"Ah?"
Reika Rikudou looked at Jiang You's disdainful gaze but didn't feel angry. "Are you sure there's nothing you need? Like my body... or even my soul?"
"What would I do with that stuff?"
Jiang You shook his head. He was long past the stage of needing rewards, though acquiring Little Jack hadn't been much different from gaining one.
"I was going to ask if you have any other wishes. If it's simple enough, I might be able to help you. Don't even think about anything too difficult."
"No... that's not what I meant."
Reika studied Jiang You's expression. His gaze didn't seem feigned. But this whole process was beyond her comprehension. This was their first meeting, wasn't it? There was nothing about her that could possibly catch his eye. A thousand unspoken words condensed into a single question: "Why?"
"If I can help, I'll help. What's so hard to understand about that?"
Jiang You's real purpose for coming this time was to recruit some people for his Duel Tournament. By now, both his main body and his Deck had surpassed the need for grinding levels. It was like reaching the endgame of a video game—he could do whatever he found fun. If possible, he wouldn't have wanted to eliminate Spartacus either, but the man was impossible to communicate with, leaving him no other choice.
"Besides, you're one of the few characters in Fate/Apocrypha with a genuinely tragic backstory. None of the other Masters here are as orthodox as you. Well, Amakusa is pretty orthodox too, but who told him to stir up so much trouble?"
Although Reika Rikudou didn't fully understand the latter part of Jiang You's explanation, she gathered that he was sympathizing with her. She had encountered clients like this before in her past life, but they had only offered empty words, clearly just trying to get her to work harder. This was the first time she had met someone like Jiang You, and she felt completely at a loss.
"Don't get so hung up on it."
Jiang You was in a hurry to move on to the next "scene." His main objective this time was Little Jack; Reika Rikudou was just an incidental target—the kind you help out if it's convenient.
"Don't even think about continuing in this Holy Grail War. There's been a... minor issue, and the conflict has escalated into a top-tier mythological battle—though it's still a one-sided slaughter. I won't forcibly separate you from Little Jack, but whether she's willing to come out is another matter entirely. If you truly have no plans for the future, I can offer you an alternative..."
Reika Rikudou pricked up her ears. After Little Jack left, she had indeed lost her sense of purpose. At this point, anything was fine with her. The worst-case scenario was simply returning to her old life of selling her body.
"Come with me and start a new life."
Jiang You felt that, given Reika's circumstances, starting fresh would be best—going to a place where no one knew her, where she could leave her past behind.
"That world should be much friendlier to you," Jiang You explained. "With your Holy Grail War experience, you'll naturally have an edge in Duels over ordinary people and Magi. Supporting yourself through Dueling won't be a problem at all. What do you say?"
Jiang You believed in the principle of "teaching a man to fish." Thanks to her connection with Little Jack and her role in dealing with the Yggdmillennia Mage Killer, Reika Rikudou could easily establish herself as an upper-mid-tier Duelist in Fuyuki.
"Duels... No, it's nothing. I'm fine with it."
As mentioned before, Reika was the type to go with the flow. She accepted Jiang You's offer without a second thought. The idea of "starting a new life" wasn't particularly appealing to her, but since Jiang You had shown her kindness, she saw no reason to refuse.
"Right, I forgot you don't know what Duels are. Let me explain..."
Jiang You slapped his forehead and quickly outlined the principles of Dueling. He even invited Reika to participate in a Duel Tournament. While he didn't have high expectations for her skill, making an appearance in the tournament would help her settle in. Powerful Duelists were still highly sought after in Fuyuki.
After seeing Reika Rikudou off, Jiang You glanced at the sky. It was still a long time until bedtime. Might as well finish Fate/Apocrypha today, he thought.
Here, the only one with any real strength is Karna. Next is Siegfried. But it's questionable whether the two of them together could even defeat Melusine. If Karna went all out, he might have a chance, but as a massive mana consumer, no ordinary Magus could sustain his expenditure. The outcome is already sealed.
"Let's wrap this up quickly and get back to hosting the Duel Tournament."
Jiang You stretched lazily. Just then, Melusine tugged at the corner of his sleeve.
"Don't forget what you promised me."
For some reason, Melusine's gaze was unfocused, as if she were embarrassed.
"Relax. When have I ever broken my word?"
Jiang You mentally affirmed that in over a million words of this story, he had always kept his promises—at most, he'd just mess around a bit.
-
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"Not having an Archer is rather inconvenient."
Semiramis monitored the movements of her dove familiars. While the doves covered a wider area, their accuracy was far inferior to the sharp vision and perception of an Archer-class Servant. Having sent all her Archers away earlier had left her stretched thin.
"I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you. The Black Faction's Assassin has disappeared, which has severely limited our reconnaissance capabilities. We're counting on you now."
Amakusa was on the rooftop with the Empress, getting some fresh air. After familiarizing the Black Faction with the layout of the Hanging Gardens, the Red and Black Factions had gone their separate ways. You couldn't expect two factions with a history of conflict to suddenly become inseparable.
"I can't sense Beast's magical power at all, nor Jeanne's," Semiramis reported, stroking the neck of a dove perched on her shoulder. "We're safe for now."
"In that case, you should rest for a bit," Amakusa said with a hint of concern.
Semiramis shook her head. "But they've already captured some of our people. This base must have been exposed. We can't let our guard down, or we won't be able to react in time."
"Then why not deploy your Noble Phantasm in advance? That would prevent us from being caught off guard, wouldn't it?"
"Maintaining the fortress consumes a significant amount of mana; I can't sustain it for long. Against an enemy like Beast, we can't afford to waste a single drop of ma—"
Semiramis stopped mid-sentence, realizing something was wrong. The voice wasn't Amakusa's, nor did it belong to any Master or Servant from either the Red or Black Factions.
She and Amakusa turned to see a black-haired young man who had appeared behind them at some unknown point.
"Hello, you two," Jiang You said, waving casually. "I've come to declare the end of the Holy Grail War. And while I'm at it, I'm here to stop your Salvation of Humanity Plan, Amakusa."