Shirou started awake upon finishing a dream sequence of a perfect, yet lonely king losing control of her kingdom, recognizing it as Saber's past life. He exited his guest bedroom in Rin's manor which they temporarily stayed in out of convenience.

"Saber? Saber!"

The unfamiliar corridors impeded his progress in locating Saber, but his servant burst out of a door with a concerned look, exiting the room which Mordred laid, unconscious.

"Shirou, what's wrong?"

"Saber, I had a dream. You were a king, drawing Excalibur and building an empire to serve and protect everyone."

Shirou kept mum about the follow-up dream, recalling a devastated Kiritsugu scooping Shirou out of the debris and saving him during the Fuyuki City Fire. It was a personal experience he'd like to keep close to his chest for awhile longer.

Calming Saber down, as they walked back to his room, Shirou was ecstatic to find the parallels between himself and Saber.

"Saber, we have more in common than we thought. I think you were by far the closest to embodying Kiritsugu's ideals of a Hero of Justice - " Shirou missed the consternation plaguing Saber's face upon hearing Kiritsugu's name, the servant unable to reconcile Kiritsugu's cold demeanor and utilitarian outlook with the fervent enthusiasm he instilled in Shirou.

" - and I realized, I now want to be like you. Where I'm strong enough to carry everyone's burdens - "

"And did you see that ended, Shirou? My homeland being laid to waste by its own people, my materialized ideals in the form of my empire falling apart around me. My subjects killing each other or attempting to kill me in our clash of ideals, these ideals ending up being the death of everyone.

… I apologize, Shirou. But as your senior, I need to educate you on what it means to embody an ideal." The air between them cooled, Shirou feeling confused with Saber's sudden emotional outburst as they sat side-by-side on the bed.

"Shirou, look at me. Just because an ideal is perfect means that it's practical.

Upon pulling out Excalibur, I became a perfect king. But nobody wanted that, as I became both morally and emotionally unrelatable, even alien. Mordred exemplified that sentiment when confronting me with our revealed paternal bond, and her claim to inheritance.

In that scenario, any response would be flawed. The ideal response would be to remain silent, since no mistakes are made if no responses are given. However, with the benefit of hindsight, I would have invariably preferred to give Mordred an answer to assuage her concerns."

Mordred?

"B-But didn't she betray you to take the crown?"

"Certainly, but it was for reasons which were entirely my fault. I'd become perfectly selfless to serve my kingdom, but can you comprehend a perfect being?

A king with nonexistent flaws, her decisions void of emotion to coldly rely on logic and idealism to rule and flourish, but emotionlessness lends itself to inhumanity.

I never shed a tear for the fallen or got angry at betrayal, since to show emotion was weakness." Shirou furrowed his eyebrows, unsure of where this was leading but not liking how it sounded one bit.

"With that, the greatest threat came from within as my people were alienated, and thus betrayed me.

And Mordred…"

Shirou genuinely felt Saber's sadness upon dredging up painful memories of family turning on family, taking place in the grander tragedy of a kingdom's downfall.

"She called out to me as her parent, I ignored her as a king.

Even towards the end, I turned my back on Mordred as we exchanged blows, and she reached for my back until her dying breath. I had all the qualities of a king, but none of them told me what to do as a parent.

To turn away my own child even now, what kind of father am I?"

No offense to Saber, but that sounded like pretty bad parenting. Shirou wasn't one, but anyone would be forgiven for ending up with daddy issues because of it, as Mordred displayed in spades.

"Is Mordred going to be an obstacle? You know, since she's antagonistic towards you?"

"Possibly, veering on 'yes'. Especially since she's … mad about my wish." Shirou confusedly tilting his head convinced Saber to open her heart to Shirou.

"My wish… is to erase my rule, and by extension all my mistakes from existence. And before you say anything, Shirou, I know that it might not be right to wish myself away, Mordred has already lambasted me on everything wrong about my wish.

Mordred told me she never once regretted serving under me, in spite of my mistakes and downfall. And for a while, I thought 'all the more I should have someone worthier to become king', but I finally came across a revelation."

Shirou, looking into Saber's eyes, discerned the pain and struggles she had to go through and endure. Even though they left their scars, they made her stronger in spite of all her lingering regrets.

"Regrets, I possess in spades. But I'm trying to accept them as par for the course. Everything I wish I could have done better, I try to apply it in my current life to be closer to everyone, instead of remaining distant.

I no longer have a kingdom or throne, so I want to better understand everyone around me to be a better king - nay, a better person, by exploring my emotions. Not every bond is waiting to be exploited, not every show of emotion is a sign of weakness." Saber's regal image softened into a more soft-spoken one, reaching out to Shirou with a bare palm void of her battle armor.

"Shirou, take it from me.

Perfection's a curse. And although it is good to be idealistic, please, always remember to allow some level of realism into your life. I fear the disappointment, regrets and despair which might plague you at the end of that road, should things end badly.

Sacrificing yourself to save others is noble, but impractical since we all have one life. And there needs to be some level of restraint so that you can live on, Shirou.

If not for Sakura-san and Taiga-san, do it for me."

All these points flying in the face of his ideals, and he had nary a counterargument to protect them from criticism.

Sensing his hesitation, Saber clamped his head between her palms, expressing genuine concern for his well-being not as her master, but as a respectable young man with so much more to experience and live for.

"Shirou, by your definition, the ideal Hero of Justice is a dead Hero of Justice.

We need you. Not your service or your sacrifice, you.

Dying for everyone does nothing but leave an indelible stain in their lives, the ultimate act of self-sacrificial heroism leaving a shadow over their lives as they feel indebted to a corpse. Such a reckless lifestyle, which prioritizes others above yourself, will mean nothing when you're dead in the end."

Respecting Saber's experiences enough to seriously consider her points while empathizing with Saber's desire for him to avoid making her mistakes, Shirou accepted her advice. Even though he disliked others challenging his ideals of being a Hero of Justice.

"I'll… I'll think about it. But Saber, such aspirations can never be realized without strength. So I was hoping… if you could train me to become stronger.

I don't want to be a burden to you. And although I disagree with your wish, I still want to win with you while helping you think of another wish." Saber broke out into a relieved smile upon witnessing his determination, encouragingly placing a hand on his palm on the bed.

"Yes.

You will leave the tougher battles and enemy servants to me, but I'll at least make sure you possess some knowledge of self-defense.

Thank you, Shirou."