CH 37

Waver furiously grabbed hold of Iskandar's cloak and yelled, "You bastard! How dare you make me lose face in front of so many people! You need to understand, I am the master!"

Iskandar scratched his ear with his thumb, feeling irritated by Waver's constant nagging since he left the stage. Repeating the same phrase over and over made Iskandar's ears almost numb. He grabbed hold of Waver's sleeve and lifted him high, staring at him with a pair of tiger-like eyes.

Waver held the book tightly in his hands, feeling a bit scared as he saw Iskandar lifting him high. He stammered, "What...what are you doing? You, you, you want to kill your master?" 

Compared to his height and physique, Iskandar truly had a more commanding presence. Waver, trying to assert himself, said with a fierce tone, "You, you, you shouldn't forget, I have a command seal!"

Iskandar dismissed his Noble Phantasm and stood on the ground. With a firm "clap" sound, he threw Waver onto the ground. He looked at Waver and said, "You arrogant guy, always talking nonstop. Is the reason you're participating in this war only to prove your own worth?"

As Waver lay on the ground, he turned over and gazed upon Iskandar's serious expression. A feeling of unease washed over him, but he pushed it aside and asked, "So what? Do you want to teach me a lesson?"

Iskandar, the king of conquerors, looked at Waver with a confused expression and said, "I am not a teacher. I have no interest in teaching you. I find it strange, with so many magnificent mountains and rivers waiting for you to explore and conquer, why do you limit yourself to such a small world? Don't you find it too narrow and suffocating?"

Waver sat up, looking at Iskandar with determination in his eyes, "So you still want to teach me a lesson? You don't understand. What small world! That's my whole world! I am a magus! Changing the meaningless aristocratic bloodline theory, to be a great magus praised and remembered by the world is my wish!"

Waver raised his hand and revealed his command seal, "Do you still want to teach me? Do you want to experience the small world you mentioned and see how much restraint it has on you? If you have a wish, if you're afraid to leave early, then listen to me, listen to your Master! Understand your own position."

Iskandar remained silent, he looked down at Waver, this awkward, arrogant, and high-spirited teenager who was bound by a small world. It was like throwing a frog into a well, only able to see the narrow sky above, but unaware of the vastness of the universe.

Suddenly...

"Boom----!!!!!!"

A massive explosion erupted in the distance, the firelight casting an eerie glow on Iskandar and Waver's profiles.

Iskandar moved closer to Waver, and Waver felt a twinge of fear, but his arrogant spirit would not allow him to be dominated by his own servant.

Iskandar grabbed Waver's collar, holding him like a small wildcat, and stared at him for a long time. He then smiled, showing his white teeth, and spoke in a very serious tone, "The only thing that this king fear is that these legs will not reach the end of the starry sea. Do you understand? How small is the world inside your heart?"

"Is that all you have to say, Rider? Are you simply trying to mock me? I will use my command seal to teach you a lesson. A servant should never talk back to their master," Waver shouted, baring his teeth and claws as he reached out to grab Iskandar's beard.

Iskandar laughed, unfazed. "Go ahead, but the first night hasn't ended yet," he said. With a swift motion, he summoned his Noble Phantasm once more and rode the thunder, passing through the sky.

"You son of a bitch! Listen to me for a moment! Don't grab me like this, it's too embarrassing," shouted Waver, struggling against Iskandar's grasp. "Do you hear me? It's too embarrassing!"

"Hahaha----!"

Iskandar let out a burst of indifferent laughter as Waver's tears and the sound of his shattered self-esteem echoed through the sky.

...

Kiritsugu is a complex individual, he is a good person, but at the same time, he can also be considered a dirty one. He is highly idealistic, but that also causes him to be more desperate. His dream is simple, he genuinely wishes for the happiness of all people in the world, nothing more.

There is nothing inherently wrong with Kiritsugu's wish for peace in the world and for everyone to be happy. It is beautiful and innocent wish that many children have held in their hearts, but give up on as they learn about the harsh realities of the world. 

Persisting on this ideal can be difficult, but Kiritsugu chooses to hold on to this childlike dream, despite the challenges it presents.

Kiritsugu is a magus and a good person, but his methods are ruthless and his moral boundaries are non-existent. He will use any means necessary to achieve his goals, and his initial good intentions cannot change that. 

The Einzbern family's assistance in summoning the legendary King of Knights did not fill him with excitement or honor, instead, it made him feel extremely angry and helpless.

He was angry that the legendary king, who was said to bear the fate of a country, was just a girl. It went against his sense of justice that the fate of a country should be placed on a girl's shoulders. On the other hand, he was helpless because the Knight King, who was known for her "glory and righteousness," was incompatible with his own methods and beliefs.

Kiritsugu held firm to his beliefs in realism and regularly carried out tactical simulations to eliminate any illusions from his mind. As a result, his methods, while effective, were perceived as evil by the world. On the other hand, the Knight King was a staunch advocate of chivalry and believed in facing opponents directly, relying solely on brute strength to overcome them. This approach was incompatible with Kiritsugu's methods.

Despite his admiration for the Knight King's righteousness and his desire for a world filled with more kind-hearted individuals, Kiritsugu found himself at odds with the Knight King's approach. As a result, he divided his troops, with Irisviel leading the charge in a direct attack against the enemy, while Kiritsugu took charge of secretly ambushing them.

However, while Kiritsugu was lying in wait in a warehouse area, ready to use a sniper rifle to kill Kayneth and Waver, he was exposed by Shirou. Though he realized he couldn't act recklessly now that he had been discovered, he was still somewhat annoyed that his plan had been foiled by Caster.

But the series of actions that Caster took next made Kiritsugu's mood solemn.

In the warehouse area, Caster revealed Lancer's true name and then gradually launched a psychological attack, ultimately forcing Kiritsugu to retreat. To be honest, Caster is the servant that Kiritsugu likes the most and also has the best compatibility with. However, Caster is an enemy and so Kiritsugu must eliminate him early!

Compared to the bright and idealistic heroes, Kiritsugu believed that servants who were more grounded in reality, like himself, were the most difficult opponents to deal with. If given the choice, he would eliminate them as soon as possible. There was no chance originally, There was no chance originally. However, Caster made a crucial mistake by not switching to a Spiritual Body, providing Kiritsugu with an opportunity to strike.

Despite his suspicions that Caster had ulterior motives and was possibly trying to lure him into a trap, Emiya Kiritsugu made the decision to proceed with his plan.

Yes.

Emiya Kiritsugu, a master assassin, typically operated in secrecy. However, he possessed a remarkable level of courage. He tracked down Caster to his workshop and was taken aback to discover that the latter's workshop was in complete disarray and located in an isolated area outside of the residential zone. In response, Kiritsugu decided to destroy Caster's workshop using C4 explosives.

As he stood a distance away from the rubble, Emiya Kiritsugu thought to himself that Caster and his master should be buried there together. However, just as he had this thought, two figures emerged from the fiery inferno.

Kiritsugu stood on the street, lighting a cigarette in silence. He then spoke into the earpiece next to his ear, "Did you see it?"

"I saw it," came the response from the other end of the earpiece.

Kiritsugu asked, "Can your eyes keep up?"

"I can. Caster is not fast," the person on the other end replied.

"The person on Caster's back should be his Master. Don't aim for the head, just hit the body and use the Origin bullet to take him out," Kiritsugu instructed.

"I understand, Kiritsugu," came the reply. With no further communication from the other end of the headset, Kiritsugu spat out his cigarette and his face became as calm as the dead sea as if reality had dulled all of his emotions.

But was it not the fate of all humanity? To be forged in the fires of life, sharp-angled stones honed by each and every trial. But with each passing day, the edges softened, chipped away by the relentless hammer of reality. Until they were nothing but smooth, rounded pebbles, forever changed by the journey.

"Cough cough cough." Kiritsugu heard the sound of a young girl beside him, pinching her nose and trying to wave away the smoke coming from his cigarette. He quickly extinguished his cigarette by crushing it underfoot. He then picked up the remains and disposed of them in the trash can nearby.

Wrapping his coat tightly around himself, Kiritsugu turned and walked away. The autumn wind was bleak and cold, biting at his skin as he stepped out into the open.