Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 1092: I Entrust Her to You

A name is a specific code for something. With a name, one can accurately identify something; otherwise, the concept of an individual becomes vague.

For humans, a name is a symbol of independence. Only with a name can one become a complete individual in the eyes of society, possessing autonomy. Assigning a name to Faker would allow her to break free from Iskandar's shadow and truly become an independent person.

From now on, she would no longer be Faker, someone's subordinate—she would be herself, an independent individual.

"I've wanted to give you a name for a long time," he said.

"But you always refused, and Mother kept obstructing it."

"King..."

Faker's eyes reddened, her lower lip full of bite marks and blood. "No, I don't accept it, I don't want a name—I don't want it! I don't want it! I don't want it!"

"Do you want all of our deaths to be in vain?"

The deafening roar caused Iskandar's fragile spirit foundation to dissipate even faster.

"I—"

Faker instinctively wanted to argue, to say that this war wasn't her fault, that the sacrifices of her comrades shouldn't be blamed on her. But upon seeing the King's final expression, she couldn't speak. All she could do was mutter angrily:

"You're so cunning!"

"Hahaha, I have always been like this," Iskandar laughed heartily, genuinely happy. He waved to the long-haired man standing quietly beside them.

"Waver, come here."

"King..."

Waver choked, falling to his knees.

"Don't cry."

Like ten years ago, Iskandar raised his large hand and patted Waver on the head.

"You've done well, very well. The reason for our failure this time is entirely on me—it was my reckless arrogance that led to your defeat."

Waver stubbornly shook his head.

"No, it was my duty as your subject to advise you."

"But whether to listen or not is up to the King. You fulfilled your duty as a subject perfectly. It was I, the King, who failed. Do you still want to follow the commands of such a reckless King?"

"You are my King. I swore to serve you, to follow you to the end. Please guide me forward, so I can see the same dreams as you."

Ten years ago, this was Waver's answer. And today, it was still the same.

To modern people who pursue equality and freedom, such an oath might sound ridiculous. But to everyone present, including the rebellious youths, not a single person found it laughable. Everyone could feel the weight of that oath—it was a treasure, equal to the man's life and soul.

Upon hearing such an oath, the mighty King smiled faintly. To his subjects, that smile was the highest reward.

"Well, Waver, I entrust my sister to you."

"Hmm?"

"Huh?"

The two people named were both stunned. They had never expected Iskandar's final command to be this.

"My sister has been raised with a lot of wrong ideas by our mother, making her stubborn and inflexible. Without someone watching over her, she might cause as much trouble as I did. I hope you can watch over her for me, so she can live a good life in this world, living truly for herself. Also, I'll leave the naming to you. I thought about it for so long but couldn't come up with a good one. If I just give her a random name, Hephaestion would laugh at me, so I'll leave it to you."

At this point, Iskandar glanced at them and continued speaking.

"This is my decision. No objections will be accepted."

"Yes," the two finally agreed.

"Then I have no regrets."

The unparalleled conqueror closed his eyes contentedly. His body grew fainter, and his voice weaker.

"This expedition... though it failed... it was still thrilling... it's a pity I won't see the result of the other war... Ah, what a pity..."

In the end, the King quietly disappeared, along with the miraculous sands of that distant land.

Everyone returned to their original positions. The moon was still the same, the castle still the same castle, as if nothing had changed—except for the feelings in everyone's hearts.

For those participating in the Holy Grail War for the first time, it was their first experience of a true battle.

The echoes of the war cries still rang in their ears, the pungent smell of blood still filled their nostrils, and the gruesome images of the battlefield replayed in their minds.

This was the real Holy Grail War. This was the real world of heroes.

For Waver and the others, they had failed. Once again, they had lost their King. Although the King took all the blame for the failure, it didn't ease their pain.

Waver wanted to find a secluded place to cry, but he didn't. There was something more important to do—another victor of the war was approaching him.

"Saber."

"Do you still want to fight?"

Faker gripped her sword, staring intently at Artoria. The Knight King slowly shook her head.

"The war is over. The Conqueror King has withdrawn, and Mr. Velvet is no longer a Master."

"But I am still here," Faker said stubbornly, holding her head high.

"You are not Iskandar."

"Yes, you are not Iskandar."

The one who spoke was Waver. He reached out and patted Faker on the shoulder, causing her to tremble.

"You... how dare you—"

"He asked me to watch over you. Do you want to defy his final request?"

"I—"

Faker wanted to persist, but she couldn't. She really couldn't refuse the heartfelt wish of the man to whom she had given all her loyalty.

"Don't get cocky. If you give me a bad name, I'll kill you first."

"Don't worry. If that happens, I won't let myself off either," Waver solemnly promised.

"Remember what you said."

Faker turned away, no longer speaking. Her shoulders trembled slightly, revealing a trace of loneliness and sorrow.

Waver hesitated for a moment, then gently patted her back.

Faker stiffened, but in the end, said nothing.

...

On the other side, Merlin's illusion was also fading, along with the last remaining knight of the Round Table—Kay.

"Ah... Ah..."

Gray panicked, unsure of what to do. She hadn't done anything.

"Why are you so flustered, silly Gray? Our time is just up."

Kay still kept up his sharp tongue, and Merlin maintained his frivolous smile.

"Ah, ah, because we were in a Reality Marble, we could avoid the restraints of the world. Now that the Reality Marble is gone, my tricks won't work anymore."

"W-Will we meet again?"

Gray asked hurriedly.

"There will be a chance," Kay smiled as he reached out to pat her head. "Even if I'm gone, Add will always be with you. Remember, hit him when you need to, scold him when you must. That guy always deserves it."

"Mm!"

With Gray's firm response, Kay's body vanished.

Merlin paused for a moment, leaving behind two inconspicuous flower petals. Carried by the wind, they bore his remaining thoughts:

One petal said: "Sorry, I tricked you."

The other said: "Now it's your turn."