King sat down on a bench with a grunt.

Just an hour or so ago, more people filled this place than he had ever seen with his own eyes. Now, it was just him, sitting alone a few minutes before midnight. Ritsuka and most of the servants had already retreated back to the inn they were given residence for, while a few other servants were roaming Bordeaux in case of dragon attacks and whatnot. King had told them that he 'got this area down' to avoid prying eyes to his lonesome self.

But he would be joined soon enough.

King heard the sound of footsteps coming from his right. Just in time, he thought.

"Jean. It's been a while."

"Yes it has. King."

He tapped the bench beside him. And as Jean closed in on him, he noticed something, something on her.

She had a sword in her hand. One that he hadn't seen since their first meeting a few nights ago. Were the roads particularly dangerous tonight that she felt the need to bring it again? Maybe more bandits were coming out of the woodwork now that the dragons had reduced in numbers.

Jean sat by his side, still gripping her sword. Huh, he just realized that she had no sheath. Did she just lug that thing around all the way here? It was like she was certain that it would get used or something.

'Thank God there's no blood on it, though.'

There was nothing for a while after that. Just a man and a girl sitting on the same bench, separated by nothing but the thick air between them. The girl was covered by shadows casted by the tree above them both, while the scarred man was hit with the full luminosity of the moonlight.

It was… awkward, to say the least, and King now remembered how their last encounter ended. Was she still mad at him for being too nosy? …She didn't know that he was there back then, did she? Beads of sweat started to run down King's brow. The last thing he needed right now was to piss off a girl that could probably lift him by the neck!

"So, how have you been, Jean?" King said eventually, breaking the silence with a lukewarm opening. The worst case scenario shouldn't be too bad with that opener.

"Oh, I'm just fine, King."

'Whew! Alright, so she's not too mad, at least.' King thought. He wouldn't know what to do if she responded in a more icy way.

…

'...Well, now what?' Whatever the reason was, it didn't seem like Jean was very eager to start the conversation tonight, which was strange. He thought that she would be excited to see her sister again after a few days of not seeing her. Even if she was still angry at her, King thought that she would still want to see her, for better or worse. The apathy she instead showed was… concerning.

Her mood wasn't entirely his fault, right?

…Well maybe part of it was.

He supposed it was his responsibility to be the initiator between the two of them, then.

King looked away from Jean, slightly afraid to look her in the eyes. "So, Jean–"

Ring Ring

King's ass nearly left the bench as the sudden ringing of his communicator broke the awkward silence between him and Jean.

"King. Good evening." It was Olga.

"Yeah. Evening, Olga." King said as his hand went to touch his nape. Was it just him or did it get insanely hot around his neck for a second there?

'...Probably just the wind.'

"I just wanted to congratulate you for… Who is that?"

King's mouth dried like a desert in an instant.

'Shit! Jean!' He should've turned the damned communicator off! Three nights without meeting Jean made him forget about that.

That being said, this was their last day, right? Should be no harm in coming clean.

"This is Jean. She's Jeanne's younger sister."

King saw Jean's head whip towards him from his peripheral, but he gestures a 'trust me' to her. Olga was a great leader, she would understand.

"I see… Yes, Jeanne d'Arc did have multiple siblings. Still, why is she here?"

"She, uh… came to see her sister. She came to me, you see, and… I can't really turn her away after she came all the way here from her hometown." King confessed. No more lies now.

Jean nodded hastily, keeping her hands behind her back.

"I… see. I suppose if it's you, then you have good reasons for keeping this a secret from everyone else." Olga said, scratching her chin while nodding.

'...I guess?' It was mostly because Jean told him to, and thinking about it now, he really didn't want to deal with introducing the poor girl to the wider concept of magecraft and whatnot (not like he'd be able to).

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Jean d'Arc. I assume King here has briefed you enough on what you need to know about us. I hope you are not unsatisfied with the circumstances that you have to see your sister under." Olga said in an apologetic but formal tone.

"N-no! Not at all!" Jean said in a somewhat forced pleasant tone that even King could tell. Huh, she was like this too when they first met, wasn't she?

'She's not the most honest person, isn't she?'

"Well then, as I said, King. I want to congratulate you on the successful shows. I doubt we could've gone this far without it." The director said.

What? Him? For the shows?

"Me? You should thank Elizabeth and the others instead. I was just in the back most of the time." He replied, pointing his thumb in the vague direction of the inn they were staying at.

Olga laughed a soft, knowing laugh. What she knew, King had no idea, only that she did. "Yeah, I guess that's all you did."

"Yes it was." King said, breathing a sigh of relief. At least someone understood.

Olga only shook her head while exhaling through her nose.

"You should give some credit to yourself too, Olga. Wouldn't be as successful without you." King said. She saved his ass, really. It was her that came up with the schedule and the whole merch thing after all. He dreaded to think what would happen if everyone turned to him for the next directions of the tour that he didn't even plan to do in the first place.

"...Me? I don't know about that." She replied, averting her gaze from him.

"Why not?" King asked. He was confused, was she not the one who ran most, if not all the operations to a degree?

"I… haven't been the best leader so far. I promised myself that I would be but I found out that that was just lip service by me, for me. Just a lie until I was hit with a reality check."

'She sure is hard on herself, huh?' Not a bad trait at all for a director, especially for an organization dedicated to saving the world, but she had to give herself credit sometimes!

"Still, the fact that you checked by that reality means that you see them as failures, right? I think that's progress enough." King said. He supposed he felt that he should give some advice to the director, as limited as his insight would be. He felt slightly bad for a leader as earnest as her to talk down on herself so much, especially considering how most bureaucrats would act at a time like this.

"N-no. I've only… recently started to reflect on my past mistakes. Just two days ago, actually." She admitted, the last part said in a whisper.

King raised an eyebrow. "That already makes you better than most leaders I know."

For a while, Olga didn't reply. She bit her lip, but it didn't look like it was out of displeasure.

"Okay. I'll take your word for it." She said eventually, averting her entire face from King, before flickering out of the display of the disc.

'Well, guess that's one more person that knows about Jean.' And the last one, hopefully. He'd hate it if he had to deal with Jeanne and Jean meeting face to face.

"So Jean–"

Suddenly, there was a surge of heat near his face as he turned to face Jean, causing King to shield his eyes. When he opened them again, the tree that had just been shadowing Jean was up in flames, lighting up both of their faces like the sun suddenly rose at midnight.

"W-whoa! Careful, King! Some fire just showed up out of nowhere and almost hit you!" Jean said through pursed lips, which she was biting rather strongly into too. Did she have a fear of fire?

'But, fire? A burst of fire just manifested like that?' What the hell was up with the wind tonight? That was way too close for comfort! Was it just this place? He supposed they should talk somewhere else, then.

"Say, uh, wanna go somewhere while we talk?"

"The wind sure is hot tonight, huh, Jean?"

The girl walking a few steps behind him didn't answer, but he could hear several gasps for air from her which he took as agreement. Though it was a little strange, he wore more layers of clothing than her yet she was the one breathing heavier.

'Maybe she's just not used to the heat.'

There were no more surges of fire that came out of nowhere, but he did occasionally feel the heat brushing past his hairs, just touching his back, and somehow, vertically at times, through his shoulder and down his waist. He only hoped Jean wouldn't faint on their way to a cooler place.

Thud

'Oh, my communicator.' King thought as he went to pick it up.

Swish

King grabbed the back of his head. There it was again, the hot wind just brushing past his head as he crouched down. He hadn't seen any fire again, though, so it was more of a mild inconvenience now, to his relief.

He stood back up and pocketed the disc before turning back to Jean, who was profusely sweating with her eyes open wide, revealing her shrinking pupils. King frowned, did that passing wind affect her that much?

"Jean, we could stop if you need a rest." He said.

"Rest? Oh nooooo, no need for any of that! Why– why would I need rest? Seeing my s-s-sister is way more ffff… very important!" Jean said through many drawn out and stuttered words, which only served to further King's concern. He turned his head away from Jean and scanned the area, trying to find another bench or any other place they could sit on.

"Your sister's not gonna patrol the area for another twenty minutes or so, so if you want to–"

"King?"

King's head snapped to the call of his name. It was Ritsuka, and Mash too.

'...Wait.' Two teenagers, going out on a lonely night together side by side… Were they–? and did he–?

'Ah, fuck.' A blunder by him, even if only by the virtue of being in the wrong place at the right time. So much for that romantic advice he gave Ritsuka in that first singularity.

"What are you doing here, Mister King?" Mash asked, slowly walking towards him while Ritsuka followed.

"I was–" King said, only to cut himself off by looking at his companion, Jean, with her hands behind her like she did earlier. Was she shy of strangers or something?

"Who is she, King?" Ritsuka asked with apparent curiosity in his tone.

"...It's a long story. Let's go somewhere we can all sit around first." King said, tired. Just how many more people were going to find out about Jean? He hoped Jeanne wouldn't be the next.

Ritsuka and Mash looked at each other before going back to King, nodding. Jean followed the pair while King tried to come up with what he would tell the other master to excuse himself while stretching his arms upwards.

Something fell to his ears.

'...What the– Cinders?'

His hand hastily went back to his ears and pinched the warm substance. He looked at it, and it was, in fact, cinders.

Cinders? From the hot wind?

"...Be careful, Ritsuka, Mash. The wind is strange tonight." King warned as he dusted off the warm ashes off his ears and shoulders.

The two looked confused at the warning, but continued their walk nonetheless, which King and Jean soon followed.

They arrived at a suitable place, eventually. A stone railing with just enough width for them to sit, which they did, in the order of Jean, King, Mash, and Ritsuka.

"So, you're Jeanne's sister, huh?" Ritsuka said after the brief explanation King made, which Jean responded with a slow nod. "You know you could've just showed up, right? I'm pretty sure Jeanne would be happy if she saw her sister."

"..." Jean didn't speak, but it felt like she wanted to, somehow.

"She didn't want to trouble Jeanne. She saw that we were busy with the concerts and decided to only watch." King said for the girl beside him. Well, it was mostly him inferring things rather than Jean ever saying anything of the sort to him, but he was pretty sure of his educated guess.

"I see… Well, Miss Jean, you don't need to worry anymore. We've successfully turned around the situation. That evil impostor of your sister is now the enemy of France! Your sister is the beloved one now!" Mash announced to the girl excitedly. "But, um… I hope you're not offended by how we did it, even if it was to an impostor."

"Ahaha… Right…"

"Well, what about you, Mash, Ritsuka? What were you two doing out here at night?" King asked. They said that they were going to sleep when they last spoke.

"...It's nothing, King. I was just… looking for some fresh air." The boy said, but the way he stared not at King made him think that there was something more.

But hey, King wasn't really one to pry when he didn't need to, much less to a boy more than ten years his junior. So King settled with a simple "I see."

It was silent for a while after that, though King could see both Jean and Ritsuka fidgeting every few seconds, which dampened the already awkward mood.

"Well, King and… Jean. I need to go back now. Tomorrow's a big day, so–"

"Senpai– Senpai's planning to leave, Mister King!"

…

Everyone's attention was on Mash now. Ritsuka looked at her with a hint of betrayal in his eyes, Jean seemingly only looked because of the volume of Mash's voice, and King was just… confused.

Mash turned away the three pairs of eyes looking at her.

Ritsuka didn't say anything, neither did Jean, though her silence was seemingly one of disinterest. King wanted to let out a sigh, was it up to him again to start?

"Leave? Leave what, Ritsuka?" King asked the one thing Mash didn't specify.

Ritsuka's lips pursed, and he hesitated. Then the boy turned to King and sighed.

"The mission, King. Not just this one, but… the whole thing. I'm leaving the Grand Order."

…Huh.

That was unexpected.

"Why?" King couldn't help but ask.

Mash turned to Ritsuka and made it apparent that she hadn't been told about his reason either.

Ritsuka sighed. "...I had a talk with Archer, on the night when we first split up. He told me that I should quit, that I should stop risking my life when I don't need to, that I'm unqualified for this." He paused. "...And after everything that's happened in this singularity… I think he's right."

"B-but Senpai!" Mash protested. "I-I think you've been doing enough! I mean, you helped back at La Charite, didn't you? a-and you helped us whenever wyverns attacked us on the way too!" She said, leaning into Ritsuka with transparent desperation.

"Did I? I mean, weren't those mostly just Archer doing his stuff? I barely helped. All I did was put myself in harm's way." Ritsuka replied softly, trying to gently put the purple-haired girl down. "So, Mash, I don't think you'll be needing to call me master anymore after this is over."

"Senpai…" There was a silent plea from the shielder's eyes, but Ritsuka shook his head.

"And King, I'm sorry, for everything, but I… don't think I can do enough to help you." Ritsuka took a deep breath. "So I'm quitting, for the mission's sake, and mine."

That was… a lot to take in, but King couldn't quite come up with an argument, not that he felt the need to. He put his fingers to his chin. 'I mean, he's just a kid right? Didn't he say he was fresh out of high school or something?' It had always bothered King in the back of his mind, that such a young kid was one of the two only available masters that the world had to rely on. That wasn't to say that kids fighting where they didn't belong was a foreign concept to him. Hell, Child Emperor was ten! And that was a choice the kid made, didn't make it any more right, but at least that was a choice! Ritsuka, though? This wasn't his choice, and he wasn't the only person fit for the job, so King could understand the decision, he would've done the same in the boy's shoes.

So King nodded along. "Makes sense." He said. Someone as young and normal as Ritsuka shouldn't be doing this, he had to agree with Archer on that point. King supposed that there was nothing wrong with Ritsuka's decision, then. He should leave the master position and leave… it… to…

…

He stopped nodding.

Ritsuka wanted to resign?

'That means…' There would only be one master, the only other candidate other than the boy himself.

Him.

…

Suddenly, Ritsuka's decision didn't seem very appealing to King anymore.

The boy chuckled. "Yeah, it does, huh?"

Oh, it did alright, but what didn't is that King would be his replacement.

The guy who wasn't even of this world.

King saw the spot where Ritsuka sat slowly empty itself, leaving only the vestige of the boy, and time halted to a crawl. Everything was slow, and the scarred master could see everything. The resigned face on Ritsuka, the disappointment on Mash's face, the back of Jean's head, and if there was a mirror, King could probably see cracks start appearing on his own face, beginning to reveal the dread underneath.

The alphabet ran through King's head at lightspeed, a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o ,p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z, not a single word was born from those letters to his mouth. But his brain couldn't think of any other way to process an answer, so it began again, a, b, c–

"Haha, yeah. I guess that's it for me, huh? …King, it's been–"

"–Choose."

Ritsuka stopped. His body had almost completely left the stone railing on which he sat, only the back of his upper thighs remained in contact with his seat.

"...Choose?" Ritsuka asked slowly, slowly coming back down to his seat in the same rhythm as the air that finally let itself loose from King's lungs.

Choose. That was the word that he stumbled upon as the letters were scrambling in King's head. 'Choose what?' No one there knew what it meant, least of all himself.

But he had to say something.

"Yes, Ritsuka. Choose." King said, slowly maneuvering his words through the various hurdles that were presented before him on the way to a satisfactory ending.

Though what was a satisfactory ending in this scenario?

"...You need to choose your path for yourself." King decided eventually. Generic. Safe. Reliable.

"My… own path?" Ritsuka said, repeating King's words in an unconfident tone that better reflected the older man's emotions. "But didn't you just say that it makes sense for me to quit?"

"...Yes. I said it makes sense for you to quit, to no longer put yourself in danger." And it really, really did make sense, but King couldn't just let Ritsuka do that!

"Then… shouldn't I just choose that, then?" Ritsuka asked, confused.

"Maybe so." King said. "But–"

'But what?!' What kind of argument could hold a candle against 'this teenager shouldn't risk his life when there was a more suitable candidate'?! There was nothing about King that was more suitable to the job other than being older, but you know what? King might have to admit that it was a legitimate reason for Ritsuka to quit, that his life was worth much more than a soon-to-be thirty year old muti-world fraud.

But King didn't want that, so he went to the person that started this in the first place.

"–That was Archer's choice, wasn't it?"

Ritsuka stayed silent, but King could see through the boy's eyes that he was hanging off of every word he said.

"You… can't imagine it, can you, Ritsuka?" King had lost the plot. Was he insisting that this kid, who just a week ago was still living a normal life with his loving parents, couldn't imagine just chilling in his room for a year?

"...You're right. I didn't want to say it, but… I can't imagine it. I can't imagine just laying in my bed while everyone else– while you are fighting to save the world." Ritsuka admitted, his gaze lowering to the ground.

'...Holy shit?' King asked in his mind, amazed. His bullshit was right?

No, there would be another time for him to wonder what stroke of luck just passed him by. For now, he needed to press on.

"I knew it." A lie, but he didn't care at this point. "There is a reason why you can't imagine where you would stand after quitting, yet it is undoubtedly a choice that is logically sound. It's simple, Ritsuka, it's because it's not a choice you made by yourself." King said. His hands moved in accordance to his words, like a King giving a speech to his finest knights. Only in those cases, The King would be brimming with confidence, palm outstretched with conviction in his heart. This King? His thumb held the base of his index finger, afraid that if he let go, his hand, and by extension his whole body, would shake from the sheer weight of the lies he was spouting.

"If you come to the same conclusion, then so be it, but–" 'I don't want to do this by myself' "–you have to make that decision yourself, in the end."

Ritsuka's mouth was slightly ajar, like he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Was it words of thanks that the boy was searching? an argument? something else entirely? Whatever it was, King hoped that it would be something that affirmed the boy's confidence.

Because otherwise, Chaldea would be looking at a dead otherworlder soon enough and Ritsuka would be forced to be the sole master.

"What if… what if my decision turns out to be for the worst, though? What if me being a master ends up making things worse than if you can be the focus, King?"

'Trust me kid, that wouldn't happen.' King thought dryly.

"It doesn't matter. Look behind you, Ritsuka." The young master did as instructed, and his face met Mash's,

"Was her decision to get on that stage a smart one? the best one? Probably not." King exclaimed. "Yet it turned out fine, didn't it?" He was reminded of what Ritsuka did during Mash's part of the show. Going out to help her like that, despite ending up in a far more embarrassing position had he not, that was courage! As long as Mash would treat him the same way in kind, which King knew she would, Ritsuka would be… well he wouldn't be fine, but…

'At least I won't be doing this by myself.' It was a cowardly reason, but fuck if that wasn't his primary motivation behind this 'pep talk'.

Ritsuka's gaze lingered on Mash, and she replied with a resolute nod. "Maybe… maybe this is too selfish of a reason for me, but I… I really would like to have you as my master going forward, Senpai." Mash's eyebrows sharpened with determination. "Whatever comes our way, I'll protect you, master. I promise."

Ritsuka barely nodded, then turned back to King.

"Will you…" The question didn't quite come out all the way, but everyone present could still hear it in full.

King clamped his mouth and gritted his teeth behind it. Would he? Probably not, but he didn't have a choice in the matter.

"...Of course I will, Ritsuka. Didn't you ask me to be your 'teacher'?"

A jolt could visibly be seen running through Ritsuka as the memory seemed to reignite in his head, and part of King wished the boy stayed forgetting that one piece of happenstance.

King thought he knew how Saitama felt back when Ritsuka asked that request, but only now did the weight finally settle on his shoulders.

Ritsuka looked down towards himself, then nodded. "Alright, then–"

"...That's horseshit."

King's head whipped behind him. Ritsuka and Mash's gazes followed him.

It was Jean.

"Is your brain missing a piece or two, you dumbass? You really think you can go against m… my sister's impostor just because you choose to?" Jean asked, naked irritation on her face. "What will you do if people start hating you? Maybe the biggest idiots in the world can just tough it out like the idiots they are, but what about you, huh?" Jean narrowed her eyes at Ritsuka, there was visible contempt in her eyes, but somehow King felt that it wasn't actually directed at the recipient of said glare. "People like you… will just shrivel and die. And that's fine, you know? What kind of brain would do shit like fighting for the sake of it?" Jean scoffed, hard. "Maybe heroes, but they're fucking idiots no one should look up to anyway."

Ritsuka looked taken aback, as did Mash. Maybe they hadn't expected Jeanne's sister to have a foul mouth and behavior, which King could understand.

"Choose all you want, but you're fucking insane if you think that choosing to fight while you're…" Jean looked at Ritsuka and made a vaguely offensive gesture with her hands. "...you."

Ritsuka grunted uncomfortably, and he made a face as if he was just pierced by a spear. Mah tried to open her mouth but failed to make an argument.

All in all, all of the words King had spewed by stringing whatever words and ideas he could think of had been nullified.

And King could only stare at her dumbfounded.

'...Jean?!'

What the fuck, girl?!

It was going so well!

He saw the light return to Ritsuka's eyes! The look of relief in Mash's eyes! His own soul returning to his body! But for some godforsaken reason, Jean just decided that this was the time to deliver a soul-crushing rant to Ritsuka!

'Why?!'

Did he strike a nerve?! Was that it?! What part of what he said deserved–

"Maybe heroes, but they're fucking idiots no one should look up to anyway."

Ah.

Right.

Jean and Jeanne had a… problem.

Problem that he probably stoked with his mini-speech to Ritsuka.

Fuck.

King heard a sigh, and his attention was snapped back to Ritsuka.

"...Yeah, you're right Miss Jean. King, I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, but… I'm just not suited for–"

"Are you?"

Ritsuka stopped dead in his tracks in the process of standing up, again, and King settled on the words that were floating freely through his mind, again. King could hear Jean sarcastically let out a huff behind his back, that was a first.

"What Jean said is true." A smug huff from behind him. "But she missed one thing." He heard the whip of the wind behind him, and King just knew that Jean was looking at him with the damnedest of glares.

Ritsuka looked at him too with an inquisitive stare, and so did Mash.

He too would've done it if a person could stare at themselves.

'What is it, King?! Think!'

His mind went through the alphabet, again, but no words came even as it repeated ad infinitum in his head. So, it instead went to a different dimension, time. His own past, just a week ago, to be specific.

"You know, King. I wasn't pretty strong when I started out."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I was just a normal guy three years ago. Probably not much stronger than you, to be honest."

"Me? Yeah, man, sure."

"I'm serious! It was after I accidentally bumped into a monster and beat him that I–"

"I can't do that."

"–decided to train my body… and I did it with one-hundred push ups, one-hundred situps, one-hundred squats, and a ten kilometer run, to this day."

"...I don't think that's what got you your strength, dude."

"Doubt me all you want, but that was how I did it."

"Might wanna do that with your gaming skills too, then."

"Wait, wait! Damn it, I was distracted, man! One more round!"

"You don't have to be great to start." King paused. "And how 'great' you can be doesn't need to be like the 'great' you see in others." He stopped again, briefly, and he saw the eyes of Ritsuka light up just a tad bit.

'Thank you, Saitama!'

"You can suck, you can be weak, you can be afraid, but… you can always choose to be more." Could you? Nothing he had ever done indicated that that was the case, but he didn't care. It didn't need to be the truth, it just needed to be Ritsuka's truth. It was at least Saitama's.

"...Why should I, though? Why risk it?"

'I don't fucking know!' He would've done the same thing! If Saitama was there, why would he bother showing up? It wouldn't make sense! The same principle applied here, only made possible by the ignorance of everyone involved that wasn't him.

"...You don't have to choose this path." King said eventually. It felt like a weak backtrack after everything he had already said, but even with every reason King had to convince Ritsuka to stay, he couldn't will himself to be to directly push the boy to a fate that might lead to his death.

He didn't want that on his conscience.

"So, what then? What should I choose?"

"...I don't know, but you have to. You can stay who you are, and no one will resent you for it." Some would, but King would understand. "But if that's the choice you make, it has to come from you, Ritsuka, not Archer, not me, not the director." King knew it better than anyone. Years of excessive adulation yet he was still the same person, because he never chose any better. "If you want to change, then the Ritsuka of today needs to be the one to make that decision, so that the future Ritsuka is someone you can be satisfied with." It was a genuine piece of advice from him for once, but it rang hollow in his own ears, and it would in Ritsuka's ears too if he knew who the man talking to him really was.

But King had to try anyway, lest he be crowned 'The Last Master of Humanity' of a humanity that wasn't his.

"Everyone should have an identity of their own choosing." He sure would fucking love to. And he hoped to God that Ritsuka's choice was one that would help him.

Ritsuka began to open his mouth, and Mash offered him a look of assurance and pleading. She too wanted this, but for far more understandable reasons. King's reason would earn him the world's scorn if he had said it out loud.

The boy's mouth clamped again, but he looked towards King this time. He had one last doubt, King could see.

"King. Do you… do you think I should–?"

King hesitated.

Whatever it was that he said next… it would determine the boy's path for the next year, fighting in the frontlines, or a cozy stay where his life wouldn't be at risk..

He looked at the boy one more time. How old was he again? Sixteen? God, at his age King hadn't even played half the games he had played today. Had Ritsuka even experienced half of what life had to offer? A girlfriend? A job? A story that changed his life?

But here King was anyway, trying to persuade said boy to fight alongside him, a man almost twice his age.

Scum. He was scum for this.

But he was scared, too scared.

Just like he always was.

"Who you can't choose to be… doesn't dictate what you can choose to be, Ritsuka."

If only he could take his own advice.

"Whatever you choose to be, I'll respect it." He would, but he would only like one of the choices. "Just make sure it… comes from you, and no one else." King finished. That was it, that was the last thing he could say to the boy. The biggest part of him wanted Ritsuka to stay. So that he could share his misery. So that he had someone else to carry the burden. So that he wouldn't be alone. But the smaller part of him wished Ritsuka saw him and his wishy-washy speech for what it was, fraudulent, and called him out for it. So that both of them could be both spared from things that they didn't want. So that he no longer needed to keep up the facade. So that Ritsuka could realize that he didn't need to risk his life.

It was like nudging someone off a high-rise building while wanting them to stop and come back to safety, paradoxical, but so was never confessing while hoping that people would just stop assuming about him.

And King knew what he didn't do in all those years.

To both his relief and horror, Ritsuka's eyes hardened, filled with resolution, and he nodded.

…He couldn't take it anymore.

"What do you think, Mash?" He said, giving the reins over to the purple-haired girl. A low move, but he might short-circuit if he had to say anything else.

"M-me? …Well, I think Mister King is right, master. It's dangerous, and it would be safer if you just leave everything to Mister King, but… personally, I don't want anyone else to be my master but you, Senpai."

The next minute was silent, and King didn't know how he kept himself so still and his sweat at bay. His voice was done for, any more and it would crack under pressure. He only hoped that it was enough.

"...I'll let you know my choice, King. Today, later."

Later couldn't come soon enough.

Her mouth was foaming. There was probably drool dripping off her chin too.

She couldn't give less of a shit.

Right now, she could chew on dried leather and it would turn to mush before her anger was even one thousandth of being satisfied.

The bastard had somehow avoided every single swing of her sword.

Every.

Single.

One.

The first strike she made when she had just sat beside him. She took a bit of time, but she had to make sure that he wouldn't see it coming, that her blade would go through his body without him ever knowing.

And it would've had it not for that bitch that called him.

And that was strike one for her.

She hid her sword immediately, but that didn't stop that girl from finding out of her existence, even if not her true identity.

'Jean' didn't quite hear what either of them talked about after King's brief explanation of her to that woman over on the call, but she couldn't care less.

The moment the beep of that disc sounded, she swung again, only for him to turn around just as her blade drifted over his neck.

How he missed it, 'Jean' could only chalk it up to a miracle.

But then, a golden opportunity presented itself to her, in the form of an offer he himself made. A walk, through the dark streets of midnight Bordeaux, where no one would see them.

It was perfect.

Yet whatever fucking divine intervention he must've had went beyond perfection.

His back was turned on her. The. Entire. Time.

And her strikes still missed. The. Entire. Time.

But he never noticed. The. Entire. Time.

Somehow that only pissed her off more, that through every strike he miraculously avoided, a convenient turn when she struck downwards, a slight lean forward when she went for a stab, a crouch to tie his shoes and pick up that damned disc every time she went for his head–!

He never once turned to face her.

She wanted to laugh.

The biggest opportunities to kill him since they first met, and she was fumbling every single fucking one of them.

Then, the biggest opportunity of all came to her. He stopped, asked her whether she wanted to take a rest or not, then promptly turned his back to her, no longer moving.

This was it, she thought. Just, if he stayed still for just one more second, she would be free from this madness.

So, she went for the head, a stab, an instantly lethal strike.

He turned his neck. Her blade missed again.

Then, a boy's voice called out, and she quickly hid her sword again.

And before she knew it, she was sitting at the edge of a foursome, while that bastard and the other master talked about some bullshit she couldn't care less about.

'Jean' no longer wanted to laugh.

She wanted to scream.

Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do now. The best course of action was to let those two talk about whatever they had to talk about, then resume her mission of putting her sword through King's guts.

Easy enough.

"There is a reason why you can't imagine where you would stand after quitting, yet it is undoubtedly a choice that is logically sound. It's simple, Ritsuka, it's because it's not a choice you came to by yourself."

'Jean's' mouth twitched. Something about that… bothered her. But she paid it no heed, just some stupid comment from a dumbass anyway.

"Was her decision to get on that stage a smart one? the best one? Probably not. Yet it turned out fine, didn't it?"

'Jean' couldn't stop the turning of her neck in time. She took a few controlled breaths. He wasn't talking about her, about her failure, there was no need for her to lash out, to shut his dumbass down, she should just– stay quiet.

But she couldn't help but be angry anyway.

Turned out fine? Maybe if you asked her incomplete self, but 'Jean' knew better. Gilles told her so. That France deserved to burn for what it did to Jeanne d'Arc.

Right, there was no need for 'Jean' to explode at such an obviously wrong comment.

…But he just had to make it complicated.

She couldn't resist to speak her mind, to say what a fucking idiotic idea it was.

So she did.

Her mouth moved before she could stop it,

"That's horseshit."

There was no going back.

She laid it out then and there. The idiocy of the idea, that someone should choose the thorny path just fucking because. Who was it that she was talking to? Was it the one who gave the advice? The one who received it? The one who just watched? She didn't care, not anymore. But she would be damned if she let something so unbelievably stupid be spoken without her saying something about it.

She was Jeanne d'Arc, after all, and no one was more qualified to talk about the matter of 'the hard choice' and its consequences.

Gilles would agree, he was the one who told her after all.

When she was finished, maybe someone could see steam coming out of her mouth, but that didn't matter all that much. She turned herself away from the conversation, satisfied with just that.

"What Jean said is true."

A smile almost crept its way to her mouth. Even her biggest nemesis was acknowledging her words! If he and Gilles would agree, then there was little doubt to the truth.

…Wait, no, why did she put him up with Gilles of all people?

"But she missed one thing."

Her body stiffened, and slowly, she turned back to the conversation.

"You don't have to be great to start. And how 'great' you can be doesn't need to be like the 'great' you see in others."

'Jean' scowled. Why, then, did Jeanne d'Arc never become 'great' enough to save France? never become 'great' enough to not die pitifully at the hands of zealots? never become 'great' enough to die peacefully so she had to exist to finish the job? She wanted to shout, to scream these questions at the man talking, but she couldn't.

Deep down, she knew she wanted to hear more.

"You can suck, you can be weak, you can be afraid, but… you can always choose to be more."

'But why would you?' It didn't make sense! All choosing 'more' ever did for Jeanne d'Arc was fire beneath her feet, at the hands of her own people!

"...You don't have to choose this path." There was a tone to King's voice that 'Jean' couldn't quite comprehend. A sort of… apprehension, like he was giving the reins to the boy to choose. Why? Why didn't he just tell him? It'd be better for both of them.

"Everyone should have an identity of their own choosing."

'Jean' wanted to argue that some simply didn't have that privilege. Jeanne d'Arc was burned at the stake while the crowd cheered on her charred carcass, what other choice did she have but to be France's destroyer?

"Who you can't choose to be… doesn't dictate what you can choose to be."

'...Bullshit.' That too, went unvoiced, but she seethed nonetheless. Even far after the boy and the girl left both of them alone to their devices.

And even more than before, she wanted to kill him.

"...Say, Jean. I think your sister's about to go out. Let's go see her, yeah?"

He stood up, so did she.

He began to walk, so did she.

After a few minutes, he raised his hands, and so did she.

But her hands wielded a sword.

Then she swung her hands down.

Die. Die. DIE–

"Master."

"Oh, hey Karna. What's up?"

He stepped forward. She missed. Her hands moved as fast as possible to retreat her sword behind her back before it could touch the ground.

"Not much, master. Despite the fact that our attack on The Dragon Witch's headquarters is imminent, no sign of dragons or the like have been spotted." The approaching servant, Karna, said. His white hair and golden armor shined from the moonlight, as if somehow the moon itself was in love with him.

It disgusted her.

"...Hm? and who is this, master?"

'Jean' froze.

Karna, The Hero of Charity. One of the greatest heroes hailing from the southern hemisphere. If she were to be found by him of all servants…

"...Damn, now you know too, huh? Well whatever, this is Jean d'Arc…" And for the third time that night, 'Jean' stayed still while King replayed her (fake) story again to the rhythm of Karna's nods.

"Is that true, Miss Jean?"

"Y-yes! I'm merely here to see my sister, you see! B-but I didn't want to disturb you all too much with whatever grand mission I'm sure you have, so I've been… doing it discreetly." 'Jean' said, trying to limit showing how nervous she was by gritting her teeth and clasping her hands together behind her back. Sweat dripped down her forehead. It was one thing to trick humans, but a full-fledged servant? She needed to be careful.

"...I see. I believe Jeanne is preparing to go and patrol as well."

"Well alright, I'm gonna go and see where Jeanne is then. Can you stay with her for a bit, Karna?"

"Of course."

'Wait–!'

'Jean' tried to open her mouth, but before she could, her target was already gone, leaving her with what was perhaps her enemy's most dangerous weapon.

"..."

"..."

Neither of them said a word.

'Jean' hoped that whatever spells Gilles had put on her was enough to deceive a servant in the close range that they were in. Was the silence a confirmation of her worst worries? or an answer to her predicament? Whatever it was, she had to take a gamble. Now.

"W-well, Mister… Karna, was it? It's been a pleasure meeting you, but I'd much prefer to be by myself. So just– tell King where I am when he comes back." 'Jean' said as she turned her feet to the lancer.

"...I understand."

'Jean' let out a sigh of relief she didn't know she had been holding. Now, to go and find–

She stopped.

She felt something touching her neck, golden shine from her peripheral.

She knew it was a spear. The steel was cold, but there was an unmistakable fire that burned through the weapon.

It could only belong to one man.

"I'm afraid I can't let you walk away any further." He said with a level tone. "I must say, for a simple girl born on a farm, your words drip with lies like I have rarely seen before, Miss Jean."

"Or should I say, The Dragon Witch?"

The charade was over.

'Jean' laughed, a maniacal cackle, really.

All those nights pretending to be 'Jean d'Arc', to be that bitch's little sister, following that bastard's every word– Only to be caught by a simple coincidence.

She was so fucking stupid.

She should've never entertained any notion of being 'Jean' for the sake of her mission.

She should've killed that scarred man where he first stood.

"Is there something you find funny about this?" The lancer asked. A genuine tone of curiosity in his voice in spite of the golden steel he still held against her neck.

Was there something funny about this? She knew there was a joke in this.

Herself.

She snorted. "I guess you can say that." She sighed. "So what now, Hero of Charity? Gonna sweep this spear of yours to cleave off my head? Put an end to this once and for all?" It was a lame attempt at stalling, 'Jean' recognized, but as her hand slowly reached for her sword, her feelings mattered little. Given enough luck and strength from her part, she could escape. Even she did not dare fight this many servants in one go.

Her hand found the sword's handle. A smirk crawled to her ears.

"No."

'Now– Wait, what?'

Despite the blade still pressed on her neck, 'Jean' couldn't stop herself from turning her neck towards the lancer, blood dripping be damned.

"I will not strike or pursue you, so long as you do not act rashly, and I'm sure no matter how mad you are, you realize how small your chances are." 'Jean' scowled. It was true, but it did not make her any less upset. "Consider this my mercy: I shall give you but an hour until I tell your 'sister' about this arrangement you have with my master. Try to make yourself scarce before that hour goes by. Until then, only I will know your true identity."

"Oh? But didn't your master tell you to keep an eye on me? I thought you were just a dog that obeyed orders." 'Jean' taunted, but her eyes never left the golden spear that still touched her neck.

"And I would be content with doing so." He said. "But he had told me without words that he needed to be able to trust my own, independent decisions, and this decision is mine, and mine alone."

'Jean' scoffed. A servant acting independently just because his master told him he can? What kind of–

"...Besides, he knows who you are."

'...Huh?'

'Jean' whipped her body around in the speed that most would take as hostile, but Karna didn't respond with an attack. Instead, he retracted his spear and it disappeared.

"...You're fucking with me." It was the only response she could muster. King? That scarred bastard? He knew who she was all along? Impossible.

"I assure you that I am not 'fucking with you'. I have no reason to."

No. He had to be.

"You're fucking lying!"

Swathes of flames rolled towards Karna, but he only stood there as they swallowed him.

When the fire died down, he still stood, looking no worse for wear with the exception of a few specks of dust around his pale face.

"The only reason I am giving you one hour is because he knows. He knows yet he has let you stay close to him ever since you met." He continued, ignoring the attack she made.

"Yeah… I know, I fucking know… That's why it doesn't make any God. Damned. Sense!"

Another wave of fire.

Karna still refused to budge.

"The way my master's mind works eludes even me. Even now, as I see through you… I see nothing, yet he did." Karna said, his tone as still as ever, as if 'Jean' did not just send two barrages of flames at him.

"Then why are you doing this?! Do you trust your damned master that much?!" 'Jean' screamed, but she knew that no matter his answer, it would still feel like talking to a wall.

"I don't know why, but I know that he saw something in you, and I cannot ignore that. So, one hour. That is all I am willing to give you."

"Fuck you! How am I supposed to know if you don't?!" She spat.

Then Karna, the damned gall of him, just– shrugged.

"Just ask him."

'Jean' had no words left in her mouth to respond, just ask… him?

"Master is an incredibly honorable man. Whatever his reasons may be, it is clear that he favors you in a way. If you simply ask him if he knows who you are, why he never said anything about it, and his intentions in doing so, I am certain he will give you the answers I cannot."

'Jean's' mouth was still agape, trying to say something, a question? an argument? a denial? She didn't know, and she didn't have the time to find out.

"Ah, master. You're back."

Her mouth ran dry, whatever she wanted to say, even the will to do so, vanished in less time than it took for Karna to utter those words. She turned her neck for what felt like an eternity before her eyes met his blue again.

"Yeah, I talked to Jeanne a little. Told her to pass by this area, so me and Jean could spy on her from here." He said, walking towards 'Jean', unaware of the scuffle that transpired between her and his servant. Or maybe he was aware, she didn't know what to believe anymore.

"Very well, master. I shall leave you with 'Miss Jean' here then. See you later, master."

"Yeah, man, see you later."

His gaze turned to 'Jean', and she found that she was petrified under it, like he was her own personal Medusa.

"Let's go over there, Jean. I think your sister won't see us there."

…Her 'sister', right.

Wordlessly, she followed the scarred man to the… place. She didn't know, her mind was far too frayed to pay attention to anything that was going on. Before she knew it, she sat beside him on the ground, covered by measly tarps with just enough holes for them to see through.

"Well, we just gotta wait here."

Wait? Could she even do that?

…No.

She must know one thing, here and now.

"So, you knew, huh?"

A question dressed as an accusation, she didn't want a vague answer out of him. She wanted a definitive one.

For a moment, he just looked at her, eyebrows raising in surprise. Then, he closed his eyes for a solid minute, before looking at her and replying.

"I did."

King took a deep breath, several actually. This was the tenth or eleventh. He didn't know anymore, he lost count.

But could you blame him? This was the first elongated period of time where he wasn't doing… anything! No Olga reaching out to him, no Ritsuka that needed some 'advice', no Karna out of nowhere. Now, he could just… relax.

"So, you knew, huh?"

Until that bombshell of a question dropped on his face.

He turned to look at Jean, there was a complicated look on her face, but that was to be expected. He knew what she was talking about. There was only one thing it could be about, really.

Still, he held his tongue, hesitating an answer. He thought about it a bit more. This was the last time they would meet unless Jean decided to show up for the final battle tomorrow, which he hoped she wouldn't. And he had been keeping it to himself this entire time.

So King decided to answer truthfully.

"I did."

He had suspected it, ever since they first met.

Her erratic behavior, the sudden change from pleasant to fury, the somewhat incomplete story of why she even went all the way from Domremy to here– It all led to one answer, but he couldn't be sure of it, not until he had definitive proof.

That proof came on their third meeting, in Marseille. Specifically, after they did all that labor so that he could stay in that inn for free.

It was when he went to wash himself, only to find the nude form of the girl shining under the moonlight…

…revealing the bright red tattoo of a dragon's head that was etched from her nape down her spine until the middle of her back.

It told him all that he needed to know.

A sigh, Jean's. Her shoulders slumped and her head drooped as her body seemingly lost all of its strength.

"...Why didn't you say anything?" She asked, the tone of her voice was out of this world, and not the good kind.

King clicked his tongue silently. So the problem was that serious, huh?

He didn't know tattoos were that taboo in this era of France.

He supposed it made sense, her tattoo was the first he ever saw since coming into this world. Thinking about it, it was taboo a few centuries ago in his world too, so it made sense that the same principles applied here. Old superstitions and the like, yada yada.

Though King had to say, he was rather surprised to see Jean out of all people act like this about it. Of course, he had a theory on that, too.

Her family.

She must've been the outcast of The Arc family.

It all made sense! From everything he'd seen in this country, ranging from that old commander guy's attitude to simple mistakes to the wild behavior of the crowds when they were let loose on the shows, it all painted a picture of a stark difference between France's traditions and its actual nature.

And The Arc family was likely one that tried to stick with the former.

And Jean, rebellious, loud, and rough spirit that she was, was likely shunned by the rest of her family.

And Jeanne, the good daughter of the family, was likely the only one that tried to reach her. But Jean rejected her, leading to their likely one-sided feud, because she couldn't stand having her model sister lowering herself to her level. She likely didn't like being pitied.

Likely.

These were all just his assumptions but…

'It sure seems like I'm in the right direction.' King thought while looking at Jean. She looked like a lost puppy!

As to why he didn't say anything? Well…

"It doesn't bother me at all."

Jean slowly looked to turn at him, a look of apparent disbelief on her face, like someone just told her that up is down and right is left.

King was slightly taken aback, was the matter really this serious? He was a stranger to her for the most part, a foreign stranger at that. Yet she still felt like he would've hated her for it.

He wasn't lying, though. He had no problems with her, tattoos and all. If anything, he kinda found it admirable! 'It's not like she's a killer or something, so she was probably just out of the line of the traditional ways of France.' That must've been it, so it was pretty awesome that she stuck to her ways even after her family shunned her out.

"...Why, then? Why the hell did you even keep me around?" Jean asked. There was desperation in her voice, King noticed.

He clicked his tongue in frustration. He didn't want to make Jean his enemy or make her feel uncomfortable, if only because he didn't want to leave the singularity with a bad taste in his mouth. So he supposed he should just be honest.

"I wanted to help you. I still do." He answered truthfully. Yes, it was a little troublesome, especially since she would sometimes blow up at the sight of her sister who she wanted to see in the first place, but he never really minded it too much. He helped her because, well…

When else did he ever get the chance to help people out like this?

He supposed it was partly a shoddy attempt by him to do something he never could as a 'hero', even if helping a girl see her sister every night did not at all make up for all the life threatening situations he almost got people killed from (even if his reputation usually saved him at the last second).

So it was to feel good about himself, mostly.

'...Wow, that makes it sound like I'm a bad guy, huh?'

"Who you can't choose to be… doesn't dictate what you can choose to be, Ritsuka."

'...Nevermind. I am a bad guy.'

Still, he would like it if Jean had her closure rather than not. So he decided to help her, even on this final night.

"Help me…? Help me?! What kind of brain do you have to want to help me?!"

King couldn't help but sigh. 'This girl… She really doesn't believe in herself, huh?'

But he did.

"Something that trivial won't change who you are to me."

It was silent after that, but King stood on his words. Tattoos? Being a little outspoken? A pariah? None of that changed what he thought of Jean, a girl who, despite her feelings towards her sister, still wanted to check on her even through the wyvern infested and anti-Jeanne sentiment that France was swept with.

Jean was a brave girl, that was who she was to King.

The sounds of feet tapping against the ground took his attention, and through the holes he saw Jeanne, accompanied by Murasaki and Marie, on patrol.

"There she is, Jean." King said. But there was no response, and he eventually realized he could only hear his own breathing.

"Jean?"

No one answered.

Animals do not think, not the same way humans do at least. They live to survive, not to feel.

Eating, because their stomach told them to.

Reproducing, because their brain told them to.

Running, because something else told them to.

Instincts flare, hooves hit the ground, leaves shake vigorously, water across the forest rippled, for terror had beset the fauna of France's forests.

Carnivore, herbivore, omnivore, it didn't matter. All of them ran without a destination, desperate. Their senses, as primal as they were, told them that death would claim them if they did not.

Had they even the slightest bit of sapience, they would realize then that it was anger that they felt.

Anger that radiated to even the primal instincts of animals.

Anger that came from but one girl.

Anger that set the forest ablaze.

"We're done with our shift."

"Did you see anything suspicious?"

"There was a fire in the forest near the city, but I don't think it was wyverns, we didn't hear any telltale signs of them."

Archer nodded to Jeanne's answer. "And we all would notice if it was a servant." He added. "Well, it's my turn soon enough. By the way, the inn owner prepared us all some food while you were gone. So, suit yourself." He said, before going through the door to the city.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's eat!" Marie announced, dragging Jeanne by the arm.

It was quite the feast, though surprising. Jeanne didn't quite remember seeing more than a hand's fingers of workers for the inn, yet there was enough food here to feed all of them, and then some. Though, she might have put a bit of doubt to that latter part…

"Wow, Jeanne. You have a… deep stomach, don't you?"

"P-please don't mention it…" Jeanne replied to Murasaki as she covered her face with her hands.

"It really is impressive, Jeanne! I don't think I could eat that many if I tried!" Marie exclaimed, to which Jeanne made a noise into her hands.

"W-well, let's stop embarrassing Jeanne, Marie. Instead, I've been curious about something. Jeanne, how did you adapt to military life so quickly? I've been reading books about you in my spare time, and it mentioned little between the time you left home and joined the army." Murasaki said.

Jeanne's face rose to meet the question. Now that she thought about it, there was very little time between her receiving The Lord's words and becoming a flagbearer. Though, she had a guess as to why…

"I suppose you could say that I was a… tomboy. I hung out with the boys a lot in my childhood. Why, I even got scolded by my parents once for staying out too long in a game of hide and seek." Jeanne said.

There was also a time that she had to defend a few boys from her father in her knickers after she was caught swimming in the river with them. She supposed it could be looked at as inappropriate, but they were… ten. Her father was quite the prude now that she was reminded of him. Her brothers were more forgiving, but she could tell that they found her behavior strange too.

"I see… It must have been an interesting childhood. I can't say I relate, unfortunately. I was born to a rather large family, which wanted me to become a lady-in-waiting. I never quite saw anything wrong with that, so I never quite took the time to explore my childhood like you did. Hearing you now… it does feel like I have missed something." Murasaki admitted.

"I agree! My childhood was pretty stuffy! All lessons to be a 'proper lady' and whatnot, I even had to attend mandatory operas! Some of them were great performances, sure, but nothing can dampen your love like mandates." Marie sighed. "I wish I could've played in the rivers with you, Jeanne."

"A-ah, no. I'm sure both of your early lives are more worthy to make stories of compared to my mundane childhood. All I did was fool around…" Jeanne said. It was hardly anything noteworthy. Nothing she did then ever inspired her to become someone the way her friends' early lives did.

"A story can be told in many ways, Jeanne. If you seek it, even the most mundane of activities can be irreplaceable stories." Murasaki said.

"Yeah! Our childhoods are boring, just trust me!" Marie said.

They all laughed then, and for a moment, Jeanne felt like she was just a girl that hung with her friends. The same way she did as a child back then.

The door to the dining room creaked open. Jeanne turned to the newcomer.

"Jeanne."

"Karna? What is it?"

"I have something to tell you."

Hey

So, be honest, did any of you expect the hole tattoo thing? Did any of you even remember that King walked in on 'Jean' taking a bath? The lack of any comment regarding that scene made me think I misled all of you but honestly it's more likely that it just passed by your mind. Either way, yeah, King saw her ruler command seals. I was inspired by the 'mistake' in Jalter's recent animation update, where they added commands seals to her back like how Jeanne had them in Apocrypha. I immediately thought to use it since Jalter is still a ruler in Orleans, and yeah, here it is. That was what King pointed out she had in that chapter, not like, her ass or something.

But yeah, that is the end of King and Jean's secret meetings, the next chapter is the beginning of the final battle after all.

I hope the King and Ritsuka section made sense too. I wrote in a way that it would sound kinda sensible to others, but absolute bullshit to King himself, just like how he does it.

Well, that's it for now. Most of the subplot's been paid off, next chapter I resolve the last subplot before starting the final battle in earnest.

Later