Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Let's get back to the main topic.

"What kind of person is Caster?" Shirou asked.

If Kenneth is so powerful, Caster's Servants must be even more powerful, right?

Hassan said, "Although I wasn't there at the time, according to observations from other 'me's, Caster is a madman."

"……madman?"

Bai Mao Hassan nodded: "He appeared alone in front of Eindzbern's vehicle."

As Saber got out of the car to fight him, the man suddenly knelt down and began to weep bitterly.

Shirou: "?"

What do you want to do to Saber, you brat?

"Furthermore, Caster said some very strange things."

Shirou asked, "What did you say?"

Hassan said, "He knelt down in front of Saber, pulling at his hair and crying out that he called Saber Joan of Arc."

Joan of Arc? The Saint Joan of Arc?

It's rare to see a name that even elementary school boys know, but what does it have to do with Saber?

Caster calls himself Gilles de Rais, and is Saber's eternally loyal servant—

Oh, the "Holy Virgin"! My destined "Holy Virgin"!

To meet you here, having traveled across the ends of time and space, must surely be a fateful reunion…

"Uh, Shirou, are you alright? You look terrible." Assassin asked with concern.

"And then, what did Saber say? She must have vehemently refuted this madman's words and actions, right?"

"Well, Saber says she's meeting Caster for the first time and doesn't know him at all..."

"If we can recognize them, then it's up to the ghosts."

Shirou's anxiety finally subsided.

Caster is indeed a madman who likes to talk nonsense.

As for Joan of Arc, who had such fanatical followers—

Shirou also felt it necessary to re-examine the character and spiritual purity of the French saint.

Could she also be an incredibly crazy woman?

"What happened next?"

“Saber drove Caster away, no, I should say she let him go.”

Before leaving, Caster vowed that when they met again, he would free Saber's soul from the curse of God.

Shirou narrowed his eyes: Saber has been entangled with a troublesome guy.

But... on what basis did Caster conclude that Saber was Jeanne d'Arc?

Appearance? Demeanor?

Shirou sensed something was wrong and frowned suspiciously.

It seems I need to go to Einzbern tonight to check.

"Then, you should start tracking Caster, right?"

Assassin raised an eyebrow: "Who do you take me for? After Caster left, 'I' followed him all the way to his hideout."

"sharp."

"But... as expected of Caster's servant, it's difficult for 'me' to get close to his magic workshop without being discovered."

However, we've managed to confirm the approximate location, and the area is now surrounded and under surveillance. Caster's every move outside the workshop is completely under my control.

Shirou frowned and asked, "Have you confirmed Caster's Master?"

"Yes, he's a young man named Ryunosuke."

"Just as I thought," Shirou thought to himself.

"What does Caster usually do? Does he just stay in the workshop?"

Hyakko Hassan wasn't sure how Shirou would react to what she was about to hear, so after a moment's thought, she told him the truth.

"Caster's activities were very frequent. He traveled to various parts of Shinto and Fukayama Town, constructing a city-scale soul-absorbing barrier."

You saw the news about the gas leak, right? Fuyuki City is seeing a large number of people suffering from unexplained weakness and loss of consciousness without warning, many of whom are even in critical condition.

That's what Caster is doing; many people are having their life force drained without restraint while they sleep, and the church is scrambling to deal with it.

Shirou frowned: He had considered the possibility of secretly absorbing the life force of the citizens and converting it into magic power before the war began.

After careful consideration, he abandoned this approach.

After all, with his third-rate magic skills, it would be difficult for him to control the extent of soul absorption, and he might even cause someone's death.

Shirou asked, "Is Caster storing up magical energy for the battle to come?"

Assassin said with a strange expression, "It doesn't seem to be like that."

Judging from Caster's soliloquy, he's drawing life force from the city... seemingly to save his Master's life.

……

……

In the dim light, only a single candlestick illuminated Ryunosuke's ashen, corpse-like skin.

"Master...you're back..."

Ryunosuke Uryu, sitting quietly on the sofa, slowly turned his head like a machine, a scene resembling a horror movie.

"Oh, Ryunosuke! You look great today! That's wonderful!"

Caster strode up to the young man and grasped his stiff shoulders with his large hands.

"Listen to me, Ryunosuke! That wretched god still binds Jeanne's soul to this day!"

Gilles de Rais was talking non-stop, his face beaming with madness and excitement.

However, the Master, who was listening, had a vacant look in his eyes and occasionally shook his head in response.

Ryunosuke Uryu had long lost his ability to think as a human being, so of course he couldn't understand Caster's words.

In fact, the only time he retained a sliver of consciousness after becoming a zombie was the night he summoned Caster.

That night, the two hit it off immediately because of their shared beliefs; they were like old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time.

Ryunosuke Uryuu respectfully calls Caster "Master" and regards him as a beloved mentor.

Caster was overjoyed to have found a like-minded confidant and vowed to obtain the Holy Grail together with Ryunosuke.

however--

This is a beautiful experience that lasts only one night.

The next morning, when Caster excitedly came to find Ryunosuke Uryu, he discovered that Ryunosuke had become like a zombie and could no longer communicate normally.

Oh dear! This must be a curse from God!

Caster thought bitterly.

Oh, hateful God!

It wasn't enough that they took Joan of Arc from me; now they're trying to take away my last understanding person!

Instead of discarding the broken Rain Sound Ryunosuke, he took it to the new Magic Workshop.

Upon seeing the saintess of his destiny again, Caster immediately shared his joy of witnessing the miracle with Ryunosuke.

After being coldly rejected by Joan of Arc, Caster also poured out his indignation and sorrow to the young man.

Meanwhile, in order to help Ryunosuke Uryu recover his health, Caster traveled throughout Fuyuki, constructing a massive soul-absorbing barrier.

Unfortunately, no matter how much life force he absorbed and transferred to his Master, the corpse would not be resurrected. Instead, it became more and more rotten due to his improper handling.

Volume 1, Chapter 54: Fuyuki's elementary school students are terrifying!

"Ryunosuke, my wish has been fulfilled."

In the darkness, Caster murmured to himself like a repentant lamb.

"Because of my prayers and my Holy Grail, Joan of Arc was resurrected—it was the Almighty Holy Grail that chose me."

“That’s great, that’s great,” Ryunosuke Uryu replied without any change in expression.

"But that's not enough! Far from enough! Because the Holy Grail has not yet chosen you."

Caster scratched his face in despair.

"Oh, Ryunosuke, poor Ryunosuke, God stole the Holy Grail that should have been yours! And tormented you into this state!"

But don't worry, Ryunosuke, I will never give up and I will never let God continue to toy with your soul!

I, Gilles de Rais, swear that I will bring you back to life like Joan of Arc… By the way!

Caster, who was talking to himself, suddenly widened his eyes.

"That's right! Joan of Arc! If it's the resurrected Saint Virgin... Joan of Arc can definitely heal you with her miracles!"

With Caster shaking him vigorously, Ryunosuke shook his head forward.

"Yeah yeah……"

"So, you think so too, Ryunosuke! That's right, as expected of my comrade, we think alike."

Caster's joy lasted only a moment before he was plunged back into anguish.

"However, Joan of Arc is still being deceived by God... What can we do to make her see reality and change her mind?"

"What should I do? What should I do..."

"what?"

The black magician looked at Ryunosuke in surprise: "You mean we must go even further in our blasphemy?"

"Would the blasphemous sacrificial offerings be piled up like a mountain and clearly presented before her eyes?"

Ryunosuke Uryu nodded blankly, muttering, "Yes, yes."

—This is already a conditioned reflex.

Caster, who had been acting like a manic patient, suddenly calmed down, bent down to hold the young man's shoulder, and revealed an angelic smile.

"Understood, I will go to see the beautiful Virgin tonight."

"Yeah."

"Ryunosuke Uryuu murmured, his eyes unfocused."

……

……

On the outskirts of Fukayama Town stands a magnificent and majestic ancient castle.

The greatest urban legend of Fuyuki City: Einzbern Castle.

During the First Holy Grail War, the proud Einzberns refused to establish a base on the land of their enemy (the Tohsaka family), so they bought an entire area of ​​land near Fuyuki.

On the eve of the Third Holy Grail War, the Homunculi even airlifted an entire castle from Germany to Japan.

Simply by exploring the history of this building, one can glimpse the astonishing wealth and profound obsession of the people who created it.

Sixty years later, this castle town has once again welcomed its master, becoming the residence of Irisviel and her servants.

"What's wrong, Irisviel?"

Saber noticed that her Master's shoulder twitched slightly.

"There is an intruder."