"Please show some restraint, Caster's Master, or I'll take your actions as a declaration of war!"
"Being too serious is one of your cute traits... Ah, ow, ow, ow!" Feeling the girl's red-dragon-like strength, Sakutsuki's mouth twitched, but he still forced out a voice and declared loudly:
"No FGO player can refuse a real-life Spiritron Dress! No one!"
"I'm just saying, I only wanted to put Saber in some nice clothes. What's wrong with that?!"
Speaking with such righteous indignation, Sakutsuki was completely unaware of the helplessness filling Miyu's eyes as she looked at him.
You obviously just wanted her body, you shameless pervert!
My brother couldn't possibly be this weird!
Clearly, Saber thought so too. As her blue eyes gradually sharpened, the force in her arms increased, as though she intended to strangle this silver-tongued bastard who resembled Merlin.
But at that moment, Sakutsuki used all his strength to raise one finger.
"One lunch!"
"...Huh?"
Sensing Artoria's grip loosen, Sakutsuki pressed his advantage. "I'll treat you to lunch today. No matter how much you eat, it's on me!"
After taking a deep breath, the young man delivered his final trump card:
"I'll cook it myself!"
"W-What?!" Her blue eyes visibly wavered.
Critical hit. Super effective.
Saber has been utterly defeated!
"Y-You said it..." Recalling the delicacies she had missed last night, Saber swallowed unconsciously and released Sakutsuki. "When are we having lunch?"
"Don't rush, Knight King." Rolling his arms, the young man grinned wickedly and whispered like a devil, "First, satisfy my needs, okay?"
"Damn it, using food to tempt me like this..." Faced with the lure of delicious food, Saber suffered a humiliating defeat and was pushed into the changing room by Sakutsuki.
When the group of four emerged from the clothing store, Irisviel had no choice but to use Sakutsuki's magecraft to transfer the dozen or so bags of clothing back to Einzbern Castle.
As for their adorable Knight King, she was already leaning against Irisviel, looking completely burned out.
Everyone loved beauty, but being treated like a figurine by some annoying young man and having to endure it for the sake of lunch... Artoria declared that she never wanted to go through that a second time.
She had already changed out of her tracksuit, but under Irisviel and Sakutsuki's vehement objections, Saber did not put on a black suit. Instead, they settled on a white shirt, blue tie, and black stockings—the casual outfit she wore in FSN.
Incidentally, because the clothing store did not have everything they needed, Sakutsuki had asked Irisviel for details before personally making some of the clothes with Projection Magecraft.
That was precisely why Saber looked so drained.
If she had been facing someone lusting after her beauty or harboring ill intentions, she would have blasted him into submission with a beam of light long ago. But the problem was that this smiling young man was genuinely doing it for her sake...
Rather than being powerless, perhaps she simply did not know how to respond to kindness?
"I've been meaning to ask, Sakutsuki, you seem quite knowledgeable about Saber's clothing." Irisviel supported Saber with a smile and voiced her confusion. "It's as though you had prepared for this in advance."
The young man did not deny it and answered openly, "Of course. I was something of a king fan once, after all."
"A king fan?"
"A hundred thousand Type-Moon fans, a million king fans." After a pause, Sakutsuki added, "Oh, and 'fan' means someone you like. You can think of it as being an admirer."
"So Saber is your idol?" Irisviel asked in surprise.
Not just her—Saber, Miyu, and even the other Masters and Servants would all be greatly surprised upon learning this, wouldn't they?
A powerful man who rivaled Heroic Spirits as a mere human had openly admitted that he liked an imprint from the past, a shadow that existed in human history.
"You could put it that way." Sakutsuki did not intend to explain further. He lowered his head slightly. "In Britannia, where Mystery had faded, she led her knights against foreign enemies and protected the people... After learning such a story, who wouldn't admire a king who devoted her entire life to Britannia?"
Faced with Sakutsuki's praise, Saber silently turned her head away, refusing to let the others see the loss and sorrow on her face.
"I wasn't as good as you say."
"The Knights of the Round Table fell apart because of my poor decisions. Even after I returned from my campaign against Rome, the seven clans and eight regional lords betrayed me as well. Perhaps Sir Tristan was right. I don't understand the human heart, and I'm not suited to be—"
"STOP!"
The young man raised one finger, interrupting the Knight King's self-reproach.
"This isn't some miserable prime-time drama. Leave your regrets and obsessions, your blades and slaughter, to the night, Saber. At least during the day, we can enjoy the sights of Fuyuki City to our hearts' content. Come to think of it, you've been here for so long, but you probably haven't truly seen this city yet, have you?"
At that moment, another disdainful voice rang out.
"Don't make me laugh, clown! This is my garden. This king has long since cast his splendor into every corner of it!"
They turned to look. Dressed in modern clothes as well, the blond king who looked both wicked and uninhibited stood on the other side of the street, casting a haughty gaze at Sakutsuki and the others.
"Archer!"
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A layered black jacket paired with carefully tailored casual trousers, even his hairstyle had become something a normal person might wear. Along with it, the arrogance he could never quite conceal had diminished somewhat.
To be honest, Gilgamesh had rather good taste in clothing.
"Archer, Gilgamesh..."
Saber instantly rallied herself, stepping forward to shield everyone behind her.
"Why are you here?"
"This king merely came to observe the state of my people, only to hear a mongrel spouting nonsense."
The golden king in a biker jacket stood across the road, sounding incomparably arrogant the moment he opened his mouth.
"You were obviously just bored with nothing to do," Sakutsuki muttered. "This time, you're not standing on a streetlamp. Looks like you have at least some sense of shame."
In response, Archer folded his arms and replied proudly:
"Fool! It is a king's duty to guide his people from atop the throne, but if one is merely enjoying the world, why must one appear in the posture of a sovereign?"
So he really didn't think there was anything wrong with standing on streetlamps... Irisviel and Miyu both had dark looks on their faces as Gilgamesh turned his attention toward Saber, who was dressed in casual clothes, and narrowed his eyes.
"Having sensed the fluctuations of magecraft, this king came to see what might relieve my boredom... Yet I never expected to witness such a pleasing sight, Saber."
"You flatter me, Hero King." Saber remained on guard and said nothing, while Sakutsuki answered in her place. "It seems my aesthetic sense has some merit after all."
"A mere mongrel really does love to bark. Did this king ask you?" For some reason, Gilgamesh's expression darkened slightly, and golden ripples appeared behind him.
"Oh? The mighty Hero King wants to start a war in broad daylight?" Sakutsuki returned a provocative smile.
The pedestrians around them had long since scattered clean away. The two men stared at each other in a suffocating atmosphere, turning their wills into blades as they clashed at close quarters, each attempting to crush the other.
Saber was focused entirely on protecting Irisviel and failed to notice who had caused this dangerous atmosphere. Miyu only half understood, while Irisviel seemed thoughtful but wisely did not laugh out loud.
After realizing that they were both people of unwavering will, Gilgamesh snorted and withdrew his gaze first.
"As opponents meant to attack one another, you are nevertheless willing to glorify another's Servant. If you have already abandoned the fight, this king would not mind having another dog beneath him, wagging its tail and begging for favor."
"If we bear no grudge against one another and fight only for the same wish, then naturally we can talk amiably outside of battle. Or is the king of Ancient Uruk not even broad-minded enough for that?" Sakutsuki paused, but did not say, No wonder that clay doll died because of you.
If he said that, then things would truly become a fight to the death.
"Hmph, boring. Without pride, one cannot be king!" The blond king scoffed at Sakutsuki's retort. "From ancient times to the present, this king has had only one friend. Everyone else is merely a jester to amuse me!"
"Oh?" The young man narrowed his golden eyes and tested him. "Even Miss Siduri, the chief priestess?"
"Siduri... I didn't expect anyone to remember her name even after a thousand years." Seemingly recalling something, Archer's aggressive bearing softened slightly. "There is no meaning in a battle of words, mongrel. Do not be so impatient. At night, I shall show you the majesty of a king."
"I'll be waiting, Archer." Sakutsuki stopped the restless Saber. "Come on, I still need to make lunch."
"Lunch?" Archer stared thoughtfully at the backs of Sakutsuki and the others as they departed.
"If this cook makes it himself..."
"Why didn't you let me speak, Sakutsuki?" Once they had left the Hero King's line of sight, Saber spoke impatiently. "High and mighty, utterly conceited—that is nothing but a tyrant! There is something wrong with Archer's way of kingship!"
"Something wrong, huh?" Squatting by the entrance of a shop and carefully selecting ingredients, the young man did not even raise his head. He said coolly, "So what? Unlike you, he is merely a Heroic Spirit, a reflection walking through the river of history—a portrayal of Hero King Gilgamesh during a certain period of his life. What do you want to prove to that tyrant? What do you want to gain from him?"
Under the young man's unprecedentedly cold tone, Artoria froze in place.
If King of Conquerors Iskandar had been present, then no matter how absurd the Hero King's words were, he would probably have laughed them off.
Alexander the Great spent his life praising conquest and trampling upon this world. Countless nations and countless kings fell beneath his iron hooves—and precisely because of that, he understood that the path of a king could only be shattered or conquered. It could never be shaken by mere words.
Otherwise, it would not be the way of kingship at all, merely a slave burdened with a "nation," treading a narrow path as though walking on thin ice.
But Saber was different. She would be angered by it and loudly denounce the wrongness of such behavior.
As though some wound that would never heal had been touched.
Considering the purpose of the day, Sakutsuki did not say anything more. After selecting the ingredients, he led everyone to a small wooden cabin by the sea.
It had originally been an izakaya, but Sakutsuki had booked the entire place for the day. It was not open for business and simply waited silently for the group of four to arrive.
No... five people.
The Golden Sparkle leaned against the entrance of the izakaya. When the group approached, he opened his eyes, and those snake-like pupils were filled with displeasure.
"Too slow! You lot actually made this king wait so long!"
"Archer, you again!"
"Why are you here?!"
"Uh, the Star of Omniscience? Surely not..."
Faced with the barrage of questions, Gilgamesh gave a wicked smile, pushed open the izakaya's door, and walked in first.
"Enough chatter, cook. I'm hungry!"
"Someone mooching a meal should act like someone mooching a meal, damn it!"
Having advanced from being called a mongrel to being called a cook, a certain young man carried the ingredients and protested loudly.
His voice was loud, but it could not reach Gilgamesh's ears when Gilgamesh did not wish to hear it.
Although the atmosphere between Saber and Archer had been rather tense while they waited, once Sakutsuki brought out dish after dish of fine food, a certain ancient king who had gone hungry forgot everything else and began indulging in the feast.
To prevent that Golden Sparkle from provoking Saber again, Sakutsuki could only sacrifice himself for the greater good. He coaxed and persuaded Gilgamesh over to another table, only to get dragged into it himself.
"So, what did you want to say, Hero King?" The white-haired young man sat in his chair, looking at Gilgamesh, who had asked him to stay, with a frown.
"I'm merely interested in you, cook." For some reason, Gilgamesh's attitude seemed considerably better after their brief separation. Even though Sakutsuki deliberately displayed impatience, he merely tapped the lunchbox beside him, an unsettling smile on his face.
"You actually want this king to bring food to Kirei Kotomine? You truly have some nerve, cook."
"You flatter me." Sakutsuki rolled his eyes. "Just tell me whether you'll do it."
"Do not mistake this king's tolerance for indulgence, cook." The blond king crossed one leg over the other and said leisurely, "Give me your reason, and this king will reluctantly lend you a hand—why, with the intent to kill that man, did you eliminate his Servant, only to do something like this afterward? Do you think it will make you feel better?"
"Feel better? Hero King, have you misunderstood something?" Sakutsuki leaned back in his chair and sneered. "Why can't you see it as a provocation? A declaration of war?"
"Falsehood and deception are meaningless before this king. My eyes can see through all things. So-called lies are nothing more than ugly comedies in my eyes. Stop trying to make me laugh." As though he had lost patience, Gilgamesh sneered and stated the truth outright.
Before you continue