The Banquet of Kings (5.5K)

What red-haired gorilla? He was clearly a god of wealth! Since he said he was a king, then he was a king! As long as the money was right, the shop owner could even treat him like a god!!

"Hm? You're... Rider?"

Just as the shop owner hurried back to his stockroom to fetch the goods, a surprised yet arrogant voice suddenly came from behind Iskandar.

Iskandar frowned and turned around. Behind him stood a young man dressed in casual black-and-white clothes, covered in golden accessories, with naturally hanging blond hair. He looked trendy and unconventional. But compared to his outfit, what surprised Iskandar more was that familiar face.

"Archer?!"

Iskandar was clearly startled to see Gilgamesh here as well, but when he saw the bags and boxes in Gilgamesh's hands, identical to his own, he immediately understood.

"You came to buy games too? Excellent. I knew I wasn't the only one who liked the games of this era."

Seeing that Gilgamesh had also come to buy games, the lingering tension in Iskandar's heart vanished. As if he had encountered a fellow enthusiast, he casually began chatting with Gilgamesh.

"Hmph. As a king, I naturally ought to experience the entertainment of this era personally and judge its value."

Gilgamesh snorted and gave his game-buying behavior an impressively lofty justification.

"Then you truly are great. This king is different—I merely came here to enjoy himself."

"And that is the difference between you false kings and this king." Gilgamesh snorted, but Iskandar paid it no mind.

After chatting for a while, the two gradually became more familiar with one another.

"Since I happened to run into you, Archer, this king has actually been looking for you."

Suddenly, Iskandar spoke to Gilgamesh before him.

"You have been looking for this king? Are you already so eager to seize the Holy Grail?"

Gilgamesh did not particularly care about his words.

"No. Though the Holy Grail will certainly belong to this king, there is no need to conquer it in such a hurry. Think about it, Archer. This Holy Grail War has gathered so many outstanding figures and heroes from across all ages and lands. Even kings have appeared—Saber, Lancer, myself, and you. Four of us. To this king, it is truly a wondrous fate... So before the Holy Grail War ends, this king wishes to gather everyone together to discuss our ideals, beliefs, and paths of kingship, and properly celebrate this hard-won fate."

Iskandar spoke with utmost seriousness as he looked at Gilgamesh.

"Oh? A Banquet of Kings? It sounds somewhat interesting... However, this king has already said that throughout heaven and earth, there has only ever been one who could call himself king: this king."

Gilgamesh answered indifferently.

So...

"You refuse?"

Iskandar looked calmly at Gilgamesh. He was not angered by Gilgamesh's choice, because if Gilgamesh truly upheld the belief he had declared, then even choosing not to come was a path of kingship.

"No. It sounds interesting. This king accepts."

Unexpectedly, Gilgamesh smiled faintly and agreed.

"Since it is called the Banquet of Kings, how could it bear that name if this king did not attend? As the true king, personally appearing to teach the likes of you what the path of kingship is—that too is this king's duty."

"Hahahaha! Exactly, that is how it should be! The clash of our differing beliefs and paths of kingship is exactly what this king wishes to see. King Arthur has a castle in the outskirts; we can simply go find her there when the time comes. Unfortunately, the queen of the Land of Shadows left yesterday. This king still cannot contact her, which is rather troublesome..."

Although he was delighted that Gilgamesh had agreed, Scáthach's disappearance left him troubled.

"Are you an idiot? Did you not form an alliance? Have your Master pass the message to Scáthach's Master."

Seeing Iskandar's troubled expression, Gilgamesh offered a reminder.

And considering Scáthach's performance in recent battles, along with her legend and strength, she was indeed a formidable opponent—perhaps even on the level of his closest friend in terms of power. Thus, rather than using his usual term of contempt, he addressed her directly by name.

"You are right! How did this king not think of that? Telephones can be used in this era..."

Iskandar suddenly slapped his palm, and his furrowed brow immediately relaxed.

"Thank you, Archer. This king will go notify Queen Scáthach at once. We shall meet again then."

However, just as he was about to hurry back and have Weber make the call—

A cool female voice suddenly came from not far away.

"Oh? Were you looking for me?"

Chapter 55: The Banquet of Kings (5.5K)

"Oh? Were you looking for me?"

Just as Iskandar was about to return and have Weber contact Rovey to notify Scáthach, a cool female voice suddenly sounded from behind them, causing Iskandar and Gilgamesh to turn and look.

A loud car horn sounded beside them. Then, parked quietly by the roadside on a street in Fuyuki City, stood a sleek red-and-purple sports car, eye-catching and dazzling amid the traffic.

The car door slowly opened, and a tall woman in a stylish white trench coat, sunglasses, and a women's beret stepped out while holding a little girl's hand.

Scáthach calmly removed her sunglasses and waved at the clearly stunned Iskandar. Then she did not forget to greet Gilgamesh, who had been inspecting the sports car beside him.

"We meet again, Archer."

She smiled faintly and began walking toward them.

Her posture was simply too elegant and too dashing. Combined with Scáthach's already exceptional figure and beauty, she drew the attention of countless pedestrians the moment she appeared on the street.

Some wanted to approach and strike up a conversation, but upon seeing Sakura at Scáthach's side, they could only stop in disappointment.

Everyone loved beauty, but she seemed to be married already...

"No need to look. I am right here."

Walking directly up to them, Scáthach smiled, traces of amusement surfacing in her crimson eyes.

"Oh, oh! This king has seen your means of transportation on television. It is called a car, correct? This king did not expect you to get one."

Iskandar had clearly been captivated by Scáthach's stylish entrance. His gaze had been wandering between her and the sports car from the very beginning, until he finally could not help but praise her.

"I have to say, this car truly suits you, Queen Scáthach."

"Does it? I think so too. Then thank you for the compliment, King of Conquerors."

Scáthach smiled faintly at his words and answered without concern.

"If you like it, you can have your Master buy you one too. This one was paid for from the spending money my Master gave me. It feels rather nice after taking it out for a spin. I am playing a game of circling Fuyuki City. Interested in joining me?"

"Circling Fuyuki City? Using a modern vehicle..."

Iskandar shook his head and replied, "Though this king is also interested in the transportation of this era, compared to so-called cars, this king trusts his own Noble Phantasm and old friend more." Then he added, "But speaking of modern vehicles, this king is quite interested in this era's fighter jets. If every soldier in this king's Ionian Hetairoi were equipped with one, they would surely become even stronger!"

"Fighter jets combined with Noble Phantasms... Hahaha, King of Conquerors, you certainly have ideas."

Scáthach could not help smiling as well.

"..."

However, compared to Iskandar and Scáthach, who were on the same side, Gilgamesh's expression was somewhat strange. Not long after their arrival, his gaze had shifted from the sports car to the little girl beside Scáthach, and he thought—

This little girl looks familiar...

Gilgamesh stared at Sakura Tohsaka's face and pondered for a moment before quickly finding the answer.

Tokiomi Tohsaka's daughter?

He suddenly remembered where he had seen that familiar face before. It had been on the wall of the Tohsaka Residence, where there was a family portrait of them all.

And during this time, he had often seen Tokiomi Tohsaka holding a photograph of this little girl and sighing endlessly. He had not expected to encounter her here.

He remembered Kirei Kotomine saying that Tokiomi Tohsaka had adopted one of his daughters out to another Mage Family for training. This little girl must have been the one.

Which meant...

Gilgamesh looked at Sakura Tohsaka, then at Scáthach. Clearly, he had thought of an answer.

I see. If that is truly the case, then this development is rather interesting...

"Big sister..."

Stared at continuously by Gilgamesh's scarlet eyes, Sakura Tohsaka could not help feeling frightened. She timidly tugged at Scáthach's sleeve, then kept moving closer to her until she finally hid behind Scáthach.

"Oh? Sakura, do not be afraid. Big sister is here. Nothing will happen."

Noticing Sakura's unease, Scáthach reached out and patted her head. Her attitude became unusually gentle as she comforted her. Then she looked at Gilgamesh, whose gaze had been strange since earlier, and questioned him.

"Archer, is there something you need? Staring at a little girl like that and frightening her is not conduct befitting a king."

"Hmph. This king would never stoop to frightening a little girl. This king merely thought of something interesting just now."

Gilgamesh snorted. He did not argue with Scáthach over the matter and shifted his gaze away from Sakura Tohsaka.

"Alright, alright. It is rare for three kings to gather here. Do not make the situation so tense. I believe that no matter how strict Archer may be, he certainly would not harm a child."

As the atmosphere gradually threatened to spiral out of control, Iskandar immediately stepped forward.

Except...

Black Mud Flash: You are absolutely right.

"In any case, Queen Scáthach, it is remarkable that you could hear this king and Archer from so far away."

In the end, Iskandar took the initiative to change the unpleasant subject.

"Oh, that. I was just about to take Sakura to eat something at the café across the street. Before we even got out of the car, I heard you and Archer talking."

Scáthach glanced at Iskandar and answered helplessly.

"Your booming voice could probably be heard not only by me, but by the entire street while you loudly plotted."

"Ahahaha, so that was it? Then this king was careless. Still, it should not matter much. After all, the remaining participants are all becoming familiar with one another."

Hearing Scáthach's words, Iskandar laughed heartily and did not care about such a small matter.

"Since you are here, it means we are nearly all gathered. Then why not join us? This king intends to hold a Banquet of Kings, inviting the heroes of this Holy Grail War to gather and discuss the path of kingship and our beliefs. Queen Scáthach, would you honor us with your presence?"

Iskandar explained his plan to Scáthach once more.

"A Banquet of Kings? Hmm, it sounds rather interesting. I have been idle lately anyway, so I accept."

Without hesitation, Scáthach agreed.

"Oh? So you intend to come as well?"

Seeing Scáthach agree, Gilgamesh gave her an indifferent glance.

"What is it? Archer, do you not intend to come?"

"Hmph. Without this king, how could it be called a Banquet of Kings? Since the three false kings are all gathering there, this king, the true king, will naturally grace it with his presence."

"That strange argument about true kings and false kings again? Your temperament truly is peculiar. A king is a king—that will not change. The genuine cannot be faked, and the false cannot become genuine. Whether one is real or false can only be known after testing it personally, can it not?"

Unlike Iskandar, Scáthach had no tolerance for Gilgamesh's arrogance. She immediately struck back with words.

"You..."

Gilgamesh had just been about to say something more, but seeing the atmosphere beginning to lose control again, Iskandar promptly stopped them.

"Haha, discussing the path of kingship is all well and good, but doing so in the street is rather undignified. If there is truly something to say, let us discuss it at the Banquet of Kings."

As he spoke to them, Iskandar thought for a moment and added, "Though there are only four kings, there are still six people in this Holy Grail War. Everyone is a warrior or hero without equal in the world. If we exclude the other two and only have four attend, would that not be too petty?"

Oh?

Only six remained?

Hearing Iskandar's words, Gilgamesh nodded thoughtfully.

At their first meeting, he had already noticed something unusual about Scáthach.

Her Spirit Origin did not seem to be that of a normally summoned Lancer Class. Instead, it resembled one that had been altered and adjusted afterward with magecraft. However, that mad dog had been chasing after him at the time, and afterward Tokiomi Tohsaka had forcibly summoned him back with a Command Seal, so Gilgamesh had never had the chance to confirm it.

Now that they met face-to-face again, combined with Iskandar's words, he became even more certain of his guess.

Scáthach's Class was Caster. Her appearance as Lancer was likely the result of using some form of magecraft to alter her Spirit Origin. It was absolutely not some illegal summoning.

Gilgamesh's expression became even stranger. This meant—

Not one of the conclusions that fool Tokiomi Tohsaka had inferred was correct.

The Matou Family had not summoned Caster and somehow illegally produced a Lancer. Instead, Scáthach, who was originally a Caster, had personally entered the battlefield.

And her Master... actually had such a connection to Tokiomi Tohsaka.

Gilgamesh looked at Sakura Tohsaka behind Scáthach, growing increasingly curious about what Tokiomi Tohsaka's expression would be when he saw that he had personally sent his daughter into an enemy's hands.

At the same time, he became even more contemptuous of that fool Tokiomi Tohsaka.