"Stop!!"
The moment Rider saw the Shogun press her naginata against the homunculus' throat, Astolfo suddenly erupted with a surge of powerful magical energy.
Boom!
As the surrounding mana burst forth, he forcefully blasted away the Berserker pressing him down with her great hammer. Then, mustering all his strength, he gripped his lance tightly and charged at the Shogun's side with tremendous speed.
"I told you to stop!!"
With his furious roar, the lance in his hands lifted high, stabbing straight toward the Shogun's body!
The Shogun, hearing the sound at her side, merely glanced at him. The next instant, her body turned into lightning as she flickered behind him. With a tilt of her naginata, the flat of the blade swept at his legs!
"Wahhh!"
Rider's feet were swept out from under him, and he instantly lost balance, falling face-first toward the ground.
But how could the Shogun possibly allow him to fall so easily? Impossible~
In the brief second before he hit the ground, she raised her naginata and used the back of the blade to lift upward against his abdomen.
Wham!
His body was launched into the air once more. Then, spinning her naginata, she struck the flat of the blade across his face!
Smash!!
Rider's body shot out like a baseball, crashing into a distant tree and breaking it apart with a thunderous boom.
"Hiss~"
Caules, watching, instinctively sucked in a breath of cold air. That was brutal!
Whoosh, whoosh!
Afterward, the Shogun twirled her naginata with a casual flourish before resting it at her back as if nothing had happened.
He was clearly a traitor, yet he still dared to bare his fangs here. Just looking at him was irritating. That was the only reason she went a little heavier with her hand. Was he still bluffing?
[Shogun, are you in a bad mood?]
Ei's voice carried a smile.
'He irritates me somewhat.'
[Hah… fair enough.]
"Shogun… do not kill him."
Hearing Fiore's gentle voice from behind her, the Shogun gave a slight shake of her head.
"This vessel has not harmed him—merely given him a small punishment."
Her earlier actions were more for show. After all, this fool had tried to strike at Fiore.
"That should be enough, shouldn't it?"
"?" ×4
The Shogun and the others turned their heads at once toward the voice that suddenly rang out. From within the forest emerged a young girl.
Jeanne. The Shogun faintly recalled her name. She was supposedly some sort of Ruler. But why had she appeared here? Could it be that wherever there was battle, she would appear—like some insect squad captain?
Upon appearing, Jeanne walked straight up in front of Sieg, standing protectively before him as she faced the Shogun.
"M-Miss Jeanne?"
Even Fiore was visibly surprised… why was the Ruler suddenly protecting the homunculus? Hadn't she said before that, for the sake of fairness, she would not interfere in any battle?
"…What is your meaning?"
The Shogun narrowed her dangerous violet eyes, her voice cold. Such an act—was it to be taken as declaring herself her enemy?
"The Holy Grail War must not involve uninvolved individuals… Black's Saber, I ask that you cease."
Jeanne spoke sternly, warning the Shogun.
"..."
The Shogun fell silent for a moment.
Several minutes later, Darnic and his party finally arrived at the scene. Seeing the situation before them, they were left shocked and confused.
"Where is Rider?"
Celenike immediately noticed her Servant's absence and, feeling uneasy, turned to look anxiously at Fiore and Caules.
"He attacked an ally. This vessel delivered the punishment he deserved."
The Shogun answered Celenike, her eyes flicking subtly toward the broken tree.
"Mm… I can vouch for that."
From her standpoint, Fiore naturally supported the Shogun. Firstly, the Shogun was her Servant. Secondly… the statement was true.
Then she looked to her younger brother Caules, urging him to agree as well.
"Ah… y-yeah! That's right, it's true."
Caules understood his sister's glance and, scratching his head with a wry smile, answered.
"Tch… that Rider! What a disgrace!"
Celenike believed their words. As his Master, she could also imagine Rider doing something so outrageous. In her anger, she kept cursing toward the direction Rider had flown.
"What exactly happened? Fiore, explain."
Gordes rubbed his balding head in puzzlement, turning to his niece and demanding an explanation.
…
"That's how it was."
After a while, Fiore explained everything to the group—including the matter of the homunculus, Rider helping him escape, opposing Berserker and the Shogun, as well as Jeanne's sudden arrival.
"I see… so that's how it was…"
Darnic sighed, his gaze shifting to Rider, who was still sprawled on the ground. His expression was full of exasperation.
Now the Black Faction had already surrounded the homunculus named Sieg. Any hope of escaping was nothing but a fantasy.
"Ow ow ow!! My head hurts… Saber, you hit me way too hard!"
Rider, having barely recovered from his collapsed state, finally staggered back into view, clutching his swollen face and whining nonstop. He even shot a resentful glance at the Shogun, who stood to the side, disinterested in paying him any attention.
"Darnic, that homunculus is extremely important as a core."
From behind his mask, Caster's eyes glimmered as he scanned Sieg's chest, leaning against a tree, and explained to Darnic.
"Is that so… then just seize him and bring him back."
At his command, everyone prepared to move forward.
"I refuse!"
Still bearing a swollen face, Rider once again planted himself in front of Sieg.
"Rider! You insolent fool! Don't force me to waste a Command Seal over something so stupid—!"
Celenike roared furiously.
"That's enough!"
One trouble after another—this time Jeanne cut in, drawing all eyes toward her.
"I will not allow you to drag him into this Holy Grail War."
"What?"
Caster froze, stunned by the unexpected words from the Ruler.
"The Holy Grail War has its rules. He never wished to participate in it."
Jeanne's voice rang clearly in the ears of everyone present, leaving them dumbfounded.
Caster, however, let out a mocking laugh.
"But… it's not as though he has no connection at all."
"Miss Jeanne… that homunculus was created using Yggdmillennia's technology. That makes him a member of the Black Faction."
Fiore joined the conversation, her gentle yet firm voice drawing Jeanne's eyes toward her.
"Fiore is correct. In fact, he was created precisely for this war. In other words, he is our asset."
Darnic nodded in agreement with Fiore's reasoning.
"He has no personality, no past, no family. He was born only for the sake of battle."
"I… I… want to live."
Sieg still muttered faintly from behind.
"..."
Jeanne glanced at the homunculus, then let out a soft sigh before turning back to the others.
"What you say is true. But he now wishes to live. And moreover, there are those who wish for him to live."
She shifted her gaze toward Rider, who for the moment stood on the same side as her.
"..." ×N
The group fell into silence.
"Miss Jeanne… I've already said, this homunculus is our creation. Even every inch of his flesh is built from our techniques, our labor, our time. That makes him the Black Faction's resource. By that alone, he cannot be considered innocent."
Fiore paused for a brief moment before continuing.
"You said before that as Ruler, you must maintain absolute fairness and never interfere with either side's plans or battles. Given that… don't you think your actions now contradict your own words?"
Her voice, clear and resolute though not overly loud, carried each word distinctly to the 'Ruler' before her.
Jeanne fell silent for a moment, then finally spoke.
"Before, he was indeed your resource. But the moment he gained the desire to live, and the moment he awakened his own sense of self, he ceased to be merely a homunculus. He is no longer yours. Now, he is nothing more than an innocent person."
She raised her flag-lance.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Spinning the weapon swiftly, she leveled its tip at the Black Faction.
"To drag the innocent into the battlefield is forbidden. That is a rule of the Holy Grail War. Do you intend to defy the rules?!"
Her eyes grew sharp, brimming with unyielding resolve.
"On my true name, I swear—I will not hand him over to you."
…
The group was left speechless by her declaration.
Even Fiore furrowed her brows in unease. To clash with the Ruler was hardly a wise option, not with her standing.
"Twisting words, nothing more."
The Shogun murmured softly.
...