"Ah?"
Why are you jumping in to join the excitement!
Medea and Amakusa silently looked toward Iori, while Red Berserker smiled calmly.
"Since everyone is here, we might as well make things clear. My Master comes from Einzbern. If you understand the Holy Grail War well enough, you should know what goal they have always upheld."
"I'm simply acting to fulfill my Master's long-cherished wish. Right now, the Masters on both the Red and Black sides have been restrained."
"The only Master–Servant pairs still independent outside are me and Saber… So I'll boldly act as the representative of the independent Masters and sign a truce agreement with all of you."
"Sure! If that's the case, then there will no longer be any 'hostile forces' in this Holy Grail War. There's no need for bloody conflict anymore, we can resolve everything peacefully!" Amakusa Shirou looked extremely delighted, but he quickly thought of another question.
"Oh right, Miss Medea, what is your wish? I hope it won't conflict with ours."
"Uh…" The Witch of Betrayal froze.
There wasn't anything special about it, she had just been causing trouble together with her aunt, and Circe's reason was that she had been looked down on.
At this point, there was no way she could say something like that out loud anymore.
"It's to save all of humanity!"
Medea decisively chose the slogan that sounded more grand and noble.
What a coincidence? Everyone felt both amused and helpless, while serious expressions appeared on Iori and Amakusa's faces.
Amakusa Shirou nodded. "Then we share the same ideals. There's nothing for us to conflict over!"
"Exactly!" Iori's gaze was firm and a smile appeared on his face. "Let's walk forward hand in hand toward a beautiful tomorrow!"
"Saving all of humanity. As long as the three of us join forces, we'll definitely accomplish it." Medea nodded with a smile.
'…What the hell is going on?!'
King Arthur, Vlad III, Mordred, Achilles… the heroes of the Red and Black factions all stared with their eyes wide open.
Too many things had happened, and for a moment they couldn't react. First, everyone had fought desperately together to defeat Yamata no Orochi.
Then the Black Masters were schemed against by Medea and all fell into the hands of this Witch of Betrayal.
After that, the Red Masters ended up with almost the same treatment, and the mastermind behind it was this priest.
This should have been the sign that the Holy Grail War was escalating. With the number of Masters reduced, the will of the two factions should have become even more unified, and the ambitious ones should have fought each other more fiercely and ruthlessly.
But when everyone finally snapped back to their senses, they suddenly realized the two opposing forces had chosen reconciliation.
'The Holy Grail War....it's already over!'
"Wait, wait!"
Mordred raised her hand, looking a little stunned.
"What does this mean… Are you guys making peace?"
"Peace… There was never any real hatred between us to begin with. Besides, we share the same goal."
Amakusa Shirou looked toward Iori and Medea.
"Am I right, you two?"
"Of course!"
"Exactly!"
"Thinking about it carefully, why were we so ready to fight before? It's really strange." Iori spoke sincerely.
"As long as the three of us work together, there's no force in the current world that can stop us."
"Whether it's the Mage's Association or the Holy Church, if we want to use the Greater Grail to draw power from the ley lines, they'll definitely become obstacles."
"If we oppose each other, we might end up becoming their tools. But if we unite…"
"We'll practically be the strongest!" Medea seemed excited as well, losing the mysterious witch-like restraint she usually carried.
However, what they were truly thinking inside, only they themselves knew.
"Then it's settled?"
"It's settled. A truce!"
"I agree as well!"
And just like that, the three forces verbally signed a truce agreement and formed a new alliance.
They would cooperate to use the Greater Grail to draw power from the ley lines and save all of humanity.
Anyone who tried to stop them during this process would become the common enemy of more than ten Servants from the Red and Black factions.
The three of them chatted and laughed together, looking like people who regretted not meeting sooner.
Aside from the Red and Black Servants present, there was also a saintly girl whose expression was extremely complicated.
What exactly just happened....Jeanne's mind was in complete chaos.
She was clearly the Ruler, the supervisor of this Holy Grail War. Yet through this entire chain of major events, she hadn't even had a chance to speak.
'Wait, that's not right!'
If what these three were saying was true… the Holy Grail War had already ended. Then what was she supposed to do as the arbiter?
"Your actions will drain the Earth's ley lines! You want to save all of humanity? That ideal is far too grand and far too unrealistic."
"You cannot send all of humanity to heaven. In the end, you'll only turn this planet beneath our feet into a wasteland. So… I absolutely will not acknowledge your alliance!"
Jeanne declared sternly, "The Holy Grail War will continue!"
"Uh… are you planning to fight everyone here by yourself, Miss Jeanne?" Iori asked very seriously.
"…"
Jeanne's eyes instantly became clear.
"So, the Ruler just ran away in disgrace like that?"
"She didn't really have another choice."
Inside the inn room, Sella walked over carrying a silver tray. While brewing hot tea for Iori, she asked with a smile.
Iori stood by the window looking relaxed and cheerful, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.
"In that situation, Ruler's position was quite delicate."
"Putting aside how much of what Medea and Amakusa said was sincere and how much was nonsense meant to fool people, the two of them had already broken the rules in this Holy Grail War."
"They had no intention of competing for the Grail in the normal way and instead planned to end it through unusual methods."
"From their perspective, a Ruler who insists on maintaining balance and rules is obviously a complete nuisance. If they had the chance, they'd definitely want to eliminate her."
"Ruler probably realized that as well. So when the atmosphere started turning bad, she withdrew decisively… She still holds Command Seals that can target Servants, so with that deterrent in place no one tried to stop her."
"How tragic. The Ruler class was originally supposed to be feared by Masters and Servants, but now she's become an outsider being rejected." Sella shook her head, sighing that times had changed.
The emergency measures established by the Three Families for the Holy Grail War clearly weren't enough to deal with the complicated situation now.
"The ones who first broke that rule weren't the Einzberns themselves? Sixty years ago you already violated the rules by summoning Ruler, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada. What we're seeing now is partly your responsibility, isn't it?"
"…That's true." Sella scratched her cheek with her fingertip, looking a little embarrassed.
"But there's no point pursuing that responsibility now."
"Even if you wanted to, the Einzbern family doesn't exist anymore anyway."
Iori walked over and sat down, lifting the steaming white porcelain teacup and closing his eyes as he took a careful sip.
"Hmm… What should we do from here on, Master?"
"What aspect are you referring to?"
"Of course the Holy Grail War!"
Iori opened his eyes and calmly looked at Sella.
"I don't believe the Red and Black sides will truly remain peaceful with each other. After the modification of the Greater Grail is completed, what, everyone sits in a row and takes turns making wishes?"
"Impossible!"
The boy spoke with certainty, and not without reason. He was convinced Medea and Amakusa were not on the same side.
The dream of "saving all of humanity" was something Amakusa truly wished to fight for. But Medea was clearly just talking nonsense.
It was still unclear what that woman really wanted. From the original story, she didn't actually have many desires. Even though she carried the title of "witch," she was quite normal inside.
Well, within the Type-Moon system, compared with human magi she could even be considered a "good person."
Whether it was destroying the world or saving humanity, those grand topics had nothing to do with Medea.
Most of the time she preferred focusing on her own personal hobbies. If she fell in love, she would even turn into a virtuous wife and caring mother.
When she suddenly declared she had taken control of the Black Masters, Iori had been quite surprised.
Medea undoubtedly had the ability to do it. "Rule Breaker" was practically the perfect weapon against Masters.
But since she could already access the Greater Grail, with her magical skill fulfilling a personal wish through it would have been as easy as reaching into her pocket.
If there was no reason, there was no need for her to stir up trouble… so Iori suspected there was an unseen hand behind Medea.
Incidentally, his suspect was Red Caster.
Because he had already met most of the Servants on both sides, and none of them seemed capable of directing Medea. Only Red Caster was someone he had never seen before, hidden in the fog.
So when the three factions, Red, Black, and Iori, decided to temporarily stop fighting and wait for the Greater Grail's modification to be completed, he deliberately gave Atalanta a hint.
He hoped she would find a chance to meet him privately and exchange information.
As long as he could confirm Red Caster's identity, the reason behind Medea's sudden betrayal and her final goal would basically come to light.
"Even if the war isn't over, we probably can't change the situation, right?"
Sella frowned.
"Medea is a once-in-a-generation witch. With her magical talent, if she completely controls the Greater Grail, there's almost nothing in this world she couldn't do."
"The Black side may have lost two Servants on the surface, but the level of difficulty hasn't decreased."
"Once Medea fully transforms the Yggdmillennia castle into her personal workshop, it will be nearly impossible for anyone to take back the Greater Grail."
"Then we simply won't take it. Let's see what Medea and the others can actually accomplish." Iori looked completely unconcerned, which made Sella very curious.
"You don't seem to care about the outcome of this Holy Grail War."
"Because the goal has already been achieved." Iori smiled faintly.
"There's no need to keep risking our lives anymore. From now on we just watch and see what happens."
"The goal…" Sella didn't know exactly what Iori meant, but a smile appeared on the girl's face.
"That's true. Amakusa Shirou should be more anxious than we are. Let's see how he reacts first, then we can act."
After that, Iori said nothing more and simply drank his tea quietly. Sella also sat down, sipping tea while observing his movements.
After a while, Iori frowned slightly.
"What's wrong?"
"As a Master, isn't it normal to want to understand my Servant a little better?" Sella spoke lightly.
"You weren't the emotional type before. Between Master and Servant there's only a need to ensure their interests align. There's no need for deeper communication. That's the attitude a magus should have."
"That's true. But I have nothing else to do. I'm already tired of the scenery outside this window. Compared to that, observing you is much more interesting."
"You…" Iori showed an impatient look.
But on Sella's face he saw a kind of calmness, as if she had already transcended something. The mocking words he had been about to say only opened halfway before he closed his mouth again.
A pair of pure red eyes watched Iori, catching the subtle changes in his expression. Sella couldn't help but laugh softly.
"You seem to be in a very good mood, Master."
"Perhaps. I just confirmed something, so there's nothing left to worry about."
Sella's expression looked as if she had already achieved the final victory…
"If you find me annoying, then answer one question for me, Berserker."
"If you possessed 'infinite' power, what would you use it for? In other words… do you have any wish you want to fulfill?"
"What I want isn't a vague answer like 'world peace,' but a concrete, personal desire."
"That way of putting it is interesting. It's almost like if I say it, it will definitely come true."
"It will come true."
In Sella's red eyes appeared the reflection of the black-haired boy. For some reason she seemed unusually relaxed today. The stubbornness in her voice was gone, replaced with calmness and gentleness.
"I'll make it come true. I'll give that power to you."
"No."
Iori glanced at her, then looked out the window.
"If victory can be obtained effortlessly, then the existence of heroes loses its meaning. Do you understand, Master?"
"And there's one more thing…"
"What?"
"'Sacrifice' may be noble, but choosing it yourself and being forced to accept it are completely different."
"…"
———
"Shirou, are you really going to make peace with that woman?"
Inside the luxurious hall of silver, gold, and black, the empress Semiramis was questioning her Master.
"I don't believe someone called the 'Witch of Betrayal' would willingly share the Greater Grail with us."
"Hmm, I think so too. But given the situation at that time, there was no other way to end it."
Amakusa explained with some helplessness.
"Black Caster has already gained control of the entire faction. As a magus, she will definitely use the Greater Grail to construct a workshop beyond imagination, perhaps even a 'temple.'"
"Right now our Hanging Gardens are only at the foundation stage. The final sublimation ritual hasn't been performed yet to turn this 'vanity' into 'reality.' If we forced a battle now, we could only place our hopes on Lancer."
The Son of the Sun's combat ability is indeed outstanding, but expecting him to fight at full power while still being careful not to damage the Greater Grail would be asking too much."
"Even so, we should at least try. The Black Servants clearly haven't immediately submitted!"