"Introductions for me are meaningless as it appears that you lot at least were decent enough to recognize me. Somehow." Gilgamesh chuckled loudly with a hint of his ever present arrogance as he flicked his hair back.
"This is my Master." Gilgamesh put a hand on top of the boy's hair, shaking his head a bit from one side to the other. "He had an ugly name though so I just told him to forget about it and forbade him from mentioning it. Just call him however you like, he wouldn't care, probably."
In response the boy just gave a listless nod as a sign of affirmation to his statement.
The girl, Sialim, just nodded back unbothered by the somewhat disturbing notion of someone prohibiting a kid from saying his own name out loud, not craziest thing you would hear around after all.
Archer, seemingly having regained his cool, also spoke up after clearing throat. "Well, I already said the name of my Noble Phantasm out loud, so I guess I might as well–"
"No, thanks. I'm not so interested in the presentation of your true name, mongrel." Gilgamesh shook his head in annoyance as he interrupted him while he was still speaking.
"..." Archer just stared at Gilgamesh in utter annoyance with his brow quivering up and down in anger as he scowled at him openly.
Apparently the build up of their interactions up until now broke any sort of politeness someone like Ptolemaeus could have ever shown to him. "...You are such an asshole."
"Moderate your language, cur." Gilgamesh just smiled back at his insult before pointing at the boy with a shake of his head. "There's children in here."
As the two continued their little bouts of arguing Sialim continued observing the situation trying to piece together what kind of person she was talking to. There was somewhat of a discrepancy between what she expected of Ruler compared to what she saw with her own eyes.
Gilgamesh was after all the most famous among the heroic spirits summoned in the ritual of the holy grail war. And with fame it wasn't in reference to his legend but to his might during the Fourth Holy Grail War.
An arrogant and malicious king reborn as a Servant who even oppressed his own Master.
The picture he made for himself seemed to be somewhat in contrast with the legendary tale that depicted him and his journey to immortality which upon failing brought him to redemption.
'However, unlike the ruthless man described as someone who would let his own Master die when he needed him the most, he seems to care for that boy. He might have said something a bit disturbing about his name but even the person in question looks unbothered by it and Ruler seemed to be seriously looking out for him. He is arrogant but in a way that is somewhat unlike the information I have gathered.' Sialim took a moment to look between the scornful blonde man who was arguing with her Servant and the brown haired boy who didn't look the last bit like an asian and was definitely a foreigner.
Maybe feeling her gaze on him the boy turned to look at her as well. Their eyes met for a second. A serious somewhat professionally calm gaze and a completely listless one met. They held this little contest for a few more seconds before Sialim looked back at her glass.
Yes, those eyes definitely gave her the creeps every time she saw them, even being prepared for them this time it didn't change the result a single bit.
It was like being stared at by something that was not even alive and yet somehow was. It was like finding out inanimate things around you were actually staring at you for the entire time.
'He let the boy take risks and fight simply because he knew that he could save him, not that he didn't care about whether he would die or not. And this guy instead is just… I honestly have no idea.' She had a really hard time figuring him out in all honesty to herself.
However that wasn't what was important right now. She had to end this pointless argument.
"It's not my fault I don't care, Archer. Look I can wager that even the brat is uninterested in you. Isn't that right, kid?" Gilgamesh asked the boy, secretly gloating as he already knew what he was going to say.
"I'm not very curious about his identity." The boy answered with his face as impassive as a piece of stone.
Archer just rolled his eyes and immediately started rebuking. "Oh, come on. Of course he would say that he is on your side. I was a king too. I was a phara–"
"I think that is enough for now, Archer." Sialim however didn't let him finish his complaint.
"While I see that everyone seems to be enjoying this conversation I am afraid I do not have the luxury to do so. So I would appreciate it if we could start a more productive conversation about the reason why you decided to talk with the two of us over finishing the battle."
"Luxury, huh. Well worry not, little girl. While I certainly have the luxury to do so, unlike you, I am not heartless enough to let a child waste their little belongings such as their time. So I will just go straight to the point." Gilgamesh was direct and while his words were arrogant he clearly showed that he had no intention in engaging in this bout of talks for more than necessary.
"Thank you for your understanding." Sialim said as she was actually grateful that he at least wasn't the kind to talk in circles for too long at least.
"I have no need for your gratitude but I am pleased with your nice manners." Gilgamesh huffed as he set down his own drink before flattening his own smile into a thin line. "Anyway, I have essentially one big question and depending on the answer I will decide how to continue this conversation, do not bother lying or acting smart, I will know."
At that Gilgamesh let the words hang in the air for a while, at which Sialim just nodded to show her understanding and she honestly didn't even see anything Ruler might want to ask that would require her to lie in the first place anyway.
Seeing her gesture Gilgamesh didn't waste any more time and just asked her the first question, the most important one for him.
"Are you related to the creation and proceeding of this holy grail war or the ones behind it?"
"No, I do not have anything to do with either of those." Sialim answered without hesitation and shook her head in denial. "Actually, I'm not even a formal participant in this war. I killed a man who was to be a master in this war and took his place in the war."
"So you know nothing about them?"
"I know that a man going by the name of Matou Zouken is behind the organization of this war, he apparently received the permission of the landowner to use Tokyo as the grounds of this ritual. He had also apparently invited all the participants personally, so if you are curious about him you should try with them, however if they are anything like the one I killed then there is little chance that they might know anything worthwhile." She clarified.
"I see." Gilgamesh grunted in annoyance, this did sound awfully annoying from his point of view. "Well, I guess I at least have some good news for you then. If you have nothing to do with them then it means that at least for now I have no reason to pursue the two of you any further."
"...Are you after the organizer?"
"I guess you could say that. They did something that annoyed me so I was thinking of punishing them but there is no hurry for it. I will take it at my own leisure to resolve the matter."
"If you don't mind me probing, does this have anything to do with the reason why a Ruler was summoned in this war?"
"Then it is a pity that I very much mind your probing." Gilgamesh laughed sarcastically. "But if you want a reason for my summoning then it was all the kid."
"Him?" Sialim asked, looking from Gilgamesh to the boy.
Being brought to attention the boy in question just tilted his head unsure of their words.
"Don't look at him like that. He has a funny mental disposition so the Counter Force just decided to make him a Master." Gilgamesh said in a chuckle.
"The Counter Force? I thought the Counter Force would make it so a Ruler wouldn't be restrained by a Master who could leverage them to their benefit though." Sialim asked in surprise. Until now she believed the presence of Ruler to be due to a mistake in the summoning ritual due to the shift in location which might have led to an error and Archer's ability also supported this theory the most among the many others.
Archer's face also mirrored her same surprise.
Gilgamesh could fully understand their shock.
He lied after all.
He lied to the two of them and the boy included, of course.
He had no idea how he was even summoned himself and that too without even a reasoning being provided after the summoning by neither a grail nor the Counter Force.
But the explanation itself didn't exactly lack plausibility of course. After all
"This kid has a faulty personality and lacks any form of self interest. He was a perfect, neutral Master."
[Such a thing is possible?] Sialim asked her Servant telepathically in shock.
[Well, some Rulers should actually take human bodies as vessels so I guess a Master who holds no desire for a grail is not too far fetched.] Ptolemaeus answered somewhat dubiously but did not negate the possibility.
"So the two of you are actually the arbiters of this conflict? I thought that role belonged to the church but I guess they are indeed not present in this one." Archer asked in probing.
"Well, not exactly. We are under no obligation to uphold the role. If you are scared about the command spells you can rest easy that I possess no such thing to use on you and even if I did I wouldn't waste them on you." Gilgamesh said in a mocking reassurance for the other Servant.
"Tch. Yeah, yeah we get it, you are so cool buddy." Archer clicked his tongue in annoyance at the small dig.
"But of course I am. That is for sure." Gilgamesh said, acting as if he were oblivious to the sarcasm in his words which actually irritated Archer more.
"Also he wasn't even a magus before summoning me this Friday so be kind to him, alright?" Gilgamesh winked at Archer mockingly as he patted the boy's hair. "While I can understand the absolute brilliance of my teaching abilities to be enough to make it seem otherwise in the battle."
Gilgamesh was quite certainly enjoying sending these small digs in Archer's way whenever he could.
'...Now that is actually surprising and maybe even a bit shameful for myself.' Sialim did notice the boy's lack in repertoire and that he was definitely an amateur but she would have never guessed that he had actually been a magus for like three days at most.
And mind you she was also forced to be severely holding back due to the environment, had she not prioritized keeping her bounded field up to uphold secrecy, which thankfully avoided on of the worst case scenarios when the two Servants clashed, then the result would have been much different, her Etherlite can extend all the way to five kilometers in distance so Gilgamesh would have had to come and save him right away in that situation.
And probably cause even more of a ruckus though.
'And if his satisfied gloating is any proof of it then he is certainly speaking the truth, but back there he wasn't really moving much like an amateur, he acted preemptively to any of my attacks and moved as if he had eyes everywhere. Was Ruler helping him or does he possess some special ability that makes him hyperaware of his surroundings?'
She knew that whatever the case it didn't really take away from his achievement, but knowing the answer for sure would at least give her a better take on the boy for sure. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like she would have the chance to find out for now and she had no intention of acting dumb enough to ask it straight to their faces.
"Well, I guess the important things are out of the way. While I would like to know if there is anything interesting around this war there is nothing that I would like to know about that mongrel called Zouken you mentioned before but I can handle it from here so I have nothing else to ask." Gilgamesh refilled his glass calmly as the previous air of mockery melted down in the air. "The drinks are on me, feel free to enjoy them."
Saying so Gilgamesh brought out another two bottles on the table. One of wine for Archer and juice for the girl.
"There is one thing I would like to ask." Sialim accepted the bottle and refilled her cup with orange juice that was actually oozing mystery from it, truly insane.
"Depends on what you are curious about, but sure, go ahead and say it out loud." Gilgamesh allowed.
"You say you aren't arbiters, or rather I guess the right term would be that of supervisors, to this ritual but then…" She paused letting her words settle in as she took in the boy's apathetic gaze and Ruler's amused one. "What are you?"
"So that's what you were curious about?" Gilgamesh smiled as if happy she asked that very same question, his expression a mixture of satisfaction and light surprise. "You pose an interesting question, little girl, maybe the smartest you could have asked in this situation."
Sialim just stayed impassive to Ruler's words and simply waited for him to finish his preamble and answer her question. Gilgamesh who could catch that sentiment from her demeanor turned around leaned on the counter with his back while looking at her from sideways.
"But it is a pity that you had to ask such a question despite it being very funny. Because you see, the answer is–" Gilgamesh said as he put a hand on top of the boy's shoulder with a smirk marring his face. "Not one that is for me to decide after all."
"!?" Sialim was certainly quite a bit taken aback by the Servant's answer. She took it for granted that Ruler, being the one who also pretty much wordlessly admitted to his control in the two's relationship, would be the one to decide the answer to a question on what their position currently was.
And this made no sense at all for Sialim, after all just today he–. "If the answer is for him to decide then why did you try to make him start a conflict in the first place?"
"To teach him, of course. How would he know whether he would like to do it or not without at least seeing what it's like first hand." Gilgamesh said matter of factly.
'What sort of distorted logic is this?' Sialim thought a bit exasperated, nearly breaking her composure from the urge to deadpan at his statement.
Behind her Archer chuckled as if he expected this kind of answer, he also knew someone who would have done something similar a long time ago.
His reaction did not escape his master though. 'Heroic spirits sure are a handful at times…'
Shaking her head she just dismissed her thoughts and turned to look at the boy who was still dressed only in his underwear.
Ever since the beginning of this discussion he only ever talked when prompted to do so by Gilgamesh and was otherwise silent, only occasionally sipping his drink. If she wanted an answer she had to ask so directly.
But the boy, seemingly having taken the hint that he should say something, spoke first. "I don't really care."
"..."
"..."
Silence settled briefly in the bar after his words, Sialim and the boy made eye contact, she could feel an uneasy discomfort every second she kept looking at his pupils which seemingly reflected little to no light but she kept her eyes on him nevertheless.
"...Could you please elaborate a little more on that?" She finally asked after seeing that he had no intention of elaborating further by himself.
"Elaborate more? On what?" The boy in response could only tilt his head unsure on what more he needed to say to his answer.
Seeing his apparent lack of understanding for her question Sialim stole a quick glance at Ruler, who blatantly ignored her in favor of staring at the ceiling clearly unbothered by his surroundings.
"I want to know what it is that you don't care about exactly?" This war was a conflict of magi, the most vile tactics and backstabbings were at the order of the day at any moment. She wanted to make sure of at least somewhat understanding the rough stance of the person before her or else who knew what might get her when she least expected it.
She needed to make sure she at least knew what it was that uninterested the boy. Because things like that were most of the time not absolute, more often than not people could just wake up the next day and change their mind on many things.
A person could change their mind at any and all time after all. It was always just a matter of how much they were tipping along the edges of their stance.
If she wanted to be sure of at least how much this disinterest could last it would help her get an idea on how to proceed forward.
"..." The boy still looked perplexed by her inquiry though.
It seemed that she would need to be a bit more specific in that case.
"Is it the conflict you are uninterested in partaking in? Or is it disinterest in the prize, the grail? That's what I want to know." She clarified.
"Oh." The boy hummed finally understanding what she was getting at. 'She just wants to know the exact reason for it, huh. Well, it's easy enough to answer this.'
"I just don't care at all."
"..." This was the most useless response Sialim had ever received in her twelve years of life.
***
Hello there.
Hope you enjoyed, I think I will change the usual wednesday chap to a monday one from here on, I succeed at writing a chapter this week and I hope I will be able to write another the next, so for now I still have two of them already prepared and I hope the number won't decrease cause it will mean that I might eventaully miss on an update.
Leave comments and share your thoughts pls