In a courtyard after Li Xing had rescued Jiu Yu Wu Mi from Xing. Iskandar, Artoria, Gilgamesh, and Ying Zheng were already seated on the ground.
Irisviel stood to the side, as did Waver. Seeing this, Li Xing joined the drinking party.
Gilgamesh, dissatisfied with the wine Iskandar had brought, retrieved a jar of fine wine and five golden goblets from his treasury.
"Thank you," Li Xing said politely before pouring wine for Ying Zheng and Artoria.
This scene irked Gilgamesh. Li Xing, after all, was an equal to him, yet he was pouring wine for others and not for himself.
"Four kings gathered together. Since we are here, why don't we discuss our respective paths of kingship?" Li Xing initiated the conversation, prompting the other four to debate.
"What nonsense is this? All the treasures in the world belong to me. The wine you are drinking now also belongs to me. Can't you see who is superior?" Gilgamesh had no desire to discuss this matter. It was obvious, so why argue?
Iskandar acknowledged that Gilgamesh's wine was a supreme treasure, but the Holy Grail and wine cups were different. He first wanted to discuss the wishes each of them had placed upon the Holy Grail, which was the reason Iskandar had suggested drinking together.
Gilgamesh scoffed, "The premise of fighting for the Holy Grail is already wrong. All treasures in the world are mine. You shameless individuals are fighting over my treasures here, and you still want to ask me what my wishes are?"
"Arrogant, I like it. However, I have no wishes. I am the Ruler, the guardian of this Holy Grail War. The struggle for the Holy Grail depends on your individual strengths." Ying Zheng truly admired Gilgamesh, finding him exactly like his former self.
Iskandar laughed heartily, "So, to obtain the Holy Grail, I must first gain your consent?"
Gilgamesh took a sip of wine. "Naturally. However, I have no reason to give my treasures to you. Only my subjects can receive my grace. Rider, if you were willing to submit, I might bestow one or two wine cups upon you."
As the King of Conquerors, Iskandar would naturally not submit. Everything should be conquered by oneself.
"If anyone attempts to steal my treasures, I will mete out punishment. This is a matter of principle. Law – the laws I have established."
Gilgamesh's words were immediately affirmed by Ying Zheng and Iskandar. To uphold one's own laws was to be a true king.
Li Xing grew bored and leaned on Artoria's shoulder. Artoria tried to push him away, but Li Xing clung to her, grasping one of her hands.
"I wish to obtain the Holy Grail. If I want something, I will take it by force. That is my way. After all, I, Iskandar, am the King of Conquerors." Iskandar drained his cup and declared his path of kingship.
"Unnecessary. What I desire, I need only issue a decree, and it will be presented to me. To contend with commoners is no different from associating with the dregs of society." Ying Zheng's sentiments were somewhat similar to Gilgamesh's, yet different from Iskandar's. The Son of Heaven and commoners were distinct. Only equals could contend. What the Son of Heaven desired, all under heaven should willingly offer.
"Hmph, then there is nothing to be done. You violate the law, and I shall punish you. This is the law. However, Ruler, your path of kingship is similar to mine," Gilgamesh said with a light chuckle.
"King of Conquerors, you acknowledge the Holy Grail belongs to others, yet you intend to seize it by force. Why are you willing to go to such lengths to pursue something from the Holy Grail?"
At this point, Artoria finally spoke. Her question seemed directed at Iskandar, but it was actually a rejection of his overbearing, forceful approach.
"To obtain a physical body." Iskandar simply stated his wish. He existed only through magic now, and he wished to be reincarnated here, to become a living being, and then challenge heaven and earth, conquering the world by force. If something was unobtainable, he would take it by force, he would conquer. This was Iskandar's brand of dominance.
Upon learning Iskandar's path of kingship, Gilgamesh immediately decided that he himself would kill Iskandar, effectively acknowledging the King of Conquerors.
However, Artoria did not agree with this sentiment. "This is not the way of a king. This is like being a bandit. A king leads his subjects to conquer the world, not for plunder."
Iskandar, having been refuted, looked at Artoria. "Then, tell me your wish, Knight-King."
"I wish to save my country, to change the fate of Britain's destruction. Perhaps, the one who drew the Sword in the Stone should not have been me." Artoria's meaning was clear: she wished to return to that time and not draw the Sword in the Stone. In short, she wished for a different king, perhaps another ruler, so Britain would not have been destroyed.
"Utterly ridiculous, young lady. You wish to negate your own history, to negate your past, and even negate your own kingship. What right do you have to speak of the path of kingship?" Ying Zheng was genuinely amused by Artoria's words. She was indeed just a young girl, unable to understand her subjects.
Not only Ying Zheng, but Gilgamesh also chuckled. To call oneself king, to be called king by the people, yet to wish to negate oneself.
Even Iskandar's face had turned grim. From the bottom of his heart, he disagreed with such a notion.
Li Xing poured Artoria a cup of wine. "Stupid... Bah, Artoria, have you never considered your subjects? They admire you, respect you, and see you as their guiding star. Yet you wish to negate all of this, to negate the memories and experiences you share with your subjects. The moment you had this thought, you were no longer worthy of being their king, because you wished to abandon them."
Artoria was stunned. She suddenly remembered that one of the Knights of the Round Table had once said, "King Arthur does not understand the hearts of men." To this day, she had not understood what it meant. Hearing Li Xing's words, she seemed to grasp something.
"He who unifies the realm is a hegemon. He who unifies script and system is wise. He who builds the Great Wall for peace is benevolent. A hegemon and wise man whose merits surpass the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, is called the First Emperor, which is me! Even if I am cursed by all under heaven, I will never regret it. Even if my reign lasts only two generations, my empire is still Great Qin!"
Ying Zheng also expounded his philosophy of emperorship. He could be called a tyrant, a wise ruler, a benevolent ruler, or a foolish ruler, but the systems he established were undeniable, just like historical dynasties.
Gilgamesh laughed. "Hahahahahahahaha! First Emperor, I acknowledge your path of kingship! If you were to govern Uruk, you might do so better than I."
Iskandar also nodded, and even Li Xing applauded. After all, he was the eternal emperor of China.
Artoria still wished to argue. Was there anything wrong with wanting to save her country? Was there anything wrong with wanting to save her subjects?
"Alas, Artoria, have you still not understood? Firstly, your desire to use the Holy Grail to return and save Britain is inherently flawed. Because you are sitting here now, if you had successfully saved Britain, then the Kingdom of Britain should still exist in this world, and you should be ruling it, or have already died. Instead, you are participating in the Holy Grail War."
Li Xing truly wanted to enlighten this Knight-King. Changing history was absolutely impossible. Just like Li Xing himself, if he had used some method to go back in time and save his parents, then he would not have been able to transmigrate through dimensions. Without the ability to transmigrate, he could not have saved his parents. It was a vicious cycle.
(Here, using the setting by Kinoko Nasu, Artoria wishes for someone else to be king, not the setting by Gen Urobuchi where she wishes to start over.)