Chapter Twenty Five
Into The Fray
We had been heading north along the coastal road for quite some time now, but Rome was still not quite yet in sight. I was beginning to wonder if we really were heading the right way...
"I still can't believe you said something so cliché…" I heard Scathach murmuring under her breath from my side and looked over to see her shaking her head.
"Are you still going on about that Lancer?" I asked.
"Yes! Only you could say something so stupid!" Scathach replied and I let out of a sigh.
"I said it because I thought it would be something amusing to say given our current circumstances." I stated.
"You always have something amusing to say." Scathach said. "Or some sort of commentary or tit bit that you feel the need to add." Scathach added as she faced forward.
"Well yeah I do Lancer." I said as I looked back at her. "If I didn't say anything cheerful to brighten the mood then we would be left with the depressing atmosphere that hovers over you, either that or we'd get one of your history lessons." I stated bluntly which earned me a scornful look from Scathach as she narrowed her eyes at me. A vein popped on the back of her head as she crossed her arms seemingly pissed off at me. What else was new though? I stormed off ahead leaving Scathach behind, feeling a bit annoyed.
I didn't make it far before I heard someone's hurried footsteps coming from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see Mashu rushing to catch up with me. Mashu slowed down once she had caught up with me and met my pace, now walking side by side.
"Were you and Lancer arguing again?" Mashu inquired looking up at me.
"Nah…" I said shaking my head. "Her and I were just bickering about something stupid again." I told her and Mashu let out a chuckle.
"Bickering is just another word for arguing Senpai." Mashu said.
"... Yeah I guess you're right." The light hearted mood dimmered as a frown encroached upon Mashu's lips.
"I wish that you and Lancer would get along Senpai…" Mashu stated. Mashu's frown must be infectious as I soon found myself frowning too, and I faced forward in response.
"I know Mashu, I know." I replied. "But every time I try talking with Lancer, I seem to just make things worse." I said.
"I see…" Mashu murmured cupping her chin. "Have you tried giving her a hug?" Mashu suggested and my eyebrows almost shot off my forehead.
"Uh No Mashu, I don't think that would go well…" I said wincing in reply.
"Why not? Everyone loves hugs Senpai!" Mashu exclaimed. Vivid images of being impaled through the chest came to mind at the thought of hugging Scathach.
"Not everyone does Mashu, and especially not Lancer." I said and Mashu furrowed her eyebrows at me.
"How do you know that? Lancer is just as human as you are, you know!" Mashu exclaimed as she pouted out her cheeks. "And everyone needs a hug every now and then." Mashu added wagging her finger at me.
"It's just a gut feeling I have…" I said as I looked over my shoulder, gazing at Scathach. Scathach still had her arms crossed from earlier and she seemed to be staring blankly out over the ocean. I watched as Jeanne pushed her way past Scathach, seemingly ignoring Jeanne's actions just now even though she had brushed up against her, and instead keeping her gaze over the ocean with a blank expression. "...Things will work them self out eventually Mashu." I said as I returned my attention to Mashu.
"If you say so Senpai…" Mashu murmured. Mashu didn't look very convinced however, and I didn't blame her. I had been saying things would sort themselves out for years now, but nothing ever actually changed between Scathach and I. I just didn't know what to do at this point...
At that moment, Jeanne appeared right besides Mashu. She had caught up with us and was now walking alongside us, and the three of us were now walking side by side. Jeanne peered her head from behind Mashu's and looked at me before speaking out.
"Nobody appears to be following us Chris and I don't sense any servants nearby." Jeanne reported. Jeanne was taking things seriously on her first singularity outside of her own, which was in starch contrast to her performance in France. In France her mind had always been occupied with thoughts about her alter self so she had always been distracted.
"Good work Jeanne." I replied with a nod of my head. A soft smile formed on Jeanne's lips as she nodded her head in acknowledgement. I saw her hands go behind her back as she continued to look at me smiling. "What is it Jeanne?" I asked.
"I was just curious as to how much you knew about Ancient Rome?" Jeanne inquired.
"Outside of the play Julius Caesar and some other common knowledge. I'm afraid I know very little." I admitted. "I'm afraid they don't teach much European history in American schools. Other than America's foreign interventions in Europe and Asia." I explained.
"Ah I see. I only ask because as you know, I never left France during my life." Jeanne said as she placed her hand on her chest. "So I never knew any other countries outside of Britain and France, and even then I never had visited Britain." Jeanne further went on to explain.
"Yes I remember you telling me Jeanne." I said with a nod of my head. "By the time you were born however, the Roman Empire had already long ceased to exist. Much of Italy was part of the Holy Roman Empire along with various German States, while the southernmost part of Italy was part of the Papal States." I explained.
"Ah Yes his Holiness, I know of him." Jeanne said.
"I would be surprised if you didn't know." I replied.
"By the way, the pope still exists in Modern times, yes?" Jeanne inquired.
"Yes the Papacy is still quite alive in the modern era." I replied.
"Who is the current reigning Pope? If I may ask." Jeanne asked next.
"I believe that would be Pope Francis." I answered.
"How would you describe Pope Francis?" Jeanne asked.
"A so-so Pope." I replied.
"A so-so Pope?" Jeanne said with raised eyebrow.
"I'm only telling you what I hear about the guy." I said. I knew nothing about religion or the ongoings of the Catholic church so that was all I could say.
"I see…" Jeanne murmured, cusping her chin. "Still though, it would be a great honor if I could meet his Holiness one day." Jeanne said.
"Who knows, maybe you might." I said looking forward. Meeting the Pope would be near impossible for almost anyone, but you never know what might happen. "But you won't be finding any Popes in the days of the Roman Empire." I added.
"And why is that?" Jeanne asked as her eyebrow shot up once more.
"That's because the Papacy didn't exist yet Jeanne!" Mashu answered before I could. That's not quite what I was going to say, but that would have to do for now...
"Ah, I see. Thank you Mashu." Jeanne said with a nod of her head. "You seem to know quite a bit about the makeup of European countries throughout the middle ages, Chris. Even though you said they don't teach you much about Europe in school." Jeanne noted.
"Well they don't teach you much of anything in school." I replied. "The only reason why I know as much as I do is because of some of the video games I play and books I read in my free time." I explained. It was mostly just because of the map games I would play that I even knew these things.
"Video… Games?" Jeanne murmured. "I still do not know what those are." Jeanne said.
"That's an explanation for another day." I said.
"O-Oh Okay." Jeanne said. She sounded as if she was still curious, but decided not to press any further. "So what of the country today?" Jeanne asked.
"What do you mean? You mean what is this place called in the modern era?" I asked in reply and Jeanne nodded her head. "In the modern era, this country is known as Italy. It spans from the tip of the boot to the borders of France, Switzerland, and Austria." I explained.
"The boot?" Jeanne said, cocking her head.
"The country of Italy is shaped like a boot." I said. "It looks as if it's in the shape of a boot kicking a football." I explained.
"Oh wow! I never knew that!" Jeanne exclaimed.
"Yeah it's one of the more interestingly shaped countries in the world." I said.
"So how much do you know about Italy?" Jeanne asked.
"Well there's Pasta, Fettuccini, Ravioli, Spaghetti, Ferraris, and Pizza!" I said in the most Italian accent I could manage to pull off, much to Jeanne and Mashu's amusement. I cleared my throat before carrying on. "... Ahem, I know some stuff, but not very much. The capital of Italy is still called Rome, and the Vatican City and the Pope are located in Rome." I said, clearing my throat. "Other than that, I don't know a whole lot about modern day Italy."
"Even so, you know more than I do. Thank you Christopher for answering my questions." Jeanne said nodding her head.
"No problem Jeanne, if you have any more questions feel free to ask Mashu or I." I replied. Jeanne nodded her head once more in acknowledgement. "While I don't know a whole lot about Roman History, I'll try to help the best I can to answer any questions." I added.
"Well I do have another question actually." Jeanne said.
"Yes, what is it Jeanne?" I asked.
"It's the question of the language barrier, it still troubles me." Jeanne stated. "I know you said we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, but is that really the wisest course of action?" Jeanne asked. "Waiting until we get to the gates of Rome doesn't seem like the best idea." Jeanne added.
"I have to agree with Jeanne, Senpai." Mashu said, nodding her head in agreement. "By the time we run into someone of this era it'll already be too late to brainstorm." Mashu said, as she raised her finger.
"Well, what are we supposed to do?" I asked in reply. "Nobody here can speak Greek or Latin. I certainly can't, I'm only proficient in German and English." I said. Just then a light bulb went off over Mashu's head.
"Ah, I just remembered something." Mashu said as she turned to face Jeanne. "Jeanne isn't there Latin in the bible?" Mashu inquired.
"Yes there are some Latin phrases and words in the bible." Jeanne answered.
"Then couldn't you be our translator?" Mashu said.
"I'm afraid there is not enough for me to be proficient let alone hold a conversation…." Jeanne replied. "I struggle enough as is speaking and reading English, could you imagine how much trouble I would have trying to learn Latin?" Jeanne said, raising her finger in return. "Only the Bishops would be able to speak Latin in my time period." Jeanne added.
"Awe…" Mashu and I murmured together as we lowered our heads.
"Aren't servants summoned with the languages of the time period they're in along with any other languages they might need?" I inquired.
"Yes, but that only applies to summoned servants." Mashu said, raising her finger once more. "But that does little to help if we encounter the people of this era who can't speak English or understand it." Mashu said.
"Well then all we have to do is find a servant who was summoned in this era!" I exclaimed. "Then they can just do all the translating or conversations, like Jeanne did in France!" Mashu frowned at me, not looking very amused by my suggestion.
"That's if they don't want to kill us." Mashu pointed out.
"There's got to be at least one servant out there who doesn't want to kill us." I said.
"Weren't you the one who told us that we should assume every servant is hostile?" Mashu asked. Damn she had gotten me there; I did say that during the briefing.
"Well yes…" I murmured.
"So then shouldn't we not rely on another servant for help?" Mashu stated.
"Okay, Okay. You're right Mashu." I said as I crossed my arms, beaten. "So what should we do? If none of us can speak Latin or Greek, and if nobody of this era should be able to speak English. What are we supposed to do?" I asked. Mashu cupped her chin as she seemed to ponder on our situation.
"I'm not really sure. Do you have any ideas Jeanne?" Mashu asked, seemingly not able to come up with a solution either. Jeanne seemed a bit taken aback by the sudden question, but after a moment seemed to think about it.
"...I'm afraid I don't have much of an answer either." Jeanne finally replied. "It took me several months just to achieve a basic comprehension of English reading and writing skills." Jeanne said.
"And Latin is a basically dead language in our time period. I can only imagine how hard it would be to be able to learn how to speak it. Even Greek is no easy language to learn." Mashu pointed out.
"So we're basically screwed…" I murmured.
"Not quite Senpai, I might have thought of something…" Mashu said.
"Yeah? What is it?" I inquired.
"The Romans have conquered Gaul by now, right?" Mashu asked.
"Historically speaking they should have…" I replied.
"So if we assume they did, that should mean they have Gallic speaking citizens." Mashu said.
"I guess?" I said unsure of what she was getting at.
"You know what Gaul is, don't you Senpai?" Mashu asked.
"Yeah, Gaul is prehistoric France." I replied.
"That's correct." Mashu said as she nodded her head. "Gaulish was a specific dialect of Latin that was used as the basis for French!" Mashu explained...
"Which means…?" I said.
"Which means if we can find someone who speaks Gaulish, then Jeanne can be our translator!" Mashu exclaimed excitedly as she turned to look at Jeanne. However Jeanne was a bit taken aback by the idea it seemed.
"I-I'm not so sure about that Mashu…" Jeanne stammered. "While it's certainly true French is my primary language, isn't it a bit of a stretch to say I could translate Gaulish? I know nothing of the Gaulish language." Jeanne said.
"I have to agree with Jeanne. How similar could they really be?" I asked. "Jeanne speaks Middle French, which is hundreds of years after the Gaulish language." I said.
"They have to be similar in some ways; Gaulish is the basis for the French Language after all!" Mashu exclaimed.
"I still don't know about the whole idea…" I murmured.
"Well unless either of you have any better ideas?" Mashu inquired. Jeanne and I glanced at one another before bowing our heads in defeat.
"No…" Jeanne and I murmured in unison.
"Then it's settled, we'll seek out someone who speaks Gaulish and have Jeanne serve as our translator." Mashu said.
"Yeah, but that still doesn't solve our Latin or Greek problem if we run into any Romans." I pointed out.
"That's true, but after the Romans subjugated Gaul, the people of Gaul would have been taught Latin or Greek as they were incorporated into the Empire." Mashu explained.
"I guess so..?" I murmured.
"And there's a very good chance there are some Romans who speak Gaulish!" Mashu pointed out, further strengthening her position.
"...Well alright, we'll go with your idea Mashu." I said after thinking for a moment. "That is, so long as Jeanne agrees to it." I added as I looked past Mashu at Jeanne. Jeanne looked at me in surprise for a moment before closing her eyes and taking a moment to respond.
"... It seems like I don't have much of a choice." Jeanne said with a sigh, which sounded a bit cynical coming from Jeanne. "While I'm not certain if I'll really be of any help, I'll do what I can." Jeanne said as she opened her eyes.
"Great, Thank you Jeanne." I said and Jeanne nodded her head.
"Thank you Jeanne!" Mashu added onto my thanks as well.
"It is my duty as your servant to help in any way I can after all. If I can help by translating, then I will." Jeanne said...
"And I'm grateful for all your help." I said with a nod of my head.
"I just hope I don't end up saying something that will cause them to attack us." Jeanne mumbled.
"Even if you're not able to translate for us, we still appreciate all that you do for us Jeanne." I said. "Isn't that right Mashu?" I asked turning to look at Mashu.
"Yes Senpai is right, even if you're unable to translate. It's the thought that counts!" Mashu exclaimed.
"Thanks guys." Jeanne said as a small smile formed on her lips. Now that was settled, I took this opportunity to say something that I had been meaning to say since the start of the singularity.
"...While we're on the topic of the singularity. I want to remind everyone that nobody is to use their real names." I said in a rather stern tone.
"Why not?" Jeanne inquired. I furrowed my eyebrows a little, since I thought she would know the answer by now since Lancer still hadn't revealed her name by now.
"What do you mean? Why else do servants hide their names?" I asked in return. "To protect their identity so enemy servants don't know their strengths and weaknesses!" I exclaimed.
"O-Oh my apologies…" Jeanne apologized bowing her head. "I had gotten so used to calling people by their real names back in Chaldea that I had almost forgotten the secrecy of servants including my own." Jeanne explained.
"I know in France that everyone was using their first names, and wasn't very worried about hiding their identities, but this isn't France." I said. "We don't have the cheerful Marie with us or Amadeus and Siegfried. There won't be any friendly faces like last time." I said. "Nor will we have to worry about Alter Jeanne giving away your identity either. We're going into this singularity completely unknown by everyone, so we have the advantage so long as nobody uses their real names." I explained.
"Understood, so should I refer to you as Master or as Chris?" Jeanne asked.
"Chris is fine, it's not like it matters if anyone knows my name. In fact it might confuse any servants into who really is your Master." I said and Jeanne nodded her head in understanding. "Okay then. Now that we're all on the same page. No using each other's names in public, and even in private we need to be careful." I said. "Refer to Jeanne only as Saber, and Lancer as Lancer." I ordered, although that last order was a bit redundant since only Mashu knew Lancer's name.
"What about me, Senpai?" Mashu inquired.
"Oh Yes Mashu, well ummm…" I said as I scratched my head awkwardly. "It's probably fine to just continue calling you Mashu, since nobody knows who you are." I said.
"Yes you're right, I'm nobody of importance." Mashu said as a small frown crept onto her lips and averted her gaze downwards.
"No, you're not a nobody Mashu!" I exclaimed as I rested my hand on her head. "You're very important to everyone, including me. Without you we'd have perished by Alter Saber's hands." I said as I rubbed her head.
"...Thanks Senpai." Mashu said looking up at me with a smile. I returned Mashu's smile with one of my own as I rubbed her head affectionately.
"Besides with fame comes the price of everyone knowing who you are and what your weaknesses are." I said. "So when you think about it, being a nobody is actually an advantage when you're a servant!" I joked with a grin. Mashu couldn't help but chuckle in response.
"Yeah you're probably right Senpai." Mashu said. It seems as if I had successfully managed to cheer her up a little bit.
"Fuu, Foou!" Four suddenly barked. The little fur ball startled me suddenly barking like that,
"… Hold on, I think I hear something Senpai." Mashu said, raising her hand signaling us to stop.
"What is it Mashu? What do you hear?" I asked as I came to a stop and listened.
"That sounds like…" Mashu murmured.
"That sounds like a battle!" I exclaimed, finishing Mashu's sentence for her.
"Yes I hear it too. It must be a battle somewhere." Jeanne said as her hand rested on the hilt of her sword.
"It sounds as if it is coming from the other side of the hills up ahead." Mashu said, whilst pointing in the general direction of the battle.
"A large battle? A war, maybe? No, No, No. That's impossible." Suddenly the voice of Roman exclaimed into our ears. "There were no full scale wars near the Roman capital in the era. Which must mean…" Roman said before being cut off.
"There's a historical abnormality in the timeline, is that what you were going to say Doctor?" Mashu asked.
"Yes precisely Mashu." Roman affirmed.
"Well we came here for a reason, so let's go check it out." I ordered.
"Understood." Mashu and Jeanne agreed in unison with a nod of their heads.
"Fou!" Four seemingly exclaimed in agreement. With that said the four of us rushed off in the direction of the battle.
As we grew closer to the sounds of the raging battle, we cautiously made our way up the small hill that stood between us and the battle. Nearing the top of the hill I threw myself down onto the ground, the others followed my example and hit the dirt, before proceeding to slowly inch forward until we could peek out over the hill. What we saw was what could only be described as a clusterfuck…
"There's no mistaking what we heard earlier, what we face here is a battle between two opposing forces." Mashu murmured.
"I noticed that Mashu." I said glancing over at her. "The only question is whether or not we should get involved and if so, which side should we support?" I asked.
"Well one side has an overwhelming advantage over the other when it comes to troop sizes, whilst the other is hopelessly outmatched with a much smaller force." Mashu observed. "The larger force wears a regalia of crimson and gold. The smaller force also wears the same, but the two defer in design." Mashu added, and she was right. The regalia's of the two opposing armies were indeed different, although it was hard to tell them apart in the heat of the battle.
"Crimson and gold were colors especially liked in Ancient Rome." Doctor Roman noted, which sure enough the Romans sure liked their gold. Then again who doesn't love gold? "Mashu is there anything else that sticks out to you? Anything that might differentiate the two?" Roman asked. Mashu seemingly squinted her eyes as she tried to make out anything distinctive.
"... There's a woman." Mashu spoke up after a moment's pause. I looked for the woman Mashu spoke of, and sure enough I spotted her amongst the sea of men. "Several of the smaller groups are being led by a young woman." Mashu went on to say. "She's taking on the enemy forces by herself. In the direction of the capital, the army is crumbling by just one person." Mashu murmured. "She appears to be an extremely skilled individual. A servant perhaps?" Mashu noted as well.
"No, I'm not sensing any servants nearby" Jeanne spoke out before anyone could say anything. "That woman is most definitely not a servant." Jeanne added, shaking her head.
"Jeanne is right; I'm not getting any readings of a servant either." Doctor Roman affirmed Jeanne's findings. "So that can only mean that she is a human of this era." Doctor Roman stated.
"Well that would be the most logical conclusion if she was not a servant." I said. The other seemed to nod their heads in agreement.
"This is just personal speculation on my part…." Mashu murmured and the three of us turned our attention on her in response to hear what she had to say. "But she reminds me a bit of Jeanne. Although I have no basis to support my theory." Mashu said.
"M-Me?!" Jeanne stuttered upon hearing Mashu's speculation, and the three of us turned to face our Holy Saint. A red streak shot across her face as she cupped her cheek in embarrassment. I redirected my attention to the woman in the field and tried to get a better look at her. "There's no possible way that woman could look anything like me!" Jeanne exclaimed.
"Well now that you mention Mashu, she does look a little bit familiar." I said squinting my eyes. "She even has blonde hair just like you Jeanne." I added as I turned to face Jeanne. This would only add to Jeanne's agony as she let out a groan.
"Of Jeanne, you say? The saint who rose to defend that what was precious to her?" Doctor Roman chimed in.
"Doctor, please do not speak of me as if I was not here!" Jeanne exclaimed.
"Ah, my apologies Jeanne, it was not my intention to do so." Doctor Roman apologized. "I merely became lost in thought, thinking of your adventures in France." Doctor Roman explained.
"It would not be the first time that you have become lost in thought." Olga spoke up, scorning Roman for his laid back behavior.
"Ahem yes well…" Doctor Roman said as he cleared his throat. "Now then, who of this era was like that of our Saint Jeanne…? I can't seem to think of anybody. My knowledge appears to be lacking in that regard." Doctor Roman said, trying to change subjects.
"Knowledge is not the only thing you lack, Doctor." Olga said, not letting Roman get off so easily.
"Hey!" Doctor Roman exclaimed.
"In any case, there is currently a war raging that shouldn't be." Olga said. "I suggest that you intervene in the battle and see to it that she survives. She could be of great help to our cause." Olga ordered.
"I understand Director, we'll do what we can to make sure she survives and comes out victorious." I said nodding my head. "But once we save her, how should we proceed? English has yet to be invented, and while we discussed the idea that Jeanne may be able to translate with a Gaulish speaker. There's a risk that it may backfire..." I inquired.
"That's just a risk you'll have to take, as there's no other way." Olga said, which caused a sigh to escape my lips. "For now just see to the woman's survival." Olga directed.
"Understood..." I affirmed.
"Remember you aren't facing Servants or monsters, but they have greater numbers." Doctor Roman reminded us. "So be careful."
"Don't worry, we always are." I said.
"Right…" Olga said, sounding unconvinced. "We'll leave you to it then." Olga said before going silent along with Roman.
"So what's the plan genius?" Scathach asked from my side. I looked over to my right to see Scathach lying on the other side of Mashu, staring at me with one of her usual judgmental stares. Poor Mashu was caught in between our hostile gazes, squirming under Scathach's menacing gaze no doubt.
"Well the plan is quite simple really…" I said before being cut off abruptly.
"Don't tell me, we're just going to rush in there?" Scathach interrupted me. "There are at least eighty odd men down there, and that's assuming the other side doesn't attack us as well. Then we'll be facing well over a hundred men." Scathach noted.
"No we're not going to just rush in there. Now be quiet long enough to let me explain the plan." I said, which earned me a dirty look from Scathach before her eyes averted forward. "Hopefully the other side will realize that we're there to help us, if not we'll either have to withdraw or fight them too. Hopefully it won't have to come to that, but we'll have to see. " I said.
"What if it does come to that?" Scathach asked.
"I'll make the call when that happens. Until that happens, we'll stick with the plan I'm about to lay out" I said as my gaze averted forward. "Now for our plan of attack, it's quite simple. The two groups are currently situated in open plains with the only cover being some of the rolling hills surrounding the plains, but as far as I can see there aren't any enemy units up on any of the surrounding hills. So we have the advantage of the high ground, not to mention we have the element in surprise. In the middle of the chaos that is the suing battle, nobody will notice two people slipping by." I said as I turned to face Jeanne. "And that is where Jeanne and Lancer will play into my plan, I want the two of you to circle around the enemy unnoticed and attack them from behind. While we are outnumbered, becoming boxed in with no means of escape unexpectedly will cripple the enemy's morale a little." I explained as Jeanne and the others listened intently. "Jeanne, I want you and Lancer to prioritize any Archers or Officers. Once you've finished off their archers and killed any enemy commanders, switch your focus to the rest of the enemy and continue chipping away at them until they break or you kill them all." I said.
"Understood." Jeanne said as she nodded her head in response.
"So since you said kill, I assume that means we're killing them and not knocking them out." Scathach said, speaking up.
"Yeah, don't bother knocking them out. Just kill them." I said with a nod of my head as I turned to face Scathach. "It would be far too impractical, there are too many of them. So just kill anyone who gets in your path." I said. It's not like it mattered who we killed in the singularities, so long as we destroyed the grail or recovered them. Things would set themselves right in our timeline so long as we did.
"What about me Senpai, what part do I play?" Mashu asked and I returned my gaze on her.
"While Jeanne and Lancer are flanking the enemy I want you to move in to support the blonde haired woman and her forces. Prevent them from being overwhelmed or killed." I explained. "Also try to make it clear that we're here to help." I added.
"If I may ask, how am I supposed to do that?" Mashu inquired tilting her head.
"Right I forgot. What I should say, show them that we're here to help. Since I know you can't tell them." I said. I'm not sure if that helped Mashu understand any better, but hopefully she did.
"I understand. I'll do my best." Mashu said with a nod of her head.
"And what will you be doing?" Scathach asked.
"I shall provide long range support from here." I replied.
"Have you given consideration to the fact you'll be left vulnerable to attacks without anyone with you?" Scathach inquired with a wave of her hand.
"I'm pretty sure I'll see anyone coming from this position." I answered. "Besides I have faith that Mashu will prevent anyone from attacking me." I said as I reached over and patted her on the head.
"Yes, I promise you that no one will get past me!" Mashu exclaimed with a raised fist.
"You see! Mashu's got my back!" I said looking up at Scathach. "Now do you have any other concerns you'd like to raise, Lancer? The battle won't last forever." I said.
"No, I have no more at this present time." Scathach replied, closing her eyes. "I'm just glad to see you're doing something smart for once and staying out of harm's way." Scathach said and I grunted in reply.
"I'm not that dumb Lancer, I wouldn't charge into a horde of angry Roman soldiers armed with swords and spears like some sort of idiot." I said. Scathach gave me a doubtful glare. "Besides my weapon favors range, so I'll be keeping my distance throughout these singularities from now on." I explained.
"Just try not to agitate any more Alter Egos this time." Scathach said, opening her eyes.
"I'll try not to piss off any Alter versions of Jeanne." I said jokingly.
"Please let there not be any more versions of me. One was enough." I heard Jeanne murmur from besides me.
"Don't worry Jeanne; I'm sure we won't be running into any more Alter versions of yourself..." I said. "Especially not here in Ancient Rome of all places." I added.
"I hope not." Jeanne murmured.
"Well enough chit chat, let's put our plan in motion. I'm sure that blonde woman won't last much longer without any help." I said and everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
"You're right Chris; we've wasted enough time as is." Jeanne said with a nod before her gaze shifted to Scathach. "Come on then Lancer, we've got work to do." Jeanne said as she got up onto her knees. "May the Lord watch over us." Jeanne said as she gripped the sheath of her sword, lifting it up.
"Good luck Jeanne." I said with a nod of my head. Jeanne nodded her head in acknowledgement before taking off down the hill. There was movement heard behind me and Jeanne was followed by Scathach who chased after her gripping her spear tightly in one hand.
"I'll see you soon." Scathach murmured as she passed us by.
"Best of luck to you too Lancer."
Once Jeanne and Scathach had disappeared out of sight, I turned my attention to Mashu who was watching the battle play out in front of us. I could see that Mashu was looking a little bit nervous. I reached over and placed my hand on Mashu's back, and proceeded to rub it affectionately in an attempt to try and calm her down.
"Still feeling a bit nervous Mashu?" I asked and Mashu glanced at me before nodding her head reluctantly. "It's only natural, but there's nothing to be nervous about Mashu. We've battled our way through the smoldering ruins of Fuyuki, and the dragon infested plains of France. Rome should be a cake walk for us, right?" I said as I elbowed her playfully.
"Y-Yeah you're right…" Mashu said with a nod.
"You'll do great Mashu, just like always." I said and Mashu smiled in response. "Now you best get going, it shouldn't take long for Jeanne and Lancer to flank around and launch their attack. In the meantime you need to make sure the blonde haired woman and her army group survive." I said.
"Understood." Mashu said, nodding her head once more. However Mashu didn't move and seemed to pause for a moment. "... Will you really be alright, Senpai?" Mashu asked after a moment wearing a concerned expression on her face. This caused me to chuckle in response which caused her to tilt her head.
"Yeah I'll be fine Mashu…" I said as I reached into my jacket and grasped the hilt of my pistol before withdrawing it from my jacket. "If anyone gets too close for comfort, I've got my sidearm to deal with them." I said as Mashu
"You're always so prepared Senpai." Mashu said with a chuckle.
"Well I wouldn't be a very good Senpai, if I wasn't." I replied which earned me another smile from Mashu.
"I'll do my best to make sure nobody gets past me." Mashu said and it was my turn to smile in response.
"I know you will. Now get going." I said giving Mashu a pat on the arm.
"Roger that." Mashu said, giving one last nod before she pushed herself off the ground. Once Mashu was up on her feet, she removed her shield from her back and gave me one last look before taking off. "I'll see to it that we are victorious, Senpai!" Mashu proclaimed, and with that said she set off into the midst of battle.
I watched as Mashu dashed across the plains in long strides towards the horde of Roman soldiers at an impressive pace. It wasn't long before Mashu was upon the group of soldiers, and upon reaching them she leaped into the air and threw herself into the crowd of Romans smashing her shield down into what were likely the enemy soldiers, sending up a huge dust cloud in her wake. With that she soon disappeared into the thick of the battle, but it wasn't hard to discern where she was as I watched Roman soldiers flung into the air like rag dolls by her powerful shield. The soldiers would go flying into the air before gravity brought them back down with a loud thud, leaving them either dead or crippled. Either way they were out of the fight, there was no way they'd be getting up any time soon after getting hit by that shield of hers.
"Well it looks like it's just me and you Four." I said turning my attention to Four, who was now sitting next to me since his transportation had gone off into battle. Four let out a yawn in reply, as his paw went up to his eyes and proceeded to rub them. "Hey now, you can't get sleepy when we're this early into the singularity!" I said.
"Four fuuu, fooour!" Four exclaimed.
"You should have taken a nap beforehand." I said.
"Four! Kyu, Kyuu!" Four replied.
"Yeah, Yeah sure. Whatever you say, Four." I said dismissively.
It was then that I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and I spotted Jeanne along with Scathach reappear out from behind one of the hills. I watched as they scurried across the plains towards the enemy sneaking up on them from behind. As they grew closer I caught a glimmer of light just before I watched Jeanne thrust her sword into one of the enemy archers from behind. I couldn't make out the guy's face from here, but I'm sure the guy must have been surprised by the sudden sword through his chest. The man fell to his knees before he fell flat on his face as Jeanne booted him off of her sword. A nearby bowman must have seemingly heard his comrade hit the ground and spun to face Jeanne, it looked as if he was reaching for his sword. He was too slow to react however, as Scathach thrust her spear forward and skewered the man. The man was killed instantly and Scathach yanked her spear from the man's corpse letting it fall to the ground. Jeanne rushed past Scathach and began slicing down the nearest enemies, and Scathach followed her lead. The two of them proceeded as instructed and began cutting down enemy archers and other enemies making up the rear guard. Soon they had disappeared from my sight behind the mob of enemies, but I am sure that they would be perfectly fine without my support. It was time for me to turn my attention elsewhere.
"Looks like Lancer and Jeanne have started their attack, so I best get to work too." I said as I tucked my pistol back into my jacket inside of its holster where it belonged. "Otherwise Lancer won't let me hear the end of it." I murmured to myself, as I unslung my rifle from my back and brought it to my shoulder. Shouldering my rifle, I got myself comfortable as I gripped the rifle firmly in my hands and brought it to bear. My thumb flicked the safety off over two notches, setting it to single shot. Tilting the rifle to the side, I proceeded to pull back on the charging handle, chambering the first round. I shouldered the rifle once more and now took aim. My hand went up to the holo sight where I pressed down on one of the buttons, bringing the reticle up. With the reticle on, I returned my hand to the fore grip and steadied my aim. My eyes wandered the battlefield as I decided who I was going to target first. It was hard enough as is, telling who was who in this battle, so even though I had the height advantage, shooting into the crowd might not be the best idea. I think it might be better if I chipped away at their flanks that were harassing the smaller group, that way it would alleviate some pressure from them. I turned my rifle to bear on the soldiers which made up the enemies flanks, and lined my reticle up on the soldier who seemed to be causing the most trouble. The enemy was at least a good three hundred meters away, and the rifle was set to two hundred meters so I would have to aim a little higher to compensate. After a moment I had properly lined my sights up with the target, and my finger wrapped around the trigger. I squeezed the trigger and felt a light jolt against my shoulder as the rifle recoiled. My nostrils filled with the smell of gunpowder as the shell casing ejected from the side and the shot echoed across the plains, no doubt heard for several miles. The bullet found its mark as I watched it strike the enemy soldier and he crumpled to the ground dead, no doubt to the surprise of the person he had been fighting with. I guess the battle had drowned out the sounds of my gunshot. No matter I guess, I turned my attention to the next soldier in line and lined my sights up. With my sights lined up I squeezed the trigger once more and watched as another enemy soldier fell to the ground. I snapped to my next target and squeezed the trigger again, repeating the process several times as I picked off the soldiers one by one. After about seven or eight shell casings lay by my side, I think the enemy had finally noticed something was up as soldiers emerged with shields. They had put up a shield wall in an attempt to protect their own flanks, as I don't think they were aware of my position. It's not like it mattered either way, a shield wall wasn't going to stop me. I lined my reticle up with one of the shield carrying soldiers before squeezing the trigger once more, filling the air with gunpowder. I watched and waited for a moment before the soldier behind the shield finally crumbled to the ground dropping his shield. As I had expected a roman shield wasn't going to stop a bullet going over nine hundred meters per second.
"It's so unfair, watching your buddies fall one by one. Having no idea what's happening. I almost feel bad for them." I murmured as I snapped to my next target. Once I had lined up my shot, I gave the trigger yet another squeeze. The end result was the same as yet another shield carrying roman met his fate in the dirt. "Almost." I carried on with my task, taking out the shield soldiers one by one until most of them were dead. With most of the shield carriers dead, I resumed chipping away at the enemy's flanks. With each trigger squeeze another roman soldier took a dirt nap and further relieved pressure from Mashu and the blonde woman's group. There had been some misses here and there, but most of my shots had found their mark. As I squeezed off another round and dropped another enemy soldier, the bolt locked back indicating that the magazine had run dry. I took my finger off the trigger and pressed down on the magazine release. The magazine plopped out into my outstretched hand where I slipped it into one of my jacket pockets. While my hand was still inside of my jacket I withdrew a fresh magazine from one of my pockets. I took the magazine out from my jacket and inserted it back into the rifle, and left the bolt back for a moment. I took a moment to observe the state of the battle. The blonde woman's flanks now lay secure as Mashu and I had cleared out much of the enemy by now. I looked towards Mashu's position just in time to see yet another enemy soldier go flying into the air from Mashu's shield. It seems as if Mashu was holding her own, breaking the enemy's center. My attention drifted towards the enemy's rear where I spotted much of their rear force lying decimated, and the enemy archers were all but dead from the lack of arrows flying through the air. It seems like Scathach and Jeanne had carried out their task successfully and were now pushing inwards. The enemy was completely boxed in now with no means of escape, it was only a matter of time. "All that's left now is to finish them off." I said as I snapped the bolt shut before squeezing the trigger once more...
There was a sound click as I flicked the safety on and proceeded to lower my rifle to observe what remained. Most of the enemy soldiers were now either dead or fleeing the battle in defeat. We had managed to turn around what could have been a grim situation for the blonde haired woman and her forces, had we not arrived they would have more than likely been killed. This rescue operation was overall an overwhelming success.
"Kyu. Four, Kyauu!" Four exclaimed.
"Yeah Four we did it." I said, turning to face Four who was sitting beside the large pile of ejected shell casings that had accumulated from that engagement. I slung my rifle back over my shoulder and proceeded to stand up. As I was getting to my knees, Four jumped up onto my shoulders taking his place next to my head. "I'm not a Taxi service you know." I said as I stood up and looked at him.
"Kyu. Fu, Fou!" Four replied.
"Would it kill you to walk for once in your life?" I said.
"Fooou! Fooou, foooou!" Four replied.
"Wait, what do you mean your legs are too short? They still work don't they?" I asked in reply.
"Fu." Four barked in reply.
"Wait why am I even talking to you? You're a dog, you can't talk." I said as I shook my head. Mashu was rubbing off on me too much, since I was talking to Four now. My craziness aside, I turned my attention back towards the battlefield. The battle was over, and all that was left to do now was to go find the others. My hands patted my pockets as I checked to see if I had everything on me, while I looked around to see if I had dropped anything. Upon confirming I had everything with me, I began making my way down the hill in search of my partners.
Upon reaching the bottom of the hill, I proceeded to look around the battlefield for my companions. The plains were blood soaked while carcasses lay strewn across the battlefield from the battle. What remained of the blonde woman's forces was congregated in the center of the plains. It appeared as if they were tending to their wounded and looting equipment from the fallen enemy. They were there, but where was Mashu though? I didn't spot the armored girl with pink hair anywhere, did something happen to her? Or perhaps she had been confronted by the blonde haired woman. If so, then we would be in trouble. Jeanne wasn't here yet, and we didn't even know how well it would go with her as our translator...
"Senpai!" I heard Mashu exclaim from my side. I spun around to face the voice, and saw Mashu rushing towards me. It wasn't long before she eventually came to a stop in front of me. "Senpai, I'm glad to see you're alright!" Mashu greeted me with a smile.
"You too Mashu." I said with a nod of my head as I placed my hand on her shoulder. I looked her over, and she looked a little bruised, but there appeared to be no major injuries. She was none the worse for wear it seemed.
"Fouuuuu!" Four barked out all of a sudden. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw a blur of white flash by, and before I knew it I found Four sitting on Mashu's shoulder in his usual resting place.
"Yes, It's good to see you again too Four." Mashu said with a chuckle as she scratched his chin affectionately.
"So, did you interact with the blonde haired woman at all?" I inquired and Mashu shook her head in response.
"No I didn't, but I think they know we're on their side." Mashu said as she turned.
"Let's hope so. Otherwise we'll have another fight on our hands…"
"I'd rather not have to fight them as well. I'm still a little tired from the first one." Mashu murmured.
"I know, Just be ready in case." I said as I patted Mashu on the shoulder. Just then I heard the sounds of several footsteps rushing towards us, and turned to face the source of the noise. I turned to face the source of the noise, and I found Jeanne and Scathach jogging towards us.
Jeanne and Scathach would eventually reach us and come to a stop in front us. The both of them seemed to be a little beaten up, but they both looked to be in good health from what I could tell. There was blood splattered across Jeanne's face and armor, but there were no major cuts or wounds from what I could see, so I doubted that it was her blood. Overall they looked like they were in a bit better shape than Mashu, who had to face the brunt of the enemy force.
"Saber, Lancer. Glad to see you're alright." I said greeting them both with a nod of the head.
"And you as well." Jeanne replied with a warm smile.
"Glad to see you're not dead." Scathach said blankly.
"Thanks Lancer, I appreciate the concern." I said with a mental sigh. "So I assume all went well on your end?" I inquired.
"Yes, they were taken completely by surprise. We managed to kill most of their archers before the brunt of their forces noticed." Scathach replied with a nod of her head. "I killed their enemy commander, but he didn't seem like he was anyone of importance." Scathach explained.
"You shouldn't be too surprised, Lancer, things are never that easy." I said.
"I never thought it would be." Scathach replied with a blank stare. How Surprising, I thought everything was easy for you.
"Right…" I murmured as I turned to face Jeanne. "So I assume that blood is not yours?" I asked. Jeanne seemed to look at me confused for a moment before she looked down at herself. Jeanne whipped the blood from her chest plate before looking back up at me.
"Ah No, it's not mine." Jeanne replied as she rubbed the blood off her cheek. "I'm sorry. It would seem as if some of the enemies got on me while I was fighting." Jeanne said.
"It's fine Jeanne. I was just making sure." I said with a bit of a chuckle. I reached out and wiped some of the blood from her face which caused her face to fluster in response...
"So is the blonde woman still alive?" Scathach asked. I removed my hand from Jeanne's face and returned it to my side before opening my mouth about to answer her.
"Yes I made sure that she was well protected." Mashu spoke up and we all looked at her. "Although she seemed to hold her own without me for the most part." Mashu added.
"She must be a warrior of some renown." Scathach murmured as she rubbed her chin. "Otherwise why would she be leading a Roman legion?" Scathach also pointed out.
"Well I don't have any clue who she could be. My Roman history isn't exactly up to snuff." I said.
"You didn't talk to her did you Mashu?" Scathach asked.
"No, and she didn't say anything to me." Mashu said, shaking her head. "I think we were so caught up in the battle, we didn't have the time." Mashu explained.
"Well that's not necessarily a bad thing." I said.
"Yes well, we'll have to confront her here soon enough." Scathach said as her gaze wandered over towards Jeanne. Jeanne furrowed her eyebrows a little as she gripped her shoulders tightly. "Then we'll have to see how well this translating idea of Mashu's works out." Scathach said.
"Saber will do her best, just like always." I said.
"I just hope I don't say something to upset them." Jeanne murmured.
"Well if you do, that just means we'll just have to add another group of people to the list of people who hate us." I said jokingly.
"I suppose so." Jeanne said an amused chuckle.
"Then you can run back to your hill while we fight them down here." Scathach said.
"Haha very funny." I said with a fake laugh. "I'd say I did pretty good work on whittling down their flanks."
"Yes Senpai was very instrumental in relieving pressure from our flanks!" Mashu exclaimed in my defense. Thank you Mashu, you truly are the best Kohai someone could ask for. Scathach seemed to narrow her eyes at Mashu, before returning her gaze on me.
"Yes, well as I said earlier I'm just glad you're not running into harm's way like last time." Scathach said. "Still, I could hear your shots from where I was. Did you have any issues on your end?" Scathach asked.
"I don't think the enemy was ever aware of my position, but they did at one point notice that their comrades were falling one by one. So they put up a shield wall to try and protect their flanks." I explained with a wave of my hand. "Not the shield wall did anything for them, but they never once attempted to send people my way. So I can only assume my position was never compromised." I said.
"Well I suppose that's what happens when you pit modern technology against 1st century warriors carrying nothing but shields and pikes." Scathach said, almost mockingly.
"I just wish that I had fitted an ACOG scope instead of Holo sight." I said.
"Just beg the Director to send you one like always. If not there is always next time." Scathach said. I glared at Scathach for a few moments, and just then I realized something was off about her! Scathach seemingly noticing that I was staring at her narrowed her eyes in response. "Tch, what are you staring at me like that for?" Scathach scowled.
"I just noticed Lancer; you're still wearing your white jacket and pants!" I exclaimed. Scathach was still wearing the white jacket, black pants, and black boots she had put on before we reyshifted back to Rome.
"What about it?" Scathach replied angrily as she crossed her arms.
"Well I would have thought you would have changed into that tight suit of yours." I said and a vein popped on the back of Scathach's head.
"Why would I?" Scathach scowled as she began to burn her gaze into my forehead.
"W-Well I thought that was what you wore into battle?!" I said shrinking underneath Scathach's gaze.
"Yeah I do." Scathach scorned.
"Then why aren't you wearing it right now?" I asked.
"The only reason why I do wear that is because I don't want to ruin my clothes and I don't think I'm going to get my clothes ruined by a bunch of shitty soldiers!" Scathach said. "Besides it's not something I would ever wear before I became your servant. The only reason I have such an outfit in the first place is because that's what the grail gave me when I was summoned by you. It's not like I had much of a choice." Scathach explained.
"Well we know you certainly don't wear it for the armor..." I murmured.
"What was that?" Scathach asked as she raised her fist at me.
"I said, you certainly don't wear that outfit for the armor!" I said, this time louder.
"It's supposed to be lightweight so I'm more agile in battle!" Scathach exclaimed.
"Then why does it even have those shoulder pads! They serve no purpose" I exclaimed and Scathach opened her mouth about to respond, before being abruptly cut off by a loud booming voice.
"Gladii vaginam. Finita est." All of a sudden we heard a voice call out in Latin and soon there was a deafening roar as the soldiers cheered. The four of us spun around to find that the voice belonged to none other than the blonde haired woman. The woman stood in the middle of the group of her soldiers with her back to us as she sheathed her sword. While none of us could understand what she said, it was quite a feminine sounding voice. Looking at the woman though, she had striking resemblance to someone even from behind. "Tu illuc! Auxilia ex capite es?" The woman said pointing at us as she spun around. When we saw her face there was audible gasp from at least two members of our team. Even I was left at a loss for words when I saw the face of the woman and had to pinch myself. Although she had looked familiar, I didn't expect that she would look exactly like Jeanne! The only noticeable differences between Jeanne and the woman in front of us, was that she had her hair in a bun and her eyes were emerald colored. There were perhaps a few other differences that I hadn't spotted, but their faces were almost exactly the same!
"Scratch what I said earlier Jeanne, looks like there's another clone of you." I leaned over and whispered into Jeanne's ear. Jeanne let out a long groan as her shoulders dropped and was seemingly distraught. My hand went up to her back and I proceeded to rub it affectionately. I can only imagine how upsetting it might be to run into someone who looked exactly like you in many ways.
"Et cogitavi ut caput omnino clausus esset ... .. Etsi Anyways, bonum. Tibi gratias ago pro subsidium." The woman said, sounding as if she was praising us. I wasn't really sure though, but it didn't sound like the voice of someone who was angry.
"I think she's talking to us." I whispered.
"You don't say." Scathach whispered back.
"Nec refert si inimicus fuisti. Quia misericors Ego ', quia propitius ero iniquitatibus vestris praeteritum et errata!" The woman said smiling, which I wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. "Etiam adipiscing, velit ut laudare te per viam pugnavit justo nunc! Vibretur telum pro puella est se esse maior!" The woman said pointing at Mashu.
"I think she's talking to you Mashu." I whispered into Mashu's ear.
"Me?!" Mashu exclaimed so softly that almost no one could hear it except me. Mashu pointed her finger back at herself which seemed to garner a reply from the blonde haired woman.
"Dico te amo. Ostendit quod non sunt pulchritudo ineffabilis!" The woman exclaimed. "Et permitto tibi facere pugnare mecum! Ultimum gaudebat honore." The woman suddenly yelled, which such an outcry frightened me because I had no idea what she was saying. "Etiamsi, In outfits vos es circumdatio sunt cerritulus. Nonne paulo nimium ostendere? Tu dignareris peregrinam mulierem?" The woman seemed to tilt her head curiously, suggesting she was perhaps asking a question.
"I think she's finally done, now would be as good a time as any to try and translate." I whispered in Jeanne's ear.
"A-Alright…" Jeanne said and began to approach the woman. Nobody seemed to stop Jeanne as she approached the blonde haired woman, and soon the two now stood meters apart. "Bonjour, c'est un honneur de vous rencontrer. Nous sommes honorés d'avoir combattu à vos côtés, mais je crains que mes compatriotes et moi ne parlions pas latin." Jeanne said, giving quite a majestic bow. "Y a-t-il un confrère gaulois qui pourrait nous servir de traducteur?" Jeanne asked.
"What did she say Mashu?" I asked, whispering into Mashu's ear.
"She said "Hello, It is an honor to meet you. We are honored to have fought by your side, but I am afraid that me and my compatriots do not speak Latin." and "Is there a Gallic colleague who could serve us as a translator?" Mashu whispered into my ear.
"That sounds good, keep up the good work Saber." I murmured as I rubbed my hands together anxiously.
"Officer, hic!" The woman exclaimed with a snap of her fingers. A large looking man wearing Roman armor with a helmet that had a red fan on it stepped up next to her. I could only guess he was a Roman officer. "Officer, Dicens quid sunt? Ignoro quid sunt dicentes." The woman said to the man besides her.
"Credo, haec est mulier ex nostris oppidis moverat, in Gallia, mi domina. Auditum a Gallorum sicut ipsa loquebatur." The man said to the woman.
"Gallia dicis? Interpres a me!" The woman said.
"Quod sic mulier." The man said with a bow and set off. The woman turned to face Jeanne and grabbed her hand bringing it up and shaking it vigorously. Jeanne seemed a little taken aback by the woman's actions, however kept her cool.
"Noli timere crede. Nos mos reperio unus ex vobis, qui suae gentis tantum Latine sciunt. Et sic nihil prohibet dicere ad alterum est." The woman said with a smile. Jeanne bowed her head respectively before stepping back and returning to my side.
"So how do you think it went?" I whispered into Jeanne's ear.
"About as well as we could have hoped." Jeanne whispered back and I glanced at the woman who was speaking to one of her soldiers.
"Well at least they're not trying to kill us…" I said out loud with a sigh of relief.
"Wait! You there! Did you just speak English?" A voice suddenly called out. At first I was confused who it was that called out to me, but as I looked around I found the Latin speaking woman pointing directly at me.
"M-Me?" I replied.
"Yes you! You speak English, yes?" The woman asked.
"Y-Yes?" I replied, still quite confused.
"Excellent! That shall save us the trouble of needing a translator!" The woman exclaimed with a hearty smile.
"Wait, you can speak English!?" The four of us exclaimed in unison. The shock of a Latin woman being able to speak English had finally set in.
"Why of course I speak English! I am Empress Nero after all!"
Hey there I've got a late Christmas present for you! I know it's been about six weeks since the last chapter, but I was away on Thanksgiving and these past few weeks I've been really busy. I explained all of this over on my Official Discord, which you should join by the way its a great place! I don't think me being busy will change anytime soon, I will continue to try and post a chapter every two weeks, but I'm not sure if I'll be able too. At the very most I can tell you there will be one chapter per month, and more if I get the chance. If you want to know when the newest chapters come out, make sure you follow Fated Destiny on Fanfiction to know when its updated and hop on over to my Discord. Anyway, Thank you for reading and for your continued support! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider leaving a favorite/like. Feel free to leave constructive feedback and reviews in the comments below or tell me what you think I need to improve on. Just a reminder that new chapters of Book Three release every two weeks on Friday or Saturday. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to seeing you next time.
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