10

There goes sixty years of planning (Fate Apocrypha) by Shinji117

Chapter 10: Chapter 6 Day 3

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

I wake, well rested and ready for the day things really get started in this War. Exiting my room, I see Artoria calmly sitting at the dining table, drinking some tea. The first thing that draws my immediate attention, though, is how she's serving it to herself- she's entirely using her Shroud to do all that while remaining seated. Given she's had it for about two full days and only really been using it for less than a day, the fine control on display is impressive as hell. The second thing I notice is again how impossibly good she looks. I just stand there, basking in it all for a moment, before I shake myself out of it and speak up.

"'Morning. Did you sleep well?"

Artoria seems surprised by my appearance, which in turn surprises me a bit- I'd have thought she'd have heard me leave the room. Still, she recovers gracefully.

"Good morning, Master. I did- I even had a dream of sorts."

As she speaks, she uses her shroud-cape to pull out a chair for me. I smile, nod my head in thanks and sit.

"A dream? Like a Master-Servant dream?"

"Nothing of the sort. It was about my last moments."

That's…I'm not sure how to touch that.

"And this was a good sleep?"

Artoria understands what I mean, and course-corrects. "Not about the battle itself- I dreamt of a discussion with my past self, as Bedievere returned Excalibur to the lake."

I guess it might be some sort of 'coming-to-terms-with-past good dream? In any case-

"Right. So before going to bed, I made you this." With something of a flourish, I reveal the plush lion from behind my back. Artoria's eyes go wide as I hand it to her, and she examines it with smile on her face.

"Thank you very much, Master. I will treasure it."

I wait for a moment, but the examination doesn't seem like it'll be concluding naturally any time soon. It feels wrong to break her entrancement, but-

"So, we have two options for breakfast- we can put it off for now and wait until we meet up with Sieg, or I can make something that'll keep and eat our portions now and leave some for Sieg when he joins up."

The words snap Artoria out of it, and the lion is carefully placed on the table before she turns, very seriously, to face me.

"I would recommend the second- it would allow you to fully devote your attention to explaining the situation to all relevant parties, rather than having to split your attention between cooking and talking."

I try very hard to keep a smirk off my face while replying. "And is that your only reason?"

Artoria pauses, scrunches her face up (cutely) and then slowly lets out a breath. "I would also like to eat earlier rather than later, if possible."

"That's fine. It'll only be a minute- I assume you don't mind a relatively simple breakfast?"

Once she shakes her head, I'm off to the kitchen. Now, I can see the bread on the kitchen table and I know where the apples are, but where're the cheeses and berries?

-

After the breakfast of bread, fruit, and cheese, which Artoria gobbles up with her becoming-usual gusto, we exit the Pocket House into Trifas just as the sun begins to break the horizon. We're still in the same park we met Atalanta and Jeanne in, which was probably going to become our 'base', at least until we meet with Atalanta again. From the park, taking only a moment to stop by the car to pick up the map of Romania that had come with the car, we walk down the quiet streets of Trifas- the traps are again deactivated, but I can't imagine the people of the city are especially eager to get up early in the morning with all the dangers night-time poses. With how leaving the house too soon can result in a sudden transformation into a melted puddle, days probably start late in Trifas.

It's a short walk to one of the gates in the walls surrounding the city, and as we pass through, I note the grey-hair and red eyes of the man and woman standing watch nearby. I nod a greeting at them that they don't respond to at all, but given they're Yggdmillennian homunculi I didn't expect them to. Still no reason to be rude to them; Sieg's whole deal proves they can be people like anyone else, and it isn't like I'm in any danger at all from them even if they were hostile- I could literally just stand still and they couldn't hurt me.

Opening the map, I can see a village on the edge of Trifas that would right between the city and the Fortress of Millennia (if that appeared on the map), just on the outskirts of the forest surrounding the Fortress. That's where Jeanne should have delivered Sieg. I turn to Artoria, show her the route, and we head off.

-

As we draw closer to the house on the edge of the village, I feel that something is wrong. I'm not fully sure why, but Reinhard's instincts are blaring- not that there's danger, but just that something isn't right.

'Artoria, wait here. Something seems…off.'

Artoria doesn't reply, not verbally, but she comes to a halt and begins to scan the surrounding area- paying especially attention to the forest and, behind that, Black's base. In the meantime, I walk up to the old, wooden front door of the house. A knock on the door is answered by an old man.

"How can I help you this morning, Mr…?"

"Astrea. Mr Astrea. I was wondering if you'd met two of my friends recently- a young, thin boy with silver-brown hair and a woman with long blonde hair in a ponytail? I had planned on meeting them around here…"

He pauses to think, and instantly I know something's not right. Serge should have welcomed Sieg and Jeanne in just hours ago; there should be no need to try and recall them. Still, I continue just in case.

"They might have mentioned their names as Sieg and Jeanne?"

"...I can't say I have, not recently. Do you know when they might have come by? I could ask around-"

Shit.

"No, no that won't be necessary. I wouldn't want to bother you any more than I already have. I do appreciate the offer, though."

Serge nods and, as I turn away, softly closes the door behind me.

Ok. Ok, let's run this through. Could this be a continuity thing? In the anime, Jeanne and Sieg go straight here after Siegfried's death, but I remember than in the novel Sieg doesn't actually meet Jeanne right away. She only runs into him later, on her way back from investigating Black. Could they have somehow missed each other? I suppose it's possible. And what happened in the manga? I can't remember, but I think-

I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to find Artoria's calming face looking at mine. I give myself a quick mental shake to rerail my train of thought.

"Right. I guess we should begin by checking out the other houses here, just in case. And after...well, we could pay a visit to Black, or find Jeanne or look for Sieg on our own. We still have options."

-

Asking around leads to no new leads, only the knowledge that not everyone is as receptive of strangers as Serge, and some are pretty unhappy to be disturbed at this time of day to answer questions from strangers.

With that end dead, I guess it comes down to finding Black, Jeanne or Sieg personally. Black would be...easy enough to find- just walk through the forest towards Fortress Millennia and we'd find em alright. We might get answers, but I just had this feeling that our reception might be a little frosty. Or rather stake-y- Black definitely wouldn't appreciate us poking around so soon after the potential loss of their second strongest Servant.

Finding Jeanne would be a little trickier- she should be staying at the Trifas church, but she mightn't spend the day there- she might be off investigating Black and Red, or just taking the time to talk with Sieg somewhere canon didn't touch on. But wandering the forest near Yggdmillennia territory to find Sieg's trail is honestly just "Find Black" with extra steps- they wouldn't just sit there while I poked around the borders of their territory. That was the whole reason why I had intended to meet Jeanne and Sieg at Serge's rather than in Black's territory, where my pitch would certainly have been interrupted by Vlad and co, drawing Sieg into a fight he wouldn't have signed up for at that time.

And in any case even if I met with Black peacefully, already a longshot, there's no reason for them to tell me anything. Jeanne might not have all the details, but at the very least she'll probably answer my questions and not either refuse to answer or attack.

I draw a deep breath. "Artoria. Let's head back to Trifas. We need to talk to Ruler and see if she knows anything."

-

-Several hours ago, Night 2-

The true Ruler of Great Holy Grail war inspects the forest that had been the stage for the three most recent battles of the war and feels a burst of relief. As far as she could tell, the two skirmishes between Red and Black had had minimal collateral, contained to the point that only a few destroyed boulders and felled trees remained as evidence of the clashes.

In addition, after the strangeness of White it was good to see that the factions seemed to be operating traditionally, with Archers sniping from afar, Berserkers charging towards their foe with no heed to consequences and the Knight classes clashing on the front lines. No Masters had emerged to fight their own battles, though the Masters of Black had been present on the field but withdrawn far from the actual conflict. The Masters of Red could not be detected, but that was no surprise- even if what White had told her was not true, there would have been no benefit for the Masters of Red to attack alongside their Servants. That they were not within 10 kilometres of Trifas was a little more concerning, but still hardly solid proof.

Well, that wasn't entirely true; one Master and Servant of Red had been constantly within her detection radius. The Master and Saber of Red- the pair that, strangely, Reinhard had been both most positive towards but also provided the least information on.

Finally, there had also been a third engagement- a skirmish between the Saber of Black and Rider of Black that had been resolved quickly. It was so minor she might have missed it, were it not for the lingering traces of the expenditure of significant resources on the part of Black- the Master of each respective Servant had used a Command Seal during the conflict. Still, it seems both sides had left the scene relatively unscathed and had returned together to Black's fortress- a strange affair, but just one more thing to ask Black about.

As Jeanne relaxes, having pieced together what she could, she notices that her body, Laeticia's body, is sluggish. She's sleepy- something Servants do not normally feel. While the novelty of the urge is refreshing in its own way, it's still inconvenient. She had only found accommodations in the local church, with all three hotels of Trifas being at capacity, likely due to an influx of Clock Tower observers or Yggdmillennia supporters. The church had been gracious enough to host her, but she had had only hours to rest and a microwaved meal (that, a part of her brain treacherously thought, did not at all compare to the food she had had earlier that day) to warm her before she had been obliged to investigate the clashes that had occurred.

Still, despite her exhaustion, she must do her duty- her purpose was to officiate this War and enforce its rules, not indulge herself in her newfound existence. She takes a moment to rest against a nearby tree before turning towards Yggdmillennia's fortress. After how Saber of Black's Master had tried to invite her to meet the rest of Black, along with Reinhard's information she's relatively confident that Black will not attack her on sight like Red had attempted. Speaking with the Black Faction would allow Jeanne to investigate a number of Reinhard's claims, as well as get more details about the nature of this War.

Before that, however, there is one matter that should be addressed. A presence that had similarly been investigating the sites of conflict has now drawn close enough to hear her words.

"Feel free to approach me, Master and Saber of Red."

Behind her, Jeanne can feel a pause as if a breath had been drawn in, before two individuals emerge from the trees behind her. First is an armoured individual Jeanne can tell is Saber of Red, followed by a gruff-looking man with a scarred face, the Master. It was unfortunate that Saber of Red had a method of obscuring her True Name Discernment as, of all the Servants involved in this War, Reinhard had been least willing to provide information about Saber of Red. He had merely said that they were relatively trustworthy and not under the sway of the renegade Ruler. For some reason, it seemed that Saber of Red was one of the few things to make the 'White Faction' reticent, which itself had sparked Jeanne's interest. If they were trustworthy, why hold back about them specifically?

As Jeanne turns and faces the incoming pair, she can feel a slight hitch in the step of Saber of Red that the Servant is quick to cover up. Curious. Jeanne's attention is pulled away from Saber when the Master speaks.

"Out for a late-night stroll, Ruler?"

It's easy enough to tell that, despite the light tone, the question is a serious one, probing for information. However, there is no need to hide what she is doing, especially to someone who Reinhard had considered 'relatively trustworthy'.

"I am investigating the battles that took place here, and then plan to introduce myself to the Black Faction and ask them to provide some information about this War."

It's here that Saber of Red interjects, voice distorted by their helmet. "Have you met the White Faction yet?"

Again, there is no need to mislead. "Yes. I have met and talked with them. However, I guarantee that, as of our meeting, that man and his Servant are not officially part of this war. Fighting against them is not a requirement of this War."

Saber of Red seems to almost choke, and is clearly about to speak again when their Master steps in.

"For someone 'not officially part of this war', they seem to have fought Red well enough last night. How do you explain that, oh Ruler?"

Jeanne pauses, wondering how much she should say to the pair. "...There are a number of irregularities in this war that I'm investigating- which is why I aim to meet with the Black Faction."

As she says this, Jeanne again feels her body's exhaustion coming on, and she pinches the inner palm of her hand in an effort to keep herself awake. The act does not, unfortunately, escape the notice of Saber's Master- Saber is still, for whatever reason, too busy fuming over Jeanne's previous statement.

"You ok?"

"Just...tired."

The Master's face shows his surprise at Jeanne's answer. "I didn't know Servants could get sleepy. You get hungry also?"

"I can, but thankfully that is not a current concern. The Master of White was as excellent a cook as Saber boasted." The last sentence escapes Jeanne's mouth before she can stop herself; she truly must be tired to reveal personal, if useless, information even if about a non-participant. Her self-recriminations are cut off by the Saber before her.

"Ha. What would Arthur know about excellent cooking? He didn't bat an eye about food- eating anything no matter it's taste or texture. I guess if you share his taste then that makes you another one of those cold efficiency nutrients-over-flavour inhuman fools."

Wha- Jeanne quickly reviews everything she has said, hoping that she did not reveal the identity of White's Saber. Thankfully, it seems she wasn't that tired. Still, that was...rude. In the defence of White, and her own taste buds, Jeanne speaks up.

"Saber of Red, I believe you to be incorrect. Saber of White seemed a veritable gourmand, whose Master is a likely unmatched chef. Whatever you know of Saber of White clearly has come from a biased sou-"

Jeanne cuts herself off, as lighting begins to spark from Saber of Red's armour and Saber's gauntlet begins to clench tight- a sword seeming to teleport into the clenched gauntlet! Jeanne steps back instinctively, raising her flag in confusion when a suddenly panicked Master steps between Ruler and lightning-emitting Saber, both hands raised.

"Everyone just calm down, alright? We don't want to pick a fight with Ruler, not right on the edge of Black territory! Though Ruler, you should be more mindful of your words and not speak so confidently about stuff you don't know about."

With Saber still literally sparking in anger, Jeanne decides to accept the gesture and return it. "I apologize for my words. I suppose I had failed to consider that Saber of White was not focused on taste, and was instead merely complementing her Master's ability to provide nutrients and energy." Though she does not believe it to be likely.

While her words stop Saber of Red from outright attacking Ruler, the way Saber turns away from Ruler makes it clear that, from Saber's perspective, the conversation is over. Saber's Master, on the other hand, reaches into and takes something from one of his pockets and pauses a moment to open whatever it is and plucks something from it before offering it to Ruler.

"Sorry. I didn't know that question would cause all this. If you feel hunger and get tired, maybe this'll help."

Ruler takes the packet from the Master's scarred hand and raises it to her eyes. It seems like a metal tin of chocolate-coated coffee beans. She turns her attention towards the Master's other hand; he's holding one of the beans and, with a grin, eats it. While they obviously could still be poisoned, Jeanne does appreciate the gesture of good faith. Taking one bean herself, she inspects it and, finding nothing wrong. With her Revelation skill not warning her of any danger, she places it in her mouth and bites down. It doesn't do much, but merely having something to chew on helps a little.

"My thanks, Master of Red. Again, I apologize for my unwitting words."

There's a pause, as Jeanne decides whether or not her next words would be unwise or biased.

"As a final word of advice, I...would advise caution around the rest of the Red Faction, especially the Church's Overseer. There may be irregularities there as well, and while I haven't had the chance to investigate them fully, the evidence I have found suggests that you would do well to keep your distance, at least for now."

These words get a reaction from both members of Red, though Saber tries to play it off as just a random movement and continues to not acknowledge Ruler's existence. Their Master, however, rubs his beard and hums to himself softly.

"When I met the Overseer something did seem off. Thanks for the heads up; I'll keep that in mind."

Jeanne bows to him. "You're welcome, and thank you again for the gift."

And with that, the meeting comes to a close. Jeanne begins her trek towards Black's fortress, while the Red pair turn to return to Trifas, the Master deep in thought.

-

Jeanne could feel eyes on her the whole time she climbed the hill overlooking Trifas that the fortress was built on. Of course, the fact that Black has observers is no surprise at all- she had assumed that such precautions would be taken long before White had described the existence of Caster of Black's flying golems. As she reaches towards the knocker on the gate, it swings open before her touch and as she passes below the walls a slight numbness runs across her body- spells and defensive measures aimed at weakening trespassers even if they were Servants. It must have taken decades to erect the defences Jeanne could even feel, though thankfully, the defences were not active- it seemed that, at least for the Black Faction, Jeanne was not yet considered an unwelcome intruder.

On the other side of the entry stands a man significantly younger in body than in spirit, holding cane in hand. Jeanne begins her greeting.

"Greetings, Magus of Yggmillenia. My name is-"

"Jeanne d'Arc, mediator of this Grail War. It truly is an honor to meet the blessed holy maiden. I am Darnic Prestone Yggmillenia, and chief of the magi living in this castle. I welcome you, as a neutral mediator, to our castle."

Darnic follows through his speech with an overly exaggerated bow, all while crafting his expression into a polite smile. Jeanne nods, and replies- best to nip any beliefs about having her work with Black in the bud.

"Thank you for your welcome. I will state outright, as I said to the Master of Saber of Black, that I intend to remain neutral in this War."

Darnic's expression doesn't change.

"Of course, that is to be expected. I am sure that you do everything to ensure that this Great Holy Grail War is carried out fairly, with all proper procedures followed. In any case, I am not the one with whom you should speak. I may lead the Magi of Yggmillenia, but it is our Lord, the sovereign of Wallachia, Vlad III, who leads the Black Faction as a whole. Please, follow me."

Jeanne inclines her head and accepts Darnic's invitation. As she passes over the paved path leading towards the main building, she makes note of the multitude of homunculi occupying the fortress, just as White had said. Darnic seems to misinterpret her interest.

"We felt that, in the spirit of reducing the number of humans exposed to the dangers of the Grail War, homunculi would prove useful replacements."

The statement rings false to Jeanne's ears. In any case-

"Homunculi are living beings as much as anyone. They should not be considered lesser or more disposable simply due to their nature."

The curt reply seems to put Darnic out-of-step for a moment, but he gracefully recovers.

"I see the tales of your benevolence were not exaggerated, to consider artificial life forms also worth protecting. Still, I trust we have not violated any rules?"

…No, no Black had not. Given the factors and scale involved in this War, a support network and footsoldiers would always have been necessary, and that would have needed to have been made up of some group. By now, Jeanne and Darnic have reached the door to the main building of the fortress, on the other side of which Jeanne could detect the most of the Masters of Black, as well as several of the Servants- Archer, Caster, Berserker and Lancer are all present, while Saber and Rider of Black, as well as Berserker of Red, are deeper in the castle. Saber's Master also seems isolated, lying in a bed towards the top of the castle. The door opens and there, as expected, is the Lancer of Black, Vlad III, seated in a throne at the far end of the room.

Jeanne calmly steps towards the leader of Yggmillenia and introduces herself again.

"I am the mediator of this Great Holy Grail War, the Ruler Jeanne d'Arc."

"I am sure you know who I am. Now, what business does the mediator of the War have with us? I will admit to having a number of questions for you regarding the status of this War."

Jeanne doesn't visibly let out a sigh, but internally she does. Of course.

"I expect it concerns the 'White Faction', as it is known?"

"Indeed. The White Faction is significantly disruptive towards the proper running of this war and would surely be a matter of the greatest concern of a neutral mediator of the Great Holy Grail War. And yet witnesses have placed you traveling with and speaking with the White Faction, who were later spotted in the streets of Trifas, apparently uncensured."

"As I said to the Master of Saber of Black, the White Faction are not participants in the War. Their defeat is not required for either Black or Red to win this war, and neither Saber nor the Master of White have any connection to the Grail or the War itself. I spoke with them at length and have confirmed this. They may join the war in an official manner later, but as of now they are not participants who I possess the right to censure."

Vlad taps the armrest of his chair, clearly unhappy at Jeanne's words.

"The Black Faction finds that hard to believe given our own witnesses. Could you clarify what you mean?"

Jeanne pauses to consider if telling Black this information would be a breach of trust, but White had not been hiding it…

"The Master of White has made clear he does not desire the Grail and is not personally seeking it, and the same seems true of his Servant. As long as this is true, I do not believe conflict between 'White' and Black is inevitable."

Lancer scoffs. "What nonsense. What Servant lacks a Wish for the Grail?"

"I have none."

The response is lightning-fast and almost rocks Lancer backwards in his seat.

"None? I know of your last moments, the betrayal that led to your violent death. You say you have no wish? Impossible!"

"I have no wish. Others may say I should regret my last moments, that I should wish for revenge or salvation, but I do not. I have no regrets regarding my life, and I have no need to make a wish on the Holy Grail. My only desire is to make sure this Holy Grail War is conducted fairly."

Lancer is clearly forcing his voice to remain calm, but his eyes convey a wealth of emotions as he leans forwards towards Jeanne. "No regrets? Even after having been abandoned by God?"

"How could I have been abandoned by the Lord? The Lord has never and will never forsake a single person. The Lord may feel sorrow at the world and his people, at the suffering of mankind, but he would never turn his back on a single soul."

Lancer collapses backwards in his throne, the air almost sucked out from him. He lets out single, hollow, chuckle.

"It seems even our beliefs in the same God are incompatible."

Jeanne gives him a small, understanding smile.

"I am somewhat familiar with incompatible beliefs in God. It is only natural."

Lancer, still looking somewhat drained, looks at her.

"And you swear, on the name of the Lord, that the Master and Saber of White are similar? That they personally have no need of the Grail?"

"While it may change in the future, I swear that when I spoke to the ones you call the White Faction, neither had any personal desire for the Grail."

After Jeanne says this, Lancer straightens himself in his throne before speaking. "...Might I ask how the Servant was summoned to begin with, then? I had believed that an unfulfilled desire was a requirement for standard Servants to answer the call of the Grail."

"I am unsure of the mechanics behind it, but it seems the Master of White is supporting Saber of White directly, without having interacted at all with the Grail's system."

There's a stir in the Masters of Black. The statement is, on the face of it, absurd. While a first-class Magus might, might be able to support a pre-summoned Servant directly, the Servant would not be capable of fighting as a Servant, using their Skills and Noble Phantasms as freely as Saber of Black had indicated King Arthur had been able. And that was before getting into the mechanics of just summoning a Servant without interacting with the Grail. And yet, everyone also recalls the words of Saber of Black: "White's Master has some connection to dragons." A dragon might be able to call forth and support a Servant. And a dragon, reducing themselves to a human form, might be able to fight alongside a Servant. It was, just barely, possible. The idea that a Dragon would appear out of nowhere to intervene in the War seemed ludicrous on the face of it, but the White Faction was itself utterly ludicrous. And King Arthur did have a connection to dragons...

The mutterings of the Masters cut off when Lancer next speaks, words heavy.

"And what does White desire? They cannot simply be, like you, interested in ensuring 'the Holy Grail War is conducted fairly'; Their very presence is disruptive to this."

"From my discussion with them, the White Faction was aiming to eliminate or minimize threats to innocents, while ensuring Wishes made do not have unwanted and damaging side-effects. They also…" and here Jeanne pauses before continuing. "They also may be seeking a cause to fight for."

Vlad's eyebrow rises. "The summoner of the King of Knights is a mercenary? I had thought that only the master of Saber of Red was outright selling his talents, but I see I had too high an opinion of the modern world."

Jeanne shakes her head. "Not as a mercenary. While 'White' may have no wish of their own, they are willing to support wishes they feel would benefit the people of the world. It is a stance I personally disagree with, but that is their motive."

Vlad lets out a short, dark laugh. "Ah. The King of Knights and her Master are playing the parts of knight errant, arrogantly acting as if they have the right to judge the wishes of other Heroes. I fear that neither Black nor Red will have any Wish that will match whatever 'standards' White seeks."

Jeanne does not reply- she is not so sure, but that information would provoke Black further. White had made it fairly clear that they were considering supporting Archer of Red in her Wish, despite the deep and grave misgivings Ruler had on the matter. The dead should not lead or change the lives of the living, no matter the intended benevolence of those changes. The time of the dead was over, and it should be the right and responsibility of the living to manage their world.

"Very well then. Enough about White. The Black Faction has one final question of you as Ruler. Is Assassin of Black still alive, or have they been defeated?"

That's…a strange question. The Spirit Board Black possessed should have let them know of their Assassin's fate. In any case, there is no need to hide this information.

"Assassin of Black was eliminated early last night, before I met with your Master of Saber."

Vlad turns to Darnic, who nods as if to confirm Ruler's words, before returning his gaze to Ruler.

"Very well, I won't press you for information as to what occured- I doubt you would be able to bring yourself to answer in the first place. Dealing with imperfect information is a fact of warfare."

"Thank you for understanding. May I ask why you wanted to know of the fate of Assassin of Black? I had thought that Black possessed a Spirit Board capable of tracking Servant casualties."

Vlad nods his head to Darnic, who takes a small step forward from the other Masters to speak.

"The loss of Assassin of Black was indeed marked on our Spirit Board. However, other sources of information we possess indicate that Assassin of Black did not perish. We merely wished to make sure the Spirit Board was operating as intended, given the other irregularities of this War."

After saying this he steps back, leaving Ruler to consider what was said. What other source might Black trust on the level of the Spirit Board of the Grail-

Vlad's voice breaks into her thoughts. "In any case, why did you come here, Ruler? Surely not simply to answer our questions."

"To confirm- there were three struggles that occurred this evening, correct? A clash with Berserker of Red, a clash with Rider and Archer of Red and a clash between Saber and Rider of Black?"

"So, you even detected that last one. Yes, those did all occur. Berserker of Red attacked our land but was defeated and captured. Meanwhile Saber, Berserker and Archer fought off Archer and Rider of Red, who intended to support their Berserker."

"And the third?"

Vlad waves his hands, as if to dismiss the matter. "It was nothing. A homunculus caused a disagreement between Saber and Lancer. The homunculus responsible died during the fight, but the matter has been handled by myself and the relevant Masters- all involved have been instructed to behave more appropriately in the future. I cannot say that the matter was handled perfectly, but it has been handled."

Jeanne gives a slow nod. "I see. I'm not sure I would call a clash where two Command Seals were used 'nothing', but I suppose it does not matter. As homunculi are living beings, they may indeed be the cause of such an incident. I grieve that the homunculus was a casualty, but nothing seems out of order." And here her gaze sharpens.

"Was there anything else, Ruler? Or did you only come about the border skirmishes this evening?"

"Two more things- I am uneducated in the matters of magi, so I wish to ask the magi of Black for their opinion on a matter." Seeing Vlad incline his head in permission, she turns towards the Masters. "Have any of you heard of the term 'Quantum Time Locks' in regard to the operation of adjacent and parallel worlds?"

Jeanne's words cause a stir; this was clearly not a question the Masters had been expecting. Slowly, each of them shakes their head. The operation of parallel worlds seems outside all of their expertise. Seeing this, Jeanne's face falls- it had been a long shot, but having third-party support for White's various claims would have been... Ruler's obvious disappointment, however, prompts Darnic to again speak.

"I'm not sure why you are interested in that, but I do have contacts who might know more. As a gesture of the good faith of the Black Faction towards the mediator of this War, I would be willing to reach out to my contacts to see what they know on the topic."

Jeanne, taken aback, smiles and gives him a nod of gratitude. "I would greatly appreciate that. It may not be an urgent matter, but it has the potential to be vitally important to the outcome of this War, and so I would appreciate a reply as soon as possible. I'll be staying in the church in Trifas if you do manage to get the information."

Darnic gives a tight smile in return, before replying. "In exchange, might I know if you know why the Red Faction attempted to kill you last night? Does it have anything to do with these 'Quantum Time Locks'? Or does it relate to the existence of the White Faction?"

"...They are not directly related, but the information is tied to both the White and Red Factions. As for why the Red Faction attempted remove me, there is the potential that a sub-faction of Red is breaking the Rules of the War. I have yet to uncover evidence myself, but White provided me with anecdotal evidence of this."

Here, Vlad speaks up.

"I see. Darnic, see to it that you get this information as quickly as possible. We should make sure that if the Red Faction is breaking the rules of this War they are stopped as quickly as possible, with all the effort the true and honest participants can muster."

Jeanne does not miss the implications, that Black hopes that Black, Ruler herself and maybe even White will all unite to end the Red Faction, but if what Reinhard said was correct then there was nothing else to be done in the first place.

"Again, I would be grateful."

-

There is some more back and forth; the Black Faction fishing for more about White and Red, and Jeanne deflecting the questions that would touch on the identity of Servants and Masters. A number of questions about the War itself are fairer, and Jeanne takes it upon herself to relay what Archer of Red had not known regarding the requirements of crafting Wishes.

Finally, matters draw to a close, and Jeanne only has two truly pressing issues left to raise with Black. Best to address the matter directly.

"I have only two final questions for the Servants of Black. To begin with; Lancer of Black. Answer me honestly- do you ever intend to unleash your second Noble Phantasm upon this world."

Lancer's eyes flash in hatred, and this time Jeanne is forced to step back from the killing intent he unleashes. It is clear that if she speaks another word on the topic, she will have to fight him to the death.

"I am a ruler, and a protector of my people. I am not an unholy monster preying on the innocent! That Noble Phantasm is slander beyond words, and an unforgivable slight! I will never, not if it costs me my life, use it!"

Jeanne bows to Lancer, not as his retainer but in thanks, an act she prays conveys her gratitude and the intent behind her question. And another point to Master of White, for predicting Lancer of Black's attitude in this matter. All that leaves in one more point…

"As I leave, may I speak with Caster of Black on the final matter?"

Clearly irritated but seeming to have grasped the intent behind Jeanne's question and actions, Vlad waves his hand in acquiescence and dismissal. Caster slides forward on his spiked shoes and walks besides Ruler out of the hall's entrance. Half-way down the path, out of earshot of the other Servants of Black, Jeanne speaks.

"Caster of Black. What is your intent behind crafting your Noble Phantasm?"

A dry laugh emanates from his mask.

"I see. Well, you might say I simply wish to complete my unfinished work."

"And that is all?"

"That is all, Ruler. While you may not have regrets as you died, I am among the multitudes who suffered and died full of unaccomplished dreams. I wish to fulfill my dream from my time alive. No more, no less."

Jeanne stops, turns, and stares at Caster of Black. The faceless bronze mask stares back at her, unflinching and unemotive. Eventually, Jeanne breaks contact and resumes following the path out of the fortress. As the great gate of the fortress closes on her, Caster of Black can hear Jeanne murmur, softly.

"I pray that is the case."

Caster stands at the gate, gauntleted right hand tightly gripping the upper portion of his left arm. Eventually, silently, he turns and begins to return to the building he had left.

-

-Back in the Trifas catacombs-

Mordred kicks a rock into the wall of the mausoleum, narrowly missing a skull.

"That shitty Ruler, acting like she knows Father better than me! And what was that last bit, Master!? I can get why you wouldn't want to fight her then and there, but giving her a gift?"

Kairi, on the other hand, leans back on his sleeping bag with a content expression on his face.

"Hey, Saber. Why do you think Ruler got tired and hungry?"

Mordred, part-way through another kick, stops and thinks. "I'm not sure how Rulers work exactly. Maybe they're incarnated for the War- to save on mana supply or something?"

Kairi gives a smile. "I thought something like that also. And if Ruler has a body and can't transition to spirit form, that means she might be stuck carrying that tin around."

Mordred catches on quickly and gives a smirk.

"And you snuck something on that tin that'll let us track her, right? She might notice an attack or a poison, but simply tracking is a neutral action- after all she does that to us."

Kairi nods "Nothing active that could be detected, but the bottom of the tin has a rare bone fragment. I can find that wherever it goes, without having to interact with Ruler directly at all."

He closes his eyes in satisfaction before they open wide in shock as Mordred slaps him hard on the back.

"As expected of someone who acknowledged me as King! You aren't the type to let yourself grovel before a crappy Ruler without a reason!"

Notes:

Not much to say here. Decided to elaborate a bit on Jeanne's meeting with Black, given how as I mentioned in-thread the anime changed this and so didn't have Vlad and Jeanne trading their views on religion and so on.

As for what exactly happened between the end of last chapter and Jeanne's meeting with Black, the story probably won't be flashing back to that so brief rundown

a) Siegfried got paralyzed by the Seal

b) Sieg died with no heart transplant

c) Astolfo laid into Gordes- intentionally not enough to kill him (which'd take Siegfried with him), but it wasn't pretty

d) Thanks to Chiron letting his Master know and her letting everyone else know, the rest of Black got on-scene pretty fast

e) Celenike CS'd Astolfo into compliance and got him away from Gordes

f) Vlad ordered everyone back to the castle to cool down, under threat of stake.

g) Both Siegfried and Astolfo are very obviously in not-quite-open-rebellion-to-Black-but-fuck-listening-to-our-Masters

h) Darnic is actually mostly ok with this- it gives him two Servants more under his+Vlad's command than their Masters, and so goes along with it. Neither Master is happy, but outside of burning Seals they can't actually do anything about it, and burning Seals on that before Red gets here would get them even more on the shitlist of Black than they already are. Well, tbf Celenike isn't actually on Black's shitlist (as far as the rest of Black sees it, she burnt one of her own Seals to stop Black imploding so she's actually well-regarded atm), but she knows that wasting seals on that would be dumb, especially given her own Wish requires her to save as many Seals as she can till the very end so as to best literally-and-metaphorically fuck over Astolfo.