Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

"A super-rich person coming to our place for dinner?"

Souma set down his water bottle as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Damn, did I not give the kid enough allowance that she's hustling for extra cash now?

What's she been doing behind my back?

No way—I'll have to teach her a proper lesson when I get back. Can't let her turn into some gold-digger.

Not even for Gilgamesh!

The troublemaker's proud voice chirped through the phone: "Yep! So come home early tonight and cook something amazing! I'll split the profits with you!"

"You just wait till tonight!"

Souma felt himself hardening instantly.

His fists, that is!

That brat—three days without discipline and she's tearing the roof off!

Looks like she's due for another loving education session tonight. Hope it doesn't scare poor little Fou.

"Mhm, I'll be waiting! This person's loaded! Just serve them well tonight and we're set for a whole year's expenses!"

Her voice grew even more gleeful before hurriedly adding, "Anyway, I won't disturb your rehearsals. Gotta keep showing our guest around campus now."

Beep—

The phone emitted the sound of a call being disconnected.

Souma held the phone, his expression shifting rapidly.

Key phrases extracted—

Using money to bribe a loli... making her entertain clients...

Just where the hell did this nouveau riche come from?

Does having a few bucks make him forget who he is?

Does he really think money lets him do whatever he wants?

When they meet, Souma was absolutely going to beat him up, stuff him in a sack, and sink him into Fuyuki Bay!

Souma could feel his incomplete spiritual foundation boiling with rage.

If I can't beat Gilgamesh right now, how could I possibly lose to some upstart rich guy?

"What's wrong?" Illya asked with concern.

"Nothing much, just that Roya made a mistake."

Souma reined in his murderous aura and sighed helplessly.

"Roya's very smart, just a bit too playful. She needs proper guidance."

Illya walked over and stood beside him.

"Yeah."

Souma nodded slightly, looking down at her.

At this moment,

Illya was wearing a pure white princess dress, paired with her snow-white hair and ruby-like eyes.

She looked like a little angel who had accidentally fallen from heaven, radiating such sacred purity that even approaching her felt like a desecration.

Countless people stood at a distance, stealing glances.

Souma felt slightly uncomfortable.

After all, she was the top genius among hundreds of thousands of students in Academy City.

Even Rin Tohsaka's talents paled in comparison.

And with Alaya's recent release of Unlimited Blade Works, her fame had spread worldwide in an instant.

It could be said that Illya's current status was truly worthy of a demi-Servant!

Once she summoned Heracles, she would immediately rank among the top-tier Servants!

"Roya seemed really upset earlier that she couldn't join us. Should we buy her a gift or find a way to let her meet a Servant?"

Illya brushed aside a strand of hair that had drifted in front of her eyes and looked up at him steadily.

Then, she stood before him, using her delicate white hands to straighten his slightly messy collar.

"We'll see when the time comes."

Souma turned his head away, his expression a bit odd.

Standing this close to her while she wore what looked like a pure white bridal gown...

Her flawlessly innocent face now carried a gentle, intellectual air.

It gave him the strange feeling of discussing child-rearing with a newlywed wife.

Souma hurriedly recited the Heart of Ice mantra in his mind—

I'm not a lolicon, I'm not a lolicon...

Five years minimum, death penalty maximum!

Then Souma suddenly realized something.

Illya was actually a year older than him.

At 17, he was the minor here—she was already 18. So who was the lolicon in this scenario?

Just then,

Julian, who had been watching from a distance, approached. "Hey, buddy, am I interrupting?"

"What do you think?"

Souma shot him a disgusted look.

Julian had been one of the people who nominated him earlier.

All their names were recorded in his little black book!

"King Arthur will arrive tomorrow afternoon. Cheer up—she's the ruler countless people long to meet!"

Julian raised his wine glass with the elegance of a millennium-old noble.

Truth be told,

The Ainsworth family really was an ancient nobility with over a thousand years of history, their influence beyond imagination.

"You're not me, so how would you know if I'm happy or not?"

Souma's disdain for him grew.

Happy? If Mordred or Artoria went berserk, the entire welcome banquet would turn into a battlefield.

And when that happened, Julian wouldn't escape unscathed either!

He still couldn't figure out why King Arthur insisted on bringing Mordred along.

What if they ended up reenacting that "fatherly kindness meets filial piety" scene?

Would he have to physically intervene like in The Perfect King, using his own body to stop their fight?

The mere thought sent a chill down Souma's spine.

That time, he'd endured endless pain and literally risked his life for that performance.

Not getting a little golden statue for that was downright criminal!

"I say, Souma," Julian suddenly adjusted his glasses, "could it be you've racked up so many romantic debts that you're afraid of getting chopped up with a firewood axe? My divination says you're cursed with peach blossom luck—extremely inauspicious!"

"...Get lost!"

Souma glanced at the gathering crowd and resisted the urge to kick Julian.

His original plan had been perfect.

Given his friendship with Gilgamesh in The Ancient King of Heroes, that golden bastard would surely help him despite his tsundere protests—actions speaking louder than words.

That would've been his ticket to safety and peaceful days.

Damn you, Alaya! If you hadn't exposed his connection with that chuuni Gilgamesh by releasing Unlimited Blade Works, would he even need to hide?

Now he was constantly looking over his shoulder, terrified Gilgamesh would show up to settle their unfinished business.

"Haha, good luck, my dear best friend!" Julian laughed as he walked away.

He could already tell this was going to be entertaining.

"Scram! You're nothing but a backstabbing frenemy!"

Souma grew increasingly annoyed.

They all claimed to be his friends, yet each one was more troublesome than the last.

He turned his head to look at the girl beside him. "Still coming over for dinner tonight?"

"Of course. Though I have something to take care of first, so I might be a little late." Illya nodded.

Ever since Unlimited Blade Works was released, the memories that had been erased from her gradually returned, allowing her to finally recall everything from the past.

Now, this young man before her seemed to perfectly overlap with the figure in her memories.

"Alright, then I'll head back first to buy groceries and get things ready."

Souma waved goodbye to her.

The brat had mentioned some nouveau riche was coming over as a guest. Well, he'd start by dazzling the guy's eyes with a feast of his signature dishes.

Tonight's meal at Souma's place was going to be quite extravagant.

After filling their stomachs, he'd have a proper talk with the guy.

Hmph, and by "talk," he meant physics was also a kind of reasoning!

Souma stepped off the bus and leisurely walked into the nearby market.

He hadn't gone far when he heard a familiar voice—

"Red-gold eyes! Flounder! Genuine sea bream!"

A man with blue hair and crimson eyes stood in front of a fish stall, waving a signboard and shouting loudly, "All fresh! All bargains!"

"Give me a beltfish—alive," Souma said as he approached.

The man's professional smile instantly vanished, and he snorted. "What, are you just messing with me?"

His towering figure exuded an overwhelming presence.

"Then give me a carp, and clean it for me."

Souma chuckled, finding the whole thing rather amusing.

The legendary Child of Light from Celtic mythology had actually been reduced to selling fish on the streets.

Yes, the guy in the apron hawking fish was none other than Cú Chulainn!

Thankfully, Unlimited Blade Works hadn't exposed him, or else he wouldn't have been able to sell fish in peace.

"Hmph, that's more like it. I'll give you a bit of a discount."

Cú Chulainn pulled out a fish and deftly began scaling it.

As he worked, Souma couldn't help but ask curiously, "I get the feeling you've got quite the past. Doesn't selling fish like this feel beneath you?"

A Heroic Spirit, content with obscurity?

Had he grown tired of it all, just like him?

"Tch, as if I care. I've been slaughtering fish at Da Run Fa for ten years—my heart's as cold as my blade now!"

Without even looking up, Cú Chulainn's knife became a blur as he effortlessly scaled and gutted the fish.

Watching Unlimited Blade Works had indeed stirred something in him, faintly reminding him of his battles in the past.

But alas, Celtic was long gone, and he had no interest in joining Britain.

So he'd just keep selling fish in peaceful Fuyuki City, enjoying the quiet daily life.

Once he finished cleaning the fish, he handed it over. "Here you go. That'll be 35 yuan."

"Already transferred. Thanks."

Souma took the fish in one hand and pulled out his phone with the other to scan the QR code.

After completing the payment, he turned to leave.

Yet he couldn't suppress the warmth in his heart.

This was nice.

In this era, everyone could live the life they wanted.

All those endless battles of his hadn't been in vain.

His body felt light—there was nothing left to fear.

Once he got back and cooked up a feast, he could peacefully wait for that so-called nouveau riche to show up.

Souma was curious to see just what kind of act a mere upstart could put on in front of him.

After all, his circle of friends included a whole roster of Heroic Spirits whose wealth could rival nations!

To put it bluntly, Gilgamesh was truly wealthy to the point where even Souma couldn't help feeling envious.

Unfortunately, Unlimited Blade Works had exposed their relationship, so it was better to keep some distance.

Back then, he had spoken "heart-to-heart" with the other party—literally stabbing through his chest on the spot.

Then Alaya released a video publicly exposing the incident.

If that guy came looking for him, wouldn't he also want to have a "heart-to-heart" talk?

Better stay far away!

While he was busy cooking, his phone rang.

Souma casually answered, "What's up?"

"Get ready, we'll be back in half an hour. Make sure everything's prepared!" Roya said, barely containing her excitement.

This was truly a big fat sheep—so rich it practically oozed oil, just like the King of Heroes who spent money like it was nothing.

Thousands or even tens of thousands were mere pennies in his eyes.

If this were a real gold-digger, she would've already thrown herself at him, calling him "daddy."

In Roya's mind, the man before her was no longer just a nouveau riche but—

A golden, shining God of Wealth!

"Alright, hurry back."

Souma held the phone between his shoulder and ear while flipping the pan with both hands.

Just some nouveau riche—nothing to worry about.

With his culinary skills, honed across six thousand years and countless timelines, he could casually whip up a few home-style dishes that would strip away all pretenses!

Not just some upstart, even the mighty King of Heroes had bowed before his cooking.

That bastard always shamelessly came over to freeload meals.

Too bad time couldn't be rewound.

Stabbing a friend in the back had replaced stabbing them in the front for their sake.

"Mhm, we'll be back soon. This guy is seriously loaded—I suspect he owns a mine or something!"

Roya stole a glance at the golden-haired man nearby, whispered a few more words, then hung up.

Resuming her elegant young lady demeanor, she walked over and said softly, "Mr. Gold, everything is almost ready at home. Please honor us with your presence."

"Very well, I'll trouble you to lead the way."

Gilgamesh smiled.

For him, this was just a whim.

Arriving on impulse, leaving when satisfied.

No reason needed.

And this spontaneity often tied into his Clairvoyance, giving him glimpses of the future.

With the Age of Heroes descending, countless mighty spirits coexisted in the same timeline.

Seeing the future meant altering it.

Making even Clairvoyance unreliable at times.

He lowered his gaze slightly, studying the girl with amusement. "That shut-in of yours really dotes on you."

Dotes so much he practically hangs all over you, binding you with countless chains to keep you from running away!

What a terrifying yandere!

"You flatter me…"

Roya felt her cheeks warm slightly.

She had taken it upon herself to play the role of Souma's girlfriend—she'd have to discuss it properly with him later.

If they were going to act, they might as well go all out.

Fiddling with her sleeve, she feigned shyness. "He really is good to me. Every morning, he prepares a loving breakfast and gently wakes me up (with a feather duster)."

"Whenever I play, he always helps me (quitting gaming addiction, stopping my gacha spending)."

"And at night, he waits until I fall asleep (cutting off the power and Wi-Fi)."

See? Truly gentle!

The perfect couple image!

"Quite impressive indeed."

Gilgamesh nodded.

It reminded me of those middle school days when I suffered the "personality correction punches" from that bastard Nameless and little Enkidu working together.

They forcibly transformed me from an arrogant, unruly chuunibyou into the gentle and beloved wise king I am today...

Later on.

After strolling around for a while, the two finally returned home.

Ding-dong~

Roya stood slightly on her tiptoes to press the doorbell.

A few seconds later, footsteps sounded from inside, hurrying over to open the door.

Click~

The door swung open, revealing a young man wearing an apron and slippers.

Roya smiled brightly. "Souma, come here! Let me introduce you—this is Mr. Gold."

"Mr. Gold?"

Souma put on a professional smile. "Hello, welcome to our home."

The visitor was dressed in a sleek suit, his tall and slender figure exuding an imposing aura of wealth.

There was no denying it—this guy had an undeniably striking appearance, practically oozing riches.

He might as well have had the words "FILTHY RICH" written across his forehead!

"Hello, sorry for the sudden intrusion."

The man extended his hand with a smile.

Souma wiped his hands on his apron before reaching out with an equally sunny grin. "A guest is always welcome."

No matter how much he wanted to punch the guy, he had to at least pretend to be polite.

And then—

Souma felt Enkidu, coiled around his waist, shift slightly. His mind instantly blared with alarms—

Oh shit, it's Gilgamesh!

***

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