"Shirou-nii-san, aren't you going to keep watching?" Little Hassan asked, turning back.
Shirou's expression turned serious. "I need to discuss something important with Assassin-nee-san. I'll watch with you another time."
Hassan of the Hundred Faces: …Where did that half-hearted attitude from earlier go?
Then she began recounting the strange events from the previous night.
After the battle at the warehouse district, while she was being carried back to the hotel by Shirou, the Assassins had been ordered to track Irisviel after she left.
On the national highway on the way back to their base, they encountered Caster, who had not appeared until then.
"Caster?"
Shirou's heart skipped a beat. Including Lady Avalon, all seven Servants were now accounted for. The final Servant really was Caster.
Which also meant that the one who attacked Assassin-nee-san last night and targeted him from the darkness was neither one of the seven Servants nor one of the seven Magus.
That person…
Shirou took a sharp breath, an inexplicable excitement rising in his chest.
Back to the main topic.
"What kind of person is Caster?" Shirou asked.
If Kayneth was that powerful, then Caster's Servant should be even more formidable.
Hassan of the Hundred Faces replied, "Although I wasn't there personally, according to the reports from the other 'me's,' Caster is a madman."
"…A madman?"
She nodded.
"He appeared alone in front of the Einzbern vehicle.
Just as Saber stepped out and prepared to fight him, he suddenly dropped to his knees and began crying uncontrollably."
Shirou: "?"
What exactly were you trying to do to Saber?
"And Caster said some very strange things."
"What did he say?"
"He knelt before Saber, clutching his hair and crying as he called her Jeanne."
Jeanne? As in Jeanne d'Arc?
It was rare to hear a name even elementary school kids knew, but what did that have to do with Saber?
"Caster claimed his name was Gilles de Rais, Saber's eternally loyal servant.
'Oh, oh, Holy Maiden! The Holy Maiden of my destiny!
To meet you here, having crossed the ends of time and space, must surely be a reunion decreed by fate…'
Um, Shirou, are you alright? You look terrible," Assassin-nee-san asked with concern.
"And then? What did Saber say? She must have shut that madman down immediately, right?"
"Yes. Saber said it was her first time meeting Caster and that she had no idea who he was."
"As if she would."
Shirou finally let out the breath he had been holding.
Caster really was just a deranged lunatic.
As for Jeanne d'Arc, who apparently had a follower like that…
Shirou felt he might need to reassess the character and moral integrity of the saint of France.
Could she be some kind of dangerous madwoman too?
"What happened next?"
"Saber drove Caster away… or rather, let him go.
Before leaving, Caster swore that the next time they met, he would free Saber's soul from God's curse."
Shirou narrowed his eyes.
Saber had gotten herself tangled up with a troublesome opponent.
But… on what basis did Caster conclude that Saber was Jeanne?
Her appearance? Her aura?
Something about it felt off, and Shirou frowned thoughtfully.
Looks like I'll have to visit Einzbern Castle tonight and confirm things myself.
"And after that, you followed Caster, right?"
Assassin-nee-san raised an eyebrow. "Who do you think I am? After Caster left, 'I' tracked him all the way back to his base."
"Impressive."
"But… as expected of Caster's Servant, even 'I' would have a hard time approaching his Magical Workshop without being detected.
Still, I managed to confirm its approximate location. The area is now under surveillance, and every move Caster makes outside his workshop is completely under 'my' watch."
Shirou frowned. "Did you identify Caster's Master?"
"Yes. A young man named Ryuunosuke."
Just as I thought, Shirou noted inwardly.
"What does Caster usually do? Does he just stay in his workshop?"
Hassan of the Hundred Faces hesitated, unsure how Shirou would react, but after a brief pause, she told him the truth.
"Caster is extremely active. He moves between Shinto and Miyama Town, constructing a city-wide soul-draining barrier.
You saw the news report about the gas leaks just now, right? There have been numerous cases across Fuyuki of people suddenly collapsing with unexplained weakness, many of them even on the brink of death.
That is Caster's doing. He is draining people's life force without restraint while they sleep. The Church is already overwhelmed trying to deal with it."
Shirou frowned.
Draining civilians' life force in secret and converting it into Mana… he had considered that option before the war began.
But after weighing it carefully, he abandoned the idea.
With his mediocre magecraft, controlling the extent of the drain would be difficult. It could easily result in deaths.
"Is Caster storing Mana for future battles?" Shirou asked.
Assassin-nee-san's expression turned strange.
"It does not seem that way.
From what Caster has been muttering, he is drawing life force from the city… to save his Master's life."
...
In the dim light, a single candlestick illuminated Ryuunosuke Uryuu's ashen, corpse-like skin.
"Master… you're back…"
Seated quietly on the sofa, Ryuunosuke Uryuu slowly turned his head like a machine, the scene resembling something straight out of a horror film.
"Oh, Ryuunosuke! You look much better today! Wonderful!"
Caster strode over and grasped the young man's stiff shoulders with both hands.
"Listen to me, Ryuunosuke! That accursed god is still binding Jeanne's soul even now!"
Gilles de Rais spoke in a frenzy, his words tumbling out nonstop, his face filled with madness and excitement.
Yet the Master listening to him had dull, unfocused eyes, only occasionally nodding in response.
Ryuunosuke Uryuu had long since lost the ability to think like a human. Naturally, he could not understand Caster's words.
In truth, the only time he retained even a trace of awareness after becoming a corpse was the very night he summoned Caster.
That night, Master and Servant immediately connected over their shared ideals, like old friends reunited after a long time apart.
Ryuunosuke Uryuu reverently called Caster "Master," treating him as a respected mentor in life.
Caster, delighted to have found someone who truly understood him, swore that the two of them would obtain the Holy Grail together.
However...
That happiness lasted only a single night.
The next morning, when Caster eagerly went to see Ryuunosuke Uryuu, he found that the young man had already become like a zombie, incapable of normal communication.
Oh! This must be the gods' curse!
Caster thought in grief and fury.
Damn those gods!
Was it not enough that they took Jeanne from me? Now they would take away my last kindred spirit as well!
He did not abandon the broken Ryuunosuke Uryuu. Instead, he brought him to a new Magical Workshop.
When he once again encountered the saint of his destiny, Caster immediately shared the joy of witnessing a miracle with Ryuunosuke.
After being coldly rejected by Jeanne, Caster also poured out his anger and sorrow to the young man.
At the same time, in order to restore Ryuunosuke Uryuu, Caster ran all over Fuyuki, constructing a massive soul-draining barrier.
Unfortunately, no matter how much life force he siphoned and transferred to his Master, a corpse could not be brought back to life. Instead, due to his crude methods, the body only grew more putrid with each passing day.