Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

The king of the past is dead, and the king of the present sings a triumphant song.

"call……"

Shirou sheathed his scythe and let out a long breath.

What a restless night! I'm definitely going to complain to Ruler when she gets back.

Suddenly, an impact occurred.

The red-haired boy looked down in confusion and was surprised to see Fiore throwing herself into his arms.

"Mr. Saber! I'm so scared...!"

The girl hugged his waist tightly, blushing as she whispered.

Shirou was speechless: What kind of medical miracle is this?

Volume 5, Chapter 231: The Root Princess's First Love

When Joan of Arc finally realized that her home had been invaded by vampires and rushed back to the castle, it was already an hour later.

"Everyone! Are you all alright?"

Inside the conference room, which had just been opened, were the people who had just finished clearing out the ghouls from the castle.

Joan of Arc weaved through the crowd, looking left and right, and finally spotted the figure she was looking for.

The saintess smiled and jogged over: "I'm so sorry! Al..."

"Ruler, you're back. You must be tired tonight."

Joan of Arc's relaxed and healing smile gradually froze.

Because she saw the girl who would become the new leader of the Yggdrasil Counties—

Fiore rested her head on Shirou's lap, revealing a peaceful and happy sleeping face.

"Um...why, why is Miss Fiore lying on your lap?"

Joan of Arc suppressed the irritation in her voice.

She didn't see Fiore's usual wheelchair. Even if... even if she didn't have a wheelchair, she shouldn't be sleeping leaning against a boy, right?

So outrageous!

"Because Fiore is sleepy."

Shirou tilted his head and said.

On her way back, Jeanne had already heard about Fiore being attacked by vampires and rescued by Shirou.

She could roughly imagine what would happen next.

The girl Shirou rescued was exhausted from the shock, but she was too afraid to stay in her room where she had been attacked, so...

It must have been Shirou who took the initiative to put her on his lap; Fiore wouldn't be so shameless as to do that...

It's so enviable... no, it's so indecent!

Joan of Arc raised an eyebrow, her expression serious, and said, "It wouldn't look good if others saw this..."

"Yes, you're right. I didn't think it through... If Fiore knew, she would probably blame me too."

Shirou scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

She was overjoyed, Joan thought, pouting.

Ruler sat down next to Shirou, and the two began to talk about their experiences that evening.

While Shirou successfully defeated the Berserker, Jeanne d'Arc encountered the "Red" faction's Heroic Spirits.

A fierce battle ensued, and both sides sustained injuries to varying degrees.

"Did you join the war too?"

Shirou noticed that Jeanne was wearing a military uniform made of magic, instead of her usual clothes, which meant she had been in battle that night.

"There's nothing I can do; they've completely come to see me as an enemy."

Jeanne d'Arc said, "I told the Servants of the 'Red' faction that you have all been deceived by the priest and the Assassin, but they said they already knew the truth."

Even knowing the truth, they still decided to participate in the war with unwavering resolve.

Shirou stroked his chin: "So, the 'Red' Lancers were all persuaded by Amakusa Shirou?"

"Ah."

"The salvation of all mankind... What do you think, Ruler?"

Joan of Arc was silent for a moment, then honestly shook her head: "I don't know."

But I had a very bad feeling; I felt I had to meet with Amakusa Shiro and have a serious talk.

"Then let's meet them. I'll help you arrange a meeting."

Joan of Arc nodded: "That's right, now the problem is how to get closer to that hanging garden."

Although Shirou possesses a Noble Phantasm that allows you to fly, taking it out would mean starting a full-scale war with the enemy, wouldn't it?

Huh? ...What did you say?

The saintess looked at Shirou in astonishment.

The red-haired boy smiled and said, "I'll help Ruler arrange a meeting with them."

"Wait... what do you plan to do?" Joan of Arc asked in surprise.

"Isn't that simple? We just need to use the Holy Grail as bait."

"Really? I don't think that cautious man will fall for it."

Shirou shook his head confidently.

"Without the Holy Grail's support as planned, even if Amakusa Shiro had stored up resources for 60 years in advance..."

After a series of battles, he must be running out of mana by now. He's probably almost unable to sustain the mana supply for five Servants, right?

……

……

"Oh, I see... Lancer left the stage too..."

The girl stood at the bow of the ship in the sky garden, gazing at the lights of the distant town, letting the wind at high altitude blow her platinum blonde hair.

"Lancer was so strong, so terrifying, so powerful, but in the end, he still couldn't defeat my Saber..."

Sajō Aika murmured to herself, "Truly worthy of being my prince..."

Although it was a fact she already knew, witnessing everything with her own eyes was still a very new experience for the young girl.

The strongest Servant who should not have been summoned by the Holy Grail War.

The King of the End of Humanity who protected Britain and saved the world.

As his Master, Aika Sajou felt both happy and proud.

If... Saber could be without Jeanne's Command Spells tonight, that would be perfect.

I'm happy that you're willing to accept my request and give up using my Command Seals, but... this is a minor flaw that doesn't detract from the overall merit.

—The saintess loved him just as much as he loved her.

Sajō Aika had already noticed this, probably earlier than anyone else.

Since that's the case, there's nothing wrong with you liking him a little.

The girl revealed a fairy-like, sweet smile.

"Now that things have developed this way, what are your plans next?"

A bewitching figure, seemingly blending into the night, appeared at the bow of the Sky Garden.

The queen of an ancient empire, the wicked garden witch, Semiramis, walked up to Aika with an unhappy expression.

Good evening, Assassin.

"How dare you show your face in front of me? Hasn't the situation developed in a completely different way from what we agreed on?"

Semiramis crossed her arms: "Didn't you say I would easily obtain the Holy Grail? Now it's in your hands."

The killing intent emanating from the Empress was enough to make even large magical beasts tremble in fear, but Aika didn't care at all.

The girl raised her fair arm, and a golden cup shimmering with colorless magic appeared in her palm.

"...!"

Semiramis's eyes widened, and her body leaned forward slightly.

If it weren't for her queenly upbringing, she probably would have rushed up and snatched the Holy Grail.

"Are you going to give it to me?"

"...No, because Saber asked me to keep it safe. I'll get scolded if I lose it."

"Tch... If you're unwilling to hand it over to me, then don't just show it off!"

Semiramis gritted her teeth.

　"Don't worry, Assassin, you are an important comrade of mine..."

I will share the Holy Grail with you in the end, because it's a promise, and I will never go back on my word.

Ai-ka carefully put away the Holy Grail, then observed her expression, looking utterly puzzled: "Why are you so anxious?"

"Varied……"

The Empress was stunned by the question posed in the speech.

Am I... emotionally unstable right now?

She had just left Amakusa Shiro's place.

Although the Master didn't say anything, it was clear that he was distracted.

After all, a plan that had been in the works for over 60 years miscalculated at a crucial step.

Even if you're good at adjusting, you're bound to feel frustrated sometimes.

But... what does this have to do with Semiramis?

Assassin's desire to participate in the Holy Grail War was, in her own eyes, quite insignificant.

That is "to obtain eternal life and absolute power sufficient to dominate the world".

Besides, she also found it amusing to observe the downfall of Amakusa Shiro, the boy who summoned her and prepared the sky garden for her.

I admire his moth-to-a-flame folly, his foolish death in pursuit of his dreams.

Like a clown performance in the palace, it was a pleasant pastime for the Empress.

If he were merely an observer, then he should have no reason to be anxious, Semiramis thought.

"I have something I want to ask you." The Empress looked down at the girl.

"What is it?"

Why choose me?

Semiramis asked in a deep voice, "Of all these heroic spirits... why did you choose me alone as your ally?"

The principle behind the Holy Grail War—

The Greater Grail cannot activate the wish-granting mechanism on its own.

It requires immense magical power to manifest miracles—the seven heroic spirits summoned by the Holy Grail—as fuel to open the passage to the Root.

In other words-

Of the fourteen Servants who participated in the Holy Grail War, only the deaths of seven Heroic Spirits were meaningful.

The reason for dividing into "red" and "black" camps was to minimize damage and prevent the ceremony from becoming too chaotic.

However... the final winner only has one master-servant pair.