The infinite sword system has been mastered, and you say this is the dragon clan?

Chapter 398 Royal Banquet

Emiya was just relaxing in the villa when he suddenly received a pink invitation. Then he saw Nero skipping and jumping back home, looking very happy.

"What is this? Did Elizabeth bring it to me?"

Why did she suddenly contact me?
Emiya pondered that he shouldn't have bothered any new women since arriving in Kalia.

Why would they come looking for us again?

Since the battle on Cyprus, he has been fighting on multiple fronts, driving away a large number of Caesar's troops from Mesopotamia to Asia within a few days, forcing them to retreat to the province of Macedonia and Thrace across the Gulf. At the same time, he has also been secretly coordinating the progress of the plan with the Shadow Border in the past few days.

It wasn't until the last two days that I returned to Caria, where I briefly met with Nero and the others.

He originally planned to "head south" and drive away Trajan's garrison in Egypt and even North Africa, but Constantine hurriedly said, "Sword Emperor, you're attacking too fast! Even if we have a Servant team in the rear, we can't coordinate them all!"

Good heavens, Trajan and his men probably never imagined that the reason they were temporarily spared was because the Eastern Roman Empire's forces were too weak to handle.

Then, Shirou was begged by his allies to stop his offensive.

In fact, although he had anticipated that his battle in Cyprus might seriously affect the morale of the armies of Rome's two strongest nations, the result seemed to have an even greater impact, almost shattering the morale of the city's defenders. Apart from a few Servants who were warmongers and resisted fiercely, the rest almost fled at the mere sight of him.

Ultimately, he remained in the city of Caria, and Constantine arranged a new residence for him—directly appropriating the largest noble mansion in the area, originally intended as Hector's command post for Caesar's army, and giving it to Emiya, who had made the greatest contribution, without any objection from the others.

Nero was standing on a finely handcrafted wool carpet that had once been used by the top officers of the Caesar Empire for meetings.

From the floor to the wide, chaise lounges arranged in rows and columns, everything was covered with plush, soft carpets. The patterns of trees or military rank medals were partially visible through the woven folds of the carpets. This kind of home furnishing was an essential part of the lives of the Roman Empire's nobility at that time.

"Yes! I told her about the band... Elizabeth was just praising it highly, saying, 'Brother Yi's idea and philosophy are a very good interpretation of music and art!' So she immediately picked up a pen and wrote it down, and asked me to bring it back for her, which is this invitation."

Emiya frowned as he looked at it. Upon opening it, he saw several large, crooked Latin characters written on it, with hand-drawn pink flowers and hearts added as decoration.

[Sword Emperor, shall we meet?]

"?"

If he hadn't roughly understood Elizabeth and learned the whole story from Nero, an outsider would probably have thought this wasn't an invitation from an agent but a date or a one-night stand invitation.

However, this quickly triggered another person's sensitive nerves and even anger.

—It was Kiyohime. She had been staying by Emiya's side these past few days, in a state of "watching him closely," so she noticed the text immediately.

According to her, she was still serving as Emiya's "personal attendant" under Constantine's orders. But Emiya still couldn't understand Kiyohime's thinking—she had secretly "told" him that Constantine wanted to use her as a spy for him, but she hated lies, so she turned around and confessed everything to him…

Emiya nodded silently, but secretly thought to himself, "You wouldn't be using this as an excuse to harass me, would you?"
...Well, judging from Kiyohime's strange gaze lately, it's very likely.

"—What?! An invitation?! What qualifications does that stupid giant lizard have, and by what right, to ask the esteemed Sword Emperor to be its agent?!"

After reading those words and understanding their meaning, she was instantly furious. She had been given a proper job and was rightfully staying by Emiya's side, while this dragon girl with an awful singing voice was trying to steal Emiya away just because of her hobbies.

Feeling unbalanced, Kiyohime was short of breath and her chest felt tight. Her eyes seemed to be spitting fire... No, she puffed out her cheeks and opened her mouth, a hot current surging in her throat—her mouth could actually spew out dragon's breath and flames.

Upon realizing this, Emiya's expression twitched. He quickly retrieved the invitation to avoid being caught in Kiyohime's enthusiastic barrage of insults.

"Don't be in such a hurry, I haven't agreed yet." Seeing that Kiyohime was about to rush out to confront Elizabeth, Emiya quickly pulled her back.

Nero glanced cautiously at Kiyohime, only then remembering that Kiyohime's relationship with her new "musical confidante" Elizabeth seemed to be quite bad.

She sniffed lightly, and for some reason, Nero felt that Kiyohime's aura of similarity was getting stronger. Could this stalker woman suddenly transform into a dragon in the next second?
Eh... a dragon?

A subtle doubt flickered in Nero's mind: why did she subconsciously identify with this creature as one of her own kind? Why did she have this misconception...?

The girl shook her head, dispelling her doubts, and turned to look at Emiya. After being encouraged by Emiya yesterday, her musical ideals had been fully ignited, but then she felt uneasy, afraid that Emiya was unwilling to participate in their "musical event" and might even distance himself from it.

"Sword Emperor, I am not angry with your decision... but," Kiyohime glanced at Nero, whose expression was changing, and sighed inwardly. Was this child really going to be led into that giant pit of red dragon lizards? And yet, she had no reason or standing to stop it.

"You'd better think it over carefully. Elizabeth's singing voice is not just 'pleasant to the ear,' it's quite unique."

Here's something that seems a bit out of place with that guy's comedic role: Elizabeth is actually an anti-Heroic Spirit.

After all, as the future Blood Countess, even if she appears in her maiden form when summoned, don't expect her to have any high moral standards. If she were to actually use her Noble Phantasm to sing on stage, even if she were just watching, the magical sound waves would be a huge blow to this seemingly weak Nero.

"Yes, I know that Elizabeth's voice will contain dragon roars, but please rest assured, I have a plan for this, and I will talk to Elizabeth about it personally."

Emiya wouldn't allow Nero, who's not even as good as a Servant, to face the Dragon Girl's sonic Noble Phantasm.

This isn't an FGO game; when the Dragon Girl really goes all out, she won't "turn off friendly fire."

Don't you have a lot of broadcasting equipment? There are ways to play songs without going on stage. Nero's voice can definitely be used as backing vocals or harmonies and played into the equipment.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Surrounding open-air theaters are not uncommon in Rome. Perhaps because Caria has only been occupied for a short time, although it was used by the Dragon Girl as a stage for rehearsals and performances, it has not yet had time to undergo "modernization" transformation.

Emiya quickly led Kiyohime and Nero, and the three of them went backstage to meet Elizabeth, who was wearing an exquisite and gorgeous stage costume.

Under the lights, the young lady of the dragon clan was radiant, her bright red hair lightly covered by a pink striped wide-brimmed hat.

Beneath the light, small-sized strapless top and corset, a fluffy, petal-shaped Lolita skirt barely reaches the knees. Pure white stockings and long gloves on slender limbs accentuate her graceful curves, adding a touch of alluring idol girl charm.

The sparkling "kira☆kira☆" made Nero's heart flutter with joy, and he wished he could immediately take the dragon girl's place and go on stage to sing and express himself freely.

Elizabeth blinked, her eyes first fixed on Emiya, who also had red hair. "Hehe, I've heard so much about you, Sword Emperor! You've come as promised today, so you want to be my new manager? Please take good care of me and train me well~"

The 'new' manager means... there's still a former manager? Are they still alive? Could it be that they all died from vomiting blood after listening to your songs, which is why you can't find a manager to work with?

and--

"I haven't said yes yet!"

Kiyohime, standing beside Emiya, was covering half her face with a fan, her slender white fingers clicking as she fiddled with the folding fan.
"Heh heh, you burrowing lizard, did you hear that? Don't try to fawn over me like that. No matter how fancy you dress up, don't think you can win me over!"

"Hmm? Isn't this a poisonous viper from the Japanese countryside? How did such a creature get into the Kalia Grand Theater?"

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows; her wide-brimmed hat and high heels made her even taller than Kiyohime, exuding an imposing aura. Her chin was held high, revealing her haughty attitude.

"Those priests and nuns are so careless in their work! I've heard some followers say that idols in later generations have some kind of 'audience selection'? Maybe next time I should have the staff put up a sign outside that says 'Kiyohime and snakes are not allowed to enter'?"

"Hehehe!" Kiyohime sneered, her face behind the fan darkening. "It's as if anyone is qualified to approach the Sword Emperor. As his personal attendant, I should also announce to the public that 'Elizabeth and the lizard are not allowed to make an pilgrimage!'"

"..."

Not long after Emiya arrived, he heard the two of them start arguing heatedly, and it even seemed like they were about to fight... Of course, with Emiya there, they wouldn't really fight, at most they would just fool around, but he started to get a headache from listening to them, he had a feeling of Minamoto no Yorimitsu versus Shuten-dōji.

At that moment, a Roman goddess of love, disguised as a passerby nun, discreetly walked by.

"Huh? Why are you here too?"

Emiya looked at Amor with a puzzled expression.

The white-haired nun crossed her arms and glanced sideways at the two dragons from the East and West arguing. "Hmm? Didn't you see? I was playing the piano in the orchestra in the square yesterday."

Is he playing the piano again?

This scene seems familiar. It feels like every time he goes out with a female companion to a date, this Roman Cupid automatically pops up? Aren't you supposed to be decorating the house? Shouldn't you be staying quietly in the chapel?

"Is it just my imagination? Wherever I go, you follow. You didn't secretly follow me when I was fighting in Cyprus, did you? You wouldn't be... you know...

"Huh? What kind of feudalistic, harassing comment is this? You actually want to attack me, the god of love, the overseer of the Holy Grail War, and a widely worshipped deity in this era?!"

Amor crossed her arms in front of her chest in a defensive posture, and at the same time suddenly unleashed a set of female punches.

"Huh?" Emiya immediately unleashed a three-dimensional defensive attack, deflecting all of the punches without altering their trajectory:

"What kind of feudal-era villain accuses first? First of all, you are suspected of stalking me, the strongest sword emperor in this world, the human form of Michael the Vice-King of Heaven, and the one who defeated the combined forces of the two Roman emperors in one battle."

"Secondly, I also need to ask, after all these months, as the overseer, have you actually fulfilled your duties properly during the Holy Grail War? As the god of love, have you diligently worked to listen to the voices of the Roman people and address their marriage and relationship problems? You're always suspecting this and making false accusations; you should look for the reasons within yourself!" After a few exchanges, realizing that his sharp tongue was completely ineffective, Amor was speechless and resigned, admitting defeat:

"Impressive, as expected of you... As a Sword Emperor, not only is your combat prowess unparalleled, but your verbal skills are also remarkable. I think it would be quite common for girls to be completely infatuated with me even without me."

"Without you?" Emiya sensed something was amiss. "What do you want to do? You're here perhaps because..."

"I don't have any ulterior motives."

Amor stretched while wrapped in her tight-fitting nun's habit and plopped down on the edge of a recliner. "I'm just here to offer a little bit of advice to your 'Stage Girl Development Project'."

"What stage girl? I haven't even started talking to Elizabeth yet!"

Boom boom boom!
Hearing the noise, Emiya glanced over and saw that Elizabeth and Kiyohime were wrestling. The floor creaked and cracked as they struggled, and the surrounding tables, chairs and utensils rattled and clattered.

Little Nero trembled in the corner, helpless.

"Hey! Haven't you made enough of a scene? If you have, sit down and let's talk!"

Emiya grabbed Elizabeth and Kiyohime, who were fighting, and forcibly separated them, pressing them into their seats.

“I’ve considered your invitation, Elizabeth,” Emiya said, glancing at Nero. “My stepsister is still young, so I’m not comfortable with her performing on stage with you right now. But she can learn from you and record her own voice to accompany or harmonize with your singing.”

"Eh!" Elizabeth was slightly disappointed to see that Nero completely listened to Emiya's opinion, but her expectations were not completely dashed. At least the Sword Emperor's suggestion meant that he had agreed to part of the cooperation!

"So, does Your Majesty have any suggestions regarding my singing schedule? I've heard that singing to the enemy is a great idea!"

"I had already made my plans. If I have to change my itinerary now, should I go to the battlefield?"

Elizabeth trusted Emiya so easily yesterday just by listening to Nero's retelling, and today she even followed his lead in arranging her performance schedule... She doesn't seem very smart.

Emiya opened his mouth. He was quite familiar with the battlefield, and it wasn't impossible for him to get Elizabeth to fight for him by using the excuse of having her sing.

But it didn't seem to be working well in actual combat either. The Eastern Roman Empire's personnel were somewhat incompetent, and its logistical and administrative systems simply couldn't keep up with the influx of outsiders.

"How about listening to my little suggestion?" Amor suddenly said, the timing so perfect that it gave the impression that it had been premeditated.

Looking at Amor, Elizabeth's face showed a hint of doubt. Where did this nun come from? A friend Emiya brought earlier? A theater staff member? She looks unfamiliar...

Amor remained calm and composed. "Your Excellency the Sword Emperor, your name has already spread throughout the Roman countries these days. Those fleeing Servants and soldiers who were lucky enough to survive will spontaneously pass on your fearsome reputation to the Western world. Your every move is now affecting the nerves of all of Rome."

"so what?"

"Why not leverage this reputation to host a large banquet that can accommodate people from multiple countries? With a banquet, there will naturally be musical performances, right?"

Elizabeth's eyes lit up, and with her attention diverted, she quickly put her suspicions about Amor to the back of her mind.

This is no longer just a performance for the enemy; it's an opportunity to become famous throughout the Roman world and step onto the world stage!

Hehe, sorry little Claudia! I, Elizabeth, am going to sneak away first and ascend to the pinnacle of idol art!
"..." Emiya frowned. He didn't care. Anyway, he had taken precautions in advance. Only people from other countries would be tricked by Elizabeth's singing.

"But—are you sure? We're in the midst of the Holy Grail War, not peacetime. Is this appropriate? And what pretext should we use?"

Amor shook her finger; no one knew more about the Holy Grail War than her, hence her confident tone:
“Wars can be temporarily suspended. Even a national-level Holy Grail War can eventually be resolved through negotiations. Now, Your Excellency the Sword Emperor, you have defeated Caesar and Trajan, so the initiative for peace talks lies with you, not with those two. There’s nothing inappropriate about that.”

"Even if you asked those two countries to specifically invite Emperors Caesar and Trajan to the banquet to show their sincerity, it might not be impossible. Because your military strength exceeds the combined strength of the two countries' main forces, they must carefully consider every word you utter."

"Then do you think we should directly invite all the nations to a peace banquet?"

Although Emiya didn't handle political affairs much, he still felt that this was somewhat inappropriate. The sudden and straightforward peace talks clashed with his domineering style of personally going to the battlefield to fight the entire army.

"No, we have a more suitable reason to hold the banquet."

Amor's tone was somewhat subtle, and she glanced meaningfully at the empty space next to Emiya.

"How about 'selecting a consort'? We'll extend invitations to countries like Caesar and Trajan, requesting they send some women to the banquet for His Majesty the Sword Emperor to choose his preferred consorts. Of course, only the most outstanding, beautiful, and powerful will be worthy to become His Majesty the Sword Emperor's Empress."

With a slight movement, Amor surpassed the limits of someone's "woman's predicament," causing a torrent of romance to surge forth in the harem.

Immediately, Emiya gasped. Truly a genuine Roman god! The hand of the god of love is magnificent.

--what?

Kiyohime, Elizabeth, and Nero reacted as if struck by lightning, their minds going completely blank... So what were they? Wedding emcees, bridesmaids, or background figures for musical performances?
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Does this mean... a marriage alliance?"

At the Tarragona Palace, Trajan spread out the invitation in his hand and said somewhat uncertainly, "Is he using the pretext of offering his daughter as a bride to negotiate peace?"

Ashiya Michimitsu, his hands tucked into his pockets, shook his head and said:

"That Sword Emperor's previous offensive was so fierce; it's unlikely he'll suddenly cease hostilities and seek peace. There's probably some conspiracy behind this, so we shouldn't agree rashly. Your Majesty, rather than doing this, why not take advantage of the banquet among the nations to break through Augustus's defenses and enter Rome as soon as possible! To rule the world from our ancestral lands is the way the people truly expect of a Roman emperor!"

"Hmph! If it's still the same old provocative talk, then you Japanese sorcerer need not say another word!" Trajan's face darkened. "Finn, you tell us. By the way, how has Odysseus been lately?"

Finn said gravely, “General Odysseus has not yet recovered. His spiritual foundation is severely damaged. Even with my Noble Phantasm and His Majesty’s Holy Grail’s best efforts, it will still take a long time. For now, the general can only remain in spirit form to speed up the repair process.”

"As for the letter from the Sword Emperor, I don't think there was any deception in it. The Sword Emperor may have some plans, but with his strength enough to directly defeat the main forces of the two countries, he wouldn't resort to underhanded means at the banquet."

"On the contrary, I believe this letter is a deterrent. If His Majesty does not agree to undertake it, or if his attitude is not good enough, the other side is very likely to resume the actions of the past few days and attack and plunder our territory from the northeastern province."

Finn glanced at Ashiya Doman as he said this, "The information gathered by the court magicians also indicates that the Sword Emperor suddenly stopped his advance while sweeping through many of Caesar's territories. Now may be an opportunity—not for the Sword Emperor to negotiate with us, but for us to sue him for peace."

"Sue for peace...!"

Trajan lowered his brows and gritted his teeth. He was not someone who couldn't listen to advice, but being forced to this point by a mere person, not only unable to fight back, but also having to obediently offer up women while maintaining a proper attitude, even he was filled with resentment.

During his lifetime, he was accomplished in both civil and military affairs, expanding the Roman Empire to its greatest extent in history. As a result, he was summoned to this era to participate in the Holy Grail War, but he was defeated by an unknown sword emperor.

Some of his followers say that this sword emperor is the enemy of Lucius, the Roman sword emperor of later generations, and King Arthur, but when they check the relevant information, it is vague and strange.

"Very well, since that's the case, then I've made up my mind—I'll attend the banquet in person! I want to see just how heroic this Sword Emperor really is!"

Trajan stood up, and the emperor's power swept through the palace. Finn and the others felt an overwhelming, terrifying pressure, like the immense magic of an abyss, and they all silently knelt down on one knee.

In the era of the Holy Grail War, the Emperor was not a weakling, but the undisputed strongest in possession of the Holy Grail. If the Emperor were to take action, no one would dare to object.

Moreover, if even the emperor, as the strongest being, cannot contend with the Sword Emperor, then no one in the entire kingdom will be able to rival the Sword Emperor.

"In addition, regarding the marriage alliance with the Sword Emperor, unfortunately... my descendants have not yet appeared in the world together," Trajan pondered for a moment, "but the other party has very high requirements, so we have to select from among the female generals."

Tula hadn't considered the Senate's opinion. Even if the Senate were willing to offer up the eldest daughter of his family, he would refuse, never giving these old fogies a chance to get involved with the Sword Emperor.

"This is a bit tricky..."

The women holding high positions under Trajan were mostly brave or talented Servants, not just decorative figures. They had the power to resist, and if they were unwilling, things could go wrong...

call!
Suddenly, a paper bird flew into Ashiya Dōman's hand outside the palace gate. He unfolded it, looked up cautiously, and said, "Your Majesty, the people in the city... have begun to criticize the rumors that Your Majesty presented a noblewoman to the Sword Emperor."

"Who spread this—" Turajin wanted to ask, but quickly realized that this was likely a coercive tactic by the Sword Emperor.

"Damn it!"

Then another paper bird flew in, and under the collective gaze of the emperor and his entourage, Ashiya Michiman, sweating profusely, relayed, "Your Majesty, several of your newly meritorious female generals, Joan of Arc, Marie Antoinette... they request to accompany you to the banquet!"

Trajan: "?"

What do you mean? You just came here to rack up some merits, and now you're planning to pack up and leave to join a new master? Are you so eager for the Sword Emperor's harem concubines? Can't you have a little bit of the integrity of a heroic spirit?
Meanwhile, Caesar, who was having a headache over this absurd banquet, suddenly received invitations to the banquet from some of his female Servants, including Minamoto no Yorimitsu and Shuten-dōji.

"What do they mean by this! Am I, Caesar, so unpopular with women?!"

"I'll also attend that royal banquet!"

(End of this chapter)