"If you desire this king's treasures, be prepared to be blasted to pieces!"
"Blasted? You mean those exploding treasures of yours?"
"You fellow..."
Damien coveted Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasms greatly, but he didn't need to resort to theft. With his analysis complete, he could acquire anything.
"Alright, alright, let's calm down for now."
Iskandar smiled wryly as he prevented Gilgamesh from retorting further.
"Archer, your finest wine is indeed suitable to be held in the most precious goblet. But unfortunately, the Holy Grail is not a goblet."
"This is a Holy Grail Q&A to test who is most qualified to obtain the Holy Grail. First, let's hear what great wish you have placed upon the Holy Grail; otherwise, we can't proceed."
"So, the most ancient King of Heroes, Gilgamesh."
"Why do you want to obtain the Holy Grail?"
Heroic Spirits are not supposed to have desires, but since they have been summoned, they must have a pursuit for the Holy Grail.
"Stop giving orders, mongrel."
"Moreover, the premise of 'fighting for the Holy Grail' is already against reason. To tell the truth, it originally belongs to me. Tracing back to the origin, there is nothing in the world that does not come from my treasury. Although a long time has passed, and some things may have been lost, those treasures still belong to me."
This answer made everyone curious. Even Artoria began to ask if the Holy Grail truly has the power to grant wishes.
"Do not judge by the standards of mongrels."
"The total number of treasures this king possesses has long exceeded what this king knows, but as long as an item is a 'treasure,' it is certain that it belongs to this king's property."
"Is that so?"
Iskandar understood, "A treasury that symbolizes the prototype of all treasures, that is the true nature of your Noble Phantasm. Truly worthy of the legendary King of Heroes. Taking back what originally belongs to you, this reason is perfectly legitimate."
Damien didn't target Gilgamesh anymore, and his response somewhat surprised Gilgamesh.
"Since that's the case, you don't really need to take it too seriously, right?"
"It's just a cup; for you, it shouldn't be a big deal, right?"
"Nonsense!"
"This king has no reason to bestow treasures upon mongrels like you."
"Eh~~"
"Is the legendary King of Heroes such a miser?"
"Stupid, those who should receive this king's grace are only this king's subjects and people."
"So, Rider, if you submit to this king, I can reward you with one or two cups anytime."
Obviously, that was impossible.
Gilgamesh's reason was simple: what is mine is mine, and if I don't give it to you, you can't take it!
He didn't care about the outcome of the Holy Grail War or the Grail itself. What angered Gilgamesh was that someone dared to challenge his authority and the laws he had set.
"In that case, next, we can only meet with swords."
In tonight's King's Q&A, Iskandar has received his answer from "My way is to seize what I want by force, because I am Iskandar, the King of Conqueror."
"Then there's nothing more to say. You break the law, and this king will punish you. There's no room for argument."
The two could not reconcile because true kings always adhere to their own principles.
But that didn't mean Gilgamesh disliked Iskandar. On the contrary, they felt each other's reasons and spirit as kings.
At least in their identity as kings, there was no distinction of superiority or inferiority.
In the following Q&A, Iskandar also stated his reason for wanting the Holy Grail.
He wanted to obtain a physical body and then start anew to continue his journey of world conquest.
"Truly someone who sticks to his beliefs to the end, King of Conqueror."
Damien quite liked people like Iskandar, who always stayed true to their hearts, whether in life or death.
"Ah."
Gilgamesh rarely agreed with Damien's comment, "A boring life always needs one or two spices. I await your challenge, King of Conqueror!"
"What a joke!!"
Artoria had been frowning, silently watching the three gradually build a relationship that was unclear whether it was hostile or friendly.
From the beginning until now, the girl couldn't find any opportunity to join the discussion.
Because she believed that the opinions expressed by these two Heroic Spirits were far from her ideals as the King of Knights and had nothing to do with her.
"It's completely selfish!"
"That's not the right path for a king to follow."
Artoria's words finally broke the isolation.
"Oh?"
Iskandar asked, "Then, let us hear your esteemed opinion, King of Knights."
What happened next was already known to Damien.
Artoria expressed her lofty ideal that she had been pursuing, like a vow, "My wish is to save my homeland! I want to use the power of the omnipotent wish-granting device to change the fate of Britain's destruction!"
"...."
Silence, deafening.
Although Artoria's statement was indeed powerful.
But whether it was Damien or the other two, they were not simple opponents who would be intimidated by a single sentence.
Moreover, what she said shouldn't be strange enough to shock people, and the content wasn't too profound to understand.
In Artoria's view, her wish was noble, sacred, and just.
But whether it was words of praise or voices of opposition, there should be some reaction immediately.
Yet, why was the scene silent?
"Sigh..."
Without waiting for Iskandar to leave Artoria speechless as in the original story, Damien spoke first, "By changing fate, do you mean you want to overturn past history?"
"Yes, even if it's a wish that cannot be realized by miracles, but if the Holy Grail is truly omnipotent, it must be able to..."
"Pfft!"
"Hahaha~~"
However, before Artoria could finish her words, she was met with Gilgamesh's heartfelt laughter.
"What's so funny, King of Heroes!"
Artoria felt extremely angry.
Saving Great Britain was the most important thing buried deep in her soul, not allowing anyone to desecrate or trample on it.
***
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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