Halloween - The Singing Pumpkin Castle: II

Patches remained standing with the pie in his hands as he offered it to each of the members of the group, then sighed upon noticing there were no takers. Idly setting the pie on the stall counter and his hands on either side of it, using the surface to prop himself up.

"Alright then." He gave an uncaring shrug "No takers is fine enough I suppose. Although that none of you trust me - Patches - after our last encounter is quite-"

"Sensible." Mash interrupted him with a scowl, still glaring at the man with almost as much fire in her eyes as Kiyohime "Considering you tricked us by disguising yourself and then attempted to kill my Master by pushing him into a ravine."

Patches raised a finger "You might describe it like that, or you could call me a helpful chap who showed you the easiest route to finding your missing supplies." he offered with a smirk "You can't entirely say I'm wrong, can you?"

"That was your excuse in the event we did not die and you know it." Ash commented, staring at the man with a frown before his lips thinned out "But you are here to offer your services as a merchant, are you not?"

"Ash-san!?" Mash exclaimed in shock "Are you going to-"

"Trust him? No." Ash shook his head "But I do trust the man he used to be." Mash watched as the smirk vanished off Patches face and was instead replaced with a tight frown. "And Lapp revealed many things-"

"Alright, alright." Patches cut him off, waving his hand "No need to dredge up all that nonsense now, is there?" he got no answer in response "There we have it." his eyes fell upon Kiyohime, the girl still levelling her fan at him. "...Are you going to threaten me all day?"

The woman looked like she was on the verge of carrying out her threat before a hand gently rested on her shoulder, the woman whipped her head around to face the person who touched her before she froze, seeing Ritsuka slowly shake his head at her before looking back to Patches.

"Alright, suppose we did want to use your services…" The Master's eyes narrowed suspiciously "What exactly do you want in return? Because somehow I doubt you're after traditional currency…"

"Sharp boy." Patches nodded approvingly "And you'd be right." he gestured around them "See a place like this is quite the trove of valuables just waiting to be plucked." he paused for reference "Course, many of them are already in the possession of some of the less than welcoming locals." he snickered "As I'm sure you're aware."

"The ghosts and Darkwraiths." Ritsuka realised with a frown.

"Forlorn." Patches corrected "Don't blame you for the confusion though, not many of them left in the world." he paused "Well, this world at any rate. They tend to wander, like myself actually." he smiled "Only much less friendly than good old Trusty Patches."

"I'm sure." Ritsuka crossed his arms at the man "And what is it you want?"

"A few bits and pieces." Patches shrugged "There is quite the market for decorations and Jack-o-lanterns about, and there's a few who'd leave behind such valuables when they shuffle off this mortal coil. Hehehehe…" he ducked down underneath the stall once again before he rose up.

"You'll find this." He placed a jack-o-lantern on the table. "This." a plastic bat on a piece of string "This." A orange wax candle "And this."

"...That's a cupcake." Ritsuka pointed out, gesturing to the final item "W-what?"

"I never claimed what people find valuable made sense." Patches sighed "Some are quite greedy for these little goodies and it's not my fault they're easily exploitable." he raised his hand "But I'm only offering my suggestion here and I would be more than willing to reimburse you for your efforts."

Ash tilted his head "...What manner of goods do you offer?"

"Bones, scales, teeth from the odd wyvern…" Patches hummed as he pretended to think before snapping his fingers "And a few trinkets from back home." he pointed to the Saber "I'm sure you'd recognise some of them."

Ritsuka stared at the man in silence for a few moments before he raised a single finger "One moment." He looked to the others and gestured for them to follow him.

The group walked away from Patches and gathered into a small circle, Ritsuka looking to Ash "What do you think?"

"Patches is genuine in his desire to trade with us." Ash crossed his arms, nodding his head "That much is true and I can make no comment as to what manner of goods he has." pausing, the Saber turned back to the direction of the Lancer before looking back to Ritsuka "He does have some good materials to be used." he admitted.

"So you think it might be worth it to gather some materials for him to trade with?" He asked, Ash shrugged.

"I cannot deny that what he sells might be useful in the future."

"It's up to you, Fujimaru-kun." Romani's face popped back up in the centre of the circle "Although that would mean you might end up postponing the Singularity." he winced "And I'm not sure how good an idea that is…"

"There is an idea." Ritsuka raised his hand "Patches said a lot of this stuff was dropped by the ghosts in the forest, right?" he looked around and saw the nods of affirmation "Alright." placing his hands on his hips, he gave a nod of the head "We're gonna have to split into two groups."

Romani blinked "Is that wise?"

"Well, I was going to get Jeanne down here." Ritsuka replied "You know…ghost hunting and all."

"That…" Romani trailed off, widening his eyes "That's a good idea. If you're going to deal with the ghosts she would be exceptional at it."

"Alright then." Ritsuka turned towards the Saber "Ash? You and Jeanne are going to go through the forest and gather as much as you can within an hour." he pointed at himself "Me, Mash, Kiyohime and Siegward will investigate further around the Singularity-"

"After we rest, Senpai." Mash interrupted him, looking around "I-it might be best to make sure that there aren't any other damages to the town." she paused "J-just to be sure."

Ritsuka stared at her with amused suspicion before he shook his head "Alright, we'll stay a while and have a quick look around the town." he gestured towards the castle north of them "Because I have a feeling that isn't going anywhere any time soon, is it?"

"Probably not." Siegward chuckled, "I have never seen a building grow legs and walk away."

"I have!" Patches called out to them, earning the attention of everyone "Although they were rather small buildings with large bells strapped on their underside." he gestured to his ears "Not very subtle."

Ash furrowed his brow "...Really?"

"I've been places.." Patches shrugged with a knowing smile "You might call me a little untethered." he paused. "That being said, I have a good memory for old customers."

"Hmmm." Ash merely hummed in response and turned back to Ritsuka "Very well, although I insist you do not attempt to storm the castle without my aid with you."

"I wasn't planning on it while we were understaffed." Ritsuka smiled back at him, throwing a thumb over his shoulder "But I feel like getting some souvenirs for the others back at Chaldea and well…I did promise to get some crochet materials." he pointed out before shaking his head, turning back to Ash "You alright with this?"

"I have no complaints." Ash replied with a straight face.

"Alright then." Ritsuka turned back to Romani "Can you let Jeanne know I'd like to get her down here please?"

"I'll call her to the Rayshift chamber and send her down to you." Romani nodded his head before he slid his chair off to the side.

The flash of light soon heralded the appearance of the Saint, the blonde woman gave those around her a passing smile before they lingered on Siegward for a few moments, her expression twitching ever so slightly as she looked as though she was trying to restrain a laugh "T-trying to blend in?"

"Something along those lines." Siegward chuckled, "I find myself among my kin in these most dire of circumstances." He made a sweeping gesture to the piles of pumpkin heads that surrounded them "My brave warriors of the patch."

Jeanne gave a brief giggle as she covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head in response "I-I see." she composed herself, turning to Ritsuka and assuming a more serious look "The message said there was an issue with spirits?"

"Right." Ritsuka nodded his head and pointed behind her, the woman turned around to see a road leading out of the town and towards a forest in the distance "Apparently the woods are teaming with ghosts and…um…Darkwraiths?"

"Forlorn." Patches corrected from a distance "Not much of a difference."

"Okay, Forlorn." Ritsuka accepted the correction, then noticed Patches smiling face had shifted into a disgusted scowl the second he caught sight of Jeanne.

Jeanne soon felt the hostility aimed towards her, turning her head and seeing the man's irritated expression and frowning ever so slightly "Is there some issue with me?"

"Just can't stand clerics." Patches sniffed, replying as though the answer had been obvious from the start. "And I can tell you're a Cleric." he made a shiver "And a righteous one at that." he paused, then shrugged "Still…if you avoid preaching to me, I can at the very least ignore you." he decided "Unless you die in the forest in which case I can forget all about you."

Jeanne blinked once, then turned to Ritsuka "Is it wise to trust this individual?"

"Trust him?" Ritsuka raised a lone eyebrow "No. Trade with him? Sure." he shrugged, pointing behind her to the Unkindled "Ash has already said that Patches is oddly fair when it comes to trading goods so we can at least rely on him not to try and rip us off provided we give him adequate currency in reply."

"I see." Jeanne pursed her lips before nodding her head, turning her attention back to the man. Her True Name Discernment had failed to identify him which meant he was either using some manner of Magecraft to conceal his identity from her or he had a Noble Phantasm to protect himself. "Has he introduced himself?"

"Patches."

The name didn't register to her, she frowned again. That was mildly unfortunate but she would trust in the decisions of her Master and he was at least aware that this sort of character was morally dubious.

She turned back to Ritsuka "When shall we depart for the forest?"

The boy paused "Actually you and Ash were going to take the forest, considering he's got blessed weapons and all-" Jeanne's eyes widened before they snapped towards the Saber in question and locked onto the twin spears in his hand. She could indeed feel the blessing of the divine radiating off of them and - while nowhere near as powerful as an object touched by the Lord - she could not deny they did hold some power to them. "-while the rest of us explored the town."

Jeanne idly nodded her head in response as she looked at the Master "For how long?"

"We were going for an hour?" Ritsuka replied "On each side mind you. You and Ash explore the forest for an hour while we explore the town and then we swap over for an hour." he paused "After which you can return to Chaldea." he looked left and right before he leaned towards her "It's an Elizabeth concert."

Jeanne's expression froze, her eyes twitching before she stared at Ritsuka "Are you…sure you wish to brave this alone? I would be willing to endure this with you-"

"Anchin-sama has no need for others." Kiyohime interrupted her with a scowl "I alone am sufficient enough company for him." The Saint stared in surprise before she exchanged a glance with Ritsuka.

"Just so she's more comfortable." He nodded to Kiyohime, earning a hum of affirmation from the Saint in question.

"Very well." She replied, leaning back and turning to Ash "Shall we depart them?"

"Let us." Ash nodded back to her, turning around and beginning his walk up the road towards the forest, Jeanne following after him.

"Dear me." Patches shook his head as he watched the duo leave "Wouldn't catch me dead with a Cleric, I'll tell you that."

"Maybe it is because they would see through your lies as a person sees through glass." Kiyohime sniped back at him with a hiss, only managing to earn a mocking laugh from the merchant.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm a liar." The man shook his head "Well, sometimes but honestly, I'm still a very trusty man. In fact, I might be the most honest man you'll ever meet."

"Don't you dare utter the word honestly from your craven mouth." Kiyohime snarled, flashing her fan in front of her face and narrowing her eyes "Your words might be woven like fine silk but they are worthless in value."

"Poetic." Patches gave a nod of approval "But you cannot say I am the only liar around here. Although, at least I am self-aware about my own words."

"That is worse than an ignorant liar." Kiyohime turned away from him and towards Ritsuka "You should not trade words with this one, Anchin-sama. They might corrupt you with their falsehoods and once the small lies are told, they will grow and grow into mountains of deception."

The boy stared at her for a few moments, then looked around to see if he could receive any support. Mash took the opportunity to step forwards.

"Kiyohime-san, Senpai wouldn't do something like that." The girl assured the Berserker "Because Senpai is honest, he would tell the truth."

Kiyohime's eyes fell upon the Shielder with a burning glare for a few moments before they closed, the girl beating the fan in front of her face and giving a gentle exhale "But of course…He is Anchin-sama. The lone person of honesty, which makes them all the more special." she smiled at Ritsuka "I should have more faith that even when dealing with deceivers-" she aimed a glare at Patches, who merely smiled and waved back "-you would remain honest."

"Ummm…Thanks?" Ritsuka replied, scratching the back of his neck and looking around "I think?"

Mash and Siegward could only offer shrugs in response, neither of them truly understanding the reasoning either.

The spirit wailed as it vanished into golden light, Ash retracting the spear from the thrust and lowering it back to his side before he stared down at the materials that had dropped from the ghost. Tilting his head, he raised a lone eyebrow before he shrugged and leaned down to pick it up and study it.

"I see that Patches did not exaggerate." he remarked aloud as he studied the small pile of bats before he placed them in his box.

"You have dealt with this man before?" Jeanne asked, planting her standard in the ground and scanning their environment for a few moments before directing her attention to the Saber.

"Some dealings." Ash replied, rising back to his feet "Some of which ended with him trying to kill me."

"...Is that not concerning?"

"It is usual behavior to Patches." Ash admitted with a shrug, turning to her "I do not approve of it but it offers greater value to keep him around in the long run. Despite that, I have never seen the man cause direct suffering and Greirat seemed to hold him in some regard and I…believe that the man had a good judge of character at times."

"Ah, I see." Jeanne nodded her head, a smile on her face "Your friend vouched for this man then?"

Ash paused "...I do not recall mentioning any friendship with Greirat-"

"You did not need to." Jeanne replied, shaking her head at him "The manner in which you spoke his name told me all I needed to know." Ash turned to her with a raised eyebrow "And your posture loosened. I acted in such a way when I talked about my dear comrades."

"...Hmmm." Ash hummed in response before he gave a single nod of acknowledgement "Your guess was true, he…was my friend. My only friend but he was my friend regardless."

"May I ask about him?" The Saint continued onwards, drawing a puzzled look from the Saber "I find it best to learn of a person by the company they keep." she paused. "And I feel as though we did not have much of an opportunity to speak in France when we last met. If we are to work together in the future, I would be most grateful if we understood each other."

"...Why?" Ash stopped, turning towards her and frowning "Why so curious?" he looked away "And it is not just you…Ritsuka as well, Mash and the others…they barrage me with questions for which I hold no interest in and I…I do not understand why?"

Jeanne frowned "Do you dislike their inquiries into your private life?"

"I do not know why they think my life so important as to ask?" Ash corrected "I have little to tell and little interest in telling it…" his expression shifted into genuine puzzlement "Would it be beneficial in some way if I spoke of him?"

"Perhaps if we were to one day meet him." Jeanne replied "Such things are possible."

Ash paused, his eyes clouding over "I…meet him?" he replied slowly before shaking his head "For what purpose?"

"Did you not ask your travelling companions in the past for information?"

"...I did." He admitted "Fuelled by my own curiosity at times and I cannot comment on the usefulness of the information. But if you feel it would be important I will provide what little I know of the man."

"I see." Jeanne nodded her head, smiling as they resumed their journey through the woods "And in turn, I will speak of Gilles when I knew him."

"Gilles?" Ash replied slowly "Was that not the man who constructed a false version of you?"

Jeanne's expression tightened ever so slightly "Gilles…was deeply troubled after my passing and I could never have imagined just how greatly it affected him. What became of him was…tragic, as were the acts he committed." shaking her head, she gave Ash a nostalgic smile "But the man who fought alongside me was perhaps one of the most honourable men I ever met. His loyalty was unquestionable…perhaps it was my fault for seeing his loyalty was to myself rather than France."

"We all have our duties to be observed." Ash replied "Without you…I would say that he Hollowed as much as a human could. If he truly did descend from the man you described to the man we fought."

"I cannot help but feel as though Gilles was pushed along that path…" Jeanne sighed "Forgive me, I have altered from our original conversation."

"Greirat was a thief." Ash bluntly replied, earning a blink of surprise from the Saint, soon followed by a puzzled look.

"You appear to have allies of…odd backgrounds."

"I make no comment on the role of Patches but Greirat…he never once stole for himself." Ash replied, pausing and turning to her "Everything he ever did, he did for another. You might call it his duty to aid those in difficult situations."

Jeanne's expression shifted into a smile "One who stole for those less fortunate than himself then, he sounds a kind man."

"He was…good." Ash replied "Greirat came from a settlement at the base of the castle of Lothric, where the undead were shepherded to and left in squalor." his eyes darkened "A pit of naught but suffering but Greirat…he did what little he could to ease the suffering of the citizens and it worked for a time."

"That is gladdening to hear." Jeanne went on "Sometimes you might indeed find one of good heart in the strangest of places but that does not diminish them any less than finding one of good heart in the most likely place. That you found a friend of one such calibre is fortunate."

"...It was less fortunate when I got him killed." Ash bluntly replied, he paused "I sense another spirit up ahead." he raised his spear and gestured forwards "This way."

Jeanne nodded her head "Then let us continue on. Souls such as these should not wander the world while wreathed in such pain."

"Nor is their suffering something I can permit." Ash continued on, tightening his grip on his spears.

"So what about this?" Ritsuka turned to the three behind him "This one good?"

"No…" Maxwell's face was on the screen this time, the man with a thoughtful expression "That looks too thick for gloves. Better suited for a blanket." he shook his head before tilting it to the side "What about the one there?" he pointed to the wool to the right.

Ritsuka turned to the next one and picked it up, the owner raised a lone eyebrow at him before giving an approving nod and looking to Maxwell "You know your wool…strange blue man."

"I've been doing this for a few years." Maxwell replied with a smile before he looked back down "That one is better for gloves. What colour is it?"

"Looks grey." Ritsuka replied "How much?"

"Two Akçe per yarn." The man replied with a blank expression, Ritsuka stared at him before he turned around to face the screen.

"Does anyone know what that is?"

"It's the currency of the Ottoman Empire." Romani's voice echoed back to him "Silver coins, hang on a second." the man muttered "We really do need an easier way of sending you this…alright then! I've told Markus to get the silver we have on store prepared so you'll have a budget of…erm…thirty coins!"

"Is that a lot?"

"I don't know all that much about currency, Fujimaru-kun." Romani replied "The only reason I know this is because Magi*Mari has been sending me helpful tips."

"...The Vtuber is educating you on currency?" Ritsuka blinked "What sort of sense does that make?"

"Don't ask him questions like that, Senpai." Mash responded with an exasperated look in her eyes "There is no sensible answer he could give you. The doctor is quite hopeless when it comes to stuff like that."

"I mean…it works, right?" Romani weakly argued back "If the information is correct does it really matter where I got it from?"

"I mean…a little." Ritsuka pinched his fingers together "Because at this point we'd be wondering why we didn't just promote Magi*Mari to the position of Rayshift operator in your place."

Romani recoiled "N-now hang on! You can't do that! She doesn't even know how to be a nurse!"

"Alright, alright!" Ritsuka held up his hands in mock surrender while chuckling loudly "I was just kidding." he lowered them "We'd never replace you Roman. You might be a hopeless vice-director, but you're our hopeless vice-director."

"Aww, shucks." Romani smiled, scratching the side of his neck and looking away "Thanks, Fujimaru-kun."

"So…can I get paid yet or are you going to stand there all day?" The man at the stall asked with a slightly irate expression on his face "I might have other customers waiting you know."

"Huh? Oh, right, right."

"Which meant I had to jab my fingers in his eyes to make sure he was paying attention." Jeanne finished the story with an innocent smile as Ash continued to stare at her in silence. "Don't worry about it though, it's just something I needed to do to him at times."

"Blind him?"

"Only for a little bit." Jeanne pointed out "Otherwise he'd never pay attention. It always worked as well and managed to get him back from whatever he was speaking of at the time."

"I…suppose that makes sense." Ash replied slowly, resting the long spear on his right shoulder "Did he ever complain?"

"He made no complaint about it." Jeanne replied with a frown "Even after he stopped crying in pain."

"...This is sounding marginally disturbing. Are you certain you did not torture this man?"

"Nothing like that!" Jeanne quickly defended "Gilles understood I needed to do that every so often." her hands lowered again "So what about you?"

"Allies beyond Greirat?" Ash paused for a few moments "There was Sirris of the Sunless realms. She pledged herself as a Knight to me."

Jeanne blinked then gaped at him "Y-you have a Knight pledged in service to you?"

"Is that odd?"

"No, just surprising is all." She replied "How did this occur?"

"I aided her on a personal quest and she decided to pledge herself to my service after the quest was completed." He frowned "She died soon after…however, I believe it was a life well spent and without suffering at the very end. Therefore I cannot lament it."

"If you believe so, then I am glad you find comfort in it."

"Comfort?" Ash blinked "It is not my comfort-" he ducked low as a ghost threw itself out of the woods towards him. The spirit flying over his head as he thrust upwards with the short spear at the same time Jeanne swung her standard into the face of the wraith. The spear penetrated the being through the back as Jeanne struck it in the face and dissipated the being into golden motes of light.

Several candles dropped to the ground in its place, Ash quickly retrieving them.

"It is not my comfort I sought from the affair, but their own." Ash continued on as if the previous attack had not occurred "I believe that a life in service of a duty is one well spent."

Jeanne tilted her head "Surely there are such lives that are spent well outside of Service?"

"None that I have seen." Ash replied, placing the candles into the Bottomless Box "I am curious as to what you fought for. You mentioned your service to your God but I did not inquire of it at the time. Did you consider your life well spent?"

Jeanne blinked, dumbfounded by the question. So much so that she didn't know how to answer the Saber for a few moments. Shaking her head, she steeled her expression "I have no regrets at the end of my path. Perhaps things might have ended differently for me but having never lived such a life I cannot comment on it." she paused, closing her eyes "That being said…I believe my path was right and I am glad that I did so."

"Then that is all there is to it." Ash replied with a shrug "You lived your life according to your duty and found peace in it at the end."

"Does it not concern you?"

"Why should it? It sounds ideal."

"...I would not refer to it as ideal." Jeanne shook her head "The moment I picked up my flag, I forsook any other path. My own peace with my path does not change that simple truth."

"Would you have regretted not acting?"

"Yes."

"Then there is nothing more to be said." Ash shrugged "You fought for your people and fulfilled your duty to the very end. There is no cause for me to believe your life was wrong…" he turned to her "However…the end of your life, what of that?"

Jeanne raised an eyebrow "You are the second one to ask me of that in as many days…" She muttered before replying "I knew my end would come and when I realised that there was no avoidance of what would occur…I made my peace with that."

Ash pursed his lips "...Would you not have wished to remain among the living until the English had been ousted from France?"

Jeanne blinked, pursing her lips "...I cannot say I would be for or against such a thing. Most would ask whether I would seek revenge for my death."

"Seeking revenge often leads to undesirable outcomes." Ash replied honestly "The loss of oneself in a fit of rage is difficult to overcome and many Hollows are the result of that. However…I do not understand your finding peace in death."

"I am curious how you came to learn of such things." Jeanne asked, tilting her head.

"I spoke with Romani at one point." He replied "Due to my inability to read-"

"Y-you're what?" Jeanne gaped "You mean to say that you as well?"

"As well?" Ash tilted his head "I see. No, the ability to read and write was not something I was gifted in. The Soapstones guided my hand in the ability to write my own name but that is all I could master."

"Hmmm." Jeanne merely hummed in response before shaking her head "To answer your question…perhaps I would have liked to see peace restored to France but such things were simply not to be."

"Then you accept your death?" Ash frowned, Jeanne stared at him in curiosity.

"Yes. Does that concern you?"

"...On some level." He admitted "The life of duty is one I approve of and yet the end was one of failure. You did not live long enough to fulfill your duty and therefore…" he paused "Therefore…I consider your life to be one that ended poorly."

"Because I did not succeed." Jeanne surmised "You might also say my death made it possible, given the events which occurred not twenty years after."

"Yet you were not there to witness them. A duty completed by others in memory of your death rather than you yourself." He stared at her "For that reason alone would I prefer you to have avoided the flames…but maybe you have something in common with Unkindled after all." he realised "Reduced to ash in the flames and born again to fulfill the duty you could not in life."

Jeanne blinked "That is an odd way of viewing it." she replied slowly "You see my life as some sort of second chance to complete my work before I depart?"

"Is it not?" Ash replied "In saving humanity you also save France and this time will be there to see the task completed."

"Perhaps…" Jeanne replied "But that would imply I was displeased with the manner in which my life ended."

"I would be."

"But I am not you."

"No…I suppose you are not." Ash murmured to himself.

"Tell me more of yourself." Jeanne asked after a few moments "The Unkindled…what are they?"

"...I suppose I should explain." Ash shrugged, "It is not complicated."

"It has been some time since I last visited a town such as this." Siegward remarked as he removed his helmet and placed it on the floor, the others all sat in a circle on a picnic blanket - brought by Kiyohime - as they rested from their patrol. "I suppose it is pleasing that it changes very little no matter where you visit."

"This is a village during - what I suspect - is the 1700s Siegward-san." Mash hesitantly replied "I do not think modern cities are like this now."

"They aren't?" Siegward blinked in surprise, then turned to Ritsuka "What are they like?"

"Cities?" Ritsuka cupped his chin "Tokyo is big. I can tell you that right now, it sometimes feels crowded but at the same time…I can't complain about it." he remarked with a nostalgic smile "I actually only went there a couple times, normally on a trip with my parents when I did so but it really was remarkable. One of the spots I went to was the Skytree."

"Skytree!" Siegward's eyes glowed with intrigue "That sounds rather impressive!"

"Hmmm." The boy gave a smile and a nod in response "It is. Tallest building in Japan as well. You go all the way to the top of the spire and you can see the whole city…I'm not afraid of heights but it's quite nerve racking being up there."

"Building? I thought it was a tree?"

"Huh? Oh, right." Ritsuka shook his head in amusement "It is a building. They just call it the Skytree." he explained, earning a gasp of understanding from the knight "What else…the Senso-ji temple." he nodded along "It's a really big temple devoted to one of the Buddhist Gods…I believe." he squinted his eyes in thought "Don't quote me on that."

"Just checked. You're right, Fujimaru-kun." Romani replied back with a smile "The temple was built in worship of one of the Bodhisattva. Specifically Ava-..." the man paused, staring off at his screen and squinting his eyes as he stumbled through the pronunciation "A-Avalo…kite…śvara. Avalokiteśvara."

"The more you know." Ritsuka muttered in thought, turning back to Siegward "Anyway, Tokyo is big. We're talking about a city with a population of…I think around ten million?"

Siegward choked on air.

"Thirteen million as of 2015." Romani corrected, which only prompted the knight to choke louder.

"...Hopefully it'll be more one day." Ritsuka thinned his lips "When we're done."

"Huh." Romani smiled, "That's optimistic of you, Fujimaru-kun."

"I like to think that's a good thing."

"I'm not complaining about it." The doctor hastily added "Just don't get too optimistic though."

"I think you can be as optimistic as you like, Anchin-sama." Kiyohime added on with a gentle smile "It is better to see the best in every situation than the worst."

"T-thirteen million?" Siegward gasped out "T-there wasn't even that many people in all of Catarina!"

"Ooooh." Ritsuka winced, "Right…lifespans were different back then, weren't they?"

"T-they are?" Siegward stared at him "You can live longer than five hundred years?"

"...I'm sorry, what?" Ritsuka blinked repeatedly and leaned forwards "How long?"

"Five hundred." Siegward continued on, then noticed the stares "What?"

"Erm…S-Siegward-san." Mash stuttered slightly "Humans don't live that long. Typically around seventy years."

"Oh…I see." Siegward cupped his chin "I suppose that was a large number, most lived to about a hundred before they died. Some less." he looked around "It all depended on your profession." he continued on "Many of the clerics lived that long through the use of Miracles to keep their bodies young. Others had strong souls so they could last for a good few centuries as well. Of course they all died of old age in the end but sometimes you'd have an entire generations serving the same baron."

"Was it like that everywhere?" Ritsuka asked, tilting his head and earning a blink from Siegward.

"Not as such. Only in places that were greatly supportive of the Lords." The man explained "They would receive the greatest support from the Faith and produce the greater humans. I believe the oldest I ever met was a Bishop called…erm…Bishop Christoph. He was around…seven hundred and fifty by the time he died? I was actually in town for his funeral."

"Erm…how old were you?"

"Me? I'm only…" He paused, "Hmmmm. Do you mean before or after I got the curse?"

"After?"

"Aha! In that case, I am one hundred and twenty!"

"And before?" Ritsuka asked, the man tilted his head in response.

"About forty winters." Siegward replied "Well…thirty eight."

Ritsuka stared at him "That's…you were undead for about eighty years."

"Some were undead for longer." Siegward rumbled "The curse normally sets in about…two hundred or so years before the Flame needs to be linked. Of course, there are tales of such linkings taking place immediately after the curse sets in but more often than not you end up unkindled as a result of that." He sighed "Those who weren't strong enough."

He shook his head "Dear me, a rather dour mood isn't it. You were talking about this city of yours?" Siegward changed the topic back "Thirteen million?"

"Yeah." Ritsuka nodded "Not even the biggest in the world I don't think."

"W-what is the population of the world?"

"Around…six billion?" Ritsuka replied "Maybe seven?"

Siegward blinked at him once "...What is a billion?"

"It's the next number up from a million."

"...Oh." Siegward gave a single nod in response "...That's…large." the man slumped his shoulders "How did it get so…big?"

"Umm…I don't know?" Ritsuka shrugged "Technology? Medicine? Healthcare?"

"He is right, Siegward." Romani cut in "A lot of advancement has occurred since the middle ages period, which I suspect your level of advancement was at. Mainly in the forms of medical advancement and housing conditions, not to mention the ease of growing crops." he went on "It just became much easier for humans to live."

"Hmmm." Siegward hummed in response "That sounds very nice…" he remarked, crossing his arms "...Idyllic almost."

"I wouldn't go that far, still more than a few problems in the world but it's…well…it's life." Ritsuka shrugged, "Not much else you can really say about it." he looked at the man "So what was Catarina like?"

"Catarina?" Siegward blinked in surprise before a warm smile came upon his face "Well…we were one of the oldest Kingdoms in the world. I suppose the oldest after the fall of Astora." the man sighed "Between us, we produced some of the finest Knights to walk the lands. As for our trade…we actually bordered on the oceans, so we were in a good position to trade with the Far Eastern Kingdoms. I actually travelled there once too."

"What was it like?" Mash asked, leaning forwards.

"Well…They actually had very similar names to you, Ritsuka." He gestured to the boy "And their royals dressed much like Lady Kiyohime." he nodded to the girl "So I can only assume some manner of cultural overlap."

"Whoa." Ritsuka blinked "I'd say."

"Hmmm. I only stopped in one of the port towns though, this was before I caught the curse so I was around…twenty three, still a young man and fresh into the armour." He chuckled to himself "We got into a rather amusing situation when we first arrived…the locals seemed to be under the impression we were part of a travelling troupe."

Kiyohime tilted her head "Whatever for?"

"Well…they believed we were there to entertain the children by dressing as vegetables."

"Pffft." Ritsuka covered his mouth in amusement, holding back his laughter as best as he could "O-onion men?"

"Yes." Siegward dryly replied "Onion men." sniffing, he shook his head "But it was nice enough, I forget the name of the port now and I doubt I could pronounce it anyway." he cupped his chin "Now…as for Catarina. I grew up in one of the towns close enough to the capital. Lovely little town called Annaburg. We were actually one of the suppliers of fine wool. A lot of sheep."

"Sounds peaceful."

"Oh, it was." Siegward nodded "Catarina was one of the safest Kingdoms around, even during the times of the undead. Well…as safe as could be. Some still fell victim to the curse and we had nothing else to do but exile them." he gave a weary sigh "Tragic state of affairs really…they understood though for the most part. Hollowing was something all undead would do and when that happened there was a very real chance they would do something…terrible."

"..."

"Dear me, bringing down the mood once again." He chuckled, shifting his tone into a more upbeat one "Festivals! Catarina had some of the finest festivals around!" he exclaimed, gesturing around "Not like these but we were great masters of the culinary art. If Astora was famed for its tourneys, then Catarina was famed for its masters of cookery!"

"Like a food festival?"

"Exactly." Siegward nodded "We'd have a few local ones perhaps once every few months but once every three years there was a massive celebration in the capital of Velbert." He carried on "Some of the specialties from across the Kingdom and even from beyond were invited to share in the grand cuisine. Dishes from all over, I believe one year there were even some from Vinheim." shaking his head in disbelief, he saw the looks of confusion before elaborating "It was a kingdom famed for its scholars and sorcerers. They pursued the art of magic so for a detachment of mages to show up at a cookery contest turned a few heads. I believe they made a casserole of sorts."

"...A group of magi turned up to a cooking contest with a casserole." Romani blinked, dumbfounded before he snorted "N-now that is something that would turn heads."

"All the more so when they came in the traditional robes!" Siegward laughed "Men in large cloaks leaning over a fire and serving out dishes! It was astounding!"

"Definitely sounds interesting." Ritsuka chuckled to himself "...Do you miss it?"

"...Well…I would be lying if I said I didn't." Siegward replied "Catarina is my home and I shall always have a yearning to return but such things are impossible now." he smiled sadly "I made my peace with my departure when I contracted the curse…Not much left beyond memories of the place anyway."

"...Maybe we could do a little cooking thing." Ritsuka suggested "Nothing big, just a time where you and the others can make something you really want to make."

"Well…I wouldn't be against it." Siegward replied, scratching his chin "But I'd hate for you to go out of your way to accommodate me."

"Hardly an accommodation." Ritsuka smiled at him, looking around "There's a town right here we could buy supplies from."

"I suppose…" Siegward muttered to himself.

"I would welcome the opportunity to cook for Anchin-sama." Kiyohime spoke, her expression shifting slightly "But the idea of another eating the food I made especially for him…"

"Think of it as making food for him and his friends." Siegward suggested "Is it not the way of preparing food for guests at parties?"

Kiyohime blinked at him before she gave a slow nod of the head "Yes…Yes, I believe that is the way of things, and most certainly the role of a dutiful wife." she smiled at him, "In that case, I would be most pleased to participate…so that I might show my skill as a housewife is superior to all others."

Ritsuka looked down at his watch, blinking "Huh…We should probably call Ash and Jeanne back now. It's been about an hour at this point."

"I wonder how they are getting on." Mash pursed her lips "I hope they aren't in trouble."

"Worry not." Siegward waved his hand "Having found beside Ash a number of times I can say with certainty that he is capable of handling himself." he snorted "Why, I recall the second time I met him. He just walked towards a Demon in the middle of the road and fought it. I was so dumbfounded I didn't know what to do before I leapt to my feet and chased after him."

"...Ash-san seems to have a habit of just walking up to enemies, doesn't he, Senpai?" Mash remarked with furrowed brows.

"I think Ash prefers the simple approach." Ritsuka chuckled, "Unfortunately that extends to everything." shaking his head, he climbed to his feet "Right, let's call them to the edge of town. We'll meet up and then head off."

"Go for the wing!" Ash cried out as he wrestled with the large beast "T-The wing!" the giant created clamped a hand down around his shoulder before it hefted him into the air and slammed him back into the ground, eliciting a pained gasp from the Saber before he snarled and clamped his hands around the wrist, his left hand glowed before it exploded with brilliant orange flames.

The large creature cried out as it stumbled backwards, teal skin charred back and the silver plates of armour pulled aside on the wrist. Glowing violet eyes narrowed as the beast stepped forwards with a cloven hoof and raised its right arm towards him, fingers glowing with magical energy.

"HA!" Jeanne's standard collided with the side of its head with a resounding thump, the horned being stumbled with the blow as the Saint landed on the ground and thrust the flag like a spear towards the upper knee joint of the right leg. The twin tails on its back whipped around to strike her only for several knives to bury themselves in its chest.

The creature stumbled back as the knives vanished into thin air, the flag tip buried itself in the leg and was rewarded with a scream of agony before it caught the Saint in a backhand, throwing her away from it and spinning through the air before she landed on her feet.

The wings on its back spread themselves wide as it swung around towards Ash, the Saber standing with four long knives held in between his fingers on his left hand while in his right he held a thrusting sword. The Saber narrowed his eyes before he charged forwards, throwing the knives towards the beast's head. The creature raised a large forearm and managed to block the attack only to growl when Ash ducked underneath it and thrust upwards repeatedly into its ribs.

Jeanne jumped into the air, raising her flag up and slamming it into the back of the creature's head, the leftmost horn snapping in two as a result and smashing it face first into the ground.

Ash swiftly put the corvian sword away, pulling out the Astoran Greatsword and raising it up above his head as he aimed for the neck before swinging the large blade downwards like an executioner. The sword slashed through the creature's neck and separated the head from the body, the beast going limp as a result.

Jeanne took another scan of the are before she relaxed herself, turning to look at the corpse and furrowing her brows "I cannot be certain but I believe this was some manner of Demon."

"A Demon?" Ash raised an eyebrow and stared at the body "...Not one I am familiar with but it appears monstrous enough." he looked around "What was it doing here?"

"I am not certain." Jeanne remarked "Although perhaps it came to the forest to feed. The souls of the departed would provide suitable sustenance; if it was searching for such a thing." the woman grimaced, "That is the only explanation I can consider."

"That might explain the quantity of supplies it dropped." Ash remarked as he flipped the headless corpse onto its front and revealed the small pile of assorted supplies "Such as these…" he paused, staring at the chest before he returned the greatsword to his box and pulled out a sharp dagger.

"What are you doing?" Jeanne asked, cringing as Ash started to cut open the chest.

"Demons in Lothric carried powerful souls." Ash replied "Although they do not appear to be of the same ilk." he sighed, prying open the chest "...The heart looks curious though."

"It is the heart of a Demon." Jeanne remarked, looking away "And I believe Mages might have some use for them for experiments…but beyond that, I cannot think of a use."

"Hmmm." Ash cocked his fist back before punching the ribs and shattering them, reaching in and grabbing the glowing organ before tearing it out "...Perhaps something useful then."

"That is rather grizzly."

"In Lothric you make use of everything you can get your hands on." Ash merely shrugged as he placed the heart in the bottomless box "I am merely covering all bases. If not, then we have successfully killed a demon and prevented further harm to the locals and I have simply mutilated the body for no reason."

"I see…" Jeanne blinked before she stared at the Saber "You have a very simple way of doing things, don't you?"

"Why should I not?" Ash raised an eyebrow "Simple methods are easy to remember and often work."

"Hey, Guys?"

The pair looked up as Ritsuka's voice echoed through their heads.

"It's been an hour, you can return to the town and we'll have a look through the forest."

"Ritsuka?"

"Yes, Ash?"

"Do you know of any use for Demon hearts?"

"...What in the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't curse." Jeanne politely reminded him.

"Sorry, sorry…hang on a moment."

The pair fell into silence for around a minute before the voice came back.

"Okay so Roman says that Demon hearts are pretty important and can be used for a lot of spells and or rituals. Basically, they're materials for use and he says it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it."

"Very well then. We will return shortly."

"...That's disgusting." Ritsuka stated as he grimaced at the purple organ, Ash held it in his left hand and shrugged "Y-you can put it away now."

"Ah…sorry." Ash flipped the lid open and put the melon sized heart back in the box. "The Demon surprised us but was vanquished." he threw a thumb over his shoulder towards the woods "The body remains in the woods and I am unsure of what you would do with it."

"You can leave it there." Romani replied "It's a magical being that isn't native to this era, once the Singularity is restored the corpse will simply be broken down into magical energy and dispersed."

"Well, that's convenient." Ritsuka hummed, turning to the pair "Anything else in the woods?"

"Skeletons with pumpkin heads." Ash replied.

"...Alright then." Ritsuka nodded his head in response, accepting the bizarre situation without much complaint. "We'll go have a look in the forest for about an hour, see what else we can find." he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch, placing it in Jeanne's hand "There's about twenty-five coins in there. I need you and Jeanne to buy some supplies. We have a list for you…"

Ash and Jeanne remained silent as they stared at the piece of paper the master produced. Then at each other.

"I cannot read." Ash replied first, Ritsuka slowly handed the list to Jeanne.

"...I can't read either." Jeanne quietly replied with a slightly guilty look on her face.

"...Oh." Ritsuka blinked at the pair "Um…can you remember it if we told you?"

"Yes." Ash nodded his head.

"Alright then." Ritsuka paused "Actually, Mash can you hand him your communicator? We've still got mine if we need to talk to Roman."

"Yes, Senpai." Mash handed the small disk to the pair "Here you go. Just press the button, Ash-san."

"Hmm." Ash wordlessly took the disk and stared at it, giving the Shielder a nod in response.

"Alright, Roman will let you know what to buy. After that…" He shrugged, "Just relax and we'll join you in an hour."

The four walked off - followed by Fou - and left Ash and Jeanne alone in the town soon after, the pair turning to stare at each other.

"...Should we start?" Jeanne turned to the Saber, the man remained silent for a few moments before he nodded his head.

"When he says to 'relax' what does he mean?" Ash asked as they started walking, Jeanne pursed her lips.

"I believe he means for us to enjoy the scenery." She replied "And merely rest until we might be needed again." she paused. "Or until you are needed again, I believe my role will end after this and I will return to Chaldea."

"Hmmm." Ash nodded in response "I see."

"We can always continue our discussion?"

"I suppose."