Ever since coming to this world and acquiring the "Stigmata," Souya's mind had been constantly pondering a few questions.
What was the meaning of his arrival here? What should he do? What should he become? And where should he go?
Souya wasn't a careless, hot-blooded idiot. Although as a person from the 21st century he had been heavily exposed to transmigration tropes, rebirth stories, and anime fanfiction, when transmigration actually happened to him, he wouldn't just blindly accept the experience of jumping from one world to another like those dime-a-dozen protagonists.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, a miracle like crossing parallel worlds wouldn't just casually fall upon a 21st-century NEET without rhyme or reason.
In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, this was the ability of D4C, the Stand of the final boss, the President, in Part 7. In the Nasuverse, it fell under the category of the "Second Magic," the exclusive skill of the top-tier powerhouse, Zelretch.
Souya never believed in free lunches dropping from the sky. Everything that happens or has happened has a cause and a reason; many things have their prices secretly marked by destiny long before they even begin.
Therefore, he firmly believed his transmigration was absolutely not some causeless stroke of luck. There had to be something hidden behind it, and the appearance of those nine paths and the so-called "Stigmata" undoubtedly proved that.
"You, child, believer, path, Saint."
The day after awakening the Stigmata, when Souya asked those questions in prayer, he heard that voice. Upon acquiring the ability of [Revelation], he also understood his future.
Become a Saint, and then go to Heaven.
So the reason I came to the Nasuverse is because of the Lord?
He saw me in another world, thought I was His long-lost child, and deliberately pulled me—whose life was unsatisfactory—over here to raise me into a Saint?
Although it was incredibly absurd, after hearing that voice, Souya inexplicably accepted this fact.
He clearly knew that he wasn't religious before, and even frequently made hellish jokes about the Pigeon, but in the end, he just inexplicably accepted it.
So, having confirmed that his goals were "Saint" and "Going to Heaven," what should Souya do?
First, rule out finding a blonde friend and taking an arrow from him to stab himself. After some thought, Souya decided, Why not ask the Lord?
The response he got was just two phrases:
"Finish the path" and "Witness."
The Lord was being a classic Riddler.
After receiving the revelation, Souya quickly began to ponder it. "Finish the path" was very obvious; he just needed to walk to the end of those nine white stone paths in his dreams. After all, judging by the situation, this thing was likely given by the Lord too, and the number nine is closely related to Saints in the Bible. The conclusion was self-evident.
But the latter phrase, "Witness," left Souya somewhat scratching his head.
It wasn't until later, when he met his adopted brother Kotomine (Amakusa) Shirou and realized that the plot of Fate/Apocrypha was about to unfold, that Souya felt he had grasped something.
Amakusa Shirou: an incomplete Saint. FA, Jeanne: a Saintess, a completed Saint. Himself: a Holy Son. Witness: becoming a Saint.
The answer was practically screaming at him.
And when Souya used [Revelation] again to confirm this question and received an affirmative answer, he knew exactly what he had to do.
This was the reason he appeared before Jeanne in this manner. Although Amakusa's assignment was a bit unexpected, it didn't hinder the execution of his plan.
After all, normally speaking, even if he wanted to attack Jeanne and Morgan could ignore the Command Spells on his hand, forcefully obliterating Ruler—the class with the highest survivability—under the watchful eye of the Black Faction's Saber was truly not something a mere clone of Morgan could accomplish in a few hours.
So Souya figured it was better to proceed according to his own plan.
And things did indeed go smoothly. Jeanne, who had originally harbored a trace of vigilance and wariness toward him, was instantly stunned upon seeing the Stigmata on the back of his neck.
"You are a Holy Son of the present age?!"
"Hmm... accurately speaking, I possess the aptitude of a Saint, though I personally feel the title 'Holy Son' isn't wrong."
Hearing this, Souya shrugged, then quickly put his clothes back on.
His every move right now was being watched by Morgan. With his "wife" suppressing him, he had to show some restraint.
"Aptitude of a Saint?"
Hearing this, Jeanne froze slightly, but recalling the sensation she felt when she saw that Stigmata just now, she fell silent.
That mark alone was enough to explain everything.
But Jeanne quickly made some associations based on his words, her brow furrowing as she looked at Souya.
"Then, is this the reason for your participation in this Great War and your desire for the Holy Grail?"
Without waiting for Souya to answer, the holy maiden with the golden braid spoke to him with righteous sternness.
"If your purpose in finding me this time is to seek my help and protection on the grounds that we are fellow believers of the Lord, then I'm afraid I cannot comply."
"As the Holy Grail referee who has descended in the Ruler class, my duty is to protect the normal progression of the Holy Grail War and ensure that it does not affect others, as well as to prevent any cheating."
"Therefore, I will not help you!"
"Do you think I am that kind of person?"
Hearing this, Souya froze slightly, then felt a bit speechless.
You're afraid I'll cheat? I'm afraid you'll blow a black whistle [act as a biased referee]!
Although in a normal Holy Grail War, it is common for Masters to commit various immoral and rule-breaking acts in order to win...
Souya was different. He wasn't a magus, nor did he have any demands for the so-called Holy Grail, so Jeanne's worries were completely superfluous.
"Then why did you reveal your identity to me?"
Seeing that Souya's purpose wasn't what she thought, Jeanne became even more confused.
She looked somewhat hesitantly at the young man before her, who bore the same divine mandate as she did, feeling inexplicably curious about him.
Hearing this, Souya merely smiled softly.
"Actually, I wanted to ask you a question."
"A question?"
Jeanne was puzzled.
"Yes, a question about Saints."
With that, a faint light flickered in Souya's blue eyes, and he slowly spoke.
"Miss Jeanne, as a holy maiden recognized by our Lord centuries ago, who established the name of a Saint and returned to Heaven after your death..."
"I want to ask you: what exactly does it take to be considered a Saint?"
"What does it take to be considered a Saint..."
Hearing Souya's question, Jeanne suddenly froze. She instinctively wanted to give answers like compassion, salvation, and mercy, but the moment she saw his eyes, she abruptly fell silent.
Are those answers correct?
Looking at the young man's clear yet inexplicably meaningful eyes, Jeanne couldn't help but start pondering the question.
But Souya, seemingly having anticipated that she wouldn't be able to give a definitive answer immediately, simply chuckled and said:
"There's no need to answer me in such a rush, Miss Jeanne. For the answer to this question, I actually want to see you answer me with your actions."
"Answer... with my actions..."
Hearing Souya's words, Jeanne originally wanted to seriously think about what he meant, but suddenly, as if sensing something, she looked up straight ahead.
The road, which should have been illuminated by streetlamps at regular intervals, had unknowingly become completely pitch black. The wilderness was terrifyingly silent; even the chirping of insects in the woods had ceased. Everything seemed to be enveloped in darkness.
"It's an ambush!"