"So what if I do? I greatly admire the conviction SABER upholds; that's something even countless men cannot achieve or persist in." Meruem was very forthright.
Sakura, who had been in a drowsy, offline state, suddenly widened her eyes upon hearing their conversation and stared ferociously at the adorably blank-faced Artoria with a very unfriendly expression.
I absolutely won't let you snatch Meru away!
Of course, although it was "ferocious" in Sakura's mind, such an expression on her face only made others think she was cute.
"Hahaha, farewell then. Next time we meet, we'll be enemies." As he finished speaking, the Conqueror King's expression turned serious.
"Indeed. Let's have a grand battle then."
"Kid, what are you doing... do you want to stay here?" The Conqueror King grumbled in dissatisfaction, picking up his little MASTER and placing him into the Chariot of Divine Might.
Drunk driving, old driver? Fine, you can fly.
"Hey, the shiny golden guy over there. Isn't it about time for you to leave?" Even though he wasn't the owner of the place, Meruem's tone carried the air of chasing away a guest.
"Hmph, mongrel... I'll let you be arrogant for a while longer. And SABER over there, continue playing the clown on your painful path of righteousness. I enjoy it very much. Saber, make me happy, and perhaps I'll gift you the Holy Grail as a reward?" Surprisingly, Goldie didn't start a fight with Meruem directly as he usually would. He just fired off a few verbal jabs and left hastily. It seemed the God-slayer attribute's suppression on those with divinity was truly powerful.
In an instant, the lively banquet was left with only Meruem, Sakura, Irisviel, and Artoria.
"Well then, ladies... it seems I should take my leave as well." Meruem looked at the two beautiful women with different personalities but equal beauty and spoke very gentlemanly.
"Wait, KING, what did you mean by 'waking up' earlier? If you can, please tell me." The person most deeply affected by this banquet was Artoria. Not only was her status as a King denied, but her conviction was also denied by others. For Artoria, this blow was quite significant.
Without Meruem's appearance, Artoria would have been devastated after this banquet, leading to her escapist wish in the FSN storyline of letting the Sword in the Stone choose someone else to be King.
"Want to know? Well, I'll tell you if there's a chance in the future. But now isn't the best time. Besides, there are more important things to do. Of course, SABER, if you are willing to join me now, I can tell you right away." Because of that troublesome guy Kiritsugu, Meruem had already thought of another idea when tearing up the alliance with the Conqueror King.
Currently, his enemy was that old fox Zouken Matou hiding in the shadows. As long as that guy wasn't eliminated, Meruem couldn't rest easy. Although he didn't fear him, having a thorn in his throat wasn't pleasant.
"Join you? KING, what do you mean? As a knight, I will not betray my lord. Are you here to insult me too?" Artoria associated something with his words, and her expression changed drastically. Her goodwill towards Meruem vanished instantly.
"No, SABER, I don't mean that... If I'm not mistaken, this beautiful lady isn't your MASTER, right?" Although phrased as a question, the tone was unquestionably certain. "Your true MASTER is that guy, Kiritsugu Emiya, right? I believe in the near future, you will soon understand that MASTER is not suitable for you, whether in style or anything else. When that guy reveals his true nature, you'll understand. Even a knight must see if their lord is worthy of loyalty."
"Kiritsugu may have many problems himself, but... he is absolutely not like what you say." At this moment, Artoria still believed in Irisviel's evaluation of Kiritsugu Emiya.
"You will understand later, SABER. When the time comes, I hope you can still uphold your chivalry." Meruem revealed an intriguing smile at Artoria. If, after I've said so much to you here, Kiritsugu still continues to act in his own style, then turning Artoria to my side isn't impossible.
The seed has been planted.
Hope you don't court death, Kiritsugu.
Otherwise, once the seed sprouts, it might turn into a man-eating plant...
What, Kiritsugu still has two Command Spells? Putting aside that there are Noble Phantasms in this world capable of breaking Command Spells, couldn't we just make him use up the two Command Spells? Doesn't the church overseer Risei Kotomine have plenty of new Command Spells?
After speaking, Meruem used Flight and disappeared from the Einzbern castle.
"SABER." Irisviel looked at Artoria with concern.
"Irisviel, I'm fine."
It's getting late; time to go back and let Sakura rest. Meruem thought, unconsciously speeding up his flight. Of course, because he was carrying Sakura, he didn't fly too fast.
Eh? Wait, that person... how is that possible?
Isn't she dead? Why is she still here?
Suddenly, high in the sky, Meruem seemed to spot something on the ground and widened his eyes. With Meruem's eyesight, seeing everything on the ground clearly was easy, no matter how high he flew.
Interesting. Then let me go have a look.
Meruem looked at her gradually becoming transparent state and seemed to realize something. He stopped flying forward, looking down with a strange smile on his lips.
Heaven is helping me. Now the plan is gradually perfecting.
"Ahhhh... Sola, Sola, Sola. You didn't see clearly, you didn't see that guy's true face. If you continue to participate in the war, you will die!" In the basement of a ruined, abandoned building, Kayneth roared and screamed in the endless darkness.
However, even so, he received no response from anyone.
His fiancée and his loyal Servant had long left this ruin. Under the pretext of protection, they claimed that without a Servant's aura, other Masters wouldn't find this place, so Kayneth would be safe. Look, how nice that sounds. In reality, it was just leaving Kayneth to fend for himself. Of course, they would occasionally come back to check on him, at least ensuring he didn't die. That's why the original Kayneth went to the church to ask Risei for the Command Spell for subjugating Bluebeard.
But now Bluebeard was long dead, and the person who killed him wasn't Diarmuid.
"I hate it, I hate it... If, if I could move. Damn Kiritsugu Emiya, damn LANCER!" At this moment, all the Magic Circuits in Kayneth's body were destroyed, and he was just lingering on like a cripple.
"Do you want revenge?" In the endless darkness, Kayneth seemed to hear a whisper in his ear.
"Yes!" Kayneth answered without even thinking, not even considering that it might just be his own auditory hallucination.
Then the whisper sounded in his ear again, full of temptation like a voice from hell. It was the whisper of a demon.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.
Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.