At the Chaldea Embassy in Uruk.
Thanks to Naoki's Spatial Movement, the Servants who were supposed to be stationed at the Northern Wall were now all gathered inside the building, seated around a large round table for dinner.
Of course, the embassy in its original state couldn't accommodate so many people, so Naoki effortlessly conjured a large dining room out of nothing using Imaginary Manifestation, complete with a table, chairs, and dining utensils.
Sitting at one side of the round table while chewing on lamb ribs, Nobunaga glanced at Naoki, who was busy with Rei near the stove: "You, man, are cheating to the core! It's bad enough that you're so powerful, but you also have a cheating ability like Imaginary Manifestation, and your cooking is this good too… If only you'd been willing to help me back then!"
"Still spouting nonsense like that?"
Ushiwakamaru, seated beside Nobunaga, laughed as she set down her wine glass: "If Natsukawa-dono had helped you back then, humanity would definitely be in trouble now. Don't meddle with the course of history just because of your personal feelings, Oda-donk."
"What Ushiwakamaru-sama said is true… Well, even so, if my country were in distress, I, a monk, cannot guarantee I'd stay as clear-headed as this." Benkei said, looking at Tomoe across from him. "What do you think, Tomoe-sama?"
After a brief silence, Tomoe gave a faint smile: "That's true… I might be the same as Oda-sama. Even knowing it's wrong, I couldn't let my country fall into crisis."
"Exactly, right!? It's unavoidable!!"
Nobunaga jumped to her feet, but as soon as she stood, Naoki pressed her back into her chair with a plate of food over her head: "Your head! The Singularity issue is already settled, so why are you still talking about this stuff? Just eat your food, you big idiot from Owari."
"I'm not an idiot! Are you being too disrespectful to me!?"
"You expect people to respect that little-girl appearance of yours? Become a real Demon King first, then we'll talk." Naoki said, glancing at the other Servants. "Don't bring up past regrets at the dinner table. You can take this chance to rest properly. I don't know if this food suits your tastes? I'm not too well-versed in Japanese cuisine, just at a general level."
Ushiwakamaru quickly waved her hand: "Not at all! Natsukawa-dono's cooking skills are already extraordinary! Just being able to eat hometown dishes in a foreign land like this makes us incredibly grateful!"
"Good to hear. If you want to eat more in the future, just let me know. I'm basically a free man now. No need to worry about trips to the Northern Wall—I'll handle sending you back. It'll only take a moment."
"That's too much trouble for you…"
Without realizing it, Ushiwakamaru had even started using polite language with Naoki.
Seeing this, Ritsuka, sitting nearby, was slightly stunned: "The Department Head… he's really something else. He's already so chummy with the Servants, like old friends who haven't met in ages."
Ushiwakamaru, Musashibō Benkei, Oda Nobunaga, Tomoe Gozen, Leonidas I.
Any one of them was a legendary hero Ritsuka had studied in history books. Especially the first four Japanese Servants—there wasn't a single Japanese person who didn't admire their legends.
Swirling the wine glass in his hand, Merlin laughed: "Well, it shows that Natsukawa really has the knack for getting along with them harmoniously. I heard the Northern Wall out there has turned into an ice field—that must be Natsukawa's work."
"That's definitely his style." Morgan nodded as well. "If he wanted to, he could hold the Demon Beast Frontline all on his own. But from what he said, it seems he has no intention of doing that."
"Why does King Gilgamesh want me to be a trump card?"
Naoki, overhearing Morgan's words, sat beside her and said: "He said he wants me to be a firefighter, rushing to wherever there's danger. That basically means letting me improvise. That setup works for me too."
"Exactly, exactly. Our King won't stay in one place forever." Merry said, leaning against Naoki's back. "It's a pity I'll be Ritsuka-chan's special liaison agent starting tomorrow, so I can't always stay by the King's side to keep him from getting bored."
"No need to worry about that, Merry." Rei said, pulling Merry away from Naoki by her collar. "I'll take your place and stay with Master all the time."
"Arara~~~ That's really reliable."
Though it sounded like a normal, harmless conversation, Ritsuka, sitting close to them, somehow sensed a sharp aura of rivalry.
Leaning toward Naoki, Ritsuka whispered: "Department Head, are Merry-sensei and Rei-san not getting along?"
"Don't worry. They're just like that. Let them interact on their own—they'll come to an understanding soon enough." Naoki laughed. "Rather than that, don't you think this scene is a bit unexpected?"
"Eh? Which part does the Department Head mean?"
Naoki pointed at Tomoe and Ushiwakamaru.
After thinking for a moment, Ritsuka understood: "Now that you mention it… It's really amazing that those two can get along like this."
Tomoe and Ushiwakamaru were contemporaries in life, but they weren't allies—they were enemies. Ushiwakamaru even killed Kiso Yoshinaka, Tomoe's lord and husband, on the battlefield.
Thus, it's no exaggeration to call them sworn enemies, yet now they could sit together calmly. Though it was clear they were deliberately avoiding interaction, this was still a rare sight.
"But it's not something we need to worry about. They can handle it themselves. And to be blunt, it's their personal matter. We're just newcomers here—we shouldn't, and don't need to, meddle too much in their affairs."
"That's true. The Department Head really has experience with this kind of thing."
"Only because I've seen similar situations often." Naoki laughed.
"By the way, how's your situation? Has Merry already taken you to find a suitable place to stay?"
"Yeah, we found one, and it's not far from here."
The dinner continued amidst their conversation.