A King's Wild Feast-One~

It was more than a mere title; it was a symbol of power and glory.

Those who bore the title of "King" stood above all others among humankind.

Kings stood at the pinnacle of ordinary humanity, at the summit of power.

A king's glance, a command, or a single gesture could make the world turn according to his will.

What made a king?

One with great resolve and great perseverance! That was a king!

What was a king's glory?

Bones laid bare, watered by rivers of blood—that was a king's glory!

Now, in a castle standing amid ice and snow, four people possessed of such resolve and glory had gathered together.

Lavish furnishings, a golden palace open to the sky, roads paved with purple-gold stone, and lamps made from luminous pearls of the deep sea.

Upon a great emerald table crafted from Jinhua Stone (a precious gemstone from ancient times, now lost to history) sat:

The oldest king, Gilgamesh.

The Conqueror King, Alexander the Great.

The Knight King, Artoria, King of the Knights of the Round Table.

And the king known by the name "Eternal," Xia.

Four kings from different eras, four kings with different beliefs, sat around the great table, each occupying a corner.

Commoners, stay back! Those without wealth and splendor may not come within a thousand feet; those without renown and virtue may not come within a hundred feet; those without high office or noble birth may not come within ten feet!

This was a gathering of kings!

This was the glory of kings!

But... how had things come to this? Why had kings who should have been enemies gathered together? To find out, we had to go back two hours...

Very red.

Extremely red.

Conspicuous.

Very conspicuous.

Extremely conspicuous.

A bright red, conspicuous handprint was firmly stamped on Xia's face.

Walking down a corridor in the castle, Xia strode forward with a sulky, aggrieved expression. Artoria followed close behind, cheeks flushed and looking apologetic.

The strange sight drew curious glances from the servants.

"Oh my~ Isn't that Xia and Saber? So, have you two finished talking... Huh?" Alice appeared suddenly around a corner and politely greeted them. Then her eyes fell on the red handprint on Xia's handsome face, and she instinctively covered her mouth.

She stared in disbelief at the sulking Xia and the flustered, red-faced Artoria behind him.

"Um... What happened to Xia's face...?"

"I've been up to too much mischief! Heaven struck me down!" Xia snapped, cutting Alice off before she could finish.

"Uh...?"

Then, without another word to the still-stunned Alice, Xia spun around and stalked away in a huff.

"Ah... wait, Xia! Um... please excuse me, Alice." Artoria bowed to Alice, then hurriedly turned and followed in the direction Xia had gone.

Alice was left behind, baffled.

"Hmm... Well, it seems there's no need to worry about their relationship anymore. I wish you two the best~ Hehe." After a moment's puzzlement, Alice seemed to come to a decision. Smiling, she turned and headed for Kiritsugu's laboratory, where another "critically ill" patient needed her immediate treatment~

"Wait for me, Xia! Let me explain~!"

Calling after him, Artoria chased Xia until he finally stopped inside a tower.

She looked at Xia standing in the tower, sulking as he gazed out the window into the distance.

Artoria couldn't help smiling wryly. He'd lived for who knew how many years, yet he still acted like such a child... Honestly.

Carefully, she tiptoed up behind the still-sulking Xia.

"...Are you still angry about what happened just now?"

He didn't answer, but the scowl on his face seemed to ease a little.

Is it because I followed him...?

For some reason, Artoria instinctively felt that her presence was what had begun to soothe Xia's anger.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier. It was... my first time being so close to a man, and in such a... such a strange position, too. So I reacted instinctively..." Artoria explained, embarrassed.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she seemed at a loss.

Looking at her like that, Xia could only sigh in resignation...

"It's fine. It's in the past now..."

Getting the stubborn Knight King to look like that... I suppose I should be satisfied.

With that consoling thought, Xia shrugged helplessly.

Then he raised his right hand, pinched the cheek of the person in front of him, and gave her a mischievous smile.

He looked with satisfaction at Artoria, whose face had turned red all over again because of what he'd done.

"That's payback for earlier~" Xia said with a smile to the Goddess before him.

"Mm... You're very rude, Xia," Artoria said, blushing.

Her tone was reproachful, but when she saw Xia's satisfied smile...

Well... never mind...

Thinking that, Artoria couldn't help smiling too, joining the man before her in laughter.

The awkwardness between them vanished in the breeze of their laughter~

When dark clouds hid the sun, it was only natural to feel troubled.

But once you clenched your teeth and endured that stretch of time,

the warm sunlight that emerged when the clouds dispersed would seem even brighter and warmer than before.

As Xia and Artoria laughed together, a series of thunderous booms suddenly joined in.

Following the sound, they saw a blue ox trampling lightning as it charged toward them, pulling a chariot behind it.

"Is that the Conqueror King?!" As soon as Artoria recognized the person standing in the chariot, her body tensed. She quickly turned and started toward Kiritsugu.

But before she could take a step, Xia grabbed her from behind.

"Relax, Artoria. He isn't here to fight. He's just... here for a drink." Artoria was puzzled by how Xia knew the Conqueror King's purpose, but she chose to trust him and slowly moved behind Xia. Still, she kept both hands firmly on the Holy Sword, without relaxing her grip at all.

"Yo! You there, whatever-your-name-is, King of Eternity! I, the Conqueror King, have brought fine wine! How about we get together and have a drink?!" The Conqueror King's booming voice carried from far away.

"I'm the Eternal King! You big-bearded fellow, remember that name!" Xia shouted back in an arrogant voice. "And... barging into someone else's territory just for some gathering is terribly rude, isn't it, Conqueror King?!"

"Hahahaha! Don't take it so seriously! This is an invitation from a king! Don't you have the guts to come?!"

"Ridiculous! I am the Eternal King, who has never known defeat! Come on! I'll show you that even off the battlefield, I remain undefeated! Follow me!" Xia said, then sprang out of the tower and headed straight for a garden nearby.

"Hahahaha! Now that's more like it!... Knight King, aren't you coming?" The Conqueror King laughed heartily at Xia's decisive manner, then noticed the petite figure still standing atop the tower and asked in puzzlement.

"...Since this is an invitation from a king, then as the King of Britannia, I naturally accept!" After performing a proper knightly bow, Artoria leapt from the tower and headed for the garden.

But just as Xia, Artoria, and the Conqueror King were about to enter the garden, the gloomy sky was suddenly bathed in golden light.

A magnificent vessel, its splendid hull made entirely of gold.

Standing firmly at the ship's prow was a man clad in golden armor, looking down at Xia and the others with an arrogant air.

"Did you invite him too, Conqueror King?" Artoria asked, uncomfortable as she looked at the haughty king in the sky.

"Mm. No matter what, he's a noble king, so of course I invited him!" the Conqueror King replied casually.

"Indeed. Inviting kings as a king is only proper etiquette, so don't dwell on it, Saber," Xia said with a smile.

When they arrived at the garden, they found it already cleaned up, with a banquet laid out.

Kiritsugu... He didn't plant an N2 bomb here, did he? Looking at the banquet, Xia couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. Before the Fifth Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu had been a cold-blooded man who could make your blood run cold, and his ability to calculate was practically machine-like.

Gilgamesh and the Conqueror King, however, paid no mind to it and plopped themselves down in their seats.

"Hmph, what are you waiting for?! Are you afraid to even take your seat? You piece of trash calling yourself the Eternal King!" Gilgamesh taunted Xia with a mocking look.

"No. The scenery here is quite nice, and there's snow to admire. But isn't this gathering a little too shabby for kings?"

Hearing Xia's answer, Gilgamesh carefully looked around, then nodded in agreement.

Indeed, the scenery was lovely, but the surroundings were rather shabby for a king's banquet.

The Conqueror King, on the other hand, couldn't care less.

Xia slowly raised his left hand high above his head.

"Then I'll make this place more fitting for our station."

A snap of his fingers rang through the air.

Back in Kiritsugu's laboratory, Beiju immediately felt the magical energy throughout his body begin to boil!

"Eternal Celestial Palace."

The words were spoken softly, but everyone throughout the castle could hear them clearly.

The gloomy sky was replaced by the starlit Milky Way, shimmering in the night.

The scene of swirling snow was replaced by clouds drifting among immortal mountains.

The cold, shabby banquet table was replaced by a jade-green table, and on it was a feast made from the rarest animals in fifty-three worlds.

Lavish furnishings, a golden palace open to the sky, roads paved with purple-gold stone, and lamps made from luminous pearls of the deep sea.

Everything transformed into a banquet worthy of kings.

"Ho...?" The Conqueror King watched as the surroundings changed in the blink of an eye. Such mastery—and the "Reality Marble" spanning two worlds he'd seen last time. Was this that fellow's special ability? The "Ninth" irregular Servant, the "Returnee."

A Heroic Spirit who had experienced countless "inner worlds" and "outer worlds"—was he different from them, who came from just one "inner world"...?

Though he seemed simple-minded, the Conqueror King carefully considered the difference in strength between himself and his opponent.

"Mm. You're an unpleasant fellow, but I approve of your taste. I'll deign to acknowledge you as a king for now!" Unlike the Conqueror King, Gilgamesh didn't seem to care about Xia's display. Perhaps... it was because he was simply too arrogant to care?

"Hmph. Alaya herself has no choice but to acknowledge my title as king. I don't need your approval! But... this is a king's feast, so there's no need to discuss such unpleasant things." With that, Xia pulled out a chair and sat down casually.

Artoria followed and sat across from him.

Four kings.

Four heroes from different eras.

They took their places on each side of the square table.

And now—

The King's Wild Feast~!