Chapter 67. Those who walk the paths of fate
"What got into the heads of those two idiots Crabbe and Goyle, that they attacked Malfoy during the Quidditch match?" Harry asked Fujimaru, clenching his fists in anger.
Fujimaru, with a serious expression, looked at Harry intently and began to explain.
"Professor Snape spoke to them," he began. "He didn't say it directly, but it's clear from the context. Crabbe and Goyle have doubts about Malfoy's loyalty to the Dark Lord."
Harry nodded slowly, his eyes filled with mixed emotions - disappointment and sadness.
"Malfoy has already broken," he whispered, tightening his fists even harder.
Fujimaru sighed and continued, walking near the telescopes of the Astronomy Tower.
"I don't think the Dark Lord benefits from delays. But he won't tolerate the death of a performer due to a beating."
Harry frowned, his eyes sparkling with determination.
"What does Professor Dumbledore think about this?" he asked, hoping for the wisdom of the old wizard.
Fujimaru smiled weakly.
"Professor Dumbledore reasoned that we will help Draco fix the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement. As you understand, it's unnecessary for the Dark Lord to know about it."
Harry froze for a moment, his face expressing mixed feelings of surprise and confusion.
"Has he gone mad?" Harry exclaimed, not believing his ears.
Fujimaru raised his eyebrows and frowned, trying to explain.
"Wait, Harry. You've only heard the first part of the plan," he said mysteriously.
Harry frowned even harder, his eyes searching for answers.
"Let me guess. The second part of the plan involves an ambush?" he asked, already anticipating the danger hidden behind Fujimaru's cryptic words.
Fujimaru just nodded in response, and Harry scowled, his face showing readiness for battle, even though his heart held no illusions.
"Death Eaters can bring their Servants with them. What can we offer them in return? We only have Jeanne Alter and Mash at our disposal," Harry said.
Fujimaru responded to his words with an unusual gaze, reflecting confusion and sadness. Then he unexpectedly burst into a grim laugh, which turned into a semblance of crying.
"Harry! You have no idea the price I paid to defeat Jeanne Alter. When she was still on the side of darkness... I had magnificent and powerful Servants standing by me, and yet she never gave up, and she fought, and within her burned not just a spark - a monstrous flame of struggle," Fujimaru said, composing himself after the outburst of emotions.
Harry was amazed by what he heard, but quickly gathered his thoughts, and immediately a gloomy expression appeared on his face.
"I saw dreams," Harry whispered enigmatically, capturing Fujimaru's interest and surprise.
Fujimaru, frowning slightly, asked, "About her? What did you see?"
Harry abruptly cut him off, saying, "Nothing." But then he added bitterly, "I realized that Voldemort, next to her, is just a pathetic poser."
Fujimaru stood thoughtfully next to Harry for several seconds before finding the right words.
"When I first met Jeanne Alter, she had already conquered France. Just as Gilles de Rais desired with his bloodthirsty wishes. He went mad after the death of his loyal warrior comrade and turned to black magic. He dreamed of bringing back Jeanne and found the Holy Grail for that purpose. Although the Grail couldn't resurrect the original Joan of Arc, it was able to create a new one. Jeanne, who willingly went to seek revenge for her execution," Fujimaru explained, unraveling the mystery of this enigmatic girl.
Harry looked at him puzzled, trying to comprehend the depth of this incident and understand what awaited them in their struggle against Jeanne Alter.
"So, she was created to seek revenge?" Harry asked, bewildered.
Fujimaru nodded, his eyes shining with memories.
"Yes, exactly. Jeanne Alter was a weapon in the hands of the Grail, designed for retribution. She possessed incredible power and unstoppable anger. Your dreams couldn't have shown you even a fraction of what she is capable of in her wrath."
Harry slowly absorbed all this information, his face expressing mixed feelings of astonishment and concern.
Fujimaru looked pensively at Harry, as if reflecting the complexity of the situation in his eyes.
"Voldemort is a pathetic poser, as you said, Harry. But he also understands the danger Jeanne Alter poses. He sees her as a threat to his power and will undoubtedly seek to destroy her."
Harry looked at him perplexed.
"You know, when I saw these dreams, the events of her life were the least of my concerns. I saw her setting cities on fire right before my eyes. Whole families perished by her hands! Who knows how many lives she has destroyed?"
Fujimaru lowered his head towards Harry, full of sympathy and understanding.
"You have observed correctly, young wizard. I have encountered a monster that astonishingly resembles the real Jeanne d'Arc. But be careful in your musings—she became what she is not of her own will."
Harry pensively reached his hand forward, as if trying to piece together all the puzzles of this enigmatic story.
"Sometimes it seems to me that she... But if she is the new Jeanne d'Arc, then does that mean she is not like Alter Servant?"
"She is something completely extraordinary in the world of Servants. She is not an alternate version of Jeanne d'Arc. Her memories alternate with complete gaps where the original holds its beautiful memories. It's like all the good has been drained out of her, leaving only sadness and horror," Fujimaru replied.
Harry cast a pensive glance at Fujimaru.
"Just imagine what she can extract from her heart, not knowing light."
The young man lowered his gaze, as if afraid to see the answer buried deep within his subconscious.
"I learned something, Fujimaru," he continued. "Professor Dumbledore recently shared memories of Tom Riddle with me. Tom was born without love. His mother used a love potion on a Muggle she liked, but he left her as soon as the effects wore off. She died during childbirth. Tom was born in an orphanage and was left alone. There was no kindness or love in his life."
Fujimaru looked at Harry with confusion, his black hair always sticking out in all directions, swaying on his head.
"Yes, Harry," Fujimaru said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Tom Riddle and Jeanne Alter... both of them came into the world without love or kindness. Their hearts were empty, and their souls were engulfed in darkness. But it is important to remember that each of them made their own choices. Tom became Lord Voldemort, and nothing could satisfy his thirst for power. Jeanne, although created for the purpose of vengeance, still has the opportunity to change her fate."
Harry nodded, his eyes filled with sympathy and hope.
"Yes, Fujimaru, I believe that even in the darkest hearts, a glimmer of light can shine. But she..."
Harry didn't finish his words. He suddenly stopped, realizing that all the thoughts that arose in his mind and heart at that moment could not find expression in his words. He suddenly realized that all the words in the world would not be enough to express them. That's why he stopped and fell silent.
Fujimaru looked at Harry, his eyes expressing puzzlement and hidden concern. The hands of the last Master of Humanity were folded on his chest, as if he was about to say something important.
"When I sent her to 1994," Fujimaru began, his voice deep and without hesitation. "I had no idea what my Servant would face. She showed me incredible potential and... I had a hunch. I still don't know myself why I chose her. Rather, I just bet on the dark horse."
Harry listened attentively, his eyebrows raised with curiosity.
"So, you yourself don't know if you did the right thing?" he asked, slightly regretting that Fujimaru subjected himself to such a trial.
Fujimaru sighed, his sad eyes lowered as if burdened with immense weight. He carefully raised his hand, placed his fingers on his eyelids, and made a circular motion as if trying to dispel doubts.
"As you can see, I am here now," Fujimaru pointed to the room around them. "And we are peacefully talking. If everything had gone according to plan, it would have been impossible. The latest reports from Chaldea indicate that the anomaly has still not dissipated."
Harry, looking at the old man in astonishment, politely asked, "What needs to be done to dissipate it?"
Fujimaru raised his eyes, their gazes now locked, and in Ritsuka Harry's dark blue eyes, he saw a flicker of determination.
"We have to win in the ongoing Holy Grail War," Fujimaru replied, his voice confident, and his echo unexpectedly resounding in every corner of the Astronomy Tower. "But if the Grail proves to be anything other than what is needed, it will need to be destroyed."
Harry looked at Fujimaru, his eyes widening in amazement. He felt as if the planets were aligning and he was in the epicenter of mysterious and dangerous events. Harry's hand reached for the scar on his forehead, as if sensing that his future was closely tied to everything that was happening now.
When Harry looked at Fujimaru again, he noticed a smile on his face, as if he was laughing at something unfathomable.
Harry stared at Fujimaru with almost speechless astonishment. His brain was working at full capacity, trying to grasp the essence of what was said.
"The command spell simplifies solving such tasks," explained Fujimaru calmly, as if it were a normal occurrence like going for bread.
Terror struck Harry's heart, and his voice whispered cautiously:
"Why are you telling me this?"
Fujimaru sighed, his eyes once again veiled in mystery.
"No one knows what awaits us," he said mysteriously. "This Holy Grail War already hides many secrets from us. No one has ever seen such a War... Perhaps something is wrong with it. If my fears are confirmed, we all must be on guard."
Harry met Fujimaru's gaze, trying to find answers in his eyes. There were questions that begged to be asked, but Fujimaru already answered them telepathically.
"But then, we should encounter a Servant of the Grail. Where is Ruler?" Harry said, his voice filled with doubt.
"I think she is waiting for her moment," Fujimaru replied, his words penetrating Harry like a sigh of mysterious wind. "But if the Grail is corrupted, Ruler may not come."
Harry responded to Ritsuka's gaze with a look full of unfathomable questions, without uttering a single word. They understood each other, felt the weight of the responsibility resting on their shoulders. Without words, their fate and inevitable involvement in historical changes bound them together.