[181] Battle Against the Beast Goddess! [1]

The moment of reversal has arrived!

No, this king must endure—just wait a little longer!

After laughing, Gilgamesh forced himself to calm down.

It was too early to celebrate—the video had barely shown a fifth of the content!

If he ended up getting humiliated later, it would be a complete disaster.

But fragments of Gilgamesh's memories were already flooding back, faintly hinting that his later feats might be even more dazzling!

Hold back!

When the time came, he'd flaunt it properly and mock every Heroic Spirit in this hall!

"What's there to be so smug about?" Jeanne d'Arc grumbled, clearly annoyed.

It felt like every Heroic Spirit except her had gained something, basking in Alaya's favor.

Why, as the first Heroic Spirit exposed, was she now completely sidelined?

Damn it!

Whether it was dark history or glorious moments, being ignored was the most infuriating!

Was she, Jeanne d'Arc, really just reduced to a supporting character for King Arthur, the King of Heroes, and Qin Shi Huang?

Astolfo was about to say something, but Lancelot immediately covered his mouth.

If this fool embarrassed them, it'd be an international disgrace.

No way was he letting this instinct-impaired guy spout nonsense.

Seated at the head of the table, Qin Shi Huang stated, "Everyone, let us continue watching. Together, we shall witness the King of Heroes' next performance!"

His composure was merely a facade.

Inside, Qin Shi Huang was already shaken—he couldn't accept this.

Was that golden bastard, riddled with dark history, really about to steal the spotlight?

Under everyone's gaze, the screen displayed:

The radiant King of Heroes no longer paid attention to the Chaldea group. Instead, he ordered a soldier: "I heard Tabado's daughter-in-law has given birth. Bring her some fruit. Also, recall Tabado and grant him three days' leave to spend time with his grandchild."

Such a mundane command left countless viewers utterly stunned.

The mighty King of Heroes, ruler of Uruk, actually cared about something as trivial as a woman giving birth?

Sending fruit as a gift and letting the grandfather take time off to see his grandchild—this was beyond considerate!

How in the world hadn't this guy collapsed from exhaustion managing all these details?

Just as the audience reeled in disbelief, the video continued:

A soldier suddenly stepped forward to report: "Your Majesty, a divine vessel is charging toward us at high speed—it's Goddess Ishtar!"

"Tch, that idiot again! Is she truly incapable of learning from her mistakes?" Gilgamesh sighed softly.

Siduri, the high priestess, coughed lightly in reminder: "Your Majesty, please exercise some restraint..."

"Hmph, that woman has never once protected Uruk! Even her father, the god, was long severed from humanity by me and Nameless—there's no way he can intervene now, right?"

Gilgamesh had no intention of sparing any courtesy. "In the end, she could only die alone in misery and despair!"

Boom!

The palace ceiling was violently shattered.

A goddess all too familiar descended from above, glaring at him furiously. "Ahhh, you bastard! This goddess will kill you!"

A group of soldiers frantically retreated.

Because this goddess held the authority of [Fertility], capable of cursing you with the extinction of your lineage!

"Hmph, admit it. You can do nothing. You're just a useless goddess!"

Gilgamesh remained utterly merciless. "Chaldeans, if you drive her away, this king might consider cooperating with you!"

"You bastard, you're digging your own grave! My high priestess Siduri, as long as Gilgamesh dies, I might consider saving Uruk!"

Ishtar grew increasingly furious, her gaze casually shifting to the high priestess beside her.

At that moment.

She caught sight of the little loli standing safely behind Nameless and widened her eyes in shock. "Wait, Master of Chaldea, who is that beside you?"

"It's the adorable little Ana," Nameless replied with a smile.

"Hah! So that's how it is. How unfortunate!"

The previously enraged Ishtar suddenly burst into laughter and soared into the sky. "Farewell, naked King of Uruk! May countless demonic beasts devour you and all of Uruk!"

Countless onlookers instantly erupted—

-[This goddess who dresses so provocatively herself dares to mock the King of Heroes? The audacity!]

-[Holy shit, what does Ishtar mean? Does cute little Ana have some connection to the savage Beast Goddess?]

-[Is it like how Bedivere returning the sword restored the Lion King's humanity? Will Ana do the same for the Beast Goddess?]

-[We're doomed. Another tragedy is about to unfold!]

...

"Ana is similar to Bedivere???"

Sakura found it hard to believe.

That adorable little loli, whom Merlin had treated with such seriousness from the start, clearly had an incredibly mysterious and special identity.

Now, even Ishtar—who looked identical to her sister—had obviously recognized the little loli's extraordinary nature!

"I don't know."

Rin's face had long turned crimson, as if steam were billowing from her head.

This was so embarrassing!

A goddess, called useless and humiliated in every possible way.

It made Rin increasingly doubt whether this was truly her past life.

As the young lady of Fuyuki Magecraft Academy, adored by countless people, how could she possibly be this disgraceful?

In the video.

After driving away the goddess, Gilgamesh calmly addressed those present. "Hmph, your efforts and struggles in response to that hair-thin hope, as well as your journey through the Singularity, were at least somewhat impressive."

The king, who had once looked down on the Chaldeans, now offered rare praise.

"If you insist on serving this king, then let Siduri assign you menial tasks to start with!"

The King of Heroes waved his hand, signaling Siduri to lead them away.

Next.

Under the watchful eyes of countless spectators.

Nameless, Mash, Ana, and the others actually began doing menial labor!

They busied themselves daily—helping care for children, harvesting crops, and so on—seamlessly integrating into life in Uruk.

Seeing this.

Roya suddenly understood. "I get it now. These are daily quests to grind reputation points!"

She interpreted it through the lens of gaming logic.

You've just arrived at a new map, completely devoid of reputation or presence—no one pays you any attention.

At this point, you need to complete a series of daily quests.

Only by grinding your reputation high enough can you proceed to claim the main storyline.

Sitting to the side, Artoria's lips curled into a faint smile.

Though the King of Heroes' behavior was entirely different from what she had witnessed in the Singularity,

it seemed her bet with Qin Shi Huang was about to be won!

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the mysterious little girl Ana, who usually wore an icy expression that warned others to stay away, was surprisingly obedient—helping the elderly flower-selling granny tend her stall, assisting some uncle with farm work, or even playing with a group of children.

Though she still wore her black cloak, the smiles on her face grew more frequent.

Countless viewers couldn't help but exclaim, "Tsundere little Ana, saying one thing but meaning another!" or "AWSL!"

By nightfall, a full moon hung in the sky.

Ana stood atop the city walls, gazing at the vast nightscape below. "The moonlight is beautiful tonight."

"Mmm, it truly is—as lovely as you," Nameless beside her replied softly.

This scene in the video made Illya instantly turn her head in shock to look at Miyu beside her.

Good grief, had Emiya even charmed Ana now?

[The moonlight is beautiful.]

It sounded like an ordinary remark, but in Japanese culture, it was an indirect way of saying "I love you."

The word for "moon" shared the same pronunciation as "like."

Famed literary figure Natsume Soseki had turned this phrase into a romantic confession, meaning—

[It is only because of your presence that the night sky is so beautiful!]

Back in Vow in the Snow, Miyu had said the same thing to Emiya!

"Big Brother…"

Miyu stared at the video, where the two stood side by side.

Damn it, why was it some unknown person standing beside him instead of me?

Under their watchful gazes, in the video,

Ana asked softly, "You must know who I am, don't you? Why aren't you afraid of me?"

This Master from Chaldea clearly possessed formidable abilities.

Before him, she felt she couldn't hide anything.

"You're so adorable—how could I be afraid? I'd only adore you more. So, do you love humanity?" Nameless smiled in return.

"I... hate humans..."

Anna turned her head to gaze into the distance.

"That's a lie! You possess human emotions—you simply don't want to hurt others. You're kind, and you deserve to be cared for."

Nameless hesitated for a moment before gently lifting the black veil covering her head and placing his hand on her purple hair.

EX-Rank Secret Technique: [Head Pat Kill]!

Yet Ana didn't refuse. Her violet eyes fixed on him as she asked, "So, you want me to stay silent and hide the truth?"

"Sometimes, white lies are important. Especially when you're trying to protect others, not harm them."

Nameless lightly ruffled her small head. "It's precisely because you have emotions that you're you—not that beast consumed by nothing but vengeance!"

"Hmph, what a cunning human..."

Ana snorted softly before suddenly leaning against him.

This was humanity.

Something she both loved and hated.

But no matter what, she didn't want people to disappear.

Then she would fight with everything she had—to stop the other me!

Just then—

Mash suddenly approached, staring at the two in shock. "Senpai... are you... are you trying to make a move on such a young girl?"

"...Of course not!"

The Guardian who saved humanity, the nameless Heroic Spirit who walked through human history, found himself mired in unparalleled awkwardness.

A faint blush spread across Mash's cheeks. "Senpai... after this battle is over, you can just... go home and have a daughter of your own to play with..."

The words left her unbearably flustered.

It was practically an outright declaration—After this battle, let's go home, get married, and have a daughter!

The barrage of comments exploded instantly—

-[WTF! "Have a daughter to play with"? Damn it, give me back my pure and adorable kouhai!]

-[About My Wife Telling Me to Have a Daughter So I Can Be a Lolicon—No Matter How You Look at It, This Is Weird, Right?]

-[Open up! Water meter inspection! EMIYA, you're going straight to jail to sing Tears Behind Bars!]

-[Since Ana is connected to the Beast Goddess, she's totally a legal loli—Gentlemen, I'm so excited!]

-[Our country has a complete set of criminal laws, detectives have agile footwork, and grave grass grows in all sorts of ways.]

Illya's mood grew increasingly complicated.

Given her current appearance, if Nameless really was Emiya...

If the two of them got married, the police would definitely come knocking.

And then—

The cops would say: "You lolicon bastard, get in the squad car!"

Nameless would probably argue: "No, no, Illya is a legal loli!"

Police: "Exactly! We're talking about her grooming you! You're still underage! Boys need to protect themselves too, you know!"

***

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