To Become a King and a Magician

Naoki didn't expect Morgan's arrival to be just a casual greeting for him and Arthur. For a Magus born solely to seek revenge on King Arthur, her reason for coming to meet the King of Knights couldn't possibly be just a simple hello.

Morgan must have had a deeper purpose.

Facing Naoki's question, Morgan didn't answer directly. She simply stared at him with eyes that seemed to see through him, then smiled: "If that's what you think, then there's nothing more to discuss between us."

"I might as well withdraw my invitation for lunch. If you eat with suspicion in your heart, even the most delicious food will be hard to swallow."

Morgan spoke as she opened the car door behind her.

"Originally, this was just a simple congratulation. Seeing you still in high spirits, I've achieved my goal, my pretty little lord."

"See you tonight."

After saying this, Morgan got into the car and quickly drove out of sight.

Watching Morgan leave, Naoki's legs suddenly weakened, and he leaned on Arthur's shoulder.

"Master!"

Arthur immediately stopped eating.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just don't have much strength... When I talk to that person, I always feel like she's trying to manipulate me, no matter what I say. It makes me very nervous and cautious."

"I'm sorry, I should have been the one to reject Morgan's invitation." Arthur sighed, "What was Morgan really here for? It seems she didn't come to see me, but to see you, Master?"

'I'm relieved to see you still in high spirits – What did Morgan mean by that?'

'Could Morgan have placed a curse on Master?'

Arthur couldn't help but think about it, but upon further reflection, Morgan had never had any meaningful contact with Master, so she didn't have the opportunity to cast a curse at all.

So why did she say that?

"Gu~~"

The sudden sound made Arthur pause for a moment. Seeing Naoki holding his stomach in embarrassment, Arthur couldn't help but laugh: "Let's forget about it for now, let's set aside Morgan's intentions for the moment and eat first. Master hasn't had a proper meal since yesterday afternoon."

"Yeah. Then let's go."

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

As the saying goes, life is full of surprises.

Naoki clearly just wanted to have lunch with Arthur, and he clearly just wanted to fill his stomach. He was surprised to run into Morgan right after leaving the house, but why was he still...

"Oh? Why are you eating so little? Lord Saber, you won't grow taller if you don't eat more at your age."

Across from Naoki, a muscular, red-haired man over two meters tall and incredibly strong spoke while placing a few burgers on Naoki's plate and patting his shoulder firmly: "Eat more, kid! Don't become as weak as my little lord!"

"Who are you calling weak? And why are you so casually inviting our enemy to sit and eat? Aren't you afraid of being attacked?"

"Oh, that's true." The burly man—Rider Iskandar—looked at Arthur, who sat across from him in casual clothes. "So, do you want to duel me here, Saber?"

"I will only draw my sword to protect my Master, and I have no intention of engaging in a meaningless fight."

"See, little lord, so don't worry about that."

Although he couldn't see due to the cloth sealing his eyes, Naoki could still roughly assess the situation through sound—he could only say that it was worthy of Iskandar, and the way he got along with Waver was basically the same as in the original work.

'However, I never expected to run into the princess by chance. Should I call it luck or misfortune?'

Fumbling to pick up a burger, Naoki unwrapped it and took a bite, then asked: "It's already noon, and it's time for everyone to stay put. Why is Rider out with your Master?"

"To buy this thing—oh, I forgot you can't see because your eyes are sealed. Anyway, it's to buy a game called Grand Strategy." Rider said, lifting the large game box in his hand. "I think this game could play a big role in my journey to conquer the world again."

A world conquest simulation through a game?

"By the way, Saber, since I just met you here, I might as well ask you." Iskandar suddenly spoke seriously, "The Holy Grail War is a war centered around an omnipotent wish-granting device. Everyone who participates in this war, whether they are Magus or us Servants, must have a wish they want to fulfill."

"I really want to obtain a physical body and conquer the world once more after being reborn in this era. What about you?"

A wish?

Arthur didn't think too much about it and answered simply, "I no longer have a wish that needs to be fulfilled. This is the third time I've participated in the Holy Grail War, and in the first Holy Grail War, I already knew that what I longed for was a wrong and impossible wish."

"An impossible wish... Then why do you keep participating in the Holy Grail War?"

"To atone for the mistakes I made in the first Holy Grail War." Arthur replied. "I misled a young girl who didn't understand the world much because of that wrong wish. I won't stop until I save that girl and eliminate the evil she brought."

Stroking his beard, Iskandar smiled and nodded after listening to Arthur's Wish: "Well, this isn't for a selfish wish, but for atonement. Isn't this a remarkable wish! Saber! I, Iskandar, salute you!"

"You're too kind, King of Conquerors."

"What about you? Lord Saber, please share your wish as well."

"Eh? Me?"

Naoki, who was eating a hamburger and trying to find an excuse to tease Waver, was startled. How did the topic end up on him?

"My wish... I don't have any wish."

"How is that possible? You were chosen as a Master. The Holy Grail must have selected you based on your inner desires. Perhaps you have a wish in your heart that even you aren't aware of."

A subconscious wish?

'Now that I think about it, I wonder why the Holy Grail chose me.'

Natsukawa Naoki's identity as a Master replaced Ryunosuke Uryu. In other words, the Holy Grail believed that his subconscious desires were stronger than Ryunosuke's desire to kill.

"What does my heart desire?"

Naoki placed his hand on his chest and asked himself.

It had been half a year since he time-traveled.

From the initial excitement, he thought his luck had finally changed and he could start a second life as a protagonist.

After more than half a year of stagnation, he was weighed down by the pressures of life and reality, and his daily life was no different from his previous one, or even more boring.

From the joy of summoning Arthur, the anxiety about the Holy Grail War, the fear of whether he could survive, to the suppressed anger of being bullied by Sayjou Manaka... What kind of wish lies hidden behind this series of emotional changes, behind all the actions he's taken so far?

"I don't know." Naoki touched his Mystic Eyes, "But... the reason I'm participating in the Holy Grail War is simply to survive. To survive and see the sun the next day, to survive and see my classmates, to survive and eat warm food..."

"To live to see a tomorrow that may be good or bad."

This might be the reason why Naoki is still sitting here.

A rather ordinary thought.

"You two are a very interesting Master and Servant pair."

Iskandar laughed.

"A Servant seeking atonement, and a Master seeking survival. Very good, a noble wish and an ordinary wish, perhaps this contrast is the reason why you met without a holy relic. – Look at him, Waver, you should stand tall too!"

"How annoying! Why do you care about me, Rider!"

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

After lunch, Iskandar and the princess left. It seemed they wanted to continue staying in this era. It must be tough for Waver to have such a stubborn Servant.

On the other hand, it was precisely because Iskandar's personal will was so strong and because he showed his personal charm to Waver that Waver followed him for decades and wanted to remain loyal to him for life.

"Arthur." Naoki suddenly spoke, "Kayneth once told me a concept before, a very important concept for a Magus."

"All Magus are selfish people. Everything they do is for their own desires, which often conflict with the desires of other Magus."

"To fulfill your own wish, you must disregard the wishes of others – That's what Kayneth said."

His own wish seems to be just survival, and in comparison, the wishes of others participating in this Holy Grail War are heavier and greater than his.

The long-awaited wish of all Magus, the pitiful wish to save the world, the revenge for love...

After burning all these wishes, can he truly return to his previous life and "live" as he desires?