Someone in Type-Moon, Starting from Adopting Sakura

Hearing Gilgamesh's call, Kirei Kotomine, who had just finished the aftermath work and was exhausted from a day and a night, looked at him with tired eyes.

"What do you mean? Archer."

Kirei Kotomine sat down in his seat and continued to review the documents regarding compensation, as well as the questioning from his father, Risei Kotomine.

All night, he had to rush between Fuyuki City's city hall and police station, report to The Church, and finally conduct on-site inspections to ensure no one escaped.

So many tasks had tired him out like a wound-up spinning top, unable to stop since it started. He still had many disaster reports to process.

For a moment, Kirei Kotomine suddenly missed his long-neglected Assassin. With its cloning ability and all-around skills, if it had helped, all these small matters on hand would surely have been dealt with in an hour. But there was no point in saying that now.

Because his Assassin had already been confirmed to be out of the game.

"What do I mean? You know perfectly well, Kirei."

Seeing Kirei Kotomine's confused expression, Gilgamesh shook the wine glass in his hand, then chuckled lightly, his crimson eyes looking at Kirei Kotomine in front of him, and asked, "You clearly advised Tokiomi Tohsaka beforehand not to cooperate with the Einzbern family, stating they were untrustworthy. And during the cooperation, you repeatedly urged him not to send all the Assassins to the scene to avoid accidents. If some were left behind, even if mistakes occurred, you would still have some to gather intelligence. But what did Tokiomi do?"

"..."

Kirei Kotomine did not answer.

Because the facts were clear: Tokiomi Tohsaka had stepped on almost every single trap in the war, leading to his current miserable situation.

"Because of Tokiomi's arrogance, not only did he not take your advice, but he arrogantly believed he could control the overall situation, stubbornly cooperating with the Einzberns, and even forcing you to use a Command Seal to have Assassin unleash its Noble Phantasm for a frontal assault."

"And you've seen the result of this action: not only was Assassin wiped out, but you also lost your most important source of intelligence, and simultaneously angered the combination of the other four Servants, clearly becoming the target of public criticism. What do you think of what Tokiomi did, Kirei?"

Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, then downed the red wine in his glass. He looked at Kirei Kotomine in front of him, his expression revealing an indescribable meaning.

"I... I don't know. But Teacher only did that because he was worried about accidents..."

Kirei Kotomine lowered his head, remained silent for a moment, and then replied.

"Oh? Do you really think so, Kirei?"

Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow, his crimson eyes looking at him, and continued, "Don't deceive yourself. That's just an excuse. Unlike you, an Executor who has experienced life-and-death battles, Tokiomi Tohsaka is a complete magus. Let alone fighting, he probably doesn't even have combat experience. That's why his brain went numb and he made such a suffocating decision."

"Assassin's true name is Hassan-i-Sabbah, Hundred-Faced Hassan. Although very weak in frontal combat, it must be admitted that with her hundreds of clones, she is the most outstanding entity for intelligence gathering and assassination. With normal thinking, holding this King as a trump card, using these useful Assassins to gather intelligence and then waiting for an opportunity to strike, diverting the conflict to others, would undoubtedly be the best choice."

"Even if those Einzberns knew of Assassin's existence, how could they possibly know the exact number? By revealing some flaws and waiting for them to focus on fighting or let down their guard, these guys could play a significant role."

Gilgamesh analyzed the situation logically while drinking.

"But that idiot Tokiomi actually sent such a useful reconnaissance and assassination unit into a frontal assault. Haven't you felt his incompetence and arrogance in such an absurd act, Kirei, what do you think?"

"...You've actually been paying attention to our situation all along?"

Hearing Gilgamesh's analysis, Kirei Kotomine looked surprised.

He hadn't expected that Gilgamesh, who had been acting like the king of the world since his summoning, had actually been paying attention to the situation unfolding around them and pointing out its flaws without exception.

Could it be...

For a moment, Kirei Kotomine seemed to have thought of a very significant possibility.

He looked at Gilgamesh, about to ask something, but the latter spoke first, "Yes, Kirei, you are completely correct in your thoughts. Whether it was your alliance with the Einzbern family or sending all the Assassins to attack other Masters, this King has been present at the scene."

So it was like this...

Hearing Gilgamesh's answer, Kirei Kotomine knew his guess was correct, but...

He looked at Gilgamesh with confusion in his eyes, unable to understand.

Since he was present, since he knew all the flaws, why didn't he intervene? If he had intervened, things would undoubtedly not have turned out this way.

If Gilgamesh had made a move, even against Iskandar and Fionn, they would have had a chance to eliminate the enemy.

But, but... why? Why did he just watch, coldly observing, and refuse to help?

Kirei Kotomine's confusion deepened.

"Heh, are you wondering why this King didn't make a move?"

"Yes."

"It's very simple, Kirei. Knowing and doing are two different things. Even if you understand some things, what then? What if you don't understand? Humans, as a species, will only blindly follow the path they believe in and choose. Even if you stop them, they won't thank you; instead, they'll think that if they had done things their way, it would have been better than the current situation. They might even resent you for it."

Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes and explained his understanding of the world as if it were nothing.

"Kirei, unlike that idiot Tokiomi Tohsaka, this King doesn't believe you haven't seen these obvious problems, yet you didn't speak up to stop him. That's what surprises me. However... seeing your confused appearance, this King can probably guess your thoughts."

"You wanted to see what would happen if Tokiomi Tohsaka failed, didn't you? You wanted to see where he would go once he lost his original elegance? And you... haven't you realized that your own nature has been distorted without you even noticing? Following Tokiomi Tohsaka, what exactly are you yearning for? What answers do you want to obtain from him..."

"Tell this King, what is your desire?"

Gilgamesh raised his wine glass, observing Kirei Kotomine's current changes through the crimson liquid. The distorted and crimson reflection was truly captivating.

"I... I desire nothing."

Kirei Kotomine paused, then replied.

"That's impossible,"

Gilgamesh directly rejected his statement.

"The Holy Grail does not choose a person for no reason; it only grants Command Seals to those who have desires and yearnings in their hearts, so you must have a wish."

"So... Kirei, what exactly is your wish?"

"Me... my wish?"

After hearing Gilgamesh's assertion, Kirei Kotomine paused, then reached out and placed his hand over his chest.

"I don't know..."

He couldn't find the answer to that question.

He didn't know what happiness was, nor what joy was, nor what he sought or desired...

He didn't even understand the meaning of his own life, nor how to live in this world. All he did now was merely imitate humanity...

He was, in fact, a monster, a monster wearing human skin.

"You can't find it? Hahahaha, as expected, as expected, just as this King thought... Kirei Kotomine, you truly are an interesting man (toy)."

Seeing that the conversation had reached its point, Gilgamesh let out a hearty laugh.

"Do... do you know the answer?"

Seeing Gilgamesh's reaction, Kirei Kotomine asked eagerly.

He could feel that the oldest king before him knew the answer that had been troubling him.

"Of course, how could this King not know such a simple matter?"

Gilgamesh smiled wickedly, then stared at Kirei Kotomine before him and began to guide him.

"You're just missing an emotion."

Missing an emotion...

"What emotion is that?"

Kirei Kotomine, desperate for an answer, asked anxiously.

"...Pleasure, an emotion that humans rely on most for survival, an emotion that brings them joy."

Gilgamesh continued to guide him.

"Pleasure? No, that emotion is too sinful, it's not for me..."

"Is it really not?"

Gilgamesh interrupted him and continued to persuade him, "Besides, who told you that pleasure is necessarily evil? The one who determines the direction of this emotion has always been you..."

"Some people find pleasure in doing good deeds, some find pleasure in doing evil deeds... Pleasure is merely doing things to gain satisfaction, joy."

"Good deeds, evil deeds... pleasure."

After hearing Gilgamesh's words, Kirei Kotomine's eyes widened slightly, as if he had suddenly understood something.

"Meaning, what Teacher and Father did was also for pleasure..."

"That's right, Kirei. Humans live to pursue pleasure. Since Tokiomi Tohsaka could do it, why can't you?"

After hearing Kirei Kotomine's words, Gilgamesh nodded. Although he knew that Tokiomi Tohsaka's goal was obsession rather than pleasure, nor the so-called good or evil deeds.

However, since that damn traitor Tohsaka not only didn't listen but dared to use Command Seals to forcibly control him, even preparing to deal with him, it was only natural for him to leave some interesting contingencies for Tohsaka.

Kirei Kotomine...

An interesting toy, a good knife. If used well, things would become very interesting.

"I see... so that's how it is, pleasure, this is pleasure... So what my Teacher pursued all along, without my understanding, was something like this."

Kirei Kotomine nodded upon hearing this. He had enlightened again.

"Hahahaha, that's it, that's right. It seems you've understood."

'Understood what?'

Gilgamesh, completely unclear about what this guy had understood, continued to brainwash him.

"Thank you, Archer. I already know what I need to do..."

"Humans indeed need pleasure... and what I am lacking is that... pleasure."

Kirei Kotomine slowly stood up from the chair and spread his arms.

"Now, I have found it. I feel like I'm about to begin... to feel pleasure."

Gradually, a strange smile appeared on Kirei Kotomine's lips.

Seeing this, Gilgamesh couldn't help but smile.

He knew that his toy had been completed.

Then, Gilgamesh drank the fine wine in his hand in one gulp, and his body turned into spiritual particles, gradually dissipating in the room.

Everything that needed to be done was done. All that remained was to wait.

Just as Gilgamesh was busy brainwashing his newly found toy.

Meanwhile, in a Fuyuki City arcade.

A figure clad in a red battle robe completely out of place for this era, dressed in European-style...

His triumphant and cheerful voice made oblivious passersby think he'd encountered something wonderful, perhaps winning the lottery?

Upon closer inspection, the person sitting opposite him was a young boy, who had deliberately taken it easy and lost the match.

"Congratulations on your win. Now I can go home, right? If I don't hurry back, my mom finding out I came to the arcade after school will be terrifying."

Facing the burly man, the little boy said with a blank expression, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief.

After he'd gone easy the whole time, not using a single skill, this gorilla who had been pestering him and wouldn't let him leave had finally won. Now it was time for the next victim.

"Hm? You're done playing? This King hasn't had enough yet, how about another..."

"No! You already won, go find someone else! I have to go home."

Just as Rider was about to suggest another match, the little boy immediately got up, refused, shouted, and then fled without looking back.

The arcade owner couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for the child watching this scene.

He'd been hounded by a strange foreigner as soon as he arrived, and then ordered by the man not to leave until he won. Forced to play for several hours straight, he probably wouldn't want to touch a game again for a while.

"Hey, shopkeeper, give this King the latest and most fun large-scale strategy game you have in your store, packaged!"

While he was still lamenting the child's encounter with a weirdo, Iskandar's imposing figure had appeared before him. He took out a few British pound notes, which he had specifically snatched from Kenneth, and placed them boldly on the counter.

Since he had just moved to a new base, the lemon-haired man was currently with the little Master in the magic workshop, preparing for battle. Fionn was responsible for guarding the surroundings outside. This left him alone, without even a single person to play games with, which was why he had come out for a stroll.

Looking at the large sum of several thousand pounds on the table, the arcade owner swallowed hard and replied cautiously, "Customer, due to exchange rates, it's difficult for my shop to provide change for your bills..."

"Change? No need! Just give this King the good game, consider the rest my tip."

Iskandar waved his hand dismissively, not caring how much of a premium he was paying.

"Ah? Really?"

Hearing this, the shop owner's eyes lit up, and his gaze towards Iskandar became considerably brighter.