Looking at the forest clearing that clearly bore the marks of battle, Vlad III, riding upon a pitch-black horse, frowned slightly. However, he did not say much, merely turning his gaze to Siegfried and asking:
"Relate everything that happened here, Saber."
As he spoke, he looked at Jeanne, who was standing to the side.
"And, the identity of this Servant."
Siegfried remained silent for a moment before ultimately recounting everything in detail, true to his personality. He included Astolfo's defection, the appearance of the Red Faction Master Kotomine Souya, and the identity of the Red Berserker: his wife, the Princess of Vengeance, Kriemhild.
Naturally, this also included his inexplicable desire to help Astolfo and his subsequent knocking out of Gordes.
Regarding this point, Siegfried decisively admitted his mistake to Vlad III, apologizing and requesting punishment.
To his surprise, after hearing all this, Vlad III's expression remained exceptionally calm. Even upon hearing that Astolfo had resorted to using his Noble Phantasm to escape with the homunculus, Vlad III merely raised an eyebrow.
It was as if he had already anticipated that this knight with Evaporation of Sanity would do such a thing.
Of course, even though Vlad III appeared unbothered by Astolfo's betrayal, punishment would definitely be inevitable once the guy returned.
This could also be seen from the expressions of the other Masters. Although his Master, Roche, was not present due to poor affinity, Darnic, as the leader of Yggdmillennia, would definitely not let them off the hook due to joint responsibility.
Thus, Astolfo's matter was temporarily put aside. The only remaining issue was the outsider standing here: Ruler, Saintess Jeanne.
Just as Siegfried was instinctively thinking about how to introduce Jeanne to them, she stepped forward and spoke proactively.
"Masters and Servants of the Black Faction, I am Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc. I am the referee of this Holy Grail Great War, and the one who judges and maintains fairness."
Without the slightest shyness, Jeanne introduced herself. However, as she spoke these words, her eyes were not looking at Vlad III, who stood at the forefront, but at the petite figure beside him.
Ever since all the Black Faction Servants appeared, her attention had been instinctively drawn to the girl with grayish-white hair wearing a long dress.
Habitually using Ruler's skill "True Name Discernment," Jeanne learned her identity on a conceptual level. The Black Caster, True Name: Merlin.
But purely based on feeling, Jeanne truly could not equate someone with such a bizarre aura to the legendary Flower Magus.
Furthermore, for some reason, she felt her soul and consciousness instinctively rejecting and loathing this girl, as if she were something disgusting.
This feeling was very strange, especially for Jeanne, who was a quintessential good-natured person. She had never met her, yet she instinctively loathed and felt disgusted by her.
This left Jeanne feeling incredibly confused.
The other party seemed to notice Jeanne staring at her and flashed her a brilliant smile.
But upon seeing this smile, the Saintess inexplicably felt a chill run down her spine.
Fortunately, Vlad III interrupted the moment.
Sitting high upon his fine steed, he evaluated Jeanne with a look of interest.
"Oh? You are Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc? That holy maiden of France?"
"Yes."
Facing Vlad III's figure, which carried the majesty of a King, Jeanne spoke with neither servility nor overbearingness.
As a Saintess active during the Hundred Years' War, Jeanne had long ceased to fear the authority of these so-called rulers.
"Interesting."
Vlad III merely smiled slightly.
"To think that a war occurring upon my land would attract so many Saints. It seems I and my territory are still under the Lord's glory."
Vlad III paused slightly, then smiled at Jeanne.
"Then, as a Saintess who bathes in the Lord's light alongside me, Jeanne d'Arc, would you be interested in visiting my castle and conversing with me?"
"Absolutely not."
Without the slightest hesitation, Jeanne flatly rejected Vlad III's invitation.
"Black Lancer. If you are inviting me to inspect your fortress to confirm you are not hiding any rule-breaking items, I am naturally willing to go. But if you wish for me to ally with you, please allow me to refuse."
"Since you and I both serve our Lord, you should understand my principles."
With that, Jeanne lingered no longer. Gripping her flag, she walked briskly out of the forest.
Now, she needed to properly return and adjust her mindset. She needed to deeply examine exactly what she should do in this war, and how she should use her actions to answer Souya's question.
"Heh."
Gazing at Jeanne's departing figure, Vlad III scoffed.
In his view, whether it was a normal war or a Holy Grail War, as long as it bore the name of war, everyone had to make a choice.
Whether to bear the name of justice and become an ally of justice, or to aim for victory and obtain benefits through war—these were all determined by the choices of those participating in the war.
For Vlad III, who descended with the purpose of protecting this land, as long as someone chose not to join them—whether they claimed to be neutral or a referee—if they stepped into his territory without his permission, they would be treated as an enemy.
Thinking this, Vlad III immediately turned his horse around, preparing to leave.
Before leaving, he issued an order to Darnic, who was waiting upon him.
"Darnic, make preparations. If Rider chooses not to return because of that homunculus, then forcefully bring him back to Trifas. If Ruler interferes during this process, treat her as an enemy as well."
"Do you understand?"
Darnic immediately nodded in agreement.
Afterward, the group did not linger, successively leaving the area.
Until the very end, only the girl with grayish-white hair remained standing there.
"Caster? Are you not returning?"
As a Sage, Chiron noticed that Merlin's state seemed somewhat abnormal. He stopped and looked back at her.
"My? I am fine, Archer. I will stay a while longer and then return."
The girl naturally heard his call but did not turn around. Instead, she faced the direction Jeanne had left, sniffing the air lightly as if smelling something.
Seeing Merlin's bizarre behavior, Chiron frowned. To him, who possessed "Wisdom of Divine Gift," this Merlin was an existence he could not see through.
Despite sharing the title of Sage with him, he saw absolutely none of it reflected in her behavior and conduct.
If it were not for multiple confirmations, and if she had not truly displayed powerful illusion magecraft befitting her identity, Chiron would truly doubt her identity.
While Chiron was pondering this, Fiore's call suddenly came from the distance. Having no other choice, the Centaur Sage had to leave first.
But precisely because of this, he failed to hear the girl's low murmurs.
"Pride, Envy, Wrath, Lust... Only Sloth and Greed are left. As long as that is completed, this Holy Grail War will become a paradise where I can do whatever I want and ravage to my heart's content..."