Chapter 120
When I returned to the mansion, aside from Sakura and Taiga, naturally, no one was asleep, so my rather imposing presence in full regalia was immediately noticed, and the whole crowd poured outside, fully armed. Only Shiki, with an expressionless face, calmly came out and, leaning against the wall, watched what was happening. However, the others, once they realized who had arrived, quickly relaxed.
"Artoria, Mordred, get ready, we're going to a royal banquet," I announced, presenting it as a done deal, then, after a moment's thought, added, "You, Emiya, can accompany Saber."
Then my gaze fell on Shiki. We silently looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds, during which the others began to understand what I meant, and then I suggested:
"Want to accompany Oz?"
Pretending to think for a moment, she ended up nodding affirmatively.
"Alright, do you need help making a dress?"
"STOP, stop, stop!" Tohsaka was the first to speak, full of indignation. "What do you mean, a royal banquet! And more importantly, why am I not invited?!"
"I would also like to know what kind of banquet this is," Saber frowned.
"As compensation to me, Gilgamesh is going to hold a banquet for kings, and of course you can bring an escort," I explained, before looking at Tohsaka. "And you're not invited because you don't have any close relationship with me or Saber. More importantly, if you go, Archer would tag along, and — sorry, but it's not appropriate for him to show up there, that could be seen as an insult."
"I really shouldn't meet him too soon," Archer said, materializing next to Rin.
"So what exactly will happen at this banquet?" Tohsaka asked, ignoring her servant's words, as if considering whether she might miss out on anything.
"He promised that after this banquet, no other dish or drink would ever satisfy me again. So, most likely there'll be wine crafted by the goddess of winemaking and other rare delicacies."
"D-d-divine wine?" Tohsaka repeated in a miserable tone, and upon seeing me nod, her eyes lit up with determination. "If Archer doesn't go, can I come with you?"
"Rin, you can't just recklessly—"
"Shut up," Rin interrupted Archer, glancing at me anxiously.
"Only if you go as Shirou's plus one," I said, shaking my head in resignation.
"Shirou..." she looked at the guy in such a way that it was clear: if he said the wrong thing, he would regret it.
"Of course, I'd be happy if you'd accompany me," the guy surrendered quickly, especially since, secretly, he was actually pleased with this turn of events. Even more so when Rin, delighted, pecked him on the cheek and, with a flushed face, ran back inside to get ready.
As soon as Rin left, Mordred approached me in her armor.
"I'm ready."
"Ready for what?" I was slightly confused at first, before realizing that she apparently intended to go to the banquet in her armor—which wasn't even formal wear.
"No way, you are not sitting at the table in armor," I refused at once, materializing a red dress with matching shoes in my right hand and holding it out to her.
"You want me to put that on?!" the knight-girl recoiled, pointing at the dress. Although she'd managed to accept being referred to in the feminine, it seemed a dress still struck her as utterly wild.
"Yes, and you will wear it," I told her flatly.
"Not a chance," Mordred replied, emphasizing every word, but I just snorted and, raising my hand with the command seals, began:
"By command spell, I order you..." The red sigils glowed.
"You wouldn't dare..." Mordred's face paled.
"Mordred, put on this dress and these shoes," one of the seals on my hand faded, and Mordred, unable to resist, took the clothes from me with a miserable face and went back into the mansion to change.
"Do you need dresses?" I asked Artoria and Shiki.
"No need," Artoria replied at once, and in the next instant, after a short flash of magical energy, she appeared in a blue dress.
"It looks great on you, but I'm curious—why do you even have a dress? Weren't you pretending to be a man?" I asked, a bit dubious.
"This is Guinevere's dress," Artoria answered, blushing slightly.
"I don't have a dress," Shiki said when I looked at her.
"Alright, I'll come up with something," I nodded. I'm not much of a designer, but I think a black dress with gold patterns would look good on her next to Oz. So I created a dress and shoes for her.
"Thank you," she said gratefully and, taking the outfit, also went to get changed.
"Um... sorry, could you please help me too?" Shirou asked, a little awkwardly.
"What, you need a dress too?" I teased with a grin.
"No!" he shouted immediately, then added quieter, "I just don't have a suitable suit to wear."
I quickly glanced him over, estimated his size, and materialized a classic black suit with a white shirt and black bow tie for him. Naturally, I didn't take shortcuts—it looked quite respectable.
"Thank you," Shirou bowed, and went off to change like the others.
Of course, the first to return was Mordred, and God, how adorably embarrassed and angry she looked at the same time. You could fall in love with that expression at first sight.
"You look amazing," I complimented.
"Shut up!" the knight-girl snapped back, unused to walking in heels. But then she saw Artoria in her dress and froze.
"F-father? She made you wear a dress, too?"
"No. This is my own dress, and no one made me wear it," the King of Knights said calmly, then, with a slightly teasing smile, added, "Though I must say, the dress really suits you, 'daughter'."
The way Artoria emphasized the last word hit Mordred like a punch to the gut, causing her to even recoil. She seemed torn between two contradictory emotions: happiness from a compliment from her father, and rejection at being called daughter instead of son.
Fortunately, she was saved from further conflict by Shiki, who had changed and came out quickly. Looking at her, you'd think she looked down on this fleeting world—at least until she decided to throw her favorite red leather jacket over the dress, which immediately ruined the whole look.
"Do you really need that jacket?" I asked helplessly.
"Kokuto told me to dress warmer in cold weather," Shiki replied. And indeed, while winters in Fuyuki aren't very cold, it is February.
"Fine, let's wait for the others, then head out. My vassals will be waiting for us at the venue," deciding not to dwell on the strange combination of dress and red jacket, I began drawing a circle in the yard for mass teleportation to the Einzbern castle—we certainly weren't going to walk.
While I was leisurely preparing the teleportation spell, Shirou was the next to emerge from the mansion. He was briefly shocked by how the girls looked in their dresses, but quickly pulled himself together and waited with the rest for Tohsaka, who, for some reason, was in no hurry at all. Half an hour passed after I finished the preparations before Tohsaka finally came out in a red dress. Why she brought it with her to Shirou's house, nobody asked, but one thing was clear—she was truly beautiful.
"Step into the circle, I'll teleport everyone at once," I said.
To my surprise, Tohsaka was the first to jump into the circle—apparently she really couldn't wait to try food worthy of the treasury of the king of heroes.
Once everyone was in the circle, with a soft pop I sent them to the destination, leaving a shallow crater where they'd stood. Then I teleported after them.