How About You Guys Pick a Different Savior

The younger one looked about four or five years old, and the older one, at least six or seven.

"Mm."

Xi Jianxi ignored Irisviel's surprise and nodded to her and Artoria, leading the way.

After entering the house, he put Karen down and told her to go find Sakura in the garden to play, while he entertained the two in the living room.

"Servant... Morgan isn't here," Artoria said.

To be willing to meet another Master and Servant alone without a Servant accompanying them, even though it was agreed beforehand not to fight, was truly remarkable courage.

"She's playing with the children," Xi Jianxi gestured towards the window in the living room that faced the garden behind the house.

From there, they could see Morgan sitting on the sun-drenched green grass, teaching Sakura magic.

She found classes in the workshop too stuffy, so she changed the teaching location midway, and Xi Jianxi could only indulge her.

Artoria retracted her gaze in surprise, no longer dwelling on what Morgan was thinking. After all, even if she really knew, she wouldn't be able to understand.

"Before we get down to business, there's something I'd like to confirm first," Xi Jianxi said, gesturing for them to pour themselves tea, "The Church issued an emergency message this morning, requesting all other factions to join in the suppression of the Caster faction, who violated the hidden rules of the Holy Grail War. Do you two know about this?"

Irisviel's expression gradually turned serious. "Yes, we do know. According to the Church, it seems they are the culprits behind the recent continuous kidnappings of sleeping children in Fuyuki, causing disappearances and murder cases. And—"

"And?"

Xi Jianxi followed Irisviel's gaze to Artoria beside her.

"Actually, yesterday, on my way from your residence to rendezvous with my Master in the Einzbern forest, I encountered Caster." Artoria frowned deeply, seeming to find the situation quite troublesome. "Caster appeared mentally unstable and mistook me for some Saint Joan of Arc..."

"Saint Joan of Arc?" Xi Jianxi was slightly surprised. "Could Caster be a Servant related to Joan of Arc?"

"He claimed to be Gilles de Rais," Artoria added.

"So it's Bluebeard," Xi Jianxi said the nickname Caster was known by in contemporary stories.

But that was secondary.

He had originally just wanted to discuss with the Einzberns whether to completely follow the Church's proposal to temporarily cease hostilities and hunt down Caster.

But now it seemed...

"Judging by Caster's attitude towards Saber, he will most likely contact us proactively," Irisviel relayed what Kiritsugu had said. "If we can use this opportunity to ambush and defeat him—"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Xi Jianxi said. "The reward the Church is offering for this subjugation mission is the replenishment of one Command Spell. Based on the current situation, the one who has likely consumed Command Spells is Tokiomi."

He wasn't sure if Archer's retreat was related to Command Spells, as Tokiomi hadn't shown himself, but he could only prioritize this consideration.

However, Command Spells were precious magical resources. Even if used to support a Servant, they could turn the tide of battle at a critical moment.

"As expected," Irisviel nodded. Xi Jianxi's judgment was consistent with Kiritsugu's.

Xi Jianxi thought for a moment. "Assuming we choose to exploit Caster's mistaken belief that King Arthur is Saint Joan of Arc to set an ambush, Kayneth will inevitably seize this opportunity to have his Servant intrude and seize the spoils of the subjugation, replenishing his lost Command Spells."

"You want to kill two birds with one stone?" Artoria guessed Xi Jianxi's intention.

Xi Jianxi immediately showed a matching smile. "Yes. Originally, I just wanted to negotiate a ceasefire with other Masters as much as possible to focus on dealing with the Lancer faction. But now that the Church has issued the crusade mission, whether I participate or not, Caster will inevitably come looking for you again."

"So you want to upgrade your previous proposal from a ceasefire to an alliance?" Irisviel calmly interjected.

The progress of the meeting was exactly as Kiritsugu had predicted.

Xi Jianxi was not a typical Magus; instead, he was full of human warmth.

Especially... he also had children.

"Caster is acting recklessly in the town, and Sakura and Karen could inevitably become targets," Xi Jianxi's expression darkened. He turned to look at the garden. "Even if I can ensure my own barriers won't be easily breached, as a father of two children, I cannot stand idly by in such a situation."

This was a reasonable statement, and neither Irisviel nor Artoria had any reason to doubt it.

"I understand. If Illya also lived in this city, I would definitely ask Saber to defeat Caster as soon as possible, no matter what," Irisviel said.

"Illya?"

"She is my daughter, Illyasviel von Einzbern." Irisviel's smile was warm and bright, the expression of a mother. "After the Holy Grail War ends, perhaps that child will come to live in Fuyuki. I hope then, she can become friends with Mr. Xi Jianxi's children."

Xi Jianxi also showed an understanding smile. "Let me confirm one last time. Ms. Irisviel, do you agree to, on the basis of a ceasefire between both parties, jointly subdue Caster, as well as Lancer and his Master who may interfere and snatch the spoils at any time?"

"Mm." Irisviel extended her hand.

She actually had a personal agenda.

That man named Kirei was considered dangerous by Kiritsugu. Therefore, if possible, she hoped to use Xi Jianxi to eliminate him from the Holy Grail War.

This alliance was essential for both Kiritsugu and herself.

"Then, the alliance is formed."

He extended his hand, clasped Irisviel's, and they nodded together.

After releasing their hands, Xi Jianxi did not immediately see them out. He leaned back on the sofa and said:

"Also, as a token of our alliance, and as a hindrance to the other factions, I can reveal Archer's true name to you both."

"Please tell us," Artoria's expression sharpened.

Xi Jianxi narrowed his eyes slightly.

"His name is the Hero King of Babylonia, Gilgamesh."

Chapter 24: Winter Sunlight

After the meeting concluded, Xi Jianxi went to the courtyard to find Morgan.

The witch of Britain clearly had a lot of patience for playing with children. As Xi Jianxi walked across the soft, green-yellow grass, Sakura and Karen were using magic to awaken blooming flowers and weave them into a flower crown, which they placed on Morgan's head.

It was a pretend coronation ceremony.

"It wasn't my idea; they wanted to do it themselves," Morgan said, sitting on a blanket, as if explaining to Xi Jianxi.

Xi Jianxi let out a dry chuckle. "I haven't said anything yet."

"..." Morgan felt she'd been put in a difficult position and subtly changed the subject. "Are you finished talking?"

"Didn't I share my senses with you when I was meeting with the Einzberns?"

Xi Jianxi slowly sat down. The blanket, warmed by the sunlight, eased some of the fatigue that came with his lingering pain. He watched Sakura, who was demonstrating magic to Karen, and continued:

"I thought you would object to forming an alliance with Saber's faction."

"The Holy Grail War is not a game of solo combat. When necessary, forming an alliance with one party to deal with another is a reasonable tactical and strategic option," Morgan said with a faint smile. "I don't have any particular obsession with Artoria Pendragon; it's merely a matter of curiosity."

Xi Jianxi found her words strange but didn't know how to probe further.

The person before him was a being who had lived through that legend. As someone from a later era, how could he possibly understand?

In the end, Xi Jianxi chose to believe Morgan's attitude.

After all, the alliance was only temporary. Once the current crisis was resolved, they would inevitably return to being enemies and initiate hostilities first. Xi Jianxi was fully prepared for this.

"But when I told them Archer's true name, they all found it unbelievable," Xi Jianxi said lazily, reclining slightly. "...King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, the hero recorded in humanity's oldest epic... and also the king who marked the farewell between humanity and the gods, ushering in the decline of the Age of Gods."

From the King of Heroes onwards, until about fifteen to sixteen hundred years later, when the Magus King Solomon returned the blessings of the gods to heaven, the Age of Gods began its decline worldwide.

In any case, from any perspective, Xi Jianxi understood that Gilgamesh would be the most troublesome enemy in this Holy Grail War.

What made it worse was that he had descended as an Archer, possessing the skill of Independent Action. Even if he lost his Master, he could continue to act.

Even if the contract between Tokiomi and Gilgamesh were severed, he would have ample time to find a new contractor and continue participating.

"Your history is quite good," Morgan joked lightly.

Xi Jianxi rolled his eyes, taking it as a compliment. "But there's one thing I don't understand. How did you recognize that King of Heroes? The era when Britain's Age of Gods ended was nearly two thousand years after the fifth dynasty of Uruk."

"There are some reasons; I've met him a few times," Morgan explained vaguely.

She didn't want to explain too many internal details to Xi Jianxi, especially since elaborating would touch upon the future, potentially causing fluctuations in the recorded quantum state of events, leading to an unpredictable outcome.

"It's good to live a long time; you get to see things like this," Xi Jianxi said, not pressing further.

After all, the ritual for the Fuyuki Holy Grail War was officially established 200 years ago, but in the Church's records, it was merely the "726th Holy Grail."

If similar Holy Grail War rituals had occurred before that, before the Age of Gods had faded, it wouldn't be strange for Morgan to have met the King of Heroes. Xi Jianxi thought.

Even without Morgan, he could have learned Archer's true name, but it would have been difficult to explain.

[Additional Quest: Give that arrogant Gilgil fellow a piece of your mind, no matter where he is.

Reward: Archer's true name information.]

After Gilgamesh appeared last night, Xi Jianxi had received this notification.

He hadn't had time to communicate with Morgan and didn't know she possessed such crucial information. Thus, Xi Jianxi, feeling both helpless and compelled, had gone to test Archer.

Of course, this was also because Xi Jianxi was confident that even if the opponent was outrageously strong, he could still retreat safely.

Morgan's ability to discern Archer's true name was a double-edged sword for Xi Jianxi.

It was bad because it was useless.

"You look dejected. Knowing the opponent's identity has filled you with unease about the future of the Holy Grail War? If so, you are permitted to sever our contract now."

"Don't try to provoke me like that. Although I didn't voluntarily participate in the Holy Grail War, I'm not so cowardly as to retreat," Xi Jianxi bared his teeth, refuting Morgan's teasing.

Morgan nodded slightly. "That's more like it. That's how my husband should behave and speak."

"...I say, how long are you going to keep up this charade of a fake marriage? Until the Holy Grail War ends?" Xi Jianxi was still unaccustomed to Morgan's way of treating him.

"Does being my husband displease you so much?" Morgan appeared thoughtful.

"Ahhh, whatever you say, I'm not losing out anyway."

Xi Jianxi finally gave up thinking and shifted his body, using Morgan's thigh as a pillow, and lay down.

Ultimately, Morgan was a woman of unparalleled beauty. Even if it was just a game, Xi Jianxi didn't feel like he was losing out.

Taking a small advantage and getting a lap pillow shouldn't be a big problem.

"Are you planning to go to bed already? That might set a bad example for your children," Morgan said, not resisting his action, but rather teasing him leisurely.

"Conserving energy. The Einzberns will contact us tonight. If Caster truly insists on mistaking Saber's identity and launches a surprise attack—" Xi Jianxi closed his eyes, not looking at Morgan's expression, "—we can act as an ambush and strike the enemy midway."

"Isn't it just a forest over there?"

"..."

Morgan's retort was unexpectedly sharp, causing Xi Jianxi, who was feeling a bit excited about facing a hero from a story and wanted to emulate the ancients in marching and fighting battles, to be thoroughly embarrassed.

"In your opinion, will Lancer's Master truly go to the Einzbern forest instead of attacking here directly?" Morgan suddenly changed her tone, acting like a lord seeking counsel from a strategist.

"It's hard to say, so I'll bring Sakura and Karen with me then," Xi Jianxi said. "I don't want to drag them into the Holy Grail War, and while we need to be wary of allies, we can't easily trust our enemies."

"Human Magus really never learn their lesson," Morgan commented sarcastically.

Xi Jianxi closed his eyes and smiled, "If you say so, I'm also a human Magus. Should I be categorized with those who never learn their lesson?"

"Hard to say," Morgan replied dismissively. "You belong to the category of those who don't learn their lesson but have the ability to not learn their lesson."

"...You really don't hold back."

Chapter 25: Ambush

Night fell upon the Einzbern castle.

"Is that so? The Master of Berserker is quite naive to agree to an alliance so easily," Kiritsugu Emiya commented after hearing Irisviel's account. "It doesn't match that monstrous combat power... No, perhaps they're simply naturally cautious and want to resolve difficulties in a stable manner..."

Irisviel looked at her husband's cold expression—the expression of a 'Magus Killer'—and shook her head.

"No, Kiritsugu. I don't think that's it. Perhaps the Master of Berserker's willingness to cooperate in ambushing Caster has a simpler reason," she analyzed earnestly, frowning.

"Oh? Irisviel, you've met him in person, so you should know more details than I do," Kiritsugu said with a smile. It was a smile reserved for his wife and daughter.

"Because he's also a father," Irisviel said. "His two children are about Illya's age..."

Undeniably, Irisviel's empathy surged within her, a genuine emotion she couldn't suppress.

"...That's likely as Irisviel says," Kiritsugu replied, unwilling to refute, nor did he intend to.

He still retained his human emotions, so how could he suspect Xi Jianxi, who shared the same sentiments?

"Also, regarding how we'll meet, did the other party say how?" Kiritsugu asked. "From Shin-Ma-chō to this forest, it still takes some time even by car."

Irisviel took out a piece of obsidian and placed it on the table. "This is a token Mr. Xi Jianxi gave me. He said it contains his synchronized magical energy, and if the obsidian is destroyed, he'll know our location. And then—"

"He'll appear here, won't he?" Kiritsugu's voice turned cold.