Chapter 1177 1177 Rest

In the past few days, he has been surrounded by an overwhelming sense of presence. Compared with the current crowding and oppression, it is like standing alone in an open space after a memorial service.

Of course, Rider's presence has always been around. Even in this atmosphere, the oppressive atmosphere of the spirit Servant can still be felt.

Speaking of which, the big man has remained in his spirit form since the battle with Caster the night before yesterday.

If it were any other Servant, there would be nothing strange about it. Since he is not in a combat state, there is no need to materialize and consume extra magic power. But this is not the case for Iskandar. Originally, this man's purpose was to participate in the Holy Grail War in pursuit of materialization.

If this situation only lasted for a few hours, it could be understood as a whim of his. But he did not appear for a whole day, which seemed a bit abnormal. There is probably only one reason why Rider did not appear in a physical form.

Even in a spirit state, as a Master, he can still talk to his Servant at any time. If Waver called him now, Rider would definitely respond immediately, but Waver didn't dare to ask now. It would be better not to start this question-and-answer session before he knew what kind of answer Rider would give and made a complete countermeasure based on his answer.

In order to make all preparations, Waver decided to start shopping in the morning.

First, he had to go to the outdoor goods section of the department store to buy sleeping bags and thermal pads that could be used in the mountains in winter. Although it would cost a lot to buy these things, it was nothing compared to the game console Rider bought.

What was really depressing was the price of the nutrients and heaters sold in the pharmacy, which were so cheap. If you want to use magic to create medicines and props with the same effect as these, you need to consume a lot of magic power, and the cost is dozens of times different. Although buying these things felt like a loss of reputation as a magician, the furious Waver still bought more things than he actually needed.

Waver felt deeply depressed about being born in this era. He was born at the wrong time. It would be great if he grew up in an era full of admiration and fear for magic. Why did he have to be born in such an era where a heater only costs 400 yen and life is hard?

Anyway, after buying these necessities.\nWeber took the bus back to Miyama-cho, bought an eel meatball bento at a convenience store two stops before Mackay's house, and heated it slightly in the microwave. In order to eat this meal while it is hot, he needs to rush to the destination.

In fact, Waver couldn't help but want to ask Rider what happened. But there was nothing he could do about the Servant who didn't give any explanation and didn't even want to show his face. If Waver could be more open-minded, he would definitely have asked the answer he wanted a long time ago. But he must have a lot of concerns - as a magician, he is not mature enough, and his sense of powerlessness makes him dare not ask Rider.

But even though he thought so in his heart, he still refused to bow to Rider. After all, being ordered around by his own Servant was already embarrassing enough.

He was indeed weak and incompetent. But Waver himself was very reluctant to admit this. If he could bring the best results through careful preparation, then even Rider would not be able to underestimate him anymore. So with this idea in mind, Waver chose to remain stubbornly silent in response to Rider's silence.

Soon.\nWeber had passed through the residential area and walked into a mixed woodland that was to be developed into a green park.

Passing through the small dense forest where no road had been opened up, Waver walked all the way to the deepest part. Although the scene here during the day and at night was completely different, for Waver, he still moved forward very easily.

Finally arriving at the destination, after confirming that everything around him was safe, Waver sighed with relief. After spreading the insulation mat on the ground covered with fallen leaves, Waver sat on it and took out the lunch box he had just bought at the convenience store and started to eat. The bento heated in the microwave was cold and tasted less delicious, but it didn't matter now. The most important thing now was to take in the energy needed to sustain life.

"——Is it delicious? This?"

Rider's voice had not been heard for a whole day and night. Even if he became a spirit, would he still be interested in food? Waver couldn't help but think blankly.

"No, it's terrible. I'm afraid this is the worst of all Japanese food."

Hearing Waver's answer, the spirit Rider sighed as if he was very sorry.

"Boy, do you remember the store called 'Pancake·Zhong Kui' that you passed by in the new capital just now? The new pancakes there are really amazing, but it's a pity that you didn't buy them..."

"If you still want to eat, quickly return to the state where you can materialize."

"..."

The silence spread strangely.\nBut now Waver seemed very calm. Eating the eel bento in big mouthfuls, the young apprentice magician continued to speak.

"You know where this is, right? This is the place where you are summoned. Needless to say how high the spiritual power here is. And the magic circle used for summoning that night has not been destroyed yet. For you, this is Fuyuki's most beautiful place. It will definitely help your recovery efficiency."

In fact, Weber had already noticed it the night before yesterday. It is impossible to use a large-scale Noble Phantasm like the "King's Army" for two consecutive nights without any consequences.

Just to develop such a powerful inherent barrier and maintain it for a period of time would consume a lot of magic power, not to mention that Rider himself was severely injured in the barrier during the battle with Caster.

The consumption of these magical powers forced Rider, who was so obsessed with materialization, to turn into a spirit state and concentrate on recovery, which shows that the consumption is not small.

"I will stay here all day today. I will do nothing but sleep, so you can take my magic power as long as it doesn't kill me. In this case, it should be very helpful for your recovery. .

Rider's spirit body seemed to be silent for a long time with its mouth wide open and surprised. Then he laughed.

"...Hahaha. Since you noticed it, why didn't you tell me earlier? Well, I'm really sorry."

"Fool! If you don't recover quickly from your current state, I will be in danger!"

Weber couldn't help but get angry. Rider, who was always so carefree, was actually embarrassed this time. If he really talked about the reasons for this situation, Weber would be ashamed.

The reason why Waver is unwilling to let Rider remain physical is obvious - as Master, Waver's supply of magic power is far less than the consumption of magic power required for Rider's recovery.

Of course, this is a shame for the Master. He is not worthy to control a powerful Servant like Rider, which is the best proof that he is just a weak second-rate magician. Ashamed and resentful, this is the portrayal of Weber's current mood.

So is it my fault that I cannot correctly grasp my Servant status, or is it the fault of Rider who has been hiding the truth and refused to tell himself? What if Rider directly raised it to himself when he felt that the supply of magic power was insufficient.\n Weber has already had this realization, and maybe there is something he can do about it.

After Weber finished the entire lunch, he drank the nutritional supplements he bought in one gulp. Then he asked the spirit next to him.

"...What's wrong? You haven't spoken a word?"

"No, I was wondering if I could hold on a little longer. The battle by the river was not as exhausting as expected."

In order to prevent the sea demon summoned by Caster from landing, Rider maintained the inherent barrier range of the "King's Army" beyond its limit. Anyway, that's a bit ridiculous. At that time, Waver was more worried about his Servants than his alliance with Saber.

"The result. Your trump card consumes magic power unexpectedly, right?"

"No. It's just that the scale has become a little bigger. Those guys in the army are not summoned, so they don't need to consume too much magic power to maintain it."

"Lie. That level of magic requires a lot of magic power just to activate it. And once it is activated, the army summoned is an unexpected consumption for you, right?"

"..."

"When I first saw it, I thought it was a very efficient Noble Phantasm as you said. The amount of magic power you absorbed from my magic circuit during the initial battle with Assassin was indeed a bit too little now that I think about it. ”

That's why Weber had a wrong understanding of the magic power consumed by the "King's Army". Even magic needs to follow the general principle of equivalent exchange, so it is definitely not an easy matter to launch a magic of such a huge scale. Weber couldn't help but feel angry at his own naivety again.

The excessive intake of nutrients made Weber feel nauseous. My chest felt like it was on fire. Weber sat up on the heating pad, took off his boots and got into his sleeping bag.

"Rider, why did you not even use the magic power that should have been borne by me, but instead used the magic power you stored up? And you did it on your own two times... What are your intentions?"

"This... well."

As if it was difficult to explain, Rider sighed deeply.

"To be honest, as a Servant, I am a pure soul killer. If I involve you when my magic power is fully activated, it will even threaten your life."

"Even then it's okay - I've been prepared."

Weber looked at the ground and whispered.

"I don't want this to be a war for you alone. This is my first battle. If I don't shed blood and sacrifice and win, it means nothing."

What Weber couldn't let go of was something in his heart that he couldn't give up to anyone.

"Do you know my purpose of winning the Holy Grail? I don't care about what happens after I win the Holy Grail. I just want to prove it to everyone! I just want to confirm! I, Weber - even I can...\n Use your own hands to get what belongs to me!"

"——But, kid. That only makes sense if the Holy Grail truly exists, right?"

Rider's unexpected words stunned Waver so much that he was speechless.

"...Huh?"

"Does the Holy Grail of Fuyuki that everyone is fighting for really exist? It's just a legend, and no one has seen it with their own eyes, right?"

What exactly did Rider mean now? Waver couldn't understand it at all, but he couldn't deny his statement, so he could only nod.

"Indeed, as you said, but..."

"I, too, have fought for something like this 'I don't know if it really exists' before."

For some reason, Rider's words carried a bit of pain and sadness, which was far from his usual domineering attitude.

"I want to see the Endless Sea with my own eyes - to realize this dream, I have been fighting all over the world. Those who believed in me followed me to fight without doubt and even sacrificed their lives. But until the end, they only saw the Endless Sea I talked about in their dreams."

"..."

"In the end, under the instigation of some people who did not believe in me, the Eastern Expeditionary Force was disbanded. But this is also correct. If I had continued, my army would definitely have been defeated somewhere. When I came to this era, I realized that the earth was actually spherical. What a joke. You can tell from the map that there is no Endless Sea at all. What I called an ideal at that time is now just a delusion."

"Hey, Rider."

Even if this is the truth.

But it was still a big shock to Waver when it was said by Iskandar himself.

The man who once marched forward so bravely towards the bright dream in his heart - why did he now deny his dream with such a calm voice?

However, the words of rebuttal were entangled in Waver's throat and he didn't say it in the end.

For Waver, he had the same dream as Rider. But he could not express it no matter what. Because it was related to Waver's glory.

"I am tired of causing others to sacrifice because of my willfulness. If I can determine where the Holy Grail is, I will get it even if you and I risk our lives... But unfortunately, it is still unknown whether the Holy Grail really exists. I don't want to make the same mistake as the spherical earth again."

"But I... Even so, I am still your Master."

Waver was about to defend himself, but immediately laughed at himself in his heart.

He couldn't even supply the simplest magic power.

He couldn't even see the weakness of the Servant who was forcing himself to participate in the battle.

As if he didn't see Waver's worries, the voice of the spirit Rider returned to his usual cheerful state again, laughing.

"Boy, you don't need to tell me this! Well, it's true that your magic circuits are much stronger than usual, and the ground veins here are not bad. You can rest like this all day during the day, and you can do a lot of work at night."()