Fuyuki City, Tohsaka Residence.
Visiting this villa for the second time in ten years, Gilgamesh gazed with keen interest at the person before him. "Even this King never imagined such an intriguing situation. Tokiomi, it's been ten years, and you've aged considerably."
"I am but a mere human, naturally unlike Your Majesty, who transcends time. Ten years later, growing old is inevitable."
Ten years had passed, and Tokiomi's hair had begun to gray. Just as he had ten years ago, he responded to Gilgamesh with the respect and decorum of a subordinate.
"However, what I didn't expect was that Your Majesty could manifest twice in succession. Although there was speculation about this after the snake skin was acquired, still…"
"It's fine. I simply felt that this Holy Grail War would bring something interesting, so I descended to take a look. Thanks to that, I also gained a decent Master."
Gilgamesh was, of course, referring to his current Master, Riddel—who was not present at the moment.
It was now the fourth day since his manifestation. To participate in the Holy Grail War, Riddel had come with him to Fuyuki City. Driven by nostalgia for old possessions, Gilgamesh had immediately visited the Tohsaka residence upon arriving, and afterward, he planned to stroll through the current Fuyuki City.
Regarding his behavior, Riddel didn't say much. Using a Command Spell would incur his displeasure, and Gilgamesh, capable of acting independently, had no fear of running out of Mana. Thus, Riddel ultimately let him be. After all, with his abilities, there was no way he'd be killed on the streets.
"However, there's one thing that still puzzles this King, Tokiomi."
Swirling the red wine in his glass, Gilgamesh looked at his former Master through the liquid.
"Why have you given up on this Holy Grail War?"
As Gilgamesh said, in this Holy Grail War, none of the three founding families of the Holy Grail War—Tohsaka, Einzbern, and Matou—were participating.
The Matou family had collapsed ten years ago, and with Matou Kariya's death, Matou Shinji was the only one left carrying the Matou bloodline. It could be said they had completely withdrawn from the mystical world, so their absence was understandable.
The Einzbern family was in a similar state. Ten years ago, after the Fourth Holy Grail War ended, the family suffered significant losses due to Morgan's invasion, and Illyasviel had even been kidnapped. They likely had no members capable of participating now. Illya was currently living peacefully at the Emiya residence, so their withdrawal was also understandable.
But the Tohsaka family was different.
Tokiomi was still alive. His eldest daughter, Tohsaka Rin, had reached an age where she could stand on her own. Although his younger daughter, Tohsaka Sakura, had not been taught Magecraft and thus couldn't be considered a combat asset, with the first two, securing participation rights should have been straightforward.
On the back of Tokiomi's hand, faint red marks were still visible—proof that he had been chosen by the Holy Grail. All he needed to do was summon a Servant to officially become a Master.
"There's no particular reason. If I had to say, perhaps it's [the heart wants, but the strength is lacking]." Tokiomi said with a hint of bitterness in his tone. "I've passed my prime and no longer have the drive to compete for the Holy Grail. Rin also hasn't received any signs—she doesn't qualify to be a Master. Even if she did, I wouldn't let her participate."
"The Holy Grail War is too dangerous for Rin."
"I see. Compared to ten years ago, as you've aged, your personal priorities have shifted. Between the two identities of Magus and father, you've chosen father?"
Tokiomi gave a wry smile and nodded. When he decided ten years ago not to give Sakura to another family and instead kept her away from Magecraft, he had already made this change. As a Magus, he was truly unworthy.
"That's quite good. Though failing to strive upward is a shameless sign of weakness, your care for your children is commendable. Raising offspring and nurturing descendants is also a great truth, Tokiomi."
After saying this, Gilgamesh set down his wine glass, stood, and vanished into specks of light in the room.
In the direction he departed, Tokiomi stood upright and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for Your Majesty's praise. Farewell, Your Majesty. May you return with great victory in this war."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the same time, in Shin Tokyo.
On a shopping street, two elegant women drew the attention of passersby.
One appeared to be a foreigner, with blonde hair and red eyes, stunningly beautiful—almost mesmerizing—making it impossible for anyone who saw her to look away. No one would suspect if she were called a princess from some country.
The other was almost her opposite.
If the first was a girl combining nobility, elegance, and beauty, radiant like a rose, the second was a simple woman with gentle mannerisms, immediately evoking the image of a Yamato Nadeshiko (the ideal Japanese woman).
But wearing a cherry blossom-colored kimono in broad daylight… wasn't that hot?
It was summer, after all.
"Master, is it just me, or do I feel like we're being watched?"
Noticing the gazes gathering around her, the cherry blossom-colored girl couldn't help but speak to her companion.
"It's fine, I'm used to this situation. Just ignore it." The blonde princess smiled and waved her hand. "By the way, I told you not to call me Master—just call me Arcueid, Okita."
"Sorry, I thought it's better to stay formal… By the way, Mas… Arcueid, please don't casually use my real name. For an Assassin, that could be fatal."
Assassin—Okita Souji—advised her Master.
But Arcueid seemed to ignore her completely. "It's fine if it gets exposed. Even if your real name is known, it won't affect us much."
"That's true… I don't really have any weaknesses that can be targeted either."
Okita suddenly hung her head dejectedly.
Typically, the purpose of hiding a true name is to conceal a Servant's specific weaknesses, like Siegfried, whose greatest vulnerability is his back. If his true name were exposed, anyone would target that spot.
But Okita had no such concerns. Perhaps her sickly condition could be considered a weakness? But that was only a flaw in prolonged battles. As an Assassin-class Servant this time, direct combat wasn't necessary. She could simply hide in the shadows and wait for an opportunity to strike.
However, considering Arcueid's strength, Okita might not need to fight at all…
"Well then, since we've come this far, I wonder if Naoki and the others have arrived—The Holy Grail War starts tonight, right? In that case, let's find a place to stay first, Okita."
"Alright, Arcueid."