Zongman, the journey begins from the wrong place

Gilgamesh chuckled dangerously a few times and continued to destroy the various red wines stored by the Einzbern family in this castle without even looking at Irisviel.

Upon learning that he had just been beaten up by an unknown heroic spirit from another world, and that he was covered in dirt and had a nosebleed, Irisviel did not dare to continue joking with the oldest king as she had done before.

Maintaining a stiff smile, Irisviel looked away.

"Hey, Kiritsugu, what do you say?"

Emiya Kiritsugu was smoking a cigarette, looking at the various documents on the long table that took up most of the conference room.

It contains the altitude map of Fuyuki City, the urban construction map, the spiritual vein distribution map, and the newly compiled information on known masters and servants.

Behind him, Hisau Maiya was as silent as a statue. She exchanged glances with Irisviel before looking away.

Facing Irisviel's friendly smile, Emiya Kiritsugu just glanced at his wife silently, nodded silently, and then looked away, his expression somewhat solemn.

If she were treated so coldly by her husband under normal circumstances, Irisviel would definitely puff up her cheeks like a pufferfish and have a big fight with Emiya Kiritsugu.

However, Illya had just gotten into such a big trouble, and no matter what, as a mother, she had a problem with not supervising her properly.

When it comes down to it, it was Irisviel who couldn't resist Illya's coquettish pleas, and agreed to let her and Gilgamesh come to Japan together without Emiya Kiritsugu's knowledge, and even let them go out and make trouble, which led to this situation.

"Hey, hey, Kiritsugu, what are you looking at? Let me come and help you think of something, okay?"

Being held close to Irisviel's arms and rubbed against her half-flatteringly, the indifference in Emiya Kiritsugu's eyes could only turn into helplessness.

If he was angry, Emiya Kiritsugu wasn't really that angry.

After all, Gilgamesh was difficult to control, and he knew that, otherwise he would not have adopted a laissez-faire strategy and acted alone.

Can Irisviel be expected to control a Servant that she herself cannot control?

Although Gilgamesh's attitude towards Illya and Irisviel was quite kind, like a mentally unstable old grandfather, Emiya Kiritsugu would not have the illusion that he was easy to talk to.

This is a tyrant who, once he makes up his mind, will not allow anyone to change it.

Therefore, Emiya Kiritsugu had no intention of blaming Irisviel or anyone else.

It's just that men are not like women.

When women encounter problems or feel uncomfortable, they like to talk, find support, share, communicate and get recognition.

But when men feel stressed, they need more time to calm down, to analyze the situation and think about how to solve the problem.

This is probably also the reason why when men and women quarrel, girls always feel that boys are indifferent and ignore them, and they rush to their best friends to cry.

Now, Emiya Kiritsugu is under a lot of pressure, as big as a mountain, or perhaps it can be simply called a mountain of pressure.

However, Emiya Kiritsugu knew that Irisviel just liked to play around and was not the type to really act like a spoiled brat.

Now she thinks that I am angry, so she actively sticks to him and tries to please him.

"Ellie, the information on a few people is really vague, which makes me feel a little troubled."

After being together for many years, Irisviel knew Emiya Kiritsugu was no longer angry when she heard his tone. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and then cast her eyes on the documents on the table in front of her.

Some of the information has been prepared long ago.

For example, Kenneth, Sora, Tohsaka Tokiomi, Matou Zouken, and Matou Tsuruno.

There was also information that had just been transmitted in real time from the Einzbern Castle in Germany via magical technology.

For example, King Arthur, the King of Conquerors, Webber Velvet...

Although the Battle of Seaside Park had just ended less than an hour ago, all kinds of information had been collected very comprehensively, and new information was constantly being transmitted.

However, Emiya Kiritsugu did not look at the new information placed on the table by Hisau Maiya, but continued to stare silently at the two documents in front of him.

Irisviel saw a silver-haired boy on one of the documents.

Noah Sifel, a young man who had suddenly appeared in Fuyuki City a year prior, had taken up residence in the Matou residence and adopted the daughter of the Asagami family in Kanbuko City. He had subsequently traveled the world, enjoyed delicious food, sought instruction from numerous martial arts masters, and, having achieved complete victory in nearly every instance, had departed...

But apart from photos from various angles and geographical backgrounds, these are the only records in this document.

His life story, origin, relatives, and experiences from a year ago were all blank, as if he had appeared out of thin air in this world.

Irisviel’s eyes widened slightly as she suddenly realized something.

Ah, this person is the unknown servant who beat up King Arthur and Jill, right?

It actually appeared a year ago. Is there something unusual about this Holy Grail War?

Moreover, even his job description has not been determined yet.

The scene of Assassin breaking into the Tohsaka residence last night and being nailed to death by a red spear that fell from the sky had already been seen clearly by all the demons.

From the perspective of inertia, it is more reasonable for the Tohsaka family to summon Lance, but of course it is not ruled out that it is a special treasure.

But even if the scope is expanded to three occupations whose true identities have not been confirmed, it is still difficult to determine Noah Sifer's occupation. After all, he shows no signs of berserk and does not use a gun.

It can't be Caster, right?

That's too awesome. Where did this real-life Gandalf come from?

Then there are several possibilities - a special Noble Phantasm that offsets the berserk effect, a special Noble Phantasm that allows it to use melee weapons, or a special job.

Just like the one that the Einzbern family illegally summoned during the last Holy Grail War.

However, no matter which one it is, it adds too many ambiguous elements to this otherworldly hero.

For a magician killer who relies heavily on intelligence to fight, this kind of opponent must be quite a headache.

Irisviel stole a glance at Gilgamesh who was still tasting wine across from her, and didn't dare to say anything, but quietly looked at Emiya Kiritsugu.

After all, with Gilgamesh's personality, he was beaten to the ground, covered in dirt, and even bleeding from his nose. Mentioning the servant at this time would be like adding fuel to the fire.

And Emiya Kiritsugu also nodded slightly, gave her an affirmative look, and then looked to the other side.

"But I'm more worried about this person."

Irisviel picked up the information and read out the name on it.

"Kotomine Kirei? It sounds like a woman's name. Is there something wrong with this person?"

Irisviel slowly scanned the information.

Born in 1967, he is the son of Kotomine Riki when she was middle-aged and had almost given up on being an heir.

I have been traveling to various Christian holy sites since I was young...

Graduated as a first-class graduate of the Sant'Ignazio Seminary in Manresa...

Entering the Holy Church, but it is actually an internal organization of the Eighth Mystery Society...

He was transferred to the Magic Association as a "dispatched" and became a disciple of Tōsaka Tokiomi...

"...agent?"

Noticing this, Irisviel frowned slightly.

In the teachings of the Holy Church, all things were created by God, even demons, so humans do not have the right to kill demons, unless they are acting as God's agent to eliminate heresy under the name of the Lord.

This is the Agent, a humanoid weapon that does the "dirty work" for the church, specializes in killing, and roams the dark side of the world.

In a sense, he and the magician killer Emiya Kiritsugu are similar people in the two major factions of the Church and the Magic Association.

Then it is understandable that Emiya Kiritsugu would care more about him.

But from Irisviel's perspective, no matter how powerful Kotomine Kirei is, he is just a human. How can he compare to Noah Siefer, the dangerous Heroic Spirit from another world?

Even from a human perspective, Kotomine Kirei is no match for Kenneth, the Clock Tower prodigy and color magician.

Compared to him, even Einzbern among the three great families can only be regarded as bumpkins from the countryside who came to the Clock Tower to beg for food, while the Tōsaka and Matou families are probably like international students who came out of primitive tribes.

After all, who could have imagined that reaching the source, the long-cherished wish of all magi in the world, would be realized in the form of the Holy Grail War at the end of the world, far away from the Clock Tower, in the Far East?

The shock was probably similar to "Ding, the villagers in the Bronze Age shared the controlled nuclear fusion technology with you."

Emiya Kiritsugu also noticed her confusion and relit a cigarette.

"Because I can't see through him... I can't fully understand that silver-haired Heroic Spirit either, but at least I can sense that, although he's obsessed with and enjoys fighting, he's not addicted to killing. He's very complex, yet pure as a child. But Kotomine Kirei..."

The smoke exhaled from his mouth slowly rose, making Emiya Kiritsugu's face somewhat blurry.

"Whether it's studying magic or working in various positions, no matter what it is, he always puts in several times more effort, sweat, and even blood than the average person, but when he is only one step away from the top, he will abandon it without any regrets... It's as if he can't feel his own existence, but strives to experience it."

Emiya Kiritsugu came to this conclusion, and after a while, he added another sentence.

"This man is dangerous!"

Seeing her husband showing such a serious expression for the first time, Irisviel not only clutched the hem of her skirt, but Hisayu Yama's eyes also became more and more dangerous.

Across the table, Gilgamesh, who had listened to the entire conversation, also shook his red wine glass, his scarlet pupils revealing a hint of interest.

Because it was getting late at night, Illya soon began to doze off and was carried by Irisviel to the bedroom to rest.

Emiya Kiritsugu only finished the rest of the preparations in the early hours of the morning.

As he left the auditorium, Gilgamesh's voice, which had been silent until then, suddenly echoed.

"Kiritsugu, do you know? It is my power to decide the fate of all mankind. To violate it is a capital crime."

Feeling the overwhelming murderous aura emanating from behind him, Emiya Kiritsugu stopped.

"Are you going to kill me?"

"No, I want to see how far you, a clown, can go for your ideals... Do your best to please this king. If you can please this king enough, perhaps I can pardon your death sentence."

After Emiya Kiritsugu left for a while, Gilgamesh looked towards the corner again.

"Puppet, how long do you plan to hide?"

98 Do you know what pleasure is?

Irisviel walked out from the shadows with a bottle of red wine in her hand. She looked at the gate and then at Gilgamesh, a hint of hesitation in her beautiful yet clear face like snow.

However, Irisviel quickly suppressed these complicated expressions and held the red wine in front of Gilgamesh with both hands.

"Ji... King of Heroes, I would like to express Kiritsugu's apology to you for his offense. Kiritsugu meant no disrespect to you. Besides, this bottle of wine is the most valuable in the castle. King of Heroes, please be kind enough to taste it."

With a playful smile on his face, like a cat watching a mouse, Gilgamesh said nothing, but just raised the empty wine glass in his hand.

After Irisviel hurriedly opened the red wine and poured some into the glass, he lifted the glass and shook it gently.

"Irisviel, you are truly a good woman. Thinking for your husband, devoting yourself to him, and worrying about him are virtues of a wife. Even I, the king, would not dislike such a person."

Through the glass covered with red curtains by the clear wine, Gilgamesh's already blood-red eyes became even more hazy, like a python lurking underwater.

Irisviel raised her brows, which had been lowered, and showed joy on her face.

"So, Ji, uh, King of Heroes, you've forgiven Kiritsugu?"

Gilgamesh, looking pensive, sighed softly as if having made a reluctant decision under Irisviel's expectant gaze.

"—Unfortunately, no!"

Seeing Gilgamesh's evil smile, Irisviel's face froze instantly.

No matter how natural she was, she knew that she had been badly fooled by Gilgamesh, so she could only puff up her cheeks like a pufferfish and look at him resentfully.

But Gilgamesh completely ignored her gaze and drank the wine in the cup.

"Don't let your preferences sway your decisions, and don't let your dislikes sway your anger. This is the magnanimity a king should have. This applies to both you and Kiritsugu..."

Gilgamesh suddenly stopped talking and shook his empty wine glass.

Although she was very dissatisfied, Irisviel had no choice but to go forward and pour him another glass.

"But you don't have to be so nervous. It's not quite accurate to say that I only dislike Kiritsugu. After all, even a clown has value in pleasing others, right? So don't worry, I won't attack Kiritsugu."

Irisviel's teeth suddenly creaked as her husband was described as a clown.

But Gilgamesh didn't give her a chance to refute and suddenly changed the subject.

"You've already made up your mind? If Kiritsugu gets his wish, you'll die. Aren't you afraid?"

The lobby fell into a dead silence, and from outside the window came the sound of trees swaying in the night wind.

Clutching the hem of her skirt tightly with both hands, Irisviel lowered her head and remained silent for a long time before a choked voice came out.

"How can I not be scared? I still want to grow up with Illya, I want to see the world with Kiritsugu, and there are so many things I want to do... but—"