Let's get back to the point.
"What kind of person is Caster?" Shirou asked.
Kenshinnes was already that powerful. Caster's Servant had to be even stronger, right?
Hundred-Faced Hassan said, "Although I wasn't there at the time, according to observation reports from my other selves, Caster is a madman."
"...A madman?"
Hundred-Faced Hassan nodded. "He appeared alone in front of the Einzbern vehicle.
"When Saber got out and prepared to fight him, the man suddenly dropped to his knees and burst into tears."
Shirou: "?"
What are you trying to do to Saber, you bastard?
"And Caster said some very strange things, too."
Shirou asked, "What did he say?"
Hundred-Faced Hassan said, "He knelt before Saber, tugged at his own hair, and wailed as he called Saber Jeanne d'Arc."
Jeanne d'Arc? Saint Jeanne d'Arc?
It was rare for a name even an elementary schoolboy would know to show up, but what did that have to do with Saber?
"Caster called himself Gilles de Rais and claimed to be Saber's eternally loyal servant—
"'Oh, Holy Maiden! My Holy Maiden of Fate!
"To meet you here after crossing the ends of time and space must surely be a reunion ordained by fate...'"
"Uh, Shirou, are you all right? Why do you look so pale?" Assassin asked with concern.
"Then what did Saber say? She must have harshly rebuked that madman's behavior, right?"
"Mm. Saber said it was her first time meeting Caster and that she didn't know him at all..."
"It'd be a miracle if she did."
Shirou finally let out the breath he had been holding.
Caster really was a madman who liked spouting nonsense.
As for Jeanne d'Arc having a fanatic like him following her—
Shirou felt it was necessary to reevaluate the character and mental purity of the Saint of France.
Could she be some kind of terrifying madwoman too?
"What happened afterward?"
"Saber drove Caster away. No, it would be more accurate to say she let him go.
"Before leaving, Caster swore that the next time they met, he would free Saber's soul from God's curse."
Shirou narrowed his eyes. Saber's been latched onto by a troublesome man.
But... what had Caster used to conclude that Saber was Jeanne d'Arc?
Her appearance? Her bearing?
Shirou sensed something was wrong and frowned suspiciously.
It seemed he had to visit Einzbern Castle tonight and confirm things for himself.
"And then? You must have followed Caster, right?"
Assassin raised an eyebrow. "Who do you take me for? After Caster left, I followed him all the way to his base."
"Impressive."
"But... as expected of Caster's Servant, even I found it difficult to approach his workshop without being detected.
"Still, I managed to confirm its approximate location. I've surrounded the area and begun monitoring it. Everything Caster does outside the workshop is completely within my grasp."
Shirou frowned. "Did you identify Caster's Master?"
"Yes. A young man named 'Ryunosuke.'"
Just as I thought, Shirou mused.
"What does Caster usually do? Does he stay holed up in his workshop?"
Hundred-Faced Hassan was unsure how Shirou would react to what she was about to say. After a moment's thought, she decided to tell him the truth.
"Caster is extremely active. He travels all over Shinto and Miyama Town, constructing a city-scale Soul-Absorbing Barrier.
"You saw the news about the gas leak just now, didn't you? Fuyuki City has seen a large number of patients suffering from unexplained weakness, as well as people losing consciousness without warning. Quite a few of them are even in critical condition—
"That's all Caster's doing. Many people had their life force drained without restraint in their sleep. The Church is scrambling to deal with it."
Shirou frowned. Secretly draining the citizens' life force and converting it into magical energy... I considered doing the same before the war began.
After weighing it carefully, I abandoned the idea.
After all, with my third-rate magical abilities, it would be difficult to control the extent of the draining. I could easily end up killing someone.
Shirou asked, "Is Caster storing magical energy for the battles to come?"
Assassin's expression turned strange. "It doesn't seem so.
"Judging from Caster's muttering, he's drawing life force from the city... apparently to restore his Master's life."
In the darkness, a single candlestick illuminated Ryunosuke Uryu's deathly pale, corpse-like skin.
"Master... you're back..."
Ryunosuke Uryu sat quietly on the sofa and slowly turned his head like a machine. The scene looked straight out of a horror film.
"Oh, Ryunosuke! You look pretty good today! That's wonderful!"
Caster hurried over to the young man and gripped his stiff shoulders with his enormous palms.
"Listen to me, Ryunosuke! That hateful God is still binding Jeanne's soul and refusing to let it go!"
Gilles de Rais sprayed spittle as he rambled on, his expression brimming with madness and excitement.
Yet the Master listening to him had dull, vacant eyes and only occasionally swayed his head in response.
Ryunosuke Uryu had long since lost the ability to think as a human being. Naturally, he could not possibly understand Caster's words.
In fact, after he became a Corpse-person, the only time he retained even the last trace of intelligence was on the night he summoned Caster.
That night, the two of them hit it off at once because of their shared ideals. They were like old friends who had not seen each other in years.
Ryunosuke Uryu called Caster "Master" with admiration and treated him as a beloved and respected mentor.
Caster, delighted to have found someone who understood and shared his ideals, swore that he and Ryunosuke would claim the Holy Grail.
However—
That happiness lasted only one night.
When Caster excitedly went to see Ryunosuke the next morning, he found that the man had already become like a zombie, incapable of normal communication.
Oh! This must be God's curse!
Caster thought sorrowfully.
Damn you, God!
Was taking Jeanne from me not enough? Now you're trying to take away the last person who understands me!
He did not abandon the broken Ryunosuke. Instead, he brought him to a new magical workshop.
When Caster saw the Saintess of his destiny again, he immediately shared his joy at witnessing the miracle with Ryunosuke.
After Jeanne d'Arc coldly rejected him, Caster also told the young man of his anger and sorrow.
At the same time, Caster traveled throughout Fuyuki to restore Ryunosuke Uryu's health, constructing a massive Soul-Absorbing Barrier.
Unfortunately, no matter how much life force he siphoned and transferred to his Master, the Corpse-person would not come back to life. Instead, because of Caster's poor handling of the matter, he grew more and more foul-smelling by the day.
Volume One 054: Elementary Schoolchildren in Fuyuki Are Terrifying!
"Ryunosuke, my wish has been granted."
In the darkness, Caster murmured like a lamb confessing its sins.
"Because of my prayer, my Holy Grail, Jeanne has been resurrected— it was the omnipotent Holy Grail that chose me."
"That's wonderful, that's wonderful." Ryunosuke Uryu responded without a ripple of emotion.
"But it isn't enough! It's far from enough! The Holy Grail still hasn't chosen you."
Caster desperately clawed at his face.
"Oh, Ryunosuke, poor Ryunosuke! God stole the Holy Grail that should have belonged to you and tormented you into this state!
"But don't worry, Ryunosuke. I will never give up. I won't let God continue to toy with your soul!
"I, Gilles de Rais, swear that I will resurrect you just like Jeanne... Oh, right!"
Caster, who had been muttering to himself, suddenly widened his eyes.
"That's right! Jeanne! If the resurrected Holy Maiden... Jeanne will surely be able to heal you with her miracle!"
As Caster shook him forcefully, Ryunosuke's head bobbed forward.
"Yes, yes..."
"You think so too, don't you, Ryunosuke? Exactly! As expected of my comrade, we're thinking alike."
The joy on Caster's face lasted only a moment before he sank into anguish again.
"But Jeanne is still deceived by God... What can we possibly do to make her see reality and change her mind?"
"What should we do? What should we do..."
"What?"
The Black Magician stared at Ryunosuke in surprise. "You're saying we must intensify our blasphemy?
"Pile up mountains of sacrifices to blaspheme God and display them clearly before her eyes?"
Ryunosuke Uryu woodenly nodded, mumbling, "Yes, yes."
That's just a conditioned response by now, isn't it?
Caster, who had been acting like a manic patient moments earlier, suddenly calmed down. He bent over, held the young man by the shoulders, and smiled like an angel.
"I understand. Tonight, I'll go see the beautiful Holy Maiden."
"Good, good."
Ryunosuke Uryu mumbled with unfocused eyes.
On the outskirts of Miyama Town stood a magnificent, imposing ancient castle.
Fuyuki City's greatest urban legend: Einzbern Castle.
During the First Holy Grail War, the proud Einzbern refused to establish a base on the land of their enemy, the Tohsaka Family, and thus purchased this entire stretch of land near Fuyuki.
On the eve of the Third Holy Grail War, the homunculi went even further and airlifted an entire castle from Germany to Japan.
Simply tracing the history of this building offered a glimpse into the astonishing wealth and deep obsession of the homunculi.
After sixty years, the castle had once again welcomed its master and become the residence of Irisviel and her Servant.
"What is it, Irisviel?"
Saber noticed her Master's shoulders tremble slightly.
"There's an intruder."
Before you continue