"Ahhh?!"
Suddenly hearing Souya utter such ambiguous words, Jeanne's mind momentarily short-circuited.
"What did you say... because of me?"
A blush involuntarily rose to her cheeks, but similarly, Jeanne did not understand the meaning behind Souya's words.
Because of what? Why do you think, Jeanne the biased Ruler?
All of this was, of course, to stop you from doing something stupid and acting like a lovesick fool over a homunculus who inexplicably awakened his own consciousness, and then blatantly acting as a biased referee in the name of fairness, you idiot.
Looking at Jeanne's blank, adorkable expression, Souya could not help but roast her internally.
Of course, it was impossible to say such seemingly nonsensical words to Jeanne's face. After pondering for a moment, Souya answered in a different way.
"Miss Jeanne, let me ask you: If I had not appeared here, if I had not brought Kriemhild to stop Siegfried's actions, what do you think the scene would have looked like?"
"What would it have looked like..."
Jeanne instinctively followed Souya's words and imagined that scenario.
It would be nothing more than Siegfried trading his life to transplant his heart into Sieg, thereby allowing Sieg to survive.
And based on her own thoughts and actions earlier... she probably would have just sat by and watched it happen.
Thinking this, Jeanne voiced her conclusion.
Souya merely replied flatly.
"And then what?"
Hearing this question, Jeanne froze.
In that short amount of time, she had not considered the subsequent developments or plans at all. Only now, under Souya's reminder, did she seem to realize something.
"Let me tell you what would happen next."
Souya clearly did not give her a chance to think or defend herself. He spoke directly.
"After that, although Sieg would survive, the Black Saber would lose his life, becoming the first Servant to exit this war."
"Then, regardless of the reason, the Black Faction's Masters and Servants would definitely demand the return of Sieg—who inherited Siegfried's heart—and the Black Rider, who committed the offense. As for their fate, it is self-evident. And what would you do?"
"Undoubtedly, whether out of respect for the outcome of Siegfried's sacrifice or pity for Sieg, with your kindness, you would definitely speak up and protect Sieg, correct?"
Souya's blue eyes stared straight at Jeanne. As expected, in those violet eyes, he saw a trace of shock and complexity.
"How did you know..."
Instinctively inserting herself into the scenario Souya described, Jeanne felt astonished and her heart grew heavy.
Because Souya was absolutely right. Regardless of the purpose, in that situation, she indeed would have defied the Black Faction's demands and protected Sieg.
This feeling of being completely seen through made Jeanne feel somewhat shy, but also a bit lost.
She still did not realize what Souya was trying to convey, nor did she understand why he made such a deduction.
But Souya's next words made it clear to her.
"Then let me ask you again, Jeanne. Suppose you successfully protected Sieg. Setting aside whether this is fair to the Black Faction or not, what if Sieg later decided to return to Trifas to participate in the Holy Grail War for some reason, such as Rider? What would you do then?"
"Would you treat him as a normal Master or Servant, or would you maintain your previous mindset and shelter—even favor—him? Answer me, Miss Jeanne."
The topic was now initially clear. Souya crossed his arms and leaned against a tree trunk. The night wind blew through the leaves, lifting his black hair and disturbing Jeanne's reflection in his eyes.
"...He has already gained his life and freedom. He has no reason to return."
Facing Souya's questioning, Jeanne remained silent for a moment before stubbornly holding her ground.
She had completely followed Souya's words into that hypothetical parallel world.
Realizing that if things developed that way, she would very likely become an unfair presence disrupting the war—or even a biased referee—due to a promise or her own kindness, Jeanne fell into silence.
But even so, she could not deny her own kindness.
Everything he said was merely a hypothesis. Now that Sieg had left and Siegfried was alive, all of this would only ever remain a hypothesis.
Holding onto this almost self-comforting thought, Jeanne ultimately gave that answer.
But Souya clearly did not agree.
Listening to Jeanne's words, a trace of disappointment appeared in his eyes.
Souya did not know if the Jeanne before him could be considered the true her. Was her mind affected by Higashide's plot, or was it due to the influence of Laetitia, the innocent young girl she possessed?
Regardless, the current Jeanne was too disappointing.
She looked nothing like the Saintess Jeanne d'Arc who, in the final chapter of FGO Part 1, said, "I do not fight for justice, but to clear a path for my contractor." Instead, she looked more like an unfair referee violating her duties in the name of goodness.
And could someone like her truly answer Souya's question of "what is a Saint"?
"You are too kind, Jeanne."
As if detecting the disappointment in his eyes, the blonde Saintess looked at Souya's eyes with unease.
Souya continued speaking.
"Someone as kind as you is not suited to be a Ruler. You are not suited to be the referee of this war."
Ignoring the girl's expression, which looked as if she had been struck by lightning, Souya spoke calmly.
"Everything I have told you and done for you was merely to ensure you would not be influenced by emotions and events that should not exist, affecting what you ought to do as a referee and a Saintess."
"I naturally know of your kindness, and I do not want you to abandon your bottom line because of the so-called Holy Grail War. If you did, even if you gave me the final answer, it would hold no meaning for me."
"But after our conversation just now, you have changed my view of you, Miss Jeanne."
"You completely fail to realize what your decisions will bring. For this abnormal Holy Grail War, your kindness is the greatest abnormality. Perhaps you are fair and friendly to Sieg, but what about the Black Faction?"
"Because of a homunculus who was supposed to be thrown into battle and utilized, they lost Saber, their strongest combat asset. For them, who are fighting the Red Faction, is this fair?"
"Or, suppose I did not save Sieg and let him die. Would you, now knowing that homunculi also possess consciousness, go to the Black Faction and force them to liberate all homunculi?"
Souya instinctively looked in a certain direction.
It was the direction of the Millennia Fortress. Prompted by Morgan, who was standing guard in the distance, Souya knew the Black Faction's Servants and Masters were heading this way.
Time was running short.
Thinking this, Souya sighed.
He was truly something else. Despite being part of the Red Faction, enemies with the Black Faction, he went against his own principles to save Sieg just to make Jeanne act normal and prevent her from becoming the biased referee from the original story.
He had not expected the village girl's inherent mindset to be problematic.
Ultimately, he still did not take this war seriously. Victory or defeat, wishes and desires—they held no meaning for him, whose wish had already been fulfilled.
His purpose in finding Jeanne was solely due to God's reminder, and because he did not want to see the original story unfold.
As things stood, it seemed he would not find the answer to what a Saint was from Jeanne.
Looking at the blonde girl standing before him with her head lowered due to his words, looking like a student being reprimanded by a teacher, Souya's expression was somewhat helpless.
Should he say that a Saintess is indeed a Saintess? In terms of kindness, she was far better than him, a guy who adopted the faith halfway through and wanted to become a Saint.
Just as he said, Jeanne was too kind.
Kind enough to forgive the French compatriots who sold her to the English army even while burning to death. Kind enough to instinctively offer help when a strange homunculus pleaded with her. Kind enough to bear it when seeing a life fade away before her eyes. Kind enough that, even knowing her duty as Ruler clearly, she still could not resist interfering in matters she should not touch.
Amakusa had probably learned from God early on that Ruler was Jeanne, which was why he was so decisive in wanting to eliminate her.
An overly kind Saintess with a Spartan personality was indeed a hindrance to Amakusa.
As for the so-called rules... what rules could a Holy Grail War possibly have? As long as ordinary people did not see them or get affected by them, there was no such thing as breaking the rules.
It was precisely because of this that Jeanne's performance in the original work was called a biased referee, and why people's affection for her turned into comments calling her "absurd."
As for now...
He did not want to become a pushover like Jeanne, commonly known as a bleeding heart.
Even if he were to become a Saint, Souya would only save the people he felt deserved saving. Selfish or criticized, it didn't matter. He was in the Nasuverse now; what was wrong with being a different kind of Saint?
And as for Sieg.
He would just treat it as a failed plan. Anyway, without Siegfried's heart, Sieg only had three years to live. He had neither the reason nor the strength to return to Trifas.
Regarding this protagonist whom he did not like, Souya could only say saving him was compensation for kicking him out of the plot. Whether he lived or died in the future, Souya would not care.
Having decided this, Souya prepared to leave. Even though he now possessed Lamorak's power, he was not arrogant or foolish enough to fight the entire Black Faction alone. Furthermore, barring any accidents, the incident involving the Black Assassin—Jack the Ripper—was about to occur.
Because he had a good impression of the city of Sighisoara, and since he already knew of the murderer's arrival, Souya planned to resolve this problem early.
It would also prevent Atalante's potential rampage.
Even now, while sane, she grew furious upon seeing him. If she turned into the mad Atalante Alter, she would probably jump on him and bite him.
Thinking this, Souya took one last deep look at Jeanne, who had her head lowered and was lost in thought, and then began to walk away.
Right at this moment, as if noticing his movement, Jeanne abruptly lifted her head and grabbed his arm in a panic.
"Wait, Souya..."
Instinctively, Souya turned to look at Jeanne. When his gaze met the Saintess's complex eyes—filled with guilt, unwillingness, yet holding onto hope—he froze.
Looking at the young man before her—who looked about her age but could speak such words and possess such resolve—Jeanne gently bit her lip.
As if making up her mind, the blonde girl spoke softly to Souya, her tone a mix of pleading and promise.
"Can you give me another chance…?"
"I heard everything you just said... I am sorry. I did not realize that my actions and thoughts violated my duty as a Ruler. As a referee, I actively broke the rules. I failed the expectations the Holy Grail placed upon me."
"But, could you please... please do not be disappointed in me..."
Recalling the way Souya had looked at her earlier, for some reason, Jeanne felt her heart empty out upon seeing that disappointment in his eyes. It was as if she had lost something in that instant.
This feeling came inexplicably, yet it made her heart palpitate.
It was not until she saw Souya leaving that she realized if she did not seize this final moment to ask him for a chance to make amends, this strange feeling would likely never dissipate.
Thus, this scene occurred.
Looking at Jeanne's uncharacteristic demeanor, Souya was somewhat astonished. But quickly realizing something, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly, and his eyes softened.
"Of course, Miss Jeanne. Everyone has the chance to change, do they not?"
"Then, that question..."
The blonde girl's eyes brightened slightly, shimmering like amethyst under the moonlight.
"Likewise. I will continue to hold onto that expectation, waiting for your answer, Miss Jeanne."
As Souya's words fell, as if someone was getting impatient, his figure was instantly swallowed by darkness and vanished before Jeanne.
Meanwhile, not far away, Kriemhild—who was struggling to swing her Demonic Sword at Siegfried, who only defended and never attacked—seemed to sense something. She looked at Siegfried with eyes full of reluctance and unwillingness.
"It will not be long, Lord Siegfried... That moment will arrive very soon. Please make sure to wait for me..."
Before Siegfried could react, Kriemhild's figure vanished into the shadows.
Watching this scene and feeling the blood-red magical energy—akin to the girl's vengeful will—still lingering on his Balmung, Siegfried silently lowered his eyes.
Shortly after, when the Black Lancer Vlad III arrived with Darnic, the other Masters, and the remaining Servants, what met their eyes was a devastated forest, along with Jeanne and Siegfried waiting for them.
And, of course, Gordes lying unconscious on the ground.