"Calling yourself a king, revered by the masses as a king."
"And yet, you feel regret?"
"Ha! How could anyone not laugh at this? Truly remarkable, Saber! You are the most amusing fool!"
"..."
"Why are you laughing?"
Artoria could no longer endure Gilgamesh's humiliation. "My nation, which I devoted my heart and soul to protecting as a king, fell to ruin. What's so funny about my mourning that?"
"No."
Listening to Artoria's words, Damien shook his head. "Your thinking is somewhat presumptuous."
"What?"
"Saber..."
Damien did not mock Artoria's ideals as Gilgamesh had.
On the contrary, Damien inwardly hoped that a leader would be a wise and virtuous ruler.
But such a thing was destined to be impossible.
"I want to ask you a question."
"You want to use the Holy Grail to save your nation. Then what?"
"What?"
Artoria was stunned, not quite understanding what he meant.
"Is it hard to understand?"
"I want to know, assuming you actually obtain the Holy Grail and have the chance to fulfill your wish, what exactly would you do?"
"Would you simply say to the Holy Grail, 'Please save my nation'?"
"I..."
Artoria was stumped by Damien's question. She hadn't truly considered how to use the wish to achieve the miracle of salvation.
This showed that the title of "King of Knights" for Artoria was indeed fitting.
The girl was not just a little naive.
Despite being so fixated on the Holy Grail War, she hadn't even thought through her wish.
Gilgamesh had no wish.
He participated in the war because every Heroic Spirit vying for the Holy Grail was a challenger coveting his treasures.
Killing and punishing them all was, to Gilgamesh, only natural.
Iskandar wanted to continue conquering battlefields, needing a physical body to live freely in a new world and era.
Artoria had a wish, but did she really know how to use the Holy Grail to achieve her goal?
"You can think about this question slowly."
"Now, let's assume your wish comes true, and your nation is saved."
"Then what?"
Once again, "then what." And once again, Artoria looked utterly bewildered.
What then?
Then what?
"I mean, if the nation is back on track, what about you?"
"I..."
Goodness, Damien's question caught Artoria completely off guard.
To be honest, Artoria had never thought that far.
And according to Damien, if the nation was saved, what use would she, as a king, have?
"If the nation no longer needs me, where should I go?"
That was the question.
When Artoria was alive, to become the King of Knights that everyone admired, she lived like a saint, selfless and diligent.
So, Artoria had never considered what she would do if she were no longer a king.
To be honest, having lived her entire life for others, did she even have a dream of her own?
"If the Holy Grail saves your nation, what about you?"
"Would you continue being the King of Knights of Great Britain, waiting for the nation to fall again under your rule?"
"What?! You..."
Artoria was startled.
At the same time, she realized something.
The Holy Grail saving her nation didn't mean everything was over.
History had already proven that she was not suited to be the King of Knights... at least, Artoria herself believed so.
Britain fell under her rule.
Even if the Holy Grail saved it once, what about the next time?
"When the nation falls again, will you seek the Holy Grail once more, repeating the cycle?"
"What difference is there between such a nation and a puppet of the Holy Grail?"
Damien pointed at Iskandar. "You mocked Iskandar for pursuing the Holy Grail out of personal desire."
"But at least he knows that conquest brought by a mere cup is meaningless!"
"The same applies to your nation."
"If the nation's survival depends not on the collective efforts of its people but on wishing upon a cup, what meaning does it have?"
"..."
Damien's words were calm, but Artoria felt a chill in her heart.
Indeed, a salvation brought by wishing upon the Holy Grail... wasn't it the same as Iskandar's wish for "world conquest"?
"If that's the case!"
Artoria steadied herself and retorted, "Then choose a different king!"
Being a king meant nothing to Artoria.
As long as she could save her people and her nation, what did it matter if she wasn't king, or if she never drew the Sword in the Stone?
"Choose a different king, huh..."
"That's a possible method."
"But..."
"Saber, don't you think your wish is a bit too cruel?"
"What?"
Artoria didn't understand what Damien meant.
Why call her cruel?
"Isn't it cruel?"
"You made a wish for Great Britain to select a king greater than you."
"Here's the question: why would you impose something even you couldn't achieve on someone else?"
"By your logic, a king should be noble, just, kind, tolerant, and benevolent, like a perfect saint."
Damien looked at Gilgamesh and Iskandar, both shaking their heads, and said gravely, "If such a person truly exists, fine."
"But if this is imposed on someone because of your wish..."
"Isn't that cruel?"
"You, Artoria Pendragon, for your own selfish desire, would turn another person into a soulless husk called a 'holy king'!"
"They could have enjoyed fine wine and food, had a fulfilling family life."
"But because of your wish, you'd strip them of their happiness and life!"
"I... I didn't mean that!"
Artoria was shaken by Damien's words. She understood the principle of not imposing on others what she wouldn't want for herself.
And given her character, she could never do such a thing.
She only thought she wasn't a qualified king and wanted someone better to take her place.
"But what if the new king is like the King of Heroes or the King of Conqueror?"
"What if the new king, whom you despise and cannot understand, is the one who can save Great Britain? What then?"
"That kind of thing..."
The very kings she had rejected, even called "tyrants." clashed violently with her understanding of what a king should be.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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