Multiverse Adventure – My Journey Begins in Danmachi 98

Multiverse Adventure – My Journey Begins in Danmachi 98

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Edited by: Tiny Fan Fiction

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Chapter 98 You know, what is pleasure?

Holding a bottle of red wine in her hand, Irisviel emerged from the shadows, glancing at the entrance and then at Gilgamesh, a hint of hesitation flickering across her beautiful, yet crystal-clear face, like freshly fallen snow.

However, Irisviel quickly suppressed these complex emotions and, with both hands, presented the wine to Gilgamesh.

“Ki…King of Heroes, I’d like to apologize on Kiritsugu’s behalf for his offense. Kiritsugu didn’t mean to be disrespectful, and this bottle is the finest wine in the castle. Please, don’t hesitate to savor it.”

With a hint of a teasing smile, like a cat watching a mouse, Gilgamesh didn’t speak, merely raising his empty wine cup.

After Irisviel fumbled a bit to open the wine and pour some into the cup, he lifted it, gently swirling the liquid.

“Irisviel, you’re quite the woman, thinking for your husband, dedicating yourself to him, worrying for him – these are the virtues of a wife. Someone like you, even I, the King, wouldn’t dislike.”

Through the wine glass, now veiled by a crimson hue, Gilgamesh’s already ruby-red eyes grew even more hazy, like a serpent lurking underwater.

Irisviel’s eyebrows rose, and her face lit up with joy.

“So, does that mean, Ki…ah, King of Heroes, you’ve forgiven Kiritsugu?”

Gilgamesh assumed a thoughtful expression, and under Irisviel’s hopeful gaze, he seemed to make a difficult decision, sighing faintly…

“…Unfortunately, no.”

As Irisviel watched Gilgamesh’s malicious grin, her cheeks froze instantly.

Even someone as innocent as her knew she’d been thoroughly toyed with by Gilgamesh; she could only puff out her cheeks like a pufferfish, gazing at him with a resentful expression.

Gilgamesh, however, completely ignored her gaze and downed the wine in his cup.

“A king’s decisions shouldn’t be swayed by personal preferences or biases; that’s the dignity a ruler should have. This applies to both you and Kiritsugu…”

Mid-sentence, Gilgamesh stopped, swirling his empty cup.

Though dissatisfied, Irisviel could only step forward to refill his cup.

“But you don’t have to be so tense. To say I only feel contempt for Kiritsugu would be inaccurate. Even a jester has value in entertaining others, don’t you think? So, don’t worry; I won’t lay a hand on Kiritsugu.”

Hearing her husband being called a jester made Irisviel’s teeth grit in annoyance.

But Gilgamesh didn’t give her a chance to retort, and his tone suddenly shifted.

“On the other hand, have you decided on a course of action? If Kiritsugu achieves his wish, you’ll be the one to die, aren’t you afraid?”

The hall fell into a deathly silence, with only the sound of the trees swaying in the night wind outside.

With her hands clenched tightly on her skirt, Irisviel lowered her head and remained silent for a long time before speaking in a choked voice.

“How could I not be afraid? I still want to grow up with Ilyasviel, travel the world with Kiritsugu, and do many, many things… but…”

As she lifted her head again, a faint, bittersweet smile appeared on her face, and a clear light shone in her eyes, which were misty with tears.

“…even if I’m just a homunculus, I have things I want to do, things I want to accomplish even if it costs me my life! Though this wish of mine may be selfish, shallow, and ignorant…”

Gilgamesh, expressionless, gazed at Irisviel for a long time before letting out a long, drawn-out sigh.

“A wish is a wish, and will is will; what’s the point of discussing what’s shallow or great? They’re all just pitiful, laughable ravings, anyway.”

Although Gilgamesh continued to mock her, Irisviel seemed to see a glimmer of compassion on the face of the oldest tyrant.

But before she could make it out clearly, that unusual glimmer vanished, and Gilgamesh’s cold, cruel smile returned.

“The higher one’s station, the more base their character tends to be; greatness and brilliance are often born from the humble, the lowly, the ugly, or even the Tool – this world is as cruel and full of malice as ever, unchanged after tens of thousands of years.”

Though Gilgamesh simply sat there, unmoving, Irisviel felt a chill run down her spine, as if her very blood had been frozen.

“…King of Heroes?”

This time, Gilgamesh didn’t respond to Irisviel; instead, he vanished into a burst of glittering gold dust.

After leaving the Einzbern Castle, Gilgamesh continued his wandering, strolling through an era that was completely different from Uruk.

Although Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel had deliberately concealed it, they still couldn’t fully comprehend the abilities of a Servant, let alone the Archer class.

Gilgamesh may not have had the skill of clairvoyance, but he could see everything that was laid out before him with a single glance.

Although he had decided to execute the bastard from another world, Gilgamesh somewhat approved of his actions in experiencing the modern world.

After a night of roaming, as morning approached, Gilgamesh suddenly felt a pang in his heart and walked towards a certain direction, eventually entering the Commercial Street of Shin’yama Town.

He found a restaurant that didn’t quite fit in with the surrounding scenery among the bustling streets.

Akashi Yashiro, Mount Tai.

Gilgamesh pushed open the door and was first greeted by the sound of a TV on the wall reporting the news.

“According to reports, last night’s earthquake in the western Pacific Ocean caused a gas pipeline explosion at the seaside park, fortunately, it was late at night and there were no casualties, experts predict that due to the cold air from Siberia, Fuyuki City’s humidity has dropped to a record low, and fire prevention measures should be taken in the coming days…”

The news report echoed through the restaurant, where there was only one customer at the time.

And it was someone Gilgamesh recognized at a glance.

Just as Irisviel said, in Japanese, the name Kirei had a beautiful ring to it, with a meaning of clarity and beauty, and a hint of femininity reminiscent of an Elf female.

However, Kotomine Kirei himself was not quite the epitome of that description.

Although his face didn’t look old, it was clear that he was a man in his mid-thirties.

Even wearing a large, black robe, he couldn’t conceal his robust physique, and his entire being exuded a heavy, brooding silence, like a Servant’s aura.

He had short black hair, and his face was expressionless, with black eyes that seemed to hold a solemn, suppressed Breath.

The only time his face showed a hint of emotion was when he brought a dish to his mouth with a spoon, and a mixture of satisfaction and pain flashed across his face, like a Distortion.

As Gilgamesh approached, the first thing he noticed was the Crest-like marking on the back of Kotomine Kirei’s hand, reminiscent of Blood Magic.

Although Kotomine Kirei was wearing gloves, the Mana fluctuations emanating from him were as obvious to Gilgamesh as a streetlamp.

It was undoubtedly the Command Spell of a Master.

Next, Gilgamesh’s gaze fell upon the dish in front of Kotomine Kirei.

Good grief, Gilgamesh thought to himself, it’s a real spectacle.

The dish appeared to be Mapo Tofu, but the abundance of red oil and chili peppers overwhelmed the scarce tofu, making it almost unpalatable even to Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh thought that even he, the King of Heroes, wouldn’t be able to finish such a spicy dish, a true test of endurance, much like the trials of the Dungeon in Orario.

As an Agent, Kotomine Kirei has undergone training akin to Purgatory.

Even though he has seldom fought in recent years, the instinct to stay vigilant is engraved in his bones.

As soon as Gilgamesh approached, even if Kotomine Kirei was immersed in the deliciousness of Mapo Tofu, he immediately came to his senses, his gaze sharpening in an instant…

But he couldn’t sharpen it.

When Kotomine Kirei saw the blond youth before him, his whole body stiffened, and the hand that was about to draw the Black Keys hung in mid-air, at a loss.

The King of Heroes, the most ancient of rulers, Gilgamesh.

Although he is a humanoid weapon known as an Agent, he couldn’t muster the will to fight back at this moment.

After all, yesterday’s striking method of casually firing a barrage of projectiles, even amongst Servants, was something not everyone could withstand.

Even the Servant summoned by his master, the mythical queen of the Shadow Nation, admitted that while there were ways to kill Gilgamesh, facing his Noble Phantasm barrage head-on like that silver Servant did, swimming upstream in a battle like that, was truly madness upon madness.

However, for Heroic Spirits, this is more a matter of combat style and battle strategy.

After all, Acher could be instantly killed by an Assassin if he got close.

Of course, Kotomine Kirei doesn’t have such worries.

His Fundamental lacks any options.

Even in his most proficient Close-Combat domain, Kotomine Kirei had no confidence in defeating a Servant, so he only needed despair.

But to his surprise, Gilgamesh didn’t attack, instead suddenly smiling at him.

“Kotomine Kirei, is it? You know, what is pleasure?”

This made Kotomine Kirei pause, even his despair forgotten.

Kotomine Kirei truly didn’t know what pleasure was.

He couldn’t say he felt anything about being alive.

What is the purpose of human existence?

Kotomine Kirei had never figured that out.

Whether it was pursuing something he loved or escaping something he hated, these emotions had never stirred within him.

So, he truly hated those like his father Kotomine Kotomine Risei and his master Tohsaka Tokiomi, those men who were righteous from birth, who knew their purpose, and he even wished to destroy them, to see them despair and weep when their ideals and missions were destroyed.

But his upbringing taught him that this way of thinking was absolutely wrong.

Looking at Kotomine Kirei lost in thought, Gilgamesh slowly curled his lips, his eyes like a Viper coiled around its prey.

Interesting, interesting.

This is much more interesting than that clown Kiritsugu.

But when he sat down, Gilgamesh moved that plate of Mapo Tofu, which looked so spicy it hurt his eyes, away.

Who would eat this Mapo Tofu?!

*

*I really want to eat Ma

At the highest floor of Hyatt Hotels, Artoria listened to her Master’s complaints, but her mind was still on the dinner she had with Noah the day before.

That phrase, “Although I love sweets the most, this world has so many flavors, and it’s too narrow-minded to favor just one,” really made Artoria feel like they shared a special bond over food.

Unfortunately, there’s no room for escape from the Fundamental now.

“In the end, I’m just a third-rate Magus from the countryside; the Magecraft Barrier that my family spent hundreds of years building is still so crude, only good for deceiving others.”

In the luxurious suite, Kenneth examined the Magecraft Barrier of the Tohsaka Residence through the images sent by his scouting Servant, and sneered as he swirled the wine in his glass.

Thinking about the figure that made him tremble with fear last night, a sense of humiliation arose, driving the young master to make a decision.

“Saber, let’s set out tonight and eliminate the Tohsaka Household!”

Artoria opened her mouth, and eventually decided to offer some advice.

“Master, after yesterday’s probe, the Tohsaka Residence should already be targeted by many people; if we take the initiative and get into a fierce battle with Tohsaka Tokiomi, it’s easy to fall into a situation where others take advantage of us.”

Kenneth pursed his lips and glanced at her sideways.

That gaze made Artoria’s heart sink.

As expected, the ridicule came as promised.

“The legendary King Arthur, in a situation like mine, being suppressed by an unknown, inferior face, not to mention lacking the courage to launch a counterattack? Do you want me to prepare a few more restaurants for you to eat and drink your fill before returning to the Heroic Spirit throne?”

This sarcastic ridicule made Saber clench her fists quietly.

Kenneth, after all, was a genius from the Academy, who only understood the distinction between strong and weak through numbers, and couldn’t truly comprehend the feeling of fighting with one’s life on the line.

What determines the outcome of a battle?

Strength?

Speed?

Technique?

Experience?

Artoria believed that it was all of these, yet none of them.

In battle, anything can happen, and any detail or random event can decide the outcome, even one’s own advantages can backfire in certain situations.

This might be the cruelest aspect of battle – any literal judgment can ultimately lose to the unpredictability of the world.

And Noah was that kind of warrior, strong beyond mere numbers.

His swordsmanship, experience, composure, and even the fearless spirit in battle──all these factors nearly made up for his lack of stats in combat.

But Artoria wouldn’t shirk her responsibilities either, after all, as a Master, Kenneth was truly outstanding.

Compared to her, who had an abundance of Mana, Noah might as well have gone into battle in rags──it was his own shortfall that led to his suppression.

This left Artoria with no grounds to argue against Kenneth.

But still, she couldn’t stand by and watch him go to his death.

Her mind racing, Artoria’s eyes suddenly lit up, and even the tuft of hair on her head stood on end.

It was underhanded, but Artoria felt she had no choice.

Noah, I’m sorry.

This time, I must defeat you and drag you back to Camelot…

“In that case, Master, may I have the chance to avenge this disgrace? Noah Cipher must be in a frail state now; if he recovers or gains ample Mana, he could become our greatest foe in this war.”

This proposal caused Kenneth to furrow his brows, lost in contemplation.

Although he criticized Artoria, having witnessed the silver-haired Heroic Spirit pummel the King of Heroes yesterday, he could understand her fearsome potential.

If such a Servant were to obtain sufficient Mana, it would be terrifying indeed.

From a rational standpoint, eliminating her now was indeed the safest course of action…

“Don’t blame others for your own shortcomings; it was Saber who stood and fought before me yesterday. At least experience the battlefield firsthand before you speak, Kenneth.”

Hearing Sola-Ui speak up caught Artoria off guard, but it was too late.

“Enough! Sola-Ui! Tonight, I will personally defeat Tohsaka Tokiomi and show you that I am not just a genius in Magecraft, but also a force to be reckoned with in battle!”

Seeing Kenneth’s fighting spirit ignited, Artoria couldn’t help but sigh and shoot a glance at Sola-Ui.

Even though she was speaking on her behalf, Artoria couldn’t shake a faint sense of unease.

Since returning from the seaside park yesterday, Sola-Ui had often been spacey, clutching the pillow Noah gave her and occasionally letting out a strange laugh.

She had spoken up only after Kenneth insulted Noah just now.

I hope it’s not Guinevere again… it had better just be my imagination.

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