Aozaki Aoko Case File [136]

They used the Chaldea system to confirm the situation. Waver Velvet's current state was somewhat similar to Mash's.

In other words, he was a pseudo-Servant, born by utilizing a human body and voluntarily merging with the Saint Graph and powers of a Servant.

However, Waver's situation was more advanced than Mash's, as Lord El-Melloi II was already a pseudo-servant. Essentially, a buffer had been constructed between the human body and the Servant's Saint Graph, preventing Waver from suffering any backlash from the immense power contained within the Servant's Saint Graph.

"Hahaha! You brat, you look like a real man now!" Iskandar's hearty laughter echoed through Kayneth's workshop, drawing everyone's gaze toward him.

"My king!" Upon seeing Iskandar, Waver was instantly overcome with emotion.

He placed one hand over his chest and knelt on one knee before Iskandar, just like a knight pledging allegiance to their lord.

"Eh?" Iskandar seemed a bit surprised. "Did you hit your head and lose your mind after being sick?"

"My king, please accept my renewed allegiance!" Waver raised his head, staring intensely into Iskandar's eyes, and said seriously, "Please allow me to fight alongside you!"

"...Are you one of my subjects from some other world?" Iskandar was a little taken aback but quickly grew serious. "Very well, I accept! I never thought I'd encounter something this interesting during this Holy Grail War!"

"Thank you, My King!" Waver stood up and positioned himself beside Iskandar, his entire demeanor changing in an instant.

Kayneth watched as his once-naive student matured in such a short time. He couldn't help but sigh, feeling a sense of growing old.

"Although I don't mean to interrupt this moving reunion," Aoko spoke up at the right moment, "don't forget about our duel."

"Ah, of course, Miss Blue," Waver said with confidence and determination. "I will face you alongside My King, Iskandar!"

"Oh?" Aoko raised an eyebrow. "You don't think that just because you've gained a Servant's power, you can take me on, do you, Mr. Velvet?"

"Of course not," Waver shook his head. "I simply have no choice but to fight alongside my king."

"I can't understand all this talk about kings and subjects," Aoko said with a shrug. "Well then, I'll give you a day. Tomorrow night at ten, I'll be waiting for you with Saber on the Fuyuki Bridge. Don't be late."

After speaking, Aoko placed a hand on Artoria's shoulder and activated a teleportation spell. In the blink of an eye, the two of them disappeared.

"Spatial magecraft... or perhaps an application of the Fifth Magic?" Kayneth mused. This Lady Magician was indeed full of secrets.

"Wait a moment," Ritsuka Fujimaru suddenly remembered something. "Mash, since Miss Aoko left early, how are we supposed to get back to the temple?"

Miss Aoko seemed to have forgotten about the two visitors from Chaldea, who were still in Kayneth's workshop.

However, it wasn't a big issue. Kayneth didn't seem particularly hostile toward the two Chadeans. After all, in a way, his student had been saved because of them. Allowing the two to stay the night wasn't a problem.

...

And so, the Holy Grail War reached its fifth day, with only one Servant having perished so far.

Aoko was not satisfied with the pace of progress, which was why she proactively proposed a duel with Iskandar.

Touko agreed with her decision.

According to the information received from Marisbury, the Grand Temple's construction was already complete. Once enough Servants were killed, Aoko could move the Greater Grail into King Solomon's Grand Temple. By doing so, neither the remaining Servants nor the Demon Pillars that might still exist in this world would have any choice but to converge at Aoko and Marisbury's home turf, where they would face her merciless onslaught.

Dragging them out one by one was far too tedious. Aoko planned to gather them all in one place and finish them off in one fell swoop.

The following evening, at exactly ten o'clock, Aoko and Artoria were already waiting at the iconic battleground of Fuyuki City—the Fuyuki Bridge.

The two floated in the air, gazing at the clouds in the distance as lightning flashed and thunder roared. Waver Velvet and Iskandar arrived before them, riding the Gordius Wheel.

"To think I can go head-to-head with the King of Knights of Britain! It's truly exhilarating!" Iskandar laughed heartily. "But before we begin, may I ask you a question?"

"Speak, King of Conquerors," Artoria replied loftily. "I have always shown tolerance toward worthy adversaries."

"What is your wish for the Holy Grail?" Iskandar asked, his eyes sharp. "Does the famed King of Britain also have a desire they want to be fulfilled?"

"I once had a wish I wanted to realize through the Holy Grail," Artoria replied. "But I now understand that it was nothing more than an unattainable illusion—a stubborn, one-sided desire."

"My wish now is to win the Holy Grail for my Master," Artoria said as she drew Excalibur from the scabbard of Avalon. "Fulfilling my oath is the greatest duty of a knight."

"A king who has abandoned their original desires?" Iskandar mused, looking somewhat conflicted. "It seems our ideals of kingship are quite different."

"Different countries create different ideals of kingship," Artoria said. "Britain is not Macedonia. Naturally, we would not be the same."

"My wish is to use the Holy Grail to regain my physical body and live again!" Iskandar declared, clenching his fist. "I want to set out on a new journey to conquer the world, to traverse it with my own body and my own two feet!"

"Then all the more reason to stop you, King of Conquerors," Artoria said coldly. "Your era has long since passed. The people of this age do not desire your so-called 'conquest.'"

"A king must display the greatest ambitions and ideals to their people!" Iskandar argued. "I think you've become nothing more than a machine, incapable of understanding the feelings of the people. Let us duel and see whose kingship reigns supreme!"

With that, Iskandar cracked the reins, and the Gordius Wheel charged forward.