Chapter 121
When we all teleported, we found ourselves in front of the Einzbern castle, which was built deep in the forest. And, just as I expected, Oz was already there along with my three knights, all dressed in ceremonial attire that had a hint of military style. However, what drew my attention the most was the appearance of the knight of valor, Yae Rin. I had already thought before that she looked a lot like Yae Miko without her ears, but that's not actually true—she was almost an exact copy of her sister, Yae Sakura. The only things that set them apart were their eye color and the fact that Yae Sakura's ears looked more like those of a rabbit than a fox.
And now, here she was—so beautiful, in her blue tailcoat and ankle-length cloak—suddenly sporting a pair of ears on her head.
"Rin?" I called to the knight-girl inquiringly, also drawing Tosaka's attention; from my glance alone she understood that I wasn't addressing her.
"Hehe, looks good, right?" Rin said with a joyful smile, running her hand over her ears. "Mei made these for me, they're just like real ones."
"So they're mechanical?" I asked curiously, stepping closer. Seeing my intention, she leaned down slightly, letting me touch them. They felt pleasantly soft to the touch, but there was no mistaking the metal inside.
"Uh-huh. I can already imagine us visiting my sister's world. I wonder if she's met someone?" It was clear that she was already living in anticipation of the future.
"Ahem, Rin, you know that it's not time for that yet," Oz coughed.
"Oz, what's he talking about? I'm obviously not in the loop," I sent a mental message to my familiar, who was currently in his human form.
"Don't worry, milady, I'll explain later. It's to do with an old promise made to one of your predecessors. Naturally, it must be fulfilled," came the chronicler's reply at once.
"All right," our telepathic conversation was fast, and those around us didn't notice anything. Still, now was the perfect time for introductions, so I turned to those accompanying me.
"Allow me to introduce my vassals," I started, indicating Oz first. "This is my familiar, as well as the Great Chronicler of Nirvana—Osvaldo Hrafnavins. In fact, you already know him—in his raven form."
"Who on earth would want to spend most of their day as a raven?" Tosaka muttered, slightly puzzled, but her words were largely ignored. Oz, meanwhile, approached Shiki, who didn't look the slightest bit surprised.
"Miss, it is an honor that you've chosen to accompany me today," he bowed slightly to her.
"Hmph, dirty old man," Yae Rin snorted, well aware of the enormous age difference between Oz and this young woman—after all, he was the one who recorded the history of countless cycles. Even though he looked like a handsome young man, the fact remained that he was, to put it mildly, ancient.
Surprisingly, her words did seem to get to Oz—he looked momentarily embarrassed. Fortunately, Shiki didn't care about his age. Meanwhile, I introduced the others.
"This sweet girl is my first knight, the knight of valor, Yae Rin," I motioned to the fair-haired girl with the rabbit ears.
"Hi-hi!" she waved cheerfully. To be honest, it was hard to imagine that she commanded an entire legion. Nevertheless, it was nice to have such a lively person by my side.
"My second knight is the knight of sincerity, Kevin Kaslana." Admittedly, his appearance wasn't much different from his usual clothes, but, more importantly, despite his friendly smile, he radiated the most threat among my knights. It was an instinctive sense that you simply wouldn't be able to oppose him; that feeling wasn't mere illusion. Even without his set of knightly armor and weapons, I doubted that even Excalibur could harm him with a direct blow. Honestly, I wasn't even sure if Shiki could see his lines of death: by nature, he was too absurd, rightfully considered the strongest of my knights; even a nuclear missile probably wouldn't faze him.
"My third knight is the knight of mercy, Mei Kaslana." Of the trio, her face was probably the most neutral. Not even a hint of a smile—just a calm expression. As always, she wore glasses, which I believed she wore out of habit rather than necessity, and she kept as close to Kevin as possible.
"Oh, and, right, Mordred, come here," I called over the knightly girl, who was looking somewhat displeased at her dress compared to my knights' attire, though she still approached.
"Allow me to introduce the Heroic Spirit I summoned," I began, introducing Mordred to my knights. "She's a Knight of the Round Table, Mordred, Saber-class."
"The Knight of Betrayal," suddenly, the tone of the seemingly cheerful Yae Rin turned cold as she voiced my servant's title. The way she looked at Mordred was, to put it lightly, filled with disdain. Even so, she didn't say anything more.
"Your majesty, please, let me accompany you after the banquet as well," the knight-girl asked, putting her fist to her chest and bowing seriously.
"If you're worried about Mordred betraying me, there's no need," I shook my head, but seeing her disappointment, and that she wanted to object, I added, "But if you'd like, I don't mind your company."
"Hmph, if you have something to say to me, say it to my face and be ready to cross blades," Mordred insisted, seeing my first knight's attitude toward her.
"Mordred, calm down," came Artoria's stern voice as she decided to intervene—and also introduce herself—though her speech was interrupted by an angry roar from inside the castle, which was abruptly cut off.
"Damn, hoping Gilgamesh could do diplomacy was apparently a mistake," I frowned, feeling a flicker of concern for Illya, whom I honestly didn't wish any harm; in fact, a happy ending for her personally would be the ideal end to this Holy Grail War, in my opinion.
"Let's hurry." With that, I was the first to rush off toward the source of the roar, most likely belonging to Heracles.
I teleported in short jumps covering visible distances, but even so, Yae Rin and Kevin arrived before me, running at a speed far exceeding that of heroic spirits.
"Let go of Berserker!" came the furious shout of a girl who appeared to be around 11 or 12, yet stood bravely before the King of Heroes; beside them was Heracles, bound with golden chains—even his head was so tightly wrapped that he couldn't open his mouth.
"Beasts have no place at the table! Be grateful I showed even this much mercy and didn't simply put you to sleep, mutt!" Gilgamesh snapped irritably, golden portals opening behind him.
"Rin?" I looked at the knight-girl, who nodded quickly, summoned a katana's sheath into her left hand, and in the next instant—even though my left eye was open—I saw only a pink slash of light before she was by the captive hero's side. However, just as she was about to cut the chains, they dissolved into golden particles.
"Who are you?" the King of Heroes asked warily for the first time, just barely retracting the heavenly chains in time to save them from destruction. But the girl didn't answer, and instead she was now in front of the young girl, patting her on the head, saying:
"Don't worry, now that the princess is here, no one will hurt you."
Everything changed so quickly that Illya didn't even know how to react to being patted on the head like a little child—even though she was actually eighteen.
"You..." Gilgamesh squinted when he spotted me, quickly putting two and two together. "If you're going to bring servants, at least teach them basic manners."
"I don't think you're someone who cares much for courtesy," I brushed off the remark from someone who probably doesn't even have the faintest idea of politeness. "Why don't you show us instead what you've prepared to impress this princess?"
"Don't get cocky just because I was generous enough to let you taste food fit for a king before your demise," Gilgamesh scoffed arrogantly, then after a glance at Yae Rin—who, clutching her katana's hilt, glared menacingly at him—added, "And keep your mutt in check before I lose my temper."
He then calmly turned away from us and entered the castle, where, presumably, the banquet would be held.
"ROAAAR!" Heracles roared after him, and to be honest, it sounded very much as if he was cursing him out. Interestingly, he didn't go on a rampage but instead quietly took his place next to Illya, standing like a guardian.
"Yeah... what an unpleasant guy," Kevin muttered, scratching his head.
"Who's going to deal with him later, you or me?" he asked Rin.
"That's for the princess to decide," the girl answered calmly, her katana dissolving into blue particles.
"If you say so," Kevin accepted easily, then looked at me. "Your Majesty?"
"I'll leave it to you. When the time comes, finish him quickly and don't drag it out."
"As you command," he bowed slightly.
"Hey, big guy, were you this huge when you were alive?" Yae Rin asked Heracles curiously. Understandable—he stood about three meters tall, and considering the girth of his limbs, with arms and legs comparable to tree trunks, it was hard not to wonder how he ever had children.
"It's amazing how quickly her mood changes—from playful to serious and back," I remarked.
"Yeah, I'm a little jealous, actually," Kevin replied, as the others finally caught up. From the direction Gilgamesh had disappeared, two maids—who looked completely identical—emerged.
"Lady Illya, everything is ready. The King of Heroes is awaiting his guests."
"Thank you, Lizrit, Sella, but before we go, I'd like to ask our guests: just what is going on here!?" Illya, who had finally collected her thoughts, responded, almost shouting the question that had been plaguing her since Gilgamesh's appearance in this castle—the way he acted like the master, allowing mutts to live in his courtyard purely out of the goodness of his heart.