Irisviel, who had been in a critically injured state just a short while ago, was now acting as if nothing had happened. After settling the severely wounded Maiya Hisau, she inspected the castle, which was riddled with holes from the destruction.
Rin had deliberately caused some commotion when she acted to attract Saber's attention. After Saber found Irisviel, her injuries began to heal rapidly, and she was now fully recovered. This wasn't because she was a Homunculus, but because she had Saber's Holy Sword scabbard, avalon, inside her body.
Originally, if Saber had carried this scabbard, Saber would have been in an invincible state in this Holy Grail War. It was a defense that even the Five Great Magics could not interfere with.
But Kiritsugu Emiya did not do this, because he did not place his hope of victory in Saber's hands, or rather, he did not trust the king of knights to bring him victory. He trusted himself more than the righteous king of knights.
Therefore, the safety of Irisviel, who was both the Holy Grail container and Saber's proxy Master and had to fight on the front lines, was paramount. Thus, without Saber's knowledge, avalon was implanted into her body by Kiritsugu Emiya as a conceptual armament.
However, this was very contradictory for Irisviel. The thought of being protected by Saber made her feel deeply sad for the severely wounded Maiya Hisau, and at the same time, the young girl felt deep guilt towards the king of knights. But considering her importance in the Holy Grail War, it was undoubtedly a fact that she had to be protected first. Feeling pain because a companion was severely injured, it couldn't be denied that this was her childish sentimentality.
Troubled by the animosity between her husband and the king of knights, and conflicted internally, Irisviel sighed deeply. But just then, a sudden roar echoed in her ears.
Not only that, this roar, tearing through the night, accompanied by the impact on the barrier, placed a huge burden on her Magic Circuits. The instantaneous dizziness almost made Irisviel collapse in the ruins of the corridor.
The roar came from a close-range thunderclap, and the ensuing magical impact meant that the barrier in the forest outside the castle had been attacked. Although the barrier was not something easily destroyed, the spell formula had been broken.
"What's going on, a frontal breakthrough?!" Irisviel's face changed dramatically.
A fierce battle had just ended, and now someone else was attacking? Wasn't it said that the Holy Grail War would be temporarily suspended until Caster was eliminated? Who could it be?!
Irisviel was filled with inexplicable fear. Suddenly, a pair of strong arms supported her shoulders. They were Saber's arms, who had appeared by her side immediately after discovering the anomaly.
"Are you alright, Irisviel?"
"Yes, just startled. I didn't expect such a reckless guest to visit." Irisviel shook her head, relatively composed.
Saber looked towards the source of the sound and said in a deep voice, "I'll go out and meet the enemy. You stay by my side."
Irisviel nodded at her words. Staying by Saber's side as she went to meet the enemy meant she herself would also have to face the enemy. But the battlefield was the safest place for Irisviel, because Saber would be right beside her.
Irisviel quickened her pace, following closely behind Saber. The two of them rushed through the castle, which had been terribly damaged by the two invaders, one after another, heading straight for the castle's main hall. Since the opponent was attacking from the front, they should be able to meet him there.
"The thunder just now, and this reckless tactic—the opponent must be Rider," Saber said as she walked. In her impression, no other Servant would be so reckless, except for that tyrannical brute.
"I think so too," Irisviel recalled the immense power of the noble phantasm, Chariot of Divine Might, which she had witnessed a few days ago at Fuyuki Port. That anti-army noble phantasm, with its thunder-wreathed divine bull chariot, could probably easily destroy the magical nodes of the bounded field set up in the forest if it unleashed its full power. If the bounded field had been intact, it might have been able to resist, but due to the damage caused by Rin, Caster, and Kayneth shortly before, the bounded field was at its weakest.
"Hey, king of knights! I have come specifically to meet you, come out and show yourself!" The voice came from the main hall. The opponent had already entered the main entrance. Without a doubt, the enemy was Rider, King of Conquerors Iskandar.
Hearing his powerful shout, his tone didn't sound like a warrior about to fight, but Saber didn't dare to relax in the slightest. As she ran, she materialized her bright silver armor of magical energy.
Irisviel and Saber finally passed through the corridor and arrived at the main hall. However, when the two of them saw the enemy Servant standing in the hall under the already bright hall lights, they were at a loss for words.
"Yo, Saber. After hearing about the castle here, I wanted to come and see it. How did it end up like this?" King of Conquerors Rider smiled, showing his teeth without any remorse. Then he seriously stretched his neck, "There are too many trees in the yard, making it inconvenient to enter and exit. I almost got lost before reaching the castle gate, so I cut some down for you. Thank me, the view is much better now."
He forcibly destroyed a bounded field that others had painstakingly arranged, and then expected them to thank him. Such words could probably only come from this overbearing King of Conquerors.
"Rider. What is your purpose in coming here?" Saber spoke sharply, but facing this enemy who always made people feel inexplicable, she didn't know what else to say.
Instead, King of Conquerors frowned and spoke to Saber first:
"Hey, king of knights, aren't you changing into modern attire tonight? Why are you wearing this stiff armor again?"
As he spoke, he forcefully thumped his strategic game T-shirt with a world map on it, not knowing if he was showing off or what, but it left Saber utterly speechless. Of course, she didn't know that the reason he wore such an outfit was inspired by her wearing a suit.
However, Saber wore a suit because of Irisviel, so ultimately, the "culprit" was the silver-haired woman standing to the side!
And Waver, as King of Conquerors's Master, half-hid behind the latter's massive body, looking up at Irisviel. From his expression, it was unclear whether he was hostile towards her or felt fear.
No need to say anything, his face clearly read, "I want to go home."
For such a contradictory pair, neither Saber nor Irisviel understood their intentions. To say it was a battle didn't seem right, but to say it was a friendly gesture... would a friendly person forcibly destroy their bounded field? If so, they swore they would never want such a friend.
Moreover, what made them even more curious was that King of Conquerors was not holding a weapon or anything else used for combat, but rather... a barrel?
Yes, no matter how they looked at it, it was a wooden wine barrel. A burly man easily carrying a wine barrel under his arm while riding an ox-cart, no matter how one looked at him, he didn't resemble a Heroic Spirit; instead, he looked more like a tavern owner delivering goods.
"You..." Saber, momentarily speechless again, took a deep breath and said calmly, "Rider, what is your purpose in forcibly invading someone else's territory?"
"Can't you tell by looking? I came to drink with you. Don't just stand there, lead the way. There should be a courtyard suitable for a banquet, this castle is full of dust, it won't do."
Saying that, King of Conquerors shook his head, pointing to the surrounding ruins-like environment, his face firm and matter-of-fact.
"..."
Saber sighed helplessly, the anger that had accumulated in her chest also vanished. Looking at this seemingly harmless opponent, she couldn't maintain her fighting spirit.
"Irisviel, what should we do?"
Irisviel was equally bewildered. She had been somewhat angry earlier about the destruction of the forest's bounded field, but after seeing that grinning face, she couldn't bring herself to hate him anymore.
"He's not the type to set traps, is he? Does he really just want to drink?" Irisviel asked Saber, utterly perplexed.
King of Conquerors had once said that he would challenge Saber after Saber and Lancer had decided their victor. If he was still honoring his promise, made with the pride and dignity of a Heroic Spirit, then his sudden appearance tonight was truly baffling.
"No, this is a challenge!" Just then, Saber, who should have already lost her will to fight, suddenly became serious for some reason.
"A challenge?" Irisviel's head was full of question marks, indicating she couldn't understand.
But Saber's expression was solemn, and she said in a deep voice:
"Exactly. I am a King, and he is also a King. If we are to decide superiority at a drinking table, that is a war without bloodshed."
Perhaps hearing Saber's words and knowing that Saber understood so quickly, King of Conquerors laughed heartily and nodded.
"Hahahaha! Precisely. Since we cannot cross swords, then let us decide the victor with wine. king of knights, I will not let you off tonight, be prepared!"
"Interesting, I accept." Saber responded resolutely, radiating a fierce fighting spirit as if on a battlefield. Only now did Irisviel realize that this was not a joke, but a real battle.
Although this battle was quite speechless...
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