"...That question is starting to become repetitive," Arthur said after staring at Gilgamesh for a few seconds.
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
Arthur let out a deep sigh.
"Seriously..." he muttered while massaging the back of his neck. "I'm becoming a professional at listening to alternate versions of myself asking who I am."
"...Other versions?" Gilgamesh asked, now genuinely curious.
"Yes," Arthur replied as he slowly began walking through the hall, as though recalling something incredibly distant.
"Once, I met a younger version of us. You know, shortly after Enkidu died, when we were still that arrogant, irritating version who thought absolutely everything in the world existed to satisfy us."
"..."
Gilgamesh remained staring at him in silence.
Arthur stared right back at Gilgamesh.
"..."
"..."
"...You're looking at me in a very offensive way," Arthur said.
Gilgamesh rested his face against one hand. To be completely honest, he understood that feeling very well.
"Continue."
"Anyway, he asked who I was. More than once... I killed him afterward," Arthur finally concluded.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Gilgamesh stared at Arthur for several seconds with a strange expression before slowly closing his eyes.
"...I see. To be honest..." he said while massaging his forehead. "I probably would've done the same."
"See? I told you we're the same person," Arthur replied with a smile.
"Changing the subject, what exactly are you doing here?"
"To be honest..." he answered calmly. "I have no idea either."
"...You don't know?" Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow.
"No." Arthur shook his head. "I have no idea who summoned me, nor how I was summoned in the Ruler class."
He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds.
"...Maybe some issue related to Chaldea. But considering the current situation..." he continued. "I was probably pulled here automatically when Ritsuka and Mash arrived."
Gilgamesh observed him silently.
"...And now?"
"...Now?" Arthur turned his eyes toward him.
"What do you intend to do?" Gilgamesh asked.
Arthur answered immediately:
"Isn't it obvious?" Arthur replied as his expression became serious.
"I'll help solve whatever problems appear. Of course, I'll do it my own way."
Ever since he recovered all the memories from the version of himself that traveled through the Singularities alongside Mash and Ritsuka, Arthur had been thinking about what the best course of action would be.
He could simply remain a spectator and watch them solve everything.
He knew they would eventually resolve that Singularity, but that path would lead to the destruction of Uruk.
He could try solving everything alone, which would be extremely boring.
Or finally, he could simply provide support whenever necessary, and that would be the best option.
Since he had been summoned in the Ruler class, he possessed the skill "Independent Action - EX." Thanks to that, he didn't need a Master in order to sustain himself.
Because of this, he wouldn't disappear, but on the other hand, using Noble Phantasms with massive magical energy consumption would still require support from a Master.
If he chose the second option, the entire burden of his magical energy consumption would fall upon Ritsuka.
Of course, he could simply use the Third Magic on himself and literally gain unlimited magical energy.
However, that would be foolish.
If he used the Third Magic on himself now and, due to some unforeseen circumstance, ended up perishing, then it would truly be over for him.
"I intend to change the fate of Uruk's destruction... I'm also going to prevent Siduri from turning into a Lahmu," Arthur said after remaining silent for a few seconds.
The instant he heard that, Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed immediately.
"...Why?"
"Don't give me that 'why?' I have no intention of living while carrying the regret of knowing I let her die once again," Arthur replied while slowly turning his head toward the exit of the hall.
As though he could still see Siduri walking outside.
"Siduri is the only person who managed to tolerate us for so many years..." he said with a small tired smile. "...She can't simply die like that."
Gilgamesh remained staring at Arthur without saying anything.
"Ah, and one more thing," Arthur said while turning his gaze back toward Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh immediately felt an extremely bad sensation.
Very bad.
"...Have some shame and marry Siduri already."
Absolute silence.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"WHY THE HELL WOULD I DO THAT?!" Gilgamesh immediately roared.
Arthur looked at him with a completely expressionless face.
"...Are you an idiot?"
Gilgamesh froze.
Arthur continued staring at him the same way.
"And I know exactly how I felt back then. Besides, no other woman would be capable of enduring you besides her."
"For many years, she devoted herself to supporting our reign in Uruk. Furthermore, she is an elegant and intelligent woman who genuinely cares about Uruk and its people."
"She is also loved by the citizens of Uruk. No other woman in Uruk is more suitable for that position."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Gilgamesh stared at Arthur for several seconds before slowly closing his eyes and bringing a hand to his forehead.
Then he let out an incredibly long sigh.
"...That is exactly the kind of idiotic thing I would say to myself."
"That's not idiocy, it's a fact. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find my lovely group of girls, while you still have work to do," Arthur said as he turned around and left the Ziggurat.
"That bastard says something this outrageous and then leaves as though nothing happened?" Gilgamesh complained, but soon decided to forget about it for now and returned to focusing entirely on his work.
A/N: Same vibration
---xXx---
"Yo~ I'm back, girls," Arthur said as he finally arrived at the lodgings Siduri had guided the group toward.
It was an old tavern.
Judging from the building's structure, the first floor served as the common area, while the second and third floors were reserved for guest rooms.
Despite its aged appearance, the place still possessed a certain cozy charm.
It had probably once been a rather lively establishment before Uruk's situation became so dire.
"Senpai!"
Upon seeing him enter, Mash, who had just finished preparing a few things downstairs, immediately waved enthusiastically.
A smile appeared on her face almost instantly the moment Arthur entered.
"Hi, Mash," Arthur replied calmly as he approached her.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he gently patted her head.
Mash froze briefly.
Right afterward, an extremely satisfied smile appeared on her face.
Arthur couldn't help smiling slightly at such an honest reaction—it was almost like petting an attention-starved cat.
"Where are Ritsuka and Merlin?" he asked while pulling his hand away.
"Senpai and Merlin went upstairs to choose rooms," Mash answered, though a trace of reluctance flashed through her eyes when he removed his hand from her head.
"I see." Arthur briefly glanced toward the stairs. "I suppose I also need to find a room for myself."
Mash blinked several times.
"Eh? You're staying here too?" she asked in surprise. "I thought you were going to stay at the Ziggurat."
Arthur immediately made a slightly tired expression.
"Mash, my adorable Kouhai..." he began while placing a hand over his chest. "I would rather spend time surrounded by beautiful women like you, Ritsuka, and Merlin a billion times over than spend the entire day near a guy with my exact appearance."
Mash became slightly red after hearing his shameless compliment.
"I see..." she murmured quietly while slightly averting her gaze.
After all, even knowing Arthur spoke like that naturally, without even realizing the impact of his own words—
It was still extremely difficult not to feel embarrassed hearing something like that directly from him.
Arthur smiled when he noticed the slight blush appearing on her face.
"...You really are easy to read."
"I-I'm not that easy to read!" she immediately replied, becoming even redder.
Arthur merely laughed softly while patting her head once more.
After that, he calmly climbed the stairs and joined the rest of the group upstairs.
Following a brief discussion regarding the rooms, Arthur ended up choosing one for himself on the third floor.
Naturally, Merlin tried suggesting something extremely suspicious involving shared rooms.
And naturally, Anna nearly threw her staff out the window while Fou delivered proper punishment.
When night finally arrived, thanks to everyone's collective effort, the once-abandoned tavern had been completely cleaned.
Even the atmosphere itself felt far livelier now.
Mash and Ritsuka handled most of the cleaning, while Merlin mysteriously disappeared for a large portion of the process only to later return acting as though she had worked the entire time.
Anna complained repeatedly throughout the work.
But in the end, she still helped.
Arthur, on the other hand, handled most of the heavy tasks practically by himself.
Moving enormous furniture seemed absurdly easy for him.
At one point, Ritsuka had the strange feeling that Arthur was enjoying organizing the tavern more than fighting demon beasts during their journey to Uruk.
And then, at the end of that long preparation, a grand banquet was prepared to celebrate the creation of Chaldea's Embassy in Uruk.
(End of Chapter)