As Jeanne d'Arc and Artoria departed, within the throne room, Darnic turned his gaze toward Vlad III.
"My Lord, are you truly letting her go just like that?"
"Letting her go?" The voivode seated upon the throne let out a laugh, his voice like flames burning in the shadows. "Darnic, perhaps in your entire life, you have never encountered someone like her?"
Darnic, the master of the Yggdmillennia, who had spent his life navigating schemes and desires—how could those drawn to him by fate ever be noble, let alone pure?
Even Vlad III himself—was he not merely a gambler who had fallen into the mire of misery, desperately reaching out toward the wish-granting device?
"But... I know. I know such people exist."
Radiant, sacred—they were the light walking through blood-soaked battlefields, the white wings of salvation that the Lord had cast down upon this wretched world.
How could such people ever be bound by those like them, shackled by their desires?
Ah, if only back then, someone like that had stood by my side to govern the country... Perhaps I, perhaps Wallachia would not have...
"O Lord..."
Chewing over the bitterness of loss and envy within his heart, the former Voivode of Wallachia whispered a prayer—the emotions contained within known only to himself.
————
Within the heavily guarded fortress, two figures walked side by side.
One was a silver-armored maiden of saintly bearing, the Ruler. The other, an Assassin concealed beneath a cloak, her stature nearly identical to her companion's.
"Pardon me, but you seem... rather curious about me?"
Having noticed the repeated glances cast her way, Jeanne d'Arc turned her head and regarded the black-cloaked Assassin with frankness. The latter stiffened, startled that her blatant staring had been exposed, but she stammered out:
"W-well, I wanted to ask you something."
"Of course, go ahead." For some reason, Jeanne found herself fond of this Assassin's voice.
"It's like this..." Artoria gathered her thoughts and recounted everything that had happened after they had captured the red Berserker, Spartacus.
The Black Rider, who clung to his own sense of justice and fled with the homunculus. The Black Saber, whose tale sounded nothing like a heroic epic and more like that of a saint. The schemer who had suddenly appeared, extending a hand to those on the brink of death... And then, the nameless girl (the homunculus) they had saved—ultimately taken away by that schemer, setting off on her own journey toward freedom.
"Do you think she'll be happy? Even though, from start to finish, it was us heroes acting recklessly—we pulled her from a tiny cage (the Black Faction), only to lock her in an even greater one (the Holy Grail War)..."
"I understand how you feel. If what you say is true, then she is purely a victim. So long as she herself does not wish it, no one should interfere excessively with her actions."
"But what if... what if that schemer instilled beliefs in her, pushing that child back onto the cruel battlefield?"
"Then it depends on what that Servant who took the homunculus is thinking. Whether his beliefs are good or evil—I think only by witnessing it firsthand can we judge, no?"
For Jeanne d'Arc, what concerned her most at the moment was undoubtedly the black-robed young man who had appeared briefly. He was the key pointed to by her Revelation, and also the crucial factor that the Lord had silently told her would 'save' this Holy Grail War.
Thinking this, Jeanne turned her amethyst-like eyes—which seemed to speak volumes—toward the Black Assassin who had witnessed everything. They gleamed in the dim corridor.
"So... tell me, where exactly did they go?"
That was information Sakatsuki had repeatedly forbidden Artoria from revealing.
Since they were to thoroughly reform the homunculus's mindset, Jeanne d'Arc—the one who had truly led the homunculi in the original story—should naturally not appear before Sakatsuki.
Yet, recalling her Master's previous actions, Artoria hesitated for a long time before letting out a bitter sigh and speaking with difficulty:
"They headed toward the mountain path. There's a small village there."
————
She felt her heart beating.
Blood flowed through her veins, spreading to every limb. She felt her lungs breathing, then smelled the crisp night air and heard the distant pulse of the earth.
She felt her hands, then her feet again.
The terror of near-death became vivid once more. The homunculus opened eyes as crimson as those of the Einzberns, gasping violently as she expelled the remnants of death and pain from her lungs, inhaling the life-filled forest air. Unable to control herself, she let out a soft moan.
She was alive—and as normal as any human.
"Oh, you're finally awake."
Someone spoke near her ear. Only then did the homunculus realize she was being carried on someone's back, moving steadily and smoothly. The air began to flow, brushing against her cheeks like a gentle breeze.
"Ah..." She made a sound, free of pain, and froze, forgetting everything she had meant to say.
She had never imagined that something as simple as breathing could feel so comforting.
After savoring this trivial pleasure for a while, the homunculus spoke again: "Thank you..."
"Don't thank me," the young man carrying her replied, unexpectedly cold. "I don't deserve your gratitude. Only once you understand that can we possibly continue this conversation."
"Oh..." The homunculus nodded, half-understanding, then suddenly remembered something. "Where is Rider? Where is she?" (Note: The pronoun here is correct.)
"She returned to her own faction. Though she saved you, Rider is still a Servant summoned by the Black faction. She must fight and struggle for that Holy Grail War until her life burns out."
Was it mockery for such a way of existence? A faint sneer curled the young man's lips:
"Including that Black Saber who knocked out his Master and tried to cut out his own heart to save you—he, too, is doomed to become a sacrifice in this Holy Grail War."
The Black faction, the Holy Grail War, Saber and Rider...
Though she only vaguely grasped the meaning behind Sakatsuki's words, the homunculus felt as though something were tightening around her chest, a sharp pain piercing through.
"This feeling..."
"This feeling is called sorrow. Remember, it's another emotion you've learned besides the agony of dying." The young man's tone remained flat and teasing. "These two emotions will accompany you for life, until death."
After a long silence, the homunculus whispered, "Is life always this painful?"
"Always." Even while discussing such gloomy topics, Sakatsuki's footsteps remained steady, never pausing. "Even if the heroes give their all to grant you freedom, what will you do afterward?"
"What should I do?" The homunculus looked lost.
"To put it simply, things like life goals or ideals." The young man replied. "Though everyone walks different paths, they all must take steps forward eventually. What do you want to obtain? Where will you go? These are questions to ponder for a lifetime."
Hearing Sakatsuki's words, the homunculus tilted her head and thought seriously: "I don't really want anything... I just want to live properly."
To live a happy life?
Sakatsuki stopped walking. He set the homunculus down and gazed into her innocent, pure eyes. After a long moment, he ruffled her silver hair and sighed helplessly.
"It's difficult," the young man said. "For you, that will be very difficult."
More arduous than eternal life, more troublesome than building an empire, more extravagant than wealth and beauty—so-called happiness was from the start something even more unattainable than the Hanging Gardens.
Moreover, the homunculus already bore a Command Spell on her hand. Even if she avoided mentioning it, the shadow of war would eventually find her. After all, this was her "fate."
Yet clearly, despite the gender change, the homunculus remained as stubborn as in the original story: "Then let me try. I can't betray Rider and Saber's hopes for me."
"Is that so? Then you have much to learn."
"...Will you teach me?"
"Naturally." Sakatsuki curled his lips into a smile and stepped forward, signaling for the homunculus to follow.
"This was Astolfo and the others' entrusted duty to me, after all."