Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Seeing that the main people of tonight's banquet were gathering, Jeanne reluctantly left the roast chicken and came to Shirou's side.

"Thank you all so much for your hospitality!"

Ruler was interrupted by Shirou halfway through his polite remarks.

What are your plans next?

Having lost Lancer and Saber, they have also lost ownership of the Holy Grail.

The Thousand World Tree is no longer able to contend with the "Red" faction, is it?

Should we send an envoy to surrender to the Mage's Association? I don't think they'll accept it.

"Who do you think stole our Holy Grail? ... Let's put that aside for now. The Yggdrasil Clan hasn't given up on the Holy Grail War."

Fiore emphasized with a resolute expression that she had not yet completely failed.

“I heard Uncle Danic say that Caster’s Noble Phantasm is an A-rank anti-military Noble Phantasm. If that’s the case, then there should be many ways to continue fighting.”

"However, relying solely on this—"

"Be quiet."

Fiore raised her index finger to quiet her brother, then smiled affectionately and extended her hand to Shirou.

"Now there is no need for further doubt; you are the strongest Heroic Spirit in this Holy Grail War."

Arthur Pendragon, the progenitor of Britain and savior of Paradise—

"Holy Sword Wielder, have you ever considered that our Thousand World Tree clan might also submit to you?"

"Wow, you actually call it dependence... How shameless! Don't you have any shame?"

The outspoken Mordred couldn't help but complain.

"..."

Jeanne d'Arc actually supported Shirou's alliance with the "Black" faction; otherwise, she wouldn't have come along.

but--

She suddenly became nervous when she saw other young women making advances toward Shirou.

A strong sense of reluctance spread through Joan of Arc's heart, leaving her somewhat at a loss.

Upon hearing Mordred's rebuke, Fiore shrugged and put on a nonchalant, ingratiating expression.

"Oh well, there's nothing we can do about it. Maintaining the status quo will only lead to our demise."

The Association will not let the Thousand World Tree, which has betrayed its absolute authority, get away with it. We will become a case of making an example of them, and our entire race will be slaughtered.

Rather than waiting to die, it's better to submit to the powerful Mr. Saber and accept his protection—

After all, you alone could defeat the entire "Red" faction, right?

"How can it be……"

Shirou muttered to himself, he wasn't confident he could beat the "Red" Lancer in a one-on-one fight, he only had a 70% chance of winning at most.

That said, why is Ruler's expression getting increasingly grim?

"Of course, we won't let you protect us for nothing. In exchange—"

Fiore looked at the artificial lifeforms bustling about in the banquet hall and spoke.

"We are willing to release all the androids under the control of the Yggdrasil."

Let them choose to return to their freedom or continue working at the Thousand World Tree in the future.

From now on, only the mages and Servants of Yggdrasil will participate in the Holy Grail War.

"Huh... Sister!?"

"Fiore! What are you talking about?"

Koles and Gold exclaimed simultaneously, having not been informed beforehand.

"I see."

It seems she's noticed that Shirou has a soft spot for the (silver-haired, red-eyed) android.

Moreover... her fawning and flattering attitude towards me just now was all an act, wasn't it?

Shirou doesn't dislike this kind of ruthless approach to family.

He nodded: "I understand, I..."

"Please wait a moment."

Unexpected obstruction—

Ruler stood in front of Shirou.

The lady who was supposed to be the arbitrator promoting diplomatic relations somehow found herself on the opposite side of peace.

"Al... Saber of the 'Black,' are you sure you want to form an alliance with her?"

“It’s not an alliance, let me finish what I have to say,” Shirou said.

"Isn't this an alliance?" Joan of Arc said aggressively and menacingly.

Shirou blinked and asked directly, "Ruler, are you angry?"

"...!"

Joan of Arc looked bewildered, her excited words stuck in her throat.

The next second, she lowered her head in dejection.

"I'm sorry... I just lost my composure."

Because Fiore showed affection to Altoris, she felt disgusted and, dominated by negative emotions, tried to stop the two of them.

Even Ruler herself didn't expect that she would turn out this way.

This time... the adjudicator has truly failed in their duty...

The blonde girl stared at Fiore and Shirou's clasped hands, biting her lip resentfully.

-------------

Volume 5, Chapter 226: My Savior Alone

Finally, Shirou established a kind of agreement with the "Black" faction.

It was not an "alliance," but a tacit agreement of "non-aggression."

For Shirou and Mordred, it didn't matter if they had to fight against everyone else.

However, from the perspective of protecting the Master, reducing the number of enemies by half can indeed save a lot of trouble.

"I've had one question since I walked in."

"Please say."

"Why can't I see your Caster?"

Shirou asked curiously, "Did he die in the battle last night?"

"No, about that..."

Fiore looked troubled, hesitating whether to tell Shirou and the others the inside story, but Corles didn't think too much about it and blurted it out.

"Caster has defected."

"what?"

“Last night, Caster secretly left the castle and hasn’t returned yet.”

He secretly went to the Sky Garden of the "Red" Assassins... This has been confirmed by our familiars.

Judging from the large amount of resources he took from the workshop, we believe he has defected to the "Red" faction.

Shirou pictured the young priest smiling and reaching out his hand, trying to persuade others to join him.

Did Caster lose faith in Yggdrasil because Lancer went berserk?

"Hey! Why didn't you say something this important sooner!?"

Mordred angrily grabbed Corles by the collar.

Joan of Arc was also astonished: their important combat force was suspected of defecting to the enemy, yet the magicians of the Thousand Trees were still able to hold a banquet to entertain guests as if nothing had happened.

"If we show it beforehand, we will be at a disadvantage in the subsequent negotiations."

Shirou stared into Fiore's eyes and said calmly, "So before I agree to your demands, we absolutely cannot let the news of Caster's defection leak out... right?"

Fiore nodded with a smile.

"whispering sound……!"

Mordred clicked his tongue and released Corles' collar.

Shirou surveyed the venue and then asked, "Has Caster's Master also defected?"

Fiore shook her head and explained, "Only Caster has defected. He severed the connection with our magicians... That's why we believe he has betrayed us."

"Caster severed his connection with his Master himself?"

Joan of Arc frowned slightly: Could such a thing, which violates the rules of the Holy Grail War, be done?

Jeanne had heard that some Noble Phantasms could forcibly alter or usurp the Master's power, and that her own Ruler privilege could do something similar, but—

Caster Avestrom shouldn't be able to do that. Could it be someone from the "Red" team?

Fiore glanced around and said, "I had the android tell Roger to come to tonight's dinner. Where is he... Corles! Go find Roger, now!"

The girl's expression suddenly changed drastically.

Because of the trust and understanding between the siblings, Corles had no doubts and immediately led the androids to find the person.

Fiore had a bad feeling: earlier that day, Roger had been acting strangely ever since he learned that Caster had defected and cut off his connection with him.

Although Roger is a genius magician, he is still just a 13-year-old child.

He admired and revered Caster from the bottom of his heart, and even though he was the Master, he would still call him "Teacher".

Such a mindset is far too easily exploited.

Even if he were told that Caster had betrayed him, he would still think that the adults had deceived him and would be eager to see his "teacher" again and find out what happened.

"Master, have you heard Lord Danic explain the details of Caster's anti-army Noble Phantasm, 'Crown: Light of Wisdom'?"

"I heard it's a giant golem, and to activate it, you need a 'hearth.' Besides that—"

"The magician becomes the 'hearth'."

Fiore was speechless, while Chiron continued calmly.

“Caster originally intended to use Lord Gold as the ‘hearth’. I heard this from Lord Danic, so it can’t be wrong.”

"Huh?! Me?!"

Gold, his face deathly pale, let out a strange scream—

Shirou said, "Then, the one chosen by Caster as the 'core' must be his Master."

Not just any material can be used to make the "core"; the quality of the magic circuit and magic engraving will likely need to be evaluated.

After careful consideration, he rejected Gold and chose Roger, who had a better background in magic.

"Goo-hoo, I'm really sorry I'm a piece of trash!"

Fiore's expression was serious: "Do you think Roger was tricked by Caster and has now met a tragic end?"

"Hmm, that's very likely, and... since it was only with the help of the 'Red' side that this could be done."

Once his Noble Phantasm is complete, the next step is self-evident.

Just then, the floor of the hall suddenly shook and trembled, and tiles fell from the ceiling just like they had the night before.

"what happens?"

"The enemy is attacking!"

Everyone hurriedly evacuated from the building and came to the outer edge of the city wall.