Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

She stood up and faced Jill again, but the wavering in her eyes was gone, replaced by unwavering resolve.

"I finally understand; I really couldn't accept this kind of redemption."

Jill: "Why—"

[Jeanne: "Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, your actions demonstrate a distrust of humanity, which will render everything accumulated in the past futile. Humanity has fought against evil for thousands of years, persevering despite numerous defeats, overcoming the sacrifices of good people to reach this place!"]

"Jill, we are the dead, not only guided by the dead, but also deluding ourselves into thinking we can redeem humanity. Even a fool's dream has its limits."

"Jill, stop. People are building on our foundation, albeit slowly, but they're still making progress, little by little. We should acknowledge that."

"Jill, don't seek to redeem humanity in the name of atonement! Your sins belong only to you, and even if you cannot atone, the despair remains yours alone. Do you intend to shift the responsibility of atoneing for these sins onto others?"

"You and I are both sinners, with no way to atone for the sacrifices of those who have already perished! You can only continue to bear these sorrows and despairs; there's no going back. But even in a small way, you can help the thwarted living. This is what is meant by heroic spirits; it's the limit of what we can do."

Rin Tohsaka: "So you finally figured it out?"

Feng Xi: "Actually, she could have figured it out if she had just calmed down. It's just that before, Shakespeare had disturbed her thoughts, which is why she was led by the nose by him."

Gilles wept, and this time he knelt down, grasping Joan's hand tightly, pleading, "Can I not be forgiven?"

Joan of Arc: "God will forgive everything, but the children you have killed will not forgive you all. Your punishment is to forever bear this sin, this guilt... Don't worry, I will help you."

Webber: "This is what they call trying to talk your way out of trouble and getting attacked instead."

Feng Xi: "This guy was originally persuaded by talk-no-jutsu. But before it was Sabbie, now it's Jeanne d'Arc."

Bluebeard: "Uh! That kind of weak-willed guy is definitely not me! I don't believe it!"

Rin Tohsaka: "Who cares about you?"

Bluebeard: "Aaaaaah!!!"

【"well..."】

Amakusa Shiro sighed helplessly.

He didn't hate Joan of Arc, because she was also one of the victims of this world, and if they could work together, there would be nothing better—but she refused salvation.

[Shakespeare: "Master, what should we do?"]

"Use the activated Greater Grail to crush everything."

Amakusa Shiro looked at Jeanne and said, "Is it truly impossible for them to be compatible? From my perspective, I thought you would heed his advice and rise together."

[Joan of Arc: "...Well, if it were me right after I appeared in the world, I might have listened to his advice. I have no objection to saving humanity."]

Amakusa Shiro said with a sorrowful expression, "Then why—no, you are right, you want to save one person, while I want to save everyone."

"Although you say you're not a saint, I believe you are more than anyone else. I also had a period where I held the same thoughts as you, but I couldn't bear it."

"Why are you different? How are you different now compared to when you first appeared in this world?"

[Jeanne smiled and glanced at Sieg, saying: "Because of an unusual situation, an ordinary master appeared. Despite being a homunculus with a very weak sense of being alive, he still longed to live, and indeed he did. That was the result of humanity condensed, a goodness worthy of love and cherishing. He knew why humans are, knew good and evil, and was troubled by them. This is what I think: if you were to take everything away—where would his troubles, his questions, disappear to? Where would they go?"]

"Him...?"

Her words sharpened Tenshiro's gaze, and he stared at Sieg with hostility.

"I see. So it is indeed the kind of human you prefer—which happens to be the type I dislike. At the moment of birth, he should indeed be perfect, with extremely little selfishness, treating everything, including himself, fairly; he should be an ideal being who can live until death."

That's right. If humans are imperfect beings, then androids are the perfect beings.

[Be detached from personal desires, be loyal to the role you are meant to play, and die when it is time to die.]

Wife: "No, androids are not as perfect as you think."

The wife said, "As long as a living being has its own thoughts and desires, I am no exception."

Weber: "That's right, and Sieg only has one wish, which is to live. Do you think that's wrong?"

Amakusa Shiro: "..."

Joan of Arc: "Are you saying that the desire to live is evil?"

[Amakusa Shiro: "Humans commit evil because they want to survive, and I suppose that will continue in the future."]

[Joan of Arc became exceptionally sorrowful. One wonders what kind of anguish Amakusa Shiro had endured to develop such thoughts?]

Although it's said that one shouldn't advise others to do good without experiencing their suffering, she still believes this is wrong.

The instinct for survival is a desire possessed by all living things; if we were to abandon it, humans would cease to be human.

[Amakusa Shiro: "Homunculus, what about you? Don't you think your past self was better? There was no suffering, pain, or despair there, and you didn't have to experience death while struggling to survive."]

"Artificial humans are far from perfect and are not as you think."

Without any hesitation, Zieg shook his head and denied it, saying, "We're not suppressing our desires; we just haven't discovered them in the first place. It's the real experience of being alive that causes this distress... I actually envy you humans."

"...So, now you're my enemy too."

Amakusa Shiro suppressed his grief and said coldly, "As expected, it would have been better to kill you all."

Joan of Arc: "—As expected, I'll just have to shatter your dreams directly."

"I won't fight you one-on-one, because there's no need."

Amakusa Shirou looked at Sieg and said, "Right now, all I want is to defeat you, my Master."

[Having said that, the Greater Grail responded to Amakusa Shiro's call, forming a blue-white light behind him, like the arm of a giant.]

Chapter 313 The Final Victor, Joan of Arc's Sword

[Video paused.]

[Question: This is the final battle of the Holy Grail War. Who will be the final victor after this battle?]

[A: Zieg.]

[B: Joan of Arc.]

[C: Amakusa Shiro Tokisada.]

[D: Shakespeare.]

[E: Semiramis.]

[F: Astolfo.]

[Please answer within 1 minutes; exceeding the time limit will be considered a forfeit.]

Rin Tohsaka: "Is this the decisive battle?"

Rin Tohsaka: "So, in the end, only one participant survived?"

Weber: "It's not necessarily about surviving. The ultimate victor is probably the one who obtains the Holy Grail and successfully makes their wish."

Rin Tohsaka: "But didn't Amakusa Shirou already fulfill his wish?"

Weber: "But the wish has not yet been fulfilled, and if it is thwarted, it can be considered a failure."

Koles: "Judging from the situation, the winner will probably be either Jeanne d'Arc or Amakusa Shiro."

Joan of Arc: "No, although I don't know who the final victor will be, it certainly won't be me."

She already understood what the woman in the video was going to do next.

In that case, she would definitely not be the winner.

Kenneth: "I choose A."

The original development of Zieg's luck was unbelievably good, like a protagonist in a novel. In that case, the final winner would probably be—

[Ding! Kenneth answered incorrectly, deducting 1 Saint Quartz.]

Kenneth: “???”

Afu: "Ah! Why isn't it Zig?"

Joan of Arc was also flustered, wondering if things had gone wrong in the end.

Amakusa Shiro: "I choose C."

This isn't confidence; it's more like seeking solace.

I hope that what I couldn't accomplish, I can accomplish in the video.

[Ding! Amakusa Shirou answered incorrectly, deducting 1 Saint Quartz.]

Amakusa Shiro: "..."

There was no rage, no annoyance, only a wry smile.

What else could he say.

It turns out that whether now or before, I have failed.

Feng Xi: "I choose F."

[Ding! Congratulations to Feng Xi for answering this question correctly. You have received 3 Holy Crystals.]

Everyone: "Yes!!!"

Afu: "Oh! Is that me? (ロ)"

The final winner was actually Afu, which really surprised everyone.

[Question time is over, video continues.]