『By the way, you said you were Caster's Master?』
『Yep.』
『You seem to know a lot about Lancer. What are you? A magus who has reached the Root, or one who possesses foresight?』
『Just~ an ordinary person. Well, if I were to give you some advice, just know that fighting normally in this Holy Grail War is a surefire way to lose. No matter how skilled a magus is, you have to assume they'll lose to a Servant 90% of the time. Unless you're a magus strong enough to slice up a True Ancestor, a swordsman, a murderer, or whatever, it's difficult to deal with a Servant.』
『A magus fighting a Servant is madness.』
『But sometimes there are mutant magi, right? An ordinary person with outstanding magical potential, or a being who wouldn't be out of place with a Sealing Designation? Well, this conversation is meaningless, but you can't give up your status as a Master, can you?』
『You sound a lot like Rider. The amount of money I've invested in this Holy Grail War is beyond imagination, and if I were the type to give up so easily, I wouldn't have participated in the first place.』
『Even if it means losing your wife to Lancer?』
『You... who are you?』
The three Servants just listened in silence as Caster's Master and Lancer's Master conversed.
Assassin was among them, but the situation was so mind-boggling that even he, who was trying to maintain his composure, was bewildered.
『I'm Caster's Master.』
『If you don't want to say, I won't ask. How did you know I had a wife? Is it really foresight?』
『A word of warning. If you continue to participate in this Holy Grail War as you are, I believe your relationship with your wife will crumble. Or, even if you use a Command Spell to suppress Lancer's curse, the bond between you is not one of love, but of a magical contract.』
『Hmm... Are you asking me to choose between the honor of a magus and my marital relationship?』
『Well, that's right. You didn't get together out of love in the first place, but to continue the magus lineage, right? So, I think it was a mistake to summon a Servant who stole his lord's wife before your bond could strengthen. Even if you continue like this... a day will come when you have to choose between the fame of a magus and your marital relationship. If you're greedy for both, it's only natural that things will fall apart.』
Lancer's Master fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. Lancer, knowing his own destiny as Caster's Master had described, could not object.
Meanwhile, Artoria's distrust turned into wonder, as she questioned who on earth Caster's Master was to know so much.
"Well, in that case, why not join our side, Caster's Master?"
『I'm not interested in conquest...』
"I see, so negotiations have broken down..."
Rider looked disappointed.
'Give it a rest, Rider.'
Artoria, seething on the inside, felt her blood pressure rising.
『However, if I were to retreat now, I would gain nothing. As you said, even if I were to give up on the Holy Grail War, I would be branded a coward. And since my student is also participating, it would be unthinkable for me to withdraw before him.』
『Well, it doesn't matter to me. Whether you give up or continue, in the end, will you lose everything? Or will you suffer a small loss and a tarnished reputation to prioritize your marriage? That's the difference. I'm not going to force you. The choice is yours. I just wanted you to know that if you continue in this Holy Grail War, you will lose your wife.』
Lancer's Master just remained silent.
That silence might have been the agony of choosing between the honor of a magus and strengthening his marital bond.
It was hard to trust the suddenly appeared Caster's Master, but considering he knew about his wife and roughly knew Lancer's identity, his words might have sounded like the truth.
Meanwhile, Lancer would respect whatever choice his Master made.
As long as he wasn't killed by his lord, Lancer didn't care.
He didn't want to steal his lord's wife again and be resented for it. Even if he were told to go to someone else, Lancer was confident he would obey his Master's words, so he just remained silent.
In this atmosphere, Rider scratched his head and said:
"Hey, you there! There must be others. The ones hiding in the darkness, peeking, aside from Caster and his Master!!"
Saber and Lancer looked puzzled.
"──What do you mean, Rider?"
Towards the questioning Saber, the King of Conquerors gave a broad smile and a thumbs-up.
"Saber, and Lancer. Your honorable duel was truly magnificent. If such a clear and pure clash of blades resounded, surely I am not the only Heroic Spirit to be drawn out by it. Pitiful. Pitiful! O heroes gathered in Fuyuki. Do you feel nothing from the spirit shown by this Saber and Lancer? If you have a proud True Name, yet only peek from the shadows, are you not a coward? The name of Heroic Spirit weeps. Yes, yes!?"
Then, Rider let out a hearty laugh, tilted his head slightly, and twisted his lips into a confident smirk, finally looking into the surrounding darkness with a provocative gaze.
"All Heroic Spirits summoned by the Grail, gather here now! If you are a coward who still fears to show your face, know that you will not escape the scorn of Iskandar, the King of Conquerors!"
A golden light appeared right after Rider's loud declaration.
Though they might have flinched slightly at the incredible brilliance──there was no longer any surprise in the hearts of those gathered.
It was a given that the one who now appeared was the fourth Servant, who had fallen for Rider's provocation. Rather, the concern was the situation of having four Servants gathered in one place from the very first battle. Now, no one could predict the next development.
Eventually, the golden light materialized on top of a streetlight pole, about 10 meters above the ground, in the form of a figure clad in shining armor. All the Masters held their breath at the dazzling and splendid sight.
Except for Caster's Master, that is.
"That guy is..."
Rider's Master seemed to have seen the scene of Assassin's death.
Not just the scene of Assassin's death, but considering the overwhelming display, it must have been an incredible sight.
"To think that two insolent fools who call themselves 'King' in my presence would crawl out in one night."
As soon as he opened his mouth, the golden Heroic Spirit twisted his lips in displeasure and glared down at the three Servants below with open contempt. His arrogant attitude and tone were similar to Rider's, but fundamentally different. The King of Conquerors' voice and gaze were not this cold and ruthless.
That golden-armored Heroic Spirit was the very definition of arrogance.
Rider, too, had not expected someone even more high-handed than himself to appear. He scratched under his chin with a slightly dumbfounded and bewildered expression.
"I have a bone to pick with you... I, Iskandar, am the world-renowned King of Conquerors."
"Silence. The only true hero king in heaven and on earth is I. The rest are nothing more than a bunch of mongrels."
「He's a mongrel himself... one-third god, two-thirds human, was it?」
Akira was just recalling Gilgamesh's lineage.
"If you're going to say that much, how about revealing your name first? If you are a king, surely you wouldn't be stingy with your great name?"
As Rider finished speaking, Archer's crimson eyes filled with even more arrogant anger as he glared down at the giant below.
"Are you questioning me? A mere mongrel dares to question I, the king?"
The golden Heroic Spirit began to unleash an incredible killing intent towards Rider.
"To be granted the honor of an audience with me and still not recognize this face... a fool like that is not even worth keeping alive."
『His only friend was Enkidu. His true name is Gilgamesh, the golden king hailed as the King of Heroes. I wanted to see Gilgamesh and Enkidu fight, but it's a shame he couldn't appear.』
"You... who are you!?"
Gilgamesh shouted at the voice, his face filled with bewilderment.
『I'm Caster's Master.』
"To think that even my Clairvoyance cannot perceive the future. Are you a being that rejects even fate!?"
At those words, Akira looked at his smartphone with a flustered expression.
「Does this thing have a privacy protection feature?」
『Hmm... I don't know? Well, it is a shame. There are very few who can match Gilgamesh, but it would have been great if he had met Enkidu in the Holy Grail War. Well, a cramped piece of land like this is not suitable for a fight; a place full of forests would be more fitting.』
"Hmm... you speak as if you know my friend well. It is somewhat unpleasant, but you are not wrong, so I shall let it pass."
At that, Rider's Master was screaming internally.
Meanwhile, Lancer's Master was comparing his own Servant and was said to be on the verge of considering Caster's advice.
Just then, with a sudden "BOOM!", a torrent of magical energy erupted, and a Servant appeared, something no one had expected.
It looked like a knight's armor, but the sight of the shadow-like black knight made Saber's eyes begin to tremble.
'Sir Lancelot...'
If it weren't for his words, she would not have known.
But, though she half-refused to believe it, she recalled his vow to never fight with his bare hands, and she could only watch to see if he was truly Lancelot.
"...Hey, King of Conquerors. Did you send an invitation to that guy too?"
Without letting his guard down, Lancer stared at the black knight, yet his tone was playful as he mocked Rider. Rider, in turn, scowled.
"Even if I were to invite him, well, with him like that, there'd be no room for negotiation from the start."
What emanated from the black knight was nothing but pure killing intent. Even the whirlwind of magical energy was as ominous as the cry of a vengeful spirit.
Meanwhile, Artoria was in agony at the sight.
'Sir Lancelot... do you resent me that much...'
She just gripped Excalibur and did not use her Noble Phantasm.
She hadn't used her Noble Phantasm because she wanted to talk to Lancelot after his Madness Enhancement was removed.
She wanted the Grail, but first and foremost, she wanted to talk to Lancelot.
"So, kid. As a Servant, how strong is that one?"
Rider asked his Master, but his Master just shook his head, looking dazed.
"I don't know... I don't know at all."
"What? Even you are a Master of sorts. Shouldn't you be able to "see" things like their strengths and weaknesses? Eh?"
"I can't see anything! That black one is definitely a Servant... but I can't read his stats or anything!"
Just then, Berserker glared at the golden Heroic Spirit.
"Who gave you permission to look at me, mad dog..."
Gilgamesh had been in a good mood, but now his expression soured because of Berserker.
"At the very least, entertain me with your death, mongrel."
===============================
I forgot to mention this under this title, but on my Patreon, there are extra chapters for all my current stories. BUT you will be able to read these chapters on my website, which I created specifically for my Patreon subscribers so they can comfortably and enjoyably read the chapters (if the author includes artwork, the artwork will also be there).
Patreon: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T