The blond man wore a spotless suit, not a speck of dust on him. He was strikingly handsome—so out of place in this forest that it felt wrong.
If not for the blood still smeared at the corner of his mouth.
"It's you again…!"
The moment he saw Shichen, the handsome man's face twisted with rage, like he wanted to tear him apart.
"Shichen—" Rin glanced back and forth between the blond man and Shichen, curiosity flaring. "You two… know each other?"
"He's a Servant!" Lily stepped forward at once, planting herself between them.
Shichen pressed a hand to her shoulder and drew her back to his side, then nodded. "Yeah. Me and this guy… we've got history."
"History?! You thief—give it back! Give it back right now!" the blond man roared.
"A thief?"
Rin and Lily both looked at Shichen.
"I did take something of his," Shichen admitted openly. "But I took it with my own ability."
"Give it back!" the blond man kept repeating, as if that was all he had left to say.
And honestly, it probably was. He was barely maintaining his existence by preying on animals.
There was only one person Shichen had ever "stolen" from in this world: the King of Heroes—Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon, along with Ea.
And the blond man in front of them was exactly that King of Heroes from ten years ago.
Now he looked… pitiful.
As a Servant, he could have dispersed and returned to the Throne. But he couldn't swallow the humiliation.
His treasury. His Ea. All taken by Shichen—how could he leave like that?
The problem was: he had no way to fight back.
He'd spent ten years planning, and everything collapsed before it even began.
Shichen had returned at the very start of the Grail War—right when Gilgamesh and Kotomine Kirei had been preparing to gather every Servant and crush him.
Seven Servants—surely that would be enough?
But the war ended before it started.
"Gilgamesh," Shichen said coolly, "where's your pride? Your dignity? Look at you, clinging to existence like this. You don't resemble the man I remember."
"Gilgamesh? The King of Heroes… him?" Rin stared at him in disbelief.
With a name like that, it was almost impossible not to recognize him—yet here he was, in this sorry state.
What had Shichen done to him?
"And you still dare talk?" Gilgamesh's eyes burned red with fury. "Give me back my treasures!"
"That's impossible," Shichen said calmly. "They're mine now."
Earlier, "she" had told him that something in this world belonged to him. When Shichen left before, the only thing he'd taken was the Gate of Babylon.
Now it was obvious what "she" meant: those treasures were meant to be his.
A return to their rightful owner.
What? They were originally Gilgamesh's?
Maybe in the past. But the future could change. And once something changes hands, it's no longer the same "past."
So no—there was no problem at all.
"Yours? Thief! I'll kill you!" Gilgamesh snapped, losing control completely.
Shichen didn't even react. Gilgamesh couldn't do anything. And even his manner had changed—he wasn't even calling himself this king anymore.
Ten years had forced reality into him.
"Since you're so desperate for my property," Shichen said, "I'll let you see it one more time."
Golden ripples appeared behind him. A sword hilt emerged from the light.
Shichen reached back, grasped it, and drew it forth—an oddly shaped, three-segment spiral blade.
"Ea…!" Gilgamesh locked onto it like a starving man.
Not just the weapon—those golden ripples themselves were unmistakable.
His Gate of Babylon.
"Honestly, Gilgamesh," Shichen said, walking toward him, "I used to respect you. But you like this? No."
There were versions of the King of Heroes who could be brilliant—charismatic, even inspiring.
But the arrogant one who spit on everyone in the present era? That was just exhausting.
Seeing him fall this far… felt like the natural consequence of his own choices.
"Y-you… what are you doing?" Gilgamesh backed away instinctively.
His treasures were right there—yet fear won out. He knew he had no chance.
"What am I doing?" Shichen's tone stayed even. "Sending you back."
In a single motion, Shichen closed the distance and drove Ea into him without hesitation.
"…What…?" Gilgamesh looked down, stunned.
The Ea he'd obsessed over for ten years was now piercing straight through him.
There was no blood—only light. His form broke into particles and drifted away until nothing remained.
A Servant didn't "die" the way humans did.
He simply… vanished.
"Master, you're amazing!" Lily bounced up to Shichen, clinging to his arm and looking up with sparkling eyes. "How did you steal the King of Heroes' Noble Phantasm?!"
"Want to know?" Shichen put Ea away and smiled at her. "Want to experience it?"
"I can?!" Lily's eyes lit up.
"Sure. I can even demonstrate by taking your Caliburn—"
"W-wait—no! Never mind!" Lily shook her head so fast her ponytail nearly snapped.
She'd just seen it: once the King of Heroes lost his treasure, he couldn't get it back.
What if she couldn't get her Caliburn back either?
Even if Shichen could return it… even if he was her Master… she still didn't want it taken.
Having your Noble Phantasm stolen was simply too humiliating.
"So you don't want to see?" Shichen teased.
"I don't! I don't! Master's ability is too scary—just knowing it exists is enough!"
Shichen sighed, a little disappointed. He'd wanted to compare Caliburn and Excalibur up close.
"…That really was the King of Heroes?" Rin finally stepped forward.
"Of course. If I recognize him, you think he wouldn't recognize me?"
"He's nothing like the legends…"
"He spent ten years living like a coward," Shichen said lightly.
"Ten years…" Rin stared at him like he was a walking contradiction. "How did you even do that? You even stole an Servant's Noble Phantasm…"
"It's just a skill," Shichen said.
"A skill?"
"Yeah. You can learn it too. I can teach you later."
"Really?" Rin's eyes immediately sharpened with interest.
"Really."
"Master, I want to learn too!" Lily raised her hand instantly.
"Sure," Shichen said, fondly ruffling her hair. "I'll take you to learn it later."
Lily's unspoken meaning was clear: she planned to stay with him.
"Great!"
"Alright. Time to go home. This Grail War is basically over."
Rin nodded. "Yeah."
Three enemy factions were gone. The remaining four were all "their side" anyway.
Shichen brought them back to the residence.
It was quiet—late night. Everyone was asleep.
He told Rin and Lily to rest too, then went straight to his room.
When he entered, just as expected, Jeanne was already curled up in his bed, sleeping soundly.
But the sound of him entering stirred her.
"You're back?"
"Yeah." Shichen sat down, pulled her into his arms, and held her close—warm, soft, and impossibly comforting.
Jeanne smiled sleepily, nestling against him. "All settled?"
"Everything's finished."
"…Then," Jeanne murmured, her blue eyes meeting his in the dark, "should we celebrate?"
"Celebrate?" Shichen looked down at her, a flicker of heat in his gaze. "It's late."
"Perfect," Jeanne said softly, smiling. "Just the two of us."
"…You mean—" Shichen understood at once.
Jeanne nodded, her expression gentle but certain.
"You're serious?"
"Of course." She pressed his hand to her chest as if to anchor him. "This side is done. You'll be leaving soon, right? When you go back… you won't have much time."
The warmth beneath his palm made Shichen's throat go dry.
"I understand," he said.
He moved his fingers, leaned in, and kissed her.
Jeanne clung to him and kissed him back without hesitation.
Deep in the night, in a room where no one could hear, their quiet celebration began—soft, private, and only theirs.
Shichen knew things were moving fast with Jeanne—faster than he usually allowed.
But her boldness pulled him in completely.
And at this point, hesitating any longer would be pointless.
For a while the room fell silent…
Then a small, startled sound—
And soon, a gentle melody of breath and murmured voices filled the darkness, tender and unmistakably intimate.