"I've never had anyone else clean my ears before. An intimacy of this degree is akin to placing your life in another's hands.
"Also, Auntie Guinevere, your roasted meat is delicious. It's just that the original owner of this body seems to have tasted something even better, so I'm missing the joy that should have welled up from within."
A fight was unlikely to break out. Under the gentle afternoon sun, the three found a shady spot where the King of Knights truly did clean Ishtar's ears.
As a goddess, her ears were free of any dirt. She was simply basking in the tenderness radiating from the King of Knights.
"Hey! Just because you're using our junior's body and aren't as arrogant as I imagined doesn't mean I won't hit you! What right do you have to call Artoria 'Big Sister' and me 'Auntie'?"
"Of course, it's because when you're angry, you really look like an auntie!"
She was still clinging to the King of Knights' embrace, and the longer she did so, the more annoyed Guinevere became.
She still hadn't forgotten the chilling glare Guinevere had given her earlier.
"Auntie Guinevere, Big Sister Artoria smells so good. You really got a great deal by becoming her partner!"
"Of course!"
Ishtar's personality was "collapsing" more and more compared to what Guinevere knew, but seeing as she was clearly doing it on purpose, wasn't this "collapse" of her personality also intentional?
Moreover, after finishing the food the King of Knights fed her, she truly resumed her divine disdain, sitting in mid-air with one leg raised high, completely in a posture of waiting for Guinevere to beg her.
"Hey, I'm not entirely your junior. This little favor just makes me willing to listen seriously to what you have to say.
So, you're walking toward my temporary residence. What exactly do you want to beg me for? If you're really asking me to help Uruk, forget it.
With that clueless tyrant around, I will absolutely not stand on the same side as him."
To enjoy the food, finish eating, and then act so ungratefully was a bit much, but this actually fit Guinevere's perception of Ishtar.
Guinevere knew that if she could produce half the gems from the Gate of Babylon right now and offer some flattery, Ishtar would likely change her tune and invite Guinevere to lick her feet.
Ishtar loved gems, a trait stemming from both her own personality and Rin's influence.
However, Guinevere didn't have such gems.
So, she drew her sword against Ishtar.
"After everything is over, we'll help you stab Gilgamesh to death. Or rather, in a future Holy Grail War, we've already stabbed him to death once."
It was basic Projection Magecraft, projecting the final battle from the Fuyuki deathmatch where she and the King of Knights defeated the King of Heroes.
As the projected memory appeared, Ishtar watched, slowly lowering her raised leg, and secretly swallowed after glancing at the King of Knights and Guinevere.
In her eyes, the King of Heroes in this projection seemed a bit foolish, but his power was undeniably real.
That his EA could be repelled by the King of Knights' Holy Sword's release... this...
In short, Ishtar no longer believed she could definitively defeat the King of Knights and Guinevere.
Once she felt she couldn't win, she swallowed some of her pride and gave Guinevere and her companion more recognition.
As for the video's authenticity? She wasn't foolish enough to be unable to tell if it was real or fake.
"Alright, I believe you have the power to kill Gilgamesh. So, you came to me because you really want my help for Uruk?"
"Yes!"
With a faint smile, Guinevere nodded, watching Ishtar sit obediently.
So, had Ishtar finally accepted their proposal?
"Auntie Guinevere, I can help Uruk, but I won't go back with you. When you need me, just come find me at the temple in the mountains.
I don't want to see Gilgamesh's smug face.
Now, I'm going to retrieve my bull first. Thanks for the information."
Regarding the Bull of Heaven, Guinevere had mentioned its location from the game, but barring any surprises, it should be right there.
After turning her face away and saying this, Ishtar had nothing more to add. She offered no extra warnings about their upcoming trip to the City of Kutha.
"If you can defeat Gilgamesh, the dangers in the City of Kutha are nothing."
She summoned the Boat of Heaven Maanna and, before leaving, grabbed some more roasted meat.
Ishtar had arrived by coincidence and departed in a hurry, shamed by her 'surrender'.
But in the end, she was never truly part of the Three Goddess Alliance. If Gilgamesh hadn't been there, she would have genuinely fought to protect Uruk.
"Guinevere, are we really going to Kutha? Her sister..."
"We've already accepted the mission, so we have to go. Even if we can't establish a good relationship with her, we can at least retrieve the Tablet of Destinies.
Besides, Ishtar went after the Bull. It's unlikely we'll run into Ere-chan on this trip."
"Does she know you call her that?"
"She will eventually."
They traveled onward, onward, until night fell, finally reaching their destination: the City of Kutha.
There, they didn't find the Lord of the Underworld, only endless skeletons and ghosts.
Fight, search, fight, search...
After three full cycles of day and night, some of the skeletons and ghosts, beaten senseless and unable to endure Guinevere's savage onslaught any longer, finally presented the Tablet of Destinies to them.
"So, what's written on this clay tablet? Not only is your script hard to decipher, but your handwriting is exceptionally ugly!"
"Guinevere, I wouldn't mind you sacrificing my life to appease Ishtar, but to say my handwriting is ugly..."
"My King, your script is as flawless as you are. It is I who lack the refinement to appreciate it. And if we're judging handwriting, mine is far too sloppy."
"Sir Merlin, you truly are infuriating. You're the Grand Mage of Britain! Shouldn't you be on our side?"
"Guinevere, I am currently summoned by the King of Heroes and bound to him as his Servant. Not just me—you all are as well!"
-
Back in the Great Palace Hall of Uruk, Guinevere and the King of Knights had returned, but Merlin, who had gone to scout the forest, had arrived even earlier.
However, he brought no news of the other Tablets of Destinies. He had entered a city within the forest, encountered a divine Servant named Jaguar Man, and been forced to make an emergency retreat.
"Merlin, you were slacking off, weren't you? With your swordsmanship, you're telling me you couldn't beat her?"
"Guinevere, what are you saying? I'm a Caster! How could I possibly engage a divine Servant of the Three Knight Classes in close combat?"
"Stop pretending. Outsiders might not know, but don't we know you're the Sword Saint of Britain? Wait, that's right! You are the Sword Saint of Britain, and you're also skilled at teaching...
Sir Merlin, please, I'm begging you! Let's have a spar?"
Often, one subconsciously overlooks the familiar, and only now did Guinevere remember that Merlin could continue to guide her in swordsmanship.