A dimensional journey starting from the Dragon Clan

For the past few days, he had been surrounded by an overwhelming sense of presence. Compared to that, the current crowding and depression was like a person standing in the open space after a memorial ceremony.

Of course, Rider's aura is always around. Even in this atmosphere, the oppressive atmosphere of the spiritual Servant can still be felt.

Speaking of which, the big man had not appeared in his spirit form since the battle with Caster the night before yesterday.

If this were another Servant, there would be nothing surprising. Since it is not in a combat state, there is no need to specifically materialize and consume excess 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 a few hours, it could be interpreted as a whim. But it seemed a little unusual that he didn't show up for a whole day. There's probably only one reason why that Rider can't materialize.

Even in the spirit state, as a Master, you can still talk to your Servant at any time. If Weber called him now, Rider would definitely respond immediately, but now Weber did not dare to ask. It's better not to start this kind of question and answer until you don't know what kind of answer Rider will give and make complete countermeasures based on his answer.

In order to be prepared, Weber decided to start shopping in the morning.

First, go to the outdoor goods section of a department store to buy sleeping bags and thermal pads that can be used in the mountains in winter. Although it costs a lot to buy these things, it pales in comparison to the game console Rider bought.

What is really depressing is the price of nutritional supplements and heaters sold in pharmacies, which are extremely cheap. If you want to use magic to create medicines and props with the same effect as these, you will need to consume a lot of magic power, and the cost will be dozens of times different. Although he felt that buying this thing would damage his reputation as a magician, Weber was so angry that he still bought more things than he actually needed.

Weber felt deeply depressed about the era in which he was born. He was born at the wrong time. It would be great if he grew up in an era where magic was full of admiration and fear. Why did I have to live in an era where life was hard when a stove only cost 400 yen?

In short, after buying these necessities, Weber took the bus back to Miyama Town. He bought an eel dumpling bento from a convenience store two stops away from Makaki's house, and then heated it slightly in the microwave. In order to be able to eat this meal while it's hot, we need to get to our destination quickly.

In fact, Weber couldn't help but want to ask Rider what happened. But there was nothing he could do about the Servant who refused to give any explanation or even show his face. If Weber could be more open-minded, he would have asked the answer he wanted long ago. But he must have a lot of worries - as a magician, he is still completely immature, and his sense of powerlessness prevents him from asking Rider.

But even though he was thinking this, he still refused to bow to Rider. After all, it was already embarrassing enough to be ordered around by his Servant.

I am indeed weak and incompetent. But Weber himself was very reluctant to admit this. If he can bring about the best results through careful preparation, then even Rider can no longer underestimate him, so with this idea in mind, Weber chose to remain stubbornly silent in response to Rider's silence.

Soon.\\nWebber had already passed through the residential area and walked into a forest that was to be developed into a green space park.

Walking through the small dense forest where a road had not yet been opened, Weber walked towards the deepest part. Although the scenes here during the day and at night are completely different, for Weber, he still walked inside very familiarly.

After finally arriving at his destination and confirming that everything was safe, Weber sighed with relief. After laying the thermal mat on the ground strewn with fallen leaves, Weber sat on it and took out the bento he had just bought at the convenience store and ate it. The microwaved bento has gone cold and tastes less delicious, but that doesn't matter now. The most important thing now is to take in the energy needed to sustain life.

"——Is it delicious? This?"

Rider's voice has not been heard for a whole day and night. Even if he becomes a spirit, will it still be food that arouses his interest? Weber couldn't help but wonder blankly.

"No, it tastes bad. I'm afraid this is the worst food in Japan."

Hearing Waver's answer, the spirit-turned Rider seemed to sigh with regret.

"Boy, do you still remember the shop called 'Jianbing Zhongkui' that you passed by when you were in Xindu? The new-style pancakes there are really amazing. It's a pity that you didn't buy them..."

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

"..."

The atmosphere of silence spread miraculously.\\nBut now Weber seemed very calm. While eating the eel bento, the boy who was a trainee 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 while inside 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 you like, 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 Servant as powerful as Rider, which is the best proof that he is nothing more than 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."

"Liar. That level of magic requires a lot of magic power just to be activated. And once 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 is your intention?"

"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 time fighting. If I don't shed blood and sacrifice and win, it means nothing at all."

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 left Weber stunned and speechless.

"……Why?"

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

What did Rider mean now? Weber couldn't understand it at all, but he couldn't deny what he said and could only nod.

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

“I’ve fought for things like this that ‘I don’t know if they really exist’ before.”

Rider's words contained a bit of pain and sadness for some reason, far from his usual domineering aura.

"I want to see the endless sea with my own eyes - in order to realize this dream, I keep fighting in the world. Those who believe in me follow me to fight without any doubt, and even sacrifice their own lives. But until In the end, they only saw the endless sea I talked about in their dreams.”

"..."

"In the end, at the instigation of some people who did not believe in me, the Eastern Expeditionary Force disbanded. But this is also correct. If I continue, my army will definitely be defeated somewhere. When I come It was only at this time that I realized that the earth was actually spherical. It was really an outrageous joke. Just look at the map and you would know that there was no such thing as an endless sea. Now it seems that it is just a delusion. ”

"Hey, Rider."

Even if this is the truth.

But it was still quite a shock to Weber to have Iskandar say it himself.

The man who once moved forward so bravely towards the dream that was vivid in his mind - why is he denying his dream with such a calm voice now?

However, the rebuttal words were tangled in Weber's throat and finally he was not spoken.

For Weber, he has the same dream as Rider. But he couldn't express it anyway. Because this is related to Weber's glory.

"I'm tired of causing other people's sacrifices because of my willfulness. If I can determine where the Holy Grail is, then I will risk your life and mine to get it... But unfortunately, I still can't find it now. I don’t know if the Holy Grail actually exists. I don’t want to make the same mistake as the spherical earth again.”

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

Weber was about to defend himself like this, but he immediately laughed at himself in his heart.

He couldn't even provide the simplest magic power.

You can't even see the weakness of the Servant who is struggling to fight.

As if he didn't notice Weber's thoughts, Rider's voice returned to its usual cheerful tone and he laughed loudly.

"Boy, of course you don't need to tell me this! Well, it is true that your magic circuit is much stronger than usual, and the earth veins here are also good. If you rest like this all day during the day, you can work hard again at night." ( )