At last...Okeanos...I've come...! (Severe sleep deprivation)
Thanks for the splendid reviews! On we go!
Waver has been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the frustration that has been building up inside of him lately.
The prodigy of the clock tower and a genuine aristocrat, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.
Waver had stolen the catalyst for the Heroic Spirit from him and secretly performed the summoning ceremony in the park that night. Until that moment, there was a certain amount of excitement and passion in the boy's heart.
Waver had been imagining a tense psychological battle between magicians, a battle of witchcraft in which they would compete to the limit of their abilities. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated Waver became with his current situation.
The reason for his chagrin was obvious. There it was right now, lying down in Weaver's room, chewing on a cracker and reading a pile of books piled high into the air.
All of Weaver's anger was attributed to this man, Iskandar the Conqueror King, aka Rider.
"Hey, are you listening to me? Assassin has been killed. The Holy Grail War has already begun!"
"Hmm. Yes, yes."
"...Hey."
"..."
'I'll punch him in the face'.
Waver made up his mind. It was unlikely that this man, a heroic spirit, would be even slightly harmed by his own fists, but there was no other choice but to hit him with every ounce of mana he has left.
Is it against his pride as a mage? No, this is his solemn duty as a lord to punish his disloyal servant.
In fact, Waver has already experienced this kind of exchange several times. He needs to remind his servant what it means to serve a master.
As if Waver's simmering anger had finally reached him, Rider turned to look at his master, with a slightly annoyed expression plastered onto his bearded face. How pathetic his servant looked, rolling around on the floor like a muscular panda or something. Waver wanted to cry in shame.
However, the world was once almost conquered by a man like this. Waver never felt so glad that it didn't come to that.
"You know, kid. Does it really matter if Assassin was killed or not? Do you think I would lose to a coward who can only hide in the dark?"
"..."
"More importantly. Read this. A man of your age, like you, should be reading this kind of stuff."
Saying this, he skillfully pulled out a book from the bottom of the tower of stacked paperbacks and handed it to Waver.
Waver looked down at the title, wondering why he should even consider reading this, and then saw the title brandished in silver letters that read: 'The Record of Halmeus, Volume 1'.
It was a familiar title. Waver thought he saw it in a fairy tale or something when he was still young.
'I think it was a story about a guy defeating ghosts and dragons, and then finally getting rid of an evil wizard, and then everyone lives happily ever after...? Meh, I don't remember.'
Waver sniffed.
"Don't be ridiculous. I read that story when I was a kid. Once upon a time, there was a man who was so strong, kind and wonderful...blah blah blah...then he saved the world after a lot of trouble, riiiight?
I'm sorry to break it to you, but the world is not that simple..."
"Idiot."
As soon as he said that, Rider unleashed a ferocious B-ranked muscle-empowered flick onto Waver's forehead.
The flick was no joke. The impact shook Waver's delicate brain, and he plummeted to the ground.
"You are right not to easily believe in what you don't know. However, it is also dangerous to not believe what you don't know without any apparent reason. Let's have another shot just to make my point clear..."
"Wait a minute! If you do that again, it'll be my memory that's gonna be cleared!"
It was true that he had responded in a somewhat dismissive manner, but this was too much. The blow was too heavy for Waver, who had never done any kind of physical training, as it was 'not proper for a mage'.
"You should be glad the Macedonian warriors aren't here with us. Especially Hephaestion. Well...I think she's gone a tad too far...
The truth is, when I was younger, I used to think that this book was just some idiotic fantasy of ancient men. I thought that there was no need to appreciate a book written by an anonymous person.
If Aristotle, my teacher, had not enthusiastically recommended it, I would not have read it and therefore would not have believed in it. So it's not surprising for you, a young man, to be so suspicious."
'Then why did you flick me on the forehead you brute!', Waver screamed in his mind, though he kept his mouth shut. He didn't need another dent in his skull.
Not minding Waver's baleful glare, Rider pointed at Waver and said, "But you know what?".
"Do not think of this book as a mere fairy tale, or a common tale of heroism; it is a story of knowledge, often hidden behind the glamour of victory.
Warriors, sorcerers, scholars, and poets. This book contains a wealth of knowledge that they all seek.
Did you know that I once led my army to the Farthest Sea, the Okeanos?"
"Yeah. You forced your way through all the countries along the way and just kept heading east, didn't you? How could you even think of doing that?"
"Right?" Rider sniffed proudly. It was by no means a compliment, but Waver let it slide, partly because he was curious about the rest of the story.
" Yet...when I was a young man, I already knew that there was no end to this planet, this Earth, although the hard-headed scholars and researchers kept saying, 'That's impossible. It's unrealistic!'.
If you read this record, humanity should have known long ago that the earth was round and it revolves around the sun with the moon."
"Then why did you decide to go to the 'Okeanos, the Endless Sea'?"
"That's..." Rider scratched his head.
"Let's see, in this volume...ah, here it is. Read this."
"Hmm...I'd never thought that I'd see a view like this in my lifetime. When Halmeus stood at the bow of the ship and shouted at us to plunge into that rampaging maelstrom, I thought we were done for, but now I finally understand. It seems that his soul knew that only those who dared to jump into that vortex are deemed worthy to reach the farthest ocean, the Okeanos. Indeed, 'Fortune favors the Brave.'...Hmmm."
"Yes. The faraway Okeanos, the place worthy enough for me to pursue!
After a voyage of many storms, waves, and sea dragons, I wanted to test my courage in front of this great whirlpool of the East Sea."
Well, this guy would certainly do it. No, wait.
"If there is a whirlpool...then what if it's not the same one that this Halmeus guy entered? You gonna let your men's ships go first?"
"Idiot."
Once again, he was hit with a sonic blow to the forehead, causing the light-weighted Waver to hover slightly in the air. The tower of books collapsed and he fell onto the books scattered on the floor. It hurt several times more than before, but this time, he had only himself to blame.
"What is a king if he doesn't go ahead of his men? If it was not the whirlpool that leads to the Okeanos, so be it. I will let it swallow me with a smile."
"It's just like you, ...You've been wreaking havoc on land for this long, and now you want to go out to sea?"
"What a foolish question for you to ask me", Rider laughed.
"I was going to build a ship that would be grand and magnificent, big and sturdy, something that would be talked about for generations to come. The conquest ship Iskandar! Oh ho, what a great name! I would have been a much better Rider than I am now!"
'It was a shame, a real shame indeed.'
While saying this, there was not a trace of regret on Rider's face. It is was not the expression of someone who has given up.
"I couldn't reach it, but I had a damn good dream, and I had a damn good march with my men."
One can see from his exuberant smile that he really thinks so, from the bottom of his very soul. And now, being called to this world as a servant, he is probably dreaming about the continuation of his undying ambition.
It was a dazzling way of life for Waver, who tended to regret everything.
"Well...you know. The beginning of my expedition was based on the knowledge of this book, this record. Those who assumed it was a fairy tale from the beginning misunderstood the shape of the earth until the moment of their death.
I was not surprised to hear that the earth was round when I was summoned to this age. I didn't travel around the world on my own as Halmeus did, but I knew his records!"
With a hum, Waver looked down at the book. Iskandar the Conqueror, a hero who has left his name in history. His expedition was aimed at the sea of the far end, the Okeanos. In this book was the story of a legendary hero who arrived there before anyone else, in the times of the forgotten ancients.
"Well...if you insist, I'll read it."
"Ah-ha, read this you shall! You are too soft. You should learn how a true man should be!"
"One word too many, and I'm not soft!"
Waver opened the first page of his library with an indignant huff.
To say the result; Waver got completely hooked.
It really annoyed him that Rider was the one that made him read it, but the vague impression Waver had as a child that it was a simple story about heroes was completely wiped away by the time he had finished reading the first volume.
Looking back, what he read as a child was probably a simplified story of a righteous hero arranged for children. It had only picked up the part about fighting demons and monsters in 'The Record of Halmeus'.
That was fine at the time. Waver did enjoy it a bit. But now that he's older, when he looked at the 'proper' record again, he couldn't help but think that this version was definitely better.
It was a tale of courage and adventure. It was a book of contemplation and philosophical exploration. It was an ancient document that describes the way people were in the lost age and the way the world was filled with mystery to the brim.
Rider called it 'the favorite book of heroes of all ages'. The Record of Halmeus appears frequently, or rather quite often, in the many legends that still remain.
Those who left behind their names as swordsmen, spearmen, and archers must have been absorbed in the sheer variety of the weapons he used, the many combat techniques he mastered, and the philosophy of battle he himself discovered.
Those who left their names behind as mages may have studied the ancient laws of sorcery or learned from the great sorcerer Sanguine, who was depicted as 'The Incarnation of Absolute Evil' itself.
It is likely that scientists, who were fundamentally different from mages, were also absorbed in the world's truths that were revealed and recorded in a book, millions of years ago.
That's what Rider meant when he said 'record'. The author 'Recorded the World' in the shape of Halmeus; immortalizing the great Hero as the anchor and the axis of the long lost civilization.
"Hey, kid. Oi!"
"..."
"Oh, no. He's not listening."
The duo was now standing on the arch of the Fuyuki Bridge. It was a little past 8 p.m., and it was completely dark outside.
Waver was sitting on the steel frame in the darkness, silently reading a book, illuminating it with the rune of lamplight. Neither the cold wind that blew through the arch, nor the vibrations of the steel frame as Rider tapped his foot were a hindrance to him now.
Rider's fearless and reckless strategy of hunting down every Servant he could find led him outside, and even though he was in a place where he could successfully watch two Servants crush each other, Waver's eyes were still following the text.
To be honest, he didn't have time to watch the battle between Servants. It was the nature of a mage to focus completely when they are confronted with something interesting, thus rendering everything else unimportant.
"Oh, well. Let's end the spectacle here. If we don't, one of those brave knights will be eliminated. Such strong men, I would love to bring them into the fold!"
Hearing these words, Waver half-unconsciously nodded, while still keeping his eyes on the book. It was at this moment that Waver's spirit, which had been trapped inside the world of Halmeus, sprang back to life.
"... Hmm? Wait a minute, Rider. What do you mean, 'bring them into the fold'? Are we forming an alliance?"
"No. It means making them my vassals. I want to add them to my army of brave men and women who support my cause."
Wait. Wait, wait, wait!
"You can't do that! Why don't you just wait for them to destroy each other!? Do you realize we're in the middle of the Holy Grail War? !"
Waver had been so absorbed in his book that he had forgotten he was as a master, but this is an entirely different matter. There was no guarantee that they would make it back alive if he plunged into that extraterrestrial feast of overpowered protagonists.
Even if Rider's abilities were on par with theirs, he, as the Master, would still only have the endurance of a normal human being.
However, he knew well from the past few days that Rider would not change his mind because of Waver's opinion. His life-threatening protests were met with a laugh, as he was grabbed up by the collar.
"You know, boy. The reason I've been waiting here for the right moment is to defeat all of those who have gathered down there. And now, heroes who are too good to be left for dead have appeared.
What is a king if he does not conquer this? What is Iskandar if he doesn't conquer?"
With a bellow, Rider swung his one-handed sword into the air. A vast amount of magic power gushed out, and a chariot lead by two bulls, ancient and gorgeous, appeared in front of him.
Even though Waver had seen it once before, the overwhelming presence made him flinch. In an instant, he was hoisted up by a log-like arm and was easily dragged into the chariot.
With a thud, he fell on his back. Despite the sudden pain, Waver continued his futile protest in earnest.
"How am I supposed to win if I die!? Didn't you want the Holy Grail too!?"
"Victory, but not destruction! Conquer, but do not humiliate! That is the true 'conquest'!"
It's not working. He's not listening to me in the first place.
Waver paled.
"Run, O' wheel of divine wrath; Gordian wheel!"
"Aaaaah!"
The floating chariot blasted through the skies above the Fuyuki Bridge, spraying lightning bolts in its wake. The view was undoubtedly the manifestation of the king of conquerors himself, and his undying will to keep charging forward.
Waver regretted that he had ever become the master of this barbarian. Even though he was the one that stole the catalyst that Kayneth had prepared and he was the one that had summoned the brute, he still regretted his decisions.
Sadly, the reality remains the same. In contrast to Waver's growing headache, Rider's good-humored laughter echoed in the skies of Fuyuki.
Please...more...reviews. Review if thou fear the mighty wails of Lord Waver! Review anyway!
Next time, on : The Dawn of Evil. Will be continued if motivation levels are high enough, lol.
X-kalibuuuur over and out!