"Twisting words, nothing more."
"!"
Jeanne's sharp hearing caught those words. She immediately turned her gaze on the Shogun again, pointing her flag-lance directly at her.
"Hey… Archer… if every Servant here were to join the fight, do we stand a chance?"
Caules quietly leaned toward Chiron, whispering to him.
Chiron studied Jeanne's weapon and her full equipment seriously before finally shaking his head slightly.
"I'm afraid it would be difficult… Leaving aside her Noble Phantasm, the Ruler class possesses a decisive skill that is troublesome enough. To us Servants, it's an absolute authority, akin to the Command Seals you Masters wield."
Chiron sighed as he explained softly to Caules.
Facing Jeanne's weapon leveled at her, the Shogun's violet eyes gleamed with danger. She recalled the Engulfing Lightning to her hand, gripping it firmly, ready to battle the Ruler if need be.
Jeanne also raised her stance in response.
If she wanted a fight? So be it. She would accompany her to the end.
The Shogun's heart was unshaken.
But just then, her idle hand was gently enveloped by warmth. Turning, she saw her Master at her side. Fiore quietly pressed her warm palm over the Shogun's hand, offering silent comfort.
"Shogun…"
The young girl shook her head slightly, meaning: There's no need for you to fight.
Letting her Servant clash with the Ruler here was not worthwhile. That was her judgment.
"Miss Jeanne… since you've already decided, we have no right to interfere. Besides, we don't wish to make an enemy of you. This homunculus will be entrusted to your protection, then."
Seeing the Shogun withdraw her weapon, Jeanne too lowered her flag-lance, nodding to Fiore.
"However… I must ask one more time. Miss Jeanne, are you truly unwilling to cooperate with us? If you did, it would be a win-win. The homunculus could return with us, and you could remain in the castle to watch over him. What do you think?"
Fiore asked again, hoping for a final chance.
"No… As long as you all pursue the Grail, fighting for your own honor, I will accept everything. That is fairness."
Jeanne decisively refused.
Fiore was unsurprised—it was exactly as she had expected.
[Hmm? Suddenly she speaks of fairness now?]
Ei interjected with timely sarcasm.
"Haa…"
The Shogun closed her eyes and sighed. She had no desire to argue with this so-called Ruler any further.
Since Fiore had already spoken, the rest, including Darnic, also relented. After all, with the Ruler herself protecting the homunculus, seizing him by force would only backfire. They could only revisit the matter later.
However… Rider's conduct could not be overlooked. Such treachery was unforgivable. If not for this meddling fool, things would not have escalated this way.
Especially the Shogun—just the sight of his grinning, frivolous face made her long to cut him down! Not for any other reason, but simply because of his ridiculous, androgynous looks and smug demeanor. If this were Inazuma… someone like him would already have been arrested by the Tenryou Commission, under charges of corrupting social morals and standards of attire.
"Rider… do you consider your actions a shameful betrayal?"
The Grand Prince on horseback glared at the traitor, his tone harsh.
"Not at all."
Rider replied without hesitation, blunt and firm.
"..." ×N
Once again, everyone fell into speechless silence as they looked at him.
"Because what I did was the right thing—"
Whoosh!
A blade of violet lightning sliced past his ear, cutting through the surrounding trees and leaving a deep glowing scar across the earth.
Boom!
"Wahhh~!! Wait—!!"
Rider nearly collapsed to the ground in terror, utterly startled by the sudden deadly strike.
"Sh-Shogun~"
Fiore, half helpless and half indulgent, reached out to soothe her Servant as she sheathed her naginata again.
"Hey~! I'm still part of the Black Faction! Do you want to kill me?!"
Rider whined at the Shogun, dissatisfied.
"So you do know that much, huh…"
Caules muttered wearily.
"You misunderstand… it was the blade that moved on its own, not me."
The Shogun gave a cold, mocking smile as she replied.
Everyone could only smile bitterly at that. This breathtakingly beautiful woman—though icy and distant—clearly had her share of mischief as well.
"Heh, Saber acted correctly. Rider, for your earlier behavior… we cannot let you go unpunished. Caster, he's yours."
Bzzz~
At the Grand Prince's command, Caster appeared beside Rider and wove his magecraft, binding Rider's hands firmly with hardened material used for crafting golems.
Rider glanced at the solid stone-like orbs shackling his hands and only laughed indifferently. Before being led away by Caster and his Master, he deliberately cast one last look at the Shogun.
"I can sense the same trait in you as well… Is it really right to treat your own kind so harshly, Saber?"
"!"
Hearing Rider's hushed words as he was taken away, the Shogun instantly furrowed her brows, violet eyes flashing dangerously.
"That's enough… let's go, let's go~"
Rider, seeing her reaction, realized he had struck a nerve. Smirking faintly, he left, escorted toward the castle.
"..."
Watching his retreating back, the Shogun retracted her dangerous glare, replacing it with eyes full of thought and complexity.
"Everyone… back to the castle!"
With that call, the Grand Prince turned his horse and rode ahead. The others exchanged nods before following after him.
Only Fiore and the Shogun remained still…
"Shogun? Let's go too?"
Noticing her Servant's absent-minded look, Fiore called softly, bringing her back from her thoughts.
The Shogun glanced at her and nodded, instinctively stepping forward…
"Uh… um…"
Fiore's small, embarrassed reminder made her realize she had forgotten her. She had left her Master's wheelchair behind.
The Shogun paused, then returned to her side, placing her hands on the chair and pushing it gently as they caught up with the rest.
Shogun… is something weighing on her heart? Fiore wondered quietly. She mulled over it in her mind.
She tilted her head slightly to glance at the beautiful woman pushing her from behind. No matter her face, attire, or voice, everything about her stirred Fiore's heart. She didn't even know why.
From the very moment she had summoned her, it had always been this way. Sometimes, seeing the Shogun lost in thought, she instinctively wanted to ask what was on her mind. But she herself was just an outsider. Did she really have the right to ask?
The Shogun… surely she had her own friends, her own family in her own world, didn't she? Even gods must have such bonds.
Fiore's personality was delicate and sensitive—she cared deeply about such feelings. Of course, she would never force anyone. Put simply, outside of official matters, she was the passive type. Her everyday interactions with the Shogun made that obvious. Her pace was always disrupted by the Shogun's presence, leaving her flustered. Yet…
She did not dislike it. In fact, she liked it.
Meanwhile… within the Plane of Euthymia, Ei slowly opened her violet eyes, the very same as the Shogun's. She could feel the turmoil stirring within her counterpart's heart.
Haa… after all, she's still just a child… my Shogun.
Though, she herself was hardly in any position to say so.