After ending his call with Kirei Kotomine, Tohsaka Tokiomi stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, frowning toward the distant scene of destruction. The aftermath of last night's battle between Saber and Archer had yet to fade.
Crowds of people bustled about like diligent ants, working together to heal the enormous scar carved into the city by the Holy Sword.
Countless buildings had also been reduced to rubble by the shockwaves generated as Ea gathered its power.
"What terrifying beings... Servants truly are."
Tokiomi couldn't help but sigh.
Click.
The door to the study opened.
Aoi Tohsaka entered carrying lunch, worry written across her face. Her long braided hair rested over one shoulder, and her fitted house dress accentuated her graceful figure.
"Just leave it on the desk. I don't have much of an appetite right now."
"Oh, right."
Tokiomi turned around and asked,
"Has Archer returned yet?"
"No."
After placing the meal on his desk, Aoi shook her head.
"After you used a Command Seal to forcibly recall Archer last night, he didn't say a single word before leaving again. He still hasn't come back."
"Honestly..."
Returning to his chair, Tokiomi rubbed his forehead in frustration.
"He's the oldest King of Heroes, yet he throws tantrums like an immature child."
As he spoke, his eyes drifted to the back of his right hand.
Only two Command Seals remained.
For any Master, Command Seals were invaluable strategic resources. Yet he had squandered one so carelessly on the very first night of the Holy Grail War...
"Where's Rin now?"
He glanced back at Aoi, who had begun gently massaging his shoulders.
"She's staying with relatives in Zenjō. Is something wrong?" Aoi asked in confusion.
She had insisted on staying behind because she couldn't bear to leave her husband alone. At the same time, she had been unable to contact Matou Kariya and worried he might do something reckless.
"Hmm..."
Tokiomi tapped his fingers rhythmically against the desk, lost in thought for a long while before finally making up his mind.
"Two particularly troublesome enemies have emerged in this Holy Grail War. One is Caster, who's indiscriminately kidnapping children. The other is the Magus Killer, who'll stop at nothing to achieve his objectives."
"The latter hasn't shown himself yet, but I'm certain he's already arrived in Fuyuki City."
"For the moment, the Holy Grail War has effectively come to a standstill while everyone deals with Caster."
"So..."
"Aoi, go to Zenjō immediately, pick up Rin, and fly with her to the Tohsaka family's villa in the Dragon Kingdom. Stay there for a few days."
"The regulations there are extremely strict regarding both magecraft and modern firearms. That's the only place where your safety can truly be guaranteed."
"But... what about you?" Aoi asked, knitting her brows.
If Tokiomi regarded this situation so seriously, then both the circumstances and the enemies involved had to be exceptionally dangerous.
"Don't worry."
"You know better than anyone how powerful Archer is. I possess the strongest trump card, abundant magecraft resources, and Kirei's assistance."
"As long as I proceed cautiously, victory in this Holy Grail War should already be within my grasp."
"The only thing I truly need to worry about is our enemies resorting to underhanded tactics by targeting the two of you."
"So..."
Before Tokiomi could finish, Aoi nodded in understanding.
"I understand. I'll take Rin to the Dragon Kingdom until it's safe. You... be careful."
"I will."
Tokiomi rose from his chair and embraced Aoi.
At the same time, he was already planning how to reel in the enormous catch called the Holy Grail War.
He was the fisherman.
Gilgamesh was the net in his hands.
Every other Master and Servant were merely fish waiting to be caught.
Even the so-called King of Knights and wielder of the Holy Sword was simply the biggest fish in the pond.
…
Aside from Caster's faction—the primary target—and the already eliminated Assassin and Lancer factions, Archer, Saber, and Rider all received the Holy Church's ceasefire notice.
Only Berserker's Master remained unreachable, because no one even knew who they were.
After finishing all the necessary communications, Kirei returned to his room, intending to take a short nap before the large-scale Servant battle that might erupt that night.
However...
The arrival of a blond young man wearing leather pants and a wool sweater shattered his peace of mind.
The man lounged comfortably on the sofa, leisurely sipping from a crystal wine glass filled with one of Kirei's prized vintage wines.
"Oh?"
"What an unexpected guest."
Kirei raised an eyebrow.
Without informing his father, Risei Kotomine, of Archer's arrival, he quietly closed the door behind him.
"Heh. There may be fewer bottles here overall, but there are far more fine wines than in Tokiomi's collection."
Gilgamesh gently swirled the wine in his glass before looking at Kirei with amused interest.
"So... you're not nearly as honest as you appear, Kirei Kotomine."
"Keeping the finest treasures for yourself is only human nature."
"But somehow, it feels strangely out of place coming from you."
"King of Heroes Gilgamesh, what brings you here?" Kirei asked, avoiding a direct response.
"I'm bored."
"Everything in this world bores me."
"And I imagine... I'm not the only one who feels that way."
A meaningful smile spread across Gilgamesh's face.
"You're truly that arrogant? Even Saber fails to pique your interest?" Kirei asked.
"Hmph."
"How many worthy opponents do you think I encountered during my lifetime?"
"A mere wielder of the Holy Sword only barely qualifies to earn a place among them."
Gilgamesh's reply only displayed his arrogance even more openly.
"I see."
"It seems I still know next to nothing about you."
"The mysteries surrounding the King of Heroes have long since been swallowed by the river of history."
Kirei sat across from him and poured himself a glass of wine.
"King of Heroes, you possess every treasure in the world. What could you possibly still find lacking?"
"What is it that you truly seek in this Holy Grail War?"
For some reason, Kirei no longer addressed Gilgamesh with the same formal honorifics as before.
"Perhaps you're right..."
"Tokiomi summoned me into this era, allowing me to maintain a physical body in the modern world. He has treated me with all the respect due a king."
"I ought to repay him in some fashion."
Gilgamesh paused before letting out a contemptuous laugh.
"But I never imagined..."
"...that he would be such an unbearably dull man."
"Utterly boring."
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