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IBHJ Chapter 556
🕑 Added 2023-11-05 11:45:32 +0000 UTCVlad sat on his throne, fingers idly tapping against the armrest.
Three nights had passed since the Holy Grail War began.
This night was quiet—suspiciously so. The first night had been filled with chaos, but now there was nothing. No aggressive moves from the Red faction, no countermeasures from the Black.
The stalemate wasn't due to any agreement or Ruler's peacemaking. It was because of Black Assassin Eternal King, whose mere presence was a deterrent, like a guillotine blade hanging by a thread.
Vlad was in the dark about the full extent of a Grand Servant's might, but the fact that neither he, Arjuna, nor Karna had been chosen for this class spoke volumes about the Grand Servant's power.
Both factions had halted their skirmishes, not out of fear of each other, but because of the formidable new enemy in their midst.
Those who desire the Holy Grail are driven by their profound wishes. A ceasefire in the face of a common, powerful enemy wasn't unusual.
Yet, for all their caution, the location of Eternal King remained a mystery.
"Where has he hidden himself?" Vlad muttered, his frown deepening. As the leader of the Black faction, the question weighed heavily on his mind.
"Your Majesty," Darnic entered, giving a formal bow, and knelt on one knee before Vlad.
"What's the situation, Darnic?"
Darnic stood up straight and reported, "There's been a significant mana fluctuation in Vâlcea this morning; I suspect it's the work of a Servant's Noble Phantasm."
Darnic's preparations for the Holy Grail War had been meticulous, thanks to the influence of the Yggdmillennia Clan in Romania, which provided a network of magi working as informants across the land. Not long before, he'd received an urgent communication from one of them.
"Vâlcea, you say... Most of the Servants would've revealed themselves by now. If this is indeed a Servant, it's probably the Red Caster."
"Yes, that's what I thought as well, but there's something strange," Darnic's brow creased with concern, "The report came from a town near Vâlcea. And now, my contacts in Vâlcea are silent."
"That's hardly surprising. They were probably eliminated by the Red Caster," Vlad said dismissively, his hand pausing on the armrest as he pondered a moment. "However, it’s possible Eternal King is indeed in Vâlcea."
Darnic's eyes widened slightly. "What leads you to that conclusion?"
"A Caster wouldn't expose their workshop without good cause," Vlad deduced. "A mana fluctuation that enormous, noticeable even by modern magi, suggests the use of a Noble Phantasm. That implies a serious battle took place. It's likely Caster encountered Eternal King or another powerful Servant."
Darnic found Vlad's reasoning convincing, even more than he anticipated.
"We should send scouts to Vâlcea immediately. If something major is happening so close to Trifas, Eternal King has outdone himself with the art of 'hiding in plain sight,'" Vlad mused.
Darnic nodded and then asked, "Has Saber returned yet, Your Majesty?"
"King Arthur follows her own counsel - there's no need to restrain her. If an urgent matter arises, we can summon her back with a Command Spell."
"I understand," Darnic said with a nod.
...
The next morning, Shirou and Mash followed Jeanne to Vâlcea.
Her usual calm, innocent demeanor was gone, replaced by a grave severity that Mash found unnerving.
Neither Mash nor Leticia dared to broach the silence with Jeanne.
Trailing just behind, Mash whispered to him, “Mr. Fujimaru, is Miss Ruler upset? Did we make a mistake?”
Shirou shook his head. “Not at all.”
“Then why does she look so... intimidating?” Mash’s curiosity was evident.
With a light laugh, he responded, “Isn’t it obvious?”
Seeing her confusion, he called out, "Hey Ruler! My Master is demanding to know why you're making such a long face, as if she owes you a fortune. Do you have a problem with her?"
Mash: “?????”
She stared at him, absolutely flabbergasted!
Her glasses nearly fell off.
Good heavens!
When did she ever say such a thing?
"Hmm?" Jeanne turned, looking hurt as she pointed to herself. "Did I...do something wrong?"
“No, no... not at all,” Mash hurriedly gestured with her hands.
"Do you have a problem with me, Mash?" Jeanne asked, eyes glimmering with pain.
"Of course not!" Mash exclaimed, voice trembling. She turned to Shirou pleadingly. "Mr. Fujimaru, please set this straight!"
He looked puzzled. "Set what straight?"
Seeing Mash's distress, he added, "Sorry, that joke went too far."
He turned to Jeanne with a more earnest explanation. "She was just concerned for you. Your expression has been quite grim."
Jeanne's hand absentmindedly drifted to her cheek. “Does it really show that much?”
He nodded.
"I didn't mean to come across that way," Jeanne apologized.
Curiosity sparked in his eyes. "This Red Caster we're after - did he remind you of someone from your past? Bishop Cauchon who condemned you? Or Charles VII who failed to save you?"
Jeanne's expression softened as she gently shook her head. "It's neither of them..." But then she froze, realization dawning as she looked at him. "You...know who I am?"
Shirou met her gaze with mild surprise. "Of course. You introduced yourself to Saber while I was there. Jeanne d'Arc, the Maid of Orleans, savior of France."
"Right, that's true..." she nodded, looking absentminded.
Shirou: "..."
He was speechless, but Mash was somewhat surprised as she looked at Jeanne. She hadn't expected that Ruler was the heroine of France.
But why did she seem so absent-minded?
Doubt crept into Mash's mind.
Shirou finally broke the silence, his voice tinged with a probing curiosity. "So, when I describe the Red Caster to you, who comes to mind? You seem... on edge."
Jeanne's distant look faded, her soft eyes suddenly hardened with a glint of hatred. "You might not be familiar with him; he's hardly a figure of renown, far from a hero. He's a heretic, a rogue magus, François Prelati."
"François Prelati?" Shirou's eyebrow arched in recognition before he gave a slow nod. "I see..."
He was aware of this character, the True Caster from 'Fate/strange Fake,' a magus who came from the same era as Jeanne and Gilles de Rais. It was Prelati who had given Gilles his infamous spellbook.
It could be said that Gilles de Rais' transformation into Bluebeard was related to this man. And if the story in "Fate/strange Fake" were to be believed, it seemed that the tragic turn of Jeanne's own destiny was connected to him as well
"Do you know him?" Jeanne asked, her eyebrows arching in surprise.
He gave a slight nod. "I'm somewhat familiar with him."
"It's no wonder you're known as the 'all-knowing king,'" she remarked with a hint of admiration.
"That's giving me too much credit."
Jeanne said with a serious face, "François Prelati was a heretic of the church in my time, as well as a magus who obtained forbidden knowledge from ancient evil gods. And hearing your description of the Red Caster, I think it's very likely to be him."
Shirou frowned. No need to elaborate on those "ancient evil gods"—clearly she meant the eldritch gods of the Cthulhu mythos.
"If the Red Caster is Prelati, I'll kill him myself, even if it means abandoning my duties as Ruler!" Jeanne clenched her fists, anger simmering in her voice.
Shirou couldn't hide his astonishment. "You really despise him that much?"
Gazing at her, he was struck by the intensity of her loathing; the hatred in her voice as she spoke Prelati's name was a far cry from the gentle image she typically projected. It was as if the mention of him stirred a wrath within her, transforming the lamb into a lion.
"It's because of Prelati that I was captured and burned at the stake," she said. "I admit, I hate him for that. But I won't kill him for revenge. He's a fanatic cultist of evil gods. If he's in this Holy Grail War, his aim is surely to bring about the descent of those wicked gods."
Shirou nodded, then looked up at the black ring hovering in the sky. If this Red Caster really was François Prelati, could he be connected to the connection point in this world? Or perhaps...the "Council" Romani had mentioned?
Comments
JeanMartin Freites
I figured it might be him.
