So, what was Tohsaka's plan?
Currently, the King of Knights and Guinevere had joined forces. Their intimacy made them appear to outsiders as inseparable allies.
Furthermore, Guinevere's presence had created a rift between Tohsaka, the Mage, and Kirei, the Executor. Yet, on the surface, they maintained their close master-disciple relationship.
In other words, if the King of Conquerors and his Master were eliminated, the Holy Grail War would devolve into a deathmatch between two factions. The time for complex alliances and intricate schemes was nearly over.
Tokiomi Tohsaka's plan was to leverage the King of Heroes' immense power. He would personally attend Kiritsugu's meeting, have the King of Heroes engage the other Servants, and in the meantime, order Kirei to reclaim her lost honor.
"O King, I wonder if you are confident enough to face that pair simultaneously."
"Tohsaka, are you provoking me? Very well. It is time to send those mongrels on their way."
In the basement of the Tohsaka House, expensive liquors filled the coffee table. The King of Heroes, dressed in casual attire, raised a golden goblet. He could easily see through Tohsaka's goading, and though annoyed, he didn't mind playing along.
Besides, he had run into the King of Conquerors earlier that afternoon and had already been invited to Einzbern Castle for drinks.
"But Tohsaka, do you mean to accompany me this time?"
"Yes, my King. As your vassal, it is my duty to join you on the battlefield."
"Hah. You simply think it's safest by my side, don't you?"
Tohsaka remained silent, drinking until night fell.
-
After dark, in the central courtyard of Einzbern Castle, Guinevere had conjured a massive Round Table. It was laden with a variety of dishes she had spent the entire afternoon painstakingly preparing.
"Lia, just be patient a little longer. The banquet is about to begin."
"But it smells so good... Can I just have one more taste?"
They were dressed in the stylish outfits they'd bought earlier that day. Lia wore shorts, and Guinevere was secretly caressing her thigh beneath them. The two sat at the head of the table, with Kiritsugu hidden in the shadows and Irisviel beside them.
"Lia, how many times have you 'tasted' already? You've eaten all the extra portions I set aside. Hmm, wait... there's still some of that super-spicy mapo tofu I made. Want some?"
"...No thanks on the mapo tofu."
At the mention of it, the King of Knights recalled the agonizing pain of her first encounter with the dish. She had no desire to repeat the experience.
The more of Guinevere's cooking she ate, the less confident she felt. In her mind, the threat of Guinevere refusing to cook for her was as terrifying as the threat of her misbehaving.
"Guinevere, why aren't they here yet? Can't we just start? And haven't you had enough 'tasting'? Are you really going to act like Irisviel and this little one aren't even here?"
When faced with food, the King of Knights always lost her composure. An empty stomach was her greatest enemy. Having Guinevere's hand constantly stroking her thigh in front of others was another.
But the worst part was that Guinevere was eating, while she had to wait.
"Lia, your legs are truly magnificent. I could savor them for a lifetime and never grow tired. Unlike this little one, Rin. She has excellent potential, but even when she's fully grown, I'd say she could not compete with you."
During the banquet, no one could see Rin. She sat on the other side of the pair, preventing her from either running away or being snatched away by someone else.
"Caster! You lecherous woman! I won't let you touch me when I grow up!"
Still in her dark blue elementary school uniform with a white collar, Rin Tohsaka was upset at the statement that her "potential" was not up to par.
But she was still too young. Guinevere teased her like this because Rin was far more mature than her peers.
And Rin's puffed-cheek, indignant expression was genuinely amusing.
As Rin glared at her, pointing and scolding, the King of Knights also looked exasperated.
But after a moment of resignation, the King of Knights slightly lifted Guinevere's long skirt, placing the fabric on her own lap.
"Yours are much better to touch, anyway," she said.
Without her usual ahoge, the current King of Knights was bolder. After stunning Guinevere with her words, she deliberately patted her own thigh, creating a distinct sound that drew laughter from Rin and Irisviel on either side of them.
"Lia, you're cheating! Why say something like that with such a straight face? You should learn from me—when you say things like this, you need to act more like a shameless pervert."
"Guinevere, you're the one who falls for this act. You prefer me when I'm dignified and imposing."
Speechless and unable to argue, Guinevere watched as the King of Knights couldn't help but smirk. She also saw Rin's face filled with disdain as the girl let out a sharp "Tsk!" at her.
It seemed Guinevere had been looked down upon by a child.
"Hmph! A mere captive dares to laugh at this Queen!"
Of course, Guinevere had no ill intentions toward the child. Her alignment on her status sheet was Lawful Good, after all.
Taking advantage of the fact that their other guests hadn't arrived yet, Guinevere rose, walked behind Rin, and wrapped her arms around the girl, tickling her waist relentlessly.
It was both a punishment and playful teasing. Rin's irrepressible laughter echoed far and wide, until a booming laugh descended from the sky, drowning it out—the voice of the King of Conquerors.
"One hundred and eight dishes, a feast of delicacies from both mountain and sea! Caster, you've truly outdone yourself.
"In comparison, I've only brought a single cask of wine and two empty stomachs. How stingy of me!"
Since Guinevere was hosting, the Einzbern Castle's barrier had long been taken down. Only this courtyard remained brightly lit.
Thus, as a guest, the King of Conquerors properly parked his ox-cart outside the courtyard and had Waver hand over the 'thing'—still alive, but barely recognizable as human—to a nearby maid.
This was Maiya Hisau. She had lost so much weight that even the slender Waver could carry her with ease.
"My little Master is quite exceptional," the King of Conquerors explained. "He detected the kidnapping plot against this young lady and overheard the reason for it from the two combatants.
"So, he and I tried searching for the Priest's hideout and found her in the sewers near the Mion River."
People possess subjective agency; events don't simply cease to occur just because Guinevere and her group aren't there to witness them.
In the original story, Waver located the original Caster's lair by testing water sources across the city. He also found Kirei Kotomine's whereabouts with little effort.
If Kirei hadn't happened to be explaining the situation to Tokiomi when they went looking for him, he would very likely have already died at the hands of this Master-Servant pair.
"I say, girl," the King of Conquerors began, "you specifically invited this King, so you must want to form an alliance with me to kill the King of Heroes first, right? But I am a king, after all, and I can see the current situation clearly. What makes you think I wouldn't cooperate with the King of Heroes instead?"
The head of the table was already taken. Logically, the King of Conquerors should have sat directly opposite, but he instead chose one of the other corners of the triangular arrangement, leaving the final corner of the Round Table empty.
His Master, who had just returned from speaking with the maid, was unceremoniously pushed into the seat beside him, shielding him from the sharp gazes of the King of Knights and Guinevere.
"That's why I also invited the King of Heroes," Guinevere replied. "I want to hear both of your philosophies of kingship and see which one suits my taste better. Then I'll decide which side, if any, to ally with.
"Or perhaps, if your goal is still the Holy Grail, after comparing your respective philosophies, we might not need to resolve this through force at all."