After being brought back to the camp of the West Roman Allied Forces, Gilles de Rais remained alone in an inconspicuous corner. The scene of him being defeated by Lancer constantly replayed in his mind. He was also on the verge of being finished himself, facing the witch-like Brunhilda. With only a superficial knowledge of black magic, he was powerless to deal with her.
If it hadn't been for Aetius secretly staying behind to save him, his journey in this Holy Grail War would have truly ended, and he would have helplessly witnessed Jeanne being taken away.
Although Gilles de Rais claimed to have no desires, he had regrets that needed to be fulfilled. Having the fortune to participate in the same Holy Grail War with Jeanne, he wanted to fulfill the regrets he had in his life. Leaving behind the stagnant city of Orléans, he rode alone to the front lines, just to see Jeanne again and tell her, tell her—"I'm sorry, I was too late."
The reality proved that the Jeanne who appeared in the Holy Grail War was different from the saint he had imagined. The sense of loss kept Gilles de Rais hesitating, until just now, when he witnessed Jeanne being abducted again. He suddenly realized that blindly pursuing perfection would only lead to the tragedy repeating itself. Whether Jeanne was a saint or not did not require anyone's judgment, including his own. Jeanne was Jeanne, whether it was the fearless Jeanne who carried the banner and charged towards Orléans, or the Jeanne who wielded the holy sword and cooperated with invaders. Even if one day Jeanne betrayed her faith and plunged into darkness and evil, she would still be a saint.
With a single command, he would follow in the footsteps of the saint and continue to fight for Jeanne.
Gilles de Rais hated himself for not making a decision earlier. He hadn't been of any help, and when he tried to act as a hero, he was easily dealt with by the powerful witch.
Leaning against a stone, Gilles de Rais didn't care that the setting sun was shining on the other half of the rock. The sky was about to darken.
"You are Jeanne's Master? The Magus from the future?" Gilles de Rais could sense Suzuki approaching without needing to stand up. "My true name is Gilles de Rais, a general from the Hundred Years' War period. Do you need me to provide any further information?"
"We at Chaldea have your intelligence data, including your Noble Phantasm, all stored in my memory. There is no need for you to inform me, Marshal Gilles de Rais."
"Do not address me as Marshal. My achievements pale in comparison to other generals of my time. It would be arrogant of me to call myself a marshal. For example, you have seen La Hire, who has accomplished much more on the battlefield than I have," Gilles de Rais responded.
Suzuki's knowledge of La Hire was limited to surface-level information. He only remembered that La Hire possessed a Noble Phantasm for breaking through enemy formations. It didn't matter that he couldn't recall the details since Berserkers typically couldn't use Noble Phantasms.
"The title 'Marshal' was bestowed upon you by history, so it is not arrogance on your part but rather a recognition of your accomplishments that match the title. You have gained the acknowledgment of future generations," Suzuki replied.
"Hahaha... What kind of creature am I? Don't I know that better than anyone else? I am even more uncontrollable than La Hire, with no strategic foresight in battle. Burning, killing, and plundering are my specialties. And outside my military career, don't you future people know about my wicked deeds? I have lost count of how many children I've taken. A single stab can kill one. Through these forbidden acts, I learned some black magic. Even when I descend as a Saber, I still remember how to use it, employing those blasphemous incantations that are steeped in evil black magic. This is who I am, Gilles de Rais," Gilles de Rais confessed.
Suzuki showed little reaction to Gilles de Rais' self-deprecation. He had studied the historical exploits of the Marshal during his time in the Chaldea organization. "60 children? Or was it 70? Let's round it up to a nice even number and call it 100 lives. But how many people do you think you saved during the Hundred Years' War? Leading the French army against the English, you were a Marshal. Later, you committed crimes and became a murderer. Your summoning as a Saber is not based on your killing deeds. So I address you as 'Marshal.' If it is for the sake of leaving behind a noble and great image for future generations, should we concern ourselves with such flaws? In Chaldea, we treat every Heroic Spirit with equal respect, contributing our efforts to save humanity. Saints are welcome, and so are demons."
Through his conversation with Aetius, Suzuki had come to understand what he needed. To save humanity, there was no need to concern oneself with meaningless notions of good and evil. At this moment, he needed the power of Gilles de Rais, and the goal was straightforward.
"You're quite interesting. Did Aetius teach you that?"
"Something like that," Suzuki replied straightforwardly, with his reasons for agreeing. He had no feelings about concepts of good and evil; his sole focus was on the mission of saving humanity. He had a slight preference for good because in most cases, saving humanity aligned with the side of good.
The possibilities deliberately enumerated by Aetius made Suzuki understand clearly what the Human Order truly was. It was not about good and evil, righteousness and wickedness, but rather a form of order that defied reason. Just as Aetius mentioned, even if a saint who violated the Human Order were to appear, knowing that following in the footsteps of that saint would lead humanity towards greater prosperity, to protect the Human Order, that saint would have to be eliminated, just like any other evil that disrupted the Human Order. The Human Order that needed to be saved itself did not possess the concept of good and evil, so there was no need to insist on which side the Servants who were willing to contribute to the path of saving the Human Order stood on.
"I had already intended to form a contract with you, but I have one question to ask. Perhaps you know the answer." Gilles de Rais had heard his subordinates boast about his deeds during the Hundred Years' War countless times, and Suzuki didn't need to praise his achievements in the war between England and France. He was willing to cooperate with Suzuki to attempt to save Jeanne d'Arc.
However, as he had the chance to meet someone from the future, he wanted to know an important thing in advance. "How did Jeanne d'Arc die in the end? Was she burned to death in the square in Rouen?"
Suzuki was fortunate enough to witness Jeanne d'Arc's final memories in a dream. It was not a memory suitable for recollection, and Suzuki recalled the raging flames, which only served to instill fear in himself.
"Yes."
"Did she maintain her faith until the very end?" Gilles de Rais wanted to know the truth, especially after having met Jeanne d'Arc in the Saber class.
"When Jeanne d'Arc manifested this time, she wielded the holy sword, Saint Catherine. Her Noble Phantasm materialized the sacred flames of her purity before her death." Suzuki carefully considered his words, choosing not to mention the specific scenes he saw in his dream.
"I know all of that. I have also witnessed the sword she never possessed. Hmph, the crystallization of purity." Gilles de Rais became excited, his fingers gripping the weeds on the ground. Despite carrying out a retaliatory massacre in Rouen, Gilles de Rais still harbored hatred towards the city of Rouen.
"She persisted until the moment she had no choice but to accept her fate. And when she had no options left, she could only become a holy maiden consumed by the flames." The truth was often uninteresting, and Suzuki had already described it most tactfully. Just one encounter was enough to comprehend the level of despair the protagonist, who found herself at the center of a tragedy, endured, begging for death to come quickly, so that her trembling lips could be brought under control.
"You're lying!" Gilles de Rais exclaimed, standing up in excitement. He glared at Suzuki with wide eyes, as if he would draw his sword in the next moment. "She is a saint; she would never betray her faith. She would rather be burned to death than renounce her oath to the Lord."
"Yes, she didn't. When she was about to be burned alive, nobody extinguished the raging fire and saved her in her blurred consciousness. She was not given another chance to choose. No one reached out a hand to offer her a glimmer of hope, so she could only embrace her faith tightly and welcome death. I am her Master, and through the contract that connects me to her, I witnessed Jeanne's final memories before her death," Suzuki replied, certain that Gilles de Rais wouldn't accuse him of lying. He wouldn't forget the last memories that belonged to Jeanne, where the girl amid the flames opened her eyes multiple times, pleadingly looking at the agitated crowd, listening to their initial support turn into doubt.
Gilles de Rais suddenly calmed down, realizing that Suzuki wouldn't lie, and he believed his answer even more. "So, I was right about the massacre in Rouen? Right? Jeanne wanted to kill those spectators too, right? She didn't lose her composure only because she couldn't betray her faith. In that case, I avenged her?"
With widened eyes, a mixture of calmness and madness, Gilles de Rais questioned Suzuki Tomoe. He had always had a twisted "love" for Jeanne from the beginning, needing a saintly figure to anchor his spirit. And when Jeanne appeared, he was willing to go through fire and water for her. If there had been a genuine witch claiming to have made a pact with a demon, capable of leading the French army to defeat the demon-disgraced English, Gilles de Rais would have done the same, as long as others didn't mind.
"I won't blame you for admitting your fondness for slaughter. But why borrow Jeanne's name? As for whether it counts as revenge, it would be better to ask Jeanne herself," Suzuki said, acknowledging that half of what Gilles de Rais said was correct. Referring to Jeanne's appearance as a Saber class, she killed a Gaul soldier on sight and could go berserk in battle. Returning as a Servant to the day she was killed, there was no telling what cruel actions she might take. However, these were all assumptions. Just like in this Holy Grail War, to prevent the violation of humanity, Suzuki hadn't committed any evil deeds.
Having touched a sore point mentioned by Suzuki, Gilles de Rais didn't react excessively. Gilles de Rais could maintain his sanity outside of combat, and his EX-ranked madness didn't drive him to madness beyond battle. "But Jeanne doesn't like the bloodthirsty side of me."
Suzuki didn't quite know how to deal with Gilles de Rais, who was in a state of mixed loss of control and composure. He had asked Aetius how to form a good relationship with Gilles de Rais, and Aetius had told him that gradually revealing the truth would be sufficient. Sometimes, the truth was more alluring than deception.
"I feel like you never considered what Jeanne needed. You just blindly imposed the image of the 'Saint Jeanne' onto her," Suzuki boldly expressed his speculation, and Gilles de Rais's ever-changing expression confirmed his suspicion.
"Well, your name is Suzuki Yuki, right? As long as the other party hasn't killed Jeanne, I will fight alongside you to rescue her. But if Jeanne perishes in this Holy Grail War, I won't continue fighting for your so-called salvation of humanity."
