"Why do you have a Noble Phantasm? That isn't Siegfried's, but it's a Saber-class weapon, isn't it? And why have you become the Master of Rider?" Jeanne asked with a look of dead seriousness.
"...Because I couldn't stand watching anymore~!" Haruka Kasugano said, reciting his lines. "I didn't want to see anyone else getting hurt in front of me..."
Ah...
He's so 'yasashii' (kind)...
Jeanne felt as if a gentle breeze had swept through her heart, sending ripples across her soul. Still, she maintained a stern expression and said: "War is a place where people die! I've seen it with my own eyes every step of the way!"
Haruka Kasugano continued: "But this is my own decision. I firmly believe it is the right thing to do."
Jeanne sighed helplessly, her eyes softening into a look of compromise. "Sigh... fine. Since that's the case, I shall recognize you as a participant in this Holy Grail War. Is that acceptable?"
"Yes!" Haruka Kasugano nodded in agreement.
Jeanne turned her head away, pursing her lips as she muttered softly: "What a stubborn fellow..."
She slowly released her hands from the wall and lowered herself from her tiptoes. However, because her calf muscles had been tensed for so long, the moment her feet hit the ground, a wave of fatigue and soreness hit her ankles. Her body involuntarily stumbled backward.
Haruka Kasugano's [Mathematical Thinking] kicked into high gear. Half a second later, he put on a look of feigned panic and cried out: "Ruler, look out!"
He lunged forward, pretending to catch her, but "accidentally" stepped on Jeanne's foot. Feigning a loss of balance, he tumbled forward and pinned Jeanne to the ground.
"Ouch..." Haruka Kasugano buried himself right into Jeanne's embrace, fully savoring her "broad-mindedness."
So fragrant... so soft!
The sensation was beyond words—a gentle paradise that made one want to drown in it forever.
Jeanne struggled to sit up, and Haruka Kasugano quickly jumped back, acting embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, Ruler! I'm just so clumsy!"
"It's alright... you didn't mean it, and you were only worried about me..." Jeanne replied, her face flushed deep red with shyness. She held a hand over her chest, feeling the lingering warmth where Haruka Kasugano's face had been.
The turmoil in her heart grew even more turbulent. She had never experienced anything like this in her previous life, and Leticia had no such memories to offer either. Jeanne's mind was a mess of complex emotions; she had no idea what state she was in.
Awkwardly, Jeanne followed Haruka Kasugano back into the castle.
----
The next day.
Mordred and Melusine (Lanling-Wang-disguised) arrived at the Black Faction's castle.
Why bring Melusine? Because Jeanne has the [True Name Discernment] skill; she would immediately recognize Artoria alter as King Arthur, making it impossible to pose as Mordred's Master. While Melusine is also a Servant, Jeanne would definitely not recognize her. Thus, Melusine was the perfect candidate to act as Mordred's Master for negotiations.
Since Avicebron was taken out early, the original plot where Mordred and the Black Faction team up to kill Adam was gone. Haruka Kasugano had Mordred and Melusine come directly to seek cooperation. After all, Mordred had helped Chiron and Jeanne at the Hanging Gardens, so the tension was low.
They soon entered the Yggdmillennia meeting room. Everyone was present. Jeanne stared at Melusine, instantly recognizing her as an incarnated Servant, but her True Name was... Melusine???
Jeanne racked her brain but couldn't find that name in the records of the Throne of Heroes.
"Saber's Master... are you a Servant? Why is your True Name so unfamiliar to me?" Jeanne asked bluntly.
"..." Melusine looked at Jeanne blankly, then said with a straight face and zero emotion: "I am not a Servant! I am the Sixth Magician, so I have magical energy on the same scale as a Servant. You've simply misidentified me!"
Jeanne: "..."
------
Jeanne felt helpless. After all, her [True Name Discernment] was only Rank B; it couldn't see through everything perfectly (she couldn't even see through Astolfo's gender, after all). Faced with Melusine's sophistry, she had no way to refute it—even if she didn't believe the Sixth Magic existed.
Unlike Shirou Kotomine, Melusine's desires appeared ordinary, so Jeanne's Revelation didn't trigger any warnings.
"Very well. Since you are Saber's Master, I must ensure your rights as well," Jeanne sighed. Then, she noticed Melusine was staring at her without blinking. "Um... is there something on my face?"
"No... I just feel like you, the 'Mediator,' are participating a bit too much. It feels like a foul," Melusine stated bluntly.
This question resonated with everyone in the room, who began nodding in agreement.
"What!?" Jeanne suddenly stood up, leaning over the table, and shouted embarrassedly at Melusine: "The Red Faction's Master is cheating! It's my duty to stop him, okay!?"
Haruka Kasugano could barely keep a straight face. In the original timeline, when Avicebron summoned Adam, Jeanne declared his Noble Phantasm "beyond specifications" and ordered everyone to destroy it. It was honestly a bit hilarious. It's a Servant's normal Noble Phantasm—calling it a foul just because it's strong is like saying a non-Berserker Heracles is cheating.
Thump!
"Don't laugh!" Jeanne snapped, blushing with shame and anger. She pounded the table. Then, she turned to the person beside her: "Especially you! You absolutely cannot think that way!!!"
Haruka Kasugano froze. Looking at Jeanne's flustered, blushing face, he actually felt a hint of self-reproach. She specifically wants my approval!
Since he had no script for this, he spoke from the heart: "I'm sorry. I don't think Ruler is cheating. You are fighting the Red Faction's Master to protect the peace of this world. You are right! Believe in yourself!"
"Ah... well... it's not that big of a deal..." Jeanne slowly sat back down. Her face was even redder than before, but the embarrassment had completely vanished.
"Indeed, there is no issue with Ruler. The Red Master's wish is too ephemeral; we must stop him," Chiron chimed in. With Chiron speaking up, the others stopped their teasing. Their goals were now aligned.
They began a heated discussion on how to deal with Shirou Kotomine. Now that they knew his plan, they set a policy to defeat him and save humanity. However, the first day of discussion yielded no results. The plan to use planes to chase the Hanging Gardens was scrapped because Semiramis, Atalanta, and Achilles all had the capability to shoot down any aircraft.
Everyone was at a loss.
-----
After the meeting ended, Jeanne grabbed Haruka Kasugano again. "Haruka Kasugano, are your Command Spells still intact?"
Haruka Kasugano blinked. He had dozens of Command Spells; of course they were intact! They were just hidden by [Camouflage].
"Let me see them!" Jeanne grabbed his hand. Haruka Kasugano suppressed a smile—she couldn't see them while they were hidden. But he was prepared; he only revealed the three he took from Astolfo.
"Your Command Spells... why are they black?" Jeanne suddenly asked.
This gave Haruka Kasugano a genuine fright. Black? No way. He looked down at the back of his hand. They really were black. What's going on... they were red when I took them from Celeike!
Was it because of Siegfried's heart? Could he actually use these three spells to transform into Siegfried?
"Is it because of this Command Spell that you were able to use Saber's Noble Phantasm earlier?" Jeanne asked, her face full of worry.
"Uh..." Haruka Kasugano was equally bewildered.
"Whatever you do, do not use these... I feel a great danger!" Jeanne held his hand tightly, her eyes filled with genuine concern.
Great... Now he didn't even have to act; Jeanne was genuinely worried about him. To be honest, Haruka Kasugano was worried too. What if he turned into a dragon? He felt like he was carrying a ticking time bomb.
After leaving Jeanne, he quickly checked his other Command Spells. Sure enough... they had all turned black. Dozens of black Command Spells...
Three could turn someone into the evil dragon Fafnir... having dozens of them was just ridiculous.