Fate: I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice

Vlad held a grand banquet in the castle to celebrate the victors. 

Meanwhile, as the head of the Yggdmillennia Clan, Darnic quickly mobilized manpower to clean up the remnants of the battlefield outside the castle.

The ground was a mess of dragon-tooth warrior bones and broken bits of golems. But what really turned stomachs were the cut-up pieces of homunculi and their insides laid bare.

From a castle window, the scene was a haunting mix of a mountain of bodies and a flood of red.

Magi were used to stuff like this. It was almost second nature. But Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia was a bit different from the rest.

There he was, on the castle balcony, looking out at the gruesome sight, lost in thought.

"What's on your mind, Caules?" Shirou stepped out from the shadows, giving him a curious look.

"Eh?" Caules swung around, a bit surprised. He pointed to himself, "Huh, Assassin, you know me?"

Shirou smiled and nodded.

How could he not know?

In his world, they had interacted before, with Caules being Waver's apprentice. But in this parallel world, he was one of the Masters for the Yggdmillennia Clan.

Caules ran his fingers through his hair, a bit lost for words.

While he may have been a Yggdmillennia magus, he was much less gifted compared to his talented sister. Despite his mediocre abilities, the Holy Grail chose him to become a Master, though he wasn't too happy about it.

He was just your average magus, not really making waves in the Yggdmillennia clan. Mostly, he kept to himself, being on the shy side. However, when Assassin dropped his name out of the blue, it surprised him and had him scratching his head.

Shirou walked to the balcony railing, glancing at the gruesome sight below. "Are you worried about those homunculi?"

Caules took a moment, then slowly shook his head.

Did it affect him? Indeed, it did, to some extent. Those homunculi weren't mere dolls or expendable tools like dragon-tooth warriors. They were engineered to be close to human, sharing familiar appearances and genetic material. They were, in a sense, like offspring created by their hands. However, voicing such sentiments would suggest he lacked the mettle of a true magus, and he'd risk the scorn of the clan head and his sister.

"Excuse me," Caules gave a slight bow to him before making his exit.

Shirou watched his retreating figure silently.

He took one more look over the battlefield, thinking of heading out himself.

But just then, Jeanne approached from behind.

He smiled. "Has the banquet ended?"

She shook her head, "No, I left on my own. Lancer is a tolerant king, so he didn't mind."

He chuckled, saying, "That's the tricky part about dining with royalty. You can't simply leave as you please, and you must be considerate of the king's feelings."

He paused for a moment, letting his eyes drift to the view once more before turning back to Jeanne. "Seems like you needed some fresh air as well. I'll give you some space."

Shirou was on his way out when Jeanne's voice stopped him. "W-wait a moment, Assassin!"

He stopped and turned around, looking at her with a puzzled expression, "Is there something else?"

She took a deep breath, locking eyes with him. "Assassin, I need to ask you something."

Curious, he prompted, "Go on."

She hesitated briefly, then went straight to the point, "Are you the Arthur from the Throne of Heroes? The Eternal King that legends speak of?"

He simply nodded, "That would be me."

"Really? Is it really you?" There was a sparkle in Jeanne's eyes, and her face lit up like a kid meeting their hero, yet she didn't know what to say to him.

Because...

In Cornwall, she was burned at the stake in front of a statue of the faceless Eternal King.

"I'm sorry, I've wasted your time. I just don't know what to say right now," she apologized.

He smiled gently. "It's okay."

But his confusion deepened, prompting him to ask, "But why do Heroic Spirits in the Throne have this knowledge of me? The Throne of Heroes should transcend time and space. In my world, I just did what I thought was right, nothing that grand."

"You're being modest. You are the only one who has changed the course of Pan-Human History. It's not surprising for the Heroic Spirits to know about you. Moreover, what you did is far from insignificant. If it weren't for the sanitation system you created, the Black Plague alone would have killed countless people. And the smallpox vaccination technique you developed has saved billions of lives from smallpox so far... Ah, there's so much more; I can't even list them all," she said excitedly.

Shirou: "..."

He was at a loss for words.

Using future technology and being hailed as its founder?

Isn't this a bit too ridiculous?

He felt deep shame instead of pride because this wasn't the result of his own intelligence.

But it was hard for him to explain.

He could only sigh and say, "Please don't talk about these things anymore."

However, in Jeanne's eyes, this was a humble attitude. Despite making immense and extraordinary contributions to history and humanity, the king remained nonchalant and detached from fame and fortune.

Jeanne held her hands together, resembling a devout nun before an altar. "You're incredibly humble. Being with you makes me feel humbled too."

Shirou: "..."

He didn't know what Jeanne had been through.

Jeanne d'Arc was born in 1412. At that time, the Black Plague had ended just about fifty years earlier, but the scars and devastation it had left on the land and humanity were far from over.

However, because Shirou had established a comprehensive sanitation system and means of isolation in the 500s AD, many lives were saved. Moreover, smallpox was a deadly disease at the time. Thanks to the cowpox vaccination technique he left behind, countless lives were saved from around the 500s onwards.

Additionally, he left behind many precious agricultural techniques, which sustained countless lives.

And because of these widely circulated deeds, Jeanne admired Eternal King from a young age, and she even memorized some of the King's most classic sayings from these tales. However, embarrassingly, she ended up burned to a crisp in front of a faceless statue of the Eternal King.

Becoming a Heroic Spirit and being summoned as a Ruler by the Holy Grail, Jeanne thought she was lucky to have met someone from Arthurian Legend. However, when she encountered the idol she had admired in her lifetime, it left her both excited and bewildered.

Amazed by the fateful workings of the Holy Grail, she found herself floundering, struggling to find the right words.

"Uh, I... erm..." She was clearly flustered. Glancing down at her clothes, a sudden idea popped into her mind. She hastily ripped off a piece of her clothing and held it out to him. "Please, can you sign this for me?"

Shirou: "?"

Seeing her flushed face, he was completely baffled.

Medieval fangirl? 

What the heck?!

...

Sisigou Kairi made his way towards his base.

He had just spoken with Kotomine and found out about the Red faction's unsuccessful attempt to eliminate Assassin.

Given the situation, his Red Saber, the treacherous and cunning Servant who claimed to be "Galahad", probably had returned as well.

Although she seemed treacherous, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, she didn't give off a dangerous vibe. Instead, she provided a sense of security.

Clad in armor that hid her identity, her voice carried a distinctly feminine quality. She didn't have the typical posture or presence of a knight or a swordsman and seemed more like a schemer. She certainly didn't match the image of the classic Knights of the Round Table.

Thinking of legends associated with cunning and deception in British lore, one name quickly sprang to mind. The often portrayed as calculating and strict steward of Britain—Agravain.

But looking at the petite figure before him, there was no denying her femininity. After some thought, he could only come at one logical deduction.

"The witch, Morgan Le Fay?"

As he continued his walk, he considered the likelihood of this theory.

Was he mistaken? Legend painted her as the jealous sister, determined to claim King Arthur's throne for herself. She was often seen as the real culprit behind the downfall of Camelot—the witch, Morgan Le Fay.

Everything seemed to fit together.

Given her talent as a cunning strategist rather than a warrior, this mysterious figure seemed, at first impression, to be Morgan. Yet, he wasn't one to jump to conclusions without undeniable evidence.

As he descended into the underground, the distinct sound of water met his ears.

"Splash, splash!"

It was as if something—or someone—was playing with water.

Sisigou stopped, instinctively looked up, and couldn't help but be stunned.