Then again, although Vlad III was dangerous and difficult to get along with, the option of watching Astolfo being executed by Vlad III never existed from the beginning.
Shinji's goal is to seize the Holy Grail, but it is not enough to seize the Holy Grail by himself. Therefore, he needs allies, and Astolfo is one of the candidates for his allies.
What kind of ally is best? The answer is simple, two points:
First, it is not easy to betray.
Second, there is no demand for the Holy Grail.
Astolfo fully meets the above conditions. First, he is a knight and follows the knight's creed. As long as he has his trust, he will not betray him - the fact that he took all the blame before is the best evidence.
Secondly, he has no regrets in his life. He has no wishes for the Holy Grail and doesn't even know why he responded to the call. He often says things like "Ah, now that I've been called, I should enjoy my second life."
If this guy wasn't so out of line, he would definitely be the best ally, not the current candidate for an ally. Of course, after letting Sieg go and blocking two attacks for Astolfo, he is already Shinji's ally. Next, as long as he takes advantage of the situation, he can be tied to the warship.
But before that, I have to get through this hurdle.
Just when Shinji was thinking about how to get Vlad III to temporarily spare Astolfo's life, Chiron had already spoken, not to the Archduke on the throne, but to Caster Avisbronn who had remained silent throughout.
"Caster, you just said that the android has the potential to be the 'core' of your Noble Phantasm?"
The magician, whose face was always hidden by the mask, hummed.
"Just a possibility? Not a certainty?"
"No conclusion can be drawn before experiments are done."
Avisbronn is a pure researcher. In this regard, he always adheres to the principle of seeking truth from facts and never falsifies anything.
Chiron continued, "So - there is also the possibility that it cannot be used as a 'hearth', right?"
Avisbronn nodded.
"Thank you." Chiron turned politely and said to Vlad III, "Grand Duke, you heard it too. It's just a possibility, not a certainty. If the android does not have the qualifications to be a core, then the rider is just dealing with an android according to his own wishes. If I remember correctly, we servants have the right to command the androids."
"Archer is right," Danic said.
"So, we cannot execute an important member of our party for a possible crime, what do you think, Archduke?"
"... "
"Wait a moment-"
Without waiting for Vlad III's reply, Roger stepped forward.
"—Teacher is just being rigorous. Based on the data we collected from other androids beforehand, that android can definitely serve as the 'core';."
If we were to say who was most dissatisfied with Rider letting Sieg go, it would definitely be Avesbron, followed by his master Roger. Roger admired Avesbron very much, and tried his best to learn from him and help him complete the treasure known as the "original human".
Now, all the preparations have been completed, except for the "core", but the "core" was let go by his own servant. How can Roger not be angry? After all, he is only thirteen years old, and he can't be as absolutely rational as Avisbron - if the possible "core" is lost, just find another one. There is no point in getting angry, it's just a waste of time.
It's a pity that a child like Roger who is ignorant of the world is no match for Chiron and was blocked by him with just one sentence.
"It's still just speculation, isn't it?"
"Yes, but—"
Just when Roger didn't know what to say, Vlad III slapped the armrest of the throne and shouted, "Enough. Archer, even if, as you said, that android cannot become the 'core';, it cannot hide the fact that Rider is rebellious."
At first, the dispute about the androids was only between Avisbronn and Astolfo, and it was at best a conflict caused by different opinions, not a big problem. But when Avisbronn reported the matter to Darnik, and Darnik issued a pursuit order, the nature of the problem changed.
It would have been fine if Astolfo had handed over Sieg at this time, but not only did he not hand him over, he also broke through Gold and Siegfried's interception and sent him away. This was undoubtedly an act of rebellion.
"Rebels must be punished!"
Vlad III's words were powerful and unquestionable.
"The Grand Duke—"
"Your Excellency is right!" Shinji clapped his hands and stood in front of Chiron, interrupting the latter's subsequent rebuttal, "Rebels must be punished."
Hearing this, Astolfo pouted immediately, Chiron's expression became more confused, and even Vlad III was a little surprised.
"Since you agree with my opinion, why do you want to stop me?"
"Because there are many ways to punish, the Grand Duke chose the most wasteful one." Shinji said, looking back at the two of them and giving them a look that urged them to stay calm.
"Why do you say that?" Vlad III asked.
"After all, this is a war, and it's still early in the war. Although we won the first battle and gained a certain advantage, this advantage is still far from establishing victory. If we execute Rider at this time, it would be tantamount to harming ourselves and benefiting others, and wasting the advantage we just gained."
"What do you think should be done?"
"It's simple. Die on the battlefield. Treason is a serious crime and must be paid with death, but there are many ways to die. Being stabbed to death by the Archduke is death, and dying on the battlefield is also death. It's better to create some value for our side. I suggest that we give him the most dangerous tasks in the next battle, and put him wherever the danger is the most. For our side, it won't waste combat power, and for him, dying on the way to charge is not a disgrace to his name as a knight."
Shinji's goal was to change the death penalty to suspended death penalty. Both Shinji and Chiron knew that a tyrant like Vlad III could not be confronted head-on, and could only be dealt with slowly and gently. Chiron had already proved with his actions that the "reasoning" approach didn't work, so he could only use another approach of "luring" with benefits. As long as he saved his life, there would always be a chance of turning around.
With Chiron's wisdom, he understood what Shinji meant when he heard the word "waste". He had already thought of two arguments, but he chose "reasoning" just to make Astolfo suffer less. Now that his proposal was rejected, he immediately followed Shinji's steps and "lured him with benefits".
"I agree with Assassin's suggestion. Although we have obtained the Red Berserker, according to Saber's description, our Lancer doesn't seem to be on our side. We have to be on guard."
Speaking of the female knight who was as powerful as Siegfried, Vlad III's anger finally calmed down - that was indeed a considerable hidden danger that must be taken seriously.
"Okay, I'll follow your advice and give Rider a chance."
Hearing this, Shinji finally felt relieved. He bowed again calmly on the surface, but he sneered in his heart - your strength has become stronger, but your brain is not as good as before. Let you be proud for a while, but you will be in trouble later.
Semiramis, Amakusa Shiro, please don't let me down.
PS: Dagong - Why am I so unlucky? It is indeed a heart-breaking song, where can I find a soulmate