I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

"Although I couldn't gain the allegiance of a ruler such as yourself, my castle still welcomes you. I hope you can stay here for a while and allow me to showcase the beauty of my nation," Vlad III said warmly.

It had to be admitted that Vlad III possessed exceptional charisma. It was no wonder that so many Servants of the Black Faction, proud heroes of their respective eras, willingly lowered their heads to follow his lead.

These were individuals who once stood as the brightest stars of their time, each bearing their own pride. Yet Vlad III, through sheer force of personality, managed to win them over one by one. That was perhaps the most remarkable feat of all.

"I plan to visit the Red Faction's headquarters later... but for today, I'd be happy to accept your hospitality," Artoria replied tactfully.

After rejecting his offer to form an alliance, it would seem a bit impolite to refuse another gesture of goodwill.

"You want to visit the Red Faction's base?" Vlad III appeared slightly surprised. Stroking his chin, he mused, "From what I know, the Red Faction doesn't seem to have a favorable attitude toward you, Ruler."

Vlad's words were understated. It wasn't a matter of being "unfavorable"—they had outright attacked her.

"Oh! I get it!" Astolfo, beaming with a smile sweeter than blooming flowers, guessed, "You're planning to get revenge, aren't you? Since they were so unreasonable as to attack you first, hitting back would totally be justified! Need my help? I can—uh—actually, never mind. I'm pretty weak. I'd probably just get in the way, heh!"

"Hmm… I'd wager it's more about uncovering the reason," Chiron suggested thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "The Red Faction suddenly attacking Ruler is highly unusual. I imagine Ruler wishes to personally meet them to understand their motives."

"But wouldn't that be very dangerous?" The girl in the wheelchair—Chiron's Master, Fiore—asked with concern. "No matter the Red Faction's reason for antagonizing Ruler, if you go to their base alone, you might face a one-against-seven situation."

"Exactly. Ruler, venturing alone into the Red Faction's base is far too risky," Darnic intervened. As the head of the Yggdmillennia family and the instigator of this Great Holy Grail War, his voice carried weight. Despite his dubious actions—cheating in the previous war to steal the Grail—it was hard to tell if his concern was genuine.

"Attacking the adjudicator of this Holy Grail War is undoubtedly a breach of the rules. All of us in the Black Faction are indignant about this. If you insist on going, we're willing to assist you."

Artoria studied Darnic intently, searching for cracks in his expression, but found none. His composure was impeccable.

Then, she withdrew her gaze and dropped a statement that stunned everyone present.

"I already have a general idea of why the Red Faction is hostile toward me."

The Master of Red Assassin—a white-haired priest—was not human at all, but a Servant.

What's more, he was the Ruler from the previous Holy Grail War: Amakusa Shirou Tokisada. Having obtained a physical body through incidental contact with the Grail, he had lived hidden among humanity for sixty years, reemerging in this Holy Grail War.

Amakusa Shirou Tokisada was a saint of Japan and the leader of the Shimabara Rebellion. Once, he had led the suffering farmers of Shimabara in a large-scale uprising.

Though his intentions were noble—seeking a better life for those who rallied around him—he had no way to change the brutal reality of his time and ultimately met a tragic end.

Having witnessed the horrors of war firsthand and seen 37,000 of his followers slaughtered by the shogunate's forces, Amakusa developed a desire to save all of humanity after his summoning.

The key to achieving this goal was none other than the "omnipotent wish-granting device," the Holy Grail.

However, Amakusa's plan wasn't as simple as directly wishing for "salvation for all humanity." After all, the Grail, though mighty as a magical construct of the Third Magic, Heaven's Feel, was not truly omnipotent. A wish like "saving all of humanity" was beyond its scope.

Amakusa's strategy was to use the Third Magic—Heaven's Feel, also known as Materialization of the Soul—to grant all humans immortal, ageless bodies.

No more death, no more illness, no more hunger. Amakusa believed that without these struggles, humanity would lose the impetus for conflict, leading to true world peace.

That said, Artoria didn't hold high hopes for his vision.

As the Master of Chaldea, her understanding of the world far exceeded most.

If Amakusa's wish were fulfilled and all of humanity underwent soul materialization, the world would likely evolve into a "pruned world," an Anomalous Singularity or Lostbelt—a timeline deemed unsustainable by the Counter Force.

Even Artoria had to admit that Amakusa Shirou Tokisada was a genuinely noble individual. Though not as powerful as many Servants, he was far more dangerous in her eyes.

Courage, determination, resolve, patience, strategy, ruthlessness—Amakusa Shirou possessed all the traits of someone capable of achieving great things.

Though he eventually lost to Sieg and Jeanne d'Arc, Artoria believed his failure was less about "plot armor" and more about the machinations of the Counter Force.

Her earlier conversation with Da Vinci had further confirmed her suspicions.

In this Holy Grail War, the Counter Force had arranged for another Ruler.

That Ruler was undoubtedly Jeanne d'Arc.

She hadn't been chosen by the Grail but had been assigned directly by the Counter Force.

Even the incident where Siegfried transferred his Saint Graph to Sieg was likely orchestrated by the Counter Force, though none of the parties involved were aware.

The more Artoria thought about it, the more it made sense. But without evidence, it remained speculation.

Ultimately, Artoria didn't concern herself too deeply with such matters.

Her role was clear: to serve as the Ruler of this Holy Grail War. Enforcing the rules was her duty, and everything else was irrelevant.

Whether it was sabotaging Amakusa's plans or frustrating the Counter Force's designs, she had no personal interest in either.

Honestly, she already considered herself someone with a rather detached personality, rarely invested in anything. Merging with the Saint Graph of Ruler Artoria had only exacerbated this tendency.

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