Chapter 40: Disguise

The golden light quickly dissipated, revealing Laeticia, who had been wearing casual clothes but was now clad in silver-white light armor with a sword at her waist and a holy flag in her hand. She pointed the spearhead of the flag at the mysterious figure whose face was hidden and shouted, "Servant—Ruler. You carry the aura of a Heroic Spirit. Who are you?! Why would you resort to such brutality against ordinary people?!"

This was none other than Jeanne d'Arc, the Ruler-class Servant. Sensing the danger Laeticia was in, she immediately took control of the body to deal with the crisis at hand.

However, in response to Jeanne's words, the other party remained silent. Instead, they drew a dagger and vanished from Jeanne's sight.

"Presence Concealment... An Assassin? If you think you can ambush me so easily, you're sorely mistaken!" Jeanne swiftly swung the flagpole, thrusting the spearhead toward a certain direction.

Clang—!

The sound of metal clashing rang out. In the previously empty space, a figure twisted into visibility—the same Servant who had just disappeared, now holding a drawn dagger locked in a stalemate with Jeanne's spearhead.

"Still unwilling to answer? Fine! Then I'll find out myself! True Name Discernment—!!!" Just as Jeanne attempted to use her class skill to uncover the opponent's true identity, the enemy abruptly retreated and opened fire with a barrage of bullets. Jeanne had no choice but to spin her flagpole, deflecting every shot.

Taking advantage of the cover, the unknown Servant swiftly retreated and disappeared from Jeanne's sight. Though Jeanne wanted to give chase and use her class skill, [God's Resolution], to forcibly subdue the enemy, thoughts of Takashi Kuroda, who had fallen off the cliff, forced her to abandon pursuit. Instead, she leaped down the cliff to search for him.

The chances were slim, but she couldn't give up. That was what Jeanne told herself.

Deep in the ravine, Takashi Kuroda lay beside a summoning circle he had drawn with his own blood. He released the divine aura emanating from his [Goddess's Affection B], waiting for someone to take the bait. As for the bullets he had been hit with earlier—while painful—they were nothing serious. His Ruination power had already healed the wounds.

Host, what the hell are you up to now? With your Spider-Sense and physical enhancements, those bullets shouldn’t have even scratched you. And why are you drawing a Servant summoning circle? the System asked, puzzled.

"Originally, I planned to use Ruination to forcibly control Jeanne, but I’ve changed my mind," Takashi replied.

"Changed your mind?"

"Yeah, I have to thank Kiritsugu for shooting at me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have thought of this plan," Takashi said with a smirk.

"That was Kiritsugu? Impossible. Last I heard, he was still at the Einzbern Castle in Germany."

"No, this isn’t that Kiritsugu. This is a rogue Servant sent by the Counter Force specifically to kill me," Takashi shook his head. "Tch, I knew the Counter Force wouldn’t just rely on Jeanne as their only move. To completely erase me, they even sent their own lapdog. But that works out perfectly—let me turn this around on them."

Rustle, rustle…

The sound of grass shifting reached his ears, followed by a woman’s voice muttering, "Strange… Why is there a divine Servant’s aura down here? And the blood trail leads here too. Did Shirou-dono encounter another Servant?"

"Got her. Time to reel her in." At that moment, Takashi released his black mist—though not too much, just enough to cling to his body, especially around the "wounds." He then manipulated one of the wraiths to loom over him, as if attacking.

"What is this black mist—?! Kuroda-dono! Who are you? What are you doing to him?!" A sharp cry rang out, followed by the thrust of a flagpole toward the wraith standing over Takashi.

"Get in!" Takashi mentally commanded. The wraith dissolved into his body, and the flagpole struck nothing but air.

"Shirou-dono, are you alright?" The voice was laced with urgency. Squinting, Takashi saw a familiar face—no, not just familiar, that Takeuchi face… ahem, Jeanne’s face. She helped him sit up, checking his condition before attempting to channel magical energy to heal him.

"Eh? The fatal wounds… they’ve already closed? How… And why does Shirou-dono have the aura of a divine Servant?" Jeanne frowned, noticing the black mist seeping from Takashi’s body, particularly around his wounds. It seemed this mist was what had kept him alive.

"These are… Command Seals? Shirouis a Master in this Holy Grail War? I didn’t notice earlier because of his gloves… But the war hasn’t even officially started. Why would a Servant attack another Master? And that Servant continued attacking even after I declared myself Ruler… Could this be the reason I was summoned?" Jeanne’s eyes fell on Takashi’s exposed hand, where the crimson Command Seals were clearly visible. She pieced together the events in her mind, assessing the situation.

Deciding it was time, Takashi fluttered his eyelids, feigning a groggy awakening.

"Shirou-dono, you’re awake! How do you feel?" Jeanne exhaled in relief.

"It hurts… What… happened? Laeticia, your appearance—?" Takashi mumbled, playing the part of a disoriented victim.

"Never mind me. Shirou-dono, do you feel any better? Any abnormalities in your body?" Jeanne pressed.

"It hurts… but I think I’ll live," Takashi gasped, then feigned sudden recollection. "That shooter from before—is he still nearby?"

"He’s retreated for now. Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, he won’t harm you." Jeanne sighed before continuing, "Since you’re stable, allow me to introduce myself properly. As you can see, I’m different from Laeticia. My name is Jeanne d’Arc, summoned by the Greater Grail as a Ruler. Given that you bear Command Seals, I assume you’re familiar with the Holy Grail War?"

"The Holy Grail War… Jeanne… You’re a Servant?" Takashi widened his eyes in faux realization.

"Correct. However, my situation is unique—I am a Servant manifested through Laeticia’s body. Until now, Laeticia’s consciousness was dominant, but in moments of danger, I take over. From this point onward, this body will primarily be under my control," Jeanne explained.

"But what about Shirou-dono’s condition? Why was he targeted by another Servant? How were his injuries healed? Why does his body carry a Servant’s aura? And what is this black mist?"

Realizing she had bombarded him with questions, Jeanne quickly added, "No need to rush. Answer them one at a time. As the overseer of this Holy Grail War, ensuring its proper execution is my duty. The circumstances of your attack and the anomalies in your body are highly unusual, so I must investigate thoroughly."

"That Servant… I don’t know who he was. But I think I still have the bullets he shot into me. Maybe these can help track him down." Takashi produced the bullets, which Jeanne took and examined carefully before pocketing them.

"Understood. I’ll keep an eye out for that Servant. Now, about your injuries—how were they healed?"

"Give me a moment… Let me think." Takashi pretended to gather his thoughts, internally refining his prepared lies. I’ve laid all the groundwork. With what she’s already seen, Jeanne should mistake my condition for that of a Demi-Servant or homunculus. Heh, since I’ve already taken Amakusa’s role, might as well take Sieg’s too. No harm in that.