"A Ruler is a Servant summoned directly by the Holy Grail to oversee the fairness of the Grail War. Did the Grail not grant you this basic knowledge?" the blonde girl explained patiently to Shirou and Arthur.
"No, the Grail didn't provide me with any such information. Is there something problematic about me, Miss Ruler?" Arthur replied.
Arthur already knew something was deeply wrong—not with him as a Servant, but rather with his presence in this particular war.
Even without explicit knowledge from the Grail, his own combat experience allowed him to grasp that he wasn't supposed to be here at all.
This Holy Grail War was clearly between the Red and Black factions—seven Servants on each side, with the winner claiming the Grail.
Aside from the neutral adjudicator, the Ruler, Arthur himself was obviously an extra Servant who didn't belong.
He had plenty of questions himself, but lacked answers. Perhaps only by winning the Grail would he discover the truth.
But now that the professional in charge had arrived, he hoped she'd clarify the situation and dispel his doubts.
Not that Arthur would willingly leave the war even if asked.
"There's no need to call me Miss Ruler. Please, just call me Jeanne. It's an honor to meet you, King Arthur," Jeanne said, expressing her respect. Even though his summoning might have been irregular, it wasn't Arthur's fault. As long as he cooperated, she'd continue to treat him fairly.
Still, Jeanne didn't quite understand why she'd reacted so harshly upon hearing Arthur's true name, even going so far as to openly confront him.
If she'd met a short-tempered Servant like Achilles or Cú Chulainn instead, they'd have surely attacked her without hesitation.
Thankfully, Arthur was calm by nature, rarely resorting to violence unless absolutely necessary.
Jeanne sighed inwardly.
Perhaps it had something to do with her own experiences during the Hundred Years' War. Even the legendary King Arthur couldn't fully escape the subtle hostility she harbored deep in her heart.
"Jeanne… the Saint of France, correct?" Arthur asked, recognizing the name.
The Grail had given him basic knowledge of world history, and he knew who Jeanne d'Arc was.
"I apologize—" Arthur began instinctively. Knowing now that she was France's revered saint, he immediately understood why she'd shown him such hostility earlier.
"No, I'm the one who should apologize," Jeanne replied earnestly. "I'm here as Ruler, yet I allowed personal feelings to cloud my judgment—"
She felt genuine regret. Arthur hadn't even lived during the Hundred Years' War, yet she'd reflexively treated him with suspicion simply because he was English.
It was only now, when seeking answers, that she realized how aggressively she'd approached him earlier, and a wave of guilt rose in her heart.
Jeanne clasped her hands together tightly, standing silently in front of Shirou and Arthur as if sensing something.
"Huh?"
"What's wrong, Ruler?" Shirou asked.
He found calling Servants directly by their class names more comfortable. Addressing legendary heroes casually by their true names felt disrespectful; he wasn't their peer, after all. Thus, calling her "Ruler" seemed natural enough.
"No, it's nothing. The Lord hasn't provided me with any revelation regarding you."
Jeanne eyed the two suspiciously. It would be untrue to say her Revelation had outright failed, but strangely enough, her divine guidance insisted that the main irregularity in this war lay solely within the Red faction. It made no mention of this Saber and Master in front of her.
As if Arthur's presence was actually permitted—somehow fitting neatly within the Grail's design.
"The Lord?" Shirou echoed curiously, briefly puzzled. Did she mean the Christian God? Then again, Jeanne was historically Catholic, so it made sense she'd use such terminology.
"Miss Jeanne, have you determined our current situation yet?" Arthur asked politely, not overly concerned with formality.
"Please, wait a moment."
Standing in the middle of the street, Jeanne closed her eyes, carefully examining the [Command Spells] upon her body.
If Arthur and Shirou weren't considered irregular, she should have exactly [30 Command Spells]—not 28.
"Thirty-two…?"
Jeanne's eyes snapped open in surprise. Not only was it not 28, she actually had two extra.
That could mean only one thing: besides Arthur, there was yet another Servant she'd not yet encountered.
"Then the numbers add up after all," Jeanne murmured to herself.
She wasn't referring to the [Command Spells] themselves, but rather the Servant count.
If the total [Command Spells] were truly just thirty, Jeanne would have faced a serious dilemma in maintaining balance. Originally a 7-versus-7 battle, one extra Servant would skew things to 8-versus-7—clearly a violation she couldn't ignore.
But having [32Command Spells] indicated there were actually two additional Servants besides the original fourteen. That meant an 8-versus-8 scenario, preserving fairness.
Jeanne didn't quite understand why these two extra Servants weren't affiliated with either faction, but she decided not to dwell on it too much.
Truthfully, she also had no idea why the Grail hadn't assigned these two new Servants to either side to formally establish an 8-versus-8 arrangement.
Still, that decision rested entirely with the Grail itself, so Jeanne ultimately gave up trying to rationalize it further.
Shirou and Arthur could only watch in confusion as Jeanne stood there silently—frowning, murmuring to herself, and closing her eyes repeatedly. Neither of them knew exactly what to say or do.
"I'm sorry for doubting you. You haven't violated—"
Before she could finish, Jeanne suddenly crumpled to the ground. Her body shimmered briefly, shifting slightly—primarily in height—though otherwise, she looked mostly unchanged.
If anything, the only significant difference Shirou and Arthur noticed was in her presence, which felt noticeably weaker.
Arthur stepped forward quickly to check on Jeanne, but before he could say anything, a loud growl erupted from her stomach:
Grrrr—
Realization struck both Shirou and Arthur simultaneously.
"She fainted from hunger?" Shirou asked, somewhat surprised. It wasn't strange to him personally, though he certainly hadn't expected a Servant to collapse from hunger.
Arthur, however, frowned deeply. Servants had no need to eat at all.
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T/N: NO WAY NOOOOOO FUCKING WAY DID ESDEATH JUMP IN AFTER SHIROU??? IS SHE A MASTER? GET YOURSELF TOGETHER WISE! DONT GET AHEAD OF YOURSELF