Gilgamesh was momentarily stunned, not expecting such a strong reaction from Zhang Jiao.
---
The First Emperor: "Oh, are you my descendant?"
The First Emperor: "Very good, very spirited. But there's no need to be riled up."
The First Emperor: "As a citizen of a great nation, maintain your dignity before the king of a small, ignorant land."
---
Hero King: "Ignorant… small land?!"
Hero King: "Mongrel, who are you calling that?"
The First Emperor: "Hmph, the barbarian king truly has no manners."
Hero King: "World's first emperor? It's just another title to stroke your ego."
The First Emperor: "What would a simpleton like you know of an emperor's true meaning?"
The First Emperor: "The territory of my Great Qin stretches far and wide—from Liaodong in the east to the western plateaus, from Lingnan in the south to the Yin Mountains in the north. Over a thousand counties, each its own city."
The First Emperor: "And you, foreign king? How many cities do you rule?"
---
Hero King: "…"
---
The King of Conquerors: "Hahaha! As expected of the First Emperor. Truly impressive."
The King of Conquerors: "But I'm not one to back down either."
The First Emperor: "Oh? And you are…?"
---
Chihiro: "First Emperor, this is Iskandar, the Conquering King of the West. He lived around the same time as your ancestor. In his lifetime, he controlled around 5.2 million square kilometers and ruled over a population of about 20 million."
The First Emperor: "And what of me?"
Chihiro: "You ruled over roughly 3.4 million square kilometers, with a population of around 30 million."
---
The King of Conquerors: "Hahaha! First Emperor, it seems we both hold our ground quite well."
The First Emperor: "You are a respectable king, worthy of my acknowledgment."
The King of Conquerors: "First Emperor, would you be interested in joining forces with me?"
The King of Conquerors: "With our combined strength, perhaps we could conquer the world together."
---
Waver: "!!!!"
Waver: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
The First Emperor: "Bold of you to ask me to serve you."
The First Emperor: "But I owe my empire to the dedication of my soldiers and the efforts of my people. Even I could not have achieved greatness alone."
The King of Conquerors: "Hahaha, on that, we see eye to eye."
---
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Your Majesty, have you come to participate in the Holy Grail War as well?"
---
The First Emperor: "The Holy Grail… an intriguing relic."
The First Emperor: "If I'd known of its existence in life, I would have seized it without hesitation."
The First Emperor: "But no, I am not here for the Grail this time."
---
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Then, if I may ask… your purpose?"
---
The First Emperor: "I am the Ruler class Servant. I have descended from the Throne of Heroes at the request of the Counter Force."
The First Emperor: "The nature of this Holy Grail War has deviated severely from its intended form. As a result, the Counter Force has sent me to act as the referee."
---
Kayneth: "Ruler! A judge!"
Waver: "I didn't expect this Holy Grail War to have attracted the Counter Force's attention."
---
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "If I may inquire, Your Majesty, what exactly does your role as a referee entail?"
---
The First Emperor: "If I am ever required to judge between two choices, I will always choose the one that maintains balance. This is my duty as Ruler."
The First Emperor: "I do not favor any side, nor will I interfere with your battles. My only purpose here is to ensure that the Holy Grail War reaches a proper conclusion."
The First Emperor: "Now, do any of you have further questions?"
---
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "No… no further questions, Your Majesty."
Hearing that the First Emperor was here as a neutral arbiter left Tokiomi somewhat uneasy.
In a sense, he had been cheating in this Holy Grail War.
He had secretly colluded with the overseer, Kotomine Risei, to obtain intelligence on other Masters.
For a moment, Tokiomi had feared the First Emperor's presence meant retribution, and he was visibly relieved that this wasn't the case.
---
[Ding! The first question is about to begin!]
[This is a debate topic. Please watch a video first.]
---
Waver: "A debate topic? That's new."
Kayneth: "Does that mean we're meant to argue about something in the video?"
---
[The video begins, showing the familiar scene of Einzbern Castle.]
[The castle gates have been broken through yet again. This time, Iskandar drives the Gordius Wheel straight into the main hall.]
[Artoria and Irisviel, hearing the noise, rush over to investigate.]
["Ah, Saber!"]
[Iskandar is dressed casually, with no hint of intrusion in his demeanor. He hops off his chariot, carrying a large barrel of wine, and greets Artoria with a hearty smile.]
[Behind him, Waver looks utterly exhausted, leaning against the chariot to catch his breath.]
---
Waver: "Rider, what are you doing this time?!"
The King of Conquerors: "How should I know? It looks like he just wanted to have a drink with Saber."
---
Artoria: "Bursting in here unannounced doesn't exactly look like a friendly invitation for drinks."
---
Chihiro: "Didn't Kayneth already break that door down yesterday?"
---
Tohsaka Rin: "They fixed it, and it barely lasted a day!"
---
Chihiro: "At this rate, they might as well leave it open."
---
["I heard you had a castle, so I thought I'd stop by and take a look. Seems like a rather lifeless place."]
[Iskandar remarks, looking around casually. "By the way, Saber, why are you still wearing armor? You should try some modern clothing!"]
[Artoria looks mildly exasperated. "Rider, what is it you really want here?"]
["Isn't it obvious? I'm here to share a drink."]
[With a cheerful grin, Iskandar says, "Alright then, don't just stand there. Show me to a proper courtyard. It's too dusty in here."]
[With no other option, Artoria and Irisviel lead him to the central courtyard.]
[The two Servants sit across from each other, with Irisviel and Waver standing a respectful distance away.]
[Iskandar smashes the barrel lid with his fist, lifts a ladleful of wine, and takes a hearty swig.]
---
Waver: "This guy… I can't believe him."
Watching the scene, Waver felt a mixture of embarrassment and secondhand shame.
Rider had bulldozed his way into the castle without asking anyone's permission, acting as if he owned the place.
---
Chihiro: "King of Conquerors, you realize smashing the barrel lid like that will get wood chips in the wine."
---
The King of Conquerors: "Ah, lad, don't fuss over such minor details."
---
Chihiro: "But you're drinking with a lady. Manners, at least?"
---
Artoria: "It's alright. I'm not bothered."