Chapitre 292: Banquet at the Einzbern Castle (3)
The place chosen for the banquet was the parterre in the central courtyard of the castle. Thanks to Drako's actions, there was no battle the night before in the castle. It was cold, but that didn't matter to anyone present.
Rider brought the chest to the central courtyard, and the three of them sat down in a sort of triangle. Kuroka sat next to Irisviel and Waver while Mordred watched standing. It was funny how she looked like a bodyguard.
Rider shattered the chest's lid with his fist; the musky fragrance of rice wine filled the air of the courtyard.
"Although it was made in an odd shape, it is the unique cup in this country."
Rider happily poured some wine with the long bamboo ladle. Unfortunately, no one pointed out the error in his common sense.
Rider first drained the wine into the ladle in one gulp and said:
"I heard that only those who are worthy will get the Holy Grail."
The solemn tone set the atmosphere in silence. Something must be going on if this man is speaking in this tone of voice.
"And the ceremony of choosing him worthy is this battle conducted in Fuyuki - however, if we are only spectators, there will be no need for bloodshed. As Heroic Spirits, if we can mutually recognize each other's strength... I don't have to say more after this, do I?"
"..."
Without hesitation, Saber took the long ladle that Rider passed to her and took a full measure of wine.
Saber's slender body made the others worry if she could truly drink alcohol. However, Saber's determination with the drink was not deficient in any way compared to that of the giant Rider. Seeing this, Rider happily praised her.
"So, first, you're going to compete with me to see who's the strongest, Rider?"
"Exactly. Going through a real competition in the name of majesty. But we can't call this 'the Holy Grail War', we'd better call it the 'Holy Grail Trial'... In the end, between the King of Knights and the King of Conquerors, who will become 'the King of the Holy Grail'? It is more appropriate to ask that question to the wine cup."
Rider made a complete turn from the previous solemn tone, laughing as if making a joke. Then he began to speak to himself.
"Ah, speaking of which, there's another fellow here who calls himself 'king'."
"- The jokes end here, half-breed."
As if responding to Rider's vague words, a dazzling golden light shone to arrive in front of those present.
"Archer, why are you here..."
Saber mentioned furiously, but the one responding was the impassive Rider.
"Ah, when I saw him on the street, I invited him to drink together - but you're late anyway, Goldie. Anyway, it's different than my case, he walked here, so it's not all his fault."
Archer, in full armor, looked arrogantly at Rider with his fiery pair of ruby-like eyes.
"I trust you picked this disgusting place to conduct the banquet; this is probably all the good taste you can get. How are you going to repay your sin of making me come all the way here?"
"Don't say that. Go on, have a drink first."
Laughing warmly, Rider passed the ladle full of wine to Archer.
People thought he would be infuriated with Rider's attitude, but, surprisingly, he straightforwardly took the ladle and swallowed all the wine in one gulp.
Irisviel remembered the 'challenge' Saber mentioned earlier.
Archer. Since this anonymous golden Heroic Spirit calls himself a 'king', he couldn't refuse the wine Rider passed to him.
"- What kind of cheap wine is this? How can you use this kind of wine to conduct a fight between heroes?"
Archer said with revulsion written all over his face.
"Really? I bought it here at the market; it's a pretty good wine."
"You only think that because you don't know anything about wine, beggar."
From one side of Archer, who mockingly desiccated in wine, ripples appeared in the empty space. That was the herald of the strange event that could summon Noble Phantasms; Waver and Irisviel felt a chill run down their spines.
- But what appeared at Archer's side tonight were not weapons; instead, it was a set of wine bottles engraved with sparkling gems. A lucid colorless liquid filled the bottles made of heavy gold.
"Admire, this is what 'the king's wine' should be."
"Oh, thank you very much."
Rider paid no attention to Archer's tone and happily poured the new wine into four glasses.
Saber was still on guard against Archer, whose identity she did not yet know. She hesitantly looked at the wine in the golden bottle but still took the glass passed to her.
"This is definitely excellent wine."
Drako complimented the wine, and he wasn't lying at all. He probably hadn't tasted anything approaching the quality of this drink. As expected from Gilgamesh.
The wine was fiery and clear, soft and invigorating, the pungent fragrance filled his nose, and his whole body felt like it was floating.
Or that should be the feeling Drako would have to have if it weren't for the fact that he was immune to poisons. It was a shame, but he could no longer enjoy alcoholic beverages like a normal person could.
"This is the drink of the gods; it's normal for even a dragon known for his exquisite palate to think it's fabulous."
Archer spared no expense when it came to being cocky. Getting a dragon's attention like this was something he had never managed to do in his life. This was already a victory for him.
"Wait... did you say dragon?!"
The four kings turned to look at Waver, who had interrupted their meeting. He had a shocked look on his face as if he couldn't believe what he had heard.
Chapitre 293: Happy new year!
Happy new year guys! Hope you are all doing well.
I couldn't post anything for the past weeks because of university exams + not being in home so no access to my pc (I'm writting this on my phone) :(
Next day I will be publishing a chapter is day 16 of January, and it's also de day I will be coming back to this novel as I really want to see it with an end (although I don't know if this fanfic is going to end in 2023 as there are a lot of things that have to happen in the story.
Chapitre 294: Banquet at the Einzbern Castle (5)
"How did you meet Drako?" Irisviel asked the clueless Kuroka.
"Huh?"
Irisviel's question took Kuroka by surprise. She had come to observe how Drako worked. She had no intention of socializing.
Hair of an artificial platinum color and red eyes that reminded her of the color of blood... She must be the homunculus Drako had spoken of earlier, a potential ally in the future. That being the case, it wouldn't be so bad to converse with her either.
"Drako rescued us, my younger sister and me a few years back," Kuroka said without looking away from Drako. "I've been by his side ever since, and will continue to be. He has a very heavy burden on his shoulders. My job is to help him lighten that burden."
A very heavy burden? Irisviel looked at the young man who was smiling as the King of Knights and Archer (he was a famous hero at the par of Saber even if Irisviel didn´t know who he was right now) faced each other. He didn't seem to be too worried. While everyone was tense as they watched these two kings fight, he was simply smiling. It looked like he was watching some sort of spectacle. It was hard to think that he really had a burden that worried him.
"He doesn't seem to be worried, does he?"
Irisviel nodded her head at Kuroka's question. Drako didn't seem worried about anything. But that wasn't the only time she had seen Drako so unconcerned, as the other times she had encountered him he hadn't seemed worried at all.
In fact, the only time Irisviel had spoken to Drako, he always maintained that enigmatic smile that didn't let her see what he was really thinking.
Wait...
Irisviel's eyes widened as she realized a detail. Could it be that Drako never let others see what his own thoughts were?
She knew a person who also acted this way, albeit in a different way.
When she first met Kiritsugu, he kept his face cold and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. This changed over the years, especially once they got married and Illya was born. However, Kiritsugu had returned to displaying that facade since the Holy Grail War began.
"Have you noticed yet?"
Kuroka noticed the change in Irisviel's expression. Even if she had barely changed her expression, Kuroka was able to notice such minute details. Not for nothing had he been together with Drako for so many years.
In the beginning Drako was not like that. In fact, at first he was like an open book, openly showing what he was thinking at every moment. Over time, however, he became more reserved.
"It's very difficult to know what Drako is really thinking. Or, at least, it's complicated for anyone but me. He can't hide anything from me."
Kuroka smiled full of self-confidence. After all, the relationship she had with Drako was very special. That's why she could tell that he was really letting himself go right now without worrying about anything. It had been a long time since she had seen him like that.
"What exactly is your relationship with him?"
Irisviel asked out of pure curiosity. This girl had to be a really close person to Drako, to the point that he trusted her to bring her to this place.
"I'm his wife."
...
"Enough. You both tire me out."
Rider smiled helplessly and pointed at Saber, who still wanted to say something, to keep quiet; then he returned to the previous topic.
"Archer, the great wines you have certainly deserve to be contained in only the most pressed of cups - but unfortunately, the Holy Grail is not meant to contain wine. Now we are going to have a Holy Grail test to determine if one among us is truly worthy of obtaining the Holy Grail. First, you must tell us why you want the Grail. Archer, like a king, try to convince us that you and no one else is the worthy person to win the Holy Grail."
Drako was a little surprised by Rider's attitude about the Holy Grail. Maybe he didn't believe what Drako had told him the other day? No, that probably wasn't it. Maybe he simply thought it was the interesting competition between kings, without attaching any importance to the Holy Grail. That would make sense in someone as simple as Iskandar is.
"You are very irritating. First, we are going to compete for the Holy Grail. I'm afraid your question is too far removed from that premise."
"Huh?"
Seeing Rider raise his eyebrows in confusion and surprise, Archer sighed resignedly.
"For starters, the Holy Grail is something that should be in my possession. All the treasures in the world originate from my collection. Anyway, as much time has passed, it has disappeared from my treasury. But I still own it."
"So you say you once owned the Holy Grail, do you know what it is?"
"No."
Archer denied Rider's question in one breath.
"It is not something you can understand. The total amount of my wealth exceeds even my knowledge. Still, as long as it is a 'treasure', it obviously belongs to me. You should be more tactful in trying to steal my treasure."
Now it was Saber who was speechless.
"Your way of speaking isn't much different from Caster's; it seems he's not the only demented Servant here."
"Don't compare me to a dead man," Archer returned the reproach.
"Hey, Rider, fill me up another glass."
"Sure, sure."
While Archer and Saber argued, Drako and Rider continued at their own pace.
"Speaking of whom, I think I know your name now. There should only be one person more arrogant than Iskandar," Rider muttered as he refilled Drako's glass.
"It took you that long to figure it out? Well, at least you're less of an idiot than others who can't recognize it at a glance."
Drako received a piercing glare from Saber, who took notice. On the other hand, Irisviel and Waver focused on Drako and Rider's words. Even Kiritsugu, who was listening to the conversation through an eavesdropping device, became more focused than he already was.
-------------------
AN: And here I am posting chapters late as always! But posting anyway.
And here I am to recomend a Fanfic for you, and it's probably of the best writing quality i have seen in a while in this site (on the fanfiction regards). So... if you guys enjoy Percy Jackson, you should check this one: Percy Jackson Rebirth of a hero.
On the other hand, I'm going to post 1 chapter every week, it's not a lot but something is something.
https://www.patreon.com/GreatSage_Master1 :)
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