章 487: C487
Gilgamesh scoffed, "That little tap? You call that revenge?"
Shirou rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. "Okay, I admit it. That was actually me trying my hardest."
Gilgamesh's smirk widened into a full-on grin.
The tension between them suddenly broke, and both men burst out laughing.
From the side, Solomon watched the scene, thoroughly confused. They had just been ribbing each other, talking revenge, and now they were laughing? He just didn't get it!
And, oddly enough, it made him... jealous, even a bit wistful.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Solomon blurted out, "What's so funny, you two? Why are you laughing?"
Gilgamesh smirked, "We laugh when we're happy."
Solomon's brow furrowed, "But why are you so happy? It doesn't make sense."
Shirou chuckled, "Humans find joy in the simplest things. A chance encounter, a shared joke, even a game of marbles can bring a smile. Why search for a grand reason behind every little thing?"
Solomon stared deeply into his eyes, "How can I be more like you? To truly feel human, to smile genuinely, to experience raw emotion? I don't want to return to the emptiness, to who I was before."
Shirou leaned in, "The very fact you're searching, that you're asking these questions means you're more than just 'nothing'. Hold onto that. It's evidence of your humanity."
Solomon whispered, "Eternal King..."
Merlin swirled his wine around, grinning, "Ending the banquet of the Three Kings from the Age of Gods? That's quite a moment... However..."
He trailed off, his eyes dropping to the wine's surface.
At that moment, Kiritsugu approached, escorting a bound Pandora. He appeared taken aback by the scene in the main hall. It seemed that while he had been capturing Pandora, the heroes had already dealt with the monster and started a feast.
Gilgamesh threw him a sidelong glance, "A person without merit deserves no reward."
Kiritsugu replied calmly, "I know."
Shirou looked over at the restrained Pandora, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't this deserving of merit?"
He grabbed an extra wine cup and offered it to Kiritsugu.
Gilgamesh just huffed, rolling his eyes, but stayed silent.
Shirou studied Pandora, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Quite the trophy, aren't you? The Pandora from another world."
Unruffled, Pandora simply said, "Do what you must."
"I don't want to spoil the mood of such a special gathering with unpleasant matters. However, I do have some questions," Shirou stated.
After a brief pause, he asked, "First off, what's the story with that black cup?"
Pandora didn't hesitate. "As I said before, it was seized by Zeus from this world."
"And secondly, why was that thing so eager to enter my body?"
"Because you are my blueprint," she responded calmly.
"Really now?" His eyebrow arched in intrigue, "Do go on."
She went on, "Zeus was aware from the start that another vessel of evil resided in this world—that's you. He modeled me after you. Using Mount Olympus as a base, he filled me with evil, calamities, divine aspects, and the Holy Grail to create that thing. When the moment was right, I was to open the box, and it would spill out, searching for a suitable host."
He leaned in, "So, did you let it out willingly?"
"No," she shook her head, "I never intended to open it. In fact, I was planning to use the Holy Grail War to seal it away permanently. But around seven days ago, by my world's time, a soul managed to enter the box."
His eyebrow arched as he urged, "Go on."
"That soul shattered the box's restraints and undid all of Zeus's bindings."
"And who was this soul? What did it want?"
Pandora looked distant for a moment, then said, "I can't be sure... But it kept calling out 'Arthur, Arthur'... almost obsessively."
She revealed this without showing any signs of worry, as if she were unafraid of losing her usefulness after sharing everything. But then again, why would she fear? She was, after all, a creation of the gods meant for bringing disaster.
Shirou's brow deepened with thought. The pieces were falling into place. If he was piecing things together correctly, then that person was the real cause of the disaster. But could that really be the case? A wave of doubt washed over him.
Gilgamesh grabbed a wine cup and handed it to him, his tone dripping with annoyance. "Eternal King, we're at a royal feast. Why the gloomy face? Are you finding my hospitality lacking?"
Shirou took the cup, offering a slight smile. "I just lost myself for a moment,"
Gilgamesh studied him, pausing before asking, "Have you decided then?"
Shirou's fingers tightened around the cup. After a moment, he set it down and nodded.
Gilgamesh just watched him, saying nothing.
Around them, the other Heroic Spirits at the feast were stealing glances their way. It was no secret what the Three Kings discussed; after all, these spirits were no ordinary beings. Their heightened abilities, combined with their distance, made private conversation almost impossible amidst the celebration.
"What's he mean by 'decision'? What's Gilgamesh talking about with Eternal King?" Okita Souji questioned, curiosity dancing in her eyes.
Karna, cradling his golden wine cup, said evenly, "They're talking about the situation involving Eternal King."
She raised an eyebrow, "You're in the know about this, Karna?"
The other Heroic Spirits shifted their focus to Karna, attentively waiting for his response.
With a measured tone, Karna elaborated, "We've only managed to eliminate a fragment of the invader. Its main body still exists, lurking between worlds. Dealing with the invading part was already difficult, but no one can predict how challenging it will be to handle the main body. Our strongest weapons and noble phantasms aren't particularly effective against it. The real solution to this problem lies in one of Eternal King's Noble Phantasms. As we've seen earlier, he devoured that thing."
Okita Souji's eyes widened, "Are you saying..."
Artoria, clearly disturbed by the revelation, clenched her wine cup.
Karna gave a confirming nod. "Exactly. Eternal King might need to devour the main body of that thing. But the aftermath, what he will become after devouring something like this, is uncertain. He might turn into an even worse enemy of us Heroic Spirits, a 'Beast' rejected by humanity. This banquet might be Gilgamesh's way of saying goodbye to Eternal King."
A tremor ran through Artoria's fingers.
Okita Souji breathed out, "So that's the situation..."
All eyes turned to Shirou, who was animatedly conversing with Gilgamesh at the banquet.
Shirou took a leisurely sip of his wine, his eyes scanning the room full of Heroic Spirits deep in conversation. When his gaze finally landed on Gilgamesh, he remarked, "You know, sometimes I feel like punching Karna."
Gilgamesh remarked, "Sometimes he can be even more insufferable than I am."
Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Shirou said, "So you do have some self-awareness!"
Gilgamesh just rolled his eyes, choosing not to retort.
From a corner, Solomon, who had been silently sipping his wine, suddenly cleared his throat and let out an exaggerated and forced laugh. "Ha-ha-ha..."
Shirou shot him a puzzled look. "What are you doing?"
Solomon replied, "Just trying to fit in and learn to laugh like the rest of you."
Gilgamesh lifted an eyebrow, "You think you can pick that up from us?"
Shirou laughed softly. "Feelings aren't something you learn; they need to come from the heart."
Solomon looked lost. "I don't understand."
After a pause, he added, "But I really wish I did."
Shirou thought for a moment and then said, "Perhaps you can seek advice from Merlin. He's an Incubus who initially didn't possess human emotions but learned to mimic them. Now, he claims to have human emotions."
"Alright," Solomon nodded slowly, his eyes wandering over to where Merlin was, off in the distance, lost in his drink.
There was a calm about Solomon's eyes, but beneath that was a depth of curiosity.
Merlin felt an unexpected shiver down his spine. He frowned, wondering where that eerie feeling came from.
Shirou's eyes darted to Artoria amidst the Heroic Spirits. With a laid-back smile, he said, "I have something to do. I'll catch up with you guys later."
Gilgamesh just raised his wine glass slightly and grunted, signaling he got the message. Solomon, however, remained intensely focused on Merlin.
Making his way through the crowd, Shirou gently took Artoria's arm. "Artie, could you come with me for a moment? There's something I need to discuss with you in private."
"Oh? Sure, my king!" she seemed a bit taken aback but allowed him to lead her away.
...
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