"..."
Rin's words cast a strange silence over the banquet. Her answer was too peculiar; participating in the Holy Grail War, risking life and limb, yet having no wish for the Holy Grail to fulfill. This was truly… if one desperately needed something, and their formidable rival for it had no need for it at all, it felt like being belittled.
"This is utter nonsense! If you don't need the Holy Grail, then why participate in the Holy Grail War?!"
Especially Saber, who desperately needed the Holy Grail, found it incomprehensible. After all, Kiritsugu Emiya had identified Rin as their biggest and most troublesome enemy during their tactical meetings. Yet, this greatest obstacle to her obtaining the Holy Grail didn't need the Holy Grail herself. Was she mocking her?!
"That's not right, Saber."
Rin smiled, taking a sip of wine from her cup, and immediately refuted Saber's statement.
"I merely said I had no wish to ask of the Holy Grail, but I never said I didn't need the Holy Grail."
Saber was momentarily speechless. This statement also immediately piqued the interest of the three King Heroic Spirits present, as Heroic Spirits themselves were drawn by the Holy Grail's wish-granting mechanism. They had never truly considered what meaning the Holy Grail might hold beyond granting wishes.
"Hmm, so that's it. Then let me rephrase the question: what do you hope to gain from the Holy Grail? For what desire do you pursue the Holy Grail, risking life and death?"
The King of Conquerors was now utterly fascinated by this young woman who had "no wish." She seemed to be an anomaly in this era, as if every action she took, every decision she made, would defy everyone's expectations.
"I want the Holy Grail to further enhance my own strength, to reach a higher realm."
Rin answered the King of Conquerors' question with composure, her answer simple and straightforward.
"So you intend to wish for ultimate power from the Holy Grail?"
The King of Conquerors pressed on, convinced that the girl's answer wouldn't be so shallow.
"Of course not, King of Conquerors. Have you forgotten my previous statement? I have no wish to ask of the Holy Grail. I intend to use the Holy Grail, not pray to it. Rather than wishing upon the Holy Grail, I'd rather take it apart to see why it can fulfill the wishes of its supplicants. If I can grasp the secrets within the Holy Grail, I believe I can create a similar Holy Grail myself."
"Oh? Now this is interesting."
The King of Conquerors scratched his chin, looking at Rin. It had to be said, the idea of taking the Holy Grail apart was indeed quite unconventional. However, these words, when they reached Irisviel behind Saber, brought with them only a bone-chilling coldness. Her delicate body couldn't help but begin to tremble.
The lesser grail was within her body; the lesser grail was her. Although Rin intended to dismantle the greater grail once it fully manifested, there was no fundamental difference. In essence, Rin was saying she wanted to take Irisviel apart to examine her… "But then, if the Holy Grail is a miracle that can grant any wish, why wouldn't you just wish directly upon it if you obtained it?"
The King of Conquerors seemed very interested in this topic.
"What a joke. The pinnacle I aspire to must be climbed by my own steps, one by one. Power granted by external objects is like a castle in the air; I would never accept it."
"But why are you so fixated on your own strength? Is it merely for the sake of becoming stronger?"
"Of course not. That would only be a slave to power, intoxicated by the feeling of a strong person looking down on the weak. But in my opinion, power is the foundation of everything!"
She spread her slender hand, then clenched her five fingers tightly, and a sudden explosive sound erupted from Rin's palm!
"I have many dreams, so many that I haven't even thought of them all yet. Therefore, a Holy Grail that can only fulfill one of them is simply too insignificant for me! So, I will use the Holy Grail as a stepping stone to reach even greater heights. Whether it's not wanting to lose something, wanting to protect something, or wanting to obtain something, all require sufficient power to achieve. Power is the prerequisite and foundation of everything in this world. Without it, nothing can even begin."
Saber was the first to disagree with Rin's words.
"Power cannot achieve everything…"
"Of course it can."
"Some things are already destined! No matter how much power you possess, no matter what methods you use, you cannot change them!"
Saber recalled Merlin's prophecy when she pulled the Sword in the Stone, the sword that chose the king, that Britain was destined to be destroyed. She fought desperately her entire life, leading her homeland to prosperity, but her country, to which she dedicated her entire life, was still destroyed as prophesied… Amidst Saber's sorrowful and angry denial, Rin unhesitatingly slammed her wine cup onto the ground with force! The solid stone floor trembled slightly, and she retorted without yielding.
"So-called destiny is merely an excuse for the defeated! Any regret or tragedy is only caused by the inadequacy of those involved!"
This was Rin's absolute creed since arriving in this world, from beginning to end. So-called prophecies, so-called destiny, so-called fate—she believed none of it! This belief was like an unmoving pillar supporting Rin's inner world. When Rin shouted these words, the aura she displayed caused even the Heroic Spirits present to be subtly moved.
As her words fell, Rin returned to her calm, unperturbed demeanor, picked up the wine pot, and refilled her nearly empty cup. Her gaze swept over Saber's extremely displeased face, and she calmly took a sip of the divine wine to moisten her throat, which had just been working overtime.
"Saber, I've read your biography. While I don't know how much it deviates from the history you experienced, the unchangeable destiny you just spoke of refers to the prophecy Merlin made when you drew the Sword in the Stone, that Britain would eventually be destroyed, right?"
"Isn't that so?…"
Saber's voice, still tinged with anger, came through. In Rin's gaze towards Saber, a hint of disdain arose, though she herself didn't notice it.
"Of course not. It was destroyed simply because you and your country weren't strong enough."
"What?!"
"What else is there to say? If, during the Battle of Camlann, you and your remaining army had been able to crush Mordred's rebel forces, your country naturally wouldn't have perished."
Saber was left speechless by Rin's answer. It sounded like sophistry, yet it was impossible to refute.
"Knowledge, technique, magic, martial arts, body, wisdom, and many other things—these are all forms of power. Only with sufficiently great power can I ensure a life without regrets. If tragedy befalls me, I will not lament the unfairness of fate; I will only resent that I am not strong enough."
"This…"
"To protect my family, to protect my friends, to protect myself, and then, to use my power to obtain, to strive for, to achieve everything I desire, to fulfill all my dreams. Any obstacle will be shattered by these hands, any problem will be resolved by my knowledge. There is no such thing as inevitable tragedy or a destined ruin. Those are just excuses made by history's failures for their powerlessness and weakness, a wailing cry to later generations. I have no need for them!"
Boom!
It was as if a thunderbolt exploded in Saber's mind, and her poised sitting posture trembled violently. Rin's words were nothing short of a thunderclap from the heavens in Saber's ears. By acknowledging Merlin's prophecy, she was undoubtedly what Rin had called her: a loser of history.
"I always firmly believe myself to be strong, therefore I bravely and fearlessly follow my own path, facing all powerful enemies, crushing all difficulties and obstacles; I always remember that I am weak, and thus I can see a higher sky, always clearly understand the path forward, and will not stop my steps in confusion. The Holy Grail is merely a stepping stone for me to reach greater heights. Not just the Holy Grail, but everyone present here is the same."
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