Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

It was during this period of chaos that Britain invaded France and occupied towns in the north.

The Duke of Burgundy allied with England and openly confronted the royal family. Soon after, almost the entire northern and southwestern regions of France fell into their hands.

Joan of Arc lived in a region in northeastern France that remained loyal to the royal family, surrounded by Burgundian territory.

Although her father was a farmer, he was skilled in arithmetic and was therefore elected to a position similar to that of a village chief.

In medieval Europe, the position of village chief was not a privileged one; on the contrary, it was a thankless and difficult job that all villagers avoided.

Joan of Arc's father had to farm and also handle village administrative work.

When the Burgundians attacked the village, the father had to go out with the militia, while Joan of Arc would hide with her mother and the other children in the village.

"Women can't join the army."

These words made Joan of Arc hold her breath.

It happened during a time when Joan of Arc was playing in the village. She told the children her age that she wanted to go to war with her father, but was ridiculed by her companions.

The boys laughed loudly, while the girls covered their mouths and giggled.

“Jeanne, it’s better to give up that idea... Fighting is too dangerous and pointless.”

The girl, whom Joan of Arc considered a companion, offered words of advice, but the earnestness of those words left Joan of Arc deeply perplexed her.

Joan of Arc never felt that there was any reason why she, as a woman, could not join the army or fight.

When her friend was being bullied by the village boys, it was Joan of Arc who stood up for her and drove them away.

Even if the opponent was a boy a few years older, he was no match for Joan of Arc; her strength was comparable to that of an adult.

"Why do you think that? How can it be meaningless?"

The girl's expression was complicated when Joan of Arc asked her question.

"Because... even if His Majesty the King loses, we'll just have a new lord, right?"

Life won't change much; your father will still be the village chief, and you and I will still be farming.

"..."

The words of her friend had an unprecedented and enormous impact on the young Joan of Arc.

yes……

Born into a peasant family, Joan of Arc's life would remain unchanged no matter who ruled the land.

The father was no different; he still had to farm his own land, collect taxes from the village, and flatter and fawn over the noble lords.

If that's the case, then what are you fighting for, sir?

A feeling of boredom and disgust filled the girl's heart.

Joan of Arc couldn't quite remember how she finally got home.

When I came to my senses, I was already standing at the door of my house, and my mother came out to greet me with a smile.

"What happened, Jeanne? Why are you so downcast?"

The mother keenly noticed her daughter's unusual behavior.

After hesitating for a moment, Joan of Arc explained to her mother what had happened during the day.

"That's it."

The mother nodded after hearing her daughter's description.

She didn't say much, but turned around and walked to the cabinet in the corner of the room, took out a book and handed it to her daughter.

Joan of Arc initially thought it was another Catholic scripture—her mother was a devout Christian, and Joan of Arc had been influenced by it since childhood.

However, Joan of Arc was wrong this time.

The book handed to me by my mother had the title "The Legend of King Arthur ~ The Shining Path" on its cover.

This was Joan of Arc's first encounter with the Savior.

King Arthur—the girl had only heard of this name before.

Although he was recognized as a saint by the church, wasn't he the King of England?

Why did my mother show me biographies of the enemy's ancestors?

Confused and puzzled, Joan of Arc turned to the first page of the book.

After reading for only a few minutes, Joan of Arc was deeply captivated by the text.

Through this flamboyant book, the young girl learned about the legendary stories that once took place on the island she disliked, beyond the sea.

King Arthur was a great knight and an ever-victorious king who lived 1000 years ago.

Although he was the King of Britain and is revered by the current British royal family, he was not English.

On the contrary, he was an enemy of England and a savior who stood up several times to protect the island from foreign invasion.

He valued kindness and love, and firmly believed in justice.

Upright, brave, noble, gentle—all the best words and virtues are embodied in him.

He was the original Knight of the Round Table, and also the strongest Nameless King.

Whether they were the Anssa people who came from across the sea to seize land,

Or perhaps Vortigern, who represented the will of nature and the tide of the times, had his ambitions thwarted.

Even the mighty and invincible Roman Empire was defeated.

To save Britain, he bravely led the Knights of the Round Table to challenge the strongest dragon.

Having overcome the deaths of his closest comrades, King Arthur defeated Albion and swallowed its beating heart.

It is said that the king also found the whereabouts of the Holy Grail.

In the king's later years, his final enemy came from the heavens above.

The calamity descended from the moon; the Crimson King, intent on bringing destruction upon all humanity—

The savior, wielding the holy sword, cleaved the moon, which was falling towards Earth, in two, and killed and sealed away the extraterrestrial enemy that was about to destroy the world.

Now, the deeds of the savior have become so great that any words seem so pale in comparison.

From that day on, the young Joan of Arc became completely absorbed in the legend of the Nameless King.

The book her mother gave her was read over and over again until it was completely worn out, and little Joan of Arc had to make several more copies herself.

She was engrossed in the story of the savior.

This alone put Joan of Arc in high spirits, and she forgot all the unpleasant things that had happened in the past.

Joan of Arc understood Arthur's and the Knights of the Round Table's motivations.

Why should we resist the invaders?

This kind of question doesn't need an answer at all.

Even the most dull-witted fool would understand after reading Joan of Arc's favorite book once.

The dream that was ridiculed has become part of the past that the girl has already abandoned in her heart.

As Joan of Arc grew older, she gradually realized that the stories she treasured were probably mostly fabrications and exaggerations.

King Arthur was indeed the greatest hero, the legendary invincible king, but—

Sealing the King of the Moon is a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?

Joan of Arc believed that what she read as a child was a fantasy novel written by a fervent fan of King Arthur.

Even so, the emotions and inspiration those glorious stories brought to the young girl were real, and they are beautiful memories that cannot be erased.

Several years passed, and Joan of Arc finally joined the French army as she had wished.

Under her leadership, the French army achieved one miraculous victory after another.

Like King Arthur in the book, Joan of Arc was gradually revered as a savior by the people of her homeland.

But she herself never thought that way.

The girl was merely following a radiant and dazzling illusion she had dreamed of in her childhood.

……

……

"........."

Joan of Arc covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes widening and trembling.

How could such a thing happen...

When he saw Shirou pull the scabbard of the holy sword from his chest and, without hesitation, insert it into the dying android—

The scene before the girl's eyes overlapped with her childhood fantasies.

Could Artorius be the king, the savior, that I've always longed for...?

Since the information about the Fuyuki Holy Grail War was leaked, hundreds of magical rituals of varying scales (subspecies Holy Grail Wars) have broken out around the world.

Then, one of the rules and laws summarized from these countless Holy Grail Wars is—

"King Arthur cannot be summoned."

This is of course.

After all, in the end of the legend, Arthur became the eternal king who surpassed mankind, and went to the distant land of utopia with Morgana, the goddess of the lake.

Whether it's the version of Arthur becoming a god, or the version of Arthur and Morgan living in the land of fairies—

The strongest kings cannot be summoned.

The history of the subspecies Holy Grail War also supports this view.

Therefore, when Shirou told Joan of Arc that he was King Arthur's stand-in, the knight Artorius who had not made his mark in history, Joan of Arc did not have any doubts.

Because he was the King of Knights' closest companion, he was given the surname Pendragon.

Because he is the King of Knights' stand-in and shadow warrior, he manifests in the form of wielding the Star Sword.

Even his class Keeper can be interpreted as "the person who manages the king's treasury," which is why he can throw hundreds of Noble Phantasms at will.

Shirou's lies were perfectly plausible, and Joan of Arc had no doubt whatsoever.

After all, that savior never appeared in the Holy Grail War.

However, upon seeing this scene, Joan of Arc couldn't help but have doubts.

The figure was so sacred and noble that the saintess cheered.

Artorius... could he be my savior (Arthur)?

Joan of Arc bit her lip, placed her hand on her heaving chest, and quietly watched the red-haired boy's figure.

Meanwhile, under Avalon's healing, the android escaped death and fell into a peaceful slumber.

Within seconds, all his wounds had healed completely, and Astolfo gasped in shock beside him.

"You...you...could it be that this is your treasure?"

Could it be... could it be that you saved this child...? This child... can survive...?

Shirou nodded slightly, and Rider froze on the spot with an incredulous expression.

His body suddenly began to tremble violently, and then he burst into tears.

"That's great, that's great, that's great...!! Thank you... thank you so much, waaaaaaaahh ...

Astolfo hugged the homunculus tightly and wept uncontrollably, as if a dam had burst.

The cries no longer contained the previous sorrow, but were filled with the joy that had burst forth from the saving of an innocent life.

Shirou found him noisy and stood up with a frown.

"----Why."

"what?"

Turning around, the "Black" swordsman, who had appeared beside them at some point, suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

Why... did you save him?