The next day, Guinevere awoke with the King of Knights in her arms. They had completed the magical energy replenishment.
Last night, after discovering Tohsaka had been left in a vegetative state, she had brought his entire family back to the castle.
When Kiritsugu learned of Tohsaka's fate, he immediately deduced that Kirei must be responsible and that the King of Heroes was now under his control.
Without hesitation, he left behind only his familiars and surveillance cameras before bringing the King of Knights back. He knew Kirei still had Command Spells remaining and wasn't willing to risk an opportunistic attack.
Furthermore, he was aware that Risei Kotomine, the priest at the Church, was Kirei's father. He refused to gamble on confronting Kirei outside the Church's sanctuary, unsure if Risei and the Executors who had recently arrived would intervene on Kirei's behalf.
"Guinevere," Kiritsugu began, "now that the King of Heroes has recovered his full strength, our agreement with the King of Conquerors is under his scrutiny..."
"That man possesses a king's pride," Guinevere interrupted. "He won't stoop to a sneak attack. If the future I've foreseen is correct, they'll wait at the Holy Grail's manifestation site, expecting us to walk right into their trap once we're ready."
Brilliant morning sunlight streamed in, warming the large bed. With no fabric separating their skin, Guinevere had no desire to get up.
In the King of Knights' eyes, Guinevere could still perceive a single, fixed timeline. But according to Guinevere herself, the Holy Grail War was too insignificant; completely altering its related future was no great matter.
Moreover, the current state of this Holy Grail War had already deviated too much from the single-line future she had foreseen.
"So, it's just 'should'?"
"Lia, the future can change, but it requires people to actively change it. If a person remains the same—unaware of the future and with no significant change in personality—their actions can still be predicted with about seventy to eighty percent accuracy."
As she spoke, Guinevere's hand began to tease the King of Knights' waist, forcing her to retaliate before hastily recomposing her serious facade.
Having chosen to yield and feeling much more relaxed after the night's events, the King of Knights' ahoge finally perked up a little.
"Guinevere, I've conceded this much for you. Are you satisfied now?"
"Mm-hm. I'm overjoyed that Lia is willing to admit she's the 'zero' one."
"The what?"
Her gaze was blank, her tone bewildered. It seemed the Holy Grail hadn't granted her knowledge on that particular subject.
Should I tell her? Or not?
Guinevere considered their upcoming battle with the King of Conquerors, scheduled for the night. If the King of Heroes were to launch an unexpected assault on the castle, the newly restored barrier would provide ample warning.
As for Kiritsugu Emiya, Guinevere had already warned him last night. She'd told him she was tired and wanted to rest properly with the King of Knights, so they wouldn't be fighting during the day.
With that settled, Guinevere decided to explain. She began to educate the King of Knights on certain terminology, opening the door to the "other world" she was already in but completely unaware of.
Once the King of Knights roughly understood what Guinevere had meant, her expression flickered between light and shadow. She was certainly unwilling to admit she was the "zero."
They fought and wrestled until the sun hung high in the sky and their stomachs began to rumble with hunger again.
But while their bodies were empty, Guinevere's spirit finally felt fully sated.
"Guinevere," the King of Knights began, "do you really think Kirei Kotomine won't move against his father? Or that his father will truly abide by the Holy Grail War's rules and not grant him extra Command Spells?"
Their "battle" over, the two lay flat on their backs, staring blankly at the canopy of the large bed. After a short rest and a bath, it would be Guinevere's turn to cook again.
Once they had rested enough, they stepped into the cylindrical tub Guinevere had conjured with Falsification. As they washed, their conversation drifted back to the Holy Grail War.
This time, Guinevere's hand gently twirled strands of the King of Knights' short hair, winding them into little circles.
"Based on the future I've seen, Kirei Kotomine will undoubtedly strike against his father. He'll do whatever it takes to defeat Kiritsugu."
"However, while he can move against the Holy Church, we can't. If we try to seize anything from them, it would be tantamount to declaring war on the modern Holy Church."
"Well, not that I'm afraid of a real fight," Guinevere added nonchalantly. "The Clock Tower would side with us."
Her fingers continued their playful twirling, but the King of Knights couldn't share Guinevere's relaxed demeanor. Fifteen hundred years had passed. The secular church had weakened, but the Holy Church had only accumulated more power.
Moreover, if the Clock Tower and the Holy Church went to war, the scale of the conflict would dwarf this Holy Grail War.
A hundred thousand casualties? A million? Such losses were entirely possible.
"Guinevere..."
"Alright, alright. The Church today is far more restrained than it was fifteen hundred years ago. If I were to seek revenge, I'd only target the old relics who've survived since that era."
"Once the Holy Grail War is over, we still have to work on changing our public reputations, you know."
After playing with the King of Knights' hair for a while longer, Guinevere turned around, allowing the King of Knights to comb through her long, ash-white locks.
"Of course, if the Holy Church makes the first move..."
As she spoke, a hint of killing intent seeped into Guinevere's voice. Hearing this, the King of Knights leaned forward, her lips brushing against the nape of Guinevere's neck—a silent gesture that spoke volumes.
They both knew that a new Executor had taken up residence in Fuyuki's Holy Church. According to the mage acquaintance who had come to retrieve Sakura, this Executor was specifically targeting Guinevere.
The Clock Tower hadn't intervened simply because Guinevere didn't want them involved. She felt no concern over a single Executor.
"Speaking of which, Kirei Kotomine was driven out of the Fuyuki Church by that Executor, wasn't he? If he returns to the church to strike at his father, he'll surely clash with her."
So, would Kirei fight Ciel, the Executor codenamed 'Bow'? The answer was yes.
And even with Ciel's extraordinary immortality, born from numerous anomalies, she would be no match for the King of Heroes and his endless treasury of Noble Phantasms.
Bound by the Chains of Heaven and sealed by over a dozen Noble Phantasms specifically designed against Dead Apostles, the Executor sent to ensure Guinevere's return to the Throne of Heroes at the end of the Holy Grail War would be ambushed and sealed by Kirei before she even had a chance to confront Guinevere.
"Impressive. She can regenerate even after being burned to ash."
While Guinevere and the King of Knights were still savoring their post-battle intimacy, the events they discussed were already unfolding.
To Guinevere's surprise, the King of Heroes had planned to strike first, eliminating them before they could engage the King of Conquerors.
However, Kirei needed time to prepare. He had to write a letter of confession to the Lord, transfer all the Command Spells from his father's arm to his own, and experiment with new ways to use them.
Having fought Kiritsugu Emiya once before, he believed no amount of caution was excessive.
Back in Guinevere and the King of Knights' bedroom, after washing up, they both changed into simple casual clothes.
They wanted to spend the day exploring Fuyuki City.
"Guinevere, where do you think the Holy Grail will manifest? Will it be in the heart of Mount Enzou, as you said?"
"With us protecting her, Irisviel won't die, not until the very end."
"Then how will you save her?"
"We'll create a false soul and body to serve as her substitute. That should be enough."
After breakfast, Guinevere walked through the streets of Fuyuki, a relaxed expression on her face.
Today was her and the King of Knights' date.