Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 928 - : The Questioning and the Answer

"Answer me, Iskandar!"

Faker's emotions were so intense, so agonizing.

The sheer fury in her voice, like a boiling cauldron, made even the bystander youths feel dizzy.

Especially for Gray, who had formed a contract with her and had a strong affinity for spiritual energy— the sharp impact that pierced her very soul nearly knocked her off her feet.

In that instant, a strange image flashed through her mind.

It filled her entire field of vision. From the horizon, an avalanche-like cascade of ocean water poured down. Even words like vast were insufficient to describe it. The mere sound of the roaring water seemed like it could rupture eardrums.

The sky was cloudless, and not a breath of wind stirred on the ground. The endless cascade of water was everything. Perhaps this was what they called the Sea at the End of the World.

Yet, this magnificent, mind-stealing sea was freezing over.

The pure white waves halted, the cascading water froze in its majestic descent, and from the edges, it began to disintegrate. The waves that filled her vision transformed into diamond dust, and in the blink of an eye, the world morphed into something else entirely.

And the one responsible for all of this was Faker. She roared at the sky, as if denying the entire world, and the deep, inescapable resentment dripped from her black hair, slowly covering the waves.

Freeze, oh sea.

Stop, oh world.

This was not the first time Gray had seen this scene. Ever since she had formed the contract with Faker, she had dreamed of this several times, hearing the same questions. And now, that resentment, powerful enough to erode the world, finally had a target to unleash upon.

Gray could not even imagine what it would be like to face that resentment directly when merely witnessing it made her entire body tremble.

That giant—

That Servant—

That King—

Could he—

Could he endure it?

And what would he do?

He—he picked at his ear with his little finger and muttered quietly.

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"You're way too loud. You didn't have such a big voice before."

"Are you one to criticize someone else for being loud?"

Faker, her face still like a winter frost, replied coldly.

"Don't change the subject. Answer my question."

"Oh."

Iskandar continued cleaning his ear.

"What did you say? You were so loud I couldn't make it out."

"You—!"

Furious, Faker kicked Iskandar hard twice. Having grown up together and being his other half, she didn't bother with formalities when dealing with him.

"I asked you, why haven't you given up? The Sea at the End of the World Okeanos doesn't even exist, does it?"

"It doesn't exist."

The King of Conquerors admitted this candidly.

"When I gained knowledge of this era, it was pretty painful. Who would've thought the earth is just a closed sphere? Is there any worse joke than that? Even so, reality is reality—Okeanos doesn't exist. My dream was nothing more than a delusion. Haha, it's a wonder I used that banner to run wild all over the world, leading so many fools who believed in me to their deaths. Every one of them was a fool who lived life to the fullest—those were the ones who collapsed from exhaustion first, dreaming of the Sea I spoke of to the end. And you were one of those fools too."

Faker snorted. Whether it was because of his attitude or because she was reminiscing about their campaigns together, the coldness on her face softened slightly.

"In the end, it was only thanks to the smart ones who doubted me that the Eastern Expedition came to an end. At the time, I was quite displeased, but looking back now, they were right. If we had kept going, my army would have been wiped out, and we would have gotten nowhere."

"But since you know all that, why—"

"—But that's no reason to give up, nor is it my true dream. Okeanos was just a materialization of a dream, a product of the ignorance of my younger self. What I truly wanted was the challenge, the conquest—whether it was the peaks of the Hindu Kush or the expanse of the Makran Desert... Glory lies beyond. It's precisely because it's so distant that it's worth the challenge. To sing of dominion, to display dominion, so that my followers who watch my back can see. That is the King's Path—the way of Iskandar, the one and only King of Conquerors!"

Iskandar's expression was so sincere, his smile so carefree, his gaze so clear, and his voice so bold that even Faker's deep resentment couldn't shake his indomitable will.

"You... you're an incorrigible fool! Always spouting nonsense, yet somehow you have so many people who believe in you."

Faker gritted her teeth in frustration, though the intensity of her resentment had noticeably lessened.

"I've always been this way. You know that better than anyone."

Iskandar said, not ashamed but rather proud of it.

"Do you have no thoughts of giving up or retreating?"

Faker asked, unwilling to let go.

"Of course I have. But every time I think about retreating, I feel like someone's watching me from behind—witnessing my way of life, passing it on to future generations. With that kind of gaze on me, how could I retreat or give up? Revealing dreams is the duty of a King!!!"

The towering giant raised his arm and shouted, his stance looking somewhat foolish, yet it nearly brought tears to Waver's eyes.

Gray didn't know, Reines didn't know, and neither Flat nor Svin would have any idea—Iskandar had indeed once been lost, had indeed agonized over it, and had even personally denied his dream. The bitterness and coldness of that moment was something Waver could never forget. But soon after, Iskandar had found himself again and rediscovered his goal.

That Holy Grail War all those years ago hadn't just changed Waver—it had also allowed Iskandar to truly see his dream for what it was. And only Waver knew this.

It wasn't a restart, nor a reset to zero. Even though the Holy Grail had limited him, even though his memories were gone, the passion and determination in his heart remained.

The King hadn't lied to him; the bond between King and retainer could truly never be erased.

The feelings in Waver's heart were completely unknown to the two facing off against each other. Faker sighed.

"It's still nonsense, but at least you've thought about it. It's much better than before. I can accept that answer. But if you've thought about it so much, why do you still hang around with those idiots? Why do you still accept those traitors?"

"No, you're wrong."

Iskandar shook his head, his carefree expression turning serious.

"They may be idiots, but they're not traitors. They followed the orders I left behind, and that's how they chose to live. Like I said before, revealing one's dream is the duty of a King. The dream they gained from me was their greatest loyalty to me. They were not wrong. If anyone was wrong, it was I, for leading them that way. I may mourn for them, I may shed tears for them, but I will never blame them or hate them. If anything deserves blame, it's me."