The European-style stone castle stood gray in the moonlight.
The castle was much larger than Mayuri had imagined, with four corner towers, a main wall, a central keep, and a spacious forecourt out front.
The paving stones were cut in neat, even shapes, catching only a faint reflection as moonlight fell on them.
The commotion of the chariot charging out of the forest had already alerted the people inside.
The gates of Einzbern Castle stood open.
Two people stood on the stone steps outside.
On the left was Irisviel.
Her long silver-white hair swayed gently in the night breeze, and her wine-red eyes watched the slowing chariot.
Her hands hung at her sides, pale blue magical light still lingering at her fingertips, ready to cast magecraft at any moment.
On the right was Artoria.
Her silver-blue armor looked cold in the moonlight.
Excalibur was already in her right hand. With no Invisible Air concealing its blade, its golden light shone openly.
She stood firm, her center of gravity lowered and her sword pointed diagonally ahead, ready to release her magical energy at any moment.
The thin, pale blue film that naturally spilled from her body because of her excessive magical energy also glowed in the moonlight.
Had the King of Conquerors come alone, with Artoria in her current state, the Gordius Wheel probably would not even have had a chance to stop.
She probably would have hurled a Mana Burst straight at him, blasting him first and leaving everything else for later.
But he had not come alone.
As the chariot drew closer, Artoria made out its passengers.
The King of Conquerors occupied the driver's position, his Master huddled behind him, with the Tohsaka Family's Caster beside them.
The girl with long pale golden hair and rose-red eyes sat aboard the chariot, holding a plastic bag.
Two Servants had come together.
This did not look like an arrival for battle.
If they really meant to fight, they would not bring a Master along and charge straight at her in such a conspicuous chariot.
Still, she could not entirely rule out other intentions.
Artoria did not strike first. She simply stood and waited.
The Gordius Wheel stopped about twenty meters from the castle gates.
The thunder bulls panted and kept stamping their hooves, purple arcs crackling beneath their feet.
Iskandar jumped down from the driver's seat.
His body, weighing over a hundred kilograms, landed on the paving stones with a solid thud.
Short red hair, a "Daisenryaku" T-shirt, and dark blue trousers—dressed in clothes utterly unlike a Servant's, he strode toward Artoria at the gates.
The same broad grin remained on his face.
There was no sign of hostility about him, either.
He showed not the slightest intention of fighting, looking more like a guest who had come specifically for a banquet.
"Saber!"
The King of Conquerors stopped about five meters from Artoria and spread his arms.
"Tonight, I have come for a banquet, not a fight! Put away that great sword of yours. Hear me out first-there will be time enough to decide whether to cut me down afterward!"
Artoria looked at him for two seconds.
She still did not put Excalibur away, but its tip lowered from directly ahead to her side.
It was a stance from which she could resume fighting at any moment, though she had no intention of attacking for now.
"Speak."
One word, utterly direct.
Iskandar cleared his throat, his voice loud enough that those behind him could probably hear.
"Here is the situation. In this Holy Grail War, three kings have appeared who left illustrious names in history."
"The King of Knights, the King of Conquerors, and the King of Heroes. Such a grand gathering is unprecedented, not merely in the history of the Holy Grail War, but in all of human history!"
He spoke quickly, but every word was clear.
"I believe that, since fate has brought three kings together, we should not communicate through swords and spears alone."
"Between kings, we should first use wine to measure one another's mettle and breadth of spirit!"
He raised a hand toward the wooden barrel on the chariot, from which the aroma of wine drifted.
"Thus, I propose a drinking banquet tonight. Let three kings sit together and, over wine, speak freely of their respective ways of kingship!"
He paused.
"And I heard that Saber happens to have a castle here."
The King of Conquerors surveyed Einzbern Castle's outer walls and corner towers, his expression growing a little more serious.
"A banquet of kings must, of course, be held somewhere worthy. This castle could not be more suitable."
Artoria fell silent for a few seconds.
Iskandar's meaning was straightforward.
What this man intended was to replace blades with wine and words, issuing a challenge between their ways of kingship.
This was not simply an invitation to a meal.
It was a challenge.
A challenge issued in another form.
His meaning was also clear: they would compare their ways of kingship face-to-face and see whose was stronger.
Artoria's lips tightened.
Ever since Irisviel had taken over supplying her magical energy, her power had risen considerably.
Now, in both body and spirit, she was in better condition than at any previous point in this Holy Grail War.
In this state, she would not shy away from any challenge, either.
Excalibur's golden light receded, and the sword vanished with it. The holy sword returned to Spirit Form.
"Very well."
Those words left the King of Knights' lips.
"However..."
Artoria looked at Iskandar, her voice utterly steady.
"If this is a contest of kingship, Rider, you had best be prepared."
Iskandar's grin widened.
"I could ask for nothing better!"
Standing behind Artoria, Irisviel watched the two Servants settle the matter of "no fighting tonight, just drinking" through an exchange far more imposing than an ordinary conversation.
Confusion and curiosity mingled in her wine-red eyes.
She turned and quietly asked Artoria something, and Artoria answered briefly in two or three words.
Irisviel froze for a moment, then looked as though she understood, before her expression turned somewhat expectant.
They discussed it briefly, with Iskandar mostly describing his requirements for the venue.
Artoria responded as briefly as possible, and they ultimately settled on the courtyard garden on the north side of Einzbern Castle.
The garden was not quite the flower-filled place Mayuri had imagined. Deep in the mountains in November, most of the flowers were already gone, leaving only a few evergreen shrubs and trimmed hedges to maintain the semblance of a garden.
At its center was an open space paved with flat, gray-white stones, their joints straight and their surfaces clean, giving it a plain appearance.
The paved area was about ten meters across, surrounded by low hedges, while the castle's corner towers and keep framed the sky into a somewhat irregular square.
Moonlight fell through that patch of night sky onto the stones, leaving patches of cold white light.
Iskandar carried the wine barrel down from the chariot.
The oak barrel weighed at least twenty or thirty kilograms, yet he carried it in one hand, walked to the center of the paved area, and set it down.
The bottom of the barrel struck the paving stones with a dull thud, making the wine inside slosh. Its aroma spread as well.
He sat cross-legged beside the barrel.
Seated like this, the King of Conquerors took up about as much space as a small table, his legs spread out and his "Daisenryaku" T-shirt stretched considerably tighter over his waist and belly.
He picked up the long-handled wooden ladle at the mouth of the barrel, scooped up some wine, brought it to his lips for a taste, and smacked his lips.
"Good wine."
Artoria sat opposite Iskandar.
She sat formally on her heels, knees together, back perfectly straight, and hands resting on her knees.
The lower sections of her silver-blue armor lay neatly across the paving stones, and her golden hair fell behind her shoulders.
Her proper posture stood in stark contrast to the King of Conquerors' sprawling seat opposite her.
Mayuri found a place a little farther away and sat down.
She was at the edge of the paved area, about three or four meters from the two kings, close enough to hear clearly without being too far forward.
She placed the plastic bag and cola beside her and settled cross-legged.
Compared with Iskandar, she occupied far less space sitting that way.
Waver chose the corner farthest from the center of the garden and sat against the hedge, shrinking into the shadows as much as possible.
His thinking was simple: the less noticeable he was, the better. Ideally, no one would remember he was even there.
Irisviel stood beneath the archway at the garden entrance, her long silver-white hair shining in the moonlight.
She did not sit down. Her wine-red eyes moved between the two kings and Mayuri, a slightly curious smile on her lips.
For a homunculus who had scarcely ever left Einzbern Castle, enemy Servants coming to her castle to hold a drinking banquet was indeed an unusual sight.
Moonlight spread across the paving stones.
The aroma of wine spread through the garden as well.
The two kings sat facing one another.
One wore silver-blue armor and sat with proper posture.
The other wore a "Daisenryaku" T-shirt and sat casually cross-legged.
The wooden barrel between them was filled with deep red wine, with the long-handled wooden ladle resting against its rim.
Iskandar produced three coarse earthenware bowls from somewhere beside him, placed one in front of himself, and pushed the other two toward Artoria and Mayuri respectively.