"Hey, Knight King! I'm here to meet you, come out, huh? ”

The voice came from the hall, and it seemed that the other party had already stepped through the main entrance. There was no doubt that the enemy was Iskandar, the king of conquest, and listening to his hearty shout, it did not look like a warrior about to fight.

But Saber didn't dare to slack off, and she materialized the silver armor as she ran.

Alice Phil and Saber finally made their way through the hallway to the terrace...... However, when the two of them saw the enemy servant standing in the hall through the moonlight from the skylight, they immediately did not know what to say.

“……”

"Yo, Saber. When I heard about the castle, I wanted to come and see - how did this happen, huh? ”

Rider grinned unashamedly and bared his teeth, and then he moved his neck in a deliberate manner.

"There are too many trees in the yard, it's too inconvenient to get in and out, and I almost got lost before I got to the city gate, so I cut some for you, thank me." The view has become much better. ”

“rider。 You ......"

Saber snapped, but she didn't know what to say in the face of this inexplicable enemy. Rider said with a surprised frown.

"Hey Knight King, aren't you going to change into a modern outfit tonight? Don't wear that stiff armor all the time. ”

If Saber's appearance in armor is said to be rigid, then what should be said about Rider's jeans and T-shirt? If you think of this armor as Saber's pride, the cracks in the thick breastplate seem to hint at its fragility. Here, perhaps, it can only be said that "the ignorant are invincible".

Webber half-hid behind the rider's massive frame, looking up at Alice Phil with a look on his face that was hostile or terrified. Needless to say, his face clearly reads "I want to go home" and "hurry up".

Once, King Iskandar, because of his interest in the culture of the invaded territory, was the first to wear Asian-style clothing, which made his entourage shy away from him. Alice Phil had heard the story, but she certainly didn't expect that the reason for the rider in front of her to change into modern clothes was actually Saber in a suit.

What made them even more strange was that the rider was not holding a weapon or other thing to use in combat.

It's a bucket.

No matter how you look at it, it's a wooden wine bottle. The rider, who easily clipped the sake bottle under his arm, is like a sake brewery owner who has come to deliver the goods.

"You ......"

Saber, who was speechless again, took a deep breath and said calmly.

"Rider, what are you doing here?"

"Still don't understand? I'm looking for you for a drink - hey, don't be there, lead the way, is there a courtyard suitable for a banquet? It's all gray inside this castle, no. ”

“……”

Saber sighed helplessly, and the anger that had been stored in his chest disappeared. Looking at this seemingly innocent opponent, she couldn't maintain her fighting spirit.

"Alice Phil, what should I do?"

Alice Phil was similarly confused.

She was angry at the destruction of the forest's barrier before, but after seeing that grinning face, she couldn't hate it anyway.

"He's not the kind of person who sets traps, does he really want to drink?"

Rider has said that he will wait for the winner to be decided between Saber and Lancer. Keeping the pride and self-esteem of the Heroic Spirit, his sudden appearance tonight is really incomprehensible.

"Does the man want to adopt a soft policy towards Saber?"

"No, it's a challenge."

Saber, who should have lost his fighting spirit, became serious for some reason at this moment.

"Challenge?"

"Yes...... I am a king, and he is also a king. If you want to divide the high and low at the wine table, it is equivalent to a bloodless 'battle'. ”

Perhaps hearing Saber's words, the King of Conquest smiled and nodded.

"Hehe, it's good to understand. Since you can't fight each other with swords, let's use wine to fight it out. Knight King, I won't let you go tonight, get ready. ”

"Interesting. I accept. ”

Saber, who resolutely responded, exuded a fighting spirit as if he were on the battlefield. Only now does Alice Phil realize that this is not a joke, but a real "fight".

The banquet was held by the flower bed in the atrium of the castle. Last night's battle didn't spill over here, and it didn't look shabby for hospitality. At this point, no one cared about the cold outside.

Rider brought the wine bottle to the atrium, and the two servants sat down face-to-face and confronted each other leisurely. Alice Fell and Webber sat side by side, guessing at the development of the situation, realizing that it meant a temporary truce, and that he would just have to watch from the sidelines.

Rider smashed the lid of the barrel with his fist, and the mellow aroma of red wine suddenly filled the air in the atrium.

"Although the shape is strange, it is a drinking vessel unique to this country."

As he spoke, Rider proudly slapped a spoon of wine with a bamboo handle. It's a pity that no one on the spot was able to point out that his common sense surname was wrong.

Rider first drank the wine from the spoon in one gulp, and then spoke.

"I've heard that only those who are qualified can get the Holy Grail."

The serious tone calmed the surrounding atmosphere. This man actually spoke in such a tone, and he always felt that something was wrong.

"And the ritual of selecting the one who is qualified is the war that is being fought in Fuyuki - but if you just watch from the sidelines, then there is no need to shed blood. If we can recognize each other's abilities, then I don't need to talk about it. ”

“……”

Without hesitation, Saber took the handle from the rider and scooped a spoonful of wine as well.

Saber's thin body always makes people worry about whether she can really drink. But looking at her boldness in drinking, she is not inferior to the giant rider at all. Seeing this, the rider let out a pleasant compliment.

"So, first of all, are you going to compete with me to see who is stronger? rider。 ”

"Exactly, there is a real contest in the name of the 'king', but in this case, it is better not to call it the 'Holy Grail War', but the 'Holy Grail Q&A'...... In the end, who among the knight kings and conquering kings will become the 'Holy Grail King'? It's a fitting question to ask a wine glass. ”

Rider changed his serious tone and laughed mischievously. Then he spoke as if to himself.

"Ah, speaking of which, there is a man here who calls himself 'King.'"

"--That's the end of the joke, **."

As a roar ended, a presence suddenly appeared from the two of them that they couldn't ignore. No, it should be two, the golden heroic spirit appeared between the two kings with a silver-haired boy. (To be continued.) )