Fate: Nameless Hero

"My king's acquaintance… Could it be my bastardly friend?"

Gilgamesh found himself slightly puzzled.

However, these guards were all brought from Uruk. There was no way they would dare trifle with him.

"Very well. Let them in."

Gilgamesh gently swirled the wine in his cup, casually issuing the order.

As the strong and unmatched King of Heroes, there was little left in the world that could shake him.

Click—

The door opened.

A figure—so achingly familiar—appeared before him, freezing him in place.

This person… had truly come?

Her smile was as warm as ever.

"My king… It has been a long time."

"…It has been a long time, Siduri."

The goblet in Gilgamesh's hand trembled slightly, and he carefully set it aside. The invincible king who had never faltered—now found even holding his wine to be difficult.

After watching the video, he had already suspected such a day might come.

But never had he imagined it would arrive so soon.

My dear friend… you've truly given me a tremendous surprise.

"My king, please allow me to once again serve as your High Priestess… to assist you in governing Uruk."

Siduri's eyes shimmered with mist.

After watching the video, her admiration for her king only deepened.

As expected of the king praised by all—he was truly a wise ruler!

"Haha, of course you can! Siduri, there's no one more suited to be my aide than you!"

Gilgamesh suddenly burst out laughing, sounding even more delighted than before.

He took a hearty gulp of wine, wiping the corner of his mouth. "But now it is truly the Age of Man. There's no longer any need for priests to offer tribute to the gods."

Priesthood—such was the custom of ancient humanity, a tribute and offering to the divine.

Back when humanity was weak, they needed the protection of the gods.

But after the Final Battle, he and Nameless had severed all ties with the gods. Humanity no longer required divine protection.

Whoosh—

Golden ripples shimmered beside Gilgamesh, and from within he drew a sprig of radiant, rainbow-glowing grass.

"This," he said, holding it out, "is the herb of immortality I once obtained. I now bestow it upon you."

Back then, even possessing this herb, he had chosen to forgo it without hesitation.

Both of his dearest friends had departed, and having fulfilled his destiny as the wise king, he had no more reason to linger.

"My king, there's no need." Siduri shook her head. "Earlier, the Goddess of the Underworld used the Creation Power that Nameless entrusted to her to grant me divinity. I now possess a lifespan akin to that of a Heroic Spirit."

A Heroic Spirit existed as long as human history endured.

As long as humanity did not perish, Heroic Spirits could remain forever.

"Nameless again…"

Gilgamesh put the herb back into the Gate of Babylon, at a loss for words.

That damned man… deliberately making it so his debts could never be repaid?

"My king… have you not found Nameless?" Siduri blinked in surprise.

Nameless had a gift for exquisite cuisine, always preparing fine dishes for Enkidu—and occasionally inviting her as well.

Every time, he would "forget" to invite the king, and every time, the king would shamelessly find some excuse to come and mooch a meal.

Those were some of the happiest days she had ever seen—days when the king's smile was constant.

But after Nameless and Enkidu departed, that smile vanished.

He buried himself in endless affairs of state, as though trying to completely entomb himself.

For a demigod to work himself into an early grave…

"Hah! A joke! If I wish to find someone, do you think I cannot?"

Gilgamesh scoffed.

Let's not forget—he had been the very first Heroic Spirit to locate Nameless.

"Remember this—no more reckless actions. With me and Nameless here, you only need to focus on your duties in Uruk," Gilgamesh said lightly.

"As you command, my king."

Siduri's smile grew even softer. "As expected of you… you've already realized those two goddesses are preparing to descend."

"…That Goddess of the Underworld—what exactly is she up to?" Gilgamesh felt a little uneasy. "Don't tell me she's at it again—digging a grave for my city with that little shovel of hers?"

Three days!

Just three days short of disaster!

Even if Tiamat didn't attack, that accursed goddess would have dragged all of Uruk into the underworld.

"Heh… how did you guess?"

A sudden voice came from the doorway.

There stood a girl dressed like an ordinary maiden, yet radiating the supreme aura of a goddess.

It was none other than Ereshkigal—the Mistress of the Underworld—inhabiting Tohsaka Rin's body!

"…"

Siduri fell silent.

Goddess… didn't we just meet? Why did you follow us here?

"…"

Gilgamesh also went silent.

Both pairs of eyes locked onto the small shovel in her hands.

Ereshkigal fidgeted with her hem, smiling awkwardly. "Ahaha… hello to you both. Lovely weather today, isn't it?"

"You forged a divine shovel?"

Gilgamesh's expression was one of utter exasperation.

This gloomy goddess… was she planning to dig his grave again?

Imagine it: you're working on your tablets, handling affairs of state, and suddenly—dragged into the underworld!

This goddess had to be watched carefully.

"Earlier, my sister and I were exiled to the Reverse Side of the World, so I had to dig my way to the Surface. It was so tiring!"

Ereshkigal dabbed at nonexistent sweat on her brow.

At that moment, Gilgamesh considered whether he should return to Uruk. If he didn't… what if she secretly dug up his city again?

Her persistence was terrifying.

After all, this was the same goddess who had once single-handedly dug beneath all of Uruk, intending to bury the entire city!

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in your Uruk this time. I just came to see this grand reunion," Ereshkigal said cheerfully before leaving.

After all, a reunion after 4,600 years—how could she miss such a show?

Of course, she was just here to watch. She'd leave right after.

Once she was gone—

Gilgamesh began reminiscing over many past events.

In his enthusiasm, he even mentioned the time he and Nameless worked together to turn Merlin in to a girl.

Siduri's eyes lit up instantly. "My king, aren't you troubled about repaying Nameless? Why not drink that potion yourself?"

"…?"

Gilgamesh froze, staring at her blankly.

I treat you as my trusted aide… and you want me to sell my body?

"Ahem. I was merely making a suggestion," Siduri replied with a graceful smile.

Her king, once a ruthless tyrant, had only been changed after meeting Nameless—becoming the wise king adored by all.

When you add it up, his debt to Nameless was no small sum. No wonder he regarded him as his most precious friend.

…

Meanwhile—

At Sanjiro's home.

After the video ended, Shikotei had already departed.

He had hoped one video would drive away the crowd of Heroic Spirits—but not a single one had left.

The emperor needed some time to cool off.

More importantly, he'd been handling state affairs through an avatar for too long. His true body needed to return to oversee the grand stage.

It seemed the United States was plotting something big again…

Once he had gone—

Kirina's eyes narrowed at another unwelcome guest. "Uh… shouldn't you be leaving too?"

This one was dangerous.

Far too dangerous—having eaten through two or three days' worth of her meals in one sitting.

While watching the feature-length Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, she'd cleared out all the snacks in the house.

Kirina couldn't help but wonder—what on earth was this person's stomach made of?

Was she like Kanna, with a dragon's stomach?

"Thank you for the meal."

Artoria clasped her hands together, bowing gracefully in thanks.

Her wager with the First Emperor had ended in her victory, so there was no need for her to return to Britain.

After that—

Under the watchful eyes of the suspicious little loli, Artoria also took her leave.

Earlier, Mordred had been taken by the First Emperor to watch the video, and she seemed to be searching for the knight who was no longer at the hotel.

So Artoria needed to hurry back before anything was noticed.

If Mordred discovered Sanjiro's true identity, she would come charging over without a moment's hesitation.

And then… all of Britain's dignity would be on display for the whole world to laugh at.

"Travel safely," Sanjiro called, waving her off.

After sending off two Heroic Spirits, he sank onto the sofa in a daze.

It was supposed to be a quiet retirement in seclusion… so why had it turned into a daily routine of Heroic Spirits dropping by his home?

Damn you, Alaya!

If not for those constant video releases, none of this would be happening!

Kirina came over, pouting. "Why are more and more people coming lately?"

Normally there were barely any visitors. But recently, the number had been steadily increasing. And all of them were complete strangers.

"Probably because my cooking is good," Sanjiro replied with a small smile, casually squeezing the white-stockinged leg she stretched toward him.

Having traveled across all of history, having refined the powers of gods, demons, and phantasmal beings—even escaping the title of Hero of Justice—he still couldn't escape Alaya's constant ambushes.

Only in moments like this could he feel a hint of warmth and peace.

A simple life…

Yeah, right.

The brat was a walking powder keg.

"Well… I've got to admit, your cooking really is delicious. Did you see the way that one girl was eating? Like she'd been starved in a past life," Kirina muttered, nodding.

That blonde girl had very deliberately shown up right at mealtime—and hadn't stopped eating the whole time!

Kirina sighed softly.

"You know… that person really does look like King Arthur. It's just a shame how different she is in temperament compared to how she was in life."

"True enough…"

Sanjiro looked up at the ceiling.

So, brat… you did manage to invite the King of Knights to dinner after all.

You win. As expected of my destined nemesis!

His eyes drifted to the wall, where the brat had, at some unknown time, stuck up a poster of various Heroic Spirits. In a low voice, he asked,

"By the way, which Heroic Spirit do you like the most?"

Since the Heroic Spirits were clearly going to keep showing up, he needed to make preparations.

It was time to give the brat a bit of a "vaccine."

"In the past, my favorite was the King of Heroes, because he's super rich… but he totally flopped."

Kirina answered without hesitation.

That guy had been the perfect embodiment of a god of wealth… and then kept failing over and over again.

Even though he redeemed himself in Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, he just didn't inspire the same admiration anymore.

"The King of Heroes, huh? Yeah, that… might not be the best choice…"

Sanjiro felt slightly awkward.

He hadn't even given that guy a dose of genderbending potion yet(o_O!!), so there was no way he'd consider it.

"I also liked King Arthur… but that flopped too. I also like the First Emperor, but I'm worried he might flop as well."

Kirina sighed, looking exasperated.

These supposedly perfect top-tier Heroic Spirits—why were they all so prone to slipping up?

She stared seriously at the man in the red cloak on her newly placed poster. "So now, I only like Nameless!"

Every other Heroic Spirit might flop, they all had dark histories—but Nameless would not!

He was the true great hero who walked in the shadows, asking for nothing in return, quietly guarding humanity.

"…Uh."

Sanjiro froze for a moment.

You're sure you like Nameless?

You like him pulling your heart out?

You like him going down with you in mutual destruction?

You like him binding you in countless Chains of Heaven?

The more Sanjiro thought about it, the more complicated he felt.

Why did it suddenly feel like this brat had potential to turn into a masochist—or even a yandere?

As Alaya's video releases inched closer to the Final Battle, he really needed to find a way to keep this kid stable.

He'd been working tirelessly day and night, carefully guiding her… and still it didn't seem to be enough.

Was it time to… find her a mother?(Tiamama anyone?)

Ding-dong—

At that moment, the doorbell rang again.

Kirina pouted. "Wow, people are still showing up at night?"

When she opened the door, however, she saw someone she was delighted to meet.

Her eyes lit up in surprise. "Fujinee! What are you doing here?"

It was Fujimura Taiga—technically Sanjiro's teacher, as well as their guardian.

A big sister figure who was endlessly easygoing.

Kirina certainly hadn't forgotten: back when she was little, it was Fujinee who bought her all kinds of tasty treats, fun toys, and new clothes.

"I came to check on you two! I stayed home all New Year and didn't go anywhere, so I didn't get a chance to visit," Fujimura said with an awkward laugh.

Of course, she couldn't exactly admit she was here to freeload food and lodging.

"Welcome, welcome!" Kirina said enthusiastically, ushering her in.

This was one of her favorite people—and also the least threatening one.

After all, in Fujinee's eyes, both she and Sanjiro were just kids. There was no chance she'd try to "steal" Sanjiro.

Kirina leaned close and whispered, "Fujinee, can you draw my gacha later?"

This big-sister type had one defining trait—her luck was insanely good.

Every time she asked Fujinee to roll, the single pulls always turned into miracles!

"Hmph, no way. If I use up too much luck, it'll drain my fortune!" Fujinee refused flatly.

She wasn't one of those old-fashioned types—she surfed the internet every day. Of course she knew that absurd gacha luck was said to be "paid for with your lifespan."(I'm pretty sure it was paid with my sanity...)

"Fujinee's luck…"

Sanjiro hesitated.

It seemed she had a special skill—

[EX Luck]

Turning impossibilities into possibilities—almost like rewriting causality itself.

After all, in every single timeline she'd encountered the Holy Grail War and its many powerful Heroic Spirits, yet in every timeline she came away completely unscathed!

In the Absolute Demonic Front singularity—

After Quetzalcoatl's fall from the stars, she nearly plunged into the black mud Tiamat had brought forth.

That mud was the most terrifying of all corruptions, capable of blackening even gods and Heroic Spirits.

And yet—

Jaguar Man, possessed by a future Fujimura Taiga, simply ran across the mud and caught Quetzalcoatl mid-fall!

Sanjiro himself wouldn't dare touch that mud carelessly, but she had run right over it unharmed.

Just ran across it…

Truly, she could make the impossible possible.

Kirina clung to her arm, whining, "Fujinee, you're my absolute favorite! In my heart, you're as important as my own mom!"

One way or another, she had to get Fujinee to agree to pull the gacha for her. Otherwise, with her cursed luck, she'd never get anything good!

"Tch, I'm not old enough to be your mom!"

Fujimura gave her a look of disgust.

She was only in her twenties—how could she possibly have a teenage daughter?

Still…

Sanjiro had always treated her like a daughter. If she were to marry him, she'd automatically become Kirina's stepmother…?

Fujimura fell into thought.

If she married Sanjiro, that would mean delicious food made every day, all the housework handled, and waking up every morning to his gentle voice…

"Uh… Fujinee, why are you drooling?" Kirina asked, staring at her strangely.

"Ahem! I just haven't come to freeload a meal in so long… I missed you both so much!" Fujinee wiped the corner of her mouth, speaking with righteous conviction.

No… this man was a master at turning people into spoiled freeloaders. Whoever married him would inevitably be ruined!

So clearly, she would have to shoulder that burden!

Her eyes drifted toward Sanjiro .

If he confessed, she'd say yes in under a second—then drag him off to register the marriage.

"All right, I'll make your favorite dishes tomorrow," Sanjiro said with a small sigh.

He could guess her little schemes at a glance.

But he didn't mind.

This was what a truly warm daily life looked like.

Or rather—

Fujimura Taiga herself was the very embodiment of peaceful daily life.

Even the brat couldn't compare.

Sanjiro glanced out the window, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile.

That lovely Mistress of the Underworld had descended again—this time even bringing Siduri back to life.

My dear old friend… is this surprise enough for you?

Speaking of surprises—

Sanjiro thought of the one the brat had given him once—

She had brought Gilgamesh right to his doorstep!

When he'd been trying to avoid him at all costs!

This brat was a true master at throwing him under the bus.

See? He was the one with the generous heart here.

So, Gilgamesh—about that 220 million you claimed I owed you… wasn't it time to just write that off?

Sanjiro decided that the next time he saw the guy, the first order of business would be to make him erase that debt.

A sum that huge—he'd never be able to pay it back in this lifetime.

And given his role in the singularity, along with reviving Siduri to make up for Gilgamesh's greatest regret, the guy would surely be so overjoyed he'd be speechless.

At that point… maybe he'd even hand over the Gate of Babylon itself?

"Tch… Jaguar Man, Ereshkigal, Siduri… everyone from the singularity reuniting after 4,600 years. Not an easy thing," Sanjiro murmured.

He could faintly sense a weak trace of the Feathered Serpent Goddess far away on America.

With Alaya's videos being broadcast—

The gods who had once been completely driven to the Reverse Side of the World were now each finding ways to descend to the mortal realm.

This would definitely shake the false gods of the United States. No doubt they'd want to band together to defeat the descending gods and seize their divine authority.

"Unfortunately, I'm still too weak. I don't have the qualifications to stand against the gods."

Sanjiro sighed quietly.

Let's not forget—his Saint Graph was shattered. He had to give it his all just to deal with Hundred-Faced Hassan.

Much less those overwhelmingly powerful deities.

Shikotei had once granted him the title of Imperial Teacher, bestowing upon him the new ability Platinum Dragon—but even that was no match for a god.

Unless his injuries recovered further.

But time… he had far too little of it.

He glanced down at his belt. "Speaking of which… En hasn't recovered either."

Ever since being completely broken back then, Enkidu had never truly recovered. Now transformed into his belt, Enkidu stayed at his side at all times.

It didn't really seem any different from before—in fact, they were even closer now.

And so the next morning arrived.

Sanjiro woke up early, stepping over the snow as he headed to the vegetable market to buy some fresh greens.

The brat and Fujinee had stayed up making a racket all night, so they were still fast asleep. He decided to let them rest a while longer.

At the fish stall—

"Yo, kid! Morning! Want to check out some fresh fish?" Cu Chulainn greeted warmly.

"I'll take a crucian carp, planning to stew it for a nice soup," Wei Gong said with a smile.

"Got it."

Cu Chulainn deftly scooped one out, scaling it and cleaning out the innards.

Once he finished, he handed it over. "One of these days, I'll drop by your place for a meal too."

Cu Chulainn had visited a few times before, and each time he'd been completely conquered by Sanjiro's cooking.

"No problem, just remember to bring some vegetables!" Sanjiro agreed without hesitation.

A proud Heroic Spirit ending up as a fishmonger—it was almost comical.

The two of them got along well in this timeline, and in others too.

While he was out shopping—

An uninvited guest had already arrived at home.

Vmmm—

Silently, a large hole opened in the floor of the room.

Ereshkigal climbed out holding a small shovel, peeked around the room, then sniffed the air. Her face lit up with a bright smile.

Since she could descend using Rin's body this time, she naturally wanted to drop by to see him.

Their last meeting in Academy City had been far too awkward.

Her sister had arrived before her—only to be tied up in the Chains of Heaven in an utterly humiliating pose. Just remembering it made Ereshkigal blush.

A small cat was lying on the sofa, tilting its head at her.

"Fou… Fou (What brings you here)?"

Ereshkigal blinked at the little creature.

Of course, she could see through the illusion disguising it. Unfortunately, such things were useless before a god's eyes.

She pressed a finger to her lips. "It's been a while, Fou. Shhh~"

"Fou… Fou (It really has been a while)."

Fou nodded.

As the Beast of Humanity, he didn't care much about her being a goddess—he just treated her as someone familiar.

Ereshkigal looked around curiously.

It was an utterly ordinary human home.

The walls were covered with posters of Heroic Spirits. Among them, she spotted familiar figures—King of Heroes, Enkidu, Tiamat.

There were no supernatural items—just normal, everyday things.

"So this is where he lives…"

A faint blush colored her cheeks.

In the past, it had always been him coming to the Underworld to see her. This was the first time she'd come to the mortal realm to see him.

She could clearly sense two people sleeping upstairs.

One of them had the same aura as the Jaguar Man she'd met before.

She sniffed lightly, picking up the faint lingering scent.

The whole house was neatly arranged.

It felt so normal, so warm.

A tiny pang of jealousy stirred in her toward that terrifying little loli.

Getting to enjoy Nameless's cooking every day—what a wonderful thing.

Click—

At that moment—

The bedroom door opened.

Ereshkigal, who had planned to sneak a glance at his room, quickly stopped.

To her surprise, he greeted her: "Oh? Tohsaka, what brings you here?"

"I just happened to be passing by," Ereshkigal remembered belatedly that she was using Rin Tohsaka's body.

Apparently, he hadn't recognized her directly.

"Oh, then have a seat. I'll pour you some water."

Sanjiro calmly poured her a cup.

As if.

As a Nameless Heroic Spirit who had walked the history of humanity, of course he saw through her true identity at a glance.

Why had Ereshkigal suddenly come to his door?

Was this the brat's doing again?

Still, it wasn't much of a problem.

With Ereshkigal's gentle nature, there was no way she'd cause any harm.

For now, he decided to pretend not to recognize her.

"Mm, thank you."

Ereshkigal accepted the tea.

The closer she was to him, the more she wanted to stay like this forever.

Unfortunately, this wasn't truly her body.

As a goddess, she was rejected by the entirety of human history—her true form couldn't descend to the mortal realm.

She could only come by possessing a vessel.

Her sister Ishtar could also use this body.

If her sister learned where he lived… that could be a problem.

"Tohsaka, did you go for New Year's shrine visits?" Sanjiro deliberately started some small talk.

At any rate, keeping her calm was the priority.

Poor Rin Tohsaka—how did you end up as the vessel for two goddesses?

Sanjiro felt a flicker of sympathy for her.

She was a genius magus, yet even more remarkable in… other ways.

Ishtar's personality had clearly fused with Rin's, otherwise she wouldn't be so prone to blunders.

And now Ereshkigal could also possess her body.

In other words, though only one person stood before him, she was essentially three.

Three Rins in one!(Obito would have a filed day for this XD)

Sanjiro looked at her, feeling even more complicated.

If he married her, would that count as marrying all three—making a legal harem?

"Shrine visits? As a go—magus, of course I wouldn't go!"

Ereshkigal wanted to use this identity to drop by whenever she pleased, so she naturally didn't want to expose herself so casually.

As a goddess, she couldn't just freely visit the human realm.

"True, magi have more faith in the Root," Sanjiro nodded.

Relying on gods was nothing compared to relying on oneself.

To magi, gods were just stronger magi.

They chatted briefly.

Then, a little reluctantly, Ereshkigal stood. "Then I won't disturb you any longer. I should go."

She would have liked to taste his cooking.

The problem was, her possession time was running out—she had to leave soon.

Otherwise her sister would notice.

"Mm, all right," Sanjiro quickly got up to open the door for her.

Too many Heroic Spirits had come to his house. If more gods started showing up, it would definitely set the brat off.

Luckily, Ereshkigal had chosen to leave on her own—nothing to worry about now.

Just then—

Sanjiro suddenly felt a faint heat at his waist, as golden light flared brilliantly.

The Chain of Heaven, Enkidu—transformed into his belt—was swelling in the light.

Ereshkigal stared in shock. "Eh? What's going on?"

The aura was unmistakably that of the Chain of Heaven!

But… why was it in such a strange place?

"This is…"

Sanjiro was even more shocked than she was.

What the—En chose now to recover?!

Ereshkigal was just about to leave—why pick this moment?

Wasn't this just asking for trouble?!

Under their stunned gazes—

The Chain of Heaven transformed from a quiet belt into an unbelievably adorable girl, resting calmly in his arms, pressed up close to him.

The key point being—she wasn't wearing a single thing!