Both sides had id bare their philosophies. A csh of ideals was iable.

  "In that case, King of querors," the First Emperor asked, the tensioween them like a spectator enjoying a py, "what wish would you make to the Holy Grail?"

  Iskandar answered without hesitation. "My wish is simple: to obtain a physical body."

  "What?!" Waver looked at him, utterly baffled. "Isn't your wish to quer the world?"

  Iskandar responded with a ugh and a pyful sp to Waver's back, knog him to the ground. "quer the world? Hah! How could I ask some mystical cup to achieve that? quering the world must be doh my own hands."

  Gilgamesh scowled. "To challenge me for a paltry wish like that—what a waste."

  Artoria frowned. "This… this isn't what a true king should wish for."

  "Oh, King of Knights," Iskandar said, turning his gaze to her, "it seems you and I walk different paths. Tell me, what is your wish, then?"

  Artoria paused, her expression pained. After a moment, she answered quietly, "My wish is to save my homend."

  Hearing this, the Bight visibly trembled.

  "Save?" Iskandar's face grew serious. "How exactly do you io 'save' it?"

  Artoria's voice was resolute. "With the power of the Holy Grail, I would wish to ge the fate of Britain's destru."

  The hall fell silent.

  Artoria looked around, sensing the unease in the air. Was her wish se?

  "Wait," Iskandar said, his faow somber. "When you say you want to ge Britain's fate… you mean you want to overturn past history?"

  "Yes," Artoria replied, her tone equally grave. She was deadly serious.

  "Oh…" A dark chuckle escaped Gilgamesh's lips.

  Iskandar tio study her with a stern gaze. "So, if I remember correctly… Britain fell under your rule, didn't it?"

  Artoria's eyes hardened. "Yes. That's why I ot five myself. I want to ge everything."

  "Hahahahahahahaha" Gilgamesh's chuckle turned into ht ughter, eg through the hall.

  Artoria ched her fists. "What's so funny?!"

  Gilgamesh smirked. "Five me, I just heard something utterly absurd. A king… talking abret. It's ughable."

  The First Emperor joined in, though his tone was calm rather than mog. "Regret is on. Everyone has regrets. But as I see it, wishing to ge one's past as a ruler is not redemption. It's pure escapism."

  "What?!" Artoria's voice wavered, her vi shaken.

  The First Emperor tinued, "Everyone desires to ge their past. But for a ruler someone who leads a nation that mi is unworthy."

  "Why?" Artoria demanded, her frustration growing.

  "Because as rulers, we must own our decisions."

  The First Emperor's voice carried a weight of finality. "You wish to ge the past. Does that mean you believe your decisions were wrong? Are you looking to deny your own history?"

  Artoria's voice softened. "No… I wouldn't ge my decisions. I did what I believed was right."

  "Then what's the point of your wish?" the First Emperor asked, his tone pierg.

  Iskandar nodded. "Saber, do you truly wish to erase yacy? To deny the history that defines you?"

  "What's wrong with my wish?" Artoria shot back, her frustration spilling over. "My kingdom fell because of me. I want to save it. Is that s?"

  Gilgamesh sneered, his eyes filled with disdain. "A kingdom built on sacrifice, yet you speak of devotion. How pitiful."

  Artoria smmed her fist oable. "There is nothing wrong with a king sacrifig themselves for their people!"

  Ishtar, from the sidelines, remarked coolly, "There's no point arguing with him. This so-called king cares little for his people. Even the gods couldn't endure his tyranny over Uruk."

  Gilgamesh gred at her. "Silence, foolish goddess. You and your kind are er."

  Iskandar interjected, his voice firm. "Sacrifice may be noble, but you misuand, Saber. A king does to throw themselves away. It is the people who offer their sacrifices for the king."

  The First Emperor nodded approvingly. "Well said, King of querors. Though you call yourself a king, you uand the role of an emperor."

  Artoria looked at them, eyes bzing. "What you describe… is tyranny!"

  The First Emperor's tone remained calm. "The way of an emperor is, by nature, an absolute rule."

  Iskandar's gaze hardened. "And Saber, if you ot bear the weight of your decisions and instead wish to turn back time, what does that make you? A king or a deserter?"

  Artoria's voice shook. "You say that as though you have s! But don't fet—your empires also crumbled after your deaths."

  Iskandar's face softened. "I won't deny that. But I would never ge a thing. I mourn for my lost kingdom, yes. But regret it? Never."

  The First Emperor added solemnly, "A ruler's responsibility is to refleot to escape. Regret is for the weak; refle is for the strong."

  Iskandar nodded. "A king's duty is to guide their nation, not to be a sve tret."

  Artoria's frustration reached a boiling point. "A king must sacrifice for their ideals!"

  The First Emperaze was unyielding. "Ideals without grounding are mere fantasies. They lead only to ruin."

  Iskandar agreed, turning to her with a look of pity. "King of Knights, are you truly a servant to your people, or are you ensved by your own vision?"

  Artoria's voice was barely a whisper. "I do not expect you to uand… You, who rule by absolute power, could never grasp the burden of a king who truly serves their people."