Now she definitely has enough strength to make the Conqueror, who despises her, pay the price.
"Well, it is true that he is the only opponent we have left right now, Rider."
Shirou nodded.
"Before the final battle comes, let us recharge our batteries."
"That is right."
Saber nodded approvingly.
After the battle with the Hero King, both she and Shirou had completely exhausted the magical energy in their bodies at this moment; they couldn't squeeze out a drop anymore.
"Let's go to Sakura's side."
Shirou stretched and walked toward the castle gate. The gate, which had been destroyed before, had been repaired by the maids. The moon hid in the clouds, the sky darkened, and Shirou drove away from the Einzbern castle with Saber.
...
After the impressive Banquet of Kings, Waver finally understood how dire the situation he was in now truly was.
"I have to face so many monsters..."
King Arthur, the Hero King, and fellows like Lancelot, Berserker, and even the Master of Lancer, who dared to oppose the Hero King during the banquet, shocked Waver. Compared to them, Waver inexplicably had a feeling that he was useless.
After getting up in the morning, Waver told the old couple that he would be back late today and then hurried to Shinto without even eating breakfast. Although it was not yet rush hour for work, perhaps because there were too many people traveling between Fuyuki and neighboring towns, the bus to the station seemed to be full. Waver was very used to being crowded by people while feeling the noise of the crowd around him.
But for Waver now, it made him feel a little stable in his emptiness. For the past few days, there had been an overwhelming sense of presence around him. The current crowding and oppression were like a person standing in an open space after a memorial service. Of course, the aura of Rider had always been around, and even in the current atmosphere, the oppressive presence of the Heroic Spirit could still be felt.
Speaking of which, the big man had remained in spirit form since the battle with Caster the night before. After using his Noble Phantasm during the Banquet of Kings, he was even more reluctant to materialize. If this were a different Servant, there would be nothing strange about it. Since it was not a combat state, there was no need to deliberately materialize and expend excess mana.
But this was uncommon for Iskandar, who originally participated in the Holy Grail War for the purpose of pursuing materialization. If this situation only lasted for a few hours, it could be understood as a whim of his. But since he didn't show up for a whole day, it seemed a little abnormal, and there was probably only one reason why Rider didn't appear in material form.
Rider might be worried that the consumption of mana would be more than Waver could afford, so he could only remain in spirit form to slowly recover his magical energy. Waver, who likely knew this, didn't plan to sit still; he put on his backpack early and went to the supermarket to buy food.
Soon, Waver was walking through the residential area into a forest ready to be developed into a green park. Passing through the small jungle that had not yet carved a path, Waver kept going to the deepest depths. Although the scene of day and night here was of no concern to him, Waver still made his way inside.
Finally arriving at his destination and making sure that everything around him was safe, Waver sighed reassuringly. After spreading the insulating mat on the ground sprinkled with fallen leaves, Waver sat on it, took out the bento box he had just bought at the convenience store, and ate it.
Microwave-heated bento boxes had cooled down and tasted less delicious, but none of that mattered anymore. The most important thing now was to consume the energy needed to sustain life.
"Is it delicious... this?"
Suddenly, Rider finally couldn't help but speak after discovering that Waver was eating.
"No, it's hard to eat. I'm afraid that's the worst thing about the local diet."
Hearing Waver's answer, the spirit-form Rider seemed to sigh regretfully.
"Boy, do you remember a shop called Pancake Zhong Kui that you passed by when you were in Shinto just now? The new pancakes there are really a must, but it's a pity you didn't buy any...?"
"If you still want to eat them, hurry up and get back to a state where you can materialize."
"..."
The silence spread strangely, but now Waver seemed very calm.
"You know where this is; this is the place that beckons you. Needless to say, the spiritual quality is high here. Moreover, the magic array used for the summoning that night has not been destroyed. For you, this is the best leyline in Fuyuki. Being here must be helpful to restore your efficiency."
"I'm going to be here all day today. I won't do anything but sleep, so you can take whatever magical power you need, as long as it doesn't kill me. That should be very helpful for your recovery."
Rider's spirit seemed to open its mouth in surprise, and he was silent for a moment, then laughed.
"... Hahaha. Now that you've noticed, why didn't you say it earlier? Well, I'm sorry."
"Fool, if you don't recover quickly, I'm in danger!"
Waver couldn't help but get angry, and Rider, who had always been very arrogant, was embarrassed this time. After Waver finished the bento, he drank all the nutrients he had bought and then asked the spirit beside him.
"... What's wrong? Why are you being so quiet?"
"No, I'm wondering if I can hold on a little longer; the battle by the river wasn't as draining as I expected."
In order to prevent the landing of the sea demons summoned by Caster, Rider maintained the Reality Marble range of Ionioi Hetairoi beyond the limit. Then, after the banquet, in order to show his majesty as a king, he used the Ionioi Hetairoi against Assassin, consuming a lot of magical power.
Anyway, that was a bit reckless.
"As a result, your trump card unexpectedly consumes mana, right?"
"Nope. It's just a little more than usual. The guys in the army aren't summoned in the traditional sense, so they don't require too much mana to maintain."