CHAPTER 17:

REVELATIONS

Harry had asked Jeanne to wait until they had everyone else present in their little group for her. While technically, they only needed Kairi and Mordred, Harry wanted the backup of his friends and allies. Not for any fight: Jeanne had made it very clear that, as long as she wasn't attacked, she would give them the benefit of the doubt for Karna's actions.

In the meantime, Harry actually learned more about her. He was disturbed to find out that Jeanne was possessing a French teenager, though she assured him that the possession was consensual, and that Laeticia Delacroix's body was protected. She also had special abilities as a Ruler, including the ability to discern the identity and some of the abilities of a Servant, though when pressed, Jeanne didn't seem to know who Altera was, beyond being Attila the Hun. For now, Harry opted to avoid telling her about Sephyr. The Ruler might react badly. Ditto anything about Justeaze.

Soon, the others were gathered, they reconvened in a park, and Harry and Altera told her an edited form of their stories, with the others interjecting or confirming certain things. They saved the revelation of Shirou's true identity until the very end. Harry had to admit, her expression of shock was amusing, despite the seriousness of the situation.

"…Mon Dieu," she murmured. "That…explains a lot. Another Ruler, one left over from the Third Holy Grail War. And you believe he may have been behind Karna's attack on my person?"

"Perhaps," Altera said. "Shirou did claim that Feend vor Sembren wasn't fond of a Ruler being involved, so while it may have been Shirou engaging in misdirection, he may also have been telling the truth. However, none of the other Red Faction Masters have been seen by their respective Servants, which is suspicious enough."

"Yeah," Astolfo said, crossing his arms. "Even Yggdmillennia's Masters made an effort to interact with their Servants, though I don't really want to think about my ex-Master's interactions with me. Do I look like an ice cream?"

"With that pink hair, yes. You look like strawberry," Luna said. "Though you're more pudding than ice cream."

Jeanne frowned. "That is admittedly suspicious. And you have no idea what Shirou Amakusa Tokisada's motives may be?"

"We thought that maybe the Vatican decided to take custody of the Greater Grail," Kairi said. "The Eighth Sacrament may have commissioned him to do so. His adoptive father and brother have worked for them, after all. When I realised who he is, I also got scared, thought that we might have a repeat of Makai Tensho on our hands."

"Makai what?" Hermione asked.

"It's a book by Futaro Yamada," Kairi said. "It's about an undead army being raised, including many historical figures. Shirou Amakusa Tokisada is one of them, and in many adaptations, he's actually the main villain(1). Then again, he didn't seem like that sort of guy, to take revenge for what happened at the Shimabara Rebellion. Which makes him all the more dangerous, because we don't know what he wants."

"In addition, there's the Noble Phantasm of Semiramis," Harry said. "We don't know what it is, or what it's capable of, but…"

"I believe I do know, actually," Jeanne said pensively. "As an Assassin, Semiramis's trump card is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. She can, with enough resources and time put into a special ritual, create a massive flying fortress. But the amount of money and materials needed is mind-boggling. Then again, if Shirou has been around since the Third Holy Grail War, he has doubtlessly had enough time to gather them, and it's highly unlikely he will have the ritual performed anywhere near the church where he has his base of operations. I will have to head to the church before too long. Even if he isn't there anymore, any clues I can find to his whereabouts and plans will be helpful. Of course, what you said about your former body is disturbing enough, Harry."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"…Last night…I received a vision. One of my skills is Revelation, a form of divine vision that gives me insights. It was how I tracked you and Rider of Red down," Jeanne said. "It would have been some time after Rider of Black…"

"Rider of Pudding," Luna declared. "That is his new designation."

"…His new…?" Jeanne said, looking Astolfo up and down, before she flushed, apparently in some sort of embarrassment. "Ah. I…uh…"

"Yeah, it's one of my skills. I can make my gender a secret if I want to," Astolfo said with a smirk and a wink. "Well, unless I'm not wearing anything."

"…He shouldn't be that cute," Sirius muttered. "There should be a law against it."

"But we're cute," Jackie protested.

"…Anyway, the revelation I received was soon after you lost your link with your original Master, Rider of…Pudding," Jeanne said, giving Luna and Astolfo a look. "I didn't see much, but I did see a boy with dark hair and crimson, snake-like eyes, and a monstrous woman. I don't know their identities, but…the woman was a Servant…and an Avenger, at that."

"Avenger?" Kairi mused. "Never heard of that class."

"The template exists within the Greater Grail, even if it wasn't used until now, along with others like Alter Ego and Foreigner," Jeanne explained. "Avenger is the polar opposite to my class, a Heroic Spirit of vengeance. They are vicious and tenacious."

"Shirou told us that the von Einzberns originally intended to summon an Avenger," Altera mused. "Specifically, Angra Mainyu. Ruler…what will you do?"

"…Try to seek out my fellow Ruler and try to reason with him, assuming he is the one behind Karna's attack on my person. It is not the prerogative of the dead to rule the living, despite our class' title. If he isn't behind it, then I intend to find out what his intentions are for the Grail regardless."

Kairi scowled. "Yeah, well, good luck with that. Before you got us together, I got a message from the priest. He's got Semiramis' Noble Phantasm ready for an assault on Trifas tonight. He wants us and our allied Servants to help out. He didn't give any clue as to where he was either."

"Though he probably knows we have met already," Altera said, looking over at where some pigeons were watching them nearby. "Semiramis uses pigeons as familiars. While we cannot be certain that those are her familiars…"

"They may know I am searching for them, and that I know that Shirou Amakusa Tokisada is a Servant," Jeanne mused. "Still…I thank you for your help. As a Ruler Servant, I am meant to be a neutral adjudicator. However, this Grail War is already a mess, and I appreciate the help. Especially with such a motley group of Servants. Tonks…are you fine with having one such as Assassin as a Servant?"

"…Look, I'm an Auror, and being the Master to an infamous serial killer isn't exactly my idea of fun, especially as she's also some sort of freaky gestalt, but…she's just a kid, she needs someone to give her a moral compass, and she's latched onto me as a mother. And I'm pretty much married to a werewolf. Plus, we're in this Grail War to try and get Harry out of it, not to win the Grail. If that means we have to stop Darnic and Shirou, then that's fine. I want to give Assassin the chance nobody gave her in life: to have a childhood. Even if we can't use the Grail, I'm fine with having her as a familiar or whatever you call it. She deserves to live a life where cutting open the guts of unfortunate prostitutes isn't her way to maternal love. Not that those women deserved that anyway."

"No…I suppose not. I can see what she is," Jeanne said solemnly. "Those children comprising her should have gone to their rest long ago…but…if you believe you can make her happy and loved…I hope you succeed. However, I must go to see if I can track down Shirou Amakusa Tokisada."

"And what of Yggdmillennia experimenting upon Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Officially, that does not fall within my purview," Jeanne said. "My role is to act as a neutral arbitrator for this Grail War, and should I favour one side or another without due cause, I will have failed. However, know that I personally find such matters, as well as how Darnic extends his life, to be completely and utterly abhorrent, and I would not blame you for putting an end to Darnic. I would do the same myself if it were not for my duties and obligations as Ruler. And if your former Master, Rider of Pudding, is dead, then it is the wages of her cruelty. But there may be a line Darnic will cross that will require me to take more direct action. As for Shirou Amakusa Tokisada, I wish to discern his motives first before passing judgement, though his status as a Ruler himself, as well as the possibility of his suborning the other Masters and attacking me, puts the validity of his participation into severe doubt. However, he is aware of this, and if he has suborned the Red Faction, he has command over five Servants…sorry, four, with Berserker now dead or captured. I believe it to be the latter. If he has suborned the Red Faction…then he may desire the Greater Grail, something a Ruler should not do."

"You have no desire, no wish of your own?" Altera asked.

"None that I would want the Grail for. As a Ruler, my only desire is for the Holy Grail War to be conducted in a befitting manner. As Jeanne d'Arc, I am grateful for the chance to live once more, even if only temporarily," Jeanne said. "I died at a young age, after all, and while I willingly gave myself to God's embrace, I won't lie and say that I would have loved to have lived a little longer. But as a Ruler, I have no true desire for the Grail."

Noting Hermione looking like she was champing at the bit to ask Jeanne questions, Harry said, "I think that's probably it for now. I'm not sure what more information we can give you, Jeanne. I'm sure Hermione wants to ask you questions, she's probably curious about what your life was really like, but I don't think we've got anything further for you."

"What you have given me is more than enough, Harry, and I am truly grateful," the French saint said with a smile. "I wish you luck. If we have time, Hermione, I can regale you with tales from my life at a later date, but I'm afraid my duty requires me to be elsewhere. If I cannot find Shirou Amakusa Tokisada before he sends his forces to Trifas, then I am sure I will see you there…"


Shirou sighed quietly as he watched his fellow Ruler part ways from the little splinter faction on the screen Semiramis projected, a feed from the eyes of one of her familiars. He knew his alliance with Harry was a tentative and fragile one, given how economical with the truth he had been, but he didn't realise how soon it would fall apart. They were willing to give him some benefit of the doubt, but he knew that if they knew his true purpose, it would probably alienate them.

"Regretting not suborning him now?" Semiramis asked. It could have been wry and sardonic, her tone, but she was actually genuinely concerned.

"…I have many regrets, but while deceiving him is one, reaching out to him was not. I probably should have brought him to the Hanging Gardens, but I sent him with Kairi to alleviate his concerns. Still…I wonder what pain and suffering Harry has gone through. And there's another problem. My fellow Ruler's revelation is concerning, as indeed, my own Master's family had initially planned to summon Angra Mainyu as an Avenger. I shall have to check the Spirit Board to be absolutely certain. Also, keep in mind that, while they may not trust me wholly, they still do not know the full extent of my goals, so they still can be reasoned with, and in any case, they will want to face Yggdmillennia. Better that we have an advantage of sorts, especially with Spartacus now a captive of the enemy."

"That damnable playwright," Semiramis grumbled. "He set Berserker on Yggdmillennia for amusement. He loves to shake the tree and see what comes out, despite the fact that it may ruin our plans. I don't trust him."

"I do, if only because Shakespeare loves to see how a story progresses. His actions regarding Spartacus were regrettable, of course, but Yggdmillennia lack two of their Servants, Rider and Assassin. In addition, we have identified Saber of Black as Siegfried, while Atalanta believes Archer of Black to be a Greek like herself, and Altera's comments before she withdrew suggest that Archer of Black may be of divine parentage. And while Jack the Ripper's Information Erasure skill prevents one from retaining much information about her, we do know that she is young and female."

"Do you think they will help us out on our assault on Trifas?"

"I'm sure they will. The only ones they have any substantial reason to be wary of are the pair of us and, due to his attack on Ruler, Karna. They may still view the other Servants of the Red Faction with some wariness, but only due to them being wary of my controlling them. And in any case, they're still not sure whether my intentions are malign. Not to mention that Harry has more than enough reason to want to keep the Greater Grail out of the hands of Darnic. Darnic was one of his tormentors after all." Shirou closed his eyes. "A shame, though, that neither Harry nor Kairi may understand my goal. It's for their own good. Harry, of all people, would appreciate it when my plan comes to fruition…"

CHAPTER 17 ANNOTATIONS:

So, there you have it. Jeanne has touched base with the splinter faction, and Shirou is beginning to regret his choices. But this is a story about his salvation, along with that of Harry and Altera. Dunno when the next chapter is coming out, but I hope you enjoyed it.

Review-answering time! Thanks for your praise as to how I portrayed 'Harrymort'. While Voldemort isn't a bad villain, he seems a little flat. I basically chucked elements from a number of other fictional villains in, though I sort of had, if not David Tennant's voice, then his cadence and tone while writing him, as Tennant makes a scary villain. True, I haven't really seen his turn as Barty Crouch Junior or as Kilgrave from Jessica Jones, but I have heard him play VERY unpleasant characters in the Doctor Who audio dramas done by Big Finish. I also thought of elements of Heath Ledger and Mark Hamill's Joker, toned down a bit, as well as a bit of Handsome Jack and a few elements of the various incarnations of the Master.

'Harrymort', however, is not exactly sane as much as saner. He's recovered a bit more of his mental equilibrium than his canon self. He's still a sadistic megalomaniac who gets a hard-on from killing and torturing people, but he's less likely to lose his temper as quickly as Voldemort does, or at least his anger will be cold for the most part. He won't just hand out Unforgivables like candy at Halloween. He'll get creative when he is angry.

1. Makai Tensho also provided the basis of the plot of the Ninja Resurrection OVAs, and, most tellingly for the Nasuverse, was also the basis of the plot of the Shimosa Pseudo-Singularity/Proto-Lostbelt in Fate/Grand Order.