"That guy... What is he doing here?"
Ishtar, who had been secretly tailing Shirou and his group, frowned as she watched the green-haired young man appear in the forest.
He had introduced himself to Shirou as "Enkidu."
No. That was not Enkidu.
He was not the worthless dool, Enkidu, whom the goddess despised more than anything.
"That guy is... This is bad! I have to expose him immediately!"
Just as Ishtar was about to fly over, cause a commotion, and ruin his scheme, Shirou drove his sword through the chest of the man calling himself "Enkidu" from behind.
…
"Master? What are you doing!?"
Tomoe Gozen was left speechless by the sudden scene before her.
In contrast, the "Enkidu" whose body had been impaled seemed remarkably composed.
With a perfectly calm expression, he asked, "Why would you do such a thing, Shirou-san?"
"You just claimed to be Enkidu, didn't you? That's what makes this strange."
"What is strange about it?"
Shirou replied, "The King Gilgamesh I met in Uruk may still look young, but he is no longer the King of Heroes."
"He is the Wise King who returned after completing his search for the Herb of Immortality."
"And the reason he set out in search of that herb in the first place was because the death of his dearest friend, Enkidu, drove him to it."
"...Ah!"
Tomoe Gozen covered her mouth and gasped.
"If his search for immortality is already over, then the Enkidu of this era must have died long ago!"
Although she possessed only the most basic knowledge granted by the Holy Grail, Shirou's explanation was enough for her to understand the problem.
Enkidu was already dead. He could not possibly be present as a native of Mesopotamia.
Tomoe Gozen drew the sword at her waist.
"Who are you!?"
"Enkidu" lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.
"Hehe... Hehehe. Hehehehehehehe!"
"!?"
"But you're right. A lie like this, an improvised performance like this, was bound to fall apart immediately!!"
The atmosphere surrounding the green-haired youth changed abruptly.
The gentle presence that had felt like nature itself vanished, replaced by an incomparably sinister aura.
Without warning, countless chains erupted from the ground and shot toward Shirou.
As Shirou dodged, "Enkidu" tore himself free of Yamato's blade and flew into the sky.
Despite having been stabbed through the chest, he seemed unharmed. His body repaired itself in the blink of an eye.
Part of that was because Shirou had deliberately held back.
More importantly, however, his heart, the Magical Energy Reactor, seemed to be unusual.
"A pleasure to meet you, Old Human."
The green-haired youth hovered in midair, looking down at them with contempt and loathing in his eyes.
"You truly are every bit as impulsive, barbaric, and crude as the rumors say... No wonder you managed to defeat Girtablilu."
"Ordinarily, no one would draw their sword simply because they found someone's identity suspicious."
"Did it never occur to you that I might be a masterless Servant summoned by this land?"
"You carry a scent I recognize."
Shirou could not possibly have mistaken it.
It was the aura of Calamity he had encountered countless times in the Fairy Kingdom.
Aesc had once explained that, from the perspective of Magecraft, the Calamities that formed in the Fairy Kingdom were fundamentally enemies of humanity, a threat to humanity.
No matter how thoroughly the green-haired youth tried to conceal it, Shirou could sense a similar presence within him.
"Who are you?" Shirou asked in a low voice.
"I am Enkidu," the green-haired youth declared.
"Enkidu is already dead."
At the boy's words, the other man gave him a look of utter disdain.
"If I can speak like Enkidu and possess the same abilities as Enkidu, then I am Enkidu."
"You humans are the ones who are mistaken! Why would you assume that I, Enkidu, must be an ally of humanity?"
"As expected, all humans are defective, and even among those defects, you stand out as one of the worst."
"I am a weapon created by the gods. Isn't it only natural that I would side with the goddesses?"
"What a shame. I had intended to offer you to the goddess waiting ahead."
"My Lord, that is enough talk!"
Tomoe Gozen stepped in front of Shirou, flames coiling around her weapon.
His words had made it clear. This man was indeed an enemy aligned with the "Three Goddess Alliance."
Enkidu raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm? Do you intend to fight? Surely you don't believe you have any chance of winning."
"While we were talking, tens of thousands of Magical Beasts surrounded this entire area."
"Because you killed the Scorpion Man, I've been forced to command the Magical Beasts personally."
"Well, never mind... Mother should be satisfied as long as I bring her your heads."
"All right, Old Humans! This is the end!"
"Lament your weakness, envy the power of a Perfect Weapon, and fall into the scrapyard!"
Enkidu's Mana began doubling with every passing second. He raised one hand and launched his attack at Shirou.
However, just as the earth began to heave, several pillars of light came crashing down from high above, surrounding Enkidu from every direction.
"!?"
Enkidu narrowly evaded the attack, but the movement threw him off balance.
At the same moment, a woman's voice echoed directly inside Shirou and Tomoe Gozen's minds.
"Take this chance and run!!"
They exchanged a glance, nodded in perfect understanding, then turned and sprinted away.
Facing Enkidu head-on would have been unwise. They were currently in the middle of hundreds of thousands of Magical Beasts.
Their immediate priority was to report what had happened to King Gilgamesh.
"...Don't even think about escaping!!"
Enkidu roared.
Along Shirou and Tomoe Gozen's escape route, swords, spears, axes, and countless other weapons erupted from the ground alongside chains, surging toward them like an overwhelming tidal wave.
Yet the instant those Mana-infused weapons burst from the earth, they were knocked aside by blades projected by Shirou.
...Just as I thought. I'm faster!
Shirou deduced that the impostor Enkidu's attacks possessed properties similar to Gilgamesh's "Gate of Babylon" and his own "Lake of the Holy Sword."
Each attack was far more powerful than "Projection Magecraft," but in exchange, it required considerably more time to activate.
In that case, as long as Shirou knew where the weapons would emerge, dealing with them was relatively easy.
Blades fired from behind Shirou continually deflected the attacks rising from the earth, carving open a safe path of escape.
After eliminating the scattered Magical Beasts blocking their way, Shirou and Tomoe Gozen escaped the northern forest.
The impostor Enkidu did not pursue them.
He should have possessed speed far beyond either Shirou or Tomoe Gozen, yet something appeared to be holding him back, preventing him from breaking away to hunt them down.
"My Lord, we must hurry back to Uruk."
"We need to warn everyone about the impostor Enkidu as soon as possible, before anyone else becomes his victim."
"Yeah."
Shirou nodded absently and followed Tomoe Gozen.
That familiar female voice that had just saved them... Who did it belong to?
…
After traveling through the night, Shirou and his party reached Uruk at dawn the following day.
Uruk's soldiers stood at the city gates, inspecting the caravans and refugees entering the city.
"Shirou-sama, you're back!"
Several guards spotted Shirou among the long line of travelers. Every one of them had received his help in the past.
Come to think of it, Homurahara's high school uniform was probably far too conspicuous in this era.
"We heard the King sent you on an extremely dangerous mission. Since you've returned, does that mean...?"
Shirou nodded.
"Yeah. I've brought good news for King Gilgamesh."
The guards burst into cheers.
"That's Shirou-sama for you!"
"The King will be delighted!"
One of the guards noticed the woman standing beside Shirou.
"Hm? Shirou-sama, who is this woman with you?"
"!"
Tomoe Gozen realized that people were staring strangely at the unusual pair of horns on her head. She instinctively took half a step back.
But the red-haired boy caught her hand, preventing her from retreating.
Shirou explained with a smile, "This is General Tomoe Gozen. She has been fighting Magical Beasts at the Northern Fortress ever since she was deployed there. Haven't you heard of her heroic deeds?"
"Huh?"
"Y-You're Tomoe Gozen-sama!"
"I've heard all about you! You've single-handedly slain over a thousand Magical Beasts. You're the Ace of the Magical Beast Front!"
Faced with the enthusiastic guards and citizens, the female warrior looked somewhat overwhelmed.
"All right, everyone. We have urgent matters to report to King Gilgamesh. Let's save the conversation for the tavern tonight."
After bidding everyone farewell, Tomoe Gozen glared resentfully at Shirou.
"My Lord, that was cruel. You know Tomoe isn't good at dealing with lively crowds like that... Yet you deliberately stirred them up."
"Tomoe is a hero of this city. All you have to do is hold your head high and accept their praise."
"I told you, didn't I? No one here will fear you because of your eyes or your demon horns."
"Haa... I understand."
With a sigh, Tomoe Gozen turned toward the citizens calling out to her, waved, and gave them a smile.
…
"Welcome back, Shirou-sama, Tomoe Gozen-sama. Thank you for your hard work on this mission... The King has been awaiting your return."
The moment they entered the audience chamber, Head Priestess Siduri, who had been standing below the throne, hurried forward to greet them.
"News that you defeated the commander of the Magical Beasts, the Sage Girtablilu, reached Uruk last night."
The Scorpion Man's death had likely turned the tide on yesterday's battlefield, allowing Gilgamesh to deduce from the reports coming in from the front lines that Shirou had completed his mission.
Siduri beamed at them. "You've both done well. The King is truly delighted too."
"We simply must celebrate properly tonight! By the way, Your Majesty, why not grace the Heroic Spirit dormitory with your presence this evening?"
"Hmph. It was only natural that this fellow would accomplish something like this... I am not particularly pleased, nor do I have any intention of joining your victory banquet!"
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes. "More importantly, Shirou, you have something important to report, do you not?"
Shirou nodded.
There were two matters he needed to report.
The first concerned the Mother of Genesis he had encountered in his dream.
If the rumors were true, then Mesopotamia's Mother of Genesis, the goddess Tiamat, was one of the Three Goddess Alliance. She was the Northern Goddess who had given birth to hundreds of thousands of Magical Beasts.
"Mother entered your dream? Do not tell me Merlin had something to do with it."
Gilgamesh muttered from his throne.
Shirou had known him for a long time, so he could immediately tell that Gilgamesh was hiding something.
The King of Uruk apparently did not wish to discuss the subject in public.
Taking the hint, Shirou did not press the matter.
The second matter concerned the young man who called himself Enkidu, whom Shirou and Tomoe Gozen had encountered in the forest.
On the way to the temple, Shirou had already confirmed his appearance with the citizens.
Long green hair, white robes, androgynous beauty, and a fighting style similar to that of the King of Heroes.
The person they had encountered undoubtedly looked exactly like the King's closest friend.
"You encountered Enkidu, who should already be dead?"
"And he was actually the mastermind commanding hundreds of thousands of Magical Beasts, intent on killing you both?"
Siduri's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Shirou-sama, it is not that I doubt your words, but that is impossible..."
When Siduri, the Head Priestess of Uruk, was still a little girl, she had witnessed the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu with her own eyes.
Enkidu was both the King's friend and a hero who stood as his equal.
He had dared to admonish Gilgamesh when he was still a tyrant, allowing the King, who had been destined to remain alone until death, to experience the joy of sharing laughter with another.
Although Enkidu stubbornly regarded himself as nothing more than a tool and held himself to exacting standards, Siduri had always seen him as a gentle and kind person.
That Enkidu could never have contemptuously referred to humans as "trash that should be eliminated."
"It must be an impostor using Enkidu's name..."
"Yeah, that's what I think too. I just don't know what Gilgamesh makes of it."
Everyone turned toward the man who had remained silent until now.
Unexpectedly, Gilgamesh's reaction was remarkably subdued.
"Someone has appeared claiming to be Enkidu?"
Without the slightest change in expression, he said, "I see. Well, such a thing is not entirely impossible."
Was that all?
Siduri was utterly bewildered.
There was neither anger nor sorrow in the King's voice. Even the Head Priestess, who had served at his side for more than a decade, could not discern what he was thinking.
For Shirou, however, that reaction was a great relief.
It would have been troublesome if Gilgamesh forgot his duties as King merely because he had heard Enkidu's name.
Shirou was counting on him to remain planted on his throne every day, working overtime to fulfill his royal responsibilities.
"Anyway, I'll keep investigating the Enkidu matter. You can stay right there and focus on being the King of Uruk."
"Fool! Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?!"
Gilgamesh gave a cold snort and drove Shirou out of the Divine Tower.
...
Shirou returned to the dormitory for the first time in what felt like ages.
He thought he could finally get some rest, only to discover that his troubles were just beginning.
"Why are you here?"
"This is my residence. Why shouldn't I be here?"
"From today onward, this room belongs to my Lord and me. Please leave at once!"
"Huh? You're being completely unreasonable!"
In the dormitory hallway, Tomoe Gozen and Ushiwakamaru glared fiercely at each other, neither willing to give way. Both had already placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.
The air was thick with tension. Even the curtains by the window at the end of the hallway snapped violently in the wind.
The moment Shirou drew near, he felt the two waves of killing intent collide so fiercely that they almost sent sparks flying through the air.
Tomoe Gozen and Ushiwakamaru had served different lords during Minamoto no Yoshitsune's lifetime.
Tomoe Gozen's husband, Kiso Yoshinaka, and Minamoto no Yoshitsune's half-brother, Minamoto no Yoritomo, were cousins.
In the first year of the Genryaku era, Minamoto no Yoshitsune led an army against Kiso Yoshinaka on his brother's orders.
Yoshitsune routed Yoshinaka's forces in the ensuing pursuit, securing the final victory in the war.
Tomoe Gozen's husband fell in that battle, while she escaped with her life as one of his retainers.
To Tomoe Gozen, Ushiwakamaru was someone she could never forgive.
Kiso Yoshinaka had said that he had taken up arms to bring peace to the realm. He had thrown himself onto the battlefield so that the common people might live in peace.
Ushiwakamaru, however, had no particular feelings about war.
She was simply a genius.
She wielded her blade with the skill of a genius and cut down her enemies, almost like a puppet that did nothing but follow the commands of others.
Tomoe Gozen could not accept that outcome.
Why did someone like you, nothing more than a puppet, have to be the one who won?
"Anyway... You only answered the Summoning because you enjoy chopping off Magical Beasts' heads, didn't you?!"
"That's enough."
Shirou stepped in front of Tomoe Gozen.
"You've gone too far... Ushiwakamaru is fighting to protect this era, just like the rest of us."
"My Lord..."
Tomoe Gozen bit her lip.
She shot Ushiwakamaru a resentful glare, then turned and strode back to her room without looking back.
"I'm sorry, Ushiwakamaru..."
Shirou apologized. "As you can see, Tomoe Gozen's Spirit Origin was slightly affected during the battle with the Scorpion Man. Please don't take what she said to heart."
"Mm, it's not as though I can't understand how she feels... Still, I never expected her to hate me that much. It's a little discouraging."
Shirou looked at the thoroughly dejected girl and narrowed one eye.
"To cheer you up, I've prepared an especially lavish meal for tonight."
"Huh? Really, Shirou-dono?!"
The moment she heard there would be good food, Ushiwakamaru's eyes lit up.
Of everyone in Uruk, she was probably the one who had missed Shirou most during the two days he had been away.
Ushiwakamaru had come to understand just how profoundly the quality of one's meals could affect one's enthusiasm for work.
"You can look forward to it tonight."
"Mm-hmm! I will! In that case, I'll be heading out to work now, all right?"
It was almost possible to see an invisible, fluffy tail wagging furiously behind Ushiwakamaru.
"Be careful out there."
Shirou smiled as he watched Ushiwakamaru and Musashibō Benkei leave the dormitory.
She really was still a child at heart. All it took was some good food to cheer her up.
As for Tomoe Gozen...
Later, he would ask Siduri-san what kind of gift from the market would be suitable for a young woman.
With that thought in mind, Shirou put on his apron and entered the kitchen.
...
On the night of the third day after Shirou returned to Uruk, Siduri arrived with a new S-rank commission.
"Go to the Underworld and investigate the condition of Enkidu's remains... By the way, why are you here too?"
Shirou stared speechlessly across the table at Gilgamesh, who had secretly slipped out of the Divine Tower and was now devouring grilled lamb chops.