Gil-kun and the Bedroom Incident

Gilgamesh and the others spent the day resting and visiting the legendary Chemeinfu, the capital of the Mongol Empire under Kublai Khan. Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, Europeans, people with heads of dogs, and other strange creatures all lived and traded more or less peacefully in there. They discovered that the entire land they had been traversing was a sort of Reality Marble that overwrote reality, created by Marco Polo.

It was the representation of his long travels and collection of stories he had heard during his journey and life in the East, which had captured the imagination of millions of people who knew nothing of those distant lands, a book that single-handedly gave birth to the fascination that Westerners have for the 'exotic' countries of the Far East: "Il Milione".

In the evening they had a nice dinner at the court of the Great Khan, though this time they were more mindful of the alcohol and slightly less trusting. After all, they had just been victims of an ambush and Nero wasn't too excited to eat from the same plate that her mother had eaten. However, the friendliness of Marco and the locals ultimately put them all in a pretty good mood.

They had won their first real battle and they each recounted what had happened to them.

"Wow, Salty! It must have been super spooky being confined in such a weird and terrifying place! I bet I would have had shivers running through my whole spine."

"It was just blocks of grass that kept moving... but yes, it was a bit creepy... and disorienting... I even had nausea. Even if I knew beforehand that he had such an ace up his sleeve, I'm not sure if I would have won..."

"It was a good thing that Mr. Monet was there! It's such a shame that he is..."

Nero interrupted herself as her expression suddenly became one of sadness.

"He looked very happy though. We should be glad he was able to end it all on his own terms and in a satisfying way." Salter said, trying to comfort her.

"Hehe, I guess you're right. Hey, everyone, check this out!"

Nero shouted as she changed her clothes to a more fitting oriental style, much to the amazement of everyone present.

"Abusing the gifts I granted you, I see."

"That's a point of a gift, no? To use it however you please."

"I suppose."

"This makes me wonder, how does your beloved Saber dress, Goldie?"

"I have no obligation to tell you."

"Come on, there's no need to be embarrassed."

"I'm not embarrassed."

"I bet he doesn't want to say it because she sucks at dressing herself."

"That's not true! My beautiful Saber wears the most elegant and royal blue, she dons a sober and yet wonderful dress, much like the one of this foolish emperor, only much more... gracious, I'd say."

"I see, so we really are alike! Now I want to see this Artoria too!"

"At this point, I wouldn't mind checking what all the fuss is about..."

Meanwhile, in the same table...

"Well, I'm glad that I'm finally free..."

"Same."

"Do you want to come to my town after all of this is over?"

"I'm not sure... perhaps we should find a new location, travel around a bit."

"Yeah, I guess we should. Wouldn't it be risky, just the two of us?"

"We can always find someone else, plus we can use our servants to increase our numbers and travel more safely."

"You make a good point. Very well then, that's what we'll do."

After some more talking and having fun, the heroes were shown to their rooms. Gilgamesh contemplated the landscape outside the window, wondering if he should take a peek into the future to see what to do next.

"No, there's no need to do that. I'll change the present so that it leads to the future I desire. That's my kingly way. Well, I believe my body definitely deserves some rest now... where was my room supposed to be... I guess it's this one... those mongrels better have made it the most spectacular room ever..."

He entered his chamber and was greeted by an unexpected sight.

Nero stood in front of him, smiling, as she wore a blue dress that looked identical to Saber's. She spun around twice before extending her arm toward him. 

"Gil-sama, your Saber is here to serve you!" She proclaimed with a solemn tone that made her voice sound similar to Artoria's.

Gilgamesh looked at her with one can only describe as a dumbfounded expression, his eyes neutral while his mouth was slightly open as if he was trying to speak but he had been frozen for whatever reason. Then, out of the blue, he felt something warm touch his lips and run down to his chin he could barely see Nero's joyful expression turn to one of worry before his mind went blank and he passed out.

"Goldie! Hey, are you OK? Dear Gods, it was supposed to be a harmless prank. Stop laughing, Salty!"

"Hahaha, he's so down bad. He passed out, he passed out! He went even beyond my expectations! Look, his body is twitching!"

"Silence, he's trying to say something!"

"My beloved Saber... you have... finally accepted me... as your rightful husband... let's spend... the rest of our lives together... as rulers... of those mongrels... yes, I'll make sure they always serve meat for you... mmm, Saber, your kisses are so delicate and loving, you're so g-"

"Snap out of it, Goldie!"

"Haha, he was hallucinating! Man, if only I had a camera!"

"I think I knocked him out."

"Serves that pervert right! I don't know if I should be amused... or creeped out... considering we are talking about me... or at least another me. Anyway, thank you for this, Nero, that was so much fun."

"I didn't mean for it to end this way... I wanted to surprise him as a thanks for all his help... but I guess I went a bit overboard. Still, now that you mention it, it was pretty fun, hehe. He's blushing even when unconscious."

"Such a pervert."

"It's kind of cute, in its own way."

"To each their own. Come on, let's put him to bed and go to sleep."

"OK, umu!"

They tucked him in and bade each other goodnight.

Gilgamesh's dreams from that night will not be reported, lest the image of the King of Heroes be degraded too much.

The following day, all Servants gathered at the centre of the main square.

"There are no words that can express how grateful I am toward you."

"Not even all the gold I possess could ever repay the debt I have with you."

"We're just happy you're fine!"

"Though some gold would be nice..."

"No need to thank me, personally your survival means nothing to me- *gets his feet stomped on* however, I wish you a safe journey."

"The same goes for you. Oh, one more thing, yesterday, one of the locals found this in the middle of the desert this message, covered by a few golden feathers. It says 'to my friends who trapped me in a vase'. Whatever that means."

"Let me read it...

My final gift from me to you... my dear friends... may you find fulfillment and happiness... with all the love my heart can contain... your dear Michael. ..."

"What is it? What does it say?"

"It's a set of directions."

"For what?"

"For where Saber is currently located."

"Right now?"

"Perhaps. It says here that she's set up a tent, so she should or might still be there. We can't waste a second! Everyone aboard the chariot!"

"Wait a second! I need to undo my Noble Phantasm first!" Marco shouted, but they were already far away, having gone faster than the wind and disappeared in a flash.

"I envy their energy."

"Same. And my Class is literally Traveler. Well, I'll undo it now, I guess."

Marco concluded and in the following second, the desert and plains that surrounded them left space for a region full of mountains, hills, and grasslands.

"So this is the real landscape of this place?"

"Indeed."

"I see. Let's go then, great traveler. We still have a long way to go."

"Of course, partner."

While all of this was happening, in a distant mountain part of the Noble Phantasm, in a giant and dominating castle...

The soldiers were killed one by one with ruthless efficiency, as the few who accompanied the Old Man took refuge in the main room. The doors burst open, but before they could even react, a specter appeared in front of their leader and decapitated him with one swift strike.

They turned around, ready to charge toward it, only to be stabbed, poisoned, or have their heart ripped out. In the end, not one of the assassins remained.

The black figure sat down, finally capable of finding rest and internal peace as he uttered the following words with a powerful and assertive voice.

"Thou art nothing else but heretical whispers of the famed legend of the true believers. Thou shall not taint our discretion any further. We shall discover this heretical orb sooth through the perpetual wink of those whom oppose the path of righteousness. For mine name is the Old Man of the Mountain and the title that those whom came after me hast carried on is Hassan-i-Sabbah."