Chapter 50: Waver's Dream
As evening was about to arrive, Waver had just recovered from the impressive Banquet of Kings from the previous night.
After experiencing last night, Waver finally understood how dire his current situation was.
"I actually have to face so many monsters..."
Artoria, the King of Heroes, and guys like Lancer and Berserker, even that Lancer's Master, all left Waver profoundly shocked.
Compared to them, Waver inexplicably felt like he was a complete failure.
However, Waver didn't lose heart and choose to give up because of this. Under such high pressure, he even felt a strange, almost reckless courage welling up.
This feeling made Waver feel a little unsure, but when Rider learned about it, he laughed heartily and told him: "Recklessness is closer to courage than cowardice!"
Today, after shopping for things like a sleeping bag, drinks, and boxed meals, he immediately headed straight for Mount Enzō with these items.
After finding a relatively flat open space, Waver directly spread out a picnic mat and took the boxed meals out of his bag.
Seeing Waver start to eat his boxed meal, Rider asked curiously.
"How does it taste?"
"Why don't you materialize and taste it yourself?" Waver retorted irritably.
"..."
If it were before, this guy would have materialized without hesitation to snatch it from him.
In Rider's words, "My way is to grab what I want!", unlike now, where he had to remain in spirit form, watching with longing from the side.
"Actually, the taste isn't that great," Waver sighed and replied.
A boxed meal bought from a convenience store and sitting for nearly a day naturally couldn't be very delicious; it was merely edible.
However, Waver was already used to this.
He had probably guessed the reason why Rider kept maintaining his spirit form; otherwise, they wouldn't have deliberately taken a car to Mount Enzō.
"Boy, when you were in Shinto earlier, you passed by 'Okonomiyaki Shōki' but didn't go in, right? That's a real shame. Their mixed fried noodles are absolutely superb."
According to Rider's vision, once he obtained a physical body, places like that would definitely have to be annexed.
"If you want to eat, hurry up and recover enough to materialize." Waver said with a mumbled voice, taking big bites of his boxed meal.
"Haha... so you already knew, why didn't you say so earlier? That's a bit embarrassing..." Rider felt a little awkward.
"Hmph, for you, the most suitable ley line in Fuyuki is right here, isn't it?"
Waver checked the time; night had already fallen.
"I'm just going to stay here today, do nothing but sleep here. As for prana, take as much as you want, as long as you don't let me die. This way, you can recover faster, right?"
"Sigh, the Assassin who showed up last night when I was arguing with Saber and Archer was too arrogant. He didn't show any respect to the mighty 'King of Conquerors.' To demonstrate the King's majesty, and to show Saber a thing or two, I used up all the prana I had stored up. Now I can't even maintain my materialized form..." Rider sighed.
"Whose fault is it that you're so competitive, and your brain seems a bit off?" Waver said angrily.
"If you can't recover, I'm the one in danger!"
Saying this, he angrily picked up a bottle of drink and took a large gulp.
"To be honest, as a Servant, I'm a pure soul-eater. If I consumed prana freely and let you bear the cost, you might not survive," Rider lamented.
"I don't care about that either. This is the war I instigated. If I don't bleed, if I don't sacrifice to fight for victory, then what's the point?"
Perhaps sensing Waver's sincerity, Rider remained silent, listening to him speak.
"I just want to prove it! Prove that even someone as insignificant as me can personally fight for something!"
"But, boy, that's assuming that the 'Holy Grail actually exists,' isn't it?" Rider's sudden remark made Waver's expression freeze.
"I once fought in pursuit of 'something whose existence was unknown' too."
"Are you talking about... the Endless Ocean?" Waver recalled reading Alexander the Great earlier, a book he specifically sought out.
Rider's tone was full of emotion at this point.
"That's right. I boasted that I would take them to see the Endless Ocean, and I caused the deaths of many who believed my big talk and followed me without thinking. Right up until the
end, everyone still dreamed of the Endless Ocean I spoke of. Once I gained the knowledge of this era, that certainly hit me hard."
Rider's tone dropped here.
"To think the Earth is a closed sphere; what a cruel joke. But even so, seeing the map, I could only accept it. As for me, I don't want anyone else to die because of my nonsense. If the Holy Grail truly exists, then I'm willing to match your enthusiasm and fight hard for it. But unfortunately, we can't yet confirm if the Holy Grail truly exists..."
"Even so—" Waver interrupted Rider at this moment: "Even so, I am your Master!"
"Hahahahaha, boy, you've become quite eloquent!"
Hearing Waver's unusually firm words, Rider was briefly stunned, and then burst into hearty laughter.
"Your Magic Circuits are indeed operating with more vigor than usual. If I rest for a whole day, I'll be ready for another big battle tomorrow."
Waver nodded at this point as well.
"Good. We'll hide our strength while recuperating, and when the time is right, we'll strike hard again!"
Waver could feel the amount of prana being drawn by Rider through his Magic Circuits.
The burning sensation in his chest had completely disappeared now, replaced by an intense feeling of exhaustion.
All strength seemed to have been drained from his body, making it difficult even to move a finger or open his eyes, as if he had been utterly depleted.
"Before that, I should rest first..."
Waver closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Seeing his Master asleep, Rider stopped talking and silently remained in spirit form, waiting for the night to pass.
His consciousness traversed through a deep dream. Waver Velvet saw a thick fog, and before the fog stood thousands upon thousands of soldiers.
The one leading these soldiers was undoubtedly the 'King of Conquerors,' Iskandar.
At that time, he appeared to be in the prime of his life, not as mature as he was now, but his tall and robust physique remained equally impressive.
Facing the large expanse of thick fog blocking the way, the 'King of Conquerors,' Iskandar, drew the longsword slung across his hip and slashed forward violently.
A large swath of the fog was cleaved open and continuously retreated to both sides.
And behind that, Waver saw it.
At the same time, he also heard it.
It was the sound of waves, one after another, crashing against the beach. Under the night sky, the ocean stretched endlessly toward the horizon, as if it had no end.
"Is that... the Endless Ocean?"
Just as he murmured this, Waver suddenly realized something.
"No! How could the Endless Ocean possibly exist!?"
Suddenly, Waver felt a violent tremor, as if the heavens and earth were about to crack open.
The Endless Ocean in his sight suddenly stirred up surging waves, as if intent on wiping out everything.
Boom—!!!