Chapter 95: FGO Players All Have Average Rank Clairvoyance
"Are you trying to say my wish is wrong!?"
Saber's face, which had already looked pale under the impact of this hellish scene, did not improve as the bodies of the orphans gradually began to recover.
On the contrary, it seemed to worsen. Even though she hadn't explicitly told Emiya Shirou what wish she intended to grant through the Holy Grail since the time she responded to the summons, she trusted him implicitly.
Or rather, Emiya Shirou's "Pseudo-Clairvoyance"—which allowed him to know enemy information in advance—had long ago dropped the prefix "Pseudo" in the face of one successful example after another.
At least in the eyes of Saber and the others, Emiya Shirou possessed nothing less than orthodox [Clairvoyance]! Therefore, Saber believed it was impossible for Shirou not to know her wish. It was impossible for him not to know the desire she sought to fulfill.
But now, Emiya Shirou was subtly hinting that she should abandon her wish. Even if the Grail had been proven by Shirou to be incapable of granting her wish anymore, it was still difficult for her to accept this. It should be said that the current Saber had not yet given up on saving the Britain of that era.
"While I'd love to say that isn't the case, however... I don't want to lie to you, Saber."
As the last orphan in the Church's basement had their body repaired by the power of Emiya Shirou's [Pseudo-Crazy Diamond], they remained only skin and bones.
Even the parts of their bodies that had been gnawed away by insects were restored under the destruction and restructuring ability of [Pseudo-Crazy Diamond]. This was done with the "help" of Kotomine Kirei, whom Shirou had brought along specifically for this predictable situation. By breaking down Kotomine Kirei's body, Shirou transferred and repaired the damage to these areas. In a sense, this could be considered a form of atonement for Kotomine Kirei, even if the man himself would never have thought so.
After finishing this, Emiya Shirou turned to look at Saber: "Yes, I believe your wish, Saber, is wrong. You shouldn't seek to return to the day of selection, to let someone else pull the Sword in the Stone, and let someone else replace you as the new King of Britain."
"I..." Saber clearly wanted to say something. It should be noted—perhaps due to a difference in the timeline— The Saber summoned by Emiya Shirou in this Fifth Holy Grail War was clearly more mature than her counterpart in the Fourth War.
It was like the difference between a Saber who had just become King and a Saber who had been King for a long time. Furthermore, this version of the King of Knights possessed memories of the Fourth Holy Grail War.
She still remembered her younger self being left speechless by the "tyrant" rhetoric of Iskandar and Gilgamesh during the Banquet of Kings.
But that was her younger self. Summoned in the Fifth Holy Grail War, she would not be swayed by nonsensical tyrant theories that actually contradicted her values.
Moreover, as a Saber who already possessed the memory of being negated once before, she was only more determined to refute Emiya Shirou's words.
However, Emiya Shirou's follow-up words were faster than hers, cutting in first: "Because this would not only mean that those who were originally saved by you might not be saved in this new future.
Just as I, who was once saved by you, can go on to save even more people, how can you be sure, Saber, that among those you saved, there is no one who will save many others?"
"Shirou, that's different..." At this moment, what could Saber say? It felt like anything she said would be wrong. After all, Emiya Shirou was using his actual actions to prove his words. Saber, who would never use any means to an end, felt momentarily at a loss for words under this possibility.
Naturally, Emiya Shirou continued: "So why do you think someone else becoming King would be better than you continuing as King?
You must realize that the 'you' who successfully makes this wish and returns to the past is a 'you' from the future—a you who has already protected Britain once, a you who has failed once, and a you who knows exactly why Britain failed.
Facing a 'you' who already knows all the correct and incorrect answers, I don't believe there would be anyone else in Britain at that time whose outcome as King would be better than yours, Saber."
As Emiya Shirou voiced this opinion, he didn't forget the business at hand.
Treating these orphans was only the most basic step.
To prevent the leakage of [Mystery], if these orphans returned to normal society and accidentally revealed they had been kidnapped by a priest of the Church and witnessed magecraft— Ruthless magi wouldn't waste words with these ordinary people; they would simply "clean them up," which meant killing them.
Therefore, to prevent them from being targeted by other magi, and to erase the painful memories that would haunt them for a lifetime, the figure of [Pseudo-Whitesnake] began to gradually replace [Pseudo-Crazy Diamond]. It assisted Emiya Shirou in performing psychological (memory) therapy (deletion) on the orphans.
While things on Emiya Shirou's end were being settled, Saber's issues were far from over. Not only were they not over, but on the contrary, Shirou's words had thrown Saber into a state of intense shock.
"Shirou... didn't you say my wish was wrong?" Saber's voice sounded somewhat bewildered. "Yeah," Emiya Shirou nodded.
"Then why, Shirou, are you..."
"Why am I in favor of you returning to the past to change history, right?" Emiya Shirou answered for her.
"Yes."
Indeed, why? Although Emiya Shirou's words differed significantly from Saber's original wish, rather than a direct denial, his words actually seemed to support her desire.
"That's something I should be asking you, Saber." Emiya Shirou didn't answer why; instead, he posed a counter-question: "Why can't you be just a little bit more selfish, Saber?"
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