"Are you interested in this, King of Heroes?" Tohsaka Tokiomi asked respectfully.
"Well, it's amusing entertainment. Far more interesting than your clown show." King of Heroes Gilgamesh's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.
"I'll send an Assassin to gather information. Then I'll leave the rest to you." Tohsaka Tokiomi bowed deeply as he replied.
"Very well." Gilgamesh set down his wineglass, and his figure gradually vanished into thin air.
After watching Matou Sakura enter the mansion, Uchiha Iori found a place to sit.
He formed Hand Seals with both hands. "Shadow Clone Technique!"
Several clones appeared before him in an instant. He said to them, "You all know the story, so go lie low at the locations where it unfolds. The top priority is Artoria's Excalibur."
"Next is the scabbard, Avalon. Take as much as you can from the King of Heroes' treasury. Once this chance is gone, it's gone."
"Understood," the clones replied before splitting up and leaving.
Iori sat on the ground and made another clone. "Go to Britain and see if you can get in touch with the Edelfelt House. I'm worried Tohsaka Tokiomi might pull another underhanded stunt."
"Understood. I'll get in touch with them." The clone nodded, then quickly departed.
By the alley, Iori leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and pretended to doze as he waited for the next day.
"Ah!!" Matou Sakura jolted awake from a nightmare. She had dreamed again of yesterday's warehouse and the swarms of insects that had filled it.
In the dream, the boy hadn't appeared. She'd woken in fright just as the swarm was about to reach her.
She got out of bed and went to the door, where she heard voices outside.
"Mom, will Sakura leave again after she comes back this time?" Tohsaka Rin's voice was full of worry and reluctance. She loved her younger sister and didn't want her to leave.
"She will. She can't stay." Tohsaka Aoi's answer was firm and cold. She loved her children too, but the interests of the Tohsaka House came first.
As she listened to the words from outside, tears slowly rolled down Matou Sakura's cheeks.
"I really am a child nobody wants, aren't I?" Matou Sakura murmured, her voice filled with grief and despair. "I shouldn't have come back."
"Then do you want to leave? I've already contacted your maternal grandmother's family. They should treat you well." Iori suddenly appeared in the room, his voice gentle yet firm.
"Can't I go with you?" Matou Sakura asked through tearful eyes.
Her face was full of hurt and helplessness. She reached out and clutched Iori's clothes, unwilling to let go.
Iori was the only person she could rely on now.
She was like a drowning person in the middle of a vast ocean, clinging to a tiny boat and unwilling to release her lifeline.
"I'm a Servant summoned by you. I'll disappear when the Holy Grail War ends, so you can't come with me."
Iori crouched down and gently stroked her head. It felt nice to the touch, and petting her was soothing.
"Before then, I'll make sure you have somewhere to go." He promised her gently,
"The night may be long, but it will pass. I'll lead you toward a brighter tomorrow."
He wasn't a Hero of Justice, but for this one week, he was willing to be a hero of justice who belonged only to Sakura.
"Mm. I believe you, big brother." The girl hugged Iori tightly and didn't let go.
Where Iori couldn't see, a determined look flashed in her eyes as she made an important decision.
"Then, want to go to the amusement park? The Holy Grail War usually takes place at night, so we're free during the day. Why don't we go have some fun together?"
Iori suggested it. He'd taken quite a bit of money with him when he left the Matou Mansion, enough to cover their expenses for the next few days.
"Mm. Wherever big brother goes, I'll go too." Little Sakura looked up at him with wide, adorable eyes.
Iori lowered his head and rubbed his cheek against hers a few times. Then he lifted her up and said, "Let's go! To the amusement park!"
"Yay!" Sakura raised her hands along with him, not just because they were going to the amusement park, but because she was with Iori.
After leaving some information for Tohsaka Aoi, Iori took Matou Sakura out of the mansion and headed for the amusement park.
They rode the carousel, roller coaster, pirate ship, Ferris wheel, and other attractions, enjoying every one to their hearts' content before leaving, satisfied.
"Next, let's find somewhere to stay. The next time you see your mother and sister, it'll be time to say goodbye." Iori looked at her as he spoke.
"Mm." Matou Sakura looked at him too, clutching his clothes as if it gave her the courage she needed.
After settling Matou Sakura in, Iori used Magecraft to connect with the Shadow Clone that had gone to watch the show.
"So, has the battle started by the Mion River?" Iori asked. He'd been looking forward to this Heroic Spirit free-for-all for ages.
"Diarmuid provoked them, King Arthur accepted the challenge, Alexander the Great is watching from the bridge, Hassan is crouched on a pillar, and the King of Heroes is standing on a streetlamp."
The Shadow Clone gave a brief reply. Iori was a little speechless. Somehow, that terse summary still gave him a vivid picture.
"What about the sword and the scabbard? Did you copy them?" Iori pressed. They were among his objectives, and he couldn't give up on them.
"I copied them, but the scabbard's level is too high. Projection isn't possible yet," the Shadow Clone replied.
"That's good enough. Once I get a Tailed Beast or a Dragon Vein, everything will work out." Iori smiled.
"We're both you, so quit making references. Alexander the Great just arrived in his bull-drawn chariot and started provoking them. Should I join in too?" the Shadow Clone complained.
"Don't make trouble. We'll join the battle after Sakura leaves. For now, let's just watch," Iori replied.
"Fine. Not a moment to mourn King Arthur's injury; the one rushing to the battlefield is Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes," the Shadow Clone said.
"Ahem, you're telling me off, but you're making references too," Iori retorted to his own Shadow Clone.
"You won't let me join in, so I've got nothing to do. I'm the Berserker in this scene. If I don't go beat up the Lamp King, who knows how the story will go?"
The Shadow Clone sighed and could only watch events unfold in silence.
"Two people who don't know their place and call themselves 'kings' have appeared overnight, without even taking me into account?" Gilgamesh said arrogantly, his eyes full of disdain.
"Even so, I, Alexander, am the genuine King of Conquerors. And who might you be?" Alexander the Great, the King of Conquerors, scratched his cheek.
Gilgamesh sneered. "If I tell you to bask in the glory of worshipping me, yet you don't even know my name, then there's nothing I can do about your ignorance."
As soon as he finished speaking, rings of golden ripples appeared behind Gilgamesh, and several weapons shot toward the King of Conquerors like lightning.
"This is just a little warning," Gilgamesh said coldly.
The Divine Bull pulling Alexander's chariot stamped its hooves on the ground. The resulting lightning knocked the incoming weapons aside and even broke the streetlamp beneath Gilgamesh's feet.
With nothing left to stand on, Gilgamesh was forced to land on the ground.
"To make me, the one who should be looked up to, stand on the same ground as you is the height of disrespect. You deserve to die!" Gilgamesh said irritably, affronted.
Golden ripples filled the space behind him, and countless weapons emerged from within them.
"Your disrespect toward me is enough to kill you a thousand times over. You mongrel standing there—I'll leave you in ruins."
Gilgamesh's voice was cold and murderous.
Watching the scene from his base, Tohsaka Tokiomi grew anxious. It's only the first day of the Holy Grail War. Revealing his Noble Phantasm this early is far too reckless.
"By the power of the Command Spell, I command you: King of Heroes, calm your anger and retreat," he said, using the Command Spell.
Bound by the Command Spell, Gilgamesh grew furious.
"Tokiomi, do you think your command is enough to make me retreat?" Gilgamesh said angrily, unable to resist the Command Spell's power.
"Hmph. You've escaped with your life, mongrel." He recalled the Noble Phantasms he had fired, then vanished in a shower of golden motes, bound by the spell.
"It seems we won't be able to continue the battle today. Then I'll invite you all again next time." The King of Conquerors glanced at the wary figures before him, then drove his chariot away from the battlefield.
Bang. After all the Heroic Spirits had left, Iori's Shadow Clone dispelled itself and sent its memories back.
Iori savored those memories, then suppressed his restless excitement. He hadn't completed his objective yet; patience was a form of training too.
All that remained was to send Matou Sakura away. He could hardly wait to join this deadly battle.