The wife is currently very troubled because Saber (her main character) and Kiritsugu (her first love) have had another conflict. She wants to mediate, but her lack of experience leaves her helpless. She can only watch as their relationship worsens, hoping they don't escalate into a major conflict. Otherwise, this Holy Grail War might be lost because of this.
"Boom!" A deafening roar rang in Irisviel's ears.
Not only that, the roaring sound, which seemed to tear the night apart, also put an enormous strain on her magic circuits, and the dizziness almost made her collapse.
Then, after only a moment of staggering, she was helped up by Saber, who appeared out of nowhere.
"Are you alright, Irisviel?" Saber asked with concern.
"Are you planning to break through head-on while Kiritsugu is away?" the wife said, clutching her startled heart.
"Judging from the thunder just now and this brazen entrance, the enemy is probably Rider," Saber said as she changed into her armor and led her wife to the door. The scene before her was speechless. Wearing a 'Grand Strategy' vest and brown shorts, revealing pillar-like muscular calves, and carrying a barrel of liquor, she looked like a liquor deliveryman, with that hearty (foolish) smile. It was both absurd and amusing, but Saber held her invisible sword, wary, knowing the visitor was hostile.
"Yo, Saber!" Rider greeted Saber cheerfully, completely ignoring their wary looks.
"Rider?" Saber answered uncertainly, sensing no hostility.
"I heard you were stationed at a castle, that's why I came to visit. How come it's such a gloomy place?" The red-haired man ignored their speechless expressions, looked around at the dilapidated castle, and said disdainfully.
"And why did you come out in such an unfashionable battle outfit from the start? Why didn't you change into something more modern and stylish tonight!" After glancing at Saber, the red-haired man grumbled disdainfully, then proudly patted his short-sleeved shirt, saying with an air of self-satisfaction.
"Rider, what exactly are you here for?" Saber asked, unable to contain herself any longer.
Can't you tell?
"Of course I'm here to drink with you!" he said, slinging the barrel of sake over his shoulder and smiling at Saber.
"Hey, stop standing there and lead the way! Is there a courtyard suitable for a banquet? This castle is all dusty, it won't do," Red Hair complained, completely ignoring the two men's expressions that seemed to say it was their fault.
"Hey! We're not late!" Just as the four were preparing to move to another location, Erza appeared in front of them with Berserker.
"I'm not late, I just arrived too!" Red Hair scratched the back of his head, grinning like an idiot... well, he is an idiot.
"Berserker and Berserker's Master, who are you?" Saber was somewhat wary of the two who suddenly appeared, but because Rider was there, she didn't show too much hostility.
"We've been invited to this banquet by the King of Conquerors! We apologize for the intrusion." Erza's excellent manners won over the lady and Saber considerably. With the King of Conquerors, that barbaric fellow, in the background, anyone would have a better impression of a polite girl.
In less than ten minutes, the six of them arrived at the Central Garden and sat down on the ground. However, Erza did not go to the side of King Conqueror and King Arthur. Instead, she found a corner to watch the farce, with Lance following beside her. But her eyes remained fixed on Saber, unmoving.
"Legend has it that the Holy Grail is destined to be obtained by someone worthy of it," the red-haired man said to Saber opposite him after opening the barrel and taking a scoop of wine.
"And the struggle that Fuyuki is engaged in is the ritual that determines this person."
"But if all we need is for the Holy Grail to see clearly, then there's no need for bloodshed. The Heroic Spirits just need to be convinced of each other's power, and the answer will naturally be found." The red-haired man said, scooping a spoonful of sake from the barrel and handing it to Saber. Saber took the sake and downed it in one gulp, much to the red-haired man's satisfaction.
"So you're saying you want to settle things with me first, Rider?"
"Exactly. Since we both call ourselves kings and refuse to yield to each other, a fight is inevitable. In other words, this is not a 'Holy Grail War' but a 'Holy Grail Question and Answer.' Let's ask who is more qualified to be the 'King of the Holy Grail' over a drink!" the red-haired man said seriously.
"—Enkidu, you bastard!" A dazzling golden light flashed before everyone's eyes, and the blond-haired man appeared. But Erza was more puzzled as to why Enkidu hadn't come.
"Archer, why are you here..."
Saber asked sharply, but Rider answered her calmly.
"Ah, I asked him to have a drink with me when I saw him on the street... but I was still late, Jin Guang. But he walked, unlike me, so I can't blame him."
"I knew it! How could a gathering of the king be missing one person!"
"However, I didn't expect that someone who doesn't take me seriously and dares to call himself 'king' without knowing his own limitations would actually show up again today!" The golden retriever's chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) hadn't been properly taught by his friend, and he started biting indiscriminately as soon as he came out.
"You really dared to choose such a shabby place for your banquet. Is this all the taste you have? You made me come all this way, how are you going to apologize?"
"Don't say that, come on, have a drink first."
Ignoring Archer's words, Rider laughed heartily and handed him a spoon full of wine.
I thought he would be angered by Rider's attitude, but to my surprise, he simply took the spoon and drank the wine in one gulp.
Irisviel recalled Saber's earlier mention of the "challenge."
In Irisviel's understanding, since Archer, this Golden Heroic Spirit whose true identity is unknown, calls himself "King," he could not possibly refuse the wine offered by Rider.
"...What kind of inferior wine is this? How can you use this kind of wine in a battle between kings?"
The golden retriever said with a look of disgust.
"Really? This is a high-priced item I bought from the upscale market here! It's a fine wine."
"You think that way because you don't understand wine at all, you bastard!"
A vortex of void space appeared beside the blond-haired man who had been scoffing. This was a precursor to the strange phenomenon that could summon a Noble Phantasm, and Waver and Irisviel felt a chill run down their spines.
But... tonight, what appeared beside the golden-haired man was not weapons, but a series of wine vessels inlaid with dazzling gems. The heavy golden bottles were filled with a colorless, clear liquid.
"Look, this is the real 'King's Wine'."
Rider, completely unfazed by the blond man's tone, happily poured the new wine into three glasses.
Saber remained quite wary of the blond man whose background she didn't know. She hesitated for a moment, looking at the wine in the golden bottle, but still accepted the glass that was offered to her.
"Oh, delicious!!" Seeing the red-haired girl's exaggerated expression, Erza became even more determined to take down the blond-haired girl. What other good things were in that treasure vault? That was a real temptation!
As the wine flowed down her throat, Saber felt a strong, swollen sensation fill her mind. It was indeed a fine wine she had never tasted before—strong yet clean, fragrant and refreshing, its intense aroma filling her nostrils, giving her a feeling of lightheadedness.
"This is amazing! This can't possibly be wine brewed by humans; it must be wine for gods!" the red-haired man exclaimed in admiration.
"Of course, whether it's wine or swords, my treasury only contains the best of everything. That's the king's taste."
"What a joke, Archer."
Saber suddenly roared in fury. The calm was shattered by the tense atmosphere.
"I'm tired of hearing you brag about your wine collection. You're more like a clown than a king."
The blond-haired man sneered as he looked at Saber, who was radiating an aura of hostility.
"Outrageous! A guy who doesn't even know anything about wine is not fit to be king."
"Archer, your wine is indeed a masterpiece worthy of the Holy Grail... but unfortunately, the Holy Grail is not for holding wine. Now we are having a Holy Grail debate to determine whether we are worthy of the Holy Grail. First, you must tell us why you want the Holy Grail. Archer, as king, you should try to convince us that you are worthy of the Holy Grail."
"I can't stand you. First of all, we are 'fighting' for the Holy Grail, and your question is far removed from that premise." Gilgamesh, with his arrogant expression, began to act conceited.
"Um?"
Seeing Rider raise an eyebrow in surprise, the blond man sighed helplessly.
"That should have been mine to begin with. All the treasures in the world originated from my collection, but because of the passage of time, it was lost from my treasury, but I am still its owner."
"So you're saying you once possessed the Holy Grail? And you knew what it was?"
"No."
The golden retriever casually denied the Conqueror King's further question.
"This is beyond your comprehension. The total amount of my assets even exceeds my own perception, but as long as it is a 'treasure,' it definitely belongs to me, that's clear. You actually want to forcibly seize my treasure, you should have some self-awareness."
Now it was Saber's turn to be speechless.
"Looks like it was born with its brain damaged!" (referring to the golden retriever)
"Well, how should I put it?"
Unlike Saber, the King of Conquerors muttered something as if echoing her. Before anyone knew it, he had picked up the bottle and was nonchalantly pouring more wine into his glass.
"Speaking of which, I think I do know your real name. There should only be one king more arrogant than me, Iskandar." Red-haired man had some suspicions when the blond man and Lance started fighting.
Irisviel and Webber immediately listened intently, but Rider changed the subject.
"So, Archer, does that mean if you agree, we can get the Holy Grail?"
"Of course I can, but I have no reason to reward such scoundrels as you."
"Don't you want to part with it?"
"Of course not, I only bestow rewards upon my subjects and people."
The blond-haired man smiled mockingly at Rider.
"Or Rider, if you are willing to submit to me, then I will give you one or two cups."
"...Ah, that's impossible."
Rider scratched his chin, seemingly feeling that the other party's demands were too high, so he simply turned his head away.
"But Archer, it doesn't really matter to you whether you have the Holy Grail or not, right? You're not fighting for the Holy Grail to fulfill any wish."
"Of course. But I can't let the guy who stole my treasure get away with it; it's a matter of principle."
"In other words..."
Rider downed the drink in one gulp.
"What do you mean? Is there some reason or logic behind it?"
"It is the law."
The golden retriever answered immediately.
"The laws I, as king, have established."
"Um."
Rider seemed to understand his words and sighed deeply.
"What a perfect king, able to uphold the laws he sets. But I still really want the Holy Grail. My approach is to take it if I want it, because I, Iskandar, am the King of Conquerors."
"Not necessarily. If you invade, I will punish you without any room for negotiation."
"Then we'll have to meet on the battlefield."
The blond-haired man nodded at the same time as Rider, his face serious.
"...But Archer, let's have a drink first, and we can talk about the battle later."
"Of course, unless you don't even like the wine I brought."
"What a joke! With such fine wine before me, how could I bear not to drink?"
At this moment, Saber couldn't tell whether the blond-haired man and Rider were friend or foe, so she could only sit silently to the side and watch them. After a while, she finally spoke to Rider.
"Conqueror King, since you've already acknowledged that the Holy Grail belongs to someone else, are you still going to use force to take it away?"
"...Hmm? Of course, my belief is 'conquest'...that is, 'seizure' and 'aggression'."
"Sigh! Still just a little girl!" Erza shook her head, watching Saber argue heatedly with two men, her face flushed. The current Saber was immature, and her desires were incredibly naive. To want to save a country destroyed hundreds of years ago—what could one say about her! Changing history and denying the dreams of her comrades who fought alongside her to the death—dreams they never regretted!
She glanced at Lance, who stood quietly beside her. She hoped she wouldn't explode upon hearing those words. Sigh! Lately, she felt herself sighing more and more often. Could it be...? Had she already arrived?!
"So! Saber, what is your wish?" the King of Conquerors asked curiously. Hearing this, Erza snapped out of her reverie. She was about to witness her moment of utter disbelief.
"I want to go back in time and find that person. To tell her 'I love you'!" Saber blushed and loudly proclaimed her wish. Hmm! Sure enough... Ah Lei! Ah Lei Lei! What's going on? The director got the lines wrong.
"Sigh! What kind of person could make the King so concerned!" The Conqueror King and the Golden Retriever's eyes gleamed with gossip as they pulled out their notebooks to ask. Even the Madam's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"That's my queen, Guinevere!" He downed the wine in his hand in one gulp, as if to bolster his courage.
"Hey! What's going on? Didn't she already marry you? And why are you only saying 'I love you' now!" The red-haired and blond-haired men were unusually gossipy, as if possessed by some village crow.
Just as Saber was about to begin her speech, a sudden murderous aura interrupted her enthusiasm. The red-haired and blonde-haired men also looked around at the empty space with unfriendly expressions. Damn it! Just when they were about to hear something interesting, it was like their pants were off. And then...you actually have a huge penis! It's so uncomfortable.
The gymnastics team made a disastrous entrance.