As it turned out, the woman lying in the alley hadn't been attacked by Gilgamesh. He and his Master, Hakuno Kishinami, had simply heard her scream and arrived before Shiomi and the others.
Gilgamesh stayed behind to secure the scene, while Hakuno ran off to find a nearby patrol officer.
"I didn't think you'd let your Master act alone under these circumstances," Shiomi said, still eyeing Gilgamesh with suspicion. "Aren't you worried she'll be targeted by the Servants who just attacked a civilian?"
After handing the unconscious woman over to the police for protection, the group left Shinto and headed toward the banks of the Mion River.
"My Master isn't so fragile," Gilgamesh replied nonchalantly, even sounding somewhat smug, as if showing off a prized possession.
Morgan took a moment to study Hakuno.
Though she looked like an ordinary Magus, there was definitely something guarding her—perhaps a Noble Phantasm from Gilgamesh's treasury.
If that was the case, not even an Assassin-type Servant would be able to harm her.
"Now then, let's get back on topic," Morgan said. "You two aren't participants in this Holy Grail War, are you?"
Hakuno hesitated before nodding. She was trying to figure out how to explain it.
After all, during interstellar travel, they had been caught in a temporal disturbance and swept into a Japanese city in the year 2004—right in the middle of a Holy Grail War.
Up to now, Hakuno suspected the Holy Grail War itself might be the reason she and Gilgamesh had ended up here.
"You say that, but the same goes for you two. You're not part of this Holy Grail War either," Gilgamesh retorted without backing down. "From what I see, you're a Servant who remained after the last Grail War, aren't you, fairy of paradise?"
Just like ten years ago, the golden man used that same title.
"I'm impressed you knew that," Shiomi said. Ever since ten years ago, he had suspected there was something unusual about Gilgamesh's Clairvoyance—it could perceive things beyond the future.
For instance, Gilgamesh had once hinted at Shiomi's origin in the Land of Shadows.
"Don't think defeating a careless version of me means you'll win again," Gilgamesh declared from atop the riverbank. "Even if I only wield a tenth of my treasures, I'm not someone you can afford to underestimate."
Hakuno smiled awkwardly. "Well, it's true Gilgamesh has been pretty lax lately. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten dragged into this mess."
"Hakuno, you little rascal," Gilgamesh laughed heartily, ruffling the girl's hair. "You've gotten bold. Looks like broadening your horizons has helped you grow a lot, hahaha!"
He really wasn't the same King of Heroes he once knew, Shiomi thought to himself.
"So, King of Heroes, are you planning to intervene in this Holy Grail War?" Morgan asked.
"Well, that's…" Hakuno was surprisingly hesitant.
"I've got no interest in the Grail," Gilgamesh said, "and my Master doesn't care either. So we'll just watch from the sidelines. Besides, the Holy Grail here had the sense to assign me the Ruler class."
Shiomi was shocked. "Ruler?"
He wasn't surprised Gilgamesh qualified for that role—after all, according to numerous legends and magical texts, the King of Heroes was indeed worthy of being a 'judge of human history.'
What caught him off guard was that a Ruler had actually been inserted into this particular Grail War.
"No need to be so surprised, Shiomi," Gilgamesh said. "You should know exactly why a Ruler gets summoned."
First, because the structure of this Holy Grail War is extremely unusual, with an unknown outcome. Second, because its effects could potentially distort the world itself.
"Of course I know why a Ruler would be summoned. But this Holy Grail War is more stable than the last one, even the corruption of the Greater Grail has been purified. I just can't see a reason for a Ruler to appear—" Shiomi stared directly at Gilgamesh, refuting his point.
"You've already met Caster, haven't you?" Gilgamesh cut him off. "The man with eyes that pierce through past and future—the so-called King of Magecraft."
That single line left Shiomi at a loss for words.
"Unlike me, that man doesn't change his stance depending on the situation." Gilgamesh grinned, clearly amused. "Summoned as a Servant, he'll fully commit to fulfilling his Master's needs."
In other words, within the Holy Grail War, the King of Magecraft was an even greater threat than the King of Heroes.
Even the King of Heroes himself acknowledged that.
After all, Shiomi could still sense the difference between the two Gilgameshes.
The previous one had treated everything like a game until the very end.
But this one—despite his diminished power—was in an unmistakably serious mode.
In fact, upon closer consideration, Shiomi thought this version of Gilgamesh might be even harder to deal with.
By contrast, the King of Magecraft didn't have an "on" or "off" switch. As a Servant, he was always serious—following his Master's orders and suggestions to the letter and executing them flawlessly.
"So you're saying the reason you were given the Ruler class is because of that?" Morgan asked.
"You'd know best, Witch of Britannia," Gilgamesh replied. "You didn't even flinch when you heard your opponent was the King of Magecraft, did you?"
"Hmph..." Morgan chuckled softly but didn't deny it.
And that made the answer crystal clear—if only the King of Magecraft had shown up, the Holy Grail War's outcome would've been set in stone.
But the arrival of Shiomi and Morgan made things unpredictable. The Greater Grail decided a judge was needed.
That judge was Gilgamesh.
"You've already met the King of Magecraft?" Shiomi asked again.
"Had no choice. That guy's a stickler for rules. My Master and I had just gotten a foothold here when he showed up," Gilgamesh said, looking increasingly pleased. "So I gave him a little tip—shared some info about you lot."
"No wonder Caster showed up back then... so it wasn't just a random intrusion onto the battlefield," Shiomi muttered, feeling a headache coming on.
Gilgamesh turned away. "Struggle all you like. Whether it's the King of Magecraft or you who wins, I'll act as the judge and award the Holy Grail to the victor."
Hakuno, who hadn't taken a single step, put her hands together and bowed slightly to the two of them, a silent apology that said she had no control over Gilgamesh whatsoever.
"Don't worry about it. With a Servant like that, I'm more inclined to sympathize with you," Morgan said kindly.
"Hahaha..." Hakuno gave a strained laugh.
Just then, Gilgamesh called out, "If you don't start moving, I'll just leave you here," prompting Hakuno to quickly say her goodbyes and follow after him.
As he watched them go, Shiomi's mind was already elsewhere.
"Besides the King of Magecraft, now we've got the King of Heroes acting as Ruler..."
His head was starting to ache.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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