With Yustisa's scan, Shinji didn't need to do any terrain survey. This was just an excuse for him to act alone.
Tonight, he did not spend the night in the room next to Fiore, but continued to act at night. It was not because there was something unfinished with Fuyuki, but because Yustisa sent a message—the Ruler stepped into the spiritual vein where the Holy Grail was located, that is, the Tulifas area.
Ruler, nicknamed Ruler, is an additional job that does not belong to the seven jobs commonly known as "Sword, Bow, Lance, Horsemanship, Killer". Normally, he will only be summoned to the world if special conditions are met.
There are roughly two situations in which Ruler is summoned: one is that the form of the Holy Grail War is very special and the result is unknown, that is, the Holy Grail determines that Ruler is needed; the other is that the impact of the Holy Grail War may cause the world to distort.
This Holy Grail War undoubtedly meets the requirements, so Ruler appeared.
The Transylvanian Motorway is the only national road that leads to Tulifas. Since the end of the motorway, Tulifas, is even disconnected from the tram network, traffic to there is almost non-existent.
More than half of the road lights standing side by side were also damaged. Perhaps because there were no protests from drivers, the government seemed determined to save the budget.
An almost fully loaded truck was driving on the national highway. Its shabby appearance and harsh engine sound made this dilapidated national highway look even more dilapidated.
A beautiful girl was sitting in the passenger seat of the truck. Her long golden hair was braided into a pigtail and tied behind her head. Her blue eyes were clear and peaceful, reminiscent of the sky after the rain. She was wearing a white shirt, a black tie, and black shorts. She looked like a student from somewhere.
As if she had noticed something, the girl rolled down the window and looked towards somewhere under the night sky.
After a few minutes, a young man with purple hair and purple eyes appeared in her sight.
The young man was wearing the same casual clothes that could be found everywhere like her. He had a relieved smile on his face and kept waving his hands.
The truck driver, a kind old man, stopped his truck and asked the man if he could help.
The young man said that he had an argument with his girlfriend and was thrown out of the car by her. He was wandering alone on the highway, hoping that the old man could take him to a nearby city.
The old man agreed, just as he had agreed to the girl before.
The young man thanked him profusely and slowly climbed into the cargo hold at the rear of the vehicle.
The girl also used the excuse that she had been sitting for a long time and wanted to move around, so she followed the young man into the warehouse, causing the old man to chuckle, "It's great to be young."
In the eyes of the old man, the young man who seemed to be of mixed race was handsome and handsome, and the short girl was pure and beautiful. They were both at the best age in their lives, and it was normal for something to happen between the two of them. He was also young once, so he understood this feeling. In order to help the two young people, he even changed the music to a soothing one.
Perhaps it won't be long before sparks of love fly between them.
The old man, who still had some romantic instincts, thought so. His idea was only half right. There was a spark between the man and the woman, but it had nothing to do with love. Instead, it was filled with scrutiny and caution. To be more precise, the two of them scrutinized each other, and the girl was unilaterally wary of the young man.
"I know I'm handsome, but I'd feel embarrassed if you looked at me like that." The young man spread his hands and used this as his opening remark.
The girl didn't say anything, and her clear eyes narrowed slightly.
The young man continued, "I have no ill intentions. If I did, I would not approach you in this way - right, Ms. Ruler?"
"Indeed, Black Assassin."
The young man was naturally Shinji who had rushed from Mirenia Fortress after receiving the message from Yustisa, and the girl was exactly the person she was looking for—the Ruler summoned by the Holy Grail.
After hearing the ruler's answer, Shinji knew that he had made the right move.
As the guardian of the Holy Grail System and the referee of the Holy Grail War, Ruler has job privileges different from regular jobs, including a strong perception ability. Ruler's perception is ten or even dozens of times that of regular servants. He can sense the presence of servants within a radius of ten kilometers, and can even invalidate the "Blocking Breath" skill of Assassin.
Because of this, Shinji did not approach quietly, but chose to visit openly. For an assassin to do this is a sign of sincerity. This is also the reason why the ruler did nothing and waited for Shinji to get on the car.
As for the dual identity of Master and Servant, Shinji was not worried at all. Not to mention that the privilege of the Ruler's position only applies to Servants and not to Masters, and that there is no other way to identify a Master except by looking at the Command Seals (otherwise Irisviel would have been seen through when she pretended to be Saber's Master), the precedent of a Servant serving as a Servant's Master in Fate Apocrypha but not being punished by the Ruler was enough to dispel Shinji's concerns.
"Please introduce yourself first, Black Assassin, the nameless assassin."
If it were any other participant, whether a Servant or a Master, they would not believe this answer immediately, or at least ask why. But Ruler did not. She believed it, because of one of her job privileges - the skill "True Name Seer". When summoned as Ruler, the true name, class, and performance information of all the Servants she directly encounters will be automatically revealed. If the opponent has an inherent ability or a Noble Phantasm that hides the true name and performance, it must be judged according to the luck level.
In the ruler's eyes, Shinji's information was clearly visible, except that the columns for real name and Noble Phantasm name were blank.
Blank areas are not unobtainable or crossed out, they are simply left empty. Other basic attributes, skills, and levels of treasures are all clearly visible.
The ruler who didn't know about the existence of Yustisa naturally thought that Shinji really had no name or deliberately forgot his name, rather than using a treasure or skill to cover it up.
Since the other party was so frank, she, as the referee, should also express corresponding sincerity. No, it was precisely because she was the referee that she should show sincerity. If she was secretive, it would not convince the fourteen pairs of masters and servants on both sides.
"Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc, the judge of this Holy Grail War, please give me your guidance, Black Assassin."
"Please advise me."
Shinji's heart was calm when he heard the name. He had already determined her identity the first time he saw her.
Jeanne d'Arc, also known as Joan of Arc, was a French hero who liberated Orleans from the Hundred Years' War and a Catholic saint. Although it was only two years from her departure from her hometown at the age of seventeen to her burning at the stake at the age of nineteen, she left an indelible mark in the history of both Britain and France.
Of course, the girl in front of him didn't have any obvious features that could make people associate her with Joan of Arc. The reason why Shinji was so sure was because he had seen a face that looked very similar to her yesterday. The only difference between Joan of Arc and that face was the color of her eyes and the ahoge on her head. Apart from these two points, the two could be said to be cut from the same mold.
That's right, Altria and Jeanne are so similar, both in appearance and temperament.
But the differences elsewhere in the body are more obvious.
For example, in terms of height, the girl version of Altria is 154cm tall, Jeanne d'Arc is 159cm tall, and the mature version of Altria is 171cm tall.
Another example - Shinji's gaze moved slightly downward, from the face that was so familiar to him to the two eye-catching peaks.
"With such an obvious discrepancy, how did Gilles de Rais admit his mistake?"
The girl version of Artoria is an A, while Jeanne d'Arc is a D no matter how you look at it. If you compare her figure with Jeanne d'Arc, she'd definitely have to be the mature version of Artoria!
Marshal, your eyes really deserve to be pierced!