A severe illness requires strong medicine, but this wasn't the only treatment Saber could choose, and her answer remained unchanged.
"Do you still cling to this idea, King of Heroes of Uruk?"
The suit accentuated Saber's heroic aura. Beyond her anger, the sorrow between her brows had mostly vanished.
"My answer remains the same. I am the King of Knights of Camelot, and I will never bow before anyone."
Saber-chan could accept sacrificing something for her ideals, but she had not yet reached the point of being willing to do anything for them.
Hearing her words, the King of Heroes chuckled softly and ceased his pursuit. His gaze drifted between Saber and Guinevere. His only concern was that this 'couple' might join forces again.
"Fine. This King has made his appearance. Guinevere, I have given you face. This King will no longer stay here and endure this unpleasantness."
"Guinevere, after tonight, your Master will have fulfilled his wish. What choice will you make then?"
As the King of Heroes finished speaking, he vanished while both his feet were still resting on the table. His appearance had truly been nothing but a courtesy to Guinevere.
After he left, Guinevere looked back at Sakura. Sakura's face was now filled with more light, but her expression as she looked at Shirou Emiya flickered between the desire to reach out and the urge to shrink away.
Watching her and considering her possible thoughts, Guinevere walked behind Sakura, embraced her from behind, and whispered in her ear after checking her body:
"Sakura, your body is no longer an excuse. It's clean now. If you're still bothered by it in your heart, just talk to Emiya about the past. You know him better than I do, and you know what choice he would make."
"Assassin, but I..."
"Don't you want to stay with Emiya for the rest of your life?"
"...I understand. I'll prepare myself mentally first."
Sakura's problem could only be solved by Emiya. After pushing her one step further, Guinevere walked back to Saber's side and offered her hand again.
"I could create an entire era. Why do you think you can't do the same, if your Regression comes with your memories intact?"
The matter of Sakura had greatly lifted Guinevere's mood, and Saber's refusal only fanned the flames further.
But time would not wait for them to say more.
Night drew closer, and the lanterns hung throughout the courtyard were lit one after another. At Issei Ryuudou's signal, he and his father emerged from the backyard. For the few guests here, several tables of food had already been served.
"Big Brother Souichirou, you were too hasty. If you had told us in advance, we could have prepared for you. Your and that vixen's... cough, your and sister-in-law's wedding would absolutely not be so desolate."
"Issei, this is enough now. Neither your sister-in-law nor I care for noise."
No invitations had been sent to ordinary people. Among the Lords who had accepted, so far only Illya and Berserker had completely failed to appear.
This meant that of the several banquet tables in the courtyard, Guinevere and Saber occupied one table, Sakura, Emiya, and Rider occupied another, and Rin and Archer took the third.
The last remaining table was left for the host of this place.
Even though it was his wedding, Souichirou Kuzuki still had that robotic face, though a hint of anticipation could occasionally be seen in his lightless eyes.
Over Issei Ryuudou's complaints, Souichirou, now changed into a Far Eastern wedding garment, nodded in greeting to the guests, and notably met Guinevere's eyes for a single second.
But after that second, when he received Guinevere's nod, he finally exhaled a breath of relief from his heart.
As an assassin, he had long been used to having his head hanging by his belt, and he had no fear of death. But on his wedding night, he hoped death would not come tonight.
If he passed tonight, then he, Souichirou Kuzuki, would have no regrets.
"Issei, go and bring the bride for me."
There were not many people at Ryudou Temple, and being in a hurry to get married meant they couldn't strictly follow all the rules.
By the time Issei Ryuudou went to the backyard to invite Medea out, she was also dressed in a Far Eastern shiromuku.
Did it suit her? With her face flushed red from happiness right now, this wedding outfit naturally suited her.
Only at this moment was the Witch of Betrayal completely and utterly a fragile woman.
"Souichirou, are you willing to love me?"
"I will always stay by your side."
Even during the wedding vows, Souichirou Kuzuki's tone remained extremely flat, but what was called "flat" was also as unyielding as gold.
Holding hands, joining hands, they finally shared a Western-style wedding kiss.
When they finally parted after a long moment, the guests naturally applauded in blessing.
"I say, Master, this means we probably can't make a move against them anymore. Even I know when to save face."
"Archer, how dare you say that. I had you trail and retreat from the Einzbern Master and Servant last night, so how did you manage to come back covered in wounds?"
"But I also killed Berserker once."
As a minor, Rin could only watch Archer drink. The King of Heroes, attending as a guest, had chosen to leave behind a great deal of wine as a wedding gift.
And Rin and Archer's conversation this time was taking place within their Master-Servant Contract.
"Master, speaking of which, the King of Heroes has done you a huge favor, hasn't he? He completely healed Sakura, so you don't have to think about seizing the Holy Grail for her anymore, right?"
One glass of wine, two glasses of wine, their eyes watched as the newlywed couple, Medea and Souichirou, who had changed into casual clothes, came out again and toasted each table one by one.
Then, Issei Ryuudou completely ignored Far Eastern customs, holding a wine glass as he toasted his beloved Big Brother Souichirou.
As for himself, he hated Medea, the vixeness who had fallen from the heavens to steal his Big Brother away.
"Hah."
Archer couldn't help but chuckle, his gaze sweeping over Guinevere as he reaffirmed once again that this world was completely different from his own.
His eyes then fell on Shirou Emiya, who was tenderly piling food onto Sakura's plate with a worried yet gentle expression.
"Shirou Emiya, do you still intend to become an Ally of Justice? How can you indulge in the pleasures of women like this!"
"Huh?"
Archer only said this because he couldn't hold back, and the moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
What did he mean, "indulge in the pleasures of women"? He was simply jealous. He was the future Shirou Emiya, but his past was neither the Saber route, nor the Sakura route, nor the Rin route. It was the lonely route where he remained completely alone even after becoming a Heroic Spirit.
"Archer, what's gotten into you?"
In response to Archer's comment about Sakura, Rin sighed in resignation. Regarding Archer's outburst at Shirou, she acted as Master to restrain her Servant's inexplicable behavior.
"We are guests, and this is a wedding. Behave yourself!"
In the quiet courtyard, their words reached everyone's ears.
Shirou Emiya, of course, heard Archer's question. Though he didn't understand how Archer knew about his ideal, he still replied earnestly:
"Of course I still want to become an Ally of Justice, but that doesn't stop me from loving Sakura and wanting to marry her."
Emiya was just that upright a person. From his perspective, he had already replenished Sakura's mana once. As Sakura's partner, he should stand out in the open, completely shielding her from the wind and rain, and sailing through life's hardships together.
Therefore, his tone was filled with the word "determination."