To the west of Fuyuki's Shinto district lies an undeveloped forest. In the past, rumors would occasionally spread among the citizens, an urban legend about a ghost castle existing deep within this forest.
However, that rumor likely arose because some people had accidentally wandered into the bounded field in the forest and caught a glimpse of the villa the Einzbern family had established there.
—And at this very moment, in the courtyard of this Einzbern castle steeped in urban legends.
Watching the uninvited Iskandar, who had dragged him into this on his own accord, declaring a banquet among kings, and was now豪饮 (háo yǐn - drinking heartily) with a bamboo ladle, Arthur sat on the ground and drank in the same manner with a sense of resignation. He frowned.
"Didn't you say you also invited Archer? Why isn't he here yet?"
Honestly, when Iskandar's chariot had broken through the Einzbern's bounded field ten minutes ago, Arthur had already been prepared for battle.
But to his surprise, the other party had suddenly produced several barrels of wine and declared that they would decide the ownership of the Holy Grail based on their respective caliber as kings.
Arthur understood, of course, that the caliber Iskandar spoke of was not drinking capacity, but their stature as kings.
And since the other party had issued such an invitation, as the King of Knights, it would not be proper for him to refuse. After getting permission from his Master, Irisviel, he had accepted Iskandar's proposal.
But looking at the current situation, it seemed they had both been stood up...
"Hmm, that's strange. This King already invited him when I ran into him during the day. With his personality, he would definitely attend something like this."
Stroking his chin, Iskandar was somewhat perplexed. He didn't think Gilgamesh was the type to break a promise, especially since tonight's banquet concerned the caliber of kings. With his pride, he would absolutely not miss it.
Although he had originally wanted to invite Heracles and the Lancer who called himself "Longinus," the former had lost his reason and probably couldn't communicate normally, while the latter's whereabouts were uncertain, leaving him with no opportunity. In the end, he could only settle for a banquet of three kings.
"Could it be that something happened on the way?"
Iskandar muttered to himself, making Arthur feel a bit speechless at this almost whimsical behavior.
However, just as he was thinking about whether it was still necessary to attend this banquet, a proud voice suddenly rang out.
"In such a hurry to behold this King's glory, are you, mongrels? While this King did encounter a rather interesting accident, for a banquet prepared for me, the quality of the wine is far too inferior, mongrel."
As the voice fell, Gilgamesh's figure, clad in golden armor, slowly materialized. He looked at the wine in the barrel with some disdain, as if doubting Iskandar's taste.
"Is that so? In this King's opinion, this is already quite good. But more importantly, if you're late, you must first drink a cup as punishment, Archer."
Iskandar chuckled lightly, not minding Gilgamesh's belittling, and passed him a ladle full of wine.
Although he looked down on such spirits, Gilgamesh didn't say anything. He casually took the ladle, drank it all in one go, and sat down on the ground as nonchalantly as the other two Servants.
"Oho, how heroic! By the way, you mentioned you ran into an interesting accident. What happened, Archer?"
Without immediately turning the conversation to the ownership of the Holy Grail, Iskandar asked with curiosity, and Arthur also cast a slightly questioning glance.
"Hah, you wish to know, mongrel? But what is merely interesting to this King might be a 'surprise' to you."
Thinking about the information he had received from Tokisaka Tohsaka about the Holy Grail, a joyful arc formed on Gilgamesh's lips.
He had never been very interested in the Holy Grail in the first place, at most holding the thought that "this is originally this King's treasure, how dare others touch it."
But compared to him, the others had joined this Holy Grail War with long-held wishes.
So he wanted to see what kind of expressions these people would make after learning that news.
"To whet everyone's appetite at this point and then play guessing games is a bit much, Archer."
Iskandar's brow furrowed with some frustration, while a bad feeling inexplicably arose in Arthur's heart.
"Rest assured, you will know about this matter soon enough. See, isn't someone here to explain it now?"
As if sensing something, Gilgamesh took a flask of fine wine from his golden ripples, poured it into a golden cup, and his crimson eyes glanced at a spot outside the courtyard.
At the same time, Arthur and Iskandar also noticed someone's unconcealed presence and looked in the same direction.
"Lancer..."
Arthur muttered to himself, not expecting him to visit this place tonight. The reason he said "visit" instead of "attack" was because the other's aura carried no hostile intent.
"I apologize for intruding without permission, but I have come this time with two very important matters to inform you all."
Outside the courtyard, Aozaki Rin and El-Melloi II walked one after the other towards the three kings.
Upon seeing the long-haired man following the spear-wielding youth, for some reason, Waver, who had been standing silently at the side of the courtyard trying to minimize his presence, felt a very subtle sense of familiarity from him, which made him freeze for a moment.
"Isn't that Lancer? You've come at a good time. We were just about to discuss who is most qualified to hold the Holy Grail..."
Iskandar invited him enthusiastically. Although it was nominally a banquet of kings, a hero holding a holy spear was also a rare sight and was qualified to join them.
"While I appreciate your invitation, Mr. Iskandar, there is no time for such things now."
Rin shook his head, politely declining the red-haired giant's offer. He "looked" at Irisviel and Waver standing on either side of the courtyard, and finally fixed his gaze on the three Servants who were the purpose of his visit.
"I am here to inform you all that the Holy Grail has been corrupted and cannot grant your wishes. Also, I hope you will assist us and the Church in eliminating Caster."
After his words fell, there was no response. Rin could roughly imagine their reaction and did not rush them, instead waiting for them to process the information.
After several tens of seconds, Iskandar finally scratched his face and spoke with some trouble.
"While this King doesn't want to doubt a warrior with such a pure aura as yourself, to suddenly say such inexplicable things and expect people to believe it is a bit much, Lancer. You say the Holy Grail is corrupted. Do you have any proof? And why do you want us to help you eliminate Caster?"
Rin didn't answer Iskandar's question, because he could already hear the fluttering of wings in the night sky.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, two pigeons carrying letters gently landed on Irisviel's and Waver's shoulders.
"Is this... a special communication from the Church?"
After a moment's pause, recognizing the mark on the letter, Irisviel was the first to open it. She glanced at the contents, and her expression changed as she murmured in disbelief.
"How could this be..."
"Did something happen, Master?"
Seeing his Master's expression was not quite right, Arthur asked with concern.
"Saber... It seems what Mr. Lancer said is true. The Holy Grail really has been corrupted."
-------
Enjoy 20% off our Patreon membership to celebrate Christmas. You can join starting today
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (120 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (57 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (67 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (80 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (60 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (70 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (60 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (58 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (75 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it