The First Meeting with the King of Heroes

Artoria had reached her limit in her patience with Iskandar.

However, just as they were about to fight again, Rovey spoke up in time to explain.

"You misunderstand. Saber's Master had some unpleasantness with everyone yesterday, so he was unable to show up and entrusted me with hosting this banquet. He also hoped that I could apologize to you for his rudeness."

"Oh, that's what happened."

The King of Conquerors suddenly realized, while Artoria glanced at Rovey in surprise.

"It's perfectly normal to use every means at once in war, so why leave? But since that's the case, I'll have to trouble you, strategist, to take care of it."

"Nature."

Having learned the whole story, the King of Conquerors laughed and then led Weber and his barrel inside.

The courtyard of the Einzbern Family was not particularly beautiful; in fact, it could be described as shabby.

Because the Einzbern Family were all artificial beings, their emotions and desires were much weaker than those of ordinary people, and this was naturally true in terms of pleasure.

Therefore, when the Einzbern Family built this castle, they really only intended it to be a stronghold, and comfort was not a consideration at all.

As a result, the huge castle not only lacks gardens and colorfully decorated courtyards reminiscent of fairy tales, but also lacks even normal landscape architecture. The entire courtyard is less a castle courtyard and more a vast open space covered with gray stone slabs, resembling an empty training ground. No wonder Iskandar said it was somewhat shabby.

Scáthach clearly didn't care much about this. After all, compared to the kingdoms of these mortal kings, her Land of Shadows was the real heavyweight. The harsh environment there was so bad that even ghosts would find it unbearable. Compared to her kingdom, this castle, apart from being a bit small, was already quite good.

Led by Rovey, the three took their seats in the places they had chosen in advance. When Scáthach noticed that only Iskandar and Weber had arrived, she asked in confusion, "Lancer and his Master haven't arrived yet? Rider, did you really notify them?"

"Well... they should have arrived by now."

Iskandar shook his head, and was about to say something when a loud male voice came from the corner of the courtyard.

"No need to worry, Queen Scáthach, nobles never arrive late for banquets."

A certain wealthy but not particularly handsome classical nobleman, taking an unconventional approach, emerged directly from a corner of the courtyard, followed by the tall, wealthy, and handsome Lancer Fionn mac Cumhaill. It seemed they had been waiting there for quite some time.

How did they get here?

Upon seeing this, Saber's eyebrows twitched uncontrollably.

She figured out that these two guys came with Rider, but while she was being held back by Rider, they slipped in and began gathering intelligence and searching for Emiya Kiritsugu in the castle.

Having suffered such a great loss, Kenneth was naturally unwilling to let his opponent off easily. It was also fortunate that Emiya Kiritsugu in time; otherwise, if he had fallen into Kenneth's hands today, his fate would have been far more miserable than on the first night.

"Lancer, Saber, myself, and Queen Scáthach... Hmm, most of them have already arrived."

Iskandar carried his barrel of liquor and placed it directly on the ground. Then, seeing a long row of potato chips, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, and various other fast food items on the table, along with Coca-Cola, he couldn't help but feel a little curious.

He picked up one at random and ate it in one bite. His expression suddenly lit up. He thought the food was quite good and quickly invited everyone to eat with him.

Looking at the ancient heroes who had taken their seats, and then at Rovey pushing the food cart up one by one from the underground warehouse like a cargo hauler, Iskandar was clearly very pleased. "After all, this is the first time he has ever hosted a banquet in the modern world, and he is dining with so many heroes and Master."

"King of Conquerors, do you drink the blue or red cola?"

"The red ones and the blue ones are too awful to drink, I can't get used to them," Iskandar replied habitually, holding up his cup. His daily snacking trips over the past few days had given him a great deal of knowledge about the drinks of this era.

"Oh, the red one. I also prefer the red one. The blue one is just like saliva."

Rovey nodded in deep agreement, but Weber, who was standing next to him, suddenly objected. Because he liked the blue one, he complained, "What do you know? The essence of the blue one is the sugar content. The red one tastes as awful as disinfectant."

Happy...

Rovey ignored him and instead looked at Kenneth.

"And what about you, Mr. Kenneth?"

"I won't drink anything!"

Compared to Rider, Kenneth was furious, his face turning green. Although he didn't know why Rovey was hosting this event, seeing all the fast food and cola, his aristocratic manners made him want to grab Rovey and interrogate him, "Is this what you call a banquet? Did all the banquets I took you to at the Clock Tower end up feeding the dogs?"

Rovey is completely innocent in this matter.

He wanted to offer some proper food, but heaven knows, the underground storage room in this godforsaken place was filled with nothing but hamburgers. The entire warehouse was overrun with fast food, and all he could find after searching for ages were these.

"Calm down, Professor Kenneth. You know, even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. This is all we have here. Even if you beg the heavens, I can't conjure something out of thin air for you. Alchemy isn't omnipotent, and I don't have the ability to Marble Phantasm. So, just make do... The important thing is the person, not the food." Rovey glanced at the happy-looking Saber and Iskandar in their seats, then continued...

"Look, aren't they happy too?"

"My lord, calm down." Fionn mac Cumhaill also managed to persuade Kenneth at this moment, and spoke up for Rovey, saying, "Yes, the pomp and circumstance are not important, what matters is the people."

"Never mind..."

After listening to Rovey's explanation, Kenneth sighed, then calmed down and sat down on the spot.

After everyone was seated, Iskandar casually tapped the barrel he had brought open, scooped out the wine with a ladle, tasted it, and praised it as fine wine.

Then he filled another spoonful, poured it into the cup in front of him, and handed it to Scáthach and the others.

However, at that moment, Scáthach and Kenneth's expressions clearly turned sour as they took the glasses, especially Kenneth, who almost exploded when he smelled the familiar complex aroma of the liquor.

The reason is simple: this idiot had mixed all his expensive red wines together, turning what was originally a fine wine into a chaotic mess. The taste is now completely off, and just smelling it is torture for him, let alone drinking it.

Should we make him drink this?

Kenneth would rather drink a red and blue Coke!

Seeing Scáthach's change in expression, Rovey, as her Master, sighed helplessly and then, before she could get angry, took the King of Conquerors's wine from her. This avoided offending her and also helped his Servant out of an awkward situation.

"Strategist, you are truly magnificent!"

Iskandar was delighted to see Rovey accept the wine, and his gaze toward him showed obvious greater favor.

Courageous and resourceful, in control of the overall situation, considerate of his companions, and, more importantly, able to assess the situation and balance everyone.

Such talent was more attractive to him than warriors. If he had had such a strategist to assist him back then, he would surely have been able to create even more glory in his lifetime.

"Can this really be called a banquet? Putting aside the food, at least the wine should be of decent quality, right?"

After that drink, Scáthach, who had been watching the King of Knights get his comeuppance, suddenly lost her joy...

I agree with that.

Artoria wholeheartedly agreed with Scáthach's words.

This guy is utterly disgracing them, the kings.

However, before they could say anything, Iskandar kept looking around, his expression gradually becoming somewhat strange. He couldn't help but ask with some doubt, "Speaking of which, where is Archer? Why hasn't he come yet? Logically speaking, he shouldn't break his promise."

No, they're already here.

Under the horrified gazes of Scáthach and Kenneth, Rovey raised his glass to Iskandar and the other man, then, as host and guest, downed his drink in one gulp with the initiator, officially beginning the banquet. He then pointed to the sky above.

Everyone looked up.

In the pitch-black night sky, a golden airship stood out dazzlingly.

Chapter 59 First Encounter with the King of Heroes (6,500 words)

"Huh? Look, what's that...?"

Following the direction of Rovey's raised finger towards the sky, Iskandar, Artoria, and everyone else present couldn't help but show surprise in their eyes.

At this very moment, a radiant "ship" constructed from interwoven gold and emeralds was suspended in the night sky, soaring freely. The brilliance of its hull and the gemstones reflected each other, making it resemble a golden star shining brightly in the night sky, naturally attracting the attention of everyone below.

The same aloof king, clad in golden armor, stood proudly at the very front of the airship, his crimson eyes looking down at the waiting crowd below, a slight smile playing on his lips. Behind him, Tokiomi Tohsaka, holding Ruby wand, wore an extremely grim expression.

Seeing this scene, compared to the surprised Artoria and Scáthach, Weber and Iskandar were completely stunned. After all, this was just too cool! The golden spaceship, coupled with such a high-profile entrance, made him look like a god from mythology, which naturally made people exclaim in admiration.

"This entrance is even more high-profile than the sun god's. This Archer... is indeed more troublesome than I imagined."

Upon seeing Gilgamesh's golden figure above her head, even Scáthach, who had seen a true god, couldn't help but sigh in amazement.

He thought his strength was among the top tier in the entire Human History. But he never expected that there would be someone even more extraordinary than himself in this Holy Grail War, who could casually pull out treasures from different mythologies.

However, compared to the emotions of the heroic spirits, Kenneth and Tokiomi Tohsaka are more thinking at this moment, is it really good to make such a high-profile appearance? Would sitting on this thing flying around Fuyuki City really not attract the attention of the citizens?

For a few seconds, Rovey felt sorry for Tokiomi Tohsaka was the Master, and Kirei Kotomine, who was in charge of cleaning up the mess. He knew that such a high-profile appearance was probably Gilgamesh's way of showing off his own glory and attention to the Heroic Spirit present. That's why he came out in this Radiant Ship recorded in the Indian mythology Rama and Mahabharata.

However, the mysterious and hidden issues of this place are the responsibility of the Tohsaka Family, the managers of the Ley Line, and the Church. No matter how much commotion they cause, it has nothing to do with them. So, after thinking about this, Kenneth's expression was not so bad.

After all, Tokiomi Tohsaka had recently teamed up with Emiya Kiritsugu up his own building, and Tokiomi Tohsaka had personally paid for the compensation and subsequent resettlement. Now, for him to be so brazenly flying around in the sky again... He wanted to see how the Tohsaka Family, such a small, rural Mage Families, would handle things properly. Once he returned to the Clock Tower, he would use his privileges to investigate. If the Tohsaka Family failed to handle anything properly, he would have plenty of ways to trip Tokiomi Tohsaka.

Thinking of this, Kenneth's expression became much more cheerful, and he unusually took a sip of the strange drink called cola.

"Hmm... this blue one tastes pretty good."

(Heresy!!)

"Then, what exactly is that?"

Having already retreated several kilometers away, Emiya Kiritsugu, who was observing the airship through his binoculars, found his fingers, which were holding a cigarette, trembling uncontrollably.

This scene left Weber completely bewildered. He glanced at the golden airship in the sky, then at Iskandar beside him, and asked with some confusion, "Is he also a Rider?"

"Of course not, kid."

Iskandar shook his head, then gazed intently at the radiant ship soaring in the sky, and couldn't help but sigh, "But even I must admit, this Archer might be more suited to the Rider class than I am."

He then looked at Weber, who was surprised by this, and said something astonishing, "I've made up my mind, kid!"

"What... what have you decided now?"

Weber felt a chill run down his spine, a bad premonition suddenly rising in his mind.

"After the Holy Grail War ends, I will also buy a flying vehicle and then have a showdown with this Radiant Ship! As for what to buy specifically, hmm... the F-14 fighter jet I saw on the military channel seems pretty good."

Upon hearing these words, Weber felt as if he were in an ice cellar.

Despite his repeated persuasion, Iskandar remained unmoved by his determination to buy an F-14 and conquer the skies. He even uttered the dreaded suggestion that they could simply steal it. Kenneth, watching from the sidelines, frowned deeply, his resolve hardening. He couldn't let Weber win in the end; who knew what kind of impact he and Rider would have on the world—a complete upheaval.

However, the topic of buying the F14 did not last long. Iskandar immediately turned his gaze to Rovey, whose expression was not very pleasant because he had drunk a mixed drink, and Scáthach, who was patting his back.

"Strategist, do you know what kind of car Archer drives?"

As he spoke, Iskandar picked up his wine glass again, drank it down in the light of the beautiful golden ship, and then said, "If I could, I would like to get a few hundred of them to play with right now."

However, Iskandar's words left everyone present speechless.

"King of Conquerors, that thing was created by the gods. It is also Noble Phantasm, and it is impossible to make it with modern technology."

Upon hearing his question, Rovey shook his head and then explained the origin of the object to him, "The Vimana, the golden throne that soars through the sky, also known as the Radiant Ship, is a flying machine described in the Rama and Mahabharata. There is only one of its kind in the world."

"There's only one of these..."

After listening to Rovey's account, Iskandar nodded as if he understood, though he felt regret that there was only one aircraft. However, the longing in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

"Well, there's no other way. It seems I have no choice but to find a way to take it back from Archer!"

"Your way of doing things is really hard to judge..." Scáthach remarked.

Artoria, on the other hand, hallucinated the Saxons she had once driven out, a clear case of an aggressor's mentality.

"You bastard, you really dare to say that!"

Seemingly having heard Iskandar's rude and arrogant words, Gilgamesh, standing atop the golden ship, frowned, then leaped from a height of tens of meters, landing steadily before the crowd.

He scrutinized Iskandar before him with his crimson eyes, his pupils filled with amusement. "Rider, is it you who's after my treasure?"

"Hahahahahahaha! That's right, it's me. Archer, I really like your treasure."

"And you already know my title, King of Conquerors, meaning conqueror! Since I am a conqueror, then I must conquer. If you see something so interesting and think about conquering it, then you would be unworthy of my title."

Faced with Gilgamesh's questioning, Iskandar spoke frankly and fearlessly, looking at him and saying, "So Archer, if I defeat you, may I have this golden ship called Vimana?"

Open and aboveboard, upright and honorable—this is the way of Iskandar, King of Conquerors. If you want something, take it; if you like something, conquer it.

It is precisely because he possesses ambition and magnanimity that surpasses anyone else, as well as a genuine purity of heart, that people genuinely want to get close to him and support him.

Someone like him can undoubtedly serve as a beacon, guiding lost souls on their path forward.

Upon hearing Iskandar's words, the atmosphere instantly froze. Artoria clenched her fists, summoning her holy sword in preparation for battle. Fionn mac Cumhaill and Scáthach both shielded their Master behind them.

Only... Weber.

"What about me? I haven't even gotten on the bus yet! Why don't you guys do something about me?!"

In such a serious atmosphere, Weber chose the nearest option and hid directly behind Artoria, which left everyone speechless.

However, compared to their serious demeanor, the expressions of Rovey and Gilgamesh were much more interesting.

"Huhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha"

Upon hearing Iskandar's aggressive remarks, Gilgamesh, just as Rovey had expected, did not get angry but instead burst into laughter.