Needless to say, he dismissed it as worthless nonsense and made a complete laughingstock of me in front of the entire lecture hall. To make a long story short, I got so angry that I outright stole something important--the catalyst he was going to use to enter the Holy Grail War. That's how I came to summon Rider and get mixed up in all of that in the first place.

But...we ran into him again on one of the war's first nights. After everything he'd said to me--how much everyone had always just gone along with it, I hated him. I thought that could have been my chance for revenge, so I could show everyone what I could really do and make them acknowledge me.

[Waver sighed, folding his arms as though he might have preferred to just disappear into the floor or something.]

The whole thing was more serious than I expected. I underestimated the kind of society I had been in all along, and how easily magi could kill anyone that tried to oppose them. Kayneth threatened to and would have killed me if Rider hadn't been there, I don't doubt that for a second.

That was what I heard in that godforsaken place. 'Blood determines a mage's power'. 'Someone as mediocre as you only deserves to possess the calm and stable life of commoners'. 'You should be proud, I will pass the terror and pain of death onto you without any reservation.' '

It makes me sick. Just thinking about how stupid I was, how screwed up mage society is...I hate it. I hate all of it.

[Stopping suddenly, Waver seemed to remember he'd been speaking to someone instead of retelling matters to himself or Palmon, and he instantly wanted to backpedal.]

I--I'm sorry. I'm talking you to death or something, right? You really don't want to hear any of this.