Waver couldn't understand Rider's meaning, but he couldn't deny the statement, so he could only nod. "Indeed, as you say, but..."
"I've fought for things like this before without knowing if they were real." Rider's words were bitter and sad, far from his usual domineering tone. "I wanted to see Oceanus with my own eyes—and I fought across the world to make this dream come true. Those who believed in me followed me into battle without doubt, even sacrificing their lives. But until the end, they had only seen the endless sea I spoke of in their dreams."
"..."
"Finally, at the instigation of those who did not believe, the expeditionary force was disbanded. But it's also true. If I had continued, my army would have been defeated somewhere. When I came to this era, I realized that the earth is actually spherical. It's a big joke. Look at a map and you can see there is no Oceanus at all. What I called my ideals then now seem like nothing more than delusions."
"Hey, Rider." Waver didn't know what to say.
"I'm tired of causing sacrifices because of my willfulness. If I could be certain the Holy Grail is there, I would fight for it with our lives... Unfortunately, its existence is not yet known. I don't want to repeat the mistake of the spherical earth."
"But I... even so, I'm still your Master."
"Boy, you don't need to say that. It's true your magic circuits are stronger than usual, and the leylines here are good. Rest all day, and we can do a big job again at night."
Waver could feel the magic power being absorbed by Rider. The burning sensation in his chest was gone, replaced by a violent fatigue. His strength was drained; it became difficult even to move his fingers or open his eyes.
"Until then, I'd better take a break..." Waver closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Seeing his Master was asleep, Rider remained quiet, maintaining his spirit form and waiting for the night. In a dream, Waver passed through a strange light and saw the time of Iskandar.
In the winter of 333 BC, Alexander the Great of Macedon marched into Asia Minor. When he arrived in the city of Gordium, he heard of a famous prophecy: hundreds of years ago, King Gordias had tied an intricate knot to his ox cart and declared that whoever could untie it would become king of Asia.
Samurai and princes from all over the world had tried to untie it to no avail. Alexander observed the knot for a long time but could not find the end of the rope. He decided to use his own rules: why not cut it? He drew his sword and split the knot in half. The knot, preserved for centuries, was easily undone. Alexander eventually became the "King of Conquerors."
At the end of the dream, Waver saw Iskandar leading a large army, stopping at the edge of the land. Beyond that was a rough sea, with waves ready to swallow everything.
Boom————!
Disturbed by a sudden explosion, Waver woke up and sat up. "What's going on! Rider!?"
"In the residential area over there, it seems there is a battle. The fluctuation of magic power is very violent..."
Waver's eyes widened. He quickly took out the telescope from his backpack to observe. He saw a shocking scene: countless treasures fell from the sky and collided with weapons projected by another teenager, causing a series of loud bangs. The treasures were being