"Allow me to personally escort you to my castle as a gesture of apology," Vlad III said with a slight cough.
"No worries, I've already been attacked by the Red faction anyway," Cyd replied, pressing down on Frankenstein's head to calm her down after ruffling her hair.
"Ahem, not investigating the truth was my mistake," Vlad admitted awkwardly. But with the pride of a king, he straightened his back and led Cyd towards his fortress. "Also... Saber, could you please restrain Berserker?"
Siegfried nodded, lifting Frankenstein up by her armpits, intending to carry her back just like that.
"Ugh! Ugh!" Frankenstein struggled in protest, but the strength difference between her and Siegfried was too great. Plus, Siegfried couldn't understand her words, so she was indeed carried back all the way.
"Wham!" Frankenstein angrily kicked Siegfried, causing him to bump into a dazed girl at the castle gate before rushing inside.
Siegfried remained unfazed. Any attack below B rank had no effect on him.
"Hmm? And you are...?" Vlad III narrowed his eyes at the girl standing at the gate. She was unmistakably a Servant. To avoid another misunderstanding, Vlad didn't attack immediately.
"She is the other Ruler of this Holy Grail War, Jeanne d'Arc," said Darnic, who emerged from the fortress, leaning on a cane. He bowed to Vlad. "Welcome back, my lord."
"I see... As a fellow follower of the Lord's word, I am pleased," Vlad III said, nodding in satisfaction.
"And because we both listen to the Lord's word, you should understand that I am committed to fairness and justice," Jeanne replied firmly, making Vlad III smile.
"And you are...?" Jeanne turned to Cyd, who didn't belong to either the Red or Black factions, making her the likely anomaly she was summoned to investigate.
"Me? I'm a Ruler summoned to maintain the fairness of this Holy Grail War. My true name is Cyd," Cyd said with a small smile. "Don't look at me with such suspicion. You should be able to see my stats."
Jeanne blinked. Indeed, she had already used her authority to check Cyd's information. Cyd was undoubtedly another Ruler summoned by the Holy Grail, just like her, but in a complete Servant form, unlike her own possession form.
"Let's discuss everything in the throne room. I am delighted to meet you both," Vlad III said, giving Cyd a mysterious smile. "There is a surprise for you here."
With that, Vlad III turned into his spiritual form and disappeared.
Siegfried nodded at Cyd and then also vanished into spirit form.
"Please follow me," Darnic said respectfully, leading Cyd and Jeanne towards the throne room.
"Are those homunculi?" Jeanne asked, frowning at the nearly identical servants with magical circuits.
"We aim to involve as few humans as possible in this Holy Grail War," Darnic replied quietly.
"Even homunculi are living beings," Jeanne said coldly.
She could imagine how these magi would treat these homunculi—as cannon fodder and batteries. The number of participants in a Holy Grail War should be limited to Servants and Masters, but Yggdmillennia had vastly expanded that number.
"Just as expected from a saint, caring even for artificial lives," Darnic sneered. "Are we breaking any of your rules?"
Darnic stole a glance at Cyd, the hero of pure white who rivaled Jeanne d'Arc in history.
"It's inhumane," Jeanne replied, her face tight.
"It doesn't matter," Cyd stretched lazily. "The rules of the Holy Grail War don't forbid using homunculi."
"How understanding, as expected of the pure white hero," Darnic said, opening the doors to the throne room for Cyd.
Jeanne tilted her head, sensing a stark difference in Darnic's attitude towards her and Cyd. Still, she followed Cyd into the throne room.
"Welcome," Vlad III greeted them, arms wide open. "First, I apologize for my previous actions, pure white hero."
"It's fine," Cyd waved it off.
"Now, Rulers, what brings you to my territory?" Vlad III asked, his expression growing serious.
"I came to check on the Black faction," Cyd glanced around the throne room, noting the absence of three Servants and one Master.
"So did I," Jeanne added.
"Oh? And what have you observed, pure white hero?" Vlad III asked with interest.
"Well, you're more harmonious than the Red faction," Cyd shrugged.
"You saw the red faction already?" Jeanne exclaimed, surprised that her fellow Ruler had completed their task while she was eating and praying.
"Yes," Cyd nodded.
"Shall we leave then?" Jeanne asked, blinking. She had only come to confirm Cyd's status, and now that it was done, she felt the urge to rest.
"Wait, pure white hero," Vlad III smiled. "There is a Servant you must meet. He should be... no, he is already here."
The doors to the throne room slowly opened, and Chiron entered, dragging a reluctant Astolfo and a fainted homunculus.
"Ah, as expected," Cyd sighed in relief, giving Chiron a joyful smile. "Teacher, I've returned victorious like I promised!"
"I always knew you would," Chiron said, looking at Cyd with a hint of sadness. Now that Cyd was a Servant, it meant...
"Hey! Archer, let me go! You promised to help me!" Astolfo wriggled in protest.
"Now that it's out in the open, I can't do anything," Chiron sighed, setting the homunculus down. Caster immediately ran over, cradling the homunculus and checking their condition.
"Why are there so many wounds? They're barely breathing," Caster muttered in annoyance.
"Who knew they would struggle so much," Chiron replied. The homunculus had surprisingly punched him when he first tried to capture them and had damaged themselves by overusing their magical circuits.
"It looks like I'll have to repair them first," Caster said, shaking his head as he carried the homunculus out of the throne room.
"What happened here?" Jeanne asked, frowning.
"Oh, our homunculus was kidnapped by Rider, and we just brought them back," Darnic explained casually.
"That's not true! That child wanted to live!" Astolfo yelled, struggling and shouting towards the homunculus. "Hey! You wanted to live, right? Tell them you want to live!"
"Ha, a homunculus saying such things? They don't even have that concept," Gordes, the creator of the homunculi, scoffed.
Chiron lowered his eyes.
"Save... me..."
Gordes' expression froze. He had heard it clearly—words he had never programmed into them.
"Save... me..."
The homunculus, who should have been unconscious, raised their head, their brown eyes full of a desperate desire to live.
"...what...how?"
Gordes was stunned. He had never thought of his creations as life forms. They had always carried out orders without emotion, disposing of their fallen comrades like trash. They were just living machines, but now...
He couldn't see this homunculus as a machine anymore, not with those eyes full of a will to live. Gordes turned away.
Jeanne instinctively stepped forward, giving Astolfo a glimmer of hope, but Vlad III narrowed his eyes.
"Remember, you are a Ruler. Your jurisdiction is the fairness of the Holy Grail War. Do not interfere unnecessarily."
Cyd's cold voice was like a chain-binding Jeanne.
"Remember your duty."