Chapter 674: Joint Action: Sweet Dreams and the Holy Grail (42)

"…I still thought Caster would bring some monster, an alien army, a dragon, or something to trap us." The two walked along a country lane, "…how nostalgic. After leaving the village as a knight, I never returned. The scenery before me is the young, naive dream I had when I was a nameless foot soldier."

The girl seemed drawn by something, gazing toward the end of the road.

"…What a pity, they deliberately created this illusion for me, yet there isn't even a mount."

"Is there a place you want to go?"

Saber nodded, looking at the wind‑mill‑turning cottage in the distance: "When I was a child, my biggest dream was to have a mount of my own. I wanted to become a knight, ride a horse, follow this road, cross the plains all the way to the deep grasslands, where Ai Ketu's house stands."

"Who is Ai Ketu?"

"He is the veteran knight entrusted to raise me; in a sense, he's like my father. He always wears a stern face, yet he's easier to amuse than anyone… He constantly tells me he hopes I become the ideal king of this land."

Saber's brows drooped, expression forlorn: "But in the end, he never got to see me become a ruler…"

——

fate/zero.

So this little girl's hometown looks like this.

Rider stroked the thick beard on his chin, his eyes reflecting the tranquil wheat field in the sky: "It does resemble the hills of Macedonia a bit, though it's more graceful and less grand."

"But does pulling the sacred sword from the stone make one the king of a nation? If it's that simple, I, the king, also want to try."

Wei Bo looked at Saber's nostalgic profile against the sky, then at the Conquering King beside him, and whispered, "So… Rider, what were you like as a child?"

"Me?" Rider paused, then burst into a booming laugh, "Hahaha! Me as a child? Not those melancholy memories! What I recall most clearly is learning to ride warhorses with my father king, how to pierce shields with a spear, how to outdrink those pretentious generals at banquets!"

His gaze grew distant, as if spanning millennia, seeing Macedonia beyond those mountains: "The mountain winds of Macedonia are far harsher than in this scene! When I was young, I thought about how to expand the lands beneath my feet, how to let my soldiers freely plunder, seizing more wealth and glory."

After speaking, he took a sip of wine, wiped the stain from his beard, and said, "Although we're all rulers, I am completely different from that little girl. 'The king's responsibility'… My kingly path and ambition were established long before the campaign. Yet this country called Britannia judges its king by a sword trial, pushing a girl onto the throne—how absurd."

——

"Ah, sorry, Master, I started rambling about my past. Since we have this chance now, regardless of hallucinations or dreams, shall I take you to wander around my hometown?"

The two continued along the forest path, and halfway they stopped. Where the girl was looking, a tiny knight figurine leaned against a tree, as if dreaming an endless beautiful dream.

"If this is the soldier Caster summoned, it must be a very powerful opponent."

"An ultra‑ancient evil god figurine!"

"I've never seen a toy like this. For the first fifteen years of my life, most of my time was spent raising horses and practicing swordsmanship. When I rested, a magician named Merlin would appear in my dreams to lecture me on ruling a kingdom." Saber asked with interest, "And you, Master? How did your childhood go? I've never heard you speak of your own experiences."

Xing scratched his head sheepishly: "Actually, I never went to school…"

Saber seemed surprised: "Is that so? Yet when you talk about all kinds of outside information, you're more learned than the court bards of Camelot."

"Since I can truly recall, I boarded a train bound for the stars, gaining many like‑minded friends. Though I have no past, I have a future." Xing closed his eyes, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, "…I'm fortunate."

——

Qin's bright moon.

"Wait…!! In a dream, we still have to attend class?"

Mirror Lake Medical Village, moonlight like water. Originally sprawled on the eaves, Jing Tianming was startled by the words, scrambled up, and said, "Training swords by day, finally sleeping at night only to have a deity send a dream class—this would drive anyone mad!"

Twelve hours a day seemed to turn continuously; how did she keep going?

This made Tianming, who usually struggled to keep his eyes open when opening a book, feel embarrassed.

"Because of responsibility." Gai Nie, who appeared behind him at an unknown moment, scared Tianming almost off the eave; fortunately Gai Nie's quick eyes and hands grabbed his back collar.

"Uncle, you actually found this…" Tianming said timidly.

"Because you weren't seen with the moon, you didn't want to study?"

"I want to learn the sword! Like that Saber! Train the sword by day!" Tianming lifted a blade of grass and mimed in the air.

"Then can you study the sword at night like her? Hmm?" A faint smile flickered in Gai Nie's eyes, "Studying the sword is fine, but to become a peerless swordsman you can't rely on the sword alone. That Saber girl is not only a swordswoman but also the emperor of Britannia; the burden she carries… Tianming, you still can't grasp it."

Tianming stuck out his tongue: "I can't grasp it… Why must pulling the sword from the stone be the standard for becoming emperor? If that counts, maybe Uncle could try that 'stone sword.'"

Gai Nie chuckled, shook his head lightly, "I'll pass. A sword embedded in stone has thwarted countless heroes, yet a fifteen‑year‑old girl drew it out. That is destiny, not to be defied."

——

"It's true… even when faced with hardship, you keep on your beautiful journey. If only the me of my past could do the same." Saber closed her eyes, "Once, I also wanted to be someone. I wanted to save this land beneath my feet and its people from the vile king Votigen who turned into a white dragon, and liberate them from the alien iron hooves' rule."

"I want to become the ideal king that all the people hope for, to rescue Britannia. For that, I can give everything."

"The magician told me that if I pull the chosen sword from the stone, my wish will be granted. Everyone thinks Britannia will be saved because of it."