"Assassin, what is the situation?"
Back inside the church, it wasn't until the moment Caelus reappeared that Kirei remembered he actually had a Servant, and that he had sent this Servant out to gather intelligence.
When he recalled this, even Kirei could not help but feel a slight tremor in his heart. This ability to make others gradually forget one's existence as soon as one disappears was truly terrifying. Moreover, this forgetting was rapid and seamless. He had spent the entire previous night with his teacher, yet neither of them had realized there was an Assassin in their lineup.
It was only now that Kirei remembered this matter. Otherwise, as time continued to pass and the existence continued to fade, he suspected even the Command Spells on the back of his hand would vanish, and he might even completely forget that he was participating in the Holy Grail War.
"Is this nihilism? Is the power of such a philosophical concept truly this terrifying?"
Kirei could not help but wonder. If Assassin were determined to hide himself and erase his existence, would even that oldest King of Heroes be able to discover this non-existent being?
"The Matou family has summoned a Servant. I'm not sure which class it is, but they are wearing white armor and look like a knight. As for the other Servants, while I can roughly confirm the directions in which they were summoned, I do not have specific locations yet."
"Hmm, I see. Come with me to meet our ally."
Caelus nodded and asked nothing, following Kirei to the Tohsaka Family residence. There, he met the head of the Tohsaka Family, Tokiomi, the very man behind the famous line, "Everything is Tokiomi's fault."
The blonde Gilgamesh sat on a sofa, holding a golden wine cup filled with a liquid the color of fresh blood. He gently swirled the golden cup, letting the aroma of the wine drift out, before looking at Caelus, who had been brought before him, with eyes like blood-red rubies.
"...Truly, there is a resemblance."
Those eyes, which were originally sharp and carried a sense of arrogance and scrutiny, now became somewhat peaceful.
Gilgamesh looked at Caelus, who reminded him of his former dear friend, Enkidu.
At this moment, Caelus did indeed share some similarities with the Enkidu who first met Gilgamesh. Both were emotionally incomplete, yet both possessed the faint sprouts of humanity within their hearts.
The only difference was that the emotions in Enkidu's heart back then were developed through imitation and learning little by little.
In contrast, the humanity and emotions in Caelus's heart were remnants left behind by his two predecessors.
"What is your name?"
The peace in Gilgamesh's eyes vanished, replaced once again by arrogance.
"Caelus."
Caelus answered.
"A decent name. Can you fight? Have a match with this King."
"My King!"
Tokiomi, standing to the side, could not help but speak up.
"Assassin is indeed a fine opponent to provide you with amusement and relief from boredom, but he is ultimately your subordinate in this battle. He must fight for you in the future, after all. It would not do for a monarch such as yourself to always lead the charge personally, would it?"
Gilgamesh was originally somewhat impatient, but after hearing Tokiomi's words, he found them quite reasonable. After all, if he had to personally deal with every stray dog and cat, it would diminish his status as the oldest monarch. Having a capable subordinate to command was indeed a good thing.
"Hmph, you do have a point. Boy, our battle shall be saved for the very end. Until then, become a soldier under my command and sweep away the mongrels who dare covet this King's treasures."
Caelus nodded indifferently.
Gilgamesh thought for a moment. Since the boy had become his subordinate to clear away madmen, he had to give some kind of reward. Otherwise, would that not make this King seem overly stingy?
At that thought, Gilgamesh snapped his fingers, and golden ripples surged around him. He then reached into the golden ripples and pulled out a weapon.
It was a sword. The blade was like white silk condensed from moonlight, suspended in mid-air, its edge shifting between substance and void. In daylight, it appeared as a pale ink-colored misty shadow. At night, it transformed into frost and snow-like flowing light. The black jade hilt was inlaid with a map of the stars, and the blade was three feet and three inches long. When swung, it trailed a band of light like the tail of a comet.
"This sword is named Night Practice. As a soldier of this King and my destined opponent, it would be stingy of me not to provide you with a proper weapon. Accept this gift with gratitude."
Caelus caught the longsword Gilgamesh threw over. After swinging it a few times casually, Gilgamesh shook his head at the sight. It looked like a child flailing about, completely devoid of any technique or form.
"Honestly, if outsiders saw this, they would mock this King for taking in a fool who knows absolutely nothing. A fine sword in your hands is no different from a fire poker. This will not do. It is an embarrassment to this King."
Gilgamesh began rummaging through his treasury. Although the fellow before him was special and most energy-based blessings could not affect him, Gilgamesh, confident in his treasury, believed he could surely find an item that would work.
"No need."
Caelus spoke up, interrupting Gilgamesh's search. Suddenly, his previously unsightly posture became proper. Although his movements and stance while swinging the sword did not quite match the longsword in his hand, they already contained the essence of real techniques.
"Hmph. At least it is somewhat presentable now. Get back and practice more. Do not let it be said that a subordinate of this King brought me shame in battle."
Gilgamesh's sour expression improved significantly after seeing Caelus quickly adopt a proper swordsmanship stance. He then hurriedly told the boy to go back and practice his martial arts, so that even if he did not become a master, he would at least look the part and not embarrass him.
Caelus did not feel any anger or annoyance at Gilgamesh's abrasive tone. Instead, he nodded seriously and said to the monarch who had gifted him a suitable weapon, "I will not fail the trust."
"Hahaha! Good! This King gives you a promise. If our future battle satisfies me, I would not mind rewarding you with that so-called Holy Grail!"
"Alright. I will go back and practice hard right now."
Caelus disappeared on the spot. In that instant, Tokiomi, who was about to speak, felt his mind go blank. He suddenly could not remember what he had been about to say, and wondered why the King was sitting on the sofa laughing so happily.
After Gilgamesh finished laughing, he glanced at the bewildered Kirei and Tokiomi, knowing they had temporarily lost the relevant memories because of that boy's ability.
As for why Gilgamesh remembered, it was because this King, upon meeting Caelus, had already quietly taken an item from his treasury that countered existence erasure and kept it on his person. This allowed him to avoid falling into self-doubt or contradiction due to the power of nothingness and resist the effects brought by the reduction of presence.
"Truly an interesting little fellow. I wonder just what you will grow into?"
Gilgamesh, who had previously lacked interest in this Holy Grail War, was now quite intrigued. He truly wanted to see what this boy, who shared some similarities with Enkidu, would become.
(To be continued.)