Female Gil/Enkidu: "Artoria, you need to grow taller."
Saber: "???"
Completely unaware why Female Gil and Enkidu would say this about her, Saber was genuinely confused about what these two were discussing.
But based on her intuition, she concluded they were making lewd implications!
"You... know me?"
Having her True Name called out so directly clearly indicated that Female Gil and Enkidu knew her.
Yet, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't recall where she had met them before. So Saber asked curiously.
"Know you? Of course we do. Very well."
Enkidu smiled, remembering how they had lost to Artoria and Morgan's side dishes. Just thinking about it was infuriating.
"Not just well, we know each other far too well."
Similarly recalling her own measly one potato, Female Gil was even angrier. She hadn't even ranked!
Saber: "???"
Still utterly bewildered, she thought these two might have some issues, so it's best to leave it for now.
"Anyway, regardless of whether you are the Master or the Servant representing the Einzbern, what do you want? An alliance?"
Looking at Ryuya, Kiritsugu Emiya wasn't flustered at all that Artoria had been recognized. He had a feeling that this man seemed to see through everything. He sensed that when Ryuya shot that Origin Bullet at him earlier, it wasn't to kill him, but to serve as a warning.
"Hahaha, indeed. But before we get to that question, how should I address you?"
Iskandar, having stopped his Gordius Wheel early on and sat down in front of Ryuya to listen to everyone, nodded heartily.
"Oh, my name is Takami Ryuya. You can just call me Ryuya."
Having some respect for a straightforward and bold king like Iskandar, Ryuya smiled and continued, "The reason for asking you to stay is actually quite simple. In a few days, my home will host a banquet. I'd like you all to attend."
"Banquet?"
Iskandar's eyebrows shot up excitedly, "Will there be fine wine and meat?"
"Of course."
"Haha, then this King shall definitely not miss it."
Declaring that he would surely attend Ryuya's banquet, Iskandar felt he had already witnessed plenty of interesting things today.
Bidding farewell to Ryuya, he drove his Gordius Wheel and left the space within Rashomon.
"Banquet? If we agree, will you let us go?"
Glancing at Ryuya, Kiritsugu wondered where he had heard the name 'Takami Ryuya' before. But scanning through the history he knew, he couldn't place it.
He didn't believe Ryuya could be a Master instead of a Servant. After a moment, he asked if Ryuya wasn't afraid they would pretend to agree and then do something else.
"Ah? Afraid of you? No."
As if thinking of something amusing, Ryuya's expression shifted from relaxed. The moment his smile faded, he gave Kayneth and Kiritsugu the feeling of an indisputable god.
Even Diarmuid and Saber couldn't help but lower their heads, not daring to meet the man's gaze.
"Kayneth Archibald, Emiya Kiritsugu, the reason you didn't die today isn't because I couldn't kill you, but because I think you two still have some use."
"I can't be bothered to explain anything to you. You just need to know that my purpose in initiating this Holy Grail War far exceeds anything your impoverished minds can imagine. You can choose to accept my terms, or you can choose to do whatever you want after leaving here."
"But..."
At this point, Ryuya's voice lowered.
His indifferent tone made cold sweat break out all over Kayneth and Kiritsugu's bodies.
"...if you dare break your promise to me, then be prepared to die."
After saying this, Ryuya lost interest in further entanglement with Kayneth and the others.
He directly left with Enkidu and Female Gil. The girls at Einzbern Castle were still worried about him, after all.
After Ryuya left…
"Saber, let's return for now."
Addressing Artoria, a preoccupied Kiritsugu was the first to leave.
"My Lord, we should also..."
"Lancer, let's go back too."
Kayneth sighed, feeling that everything that happened today was too shocking.
The most terrifying one was Ryuya's overwhelming power, which severely dented Kayneth's confidence.
Shaking his head helplessly, he thought about returning to the hotel first with Diarmuid and Sola-Ui.
However, after returning to the hotel and wanting to discuss countermeasures with Sola-Ui, he found his fiancée seemed to have some issue with him. She claimed she wasn't feeling well and retreated to her room.
Kayneth: "???"
Unaware of what was wrong with his fiancée, Kayneth ultimately chose to forgive Sola-Ui. He began discussing the day's events with Diarmuid.
Both Kayneth and Kiritsugu had simultaneously thought of one thing, which was...
In another room at the Dolphin Hotel, soaking in hot water and thinking about the man she saw in the evening, Sola-Ui felt her entire body burning up.
'I like him, I like him, I like him, I like him so much!'
'It's him, it's really him. He's the one I've been yearning for.'
Having never experienced what it felt like to be in love, Sola-Ui understood the moment she saw Ryuya.
Her purpose for living until now was all for that man… the man who scorned everything and held everyone in the palm of his hand.
Remembering Ryuya's evening gaze that seemed to look at her as if she were trash (it was actually directed at Kayneth and Kiritsugu), Sola-Ui felt she needed to change her hot bath to a cold one, or she wouldn't be able to stand it!
As the cold water fell, feeling herself grow even hotter, she could no longer bear it. Her right hand gently...
(The following 20,000 words are omitted.)
…
Back at Einzbern Castle.
"Alright, after a day of preparations, several participants are ready tonight. So, let the evening's competition begin!"
The content of the second round of the Hubby Contest was quite complex and might require more than one day, so Haruno had tentatively scheduled it for two days.
Unlike the previous competition, this round's event had Ryuya acting as the sole judge.
Watching the prepared Artoria and Morgan enter the room, the atmosphere in the hall was completely different from the tension before the last competition.
This time, a somewhat flustered Female Gil, her face bright red, was muttering things like 'can', 'cannot', and similar phrases.
Recalling the matter Ryuya mentioned to her in the evening, the oldest King, Gil-chan, was actually scared!