"Um... can I ask what your True Name is, Mister?"
Illya cupped her little face in both hands and looked curiously at Iskandar.
Under ordinary circumstances, asking a Servant to reveal their True Name during a Holy Grail War would have been an enormous taboo.
A Servant's identity often determined their abilities, legends, weaknesses, and Noble Phantasms, so exposing it carelessly could easily become fatal.
But Iskandar and Illya came from entirely different periods of history.
Whatever advantage Illya might gain from learning his identity was completely irrelevant to the Holy Grail War she was currently participating in.
In their case, the usual taboo was practically meaningless.
"Of course! Since you asked, listen carefully and remember it well!"
Iskandar immediately straightened his broad back, looking immensely proud as he swept one arm outward.
"This king is the King of Conquerors—Iskandar!"
Rin and Illya both froze.
They had received extensive education from ancient magecraft families and were naturally well versed in history, so neither of them could possibly fail to recognize that name.
Iskandar.
Alexander the Great.
One of the most famous conquerors in human history.
That was considerably more astonishing than either girl had expected.
"Ahahahahaha! Well?!" Iskandar laughed heartily at their expressions. "Are you awestruck by this king's True Name? How about joining my army and serving under me? This king's hunger for talented people will never be satisfied!"
Once again, the King of Conquerors displayed one of his oldest habits.
Trying to recruit practically everyone he met.
Unsurprisingly, both girls politely declined.
El-Melloi II could only release a helpless sigh.
Iskandar's behavior was somewhat embarrassing, but there was little point trying to stop him.
Even if he said something, the man almost certainly would not listen anyway.
"Oh, right, Boss."
Illya suddenly turned toward Yuto.
"Are these the friends you mentioned to me before?"
The question referred to something Yuto had previously discussed with her: the possibility of visiting Illya's world.
More specifically, it concerned the request Gilgamesh had entrusted to him.
The King of Heroes had been too embarrassed to bring up the matter himself, but he wanted to travel to Illya's world and meet his past self, so he had asked Yuto to arrange everything on his behalf.
Back then, Yuto had deliberately avoided revealing Gilgamesh's identity. He had simply told Illya that a "friend" wanted to visit.
The moment Illya brought it up, however, Iskandar and El-Melloi II immediately became curious.
"What friend?"
Iskandar looked toward Yuto in confusion.
Yuto's expression became slightly awkward.
Well...
At this point, it seemed increasingly unlikely that Gilgamesh's little secret would survive much longer in front of Iskandar and El-Melloi II.
After being questioned several times, Yuto eventually gave up and revealed Gilgamesh's name.
He did not explain the true reason for the trip, but simply hearing the King of Heroes mentioned was enough to make both men deeply curious.
"What the hell is Goldie planning?"
Iskandar rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Something about this feels suspicious."
El-Melloi II looked equally puzzled.
The two men immediately began speculating about Gilgamesh's intentions, while Rin and Illya were still trying to recover from hearing the name itself.
Tonight was clearly destined to be anything but peaceful for them.
First, they had learned that the enormous red-haired man sitting beside them was none other than Alexander the Great.
And now Yuto was casually telling them that the legendary King of Heroes from the Age of Gods was also a regular customer.
Even though both girls came from the world of magecraft and had already witnessed plenty of supernatural things, it was still difficult to suppress the turmoil such revelations stirred inside them.
Eventually, Iskandar and El-Melloi II stopped trying to guess exactly what Gilgamesh intended.
Sitting around speculating forever would accomplish nothing.
It would be easier to simply ask him directly when he appeared.
The two then placed their orders with Yuto, and while he returned to the kitchen to prepare their dishes, Illya enthusiastically continued questioning Iskandar.
She asked about everything from his life to various details surrounding the previous Holy Grail War, with Rin listening just as carefully beside her.
By the time Yuto finished preparing Iskandar and El-Melloi II's food and carried the dishes back into the dining area, Illya was still eagerly questioning the King of Conquerors.
Then the restaurant door slid open.
"Welcome."
Yuto set down the plates while turning toward the entrance.
The moment he saw who had arrived, his expression became slightly awkward.
He had only just exposed the man's involvement...
And now the man himself had walked in.
"Oh? So the King of Conquerors and Waver Velvet are already here. It seems this king hasn't arrived too late."
Gilgamesh entered with the familiar arrogant curve of his lips, while Enkidu followed beside him dressed in white.
Siduri had not come tonight.
"Oh! Goldie, you're finally here!" Iskandar immediately waved with a broad grin. "Perfect timing—we were just talking about you."
Gilgamesh's expression darkened.
That nickname did not suit his royal dignity in the slightest.
"Oi. As one who has already been defeated by this king, must I repeatedly remind you of how you should address me?"
Gilgamesh lifted his chin with obvious dissatisfaction, his posture resembling a proud swan arching its neck.
"You're so damn fussy."
Iskandar casually scratched one ear and looked completely unconcerned.
In the past, behavior like that probably would have enraged Gilgamesh immediately, but after spending so many days together in the restaurant, the arrogant King of Heroes and the rough King of Conquerors had gradually become accustomed to one another.
Both understood perfectly well that neither king was going to change for the other.
At this point, exchanging insults was simply part of how they interacted.
Gilgamesh gave an irritated snort before walking toward them.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced toward Rin and Illya.
He had noticed both girls the instant he entered, but deliberately showed no unusual reaction.
The King of Heroes had absolutely no intention of exposing his secret in front of Iskandar and El-Melloi II.
What he had asked Yuto to arrange the night before last was supposed to remain private.
As far as Gilgamesh was concerned, the fewer people who knew about it, the better.
Especially those two.
He absolutely did not want Iskandar or Waver finding out.
Unfortunately for him...
Yuto had already sold him out only moments earlier.
Gilgamesh calmly sat down.
Before he could say a single word, Iskandar spoke.
"King of Heroes, why do you want to go to Illya's world?"
Gilgamesh froze.
His entire body seemed to lock in place.
!!!∑(Дノ)ノ!!!
What?
He knew?!
Gilgamesh's eyes immediately snapped toward Yuto.
Unfortunately, Yuto had already escaped back into the kitchen.
At that moment, the King of Heroes felt two emotions rise inside him almost simultaneously.
Fury.
And overwhelming embarrassment.
Embarrassment so intense that for once, even Gilgamesh almost wished he could simply disappear.
...
For a while, the atmosphere in the restaurant became strangely quiet.
Yuto eventually emerged from the kitchen wearing a noticeably awkward smile.
Standing in front of him, Gilgamesh had closed his eyes and folded both arms across his chest.
His expression had become perfectly flat, making it impossible to tell whether he was furious, embarrassed, or contemplating murder.
Yuto sighed inwardly.
At the same time, he genuinely felt somewhat guilty.
He had known there was no realistic way to keep everything hidden forever, which was why he had eventually come out of the kitchen instead of continuing to avoid Gilgamesh.
Unfortunately...
Ever since Iskandar asked that question, Gilgamesh had entered this strange state of silent meditation with his eyes closed and arms crossed.
He looked like someone immersed in deep contemplation.
Even Iskandar could not understand what was happening.
He had only asked a question.
Why did Gilgamesh suddenly look as though his entire mind had crashed?
El-Melloi II glanced sideways at the King of Heroes.
The corner of his mouth rose ever so slightly before he gave a quiet snort.
Enkidu, meanwhile, smiled pleasantly.
Other people might not understand what Gilgamesh was doing.
Enkidu certainly did.
Gilgamesh was desperately hiding his embarrassment.
Closing his eyes, folding his arms, and pretending to meditate was simply the best way he had found to keep anyone from seeing through him.
As Gilgamesh's closest friend, Enkidu probably should have stepped in and helped him escape the situation.
But...
Watching the show was considerably more entertaining.
Rin and Illya exchanged confused looks.
Neither girl understood what was happening either, but they did not feel comfortable interrupting, so they simply waited for Gilgamesh to speak.
Finally, after a "long" silence, the King of Heroes moved.
He drew in a deep breath.
The muscles around the corners of his mouth twitched faintly before he slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing that, Yuto immediately tried to explain.
Gilgamesh cut him off before he could even begin.
"Enough. This was this king's oversight."
His expression remained completely calm.
Only someone watching extremely carefully might have noticed the tiny twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Yuto still wanted to say something, but Gilgamesh refused to give him the opportunity.
The king released a long breath.
"As a king, one should naturally account for every possible accident. This time, it was this king who failed to consider everything. Kamisaka, there is no need for you to say anything. This king will bear responsibility for the mistake."
Gilgamesh spoke with such solemn dignity that Yuto could only stare at him in mild surprise before nodding.
He had genuinely expected Gilgamesh to become furious.
He had not expected such a calm reaction.
Could this...
Be what people called a king's composure?
"Hey, hey, I'm not following any of this." Iskandar looked between the two of them in confusion. "Did you actually ask Kamisaka to keep your trip to Illya's world secret?"
Yuto gave a helpless smile and nodded.
Iskandar immediately understood.
"So that's why Kamisaka looked strange when we kept asking him earlier."
Almost immediately, however, his expression became peculiar again.
"Still... is this really something worth hiding?"
He gave Gilgamesh a suspicious look.
Gilgamesh's expression shifted faintly.
He tucked his chin inward before giving a cold snort.
"Hmph! You think that dull mind of yours is capable of guessing this king's thoughts? Don't overestimate yourself!"
The King of Heroes threw all his arrogance directly at Iskandar.
Iskandar did not become angry.
If anything, his expression only grew stranger.
At that moment, El-Melloi II calmly joined the conversation.
"Then may I ask what exactly you intend to do?"
He stared steadily at Gilgamesh, his narrow eyes carrying a sharp, almost intimidating pressure.
Gilgamesh met his gaze without the slightest hesitation.
An ordinary person might have felt unsettled beneath the Clock Tower Lord's scrutiny.
Gilgamesh was not an ordinary person.
As the most arrogant king beneath heaven, there was no one he feared.
"As a subject, you should remember your place. Who gave you the right to question this king?"
His words practically overflowed with arrogance, and his domineering presence filled the space around him.
El-Melloi II had argued with Gilgamesh far too many times for such an attitude to genuinely anger him anymore.
If anything, it only increased his curiosity.
What exactly existed in Illya's world that attracted the King of Heroes so strongly that he wanted the trip concealed even from Iskandar and himself?
El-Melloi II quietly began considering every possibility he could imagine.
At that moment, Illya's eyes suddenly brightened.
She stared at Gilgamesh.
Then she remembered the man Berserker had chased away yesterday.
Wait...
They really did look alike!
No.
The more closely she looked, the more obvious it became.
They looked almost exactly the same.
Before the thought occurred to her, Illya had never paid particular attention to the resemblance, largely because the Gilgamesh standing before her and the man from yesterday created completely different impressions.
The difference between them was so enormous that it had overwhelmed the similarities in their appearances.
The man from yesterday had been surrounded by something Illya could only describe as a strange mixture of "evil" and "darkness," an atmosphere so oppressive that simply looking at him made people instinctively wary.
The Gilgamesh in front of her was entirely different.
He might be arrogant, difficult to approach, and constantly behave as though everyone around him was beneath his notice, but he did not inspire that same instinctive fear.
Strangely enough...
There was even something about him that felt trustworthy.
"They look so alike..."
Illya unconsciously murmured the thought aloud.
Unfortunately, practically nobody inside the restaurant qualified as ordinary.
Everyone heard her.
Several people immediately turned toward her in confusion.
"What looks alike?"
Iskandar scratched his head.
Gilgamesh also turned toward the little girl.
His brow furrowed slightly, and the look in his eyes became serious.
"Ah! Nothing, nothing! Sorry!"
Illya immediately realized what she had said and hurriedly waved her hands.
Iskandar casually looked away.
Gilgamesh did not.
"You."
His quiet voice immediately drew Illya's attention back.
"Have you seen someone who looks very similar to me?"
Despite his calm tone, there was an unmistakable pressure behind the question.
The authority of a king.
Illya instinctively stiffened before slowly nodding.
Gilgamesh's brow furrowed even deeper.
Beside him, Iskandar and El-Melloi II exchanged suspicious looks.
El-Melloi II in particular narrowed his eyes, already beginning to eliminate possibilities from his mind.
"Did you fight him?" Gilgamesh asked.
Illya nodded again.
The King of Heroes' expression tightened slightly.
His thoughts immediately turned toward the future he had once observed through his Clairvoyance.
Something had changed.
Someone who should have died...
Was still alive.
"Oh, right! Speaking of that—Boss-nii, has Uncle Heracles come to the restaurant during the past couple of days?"
Illya suddenly turned toward Yuto.
"No. Why?"
"If it hadn't been for the gift Uncle Heracles gave me, I really don't think we could have won yesterday."
Illya smiled with obvious lingering relief.
If Berserker had not mysteriously fused with the object Heracles had previously given her...
The battle yesterday might have ended very differently.
Illya herself might already have been dead.
That was why she wanted to thank Heracles personally the next time she saw him.
Gilgamesh listened quietly to their exchange.
After thinking through the implications for a moment, he slowly nodded.
If power originating from another world had interfered with events...
Then perhaps it was not so strange that the future he had originally observed had changed.
"Illya, could you describe the person you saw?"
El-Melloi II asked.
The little girl happily nodded before beginning to explain everything she remembered.
An attitude of overwhelming arrogance.
A face almost identical to Gilgamesh's.
Golden ripples appearing throughout the air and endlessly launching weapons.
And finally, the strange flying craft he had used to escape once Berserker overwhelmed him.
The more detailed Illya's description became, the more obvious the changes in Iskandar and El-Melloi II's expressions became.
Their initial curiosity gradually gave way to disbelief.
Enkidu, however, continued sitting nearby with the same pleasant smile, revealing absolutely nothing about what he thought.
Gilgamesh, meanwhile...
Fell completely silent.