"..."
Saber didn't hesitate to take the handle from Rider and scooped a spoonful of wine as well. Saber's thin frame would always make people worry about whether she can truly drink, but looking at her boldness, she is not inferior to the giant Rider.
Seeing this, Rider let out a pleasant compliment.
"So, first of all, are you going to compete with me to see who is stronger, Rider?"
"Exactly. There is a real contest in the name of the 'King', but in this case, it is better not to call it the 'Holy Grail War', but the 'Holy Grail Q&A'... In the end, who among the knights and conquerors will be the 'King of the Holy Grail'?"
Rider changed his serious tone and laughed mischievously. Then he spoke as if to himself.
"Ah, there is a man here who calls himself 'King'."
"—That's the end of the joke, mongrel."
As if in response to Rider's words, a dazzling golden light flashed in front of everyone.
"Archer, why are you... here?" Saber asked, and it was Rider who answered her.
"Ah, when I saw him on the street, I asked him to drink—but he was still late, hahaha. But unlike me, he walks on foot, so I can't blame him."
Gilgamesh, clad in armor, looked proudly at Rider with ruby eyes.
"It's really a shame that you chose such a shabby place to hold a banquet. So that's all you can taste? Why did you apologize for why I came here on purpose?"
"Don't say that. Come on, have a drink first."
Rider smiled and handed the ladle full of wine to Gilgamesh. He thought he would be annoyed by Rider's attitude, but instead, he simply took the ladle and drank the wine inside.
Irisviel remembered what Saber had called "the challenge" earlier. Archer, the unknown Golden Hero, could not have refused the wine handed by Rider since he claimed to be "King".
"—What kind of bad wine is this? You actually use this wine to fight between heroes?" Archer said with a look of disgust.
"Yes, I 'bought' it from the market here. It's a good wine."
"I think that is because you don't know anything about wine, you bastard."
A vortex of imaginary space appeared around Archer, who scoffed. It was a precursor to the phenomenon that could summon a Noble Phantasm, and Waver and Irisviel felt nothing but chills.
—But tonight Archer was surrounded not by weapons, but by a series of drinking utensils encrusted with dazzling gemstones. The heavy gold bottle was filled with a colorless, clear liquid.
"Look, this is the 'King's Wine'."
"Oh, that's so impressive."
Rider didn't mind Archer's tone and happily poured the new wine into three glasses and handed one of them to Saber. Saber was still quite wary of the unknown Archer, and she looked at the wine in the golden bottle with some hesitation, but took the glass that was handed to her.
"Oh, delicious!!"
Iskandar took a sip and his eyes widened in praise.
"Great! This kind of wine is not like it is for humans, but for gods!"
"Of course. Whether it's wine or a sword, my treasury contains only the best things. That's the King's taste."
At some point, Archer sat down, smiling satisfactorily at Rider's performance and shaking the glass in his hand.
"In this way, it is obvious which of the 'kings' is higher or lower, right?"
Hearing Archer's words, Rider waved his hand and retorted.
"Archer, although your wine is worthy of being a great treasure, it is unfortunate that the cup is not the goal. You must first tell me what kind of ambition you have placed on the Holy Grail."
"You are not qualified to command this King, mongrel," Archer said, closing his eyes.
His tone was very calm, as if the insult did not come from his own mouth. And this answer was no longer from the premise of "fighting" for the Holy Grail. With that, Archer took another sip from his glass.
"In the final analysis, it was originally mine. The origin of all the treasures in the world can be traced back to the treasure house of this King."
"Oh?"
Hearing Archer's statement, Rider raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"So, do you mean that you once had the Holy Grail, and you know what it is?"
"No," Archer faintly denied.
"..."
Rider was speechless and glared at Archer. Archer didn't care and continued to himself.
"This is not something you can understand. The total amount of my property is even beyond the scope of my own cognition. But as long as it is a 'treasure', then it must belong to me. You actually want to rob my treasure? Have a little self-awareness."
'It's crazy!' Saber was speechless.
"Your words are similar to Caster's. It seems that he's not the only deranged Servant."
"Hmph!"
Archer didn't even bother to respond to such a topic, just snorted coldly and continued drinking. It seems that when he drinks, his temper is less violent than usual.
However, Archer is not lying; after all, he is the oldest "Hero King" in human history. Originally, Gilgamesh was the ruler of Uruk. It can be said that Gilgamesh's change was due to the arrival of Enkidu, and it was not until later, after Enkidu's death, that Gilgamesh changed back to the appearance of a tyrant. This is the Gilgamesh we see now.
At this time, Rider, who was drinking wine, suddenly spoke up.
"Speaking of which, I think I still know your real name. There must be only one king who is more proud than my Iskandar."