Shinji Matou At Your Service

At the same time, Archer inexplicably sneezed, and uncontrollable droplets flew in an arc, landing in a tall glass on the coffee table.

The tall glass was filled with a crimson liquid, and the soft light shining through the transparent glass refracted a mesmerizing brilliance.

This was a fine red wine from the renowned Château Latour in the Bordeaux region of France, a rare vintage with a history of over 20 years. It would easily fetch a six-figure price at a large auction, making it the dream of countless wine enthusiasts.

However, Archer casually threw the exquisite wine into the trash can in the corner, along with the Baccarat wine glass from France, showing no hint of regret.

As the Servant known as Gilgamesh, he possessed the most treasures in the world and had an incredible fortune that followed him throughout his life. This fortune was even elevated to the A-rank skill "Golden Rule." Those who possessed this skill could become wealthy without doing anything, and never plagued by financial troubles. It was as if they would always win at gambling, find money on the streets, and stumble upon treasures even in a pit.

Carelessly taking out a new wine glass from the wine cabinet, Archer poured himself half a glass of red wine and raised the glass, muttering to himself.

"Why did I sneeze?"

For a Servant, who was the embodiment of a Heroic Spirit, there should be no concept of falling ill unless the enemy possessed a Noble Phantasm related to diseases. However, among the seven Servants currently present, none of them had any connection to illnesses, which puzzled Archer.

Nevertheless, the King of Heroes, sung of in the oldest of epics, only pondered over it for a moment before dismissing the thought. Even if he fell ill, his treasury contained more than enough divine medicines, the origins of medicine and pharmacy, the natural enemy of the concept of disease.

I, Gilgamesh, am naturally the strongest, with only my dear friend Enkidu as my equal. The others are nothing more than opponents to be defeated, such as the Queen of the Fairyland or the bothersome mongrel, that pitch-black mad dog.

With a creak, the door opened inward, and a young man in a black cassock entered the room.

Seeing the golden Servant leisurely reclining on the couch, the man's rigid expression showed a hint of surprise.

"Archer?"

Archer showed no intention of standing up, simply raising his glass towards the man standing at the doorway.

"There may not be many, but the treasures here are more complete than Tokiomi's wine collection. You truly are a lousy disciple."

Tokiomi had only one official disciple, the young man standing before Archer, Kotomine Kirei. Archer was not the owner of this room, but Kirei was.

Archer had brazenly entered Kirei's room, taking over as if it were his own, opening bottle after bottle of Kirei's wine collection, evaluating each one, and finally choosing this particular bottle.

To others, this might seem surprising, but Kirei had a peculiar habit. Whenever he heard of a top-tier fine wine, he would purchase it without hesitation, regardless of the cost. Although the life of a representative of the Church was arduous, the compensation was excellent, and Kirei's wealth was not inferior to that of ordinary millionaires.

Drinking wine was a profound and infinite world that became more fascinating as one delved into the quest for quality. Perhaps there was a certain taste that could fill the emptiness in his heart. If such an encounter truly existed, even if he indulged in alcohol, it wouldn't be so bad... This desperate believer had once half-seriously thought so.

However, up until now, his exploration of wine had yielded no rewards. He only accumulated more and more bottles of luxury brands. Of course, he never considered using these wines to entertain guests, let alone an unwelcome guest who showed up uninvited. Even if the person praised his wine, he would have no intention of entertaining them.

Since being summoned, Archer had been freely utilizing his skill for independent action, wandering around as he pleased. He even recently changed into "casual attire" and strolled through the streets at night, drawing some complaints from Tokiomi when conversing with Gilgamesh.

But Kirei never dreamt that Archer would come to his room so brazenly.

Kirei's patience was tested as he asked, "What exactly do you want?"

Archer replied, his eyes full of meaning as he looked at Kirei through his wine glass, "Nothing much, just interested in you."

"Really? Even serving under Tokiomi cannot satisfy your soul?"

Kirei didn't answer Archer's question but instead coldly asked him in return.

Even if the other party was the legendary King of Heroes, Kirei didn't feel any fear. Regardless of Tokiomi's thoughts, the Servant was still the Master's servant. No matter who this Heroic Spirit was, as long as he was Archer, he was beneath Tokiomi. Compared to Kirei, who was Tokiomi's direct disciple, they were at most of the same status, and there was no need to be overly humble towards him.

Kirei's attitude didn't make Archer dissatisfied. He simply snorted and tasted the wine in his glass.

"It is Tokiomi who summoned me, and I can maintain my presence in this world because of his support. Moreover, he treats me as his vassal, and it is not unreasonable for me to respond to him."

After unexpectedly making this rule-bound statement, Gilgamesh's unusually crimson eyes showed a look of annoyance.

"But honestly, I didn't expect him to be such a boring person, without any meaning at all."

"...It's unexpected for a Servant to say such things."

Kirei was helpless. His anger towards Archer's extremely rude behavior and his suspicion of the true reason for his visit had gradually faded away. In this strange and gentle atmosphere, Kirei almost tacitly allowed Archer to have a place in this room.

"Is Tokiomi really that boring?"

"Boring. Talking about wanting to use the power of the all-purpose wish-granting machine to reach the 'Root'? There is no more boring wish in the world."

The King of Heroes laughed, devaluing the lofty realm that all magi coveted. But Kirei could understand his feelings.

"The desire for the 'Root' is a wish exclusive to magi that outsiders find hard to understand."

"True, but you seem to be an outsider too, Kirei. And I heard that you were originally in an opposing position to those magi, right?"

It seemed that Archer had also heard about Kirei's complicated position. This man seemed arrogant, but he was quite well-informed.

Kirei crossed his arms and pondered for a while. If he looked at Tokiomi's Holy Grail War from the standpoint of an executor of the Eighth Sacrament of the Holy Church, what meaning did it have?

"...The pursuit of the 'Root' is to transcend the 'outside of the world.' This transcendence will not bring any changes to this 'inside' world. For the Church that only focuses on the 'inside,' the magi's exploration has no meaning and is merely seen as a boring attempt."

"As long as I can enjoy this garden that belongs to me, my universe, I am satisfied."

This statement treated the whole world as his possession, a unique arrogance that only the King of Heroes possessed.

"I have no interest in domains that are not under my control, including the 'Root.'"

Kirei smiled bitterly. He didn't expect Archer to be completely opposed to Magi. No wonder magi like Tokiomi were at a loss against him.

"If the Holy Grail were simply a special device for pursuing the 'Root,' even if those magi were obsessed and went crazy, the Church would ignore them. Unfortunately, the Holy Grail is 'omnipotent' and possesses infinite possibilities to change the 'inside' world. It can be said to be the supreme heresy that threatens our faith. That's why the Church chose Tokiomi. Because that is a dangerous heresy that cannot be ignored. If that power can be wasted on something 'both boring and meaningless,' it is the result we hope to see. Only my father seems to have some personal reasons besides this."

"So, are the other magi pursuing the Holy Grail for different reasons than Tokiomi?"

Kirei nodded in response to Archer's question.

"Tokiomi-sensei is not only a typical magus but also an extreme right-wing. There are not many people like him who are dedicated to the true path of magi. The others probably pursue mundane rewards like reputation, desire, and power... They are all wishes confined to the 'inside' of the world."

"Well, isn't that good? Each of them is my favorite," Archer said.

"You truly are the king reigning at the top of mundane desires, Gilgamesh."

Archer smirked and finished the drink in his glass, seemingly not taking Kirei's criticism as an insult.

"Kirei, what about you then? What is your wish for the Holy Grail? I heard you were one of the earliest to obtain the qualification to participate but later lost it."

Gilgamesh's question was also Kirei's question, as well as Tokiomi's and Father Risei's.

"I... don't have any particular wish to fulfill... It must be some problem with the Holy Grail," Kirei replied, sounding a bit confused, while Archer's crimson eyes shimmered with an eerie light.

"That's one way to explain it, but it's not the real reason for you. You know, Kirei, the reason why Heroic Spirits become Heroic Spirits is not only because of their achievements but also due to human belief. The Holy Grail, which summons Heroic Spirits through the ritual of their battles, favors humans and rejects those who are not human."

"Are you saying I'm not human, Gilgamesh?" Kirei's tone became stern and cold.

"Correctly speaking, not entirely human. There is something about you that even I don't understand. Perhaps that's why you lost the favor of the Holy Grail. And that's what interests me."

Seeing Kirei's face drastically changing, Archer found it more amusing.

"You can continue to be confused and struggle, and let yourself see the truth behind the fog, just as I would."

With joyful laughter, Archer left the room, leaving Kirei alone, stunned.

"I... am not entirely human? Is it because something is missing in me?"

PS: The exclusion of non-humans is the setting of the Holy Grail in Fuyuki City. The other Holy Grails and False Holy Grails seem to lack such restrictions. (This limitation was just a response from the author, Nasu, to the fans of Tsukihime who wondered if characters from Tsukihime would appear in the Fate series. But since he said it, let's take it as true.)