"Illya, your hand..."
Feeling an abnormally familiar heat on the back of her own hand, Irisviel, startled by the sensation, didn't initially focus on her own pain but immediately checked on her daughter Illya.
"Mommy, my hand hurts."
Crying, her little face buried in Irisviel, the young Illya clearly couldn't recover from this surge of magical energy.
"Illya, these are Command Spells..."
"The Holy Grail War... has begun?"
Utterly unprepared for the sudden onset of the Holy Grail War, and discovering the mark of Command Spells on Illya's hand, Irisviel suddenly remembered something.
She looked at her own right hand, which bore an identical mark.
"Irisviel, Illya, are you alright?"
With a clean, sharp kick, Sola forced open the already twisted car door. Her fiery red hair danced as she checked the back of her own hand, finding it also marked with a Command Spell.
"This is..." Her face slightly changed color. Sola was about to say something more when a surge of immense magical energy poured down from the hillside by the road.
"Well, if it isn't Irisviel? Haven't seen you in over twenty years."
The arrogant, confident voice always carried its own unique charm. Dressed in gold and red robes, Female Gil landed with a loud laugh.
Thud...
With a loud impact, she landed and looked over Irisviel, nodding in satisfaction, "Not bad. Feels good to see an old acquaintance."
"Speaking of which, are you my Master?" Turning her head to look at Sola beside Irisviel, Female Gil paused for half a second, as if the woman before her looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place her.
"My Servant? It's you? The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh?"
Watching Female Gil land, Sola's first reaction was surprise, but her subsequent emotion was joy.
After all, the King of Heroes Gilgamesh's strength was evident to all… her potential as a Grand Servant was no joke.
"Hmph, this Gilgamesh is being arrogant again. Irisviel, just ignore her."
Following behind Female Gil, an equally tsundere voice rang out.
Accompanied by the descent of a black-haired, red-eyed goddess, Ishtar landed in front of Irisviel and looked at Illya in Irisviel's arms.
"This little girl... she has Ryuya's scent."
"Hey, little girl, are you my Master?"
The magical energy emanating from her body pulsed in resonance with the Command Spell on Illya's hand. Looking at Illya, Ishtar asked softly.
"Mommy, who are they? Is this big sister another sibling of Rin-nee? Should I call her sister too?"
Looking at Female Gil and Ishtar, primarily Ishtar, because Rin and Ishtar looked so similar that Illya couldn't tell them apart at first.
She just felt a strange familiarity with the mature big sister in front of her, not even realizing it was due to the connection between Servant and Master.
"Them? They are both your mothers."
"This is Mama Gilgamesh, and that one is Mama Ishtar."
Irisviel knew they were Ryuya's wives. They had all met back during the previous Snowfield City incident. After having Illya, Irisviel had decided that if she ever met Female Gil, Merlin, and the others again, she would have Illya recognize them all as mothers.
By then, she was sure the adorable Illya would be welcomed by everyone.
"Mama Gilgamesh? Mama... Ishtar?"
Looking adorably at Female Gil and Ishtar, Illya repeated softly.
"Call me Mama? Really, little girl, what are you saying? I am truly..."
Hearing Illya call her Mama, if nothing else, this little girl was undoubtedly Ryuya's bloodline.
First surprised, then stunned, then excited, her cheeks slightly flushed, Female Gil thought for a moment, then directly opened her Gate of Babylon.
"Here, Illya, right? This is my gift to you."
What she handed Illya was a hair ornament meticulously crafted by artisans of Uruk. While its material value was far less than a Noble Phantasm, its significance was entirely different.
The exquisite, gorgeous, noble yet not vulgar hair accessory sparkled.
Looking at the item Gilgamesh offered her, Illya glanced at Irisviel beside her.
"Take it, Illya. Thank Mama Gilgamesh."
"Thank you, Mama Gilgamesh."
A child's heart is simple… treat them well, and they will treat you well. Squinting slightly, Illya accepted the hair ornament from Gilgamesh, then looked at Ishtar.
"Well... I... I'm not like that Gilgamesh, carrying the Gate of Babylon around all the time."
"But I have a gift too!"
Taking out a sparkling gem from her bosom, looking at its luster, Ishtar's face clearly showed a pained expression, "Ugh, this to give... ah, forget it, forget it, I'll give you this one instead."
She put the originally dazzling gem away and took out another one that looked completely unremarkable, almost like a stone. Tears seemed about to well up in Ishtar's eyes.
"Thank you, Mama Ishtar."
Happily accepting Ishtar's gift, Illya didn't look down on the plain, unremarkable 'stone' in the slightest. Instead, she happily walked over to Ishtar's side and even kissed her on the cheek.
"Oh? Ishtar, you're actually willing to part with that."
"Illya, don't underestimate this stone. It might look unassuming, but this thing is Ishtar's treasure. It's made from the most precious gemstone in the land of Mesopotamia, the Lapis Lazuli Imperial Shining Stone. Besides containing a massive amount of magical energy, it also seals a third-tier Divine Core."
"Hold onto it well. These things are finite, even I don't have many left."
During the Uruk war back then, most of the first and second-generation gods were dealt with by Ryuya.
Among the remaining third-generation gods, while some followed Ishtar and Ereshkigal to join Uruk's side, many others opposed Uruk.
Those opposing third-generation gods were killed, and the power contained within their Divine Cores was sealed.
The gem Ishtar initially intended to give Illya was good, but in terms of value, the one she actually gave was truly better.
Better by more than a little.
"It's that amazing? Then Illya likes Mama Ishtar!"
Hearing Female Gil explain the origin and preciousness of the gem, although she didn't fully understand the specifics, Illya grasped that it was a very valuable gemstone.
As the little girl's milky, adorable voice sounded, Ishtar, feeling struck by a critical hit of cuteness, instantly had a thought: she must also have a daughter with Ryuya.
Absolutely must!