Summary:

Having found Siegfried in the ruins of Lyon, the Chaldea crew makes a desperate escape as the Dragon Witch's forces give chase. After achieving a slight moment of peace they finally get to rest, decide on their next course of action and get to know each other a bit better. And yet, before they can fully start their next move, two of Ritsuka's Deepest Darkest secrets come into light...

'

It's out! Hory sheet! Finally! At 66 thousand words, this monstrosity is easily the longest chapter by far, so take your time reading it.

PS. For maximum authentic experience, I recommend listening to Against the Black Knight from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, whenever a certain character is around.

.

.

Chapter 13: Curses and Motivations

'

'

As Marie's carriage raced along the forest road, Ritsuka did her best to fully assess the situation. They were currently being chased by at least three Servants and a flock of wyverns, which was hardly ideal, considering that they had a heavily injured Servant to protect. Thankfully Jeanne Alter had at least seemed to stay behind, more than likely to look after Fafnir, so that was one strong enemy they didn't have to worry about at the moment. The last thing they needed was even more powerful Servants joining up. Putting the most troublesome enemy chasing them out of her mind for now, she then focused her attention on the two enemies riding wyverns farther away. The clearly stronger of the two was a person who looked like a musketeer, and the Master honestly couldn't tell if they were a man or a woman. They were just... beautiful. But what she could tell was that they were fairly powerful and possessed both Magic Resistance and Riding, meaning they were most likely a Saber. The other one was the Assassin in a black long coat with nothing that notable about him. Unless he possessed some amazing technique or Noble Phantasm, he was likely less troublesome to fight than Carmilla. And then there was the big problem: the knight covered in black fog. No matter how many arrows Lemminkäinen shot at the wyvern the knight was riding, they would all get deflected by the long polearm in their hands. And since the other two had positioned their wyverns behind the knight a good distance away, they couldn't be shot down either. Ritsuka bit the inside of her cheek. This really wasn't ideal. Lemminkäinen was their only long range attacker thanks to his bow, and while Kiyohime had some range with her flames, their power greatly diminished with distance. At the moment, they simply lacked a strong enough attack to get past the Servant's guard and take the wyvern down. Her frustration increasing, the redhead turned to Roman and Dio, hoping for at least something she could use. "Guys, do you have anything on that Servant closest to us? I can't get a read on them."

'

"Nothing, sorry," Roman shook his head, much to Ritsuka's disappointment. "There's something blocking our observational equipment from properly reading that Servant. Either a Skill or a Noble Phantasm."

'

The Master sighed. It really had been too much to hope for. "Figured. Do you have the positions on the other Servants?"

'

"That we can do. Jeanne Alter stayed with Fafnir, most likely to guard it, and since Lemminkäinen burned/cut Carmilla's legs off, she's not pursuing you either. Vlad is lagging a bit behind, but he's closing in as well." Ritsuka frowned at the report. At least the most troublesome enemy was staying behind, along with the other Jeanne, and Carmilla was just one less problem to worry about. But Vlad coming after them was really bad as well, so the conditions still couldn't be called ideal.

'

And as if more bad news were needed, Lemminkäinen spoke up: "I can tell you one thing about this new guy at least: He's good. Both his strength and skills as a fighter are on a different level from the others we've fought so far."

'

Seeing his wide grin, the redhead was almost afraid to even ask, but ultimately did it anyway. "...How bad is it?"

'

"As a quick estimation, I'd say he's at least as skilled as Martha and about as strong as Vlad," Lemminkäinen chuckled, getting immediate concerned reactions from the others on the carriage.

'

As for Ritsuka, his excitement only served to sour her mood further as she mumbled: "Terrific..." Just what they needed: another stupidly strong enemy.

'

"At your current pace, the knight will catch up to you in about 75 to 78 seconds, so I'd recommend thinking of something quickly," Dio informed them, getting the Master's brain working. Even if giving her a timer increased stress, it helped her in estimating what she could work with and with motivation. But before she could properly get going, she pointed at the slowly approaching knight and his bluish gray mount.

'

"Keep shooting, Saber. Slow the guy down as much as possible," she instructed, hoping to buy at least a few seconds of extra time. As Lemminkäinen kept sniping at different parts of the wyvern and the knight kept knocking the arrows away, Ritsuka started racking her brain for options. In the next dozen or so seconds, she managed to come up with a few different approaches, all of them with their advantages and drawbacks, and decided to go with the most promising one. Although, it was the most promising because it had a condition to be fulfilled, a condition that needed the consent of their group's sole Berserker. Hurriedly, Ritsuka turned to her. "Kiyohime, can I ask for your help?"

'

As Kiyohime blinked in clear surprise at the question, the redhead's worry increased. Of all the Servants in their group, she had the least amount of reason to join this fight. She'd originally come along with them as a whim, lacked any motivation to fight aside from it basically being 'the right thing' and most importantly, she wasn't even really a warrior despite being a Servant. With all those points together, Ritsuka wouldn't have blamed her in the least if she just wanted to leave their group. But thankfully, a surprisingly eager smile spread on Kiyohime's lips as she nodded. "You may. I'm at your service."

'

Ritsuka let out a relieved sigh and flashed her a grateful smile. Any alternatives to the plan would've been far more difficult without her cooperation. "Thanks. As soon as I give you my mark, start collecting as much firepower as you can handle, and when I give you another, blast the wyvern with everything you've got."

'

"Understood," the Berserker nodded, moving at the back of the carriage roof in preparation, next to Lemminkäinen, who kept firing his arrows.

'

Ritsuka turned to the rest of the Servants. With that possible hurdle avoided, she could move on to explaining her plan to them. "Good. Listen up, everyone. That knight is definitely our most troublesome enemy at the moment, so I'd prefer not facing them right now. With that in mind, our goal is to kill the wyvern they're on and then quickly ride away."

'

Jeanne's eyes widened in realization. "I see. The knight will most likely be unable to keep up with Marie's carriage without a mount, and doing so will also give Lemminkäinen an opportunity to shoot down the other pursuers," she said, causing Ritsuka to cheer internally. Not that she'd expect anything less from a military commander, but it really was helpful that she caught on to her plans so quickly. With a satisfied smile, the Ruler nodded. "I approve of this plan, Master. What should I do?"

'

"First off, Marie needs to keep going as she's done so far. As for you Jeanne, based on their strength and skill, the knight will almost definitely try to leap at or attack the carriage the instant the wyvern goes down, so I need you and Mash to block either of those. I can then get you both back to the carriage with Command Shuffle."

'

"Understood."

'

"Yes, Master." Following her directions, Jeanne and Mash headed for their positions. At this point, the carriage roof was getting really crowded at the back portion, so as the two defenders moved behind Kiyohime, Lemminkäinen retreated past them, not seizing his firing for a moment. Ritsuka couldn't help but be impressed. Just how many arrows did he prepare? That quiver he'd made definitely had some type of compression magecraft applied to it. Still, this took care of the preparations. All that was left was making sure the plan worked out without a-

'

"What about me?" A voice suddenly asked, causing the Master to turn around in surprise, only to come face-to-face with confused Elizabeth looking at her expectantly. "I didn't get to fight Carmilla with all those other piggies in the way, so what should I do?"

'

"Oh? Umm..." Ritsuka's mind went blank for a second. They already had everything they needed to carry out the plan. Yet, before she could tell her that, Elizabeth's wide, blue eyes, sparkling in anticipation, got her to change her mind. She hadn't really thought about it like that, but given the circumstances, she'd also feel really lousy if she was the only one not helping in the plan. Even if it wouldn't be vital, she should at least give the Lancer a task that would serve a possible purpose and sounded important. And so, after a few seconds of thinking, Ritsuka pointed at the small section by the wheels at the back of the carriage where it was possible for a person to stand and hang on. "Of course, I need you to be our final line of defense. Just in case the knight does something unexpected that gets past Jeanne and Mash, can I ask you to try and block it?"

'

Elizabeth's eyes widened even further as a proud smile grew on her lips. "I suppose I don't have a choice if such a vital task falls to me," she chuckled before hopping down to the small foothold. Ritsuka was... honestly surprised her last second suggestion had been met with such satisfaction. The Lancer certainly wasn't the brightest person in their group. In fact, that attitude just reminded her of a proverb she'd heard. It really was easy for simple people to obtain even the slightest bit of happiness.

'

"Gettin' closer," Lemminkäinen noted, even if they could all literally see the knight approaching. At this point, he was only about twenty meters away.

'

Which meant that it was go time, so Ritsuka gave her mark. "Kiyohime." Unfolding her fan, the Berserker began collecting energy like instructed, forming a dense sphere of fire on top of it. As it kept growing stronger, the Master quickly retreated behind Mash. Even with the rush of air pushing the heat away from her, it was still getting really hot. The temperature was nowhere near as bad as after Fafnir's breath, but still more than enough to make her sweat. As the knight crossed the fifteen meter mark, Lemminkäinen kept firing at him and he kept defending as usual, not caring in the least about the collecting fireball. Ritsuka couldn't tell if the guy was just crazy determined or simply didn't care about the attack, but it was daunting nonetheless. And a few seconds later, after the knight was only ten meters away from them, Kiyohime was now visibly struggling on holding the ball of fire together. Not that Ritsuka could blame her. It almost looked like the Berserker was holding a second sun on top of her fan. But, she could ease off now, seeing how the distance between them and the approaching knight was about as close as Ritsuka would let it. And with that, she gave her second mark: "Now!"

'

"Shaaaaa!" With a sharp cry, Kiyohime launched her fireball of death. With the short distance between them and the speed they were moving at, it was basically impossible for the wyvern to avoid the attack, leading to it being consumed by the explosion. And, as expected, the black knight burst through the flames the instant they hit his mount, lunging towards the carriage while whirling his polearm like the propeller of a helicopter to stave off the fire. He really was just as ridiculous as Lemminkäinen had said. However...

'

"We won't let you!" Jeanne shouted as she leapt past Kiyohime towards the knight with Mash by her side, flagpole and shield prepared to block his strike.

'

"Arrrr!" Screeching in an inhuman tone, the knight swung his polearm with the force of a tempest, slamming it into the defenders, but with the two Servants working together to halt it and their momentum from the jump, it never came anywhere close to the carriage. As the three were separated by the force of the blow, Ritsuka focused on Jeanne and Mash and applied the Mystic Code's spell the instant both of their feet were touching the ground. While the two started sliding across the ground with speed great enough that the Shielder nearly fell over, the knight landed with shocking grace despite having his trajectory drastically altered midair and let out another warped scream: "Ooooooo!" Without missing his chance, as soon as both Mash and Jeanne slid past the carriage, the knight twirled his polearm and hurled it like a javelin at the back axle, catching the Master completely off guard. But there was no time for her to think as the weapon shot towards the carriage...

'

Clang

'

Only to be smacked aside by Elizabeth's spear and quickly disappearing into the woods. Ritsuka, along with the other Servants on the carriage, and Mash and Jeanne hanging by the sides, turned to the Lancer with clear surprise while she let out a relieved sigh. "Whew, that was close." A proud smile then grew on her face as she turned to face the others. "Thankfully you had me here in case something like this happened, right Deerlet?"

'

Still in disbelief, Ritsuka moved her gaze back to their enemy who was chasing them on foot now. And yet, despite him leaping like some super kangaroo, he fell farther behind with hop. The knight was definitely fast, but he wouldn't be able to keep up with the carriage. With a sigh, the Master flashed the Lancer a grateful smile. "Exactly. Thank you, Elizabeth. You really saved the carriage at the end there." Clearly pleased with the praise, Elizabeth puffed out her chest boastfully, flashing a smirk towards Kiyohime. While the Berserker was starting to look extremely irate, which was somewhat worrying, Ritsuka couldn't help but to let out a relieved laugh. The plan had really worked out despite the slight hiccup. "Great work, everyone. There was that close call at the end, but otherwise everything went perf-"

'

It happened in an instant. With speed great enough that Ritsuka would have missed the entire thing if she'd blinked. As the pursuing knight leapt through a few low hanging branches, demolishing them on impact, something appeared in his hands. And as soon as the mysterious objects appeared, they vanished, launching towards the carriage like bullets. And...

'

Crash

'

The back wheels shattered like glass.

'

As an immediate consequence, the back end of the carriage dropped and crashed into the dirt road, nearly throwing it into the woods and greatly diminishing its speed. While Marie struggled to keep it from completely falling over, the passengers each lost their balance and stumbled, barely hanging on to the carriage. At least, all the Servants with their superhuman bodies did that. Unfortunately for Ritsuka, while she was strong for a human, she was still far below the level of even the weakest of Servants, leading to the sudden shift in balance throwing her off the side of the roof. But fortunately, Mash was still hanging on by the door on that very same side, staring at her with wide eyes as she fell to the same level. "Senpai!" she cried out, just barely grabbing the redhead's hand to keep her from hitting the ground, her white boots gracing the grass by the side of the road.

'

As the Shielder pulled her closer and wrapped an arm around her waist to secure her, Ritsuka quickly put her own arm to Mash's shoulder to balance herself, her heart feeling just about ready to burst out of her chest. "Thanks, Mash. That was way too close." Still, she couldn't let this near death experience distract her from their current situation. She had to get to the bottom of their condition immediately. So, despite some light protest from Mash, she leaned away from the carriage to get a better look at the back portion and cringed. Much like she'd feared, the back wheels were indeed completely destroyed. "Wh-what just happened!?" she cried out, hoping that anyone could shed at least some light on the last few seconds. It had looked to her like the knight threw something, but she simply couldn't figure out what. What could be launched that fast and with enough force to destroy the back wheels so easily?

'

"The crazy bastard literally threw a bunch of sticks and wood scraps at us, and it worked!" Lemminkäinen shouted, getting disbelieving looks from literally everyone on board, but he just shook his head with an impressed sneer. "I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't seen it. This guy's got some wild skills."

'

Ritsuka... honestly felt infuriated. This knight had completely ruined her plan at the last possible moment. And yet, a pressing question haunted her mind, pushing all other thoughts aside: "But how could a random bunch of wood shatter the wheels that easily?"

'

While others looked as confused as ever, Jeanne provided her with the closest thing to an answer. "I'm not entirely sure of its nature, but as soon as they were grabbed, a great deal of magical energy was transported into the sticks. Perhaps it is a Skill that knight possesses?"

'

"Enhancing the properties of projectiles or something of that nature? It does sound plausible," Dio nodded in agreement. "But enough chit chat. The knight is coming in fast."

'

While Ritsuka was still doing her best to process all this new information, she turned her attention towards the direction they were running from. Like a dark cloud of death, the black knight rushed towards them with inexhaustible vigor. With its smooth bottom and the speed they were traveling, the carriage could still keep going along the dirt road they were on despite the back end dragging along the ground, but its pace had slowed down considerably. Most crucially, it was now slow enough that the knight could catch up to them on foot. It would still take a minute or two, but he could definitely do it. The situation was starting to look extremely bad. Desperately, Ritsuka turned to the one in control of the vehicle. "Marie, can you fix the wheels?"

'

"Yes, but not that quickly. And I can't reform them while the back end is dragging against the ground," the Rider answered apologetically, much like Ritsuka had feared. "And while my horses can keep dragging the carriage, they won't be able to outrun those wyverns."

'

Going over everything relevant to the situation, the Master wracked her brain once more. At this point, their options were just ridiculously limited. And so, in the end, after a few seconds of intense planning, Ritsuka was forced to let out a sigh. "A battle it is, then." Most of the Servants looked at her with surprise, but she really couldn't see a better way out of this mess. The longer they took, the closer the other enemies would get to the knight, making their situation that much tougher. He alone would be troublesome, but adding three more Servants and several wyverns into the mix was just catastrophic. "Marie and Mozart, please take some distance from us and continue keeping Siegfried safe! Everyone else, jump down on my signal and focus on the enemy Servants!"

'

While the other Servants held some mixed reactions to her plan, Mash was quick to respond with confidence: "Yes, Master!" Ritsuka felt as if a tiny weight had been removed from her shoulder. Even if she hadn't earned that unshakeable faith the Shielder had in her, it truly felt comforting at times like these, motivating her to work even harder not to let those feelings go to waste.

'

"So it really came to this in the end, huh?" Roman sighed, sharing Ritsuka's feelings on the matter. As much as she'd done her best not to, she'd underestimated just how much of a menace this single knight could be. "Very well. We can't do too much, but we'll support you in any way we can."

'

"Thanks. We're counting on it." The Master was more than thankful towards those in Chaldea for giving them information about the environment as well as possible enemies, so she definitely wouldn't complain. But then, she received an urgent tap on her shoulder.

'

"Pomo," Lemminkäinen noted expectantly, pointing towards something behind the approaching wyverns. Even while strengthening her eyes to their absolute limit, all Ritsuka could see was a black dot against the blue sky, but given the report from earlier, she knew what it was. Yup. That was definitely Vlad.

'

The Master took a second to consider the proposition of sending the Saber off to fight him, but that's all it took to convince herself of the idea. Letting either Vlad or the knight get anywhere near Siegfried was just absurdly risky, speak nothing of them both, so keeping at least one of them further away would be worth it. And fortunately, they had a volunteer who could keep the Lancer busy by himself. Even more fortunately, the volunteer was actually someone strong enough to accomplish the task and not die in the process. "Go on," she nodded. The usual smirk that knew no doubt spreading on his lips, Lemminkäinen hopped off the carriage with a wink, disappearing into the woods in an instant.

'

"There's a clearing large enough to reach with your carriage about a kilometer ahead if you take a left turn after 700 meters. If you want to stop, I'd recommend doing it there," Dio informed them, giving Ritsuka the last piece of knowledge she'd really need.

'

"Thanks for the info." The open road was hardly the best place to fight the wyverns, but letting them set the forest on fire in order to smoke them out was even worse. Now they had a battlefield that had some cover, but wasn't at risk of being burned down completely. "You take a break there, Marie and focus on fixing your carriage for as long as you can, while the rest of us will jump down and confront the knight here. We shouldn't get too far from each other, so that we can send you some backup in case something happens."

'

Marie exchanged uneasy nods with everyone on top of the carriage. Given how caring she was, the prospect of leaving them all behind clearly didn't sit well with her, but she still gave them an uneasy nod. "Very well. Please take care, everyone!"

'

"We will! You as well, Marie!" Jeanne flashed her a hopeful smile, which got a small smile to grow on the Rider's lips as well. The four Servants, one human and one critter then jumped off, the last two carried by Mash, and watched as the carriage grew more distant by the second, until it took a turn towards the left and disappeared into the woods. Oh, that just gave Ritsuka really depressing wibes. It better not have been a sign of something. She would do everything in her meager power to ensure that they all made it through this alive. But, those thoughts would need to wait. Ritsuka fired up her magic circuits in anticipation as the Servants summoned their weapons. Even if she was just a magus, she could still feel the dreadful presence approaching. Standing in front of the group with her flag at the ready, even Jeanne seemed nervous. "Here he comes..."

'

Seeing how they had jumped off the carriage to wait for him, the knight came to a halt as well, standing in the middle of the road about 50 meters from their group. Ritsuka forcefully stopped herself from shuddering. Even compared to someone like Vlad or Fafnir, the knight possessed a terrifying presence. While it didn't feel like he had limitless power, the way he carried himself just made him seem... invincible. He was so confident in his ability to catch them that he'd even gone back to pick up his damn polearm. Now that it was still, Ritsuka could also finally properly see what it was: a disturbingly black poleaxe with red markings spread across it, like the veins on a leaf. A frighteningly fearsome weapon that could be used for just about any type of attack. For just an instant, the knight's gaze moved through the entire group before locking in on Jeanne. And then, he roared: "Aa-Urrrrr!"

'

In the blink of an eye, the knight blasted forward like a rocket and closed the gap between them, attacking Jeanne with everything he had. The Ruler grunted at the impact as she was pushed backwards. Not even her flag could fully halt the sheer force of the blow. "Such power!"

'

"Arrrrrrrrrrr!" With an almost inhuman screech, he charged the Ruler again, this time attacking with a barrage of blows. The other three Servants rushed in to help her, but the attacker dodged or deflected each of their attempts with shocking ease before returning to his original target. Even as powerful as she was, Jeanne was genuinely struggling to withstand the knight's onslaught as they clashed. And it wasn't just due to the strength of the blows either. Like Lemminkäinen had said, the knight seemed to be a frightfully skilled combatant, with each of his attacks being unbelievably sharp and controlled despite his constant raving. Even while looking at it from the side, Ritsuka was having genuine trouble understanding just what he was doing with each blow, like trying to discern the exact position of a leaf in a tornado. She couldn't even imagine what it was like to actually try and intercept those attacks. And to make the situation worse, the four Servants working together didn't exactly have the best teamwork to say the least. Jeanne and Mash were doing quite fine, since their defensive styles of fighting were somewhat similar, but Elizabeth mostly just did her best to stab with her spear and flail with her tail, while Kiyohime kept shooting fire at the enemy. Against such an unrefined assault, the knight didn't have too much trouble slipping through the openings their attacks left.

'

Still, as disorienting as this all was, there was a particular detail Ritsuka couldn't help but to notice: Even with other Servants attacking him, the knight only focused on them just long enough to either block or counter, then his attention moved right back to the Ruler. Using their contract, the redhead locked on to Jeanne's connection and spoke quietly. "The knight seems fixated on you, Jeanne? Do you think it's someone you know?"

'

"Unlikely. My strength comes mostly from being a Ruler. I can't imagine anyone from my time becoming this powerful of a Servant, even with Madness Enhancement," she grunted while being blown backwards once more.

'

Dodging a stab from Elizabeth before kicking her aside, the knight screeched again and rushed towards the Ruler. "Arrrrrrrr!" Ritsuka cringed. Wow, that was starting to hurt her ears.

'

Still, even if it wasn't a personal connection, there had to be some reason for this behavior. "Perhaps it's some attribute that he's drawn to, then?" Maybe this knight just really had it out for saints? Thinking about it, she could remember at least a few tales of some wicked knights opposing saints on their quests, so maybe he was one of them.

'

"That's possible, but he is also clearly different from the other Servants we've fought thus far," Jeanne continued between quick breaths. She wisely only talked during the short moments when the knight wasn't pummeling away at her. Right now, he was busy repelling a double breath attack from the two dragon girls, so the Ruler was allowed to share her theory. "While it might be slightly presumptuous to say so early, I believe he's a genuine Berserker. Unlike the others who just had Madness Enhancement forced onto them, he was summoned as a true mad warrior."

'

Oh? That was a possibility Ritsuka had actually ignored, but now that she mentioned it... "Makes sense, given his... well, clear insanity. Maybe that madness also explains his clear obsession with you." That unhinged screaming of his was a pretty good indicator of that. Still, it was pretty surprising that the Dragon Witch would summon a regular Berserker, given her other Servants, but maybe it was something that she didn't have full control over. Ritsuka really hoped that was the case.

'

But, the time for such thoughts had passed, indicated by Roman's frantic warning. "Heads up, guys! The other Servants are almost there!"

'

"Oh, perfect..." Ritsuka groaned. She'd hoped to take the knight out or at least weaken him before the reinforcements arrived, but that seemed to have been basically impossible from the start. Also taking notice of the figures drawing closer above the trees, the Servants appeared just as pleased with this development as she was. The Master let out a sigh. If it had come to this point, she had no choice. Focusing magical energy onto her right hand, she was preparing to use a Command Spell to give Jeanne a serious powerboost in order for her to either kill or seriously injure the knight. If their foe would be even slightly distracted by the arrival of allies, they might just pull this off. It was a risky plan, but basically the only one they had. ...But that all changed when she noticed the pursuers' trajectory. It hadn't been clear from a distance, but now that they were this close, it was obvious to everyone present that they weren't heading for their group.

'

"They're... ignoring us?" Elizabeth asked, tilting her head in confusion as the two Servants and their group of wyverns did indeed fly right past them. The other Servants looked just as confused. At least, until they were forced to focus back on the fight at hand as the knight rushed Jeanne once more.

'

While still ready to launch a spell if any were necessary, Ritsuka pondered over the situation as well. No matter what, their group held a high priority for the enemy, so there shouldn't be any reason for them to be ignored... But then, she remembered what Jeanne Alter had ordered her Servants to do, and it all became clear. "No! They're going after Siegfried!" she shouted, gaining the attention of all the Servants on her side. Judging by their shocked expressions, they too realized the troubling implications. The legendary Dragon Slayer was without question their best hope for solving this Singularity, so they couldn't let him die no matter what. But, thanks to her charm managing to keep panic at bay, Ritsuka quickly came to the most sensible conclusion available: "Kiyohime and Elizabeth! Please go help Marie! She can't possibly hold off two Servants and a bunch of wyverns with just Amadeus as backup!"

'

The two dragon girls looked at her with equal surprise which soon switched to apprehension. Elizabeth being the first to voice her worry. "Both of us? But don't you need help as well? This knight is stupid strong!"

'

"Exactly," Kiyohime agreed.

'

Ritsuka appreciated their concern, but there really wasn't any time to argue. "We can figure something out with all of our combined abilities, but Marie is really low on options! I'll move you a bit closer with Command Shuffle, but please hurry!"

'

The two Servants shared a look and spent a second completely silent, until Kiyohime turned back to Ritsuka with an understanding nod. "Very well. If you are sure, Master."

'

Elizabeth, not one to fall behind, gave a far more energetic reply. "We're on it, Deerlet! You don't need to worry about Marie or the others!"

'

Ritsuka felt a rush of relief at their understanding and gave the duo a quick bow. "Great. Thank you both." As she fueled magical energy into her Mystic Code, the two dragon girls soon blasted down the road towards the direction their allies had traveled earlier. And the moment the spell's effect ran out, they both dashed forward with their own feet. Though at the last second, Kiyohime's eyes lingered on Ritsuka before she disappeared into the distance. It was a bit odd to the redhead, considering that they'd only met a few hours ago, but she still appreciated how much concern the Berserker felt for their safety.

'

And, with her trust placed on them, Ritsuka could focus most of her attention on the battle against the knight. "Jeanne. Mash. Keep working together to the best of your ability. Unless you see a clear opening, don't even try to attack. Focus on defense," she instructed. And while both of her Servants were busy clashing with the knight, they still gave her affirming nods. "Roman. Please tell me if the situation with the other party changes drastically or if anything else happens. Our current situation depends on how quickly we can respond to the changing conditions. Any change needs to be responded to immediately."

'

The Doctor, while clearly nervous, still flashed her a smile and a thumbs up. "You got it, Ritsuka. You can count on us to accomplish that."

'

"Thanks. We're counting on you." With that, Ritsuka focused her attention fully on the battle in front of her, magic circuits ready to fire off any supporting spells at a moments notice. Which is why she didn't notice the creature right behind her until...

'

"Fo!"

'
"Huh!?" Ritsuka's attention snapped to her left as a sudden weight appeared on her shoulder, followed by a sound. But, as soon as she noticed it was Fou, her increased tension fell back down. The little critter snuggled against her cheek encouragingly, getting a small giggle out of her as she gave him a pat. "Thank you as well, Fou." It did feel a bit weird, but she definitely wasn't going to refuse an emotional support animal that was this adorable. And with that, the redhead could finally place her full focus on the battle in front of her.

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

Chasing after both his allies and enemies, Vlad grit his teeth in frustration. Judging by the loud sounds and the spiking levels of magical energy in the distance, the battle was already well on its way. He wouldn't have minded otherwise, given the amount of carnage he had already unleashed, but finishing his battle with that Saber was effectively the only proper desire he held at the moment. But as if his desire had been heard, without warning an arrow struck right through the head of the wyvern he was riding, only allowing the beast to let out a single pained screech as it began plummeting towards the ground. Seeing as how the projectile had obviously come from almost directly below them, Vlad turned his attention downwards as he descended. And there the man he sought stood, alone in a forest clearing, obviously waiting for him. A wicked grin split his lips as he turned his body and began falling faster, not caring the least about the inconsequential damage it might cause to the surroundings. With a deafening impact powerful enough to shake the earth and launch dust into the surrounding air, Vlad landed, and then walked out of the small crater he had created to greet his adversary. "So we meet again, young hero. Do you believe yourself capable of finishing our battle this time?"

'

But unlike the earlier excitement the Lancer had expected, the Saber just let out a tired sigh. "I'd really like to, but I doubt we'd be able to have a proper fight with all this chaos going on." Tapping his weapon against one of his pauldrons, the red haired man pointed its blade towards the sounds of battle echoing from a good distance behind him. "You may not really care too much about yours, but I've still got comrades to take care of."

'

"Indeed." While his current condition didn't allow him to betray his Master, he cared very little for the other Servants on his side. Even seeing Carmilla lose her legs and squirm around pathetically gave him next to no emotional reaction. But, the cause of that very injury did leave him quite intrigued. "The true form of your flaming sword was quite magnificent. While a single blow wouldn't have been enough to destroy my monstrous body, taking a hit straight to the torso could have been dangerous."

'

The Saber let out another deep sigh, seeming more disappointed than anything. "So even a direct blow from my blade couldn't have killed you? Times like these really make me wish I had a more powerful Master." And yet, despite the clear dejection just a second ago, the familiar grin returned to his face. "But, overcomin' impossible odds is just what heroes are meant to do. That just means that I've gotta get a bit crazy without constantly usin' my Noble Phantasm."

'

Vlad chuckled, readying his lance. "We shall see if you can back up all that talk."

'

"Oh, I'll do more than that," the Saber smirked, raising his blade as well. But, just before the two could engage, the younger man's eyes widened, as if he'd remembered something important. With a slight huff, he lowered his weapon and the smile faded from his face, much to Vlad's surprise. "But before we begin, there is somethin' I want to ask." Locking eyes with his opponent, he now wore an expression far more serious than any the Lancer had seen from him thus far. "Vlad III, king of Wallachia. Where does your power stem from?"

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

"Well, this is quite a fine mess we're in, isn't it Maria?" Amadeus hummed while looking at the sky as Marie focused on fixing the back wheels of her carriage. Given how thoroughly they had been destroyed, she would need a few minutes to do it, but it seemed that their enemies wouldn't give her that much time.

'

"That it is," she agreed with her usual smile, even if it was a bit hard to keep it on her lips at the moment. Only a few wyverns had shown up thus far, circling above them like vultures, but it was only a matter of time until at least one Servant followed.

'

"I'm-ghh..." Siegfried started to say, only to wince in pain. Marie turned her eyes on the man lying inside the carriage, worried. So the curse was so severe that even speaking was painful? She could hardly even imagine moving in such a condition, let alone using a Noble Phantasm. "Sorry I can't offer any more help..." he finally muttered, obviously ashamed of his condition.

'

That was enough to get the Rider to smile again. This man truly was a hero to his core. She reached inside and patted his hand comfortingly. "You already helped us escape by knocking out Fafnir, good sir. Now just stay in there and try to rest while we take care of this part." While he clearly didn't like it, Siegfried gave her a stiff nod before Marie closed the door. Moving her attention to the increasing number of wyverns in the sky, she walked to her partner's side. "Now then... How do you suppose we deal with this, Amadeus?"

'

The Caster looked like he was about to say something, only to close his mouth and look towards the direction they came from in surprise. Then, that surprised look shifted into a frown. "...Well, it seems that we at least don't need to do it alone, even if I wish they'd have sent literally anyone else."

'

As the Rider followed her gaze, she was greeted by a most welcome yet unexpected sight. Elizabeth flew out of the woods with Kiyohime on her tail. "Marie! We're here to help!"

'

"You two..." A grateful smile spread on her lips, only for concern to replace it almost immediately. Didn't this mean that Ritsuka, Mash and Jeanne were facing that frightening knight all on their own? "Of course I'm happy that you came, but are the others really fine?"

'

"Deerlet told us to come and made some pretty good points," the Lancer revealed while landing by their side, with Kiyohime nodding in agreement.

'

"Indeed. Master has both Jeanne and Mash by her side, so she'll be fine. You, meanwhile, are about to face two Servants and several wyverns on your own while protecting Siegfried."

'

Well, Marie certainly couldn't argue with such reasoning, even if Amadeus did: "Come on. I'm here as well."

'

Both of the girls glared at the Caster with extreme skepticism before Elizabeth replied. "But can we actually count on you? We didn't forget how you just stood around in Lyon. Can you at least take down a few wyverns?"

'

"If they get too close, yes, I'll try," Amadeus chuckled shamelessly, only managing to intensify the glares boring into him.

'

Before he could sour the mood any further, Marie was quick to add: "That's about as much as we can expect of him. But at the very least, he is rather effective as bait, considering how much he stands out." The Caster sighed at the latter part, while Marie just stuck out her tongue playfully. These jabs were the most effective way to lighten the mood at the moment, and she knew that he wouldn't mind them too much.

'

Still, it ultimately worked, judging by the small smiles now coating the dragon girls' lips. "I suppose it's better than nothing," Kiyohime nodded before turning to look at the sky as well. It was quite difficult to tell with all of that swirling they did, but Marie was quite sure that there were about twenty wyverns there. Much fewer than there had originally been in Lyon, but still enough to be troublesome. Even more troublesome was the fact that there were quite a few of the black wyverns around, which she knew were strong from experience. Even without the enemy Servants, this would get quite dangerous. And as if on cue: "...The enemy is here."

'

At Kiyohime's notice, all eyes focused on the black wyvern that landed on the other side of the clearing they were on, or more specifically, the man that hopped off of its back and started walking towards them. And as the man got closer, Marie's eyes widened in surprise. The black long coat and white hair along with his executioner's sword were distinct enough, but it was his face that finally made her realize his identity. Amadeus recognized him as well, seeing how angry he suddenly looked, along with a low growl: "...Damn you!"

'

This certainly was unexpected, but given how much fate seemed to play into the summoning of Servants, maybe she shouldn't be that surprised. Still, this wasn't a case where she should forgo her manners, so Marie gave the approaching man a small curtsy before speaking to him. "My, what a coincidence. I've never forgotten your face, you lazy artisan."

'

An immediate smile spread on the man's lips. "That's good to hear. I've never forgotten yours either. Your face, and your pale white neck." Tracing the edge of his sword with a finger, the man's smile widened as Marie felt a chill blowing at the back of her neck. "At the same time, I feel like this is destiny. That you and I share a special connection, don't we? The fate of an executioner killing the same person twice, I feel like only we share that kind of connection."

'

Both Kiyohime and Elizabeth cringed at the display, while Amadeus seemed to grow even more frustrated. "...Not only in life, but even now you're eager to execute Maria? Charles-Henri Sanson. Could it be that you are genuinely mad?"

'

For the first time, Sanson's gaze shifted to Amadeus, his expression like someone watching a rotting carcass by the road. "...As a human, it pains me to discuss our relationship with a low-life like you. Amadeus, you claimed all lives, all humans, are filthy. Not I. Humans are sacred, precious things. That's why we executioners respect life." His displeased expression shifting into genuine anger, the Assassin pointed his sword at the Caster. "We are incompatible, you and I. Trash who couldn't even love humans, trash who couldn't understand her, has no right to be next to her."

'

Amadeus' retaliation was immediate. "Oh, like you of all people have any right to criticize how I view humans. Like, for example..." Listening to the men going at it, Marie felt a wave of nostalgia washing over her. She could almost forget that Sanson was currently under Madness Enhancement. In reality, this interaction wasn't that different from something these two would say to each other under normal circumstances.

'

As the two continued bickering, Elizabeth shuffled closer to Marie before quietly asking: "Ugh, so creepy. Was this guy your stalker, or something, Marie?"

'

"Oh, no. Nothing like that," she laughed, waving her hand. "He just ended up cutting off my head at the end of my life."

'

Both of the dragon girls looked at her incredulously. "...I'm not sure whether that's worse or not."

'

Meanwhile, it seemed that Sanson had finally had enough of Amadeus' words, brandishing his sword threateningly. "My sword of execution is pure. It's not for the likes of you who do not submit to death, but..." It was then that the hint of reason that had sparked in the man's eyes vanished, leaving only delirium behind. The wicked smile returned to Sanson's lips as he rubbed his chin. "Thinking of it, this entire nation is an execution site. Now, I shall remove your head with one strike!"

'

As the others prepared to face the crazed Assassin, a disappointed sigh escaped Marie's mouth. Like with Saint Martha, there truly was no defeating the madness binding these Servants. But just before their clash could begin... "Not so fast, Sanson." The sudden call caught the attention of all the Servants present, shifting their attention to another Servant approaching them. "There are still words that must be exchanged." Dressed in attire fitting a knight from her time period, Marie stared at the Saber with surprise. Both for their appearance, and the fact that they had arrived so silently and without malice that the group hadn't even noticed when they had gotten there.

'

Sanson frowned, but surprisingly lowered his sword like had been requested. "Hmph. If it was anyone else, I would've ignored them, but I suppose you have the right to speak to the queen."

'

"Much appreciated," the knight nodded to him before walking closer to their group. Both Kiyohime and Elizabeth raised their weapons in anticipation, but became completely dumbfounded as the newly arrived Servant shifted their full attention to Marie and took a knee in front of her. "Now then. I apologize it took me this long to give you a proper greeting, my queen."

'

Marie and Mozart had much the same reaction as the dragons when the Saber addressed her as such. The Rider was so surprised that she didn't know how to properly reply for a second. The person in front of her was stunningly beautiful, yet they didn't look exactly like anyone who she had known during her life. While she hadn't seen them so closely, she did remember catching glimpses of them during both of the encounters with the Dragon Witch. During those encounters, she hadn't thought too deeply about their identity, but this was... Even if she couldn't recognize their face, there was something very familiar about this knight. And then, she noticed the sword on their hip, and the dots connected in Marie's head. "You... You are Chevalier d'Eon?"

'

Much like with Sanson, her recognition brought about an immediate, jubilant smile on the knight's lips, their blue eyes sparkling like sapphires. "That's right, my queen. To have you recognize me even when my current appearance is different from the one I had during life gives me unspeakable joy."

'

"What? You're seriously here too, together with Sanson?" Amadeus gawked in disbelief. "This might just be the most horrendous reunion in history."

'

And exactly like with Sanson, d'Eon's mood soured the instant the Caster spoke up. "Silence, Mozart. Neither I nor Sanson have any business with you. Even if I knew you were in this time period and knew your exact location, I wouldn't have even bothered to hunt you down." Standing back up, the Saber placed their hand on the handle of their blade, eagerly approaching the source of their irritation. "But, now that you've conveniently shown up right in front of me, I might as well silence you before you cause us any more frustration."

'

As Sanson nodded in approval, raising his own sword again, Elizabeth stared at Amadeus and asked the most appropriate question: "Does anyone actually like this guy? I get that Marie tolerates him, but wow."

'

While the Caster moved his glare on the Lancer, Kiyohime, seeming to share her opinion, continued: "Indeed. I expected a reaction like this should we come across any more of his acquaintances based on his personality, but it's still unnerving just how accurate my prediction was..."

'

Much to Marie's amusement, it seemed that Amadeus had finally had enough, throwing his hands in the air with clear irritation. "Oh, come on! Both my supposed allies and enemies are in consensus on this!? When did our battle become an 'everyone condemn Mozart' session!?"

'

"It's not like it's hard to turn any conversation into that as long as you're the focus of attention," she giggled, and everyone, even the Servants serving the Dragon Witch, nodded in unison. At this point, Amadeus just let out a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. It looked like he finally understood that his protests would be useless on this matter. Still, as fun as that was, Marie's expression hardened a tinge as she turned her attention back on the Saber. "But, as nostalgic as this all is, there's something more important to discuss. I suppose I can understand Sanson's reasoning, but why are you here, d'Eon?"

'

Once again, the Saber was quick to take a knee, their large hat preventing Marie from seeing most of their face. "Of course. It would be unbecoming of me to not explain myself to you before commencing battle." But as they raised their head and locked eyes with her, Marie felt her heart sink and unconsciously took a step back. That madness that had been so clear in each of the Dragon Witch's Servants' eyes now filled theirs as well. "For your sake, my queen, I shall slaughter all the worthless people of France. I will not stop until each of them lies dead in the ground for the crime of betraying you."

'

Even Admadeus appeared somewhat disappointed as he sighed: "Oh, so the Dragon Witch's Servants are all genuinely mad. Thank you for the confirmation, d'Eon."

'

"All the more reason to burn them all to ash," Kiyohime noted, raising her fan.

'

"Silence. You lack the right to even voice your opinion on this matter," the Saber growled in a tone far more vicious than any Marie had ever heard from them. "The only opinion that carries any value among you is that of queen Marie."

'

As d'Eon's attention shifted back to her, the Rider was at a loss for words. "D'Eon..." Seeing the knight looking at her so expectantly, she truly wanted to say something they would like... But that simply wasn't possible. Hardening her heart, she gave her answer with the most sincere smile she could. "Surely you must understand that I wouldn't want the people of France to suffer to this extent. If you truly value my opinion, then please stop this and help us defeat the Dragon Witch."

'

And almost immediately, she regretted those words. The way d'Eon looked at her in unmatched disappointment was almost too much to bear. The hope faded from their eyes as they stood back up, mumbling. "...I'm saddened by the fact that you don't understand that we're only doing all this for your sake, my queen." Then, without hesitation, the Saber unsheathed their sword, the madness in their eyes back in full force as they smiled at her in a terrifying manner. "But, we will make you see the truth, even if we have to kill you for it!"

'

Yes... Marie was saddened as well. Extremely so, in fact. To see the always loyal knight acting like this made her heart ache unbearably. Yet, as sad as it was, it seemed that they simply couldn't be reasoned with. It truly was a pity to be reunited with an old friend, now more lovely than ever, only to be forced to battle them to the death. While Marie had already experienced the wondrous side of meeting others as a Servant, it seemed that she would now be forced to face the tragic one. "...In that case, I suppose we have no choice."

'

As the Dragon Witch's Servants raised their blades, the wyverns that had thus far simply observed, let out a united roar that shook the clearing and charged the opposing Servants, signaling the start of the battle. Both Elizabeth and Kiyohime were quick to jump into action, while Mozart moved to Marie's side, preparing to support them. Hardening her heart further, Marie summoned one of her crystal horses before using it to tackle one of the wyverns that attempted to charge at her carriage. Yes, as sad as this all was, it was simply how Servants sometimes ended up, no matter how she wished that it wasn't so.

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrr!" With another ear annihilating screech, the black knight bashed Jeanne away with his poleaxe for who knows how manyth time for the day. But while he was quick to rush in to deliver another blow, Mash, assisted by a spell from Ritsuka's Mystic Code, moved between them even quicker and blocked the attack completely.

'

"Great work, Mash. Keep it up," Ritsuka mumbled through their connection as the Berserker stepped back from the Shielder. Both the Servants and their Master were growing tired, but they were also slowly getting used to how the knight fought. Though this was easily the most defensive battle they had fought thus far, it wasn't absolutely hopeless given that that was precisely their aim. These two were Servants who excelled in defensive battles, so in a way, this was a favorable scenario for them. Even the minor wounds caused by the Berserker's unrelenting assault could be healed quickly by her Mystic Code spells. While they were no closer to winning than they were a few minutes ago, at least they weren't losing either. They were just buying time for a perfect opportunity at the moment. Although, his screaming was also starting to get really grating on the Master's ears, so maybe that could be counted as damage. Still, if nothing else, she had noticed something that might be counted as a weakness. Whenever Mash approached him, or more specifically, whenever her shield got close to him, there was just the tiniest hint of hesitation in his actions. While it was possible that the shield was tied to him personally, the more likely reason was that it held some attribute that was strong against him. Seeing how it was shaped like a cross, perhaps that hesitation had something to do with holy weapons? Although, that was pretty questionable, seeing how he continuously charged at Jeanne, who was pretty damn holy herself.

'

But as the knight charged at the Ruler again, this time, he was forced to stop. "Arrrr-kh!" With his lightning-like reflexes and speed, the Berserker changed direction in an instant and jumped out of the way just before a blast of fire scorched the spot where he'd just stood. Exploiting the slight opening the distraction had caused, Jeanne was quick to attack him with a wide swing of her flagpole, but like every time before the knight dodged efficiently enough to only be grazed slightly by the attack, retaliating immediately.

'

Even before she heard the boisterous voice, Ritsuka was well aware who had come to their aid. "I see that you're all having a good time." Lemminkäinen emerged through the trees in his usual fashion, and the Master felt a hint of relief in her heart... Only for it to be drained away once she got a proper look at him. Completely betraying his confident and playful tone, the Saber was really beat up. There were some cracks on his armor and quite a few wounds that had obviously only been patched up quickly. But the most alarming detail was without a doubt his expression. While there was a grin on his lips, it was forced at best. His eyes betrayed his true emotions, appearing alarmingly similar to when they had first discovered the ruins of Domrémy. Whatever had happened, it was clearly serious to have affected him this much.

'

"Saber! What about Vlad?" she quickly asked, trying to get a proper understanding of the situation.

'

"Retreated after I burned him a bunch, though he didn't seem to like it, so the Dragon Rider probably forced him to," the Saber shrugged, walking closer to her as the battle between the three Servants continued. "So, how's everyone else doin'?"

'

Ritsuka was... conflicted to say the least. Even if he tried to hide it, Lemminkäinen seemed to be in a really bad mood for some currently unknown reason, but she didn't exactly have time to figure out why. The current crisis required her full attention. But still... Even if they could really use his help, she wasn't sure he was in any shape to do so. While the wounds he had could be healed fairly quickly, he only had maybe a third of his full magical energy left at the moment, so he'd had to have used his Noble Phantasm at full power against Vlad, which meant that using it again was definitely out of the question. She had to confirm if he was still up to this. "You're pretty low on magical energy. Are you still able to fight?"

'

But all of that worry faded the instant Lemminkäinen turned towards her, his grin far more genuine than a second ago. "Even like this, I've got way more juice than you at your best, so no need to worry." Ritsuka mentally kicked herself. Yeah, it admittedly was a really stupid question on her part. Aside from his literal death, very few things could keep this man out of a fight.

'

So, without wasting her time on worrying about him, she moved on to some quick planning. While their group was fighting an absurdly strong Servant, the other was facing two, with one weaker and another quite strong, plus a group of wyverns. Jeanne and Lemminkäinen were their strongest fighters, followed by Elizabeth, Mash and Kiyohime, then Marie, with Mozart standing alone at the bottom. She couldn't count on Siegfried coming through again due to his injuries, so that was all they had. The current division was hardly even. And, thanks to reports on the situation from Roman, she knew that they were struggling roughly as much as her own group. But now, there was an extra player on the board, which meant that they could change the situation in their favor. With that in mind, the Master gave her instructions: "Our strengths are too unevenly divided between the two teams. Go help the other group and ask Kiyohime to come over here instead. That should balance things out nicely."

'

Only to be met with a face of absolute disappointment. "Huh? I seriously can't throw down with our new friend here?"

'

Ritsuka felt a nervous sweat rising to her brow. If there was ever a time the Saber looked like he wanted to disobey her, it was absolutely now. With that in mind, she was extremely thankful that she had a really good reasoning for her choice. "He seems fixated on Jeanne, so he'd just follow her if I sent her away. It has to be you."

'

After two painfully long seconds of silence, Lemminkäinen sighed. "...Fine. I'll go fight the other Saber, then." He clearly wasn't happy with the choice, but at least he'd accepted the reasoning. Turning around, he then dashed off down the road without another word. Still, Ritsuka was at the very least pleased that he understood how dire their situation really was and followed her instructions as a Master.

'

Yet that happiness was short-lived as the knight let out another screech that echoed around the area: "Uuuuuuuuuu!" And then he rushed Jeanne again, prompting the Master to boost her with a spell.

'

...But damn her ears were hurting.

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

When the battle had started, Marie had been hesitant in facing the acquaintances she knew from her life in combat, but at this point, nearly all of that doubt was gone. Not because she had closed her heart to them, oh no. She'd had to sweep that doubt aside because it was an absolute necessity to avoid her second death and the deaths of her new friends.

'

"Ugh! This is the worst! Not only are these guys crazy, but they're strong too! And then there's these annoying wyverns too!" Elizabeth whined while impaling a wyvern through the skull before proceeding to dodge a swing from Sanson's sword, the heavy blade nicking the tip of one of her horns. Marie had desperately hoped that their shared past would get the two Servants to hesitate even the slightest bit, but there was no such luck. They were absolutely ruthless, going for the kill every opportunity they saw. At this point, the Rider was genuinely afraid that her team might not make it out of this fight alive. Sanson they could manage, but d'Eon's swordplay remained as sharp as ever even under Madness Enhancement. Even if they were all Servants, the Saber was the only one present who had been an actual fighter in life, and an extremely skilled one to boot. None of the four could hope to match d'Eon in a close quarters match, and they were all aware of it. While she and Amadeus kept close to Siegfried and did their best to support the others, it simply wasn't enough. Much like Elizabeth had said, their group was at a clear disadvantage.

'

"Just get out of my way already!" Sanson growled at the Lancer and tried to take another swing at her, only to be forced back by a blast of fire from Kiyohime. "I must cut off Marie's pristine, white neck! I have no time for you lizard girls and your scaly necks at the moment!"

'

A demand that Elizabeth did not take to kindly. "How dare you! My neck is absolutely pristine! It won't lose to Marie's!"

'

And in response to her statement, d'Eon appeared downright furious. "To even compare yourself to our beloved queen is an act punishable by death! You are lucky enough to barely even be standing on the same staircase as her when it comes to loveliness, so to think you can hope to reach the same step as her is the height of hubris!"

'

Watching the furious Saber charge at the offended Lancer, Amadeus let out a small chuckle. "Even when completely insane, d'Eon at least remains your most stalwart fan."

'

"While it is somewhat comforting, I'm a bit sad that that devotion isn't strong enough to bring them to our side..." Marie mumbled. The fact that d'Eon still thought of her like that only made dealing with them all the more difficult.

'

"Gah!" Elizabeth screamed out as the flames of a black wyvern scorched her back. But she wasn't even allowed the shortest moment of dealing with the pain before d'Eon charged her again. As the Saber pushed her back, she just barely managed to avoid another blast of fire by launching herself to the side with her tail. But even then, the extra limb's very tip was somewhat burned, prompting the Lancer to growl at the beast. "You annoying little wannabe dragon! This isn't how you treat an idol!" Yet, the wyvern didn't seem to care about the complaint as it hovered over the woods, watching Elizabeth get assaulted by d'Eon once more. In fact, it seemed more excited than ever as she was once again left wide open.

'

Marie understood the situation too late. With Kiyohime busy with Sanson and she and Amadeus too far to reach the Lancer in time, the wyvern had the perfect opportunity to deal a crippling blow to her. "Elizabeth!" she yelled out just as the wyvern let out a roar and began to charge.

'

Grraah-shnk

'

Only for the attack to be cut short as someone jumped on its back and crashed it into the ground. Everyone, even the other wyverns, stared at the scene in surprise. Until now, the black wyvern had been almost as much of an issue as the two Servants, yet there it lay, dead. Felled by a single, precise stab at the back of its neck. Pulling his sword out of the now still corpse and igniting it to clean away the blood, Lemminkäinen flashed his familiar, bold grin at the group. "Afternoon, folks. My dance with the Lancer fell unfortunately short. Is there any more room in this party?" Curious, the Rider looked over the Saber as he jumped off the wyvern. Compared to his usual appearance, there were scratches all over his body, his clothes were ripped in several places, and his armor had been cracked. Yet somehow, he didn't look bad. The man had always been very handsome, but even roughed up like this, he still held considerable charm thanks to his unwavering smile. If she wasn't aware of his personality, Marie might've even fallen for him.

'

But of course, upon the question being asked, Amadeus was lighting quick in offering up a position. "Oh, you're more than welcome to join. Dancing was never my forte, so you are free to take my place," he confirmed without the slightest hint of shame. At this point, Marie didn't even need to reproach him, seeing how infuriated Elizabeth looked.

'

"As if you were even participating, you background dancer!"

'

Not caring about the protests in the least, Lemminkäinen stepped forward. "Sweet. I'll take that position anyway." His grin intensifying, he approached the two enemy Servants... Only to suddenly stop, looking like he just remembered something. "Oh, right. Hey, Kiyohime! Pomo wanted you to go help her group."

'

The Berserker in question came to a complete halt. "Me? Specifically?" she confirmed, staring at him wide-eyed.

'

"Yeah. Try to hurry, though. That knight bastard is tough as hell, so they could use the fire support."

'

Kiyohime stared at him for just a moment longer, until a wide smile spread on her lips. "...Well, who am I to refuse Master's request? I must make sure to not keep her waiting, so goodbye for now." And with that, the Berserker dashed off into the woods with shocking speed. She seemed rather pleased with the shift in teams... If they weren't in the middle of a battle, Marie might've even analyzed the situation further. And, there was the very important issue of their helper being a tad... roughed up at the moment. A detail the Rider couldn't just ignore, no matter how handsome he still looked.

'

"While your help is very much appreciated, can you really fight in that state?"

'

But like she should've expected, Lemminkäinen just laughed. "Hah! As if little scratches like this could even slow me down!" Pointing his sword at d'Eon, he made his intent clear to everyone. "I'll handle the Saber, so the rest of you can focus on that other guy and wyverns."

'

While Marie didn't exactly like letting an injured person fight, she wasn't sure she could even convince him otherwise. Compared to seemingly restrained Siegfried, Lemminkäinen was an extremely headstrong individual. Well, that was just the kind of person this man was, so she wouldn't fault him for that. Especially when compared to someone like Amadeus, his flaws were actually quite helpful in their situation. And, he was more than likely the only one of them who could handle d'Eon on his own, so she ultimately gave him her blessing. "You're more than welcome."

'

The Saber's grin grew wilder. "So whatcha say, beauteous blademaster? A duel between Sabers?"

'

Upon the challenge being thrown, d'Eon cocked a brow Lemminkäinen, much to Marie's surprise. For the first time since arriving, they appeared to show genuine interest in someone other than her. "...The man that used his flaming sword to kill several of our wyverns and injure some Servants? So you would be my opponent?" As the Saber grabbed his blade with both hands and stood ready, the dragoon smiled faintly and pointed their sword at him. "Very well. I am the Dragon Witch's Berserk Saber, Le Chevalier d'Eon de Beaumont! To avenge my queen's suffering, I shall slaughter every last one of you!"

'

Faced with the bizarre greeting, the man rubbed his chin with intrigue. "Hm? Not a bad introduction. I guess I can respond in kind." Walking closer to d'Eon, Lemminkäinen held his sword with one hand and clinked the tips of their blades together. "I'm the Saber of Chaldea, Lemminkäinen! You're in our way, so I'll kill ya. Simple as that." ...Honestly, Marie wasn't quite sure which of the introductions was more sane, but she was cheering for her ally anyway.

'

As the two Saber's began to clash, it seemed that Elizabeth was also getting her steam back, glaring at Sanson for a change. "Hmph. With that pretty knight out of the way, you're definitely going down, stalker!"

'

The Assassin let out a gasp, appearing genuinely insulted. "I am not a stalker! I am an executioner! Get that through to your thick head before I cut it off!" he growled with indignation as he charged at her.

'

"Whatever!"

'

As the two began clashing, Amadeus moved his gaze between them and the dueling Sabers before letting out a chuckle. "Well, things certainly got a lot more lively around here."

'

Marie had to certainly agree with that. Their situation had improved considerably now that they had someone to match d'Eon. "That's true, but I can't let others outshine me to that extent." A statement that got Amadeus to look at her in disbelief, but she didn't let it bother her in the least. Seeing how both Lemminkäinen and Elizabeth did their utmost even while injured, she couldn't help but to feel... inferior. But, that could be solved easily. After all, she was a Servant as well, and there was much more effort she could put into this fight. "Now that I've seen how hard everyone is working, it feels like my sparkliness has increased tenfold. As Lemminkäinen and Elizabeth fight d'Eon and Sanson, we will focus on the wyverns! Please support me, Amadeus." Before the flabbergasted Caster could even give a reply, Marie hopped on the back of one of her horses and rode towards the swarm of wyverns with the most glorious battlecry in human history. "Vive la France!"

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

Sparks flew as the two blades clashed. Two very different types of swords with the same goal: ending their opponent. As d'Eon launched a swift jab aimed at his arm, Lemminkäinen deflected it and took the opportunity to lock blades with his foe and pushed closer, reducing the distance between them to a minimum. Not a pleasant position for the Berserk Saber, considering that the man was roughly a head taller than them. Putting as much strength as they could into their arms, they shoved against him to create some slight distance, only to instantly realize that had been his goal once they noticed him moving his leg upwards. Raising their own leg in anticipation, d'Eon took the kick aimed at their knee with the shin instead and was pushed away, creating far more distance between the two. While a smirk grew on the Saber's lips, clearly enjoying himself, the dragoon let out a frustrated growl at their inability to respond in a more advantageous way. Still, the alternative would have likely been a sprained knee at best, so this was ultimately the preferred option. Even with most of their reasoning sealed away, Chevalier d'Eon could still understand the subtleties of combat, and this opponent was no slouch. This was no honorable duel. The man would use more than just his blade to gain the advantage. His fighting style was rough, but not unpolished. Unlike the refined swordplay the spy used, his was a style meant for life and death combat, honed over a lifetime of conflict. He was a far more deadly opponent than any they had faced during their life, even if his attitude was abnormally lax.

'

And as if on cue: "It's been a while since I've had a proper sword duel, and you're already doing way better than that blowhard King of Pohjola," Lemminkäinen chuckled, eyeing the dragoon with obvious interest. "Now that I know you're more than just a pretty face, feel free to show me what else you've got in your sleeves. But better hurry, or you might not get the opportunity at all!"

'

As their foe charged once more, d'Eon parried a stab and started working on as effective a strategy as their mind could at the moment. The Berserk Saber's advantages were their overall superior strength due to the Madness Enhancement and the foe's exhaustion from previous fighting. His remaining magical energy would prevent him from fighting with all of his might and put him at a notable disadvantage should the battle become drawn out. On the other hand, even if d'Eon was more powerful, the difference in weaponry was a large factor here. When it came to their swords, Lemminkäinen held without a doubt the superior one. It was quite literally a difference between a fine, yet ultimately regular sword, and a legendary weapon from the Age of the Gods. If they clashed several times with full force, d'Eon had no doubt that their blade would break long before the enemy's. With that in mind, it was clear that the longer their battle went on, it would become advantageous for Lemminkäinen However, the solution for that was simple. All the d'Eon had to do was finish him off quickly, which was what their Noble Phantasm was perfect for.

'

Unleashing a flurry of stabs in an attempt to push back the Saber, they followed it with a low kick that got him to jump back slightly. D'Eon cheered internally. Yes! The distance was perfect! And with that: "Fleur de Lys! [Sword Dance of Falling Lilies]"

'

The white lilies scattered around the man as he charged forth, eyeing them with clear curiosity. Yes. With that, it was time to perform the finishing blow. Charging even faster than their opponent, the Berserk Saber aimed their sword, crouched, and launched a devastating stab at his heart. But much to d'Eon's shock, in the instant they commenced their attack, the Saber's blade unleashed a burst of flame and blasted upwards, colliding with their sword and changing its trajectory enough that the fatal stab in the heart was rendered to a miniscule scratch on his shoulder.

'

The strike was deflected!?

'

"Neat trick. But you'll need a lot more than that to distract me!"

'

Even as Lemminkäinen commenced his immediate counterattack, d'Eon was still busy processing what had just occurred. Fleur de Lys had failed!? The Noble Phantasm had no effect at all!? His focus hadn't faltered in the least!? No, in fact upon closer inspection, his golden eyes appeared more focused than ever, shining like sparks in the dark of the night. Did this enemy have some type of high ranking resistance to mental attacks? As these questions and more were rushing through the Berserk Saber's mind, Lemminkäinen pulled yet another unexpected move. As he swung his sword with one hand, his other performed a barely perceivable flick of his fingers, launching something that looked like an arrowhead right towards d'Eon's face. As they shifted their footing slightly to dodge it and simultaneously block the swing, the sharp stone flew right past their ear and embedded itself into a tree further away... And nearly sliced off the nose of one Elizabeth Báthory in the process.

'

"Hey! Watch it, you maniac!" the Lancer understandably screeched, but her supposed ally didn't seem to care much. His full attention was on his current duel, which was something that d'Eon certainly respected. Still, that sudden suckerpunch had allowed them to somewhat regain their composure. While Fleur de Lys may have been ineffective, they still held the advantage in this fight, given the enemy's condition. Even if the Noble Phantasm had failed, they also knew what the enemy's own Noble Phantasm was like, greatly limiting its use. And if they battled without unleashing their Noble Phantasms, d'Eon was more than confident in possessing a chance for victory.

'

But as if to immediately prove that thought wrong, Lemminkäinen chuckled: "That technique was your trump card, eh? Now it's my turn!" The man unleashed a sudden surge of magical energy similar to the one he had emitted in Lyon while raising his sword. Without a doubt, this would be his Noble Phantasm. He truly intended to end this battle with the next blow, even if it used up basically all of his remaining magical energy. The Berserk Saber was caught off guard to say the least, but regained their focus immediately and started analyzing the surroundings. In the following instant, they came to the conclusion that dodging the great blade of fire would be far too risky. There was absolutely on useful cover around and it was too large to be completely avoided, leading at the very least to them losing a limb. And with that, their defeat was effectively guaranteed. Which meant: There was only one option. Blocking out every possible distraction and directing all of their focus on the coming attack, d'Eon gathered magical energy into their legs and dashed towards the Saber like a bullet. Their most realistic option was to quite simply stop the Noble Phantasm from being properly used or die trying. It was all or nothing! This next strike would decide this battle! As Lemminkäinen started to bring his flaming sword down, they crouched and swung their graceful blade upwards to the left with all their might, and...

'

Cut right through the red coat as well as the flesh and bone it was covering. In a spray of blood, the Saber's right arm went flying along with his sword. D'Eon felt a victorious grin spread on their lips. They had won! Now, all that was left was finishing-

'

"Gotcha."

'

As Lemminkäinen kept grinning, not in the least bothered over losing a limb, there was just enough time for d'Eon to comprehend what was happening, but not enough to bring their sword back after the first swing. The surge of magical energy emanating from the enemy Saber hadn't diminished in the least. In fact, it was more powerful and focused. Specifically, focused on his left hand. The hand which was now aimed directly at d'Eon's chest. The dragoon's eyes widened in absolute disbelief. He hadn't planned on using the sword in the first place! This madman had used both his arm and Noble Phantasm as bait!?

'

"Jäähdys ilmaan kylmä puikko,

kelpo keihäs kuurainen,

pistä puhki kaunis rinta,

sydämen sortuneen lävitse."

'

And with that nigh-instantaneous chant, the gathered magical energy was unleashed. Emerging from the Saber's palm, a giant icicle, like a spear of ice, pierced through d'Eon's chest, getting a pained cry out of them as Lemminkäinen grinned as widely as ever. "I prefer fire, but can't say that I hate ice either."

'

While d'Eon had been stabbed before, nothing could have prepared them for the feeling a spike made of ice inflicted upon piercing their chest. The cold was absolutely horrid as it penetrated their organs, making the pain of being impaled that much worse. While the wound wasn't instantly fatal, they almost wished that it was. Still, even with the excruciating pain, d'Eon managed to properly read the situation and jumped backwards, distancing themselves from the enemy. If there was anything good about the situation, it was that the icicle had only barely nicked their spirit core. While it had taken some damage, should they retreat now, they might be able to recover. Even if it meant that they couldn't show queen Marie the truth at this very moment, they could always resume the task after being properly healed as well as bring some reinforcements to properly accomplish the task.

'

But that hope was dashed instantly as another burst of magical energy erupted nearby, followed by an extremely loud voice:

'

"I'll let you hear the greatest hit of the Servant World! It's the Finale!" Nearly freezing at the announcement, d'Eon managed to turn their face towards Elizabeth just as she stabbed her lance into the ground. A magic circle was imprinted on the earth around her as her magical energy soared. The Saber grit their teeth as Lemminkäinen winked at them from a short, but still long enough distance away. He'd somehow planned this just in case the lance of ice had failed to finish them off. And planned well, seeing how d'Eon's partner wasn't close enough to the Lancer to stop her. Sanson was too fixated on queen Marie, not even noticing the Noble Phantasm activation until it was far too late. "Báthory Erzsébet! [Fresh Blood Demoness]" A dark, ominous looking castle rose from the earth behind Elizabeth, its walls filled with strange, round shapes. As it rose to its full size, she hopped on top of her lance, wings wide, and took a deep breath in... Before all that power was unleashed: "LAAAAAA!" As the Lancer let out her cry, the round shapes on the castle walls unleashed an identical reaction, greatly multiplying its effectiveness. The sound waves were so powerful that d'Eon could quite literally see them take on a most bizarre heart shape as they blasted towards them. Even before their body took the hit, their ears were cursed with the most horrid experience imaginable. The sound could truly be called hell on earth. Mozart's requiem would've been the most soothing lullaby imaginable in comparison. While d'Eon's body was flung around like a ragdoll due to the Noble Phantasm's force, the true damage it caused was to their ears and mind. Even as they rolled to a stop on the grass, their body didn't feel any pain, as their mind was still trying to comprehend the figurative hell it had just been forced to experience.

'

D'Eon truly had no idea how long they laid there disoriented, only coming to their senses once Lemminkäinen strolled right by their side, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, that didn't exactly end like I'd hoped, but it was a good fight nonetheless. You pack a nice punch, even with that dainty body of yours. If we ever get another chance, I wouldn't mind a rematch. Hopefully I won't be this messed up then, and can fight with all of my strength." A proposal the Berserk Saber certainly hadn't expected. Without the boost of Madness Enhancement and Lemminkäinen at full strength, they weren't too confident in their chances at victory, but they wouldn't turn down a challenge when it came to fencing. Although, d'Eon could deny that it was quite flattering for a famed hero from the Age of the Gods to be so interested in dueling them. "Later. Try wishin' for a better Master on your next summoning," he chuckled before turning around and beginning to walk towards his dismembered arm, offering d'Eon one final wave as he went.

'

As the victorious (via cheating) Saber left, the loser was left alone with their thoughts. Yes, this was truly it. They didn't even bother trying to sit up. The ice spike had done a decent amount of damage, while that atrocious voice had been enough to fully shatter their spirit core. D'Eon knew that they wouldn't last even a minute. At the very least, the fact that they could hear Mozart's agonized screams in the background did soothe the feeling of defeat just the slightest bit. With that, they could at least call this a better death than the one they suffered at the end of their mortal life.

'

At least, until another figure suddenly crouched by their side. The Saber felt their rugged breathing completely halt as Marie Antoinette gave them a somber smile. "Poor d'Eon. At least now your struggle can end."

'

And it was upon hearing those words that d'Eon's heart was wounded far more painfully than either the spear of ice or demonic voice had managed. Almost like their entire world had been shattered by a horrifying truth, the Madness Enhancement washed away as their spirit core crumbled. They couldn't say anything, just stare at her beautiful face. It was as if the deep fog clouding the Saber's mind had been lifted, finally allowing them to truly see just how foolish their actions had been. Of course... Of course Queen Marie wouldn't wish for France to be destroyed. She was far too kind for that. The fact that they had ever even thought of that was an epitome of foolishness. This was a betrayal of the highest order. An absolutely unforgivable act. Barely able to look at her face, d'Eon felt tears of absolute shame and regret welling up in their eyes. "A-ah... My queen... I-I am so..."

'

And yet, despite everything they had done up to this point, destroying cities and slaughtering innocents, the Rider still smiled and gently patted their unworthy head. "It's alright. Don't be too harsh on yourself. Even Saint Martha couldn't fully resist the Dragon Witch."

'

D'Eon couldn't even be shocked. This was simply how she was. Even death hadn't changed that. "Much like in life... you are far too kind..." the Saber mumbled, struggle straining their voice. Their body was starting to break down into golden light, and a floaty feeling was taking over their entire being, but they still hung on with all of their might, intent on finishing this final conversation. "Truly, France didn't deserve a queen like you, just like you didn't deserve an end like that..."

'

"You don't have to worry about that now. Just rest. France will be just fine when this is all over."

'

Had those words come from anyone else, they would've been skeptical, but the bright smile on the queen's face buried all of their doubts. "I see... I suppose you are right..." d'Eon admitted, trying to focus on the center of their torso now that their limbs had faded away. But, it wasn't that she had no chance of success, especially with the other Servants around. While Mozart was a combined eye- and ear sore of the highest extent, she did still have reliable allies like the Holy Maiden, Lemminkäinen, and that girl with a shield. A sigh of relief escaped their mouth. "I will be gone... But I know that you can save France from that horrid Dragon Witch... even without me..."

'

"That's right! With Jeanne and the others, we won't lose!" Marie cheered, and d'Eon closed their eyes with satisfaction as their chest faded into golden sparkles. With this they could at least disappear with fewer regrets, knowing that the queen was in good hands, and- "But I do hope that we get to meet again as Servants," she suddenly followed, getting the Saber to snap their eyes open in bewilderment. The sight before them was a pleased smile filled with absolute adoration. "After all, you're super cute like this! I bet you would look absolutely wonderful in that dress I gave to you as a gift."

'

"I... I suppose I would..." d'Eon mumbled, a faintest smile growing on their lips. Yes. It truly was just like queen Marie to say something like that at a moment like this. Indeed, it would be the most wonderful dream to meet her once again, this time as allies. A chance where they could dedicate their blade to her once more. Even if that chance was laughably small, this bizarre meeting proved that it at least wasn't completely impossible. "Then I... will hope for such a meeting as well..."

'

Queen Marie nodded happily, her smile as radiant as ever. "Until then, farewell, my beautiful knight." With those final words reaching their ears, the Saber fully gave themself up to the floaty feeling as light completely filled their vision. In truth, d'Eon had dreaded the moment death would claim them again. Just remembering the four final years of their life, speak nothing of the last few days, filled them with unspeakable terror. But in comparison, this was the most heartwarming end they could imagine. Truly, there could not have been a more wonderful, hopeful final moment than this...

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

"Good! Keep that up!" Ritsuka cheered while boosting Jeanne with Momentary Reinforcement, Emergency Evasion and Reinforce All at the same time. With the last one also increasing Mash's strength, allowing her to push the knight back with a charge, the Ruler was given the perfect opportunity to aim a powerful dropkick on his abdomen. Unfortunately, the Berserker used the momentum of Mash's charge to his advantage and smashed the butt of his poleaxe into the ground, twisting his body in a wild maneuver that allowed him to take the kick with his tensed arm instead of his stomach. The redhead cursed internally as he was blown away by the force of the attack. In a fight between humans, blocking a hit like that would've given him a nasty bruise at the least, sprained shoulder at the worst, but since he was a Servant, an injury like that would be easily healed even during combat. Still, Jeanne's attack had at least managed to create some distance between them, allowing Kiyohime to unleash some of her very literal firepower.

'

"Shaaaaa!" the Berserker cried, blasting the knight with a large wave of flames that forced him to jump further back. The Master was really thankful that she had immediately come as requested, as it allowed them to keep their current situation stable. Overall, her flames were far more helpful in deterring the knight's movements than just adding another fighter. If it was a stab or a slash from a weapon, a combatant this skilled would have no trouble blocking them, but the fire couldn't just be blocked without fear of injury. With Jeanne and Mash as their tanks, Kiyohime as a ranged attacker to pressure the knight, and her as a support to both buff and heal the group, Ritsuka had managed to create an effective stalemate. Still, even with that going for them, it was clear that their group was at a disadvantage in this battle. While they could push the enemy Berserker back momentarily, they lacked the power to deal a truly devastating blow to him. This knight was just stupidly strong, sturdy, and fast, and didn't seem to possess any weaknesses from a usual standpoint. If Ritsuka could've just inspected his status as a Servant, maybe she could've found something to use against him, but even that advantage was denied from them. At the moment, all they could do was stall for time and hope that the other group would emerge victorious over their own opponents and come to help them, ultimately turning the tide of the battle with sheer numbers.

'

And speaking of which, she had just heard something akin to an explosion from the other groups' direction, plus the fact that she hadn't been given immediate bad news, Ritsuka was feeling somewhat hopeful at the moment. With that in mind, she opened the connection with Chaldea and immediately checked it from them. "That absurdly loud noise a moment ago, was that..."

'

The smile on Roman's face told her the result even before the words left his mouth. "Yes. It was Elizabeth's Noble Phantasm. The other team managed to take down the enemy Saber!"

'

The small spark of hope in Ritsuka's chest exploded into a wildfire, a genuine smile growing on her lips for the first time since this whole mess had started. "That's great! We can finally start turning this battle around!" This was exactly what she'd been waiting for. The Saber had without question been the stronger of the two Servants the other team had to fight. With them gone, the others could deal with the Assassin and they could finally all team up against this knight. He was definitely tough, but with all these Servants on their side, victory was more than possible to achieve. About time too. Between using both of their Noble Phantasms and this absurdly rough battle, both Jeanne and Mash were using a ton of magical energy, which Ritsuka had to partially supply. Then there was also Lemminkäinen, who had been fighting likely just as hard, but the flow to him had been rather slow. Unfortunately, that just meant that he was using his own supply, which would soon start to run out by the Master's guess. In all honesty, she was starting to feel pretty light headed. Without the supporting magical energy from Chaldea, she would've definitely been drained dry by this point. They would need to end this battle soon, or they would be in serious trouble. Depending on the other team's condition, she was even considering using a Command Spell to give Lemminkäinen the needed magical energy to fire off his Noble Phantasm, all so they could finish this knight for good. After all the time and energy they'd spent on fighting him, Ritsuka wasn't going to let him escape as long as they had the full support of the other group.

'

A plan that became all the more likely by the fact that the knight was still so fixated on Jeanne. Even when the obvious strategy was to take out either Kiyohime or Ritsuka before tackling the sturdier Servants, he still went for the Ruler first every time he engaged. The worst part being that obnoxious screaming of his. And as if on cue: "Aaaaaa-rr?"

'

"What?" Jeanne stared in confusion as the knight charging at her suddenly started glowing red. Ritsuka almost used Command Shuffle to move her and the others away, fearing that he was using a Noble Phantasm or some other kind of technique, but stopped herself at the last second. Judging by the confused way he moved and appeared to be looking at himself, the Berserker was just as confused as everyone else. ...And then he flew away.

'

"Huh!?" The Master's mouth fell agape as the knight basically blasted off like a rocket, flying back towards the direction they had all come from. And just a second later, an identical phenomenon came from the direction of the other team. The Assassin was flying away as well. Both Mash and Kiyohime turned to her questioningly, but she was much the same. Ritsuka was... honestly confused. Of all the things that she expected might happen, this was definitely not one of them. Basically begging for answers, she turned to Roman. "What just happened?"

'

But before he could answer, Jeanne cut in. "They were recalled with Command Spells."

'

"Command Spells?" A reveal that made Ritsuka cringe. "I heard that Rulers were supposed to have them, but I'd really hoped that the other Jeanne wouldn't."

'

"They seem to at least be lacking in power, since those two weren't outright teleported away. This is likely due to the fact that this is not a proper Holy Grail War," Jeanne followed, at least slightly mitigating the bad news.

'

"So Jeanne Alter felt her Saber dying and wasn't willing to risk losing two more of her pawns, especially that knight," Dio suggested, getting a nod from the Ruler.

'

"That's the most likely reason." While Ritsuka had done her best to hide her dissatisfaction with the fight's conclusion, Jeanne seemed to have at least noticed some of it, and proceeded to place a hand on her shoulder and smile encouragingly. "But even if they got away, this was ultimately for the best. Defeating that knight would have been an extremely difficult task. One that might have required sacrifices from some of our fighters."

'

"That, or a Command Spell," the redhead sighed, annoyed that the knight had escaped before her plan could even properly begin. Well, since he got away before the other group even got here, it ultimately couldn't be helped. "I hate that you're right, but that guy was just way too much of a problem. We didn't even learn anything substantial about him."

'

"He really was a terrifyingly powerful enemy..." Mash mumbled. "It somewhat felt like battling against King Arthur in Fuyuki..."

'

An observation Ritsuka had to agree with upon reminiscing about the mighty Saber. Those two would really fit well side by side. "Well, they were both ridiculously strong dark knights, that's for sure." At least this knight couldn't blast them with giant beams of destruction. That would've just made him too unfair to exist.

'

"Still, none of us were seriously injured, so we should consider this a small victory," Jeanne noted with a smile, before growing more serious as she turned towards the other team's location. "But now, we should hurry to Marie and the others and make sure that the same is true for them."

'

A proposal that the rest of them very much agreed with. The Master knew that none of them were dead, since Roman would've let her know, but they could've still taken grievous injuries. "Of course. Let's run, just in case." Motioning towards Mash, Ritsuka soon felt herself get picked up and carried down the road with great speed, both Jeanne and Kiyohime running right by their side. ...She honestly wasn't sure if she was more impressed or embarrassed by how quickly she'd grown accustomed to being literally carried around. Still, she should shake that off for now to congratulate all the Servants for their fantastic performance. "And great work, everyone. You really hung in there even against that monster of a knight. We couldn't have done that with even one of you missing," she noted, getting a trio of grateful smiles in return.

'

Jeanne's smile was especially dazzling as she returned the compliment with some of her own. "Your support was an irreplaceable asset as well, Master. Had it been just myself and Mash, we would have likely been worn down before the Berserker was recalled."

'

"And had you not instructed the boorish Saber to tell me to come, I would have likely stayed with Marie and the others. Do not sell your part in all of this short, Master," Kiyohime followed, her smile somehow even more appreciative and dazzling.

'

So dazzling in fact, that Ritsuka felt herself blushing lightly, forcing herself to look straight ahead before she could get awkward. "Well... I guess that's fair..." she muttered, having not expected her praise to be reciprocated so earnestly. Still, she had no time to be shy, seeing how the clearing the other team had battled on was coming to view, more than a few wyvern corpses now marring the greenery. The four of them and Marie's chariot were standing around, mostly just looking out for each other. Taking a deep breath to calm down, she called out to the other Servants as soon as Mash was close enough. "Is everything all right here?"

'

Noticing them upon the call, Marie waved at the approaching group happily, a piece of Saint Quartz on her hand. "Yes! Lemminkäinen and Elizabeth took care of d'Eon, while Sanson blasted away soon after."

'

"Hell yeah, we did!" Lemminkäinen laughed, giving a thumbs up to Elizabeth. "Good job noticin' that message I threw at you." Had this guy seriously used a strategy of some kind?

'

"Hmph. You're lucky that I have such sharp eyes and a genius mind," the Lancer huffed while turning away from him, but the proud smile on her face clearly betrayed the truth.

'

Ritsuka felt relieved as Mash let her down. So no one really had died. And it didn't seem like anyone had suffered any extreme damage either. That was good. A far better result than she had expected. Everyone looked mostly fine. Tired, with some burn marks, and variably low on magical energy, but fine. The only obvious exception was Mozart, who was sitting slumped by Marie's carriage while... bleeding from his ears? Well, aside from that, everything seemed fine. "That's definitely relieving. You took down an enemy Servant and a bunch of wyverns without losing anyone in your group. Great work, everyone."

'

"I'm definitely feelin' a lot better after fightin' that knight," Lemminkäinen chuckled. "My showdown with Vlad left a real bad taste in my mouth, but these last few minutes were a real relief." Surprised by the statement, Ritsuka took a closer look at his face and realized its validity. His earlier aggravation was genuinely gone. Well, that was good at least. While she would want to learn more about it later, at the moment, the Saber truly appeared to be in good condition in both body and mind.

'

...Until Mash let out a loud gasp, pointing at him. "Ah! But Lemminkäinen, your arm!" Hearing that as well as the surprised gasps from the other Servants, Ritsuka lowered her gaze to the Saber's shoulders and let out a gasp of her own. Due to the deep, red color of his coat working as camouflage of sorts, she hadn't realized it sooner, but now she couldn't move her eyes away from it. On the side facing away from her, his right arm was completely missing from just below the shoulder. The cut was so clean that the sleeve of his coat prevented the flesh from being seen and he had likely used magecraft to stop the bleeding, but his arm was unmistakably gone.

'

Lemminkäinen raised the stump and looked at it, almost as surprised as everyone else. "...Oh, right. That happened." Yet somehow also managed to have the least shocked reaction of them all. A sigh escaped the Master's mouth as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Leave it to this idiot to act completely casual and forget that he had an entire limb missing. And perfectly fitting his image, he proceeded to wave his still attached hand nonchalantly. "But nah, don't worry 'bout it. This'll be an easy fix." He then, much to Ritsuka's dread, pointed straight at her. "Pomo, if you could?"

'

Great. Just great. As if today hadn't been stressful enough already, she had to deal with this, now. "...So we actually ended up doing this, huh?" With a defeated sigh, Ritsuka turned towards her always trusty Shielder and extended a hand towards her. "Fine. Mash, could you hand me the backpack."

'

Mash blinked in surprise. "Huh? I mean, of course, Senpai." Quickly taking off the backpack, she handed it over. That was another detail Ritsuka appreciated from her, how she always followed instructions, even if she was confused by them. It made situations like this a whole lot easier.

'

"Thanks." Gratefully accepting the container, she began to rummage through it to find the required tools, all the while Dio started laughing in the background.

'

"Oh, oh! I know where this is going!" Judging by how excited he seemed, he definitely knew about the legends surrounding Lemminkäinen. "Make sure that all of the recorders are on, Roman. This is too good to miss."

'

Admittedly, Ritsuka would've been really curious to see the whole process as well, if it weren't for her own part in it. "Alright, here we go." She finally found the required tools: A small paintbrush and a jar. As soon as it was out in the open, the Servants present looked at the container in surprise.

'

Jeanne approached her to take a closer look, growing even more confused. "Is that... honey?"

'

"Yup..." Ritsuka nodded before turning towards Lemminkäinen, who now held his severed arm in his other hand. Where had he even kept that thing? With barely hidden displeasure, she went and picked up the Saber's cut off arm. Several of the Servants looked like they wanted to ask something, but she just shook her head pleadingly. "Please, don't ask any more questions during the procedure. As they say: 'Seeing is believing'." That at least got everyone to stay quiet, but she now had another issue. The procedure would be much harder without someone holding the arm for her, so she'd prefer to get some help... Only for the Master's eyes to focus on Mash. Oh, she felt like complete trash asking this of her, but the Shielder was the only one present she could count on actually doing it without a thorough explanation. And thus, with the most apologetic look she could manage, Ritsuka turned towards her and held out the severed arm. "Mash, I'm really, really sorry, but could you please hold this steadily while I take care of the procedure?"

'

"Umm..." By this point, Mash looked extremely confused and uneasy, something no one could blame her for, but she still moved to Ritsuka's side and took the limb. "V-very well, Senpai."

'

Oh, words couldn't describe how much she loved this girl. "Thank you so much, but please don't ask. This is uncomfortable enough as it is." Dipping the brush into the honey, she began to carefully spread it on the open flesh, veins and bone, cringing the whole while. Mash was much the same. The sounds were just... something she didn't want to think about. At the very least, the cut was extremely clean, meaning that there was very little resistance to her brushing. After a short while of work that felt like hours, Ritsuka let out a sigh as she looked at the arm. The open wound now had an even coating of honey covering it, so all that was confirming the work with the arm's owner. "There. Is that good enough, Lemminkäinen?"

'

"Looks great to me," he nodded, grinning like this wasn't absolutely disgusting. Walking closer, he held the stump on his right shoulder towards her while peeling back the clothing around the wound. "Now just slap it on."

'

As the rest of the Servants were far too dumbfounded by the instruction to speak, Ritsuka took the arm from Mash, who also stared in disbelief, and approached the stump with it. "Alright, here we go..." Placing the detached parts together, the Master started to carefully rotate her portion. They had to be arranged perfectly, or they wouldn't stick. As gross as they were, the veins were the toughest part, making her once again wordlessly thank the enemy Saber for their precise swordplay.

'

While Ritsuka was busy working, Elizabeth was the first of the disbelieving audience to find her words, staring at the Servant and Master duo as if they were both lunatics. "...Are you serious? There's no way something like that will-"

'

"Oh, yeah! Good as new!" Lemminkäinen laughed, waving and flexing his reattached arm around as a test. From the small cut still visible through his coat sleeve, it was clear that there wasn't even a scratch left on his bulging bisep. Aside from the Saber, everyone fell dead silent from further disbelief, most of their mouths falling agape to a comical degree, while Ritsuka did her best to stifle her own laughter. If there was one perk on her needing to do this, it was definitely the reactions.

'

"That seriously worked!?" Elizabeth screamed, putting the thoughts of everyone present into words.

'

"Did you seriously just glue his arm back on with honey!?" Mozart followed, approaching the Saber to take a closer, disbelieving look. Lemminkäinen happily presented the bicep to him, confirming that it was in pristine condition. "...How and why does that work?"

'

"It's a Skill Lemminkäinen has," Ritsuka noted while cleaning the paintbrush with some simple magecraft. "'Benevolent Gift of the Honeybees A'. If his body gets sliced apart, his Master can put him back together with honey."

'

Everyone looked just as confused as they did before the answer, and the Caster was quick to ask a second question. "...Alright, but why does he have something like that!?"

'

Yeah, that was the natural reaction, and one Ritsuka had been hoping for with her vague answer. With that in mind, she immediately turned towards Lemminkäinen. "Do you mind telling?" Given the task she had just performed, she was honestly afraid that too much talking might make her throw up. The smell of the honey from the jar at least helped a bit, but she'd rather not risk this if she could.

'

Thankfully the Saber just shrugged with a small smirk. "Eh, why not? Not my most glorious moment, but worth retelling nonetheless." He immediately captured the attention of everyone present, from the people that didn't really like him to his friends.

'

"Oh, I've got to hear this!" Cú Chulainn laughed from somewhere in Chaldea as Lemminkäinen started to narrate one of his epic legends.

'

"This happened when I took a little trip to Tuonela, our local underworld," he began in a similar tone to someone telling about a particularly exciting walk to a park. "That noxious hag, Louhi, gave me her word that if I could shoot the Swan of Tuonela, I could marry her unbelievably gorgeous daughter." Ritsuka just let out an amused huff. Considering that it was said that whoever killed the Swan would suffer death as well, she had no doubt that Louhi was just trying to get rid of him. "Well, I got there, found the swan and took aim, and BAM! Out of nowhere, a cowardly sneak attack! This one bastard, the Wethat herdsman, ambushed me while I was concentratin' and impaled me through the heart with a viper!" A reveal that clearly shocked most of the Servants present. Nearly all of them had looked quite indifferent listening to his 'heroic' tale until that point, so the twist had possessed the desired effect. "And seein' how I'd just gotten my heart pierced as well as poisoned out of nowhere, my body kinda, mostly shut down and I fell into the underworld's river. After that, one of the gods keepin' watch there noticed me and chopped up my body for good measure."

'

A short silence took over the area. The mood had sombered up in an instant and quite a few of the listeners appeared perturbed. Jeanne looked at the Saber somewhat hesitantly, unsettled over the fact that he spoke so casually over such a brutal death. "...Is that how you died, Lemminkäinen?"

'

"Yes," he nodded, sombering up the mood even further... Only to instantly replace it with confusion with his following comment: "And no." As Lemminkäinen started to grin widely, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to compare the expressions of his audience to children who had just seen their first magic trick. Ritsuka honestly felt bad for their unnecessary sympathy. "You see, before I left to perform my extraordinary deeds to get myself a wife, my mother got really worried. So, I enchanted a brush and stuck it into a wall. If anything happened to me, it'd start to bleed. I originally did it to get her to stop worryin', but it turned out to be real useful in the end," he laughed, getting the Master to nod in agreement. His mother had always been the tale's MVP in her mind, ever since she read it for the first time. "So, after she got some tools and directions from a few gods, my mother headed into Tuonela herself and nabbed every piece of my corpse from the river. Then she put my body back together with a few things, mostly honey, and we went back home."

'

Another silence fell over the area, only interrupted by the blowing wind. There was no doubt in Ritsuka's mind that each of the people present were the most flabbergasted they had been since she had first met them. It was honestly pretty incredible to see so many people so thoroughly shocked at once. After what seemed like a good minute, Jeanne finally managed to barely find her words "I... huh...What?"

'

A most appropriate reaction in Ritsuka's opinion, just as much as Amadeus' following one: "No, seriously, what!? How does that make any sense!? People don't just come back to life after their chopped up body parts are glued together!"

'

But Lemminkäinen just laughed, all while wagging his finger as if he were teaching a lesson to a child. "Ah ah ah. You forgot a vital detail. We were still in the underworld."

'

The Caster's disbelief faded the slightest bit to make room for confusion. "And...?"

'

"Well, since I died by getting my body chopped up in the underworld, it only makes sense that I could be revived by putting it back together while still in the underworld," Lemminkäinen chuckled haughtily. Ritsuka was pretty sure that to him, what he had just said made perfect sense. But to all the normal people/Servants listening, it just increased their confusion. And yet...

'

"I see. When looking at it like that, the logic is indeed sound," Medusa suddenly muttered from Chaldea, unleashing another wave of disbelief from the others.

'

"Huh!?"

'

Uncaring about the combined gasp, Brynhildr agreed with the Rider, sounding genuinely impressed. "Yes, that certainly makes sense. It is quite a clever way to circumvent the judgment of the underworld."

'

"Damn right! Your mother was one hell of a woman to pull something like that off!" Cú Chulainn cackled, getting a pleased nod from Lemminkäinen.

'

"That she was."

'

Ritsuka just sighed. She already knew this from a few conversations with them, but Servants from the Age of the Gods really were a different breed entirely. Their common sense was just absolutely alien to both modern and relatively modern people. Admittedly, it made some sense, since divine mysteries were basically a daily occurrence to most of them, but sometimes it was just... Wow. And it looked like every one of her allies in the Singularity also understood how she felt, most of their expressions reminding her of highschool students when presented with an especially difficult test. Elizabeth in particular looked frustrated, kicking dirt as she grumbled: "I actually felt bad for him for a second, but now I want my sympathy back..."

'

"And that's where the Skill comes from," Ritsuka noted as she walked up to Lemminkäinen and patted his shoulder. She had recovered her nerves enough, and just wanted this painful explanation to end just as much as anyone. "But since his mother isn't around, Lemminkäinen needs his Master to do the fixing. Originally, there were other salves needed as well to put his body together, but the honey was the vital part, which is why the Skill only needs it to work."

'

"I see...?" Jeanne mumbled, obviously still confused even if she understood the fundamentals. "How effective is it?"

'

"He could get chopped into tiny pieces and not die for a day or two. His body parts would just stick around," Ritsuka clarified. It was a ridiculously useful power, since it could theoretically let him be 'killed' by an enemy, only with the possibility of seriously fooling them and allowing him to make a comeback in secret. But obviously, it was also super risky. "The limitation lies with the wounds themselves. His body needs to be cut cleanly enough or the healing won't work. If he gets pulverized, burned or something of the sort, the honey won't help a bit."

'

Lemminkäinen flexed his bicep again. "Luckily the enemy Saber had such a fine sword and honed swordplay, so the wound I got was easy to fix."

'

"That's d'Eon for you," Marie nodded, a slightest hint of sadness in her smile.

'

While Ritsuka was hardly an expert on the people of revolutionary France, the distinct name did sound familiar, so based on Marie's reaction, they were more than likely someone she personally knew. Still, there were more important issues to worry about at the moment, mainly every other body part Lemminkäinen had aside from his arm. "Well, now that your arm is reattached, I'll start patching up the rest of your body," Ritsuka noted as she approached him to take a closer look. The way he had closed the wounds were basically just a more pretty version of stitching. While they looked mostly fine on the outside, his insides were still messed up. Some of the ones on his legs and torso made that especially clear. "These holes were made by piercing, so there's nothing to attach, which means that we need to rely on the healing spells of my Mystic Codes. It's more energy efficient than having you heal yourself, given how low you are on power." Not even bothering to argue, Lemminkäinen dematerialized his clothes aside from his underwear (thank God), getting a few gasps from the female Servants around. Ritsuka didn't even humor him by blinking, instead just addressing the others in her usual tone. "If anyone else has any immediate wounds, feel free to step up and I'll see what I can do once I'm done with him. We should treat anything that makes you uncomfortable before we get on the road again."

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

As Jeanne stood by Fafnir, keeping an eye on its recovery, she felt like she might black out from sheer rage. Again! Those rats had escaped again! After knocking out Fafnir, no less! And to make it all the more infuriating, they had managed to kill her Berserk Saber, more than a dozen of her black wyverns and even some of the newly summoned ones! She'd thought about letting the new Berserker and Assassin to just fight the interlopers till death, hopefully taking a number of them to the grave with them, but had decided against it. Lancer had been injured badly enough that she'd ordered him to retreat, because he was still too useful, and Berserker was the same. She didn't care too much about the Assassin, but given the current situation, she would need every Servant possible. Even if she was still nothing compared to her, the other Jeanne had strengthened considerably, and the rats had even added to their numbers, increasing their threat level. Much like actual vermin, a single one was an eyesore, but several could cause actual damage.

'

Then there was the larger issue: That Dragon Slayer. She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, but that man was no doubt Siegfried. Meaning that it was actually possible for him to kill Fafnir. That was something she absolutely couldn't allow. More than anything else, Fafnir was essential for her plan. She'd rather sacrifice all of her Servants than risk the possibility that it could be killed. She didn't know how Siegfried was still alive after she'd skewered him just a few days ago with her Noble Phantasm, but there was no point in thinking about it now. He was here, and that's all that mattered. At the very least, his body was still tormented by her curses, which would keep him from unleashing his full power, and she knew that her other self was too weak to remove them. But she couldn't allow herself to grow conceited. Those vermin had already managed to recruit other Servants to their side, and the possibility of a Servant capable of removing curses being summoned to this land was above zero. And if they managed to recruit someone like that...

'

"Master."

'

"Huh!?" Snapping back to the present, Jeanne glared at the Servants kneeling before her. "What now!?"

'

Not reacting to her bad mood in the slightest, Vlad continued: "You ordered us to gather. What do you wish for us to do now?"

'

"Oh, right..." She'd forgotten about that due to how frustrated she had been. She almost wanted to just tell them to go find towns to destroy or something, so that she could think, but decided against it. She couldn't act haphazardly now that things had gotten this bad. After thinking for a moment, she pointed at Carmilla and the two newcomers. "For now, you three are coming back to Orleans with me. Lancer, you head to a nearby town and heal yourself. Take most of the remaining wyverns with you and continue ravaging the south. If you find any other Servants, kill them on sight."

'

"As you command."

'

As the group bowed and started to mount their wyverns, Jeanne extended her hand towards Vlad. "Wait. There's something I must tell you before you go," As the vampire turned to face her, the Ruler's glare intensified. "This is an absolute order! Do not fight them unless it is nighttime!" It was during the night that the Lancer's true power was awakened, transforming him into a monster that aside from Fafnir, was the most powerful being in her army. Originally, Jeanne was certain that anyone defeating him during the night was unthinkable, yet even if that was the case, it was now clear that there were no absolutes in this battle. Thus, she gave him this command: "But even then, if by some miracle it looks like you're about to die, you must retreat!"

'

Vlad frowned lightly, but nonetheless gave her a bow. "...Understood." He clearly didn't approve of her order, but Jeanne couldn't care less about that. As long as he wouldn't end up dying for nothing, it didn't matter to her what he did.

'

Hopping on top of Fafnir, who had now recovered enough to at least fly, the Ruler motioned to her Servants. "The rest of you, with me!" As the group took off the ground and headed for Orleans, Jeanne fell back to her previous thoughts. Her worst fear had come to pass: A Servant capable of killing Fafnir existed in this land. Even if he was currently incapable of doing it thanks to her curses, the possibility of him being healed did exist, no matter how miniscule, which meant...

'

No. This would not stand! She wouldn't let it! It was clear to her now that the destruction of France came second. These damned interlopers would need to be dealt with first. And she already had a few ideas as to how she would accomplish it. Against Noble Phantasms capable of hitting several targets at once, her current wyverns were cannon fodder at best, and a waste of summoning time at worst. Thus, her new goal was clear: Aside from just Servants, she would focus on summoning wyverns that were barely a step away from fully fledged dragons. Wyverns that would blow through this entire accursed country like a violent, unrestrained tempest.

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

"Ah, that's much better!" Elizabeth cheered after Ritsuka finished healing the burn on her back. The Lancer took a moment to stretch her arms and shoulders to check that every part was fine, before giving the redhead a grateful pat on the head. An act that looked quite amusing considering their height differences. "Good job, Deerlet." Watching the scene got Mash thinking... She would also like to pat Senpai's head. Whenever her own head was patted, the sensation was very much pleasant, but would it also be the same the other way around? Senpai's hair did look very soft, so it had to be, but she was also afraid that the height difference would make it awkward, much like it did in the current example.

'

But, these important thoughts had to be put to the side for now, seeing how Ritsuka was starting to address everyone. "You're welcome, Elizabeth. Now that we're all patched up, I think we should start looking for a place to rest. Any suggestions on where we could find a good spot?"

'

A smile spread on Mash's lips. This was exactly what she'd been preparing for. "Senpai," she called out, catching her attention. "Given how far we've run at this point, I have been looking for a location with a good leyline that can offer shelter and help all the Servants recover faster." Taking out the backup communicator they'd received in case something happened to Ritsuka's Multi-Appliance, she proudly showed her a map with a route already prepared. "With Dio's recommendation, I'd suggest Château de Chalmazel. It has a very usable leyline, as well as providing us with shelter even without the tents."

'

Taking a closer look at the map, after some careful observation, Ritsuka gave her a grateful nod. "Thanks, Mash. This looks great." Overjoyed at having been of use to her Senpai, Mash handed her the communicator with the map on it as the redhead turned to Marie. "Marie, can you set our course?"

'

The Rider nodded happily, hopping on her carriage. "Of course." She'd taken care to properly fix it during the small break, making it somehow look even more pristine than earlier. With their main form of transportation prepared, everyone was preparing to board it. But before they could leave...

'

"Wait, please. I see something up ahead," Jeanne called, while peering out into the distance a short distance from the carriage. Catching the interest of the others in the group, Mash joined most of them in searching the horizon beyond the trees for anything unusual. By pushing her eyes to their absolute limit, she was certain that she could see something far in the distance rising above the trees from time to time, but she had no idea what it could be. Jeanne truly had incredible vision to be able to spot whatever they were without being noted of it.

'

Mozart spoke out with a groan. "Even with my crippled hearing, I can tell that there are humans fighting against something inhuman."

'

"Yeah, there's definitely people, quite a few in fact, and almost all of them are armed with basic melee weapons," Dio confirmed from Chaldea. "I can give you a look, here." With a flick of his finger, Ritsuka's Multi-Appliance started projecting a three dimensional image of the scene far away, most likely captured through Sky Eye. And from just a few seconds of footage of soldiers desperately fending off beasts, it was clear what was happening.

'

Jeanne let out a gasp. "That's the... French army! They're being attacked by the wyverns!"

'

"So the army's still around despite all the chaos happenin'? Guess the soldiers from this era ain't entirely worthless after all," Lemminkäinen muttered. "But we took care of all the wyverns here, so these ones must be from somewhere else."

'

Dio nodded in agreement. "It would seem that they were transporting both soldiers and artillery and were attacked by one of the flocks randomly flying around the country. Talk about bad luck. Using cannons against enemies that close is really dangerous, so even if they do win, a pretty large number of them is going to get wiped out."

'

A dire yet accurate assessment, one that Jeanne reacted to immediately. "We need to go help them!"

'

While Mash very much agreed, before anyone could act, Kiyohime brought out an excellent point. "Depends on what Master says. We are all quite drained at the moment."

'

As all eyes turned to Ritsuka, she took a good look at the provided footage before smiling. "There don't seem to be too many wyverns and no Servants are present, so our course of action should be obvious. We'll swoop in, save the soldiers, and head out before they start asking too many questions."

'

A statement that received several approving nods from the Servants, plus a tired sigh from Amadeus, and a relieved smile from Mash. Of course her Senpai wouldn't let these people die, and had already given it enough thought to give them their instructions. However, Marie was apparently even more impressed than her. "Yes! How decisive, Ritsuka! That's what it means to be a commander!" she cheered, skipping over to the redhead. "Here's your reward!" And faster than anyone could react, Marie proceeded to grab each side of Ritsuka's face and pulled her closer, kissing her straight on the lips.

'

"What?" Mash's mouth fell agape. She felt... like she'd just been slapped, completely unprepared for the act that took place right in front of her. All the other women around were equally as shocked, staring at the two with wide eyes. But their surprise was nothing compared to the one actually being kissed. Mash honestly didn't know if it was physically safe to have one's eyes stretched that open or to be blushing that hard.

'

Lemminkäinen on the other hand, let out an impressed whistle. "Straight on the lips as well. She really knows her stuff, like I expected."

'

Even if it was only a second or two in reality, the kiss felt like it lasted an eternity, until Marie finally pulled back. "Well? Was it good?" she asked with a gorgeous smile, but the Master offered no response, just staring ahead.

'

Mash immediately rushed to her side, waving a hand in front of her face. "Senpai? Are you alright?" But Ritsuka still offered no response. While her face was almost as red as her hair, it was completely expressionless. Her mouth hung slightly open while her pupils were wide and unresponsive, making it extremely unclear if she was even conscious at the moment. Mash's anxiety only grew. "Ahh! Doctor, I believe Senpai is in shock!"

'

"She finally went and did it, huh?" Amadeus sighed while smiling with clear amusement. "Sorry, just ignore that. Maria has a bad habit of kissing everything. It caused chaos in the palace. There were actually factions formed of people she'd kissed and people she hadn't. No playwright would touch a story about a court that almost destroyed itself before the revolution."

'

But Mash was far too busy to properly register his tale, her focus entirely on waking up her Senpai. "Master, come on. Snap out of it. Snap out of it!" Not knowing what else to do, she loudly clapped her hands right in front of Ritsuka's face, which got her to finally react via flinching.

'

"...Yes?" Blinking at Mash a few times, she began to look around in clear confusion. It almost seemed like she'd suffered a short term memory loss of the last few seconds, until her gaze moved to Marie. Although her face didn't get any redder, her eyes snapped wide like realizing what had just occurred, leading her to avert her gaze and tapping her fingers awkwardly together as she mumbled. "I, um... T-thank you? I-I really wasn't ex-expecting... that." Mash was quite sure that she'd never seen her Senpai this flustered, nor could she think of a possible cause for an equally shocked reaction. This might have been the most unexpected occurrence to happen during their time in the Singularity.

'

And yet Marie tilted her head as if the response was in any way strange. "Huh? You guys don't do kisses? Maybe like when your heart feels like someones squeezing it... You do it too, right Jeanne?" She turned towards the Ruler hopefully, only to be met with immediate denial.

'

"I-I do not! I do not!" Shaking her head fiercely, Jeanne's voice lowered to a mumble as she added: "Only with someone I was going to marry..."

'

"Oh-hoh? Now that's an interesting habit I wouldn't mind spreading to my homeland," Lemminkäinen chuckled, only to be met with immediate opposition from Kiyohime.

'

"Absolutely not! Jeanne is right! Such acts should only be exchanged between lovers, not casually like that!" she argued vehemently and Elizabeth intensely nodded by her side.

'

"Y-yeah! Wh-what she said!" It seemed that she had been shocked to the point where she actually, genuinely agreed with Kiyohime.

'

Mash was unsure what she thought of the habit, not even realizing that such a custom existed before now. But before she could begin thinking about it too deeply, Ritsuka cut in: "W-we're getting distracted! Come on! Let's just save the troops quickly and be on our way!"

'

"Alright, here we go!" Bringing her carriage around excitedly, Marie hopped on to the driver's seat and directed it towards their destination... only to completely stop. Her earlier enthusiasm was completely drained away as she stared at the dense forest directly in front of her. "...Except my carriage can't just smash through all those trees without slowing down to a crawl."

'

"Marie, please stay with Siegfried while the rest of us deal with this. If you go back to the road, you should find a way around so that you can pick us up," Ritsuka noted after taking a quick look at her map. She then turned towards the rest of the Servants. "Everyone is pretty drained at the moment, so please try to defeat the wyverns by using as little magical energy as possible. Noble Phantasms should only be used in a completely unexpected emergency."

'

"Yes, Master!" Picking her Senpai up, Mash dashed into the woods with other Servants by her side or right behind. Even though she had done it more than a few times these past two days, there was a simple yet inexplicable thrill she felt whenever she ran through forests. And while she enjoyed seeing them even so quickly and understood why she couldn't waste time in doing so, she desperately wished that she would be able to spend a few minutes just taking a forest in before this Singularity was restored.

'

As they emerged from the trees to a wider grassland after a minute or so of running, Ritsuka was quick to give her instructions. "Alright, there's 16 wyverns in total, and still no signs of any Servants. This does really seem to just be a random flock." Mash could observe much the same. She could confirm eleven green ones, four brown ones, and one black wyvern. Aside from the black one, it wasn't too different from the first battle they faced in France. But this time, their allies had notably increased, meaning that this battle shouldn't take too long.

'

"These little newts won't even be a challenge, but I guess it's nice to stretch my fixed up muscles after the healin' session," Lemminkäinen muttered, pointing his sword at the strongest foe around. "I'll take the black one. Anythin' else is free game." Judging purely by the levels of magical energy, the black wyvern was easily more powerful than any of the others. Having one of their two strongest fighters take it on was the most logical conclusion, even if Mash doubted that he'd had that in mind during his suggestion.

'

Ritsuka nodded at the assertion. "That works out great. Alright everyone, try to strike hard and fast. If we can pull this off perfectly, we can take a few of them out before they realize that there's tougher prey around than just normal soldiers."

'

"Yes!" Mash of course would focus on keeping her Senpai safe, but would take the opportunity to assist the others should one emerge. Though obviously, such opportunities could only happen if there was absolutely no chance of Ritsuka being attacked.

'

"Aaah! No, please!" At this distance, Mash could already hear the hysteric screams of soldiers lying on the ground as a wyvern loomed over him, ready to devour its prey. But, just because she could hear him, didn't mean that she was close enough to stop the beast. Even if she didn't have to worry about their Master's safety, she wouldn't be able to make it in time to save him. But luckily, there were people far better suited for the task.

'

Dashing ahead of everyone else with their superior speed, Lemminkäinen and Jeanne each rushed towards a wyvern. While the latter was about to engage the black one, it noticed the approaching enemy and breathed a blast of fire towards him, only for the Saber to dodge to the side and leap at the wyvern, kicking it hard in the stomach to launch it away from the soldiers. Jeanne's target on the other hand was the green wyvern about to chomp down on the soldier. As the beast was so focused on the meal in front of it, it failed to notice the Ruler until she had rammed her flagpole right through its back, getting smashed into the ground. She then quickly turned to the awestruck man before any of the other wyverns could approach. "...Run!"

'

As the assault began, the rest of the wyverns quickly realized that there was actual formidable opposition around and started circling in the air. Though not before another one of their kind was taken down by Elizabeth stabbing her spear through its throat. As one beast tried to breathe fire at them, Kiyohime was quick to overpower the attack with her own, giving it some painful burns in the process. Before the battle could reach its full chaos, Mash promptly set Ritsuka down so that they could both work more efficiently and began scanning the battlefield for opportunities to make the most of her abilities. And all the while the soldier just sat on the ground and stared at the scene in front of him in absolute disbelief. "Wh-What?"

'

Not wasting any time, Jeanne lifted him up by the arm and gave a guiding push on his back. "Never mind, just make a run for it now! Do you want to die?" Not needing to be told thrice, the soldier nearly tripped on his first steps before making a mad dash towards his comrades some distance away, all of whom were now staring in awe at the unfolding battle. As Lemminkäinen was busy taking on the strongest foe, Elizabeth sprouted her wings to take to the air and limit the wyverns' movements, while Kiyohime kept countering their flames with her own. It was a beautifully effective combination, with everyone doing their part. In fact, even Amadeus was genuinely helping. Waving his baton, he materialized a glowing, purple music notation in the air and directed it to bind a wyvern's jaws. With its main method of attack disabled, Mash could charge head on and tackle the beast to the ground with her shield, letting Elizabeth finish it off with another stab to the throat with her spear. Seeing them as the far more formidable enemy, the wyverns began ignoring the escaping soldiers and focused their attention on the Servants. But just as things were starting to go smoothly...

'

"D-Don't run! That's the Dragon Witch over there!" One of the soldiers, a commander judging by his crest and slightly differing armor, shouted, pointing at Jeanne furiously. "Take her down! Avenge your hometowns!" Almost instantly, all of the soldiers scrambling away came to a halt, their eyes locking on to the Ruler.

'

"H-Hey yeah, isn't that the Dragon Witch? Why is she fighting the dragons?" one of them asked in clear confusion, only to be followed up by two more, these ones clearly furious.

'

"Don't ask me, but this is perfect. Let them both go down."

'

"They burned my homeland to the ground. I hope both of them die!"

'

"She's even got horrible human shaped dragons with her now!" one more soldier yelled, though shut up instantly upon getting an offended glare from both Elizabeth and Kiyohime.

'

"The soldiers are starting to get really fired up," Dio sighed through the communicator, sounding disappointed more than anything. "But man, talk about lousy motivation."

'

Before Mash could ask the question running through her mind, Lemminkäinen crashed to the ground on the black wyverns back. Pulling his sword out of the dead beast's skull, he let out a frustrated sigh. "Damn. Just when I was startin' to get in a good mood, these clowns had to go and ruin it. Though guess their reactions can't be helped with the Dragon Rider runnin' around and all."

'

And those words were enough to drive Mash forward. None of this made any sense to her. She had to give voice to her feelings. "But... Why? Don't they see that Jeanne is working to protect them right at this moment?"

'

The Saber turned towards her, appearing surprised. Only for a somber smile to grow on his lips as a sigh escaped between them. "Ah, I sometimes forget that you're still that innocent..." Walking closer and laying a hand on her shoulder, Lemminkäinen appeared genuinely sorry. "Hate to break it to ya, Mash, but that's just enraged mobs are. They've lost their homes, families and friends due to the crap the Dragon Rider has been pulling, so their rage and anguish is leadin' them to lash out at the easiest target they can blame, even if that target is the one savin' them at the moment."

'

Mash was just... speechless. Surely that couldn't be the reason. It was just completely illogical. More likely, it was Lemminkäinen who was making this all the more confusing. This just had to be his bizarre interpretation of their motive, that was all. And yet, just as the Shielder thought of that, Ritsuka spoke up, looking sad and frustrated as she nodded. "They don't even know that there are two Jeannes, so I can't exactly blame them for being confused, but their misplaced anger is leading them to do something really stupid right now." Mash was quite simply dumbfounded. So Lemminkäinen had been right in his assessment after all? Yet, even with Senpai agreeing with the explanation, it still didn't make any sense. Shouldn't just seeing Jeanne protecting them from the wyverns be enough to make them realize that something was wrong? Kiyohime and Elizabeth were actively slaying the beasts, yet they got labeled as monsters as well, just for their association with her? Were emotions truly powerful enough to get people to ignore logic to such a degree? She... She just couldn't understand it. Was that because she was still immature as a person? Because she had no genuine experience in any of those things? And then, a terrifying thought entered Mash's mind. She actually did have one of those things, something that she valued more than anything else. Would... Would she react in a similar fashion if something terrible happened to Senpai? Would she lash out in anger, irrationally blaming anything even mildly involved? But, just when she thought that her feelings couldn't get any more complicated...

'

"The people you're protecting are saying all kinds of things about you, Jeanne. Even though the only reason they can safely watch this is because you're dealing with the wyverns," Amadeus noted dryly, getting the Ruler to come to a complete halt and turn to him in surprise. "Quite a sad, but ridiculous story, isn't it? This is the second time you've strived to save this country, yet this time, they're treating you as an enemy." Mash, along with Ritsuka by her side, was completely shocked by the words. She had thought of something similar, yes, but how could he actually say that to Jeanne, right in the middle of the fight least of all!? The Ruler herself had gone completely silent, her unreadable gaze shifting between the wyverns and the soldiers.

'

But, not everyone's reactions were as subdued. "Amadeus!" Kiyohime growled, appearing genuinely angry alongside Elizabeth by her side. The draconic duo clutching their weapons started to approach him, clearly not interested in silencing him peacefully.

'

"You can't just say something like-!"

'

"No." Spreading an arm in front of them, Lemminkäinen silenced the two with a severe expression. "No interruptions. We'll hear how Jeanne responds. This is somethin' she must face, given who she is and what she wants to do. If those words are enough to break her down, she needs to hurry up and gather her resolve." While Mash would have very much liked to properly think over his words herself, she was at the moment far too distracted by the glares the two dragon girls were shooting at the Saber. She was even worried that the situation might turn into infighting and she would need to interfere... But thankfully, both Kiyohime and Elizabeth glared at him silently for a few seconds, before turning away with a huff. The Lancer spread her wings and dashed towards the nearest wyvern, while the Berserker focused on another enemy. They clearly didn't like his words, but ultimately agreed with them. Seeing them focus back on the battle, Lemminkäinen himself rushed back to clash against the wyverns, doing his best to keep them away from both the soldiers and the stunned Ruler.

'

"...Yeah. Even if I don't really like it, that's fair," Ritsuka mumbled, before her expression lightened as she looked towards Kiyohime, still fighting close to them. "Still, that doesn't mean that she has to fight the soldiers directly. Their stupidity and blind anger is putting their own lives at risk. Kiyohime, if you could?"

'

The Berserker gave her an appreciative nod. "Right, Master." With a wave of her fan, she spread a small wall of fire across the ground that separated the soldiers from them and the wyverns. While the barrier of flames was low enough to let them see over it, judging by the soldiers' expressions they seemed extremely hesitant to even try to jump over it. "Does this suffice?"

'

"Perfectly. Thank you very much. Could you also keep an eye on them to make sure that they don't do something really stupid, like going around your flames or trying to jump over them?"

'

"I will try."

'

With the soldiers kept away from the fight and the others focused on handling the wyverns, Mash dared to let a part of her focus drift back on the conversation between Jeanne and Amadeus. "So, what do you say, Jeanne? How do you feel about all this?" he inquired, only to be met with silence for the next few seconds. And then...

'

"...Normally, I would feel frustrated and be filled with despair. Those feelings would only be intensified by the fact that there are still so many unknowns about my and the Dragon Witch's connection, and which of us is the true Jeanne d'Arc," Jeanne started depressingly, only for a completely unexpected, yet astoundingly radiant smile to grow on her lips as she continued. "But, unfortunately, I'm an optimist in life. If by hating me they can stand back up, then I think that's a good thing. If they can stand together and unite their strength, that matters more than who the true Jeanne d'Arc is. I believe that's what is truly important."

'

Mash felt her mouth fall agape at the answer, and from the corner of her eye, she saw Ritsuka having the exact same reaction. It was quite clear that neither of them had expected such an answer, but that wasn't what the Shielder found most amazing. Even though her ability to read people was far from perfect, she could tell that Jeanne was being completely sincere with her words. And judging by her Senpai's reaction, she knew that as well. Amadeus too looked completely dumbfounded as he stared at the Ruler. "...Are you sane?"

'

But Jeanne just smiled awkwardly. "Good question. People questioned my sanity when I decided to bring salvation to France." Such an attitude in the face of such reality shaking questions. It was truly a profound moment... Only for it to be completely shattered as a loud impact shook the earth right behind her. "Eep!" Jeanne nearly jumped from shock as Lemminkäinen crashed down to the ground on the back of another wyvern, this time less than two meters behind her.

'

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" the Saber cackled. Jumping off the beast and walking to somewhat rattled Jeanne, he slapped her on the back with considerable force. "Well said, Jeanne! That's how a country savin' hero should talk!" Mash wasn't entirely sure how he had managed to perfectly follow the conversation while simultaneously killing the most wyverns in the group, so she just guessed that it was thanks to some type of hearing boosting magecraft.

'

Jeanne, clearly still unsure how to react, smiled even more awkwardly than before. "Um, I... Thank you? But I hardly saved France on my own."

'

Lemminkäinen shook his head. "Nah, it's not about that. I can't think of any heroes who saved their countries doin' it completely on their own." He then jabbed a finger at the middle of Jeanne's chest, getting a yelp from her. "But that attitude of yours, that heart, is exactly what you need. Strivin' to save this land, even if the people don't appreciate it. Not fallin' into despair despite their resentment. You remember that feelin', and no force can keep you down."

'

The Ruler kept staring at him for a few seconds, clearly having not expected him to say anything of the sort. But as the surprise wore off, an appreciative smile grew in its place. "...Thank you. I'll keep those words in mind."

'

"She really is just incredible," Ritsuka mumbled softly, smiling at the Ruler as she and the Saber moved on to fighting the wyverns as if nothing had happened. "Even if she doesn't think of herself as a saint, in my opinion Jeanne more than deserves the title."

'

"Yes..." the Shielder nodded absentmindedly. 'Saving someone even if she was hated for it...' Mash wasn't sure how she felt about that. Obviously, being saved by someone should be met with gratitude, but to repay them with hatred...? If she saved a person, someone who she had no connection to, and was met with spite, she would certainly feel bad, but would still continue to do her best despite that. But if all of her efforts, no matter how arduous, were with the same treatment... Mash honestly wasn't sure if she could go on. Of course, if Senpai still believed in her and praised her, she could certainly endure that spite, even if it was hard. But as far as she knew, Jeanne didn't have someone like that. Yet even so, she could still stand and fight for these people. Like Ritsuka had said, it was just incredible.

'

"A small heads up, guys," Roman called, snapping the Shielder's attention back to the fight. "The army is preparing their cannons and aiming in your direction. Obviously they won't work on Servants, but Mash needs to keep a close eye on Ritsuka so that any shrapnel or worse won't hit her."

'

Immediately moving to action, Mash focused all of her efforts to guarding her Master, not wasting a single thought on trying to attack the wyverns. "Please focus on the remaining wyverns, everyone. I will keep Master safe, no matter what."

'

Some of the fighting Servants gave her acknowledging nods, while others just kept fighting, still, the combat remained much the same for a little under a minute, until Roman spoke again: "Alright, get ready Mash. Here they come." The Shielder tensed, pulling Ritsuka right behind her shield to ensure maximum protection. And then, came the call.

'

"Artillery, FIRE!"

'

Kaboom

'

But much to Mash's relief, all of the fired shots either hit the wyverns or flew past them to the distance. And the shots that hit seemed to do noticeable damage, chipping away at the beasts' scales and knocking them out of flight. But while the rest of the Servants were either watching the wyverns getting blasted or moving further away from them to avoid any shrapnel, Mash noticed Jeanne looking in the opposite direction, towards the cannons themselves. "Huh?" As the Ruler's eyes widened in surprise, she followed her line of sight, noticing a man clearly in charge of the current development.

'

"Prioritize all surrounding dragons! Fire all cannons!" The black haired man in silver and teal armor riding on a horse was directing the army, shouting orders and pointing cannons towards their targets.

'That in itself wasn't surprising, but Jeanne's following gasp certainly was. "Gilles!" A name that most certainly got Mash's attention. This man was the real, living Gilles de Rais?

'"The army is really starting to put in some work, now that they've got some proper direction. They're even nice enough to not fire at you at the moment," Dio laughed, getting an agreeing nod from Ritsuka.

'

"Yeah, it looks like our work here is done." Turning her attention back on the beasts, Mash had to agree. The black wyvern had been a massive hurdle to them, but with it gone, the army could handle the remaining weaker wyverns with their cannons. At this point, there were only three of them left, and all were already injured. Judging by the constant blasts from the cannons, they wouldn't last long. It truly was an opportune time for them to leave, before the soldiers could move their attention back to the Servants. And, as if she had been called just for this moment, Marie's carriage emerged from behind some trees and rushed towards the group.

'

"Heeeeeyyy! Sorry I'm late!" she shouted from the driver's seat, waving at them happily.

'

"Perfect timing, actually." Ritsuka waved back before motioning the others towards the carriage. "Everyone, let's get out of here and head for our resting place."

'

"Yes!" Mash, obviously, was the first to rush towards the vehicle by her Senpai's side. Though she did catch a glimpse of Jeanne giving the army a wistful look before joining them. In the next few seconds, the lack of cannon fire also signaled that the wyverns had been defeated, meaning that their mission here was well and truly complete. But just as the last of them were about to board the carriage, a call rang through the area.

'

"Jeanne! Please wait!" Turning around, Mash spotted Gilles de Rais quickly riding straight towards them on his horse, eyes locked on to Jeanne. She was quite sure that she had never seen anyone that happy in her life. The man appeared genuinely overjoyed just from seeing the Ruler. "You are indeed Jeanne d'Arc! Not the Dragon Witch, but a bona fide saint!"

'

But Jeanne just remained quiet, urging the others to board the carriage. Finally, Marie asked: "...Shouldn't you answer?"

'

"If I answer, I will endanger Gilles's position. For now, we can't depend on him or the army," she muttered silently while climbing aboard. "At the very least, I must endure the scorn of those who once fought by my side."

'

"But... Do they really hate you?"

'

Jeanne didn't answer the question, just motioning Marie to drive. "...Let's go."

'

Doing as she was asked, the Rider turned the vehicle around and her horses began running, all the while Gilles rode after them. "Jeanne! Wait! Please!" he pleaded, but of course, a normal horse had no chance of keeping up with a Servant's mount, leaving him quickly behind.

'

As the carriage entered another forest road after a minute or so, the melancholy air around the Ruler was noticeable to everyone inside. Mash decided to finally break the silence. "Jeanne, that person was Gilles de Rais, wasn't he?" she asked. Even if that was almost definitely the case, she wished for a concrete answer.

'

"Indeed..." Jeanne nodded stiffly, her eyes on the carriage floor. "He was once my friend, and... one of the sins I committed."

'

"So that's the living one. I remember Jeanne Alter mentioning him when we first met. Does that mean that he's also here as a Servant?" Amadeus muttered, getting another stiff nod.

'

"Most likely. And if he was summoned by her, I have no doubt that he would take her side..."

'

"So what's his deal anyway?" Lemminkäinen asked from the roof, getting Jeanne's expression to drop even further. But before she was forced to answer, Dio provided a quick summary.

'

"Let's just say that some time after Jeanne was executed, he kind of... went insane. Also ended up committing all kinds of screwed up shit over the years." A statement Mash very much agreed with. She was aware of a basic summary of Gilles de Rais' life, and the parts after Jeanne's death were... disturbing to say the least.

'

"Seeing how overjoyed he seemed to be just from seeing you, I think I can understand why," Marie somberly noted from her seat. "Like most soldiers, he must've idolized you. Perhaps even more than them."

'

"Guys, not really the best topic," Ritsuka sighed, getting an appreciative look from Jeanne. "Come on, we've still got some ways to go before we get to Château de Chalmazel and talking about depressing things is hardly the best way to cool off after that series of battles. The sooner we're there, the sooner we get to properly rest, but that doesn't mean that we can't relax a bit during the journey."

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

After some more time on the road, Ritsuka and the others soon laid eyes on the castle covered by forest to the point of being nearly inaccessible, Château de Chalmazel. Though it was less like a great fortress, and more like a fortified house. Admittedly a large house by the timeperiod's standards, but still one. Still, it was well built and kept out both wind and rain, so it was more than qualified to be the group's temporary shelter. And whether it was intentional or not, the castle had been built on top of a leyline, making it all the more suitable for them to rest in. As the group got closer, it quickly became clear that the fort was abandoned. Not that rare considering the current situation of France, but the lack of any signs of struggle made it rather strange. Although, once they entered, the reason for the desertion became quite obvious: Hands of Dawn. There were several inside the building, particularly on the lower sections, but even with most of the Servants tired from battle, they weren't tough to deal with. They were basically resources with a very slight risk. Da Vinci and Dio seemed all the more interested that the creatures appeared even on leylines with structures built on them. With the danger dealt with, the group further inspected the area, and it seemed that the castle had been evacuated in a hurry, not particularly surprising given the sudden appearance of monsters inside of it, so mostly everything was in good condition. Proper furniture, including beds, and cooking ware. There was even some edible food left in the pantry. This would definitely be their most comfortable 'camping site' until now.

'

After placing her equipment away properly, Ritsuka entered the lounge where most of the Servants were, including their currently incapacitated Dragon Slayer resting on the couch. "How is Siegfried's injury looking?" The question was more of a custom than an actual inquiry, given that Ritsuka could literally see the curse on his body looking as menacing as ever.

'

"My Noble Phantasm can heal wounds, just a bit. But not this one, it seems," Marie confirmed, much like that Master had figured. She was also doing her damndest to ignore the fact that they'd just kissed earlier. Straight on the lips too. Like, no one else had brought it up afterwards, so maybe it was just a weird hallucination or a daydream? Yeah, that had to be it, definitely... Hopefully...

'

"...It looks like some kind of curse," Siegfried himself grunted, getting a nod from Lemminkäinen.

'

"Oh, it absolutely is a curse. A bundle of them, in fact. You're one tough bastard to be still alive with all of those."

'

"Why were you in that city?" Jeanne asked.

'

"It seems that I was summoned relatively early. I was drifting without a Master... That's when I saw the town being attacked."

'

"So you went to rescue them?" Lemminkäinen confirmed, nodding in approval. "The proper action for a hero."

'

"Yes... Though it's not like when I was alive. Still, with Balmung, I managed somehow. When you're attacked by multiple Servants, it's not easy to pull off." Man... Ritsuka knew that he would be a strong ally, this was beyond what she'd imagined. While Siegfried was obviously a powerful and famous Servant, taking on multiple of Jeanne Alter's Servants at once was still pretty damn impressive. "...But unfortunately, the one known as the Dragon Witch managed to get a good hit on me with some stakes and fire. While my Noble Phantasm reduced the damage to a level where it wasn't lethal, there were some kinds of powerful curses imbued in her attacks, which managed to slip through the protection. There was a lot of fire, collapsed buildings, and I got blasted pretty far by her attack, so I think she just thought me dead. Obviously I survived, but had trouble even moving afterwards, so I thought that the end was certain. But then, one of the Servants under her command hid me in that ruin you found me in. My wound wouldn't heal, and I couldn't ask anyone for help either. Ultimately, I had no choice but to wait."

'

Ritsuka let out a thoughtful humm. So that's how he ended up down there. It certainly explained a lot, and she was pretty sure she knew who that Servant had been. "Was it a woman who could control a dragon?"

'

The Saber looked at her in confusion. "Dragon? No, it was a turtle... No, a dragon... A dragon turtle... Now that you mention it, is it possible for that kind of dragon to exist?" As he mumbled to himself, Ritsuka thought back on the great beast. It really had been quite a fearsome enemy. Although, given the sheer variety of creatures referred to as dragons around the globe, Tarasque wasn't really that bizarre. Apparently having sorted his thoughts out, Siegfried then turned to Jeanne. "Oh. She had the aura of a Ruler, similar to what you have."

'

"It was Saint Martha, I'd say," she nodded, and Siegfried's eyes widened in recognition.

'

"So that's Saint Martha, the one who drove off the evil dragon Tarasque. I want to thank her-" Upon seeing the regretful looks on Jeanne and Mash's faces, the Saber immediately fell silent. Ritsuka certainly didn't mind. Having a Servant who could read a room was more than welcome. "...I see, then never mind. I am sure she was prepared for the worst. Still, I feel guilty that she saved me when I was useless."

'

Walking closer, Jeanne placed a hand on Siegfried's shoulder. "In any case, Baptism Rites could probably remove these curses. But, a Servant of considerably high rank must perform it."

'

"Jeanne, you can do that, can't you?" Marie asked, but the Ruler shook her head apologetically.

'

"...No. I tried, but my power alone isn't enough. Multiple curses have been put on Siegfried." Jeanne's hand that was placed on the shoulder glowed with gentle light, pushing the black-purple lines back... Only for them to immediately slither back as she stopped. "...It truly is a miracle he's even alive."

'

Yeah, this was basically what Ritsuka had been afraid of. While she was happy that they'd at least managed to save Siegfried, the feeling was definitely dampened by the fact that he couldn't properly fight, much less actually slay Fafnir. Still, curses were hardly almighty. By their nature, they had flaws in them, which meant that their situation was far from hopeless. With that, she turned to their most prominent expert on the subject. "Any ideas, Lemminkäinen?"

'

But unfortunately, the Saber shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm with Jeanne on this one. This many curses bundled together is too much for me. If it was in a better spot, I could've removed the curse by cuttin' off the affected part and healin' it afterwards, but seein' how it's... you know, all over, that won't work. The old man might've been able to work somethin' out, but I'm good at counterin' curses, not removin' several powerful ones." The Master gave him a stiff nod, at least appreciating his honesty. The strength of these curses really complicated matters. But just as she was about to start brainstorming some possibilities, Lemminkäinen rubbed his jaw and mumbled the most outlandish idea yet. "Although, maybe if we had a Kokko..."

'

Ritsuka could only deadpan at the suggestion. Of all the ridiculous things he could've said. "...Are you serious? There's no way something like that would just pop up in France." When thinking about a phantasmal of that ranking showing up, they might as well be hoping for a wish granting genie to show up. She was absolutely certain that none of their kind had even been spotted in Finland for the last millenia or so, which made the very thought of one of them showing up in France just hilarious.

'

"What's a 'kokko'?" Marie asked, her genuine curiosity managing to ease Ritsuka's frustration a bit.

'

"They're a phantasmal species from Finland," she revealed while giving Lemminkäinen a light glare. "And if we had something like that, we could just let it fight Fafnir straight up with the rest of us. Would improve our odds a whole lot. Basically, think of a giant eagle made of metal with power over fire and you've got the right idea."

'

"...How giant?" Elizabeth asked, and Lemminkäinen took a second to tap his chin before answering.

'

"Well, they can vary in size, but the one I met by the river of fire was a bit smaller than Fafnir. Like, remove its back legs and the tail, move wings forward and shorten the neck, and it'd be roughly the same."

'

As an expectedly surprised murmur took over the room, Mozart let out an impressed whistle. "I can see how a beast like that would be useful in a fight, but how would it help with removing curses?"

'

"'Cause they eat 'em," Lemminkäinen answered as if it was the most obvious fact ever, silencing the entire room. The others exchanged dumbfounded looks, which wasn't exactly something Ritsuka could blame them for. They were quite fantastical creatures after all.

'

"...Excuse me?" the Caster continued in disbelief, only to receive another perfectly casual reply.

'

"Kokko eat curses. Well, most types of magical energy, but curses are somethin' they can definitely do."

'

"How does something like that even work?"

'

"Well, they just approach whatever's been cursed, pluck it out with their monstrous talons and swallow. Their stomachs are like furnaces that break down spells and curses into raw magical energy, which they then absorb."

'

As the other Servants listened to the Saber's explanation in wonder, Siegfried, the second most accustomed to such fantastic beasts in the group, gave him an impressed smile. "I see. They seem like formidable, yet useful creatures."

'

"I know, right?" Lemminkäinen chuckled.

'

Ritsuka pinched the bridge of her nose. Meeting a kokko would be absolutely amazing, but this really wasn't the time or the place to discuss these things. "While I don't disagree, we're getting seriously sidetracked here. The chances of a kokko popping up are way lower than any alternatives, so we should focus on them."

'

"Huh? Ahem. Yes, indeed," Jeanne agreed, even if it seemed like she really wanted to hear more. "In my case, we need another Saint to remove multiple curses at once."

'

"A Servant who was a saint... Hmm?" Mash mumbled, setting off another series of discussions while Ritsuka cursed internally. This was another possibility she'd feared. Just what the hell would be the chances of another saint popping up in France?

'

But apparently, those chances were far better than she'd realized, judging how positive Roman appeared through the screen. "...Yes, we do have a chance. If Saint Jeanne d'Arc..." he started, though upon noticing the slightest hints of a frown on the Ruler's face, quickly corrected himself. "Sorry, Jeanne the 'Dragon Witch' has the Holy Grail. There is a possibility that a Saint was summoned in opposition as the result of the Counter Force."

'

A suggestion that gave Ritsuka a faint bit of hope. It... at least sounded plausible, based on what she knew of Counter Force's workings. That hope was only increased as Dio followed up. "A bit of a stretch, but definitely not impossible. Especially given how many saints are French."

'

The redhead felt her eyebrows rising in inquiry. That was certainly a curious phrasing. "How many French saints are there, actually?"

'

"What's our category? Those canonized by the Catholic Church?" he asked with a grin that gave her a bad feeling.

'

"Uh, sure?"

'

"Well that's one hell of a list, considering that there are roughly 150 people on it," the Spaniard laughed, and Ritsuka could almost feel her eyes pop out of her head. Hell, even the actual French Servants looked surprised by the reveal. There were seriously that many? And if that was just France, how many were there in the world as a whole? Man, the Catholics liked to give the pass to be a saint to a ton of people. After having his laugh at the flabbergasted reactions, Dio eventually got more serious. "But I guess we should limit our hopes to those who performed miraculous deeds and are closely connected to France, huh?"

'

"Y-yeah. That'd probably help," Ritsuka mumbled quietly, still trying to process the sheer number of saints.

'

"In that case, our most likely bets would be Denis of Paris, Giles the Hermit, Martin of Tours, Radegund and Louis IX."

'

Jeanne responded with a hopeful smile, clearly recognizing each of the suggested names. "I believe any of them would more than suffice in helping me remove the curses. Still, we can only hope that an actual Saint was truly summoned."

'

"I mean, Saint Martha was actually summoned, right? Do you guys know any more Saint Servants to ask?" Roman suggested, immediately getting a number of incredulous looks thrown at him. This man really needed to learn to think things through before saying them.

'

At least Siegfried seemed to take him seriously, but even he shook his head. "Aside from her, you're the only Servants that I've met that haven't attacked me."

'

"We don't know any other Servants besides the ones who became enemies either," Marie continued, followed by Kiyohime.

'

"Same with us." All answers that Ritsuka had completely expected. There was no way it would've been that easy for them to find a saint.

'

"Yeah, that was pretty much what I'd figured. Nice try though, Roman," Dio chuckled, joined by Da Vinci from somewhere in the background. The Doctor visibly shrunk down in his chair, the absurdity of his question only coming to him in hindsight. "But still, France is a fairly large country, so searching it completely isn't easy or quick, even with about half of it having been burned to the ground. There's also the danger of any potential allies coming into contact with the enemies and dying."

'

The Master really appreciated how he could just lay down facts like that, even after joking. Those two were currently their biggest hurdles, and they were all equally aware of that. Jeanne nodded seriously. "True. We need to come up with a strategy that will let us cover the most ground with the least amount of risks." As most of the people started contemplating their next steps, Ritsuka followed suit. They had to weigh all options carefully, or they might just get someone or everyone killed. But before she could go into full brainstorm mode, Marie spoke up somewhat hesitantly.

'

"...Staying together is probably safer, but maybe it would be better if we split up?" A suggestion that earned her surprised looks from everyone, even Mozart. But despite the reactions, the Rider pushed her point on resolutely. "Unless we remove the curses on 'Dragon Slayer' Siegfried, we can't defeat Fafnir can we? So splitting up would be the quickest way to cover more ground."

'

"It's not completely impossible, but it would be way more difficult," Ritsuka admitted, and then, she began to fully contemplate Marie's idea. She honestly really hoped that she could come up with a counterargument of sorts, but found herself unable to form any proper, sensible ones. As frustrating and dangerous as it was, Marie's suggestion did have plenty of merits. Realistically, it was their best option while also not playing it too safe. They wouldn't get anywhere if they weren't willing to take at least some risks for the mission. Withholding a sigh, she gave the Rider a nod. "While I don't like it that much, splitting up would really increase our searching efficiency. We need to go over the details of the split, but before that, are there any who would object altogether?"

'

Most people present shook their heads, the sole exception being Jeanne, who seemed troubled. "But..."

'

"Jeanne?" Marie asked, getting the Ruler to relax almost instantly.

'

"Oh, well. ...It's nothing. You are right. I think that's a reasonable idea." Seems they had the same feelings on the plan, but also realized its necessity. "How should we split up, then?" she asked, and Ritsuka raised two fingers.

'

"Two groups. Given the strength of the enemy Servants, dividing any further would be too risky." That was as far as she was willing to go, and thankfully Jeanne concurred.

'

"Agreed. And both groups should also have approximately the same combat strengths," she followed, putting the redhead's secondary concern into words. "Given that as a Ruler, I can detect Servants from a greater distance than others, I believe I should be in a separate group from you, Ritsuka."

'

Ritsuka nodded, really glad that they were so in sync over this. "Yeah, that makes sense. Between one group having you and the other Sky Eye, we should be able to cover a lot of ground. As for the actual splits, let's see..."

'

But before she could even properly consider them, Marie sprung up from her seat. "I just had a great idea! Let's draw lots right now!"

'

Faced with such pure eagerness, Jeanne gave the Rider an apologetic smile while saying what most of them thought. "While I appreciate your enthusiasm, Marie, this is a bit too important of a decision to be based on chance."

'

As Marie's smile faded, Ritsuka nodded encouragingly, just the slightest bit relieved that she didn't have to be the only one raining on this parade. "Yes. Like Jeanne said, we need to consider the combat performance of the groups and such."

'

"Hmph. Fine..." Obviously disappointed, Marie sat down with an adorable pout, all the while Mozart chuckled.

'

"You just wanted to draw lots, didn't you?"

'

As the Rider responded with merely a huff, Ritsuka did her best to ignore her cuteness and move the conversation back on track. "First off, I think Siegfried should come with my group. I can heal him as well as give him some magical energy from time to time."

'

"Indeed. I also believe that to be for the best," Jeanne nodded. "Then, given that they are Servants originally contracted to you, Lemminkäinen and Mash should go with your group."

'

"I wouldn't dream of leaving Mash behind." A comment that immediately earned Ritsuka a beaming smile from the Shielder, which she was quick to reciprocate. It was also good that both teams had strong defensive Noble Phantasms in case of a sudden attack from a powerful enemy Noble Phantasm. Although, with that decision, there was also another worry. "But in that case, the balance of fighting power shifts quite a bit..." She moved her gaze to the Lancer that had been mostly quiet thus far. "Elizabeth? Would you mind going with Jeanne?"

'

Elizabeth's ears immediately perked up and a somewhat smug smile grew on her lips as she crossed her arms. "That's fine with me." It was blatantly obvious to everyone that she was mostly just pleased with the suggestion of her apparent strength.

'

"Then I'll be joining Master's group," Kiyohime immediately followed, receiving no objections. Considering how much these two argued, this truly might be for the better.

'

"That's fine with me," Ritsuka confirmed, receiving a smile from the Berserker that was almost as pleased as Mash's.

'

"And I'm going with Jeanne as well!" Marie exclaimed, and no objections were heard. The Master was actually quite happy with this split, given that the teams were fairly balanced. Though there was just one final person.

'

"Which just leaves Amadeus..."

'

"I'm fine with whichever," he shrugged, and Ritsuka quickly moved in.

'

"Well, given that we need to keep Siegfried safe, having some extra help would be good."

'

And yet, that immediately got the Saber in question to hang his head apologetically. "I'm sorry for being such a burden..."

'

Ritsuka mentally slapped herself. In hindsight, her words did sound somewhat condescending, but she also wasn't used to legendary heroes being this sensitive. Most of them had a completely different attitude. Still, it definitely wouldn't hurt to take a more positive approach with him. "You don't need to apologize so much. If you feel bad for having us help you, you can more than repay us by helping in taking down Fafnir once you're healed."

'

Her words seemed to have at least some effect, as Siegfried raised his head back up, now sporting a far more fitting, resolute expression. "That, I will strive for."

'

Taking the apparent success, Ritsuka moved on with the planning. "Now, we need to figure out how we'll go about our search. Mostly because even attempting to comb through the entirety of France in any reasonable time is just lunacy." With a few presses, she projected a map of the country from her Multi-Appliance in the middle of the group, and Jeanne moved closer to inspect it.

'

"Agreed. I believe we should focus on the southern part of the country for the moment, since the northern territories seem to be mostly destroyed..." While there was a slight pause with the ending of the sentence, the Ruler didn't let sorrow distract her and was quick to run her hand over a portion of the map. "My group will take a larger portion, since we can travel faster. We should head to the west and cover as much ground as we are able before turning southward. You should do the same for the east. Paying visits to any larger towns and cities is important, as those are the locations other Servants have likely headed to as well."

'

"Yeah, that makes sense," Ritsuka nodded and took a closer look as well, quickly finding a suitable place for her needs. "And if we don't find anyone, I'd say we should regroup in Montpellier to plan our next course of action."

'

"That sounds appropriate. We should leave tomorrow morning, my group's first destination, Clermont. Does anyone have any objections to our plan?" As no one raised any objections on the Ruler's question, Ritsuka felt a tinge of satisfaction. Of course, getting multiple opinions on a plan was good for finding any flaws in it, but unnecessary disagreements could always make meetings like this go on for way too long. Jeanne seemed equally as satisfied, judging by her smile. "Good. Then it is decided."

'

"I see that your plan of action is complete," Da Vinci suddenly noted, her screen appearing by the wall so that everyone could see her. "Now that that's taken care of, there's something important we need to discuss, mainly about Jeanne Alter's group."

'

Oh, Ritsuka had a bad feeling about this. But before she could even think of voicing her concerns, Lemminkäinen let out a completely opposite reply. "Well, we did manage to take out two of her Servants and a few dozen wyverns, so I'd say this day has gone pretty well thus far," he chuckled, and while Da Vinci seemed to agree with her smile, it had a serious tone that only made the Master more nervous.

'

"You're not wrong about that, but there is a notable issue that needs to be addressed."

'

Dio's screen popped up right next to the Caster's, showing off a model of Jeanne Alter beside his face. "We weren't sure about this during your first meeting, since we could only observe her with our normal instruments, but now that we have observational results from Sky Eye, there can be no doubt. Jeanne Alter has the Holy Grail with her, at all times."

'

The room went silent as everyone in it stared at the Spaniard in shock. It was as if they were all questioning if he'd actually said that seriously. Eventually, Ritsuka managed to let out a quiet: "...What?" She had a damn Grail with her the entire time? Then couldn't she have just used it to wipe them out immediately? But why didn't she? This was seriously making her brain hurt.

'

While everyone else was still stupefied, Siegfried seemed quite deep in thought over the reveal. "It's true that she has an extraordinary amount of magical energy, but to think that it would be because of that..."

'

At this point, Ritsuka's brain was being overcooked with questions, so she simply decided to ask the most obvious ones. "But we never even saw the Grail with either encounter. And why would you be unable to tell that with even the normal instruments?"

'

"Because the Grail is inside of her. That messes with the observational equipment a bit," Da Vinci revealed, getting a few more gasps, but she just laughed them off. "Don't act so surprised. After all, Holy Grail is in effect a solidified mass of pure magical energy. It's hardly impossible for someone to hold it inside their own body. In fact, that just makes it more efficient to receive the magical energy from it." ...When put like that, the Master could see it making sense. She was beginning to think that doubting anything these two were telling her would just be a waste of her brain cells. It might honestly just be easier to accept anything they said as possible.

'

"Thinkin' about it, that also makes it way easier for her to keep it safe. No chance of anyone just sneakin' into her base and stealin' it while she's away," Lemminkäinen muttered, and Ritsuka had to admit that it was a good point. She had at one point considered the simple possibility of just stealing the Grail from where Jeanne Alter kept it. The plan would've needed way more intel to become even an option, but with this revelation it had become completely impossible.

'

"That's true, but haven't you all wondered about something?" Dio followed. "About how all the enemy Servants can just go around killing humans without limit, and then just show up to fight you while in peak condition? While they do receive some energy from the humans they kill, with how thoroughly they demolish settlements, it shouldn't be enough to keep their energy from draining to that decree."

'

Ritsuka had admittedly been wondering about that at times, but with everything they'd talked about until this point, the answer was hardly unexpected. "...The Grail," she muttered, getting a thumbs up from the Spaniard.

'

"Exactly. The Servants under Jeanne Alter's command have technically inexhaustible magical energy, since they constantly receive a feed of it from the Grail. Well, all Servants summoned into the Singularity do, but not as much."

'

"Wait, you mean us?" Elizabeth asked, eyes wide. "We're seriously getting power from the Grail?" While Kiyohime and Siegfried both had similar, milder reactions, the rest of the Servants didn't seem that surprised. Ritsuka was much the same, having figured the cause would be something like that, given their talk yesterday about the nature of the great number of Servants being summoned.

'

Da Vinci let out a soft chuckle at the dragon girl's reaction. "Well, you're Masterless Servants, but despite that you still regain magical energy rather quickly whenever you rest. Where else would it come from but the very thing that summoned you?"

'

Elizabeth stared at her for a while, until realization dawned on her face. Ritsuka could practically see the dots connecting in the girl's mind. "Huh... Yeah, I guess you're right."

'

While Kiyohime kept silent, Siegfried also appeared to have found his answer to an unanswered question. "I had been wondering that myself, and it really does seem to be the most likely cause. I used quite a bit of magical energy during the battle with the enemy Servants, so without a replenishing source, I would have likely succumbed to this curse already."

'

"The Grail already does most of the heavy lifting during normal Grail Wars, so it's not hard to imagine it putting in some extra effort in this case," Dio noted. "It also helps that it's easier to maintain Servants inside Singularities."

'

Ritsuka cocked her brow. That was something that she wasn't aware of. "It is?" she asked, getting a nod from Da Vinci.

'

"Definitely. The biggest hurdle for the very existence of Servants is the World itself trying to remove them, seeing how they are beings that shouldn't exist in basically any era. But, given how Singularities are spaces that are not part of the regular temporal axis, this corrective force becomes basically nonexistent. Most of that fixing effort is going straight for the Singularities themselves, leaving whatever is inside them a secondary concern."

'

"Which lets Servants exist even without the support from a Master," Ritsuka finished, getting a wink from the Caster.

'

"Exactly."

'

That definitely gave the redhead some things to contemplate. So, if this wasn't a Singularity, that contract with Jeanne might've legitimately put her out of commission... Good to know. These last few minutes had sure been informative. "Thanks. That all certainly explained some things."

'

"Yes," Jeanne agreed, only for her expression to grow serious. "But there's also the two new Servants that need to be discussed, considering that we'll almost certainly be running into them later."

'

Ritsuka nodded. She'd been waiting to get to this part. "Yeah, those two. We should begin with the one we know more about, the Assassin."

'

Marie's expression noticeably fell at the shift in topic. "...Charles-Henri Sanson."

'

"I can definitely see how he could become an Assassin," Dio agreed. "The first executioner in history to use the guillotine after playing notable roles in its testing and inspection, and having performed 2,918 executions, he is quite familiar with death."

'

"And now that he's gone insane, he's even more determined to chop off people's heads," Mozart muttered with a frown. There was definitely some beef between those two. Still, knowing his True Name did clear some things out for Ritsuka.

'

"That also explains his low Presence Concealment, since he wasn't an actual stealthy killer during his life. I guess he ended up getting summoned due to his connection to Marie, because I really can't see any other good reason for Jeanne Alter to summon him."

'

"True. If she wanted either a skilled Assassin or a powerful fighter, she got neither," Da Vinci nodded. "The one major danger he might possess is his Noble Phantasm."

'

"I bet you the next rewiring shift that it's gonna be a giant guillotine," Dio chuckled, only for her to shake her head with a knowing smile.

'

"I won't take that bet, since it's almost definitely a giant guillotine."

'

As the two laughed, Lemminkäinen cut in with a confused tone. "It's this device for loppin' off people's heads, right? How's somethin' that gonna work?"

'

"Well, if I had to guess, it's more than likely going to be conceptual in nature," the Spaniard explained. "Like, he summons a giant guillotine and draws his target in. Then, a check of some kind to determine its effectiveness. I can see it being more powerful against certain targets, like Servants who died via being executed, or perhaps those that possess an Evil Alignment. Whichever it is, there are a few in your group that really need to watch out for it." Not even trying to be subtle, his eyes moved over Jeanne, Marie, Elizabeth and Kiyohime, the latter two frowning at the suggestion. "But, these are just educated guesses, and I can't guarantee that they're right." Whatever the case, Ritsuka made herself a mental note to try and keep these four away from the Assassin until they had a proper confirmation of his abilities.

'

"I guess the best case scenario would be for him to just target Lemminkäinen," Mozart noted with a smirk. "Even if he ends up getting his head chopped clean off, we can just glue it back on with some honey."

'

An observation that earned him more than a few laughs, especially from the Saber himself. "Hah! I'd love to see the bastard's face if that ends up happenin'!"

'

"See, that's the type of positive thinking I love. If your pal can survive decapitation, go crazy with it," Dio grinned, getting a sigh from Da Vinci, even if she was still smiling herself. "Still, Sanson isn't that powerful, even with Madness Enhancement. I'm pretty sure almost anyone there would be able to take him on in a one-on-one fight. Except maybe Mozart."

'

The Caster just shrugged, not even bothering to argue. "Yeah, that's true."

'

"It's relieving at least." Ritsuka was just happy that at least one of their enemies was someone they could manage without too many issues. And yet, considering everyone else they were up against, that joy didn't last for too long. A soft groan escaped her mouth just from thinking about the other enemy they'd met. "But then there's the major issue: That stupidly strong knight."

'

While she hated to do it, Ritsuka's complaint returned the serious mood to the room. Everyone was well aware of just how much of a menace that guy was. The knight had been a complete wild card that came out of nowhere and sewed complete chaos in their ranks. They would've been able to escape from the battle altogether if it wasn't for him. "Do we still have any idea who that knight could be?" Jeanne asked, but Dio just shrugged.

'

"Not enough data, unfortunately. Aside from being absurdly strong and skilled, he didn't have anything that notable about him. With that strength, he could very well be one of the Knights of the Round Table or Charlemagne's Paladins, but even that is a guess. That cloaking ability is no joke."

'

Ritsuka would've cringed at the possibilities if they weren't something that she'd already thought of. Given how strong the knight was, those were the most likely groups he could've been a part of. Jeanne appeared much the same, clearly contemplating on a possible approach. "I see. With how little intel we have on him, it might just be for the best to try to overwhelm him with sheer numbers assisted by a carefully crafted plan."

'

"Simple, but effective," Ritsuka had to admit, even if the approach wasn't exactly to her liking. With a well coordinated plan, it definitely wouldn't be impossible, but it sure as hell would be rough. "I don't like relying on something like that, but it's the best we've got at the moment. If we end up running into him, that might be the only usable strategy we have."

'

Jeanne smiled at her apologetically. "Unfortunately it's the best I could come up with."

'

But Ritsuka shook her head, matching the smile. "Don't be sorry. I don't have anything better either. We'll just work with what we have."

'

As they shared a small laugh, Mozart rose from his chair, stretching his fingers. "Well, I suppose that we have now discussed all the important subjects. Am I free to go now?"

'

While Marie jabbed at the man with her elbow, Jeanne let out an amused giggle. "It's fine, Marie. We really are finished with this meeting. For the rest of the day at least, we should all try to rest and recuperate to the best of our abilities. That would be for the best, given that the battle earlier greatly depleted some of our magical energy stores."

'

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," Ritsuka agreed. "While you're all free to do as you like, I would at least ask everyone to remain in relatively close distance to the castle. We don't want another surprise Assassin situation going down."

'

"Fine with me." Rising to his feet, Lemminkäinen flexed his reattached arm. ...Her life really had reached a point where that sentence was actually normal, huh? "This castle has been built on a good spot. I think I'll put up another temporary bounded field around it, one that'll help us draw power from the leyline faster."

'

Ritsuka flashed him a smile and a thumbs up. "Thanks. That'd be a big help." While she'd definitely had some doubts at the start, bringing him along really had been the right call. Getting up herself, she motioned towards Mash. "Come on, Mash. We should head to a suitable position to set up a summoning circle."

'

"Of course." The Shielder rose without missing a beat and quickly walked after her. Though before they exited the room, Ritsuka shot a quick, final look at Siegfried. While she did her best to focus on the unfamiliar route down to the lowest floor of the castle, she couldn't stop wondering about the knight, something that Mash was quick to pick up on. "Is something wrong, Senpai?"

'

"No. Not really. I'm just wondering if there's anything more we could do to help Siegfried."

'

"A contract with Siegfried is completely out of the question," Roman stated sternly, apparently still listening despite the meeting being over. "Jeanne is already pushing you far enough, so just attempting to form one with him would most likely kill you."

'

Ritsuka just sighed. "I know. I'm not an idiot." She could tell that during the fight earlier, Jeanne had done her best to keep her magical energy consumption to a minimum. They were both equally aware that Ritsuka could just barely let the Ruler fight at her best, which was only possible due to the Singularity and the Grail assisting her. But since she still had to supply both Lemminkäinen and Mash with at least some energy, long battles like that were really rough on the Master. Adding Siegfried to the mix without any assistance from Chaldea was just absolute lunacy. If she tried to form contracts with the two of them simultaneously, she would most likely be rendered unable to move under her own power while they couldn't even reach anywhere close to their full potential. Even considering it was just plainly stupid.

'

And yet, Dio offered something better than she had even hoped. "Even if we can't properly heal him, there might actually be something we can do for him at the moment. Da Vinci has some 'private medication' in her workshop. I'm pretty sure there's something there that can at least make him feel a bit better."

'

Ritsuka's hope grew as the Caster nodded after a moment of thought. "Hmm... Yes. Those are some pretty nasty curses, but I've definitely got something strong enough to get rid of the pain. We'll send it over together with some other supplies."

'

"Thanks, that'd be great. It's so helpful having you guys around," the redhead cheered, getting a somewhat smug smile from Da Vinci, mainly aimed at Dio. With that, she and Mash, who also looked noticeably grateful, proceeded to the lowest portion of the castle. Once there, they entered the room that had been cleared up less than an hour ago. There were still some burn marks on the walls due to the Hands of Dawn that had appeared here, their embers stacked neatly by the wall, waiting for transportation to Chaldea. Walking to the middle of the room, Ritsuka nodded with satisfaction. "This should be the spot, let's... Huh?"

'

Hearing approaching footsteps, Ritsuka and Mash turned around just as Marie barged into the room, dragging Elizabeth by her hand, with Jeanne, Kiyohime and Lemminkäinen close behind. "Hey, girls. Mind if we watch?" the Rider greeted them cheerfully as the two shared a confused look.

'

"Uh, no, not really. But why are you all here?" the Master asked, and Marie proceeded to pat Elizabeth on the shoulder.

'

"Well, I just remembered how pretty that connection spell was when I first saw it, so I told Eli about it. Then we decided that she should get a proper look herself if you're using it again," she giggled, and the Lancer blushed like she'd turned into a tomato.

'

"Marie! You didn't have to tell Deerlet all that!" After a few dozen seconds of pathetically hitting the amused Rider, Elizabeth calmed down enough to talk to Ritsuka herself, though not to the point where she could meet her gaze. "B-but yeah. That's basically it..."

'

As the Lancer's voice died down, Kiyohime stepped up, looking at her with an expression best described as 'childish superiority'. "I got curious over the talk and Marie invited me as well, so I decided to see it for myself."

'

"I wished to have a conversation with Marie, so I ended up coming as well," Jeanne explained while smiling at the girl, leaving only the Saber.

'

"And I'm here to set up a proper connection to the leyline for my bounded field." ...It was really weird having Lemminkäinen be the one with the most practical reason for being here.

'

Ritsuka withheld a sigh. While yes, the procedure was a pretty light show, this whole thing was just really awkward. Still, she didn't have any good reason telling them to leave, so... "Well, alright. We'll begin as soon as the supplies are ready."

'

Pleased with the confirmation, the Servants each settled around the dull space. As Ritsuka was about to ask Mash to set up the magic circle, Da Vinci's screen popped up next to her, the Caster wearing a very satisfied smirk. "Oh, Ritsuka. We're just about ready here. Aside from the normal supplies, you and Mash should get ready to also receive something else through the rayshift. I've got a little surprise for you."

'

Judging by that smile, Ritsuka had a feeling that she wasn't just talking about the medicine. "Um, alright." She turned to her companion. "Mash, do you mind?"

'

"Right away, Senpai." Materializing her shield, Mash quickly set it down on the suitable spot. Within seconds, it let out a faint glow which soon expanded into the usual light show that replicated the night sky. As some of their audience let out some wondrous gasps, Mash turned towards the screen. "Connection established. We are prepared to receive supplies."

'

"Sending supplies," Roman announced. "And here they come."

'

On cue, the familiar orbs rose from the shield and started spinning until they turned into rings, and within a few seconds they exploded into a bright flash, leaving two crates sitting on top of the shield. "Yup, they're here," Ritsuka noted, though as the light died down, her eyes immediately focused on the larger crate. While its design was identical to the other containers she'd seen thus far, it was noticeably more voluminous than any of them. With that size, it could even hold a person as long as they properly curled up. Yeah, whatever Da Vinci had sent was definitely there. Walking closer, she opened the lid to come across an unexpected sight. The majority of the container was filled by a single object, some sort of box shaped device that looked like it was made with metal and plastic. With just a quick look, Ritsuka couldn't even begin to guess its purpose. "What is this thing?" she muttered aloud before her attention moved to the other object... a box. There was another box inside the container... Deciding it was probably easier to figure out the contraption's purpose by taking a look at what was inside the smaller one, she picked the box up as some of the curious Servants began gathering around the container as well. Opening the box, she spotted some screws in a bag, a hose, and... Ritsuka's mind went blank as she realized what one of the objects was. With that shape, there was no mistaking it. But why would it be here, unless... No... She didn't. There was no way Da Vinci would... Alright, maybe she would, but it was still hard to believe. To make sure that she wasn't hallucinating, she picked the object up and held it in her hand. "This... Is this a showerhead?"

'

Da Vinci's proud smile looked like it could outshine the sun itself as she clapped her hands. "That's right. Right in front of you is another one of my wondrous inventions. One that I kept as a little secret until now, since I knew how much you would appreciate it." As soon as she finished her sentence, the Caster's screen expanded considerably, leaving her face in a tiny square in the corner as most of the space was filled with a rotating image of an unmistakable shower. "Equipped with a water filtrator and heater, plus a cover for privacy, my Viaggioccia lets you take a nice shower even in the distant past, as long as there's a source of water nearby."

'

Ritsuka felt her jaw drop. She wasn't sure she'd ever felt so thankful for something usually so mundane to her. Sure, with the cleansers they'd brought with them, she could clean herself up efficiently enough as long as there was water around... But this was just so much more comfortable. Unable to stop the wide smile from spreading on her lips even if she'd wanted to, Ritsuka gratefully turned towards the Caster's screen. "Da Vinci, you're a miracle!"

'

"It's what I do," she huffed with a proud smile, clearly satisfied with the response. But before she could get carried away...

'

"Yeah, just a reminder that the water filtrator in the shower is mine, thank you very much!" Dio's voice echoed from the background, but Da Vinci was quick to ignore it as she moved on with her explanation.

'

"Unfortunately, it won't fit into the backpacks due to its size, so you'll only have access to it in singularities once you secure a leyline and we'll send it over. And we'll also be taking it back after you're done using it."

'

"That's hardly a drawback for something this amazing." Ritsuka was basically over the moon with gratitude, and a quick glance at Mash revealed that while nowhere near the same level, she was also pleased with this development. "Oh, thank you so much! I'll be sure to put it to good use tonight. I'll finally get to properly wash all the grime of today and yesterday off."

'

While the redhead was gushing over the invention and beginning to go over the manual, she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she spotted Marie smiling right behind her. "Ritsuka, I have a question."

'

"Yeah?"

'

"What's a shower?" she asked so impossibly innocently that Ritsuka almost dropped the manual. "From the way you talked, it sounds somewhat similar to bathing, but I couldn't really understand the specifics."

'

If Marie wasn't so sincere, the redhead could've sworn someone was pranking her. In the first place, how did one even explain a shower? It was such a mundane thing that she hadn't really even thought about it. "Oh, um..." Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she began the weird explanation. "Well, you're on the right track. Here, it uses this cylinder the size of a palm that has a bunch of holes in it. Once you plug it into a source of water, you turn a valve, and water shoots out of it, making it somewhat feel like you'd be experiencing a strong but warm rain. In our time, it's commonly used alongside bathing as a way to clean our bodies..."

'

As Ritsuka went on with her explanation without jumping into the complicated technical processes, Marie's eyes kept sparkling brighter and brighter, until she practically jumped on her. "Ooh! Can I try it?"

'

"Huh? Well sure." Yeah, this was pretty much what Ritsuka had expected.

'

"Sounds pretty unnecessary to me," Lemminkäinen noted, looking thoroughly unimpressed. "Why not just grab a bucket and pour water over yourself?"

'

...And that was pretty much what she'd expect from him. Pinching the bridge of her nose in an attempt to not get pissed off, Ritsuka began to explain calmly. "Because the shower is way more steady with its flow of water and you just need to stay under it for the water to keep coming. And with that, you're free to focus..." And thus, she spent the next minute or so enlightening her comrades on how wonderful showers were. Partly out of spite for what the Saber had said, and mostly since there really was nothing better to do at the moment. "And that is essentially why having a shower is better than just using a bucket."

'

While he'd stayed throughout it all, it was clear by his expression that Lemminkäinen hadn't exactly enjoyed the lecture he'd been given. "...I really should've just kept quiet. It's fun to see ya gettin' passionate about stuff, Pomo, but you can sure pick some boring topics..."

'

As the Saber moved to the leyline, Marie stepped towards Ritsuka. "I for one greatly enjoyed your passionate clarification. And now I want to try it even more."

'

But before the redhead could even reply, Kiyohime moved to her side, hiding her face under the eyes with her fan. "...Admittedly, I'm getting quite curious over this shower as well," she admitted quietly. "May I try it as well, after Marie is done, Master?"

'

While Ritsuka thought the bashful request was quite adorable, she was hardly surprised by it. She very much knew from experience that both Finnish and Japanese cultures enjoyed their bath related activities. Thus, she had no trouble agreeing with a smile. "Yeah, I don't mind."

'

Though as Kiyohime's lips curled into a bright smile of her own, she was quickly shoved aside by Elizabeth. "Me too! Oh, but is there an option for a bath?" As the annoyed Berserker commenced her counterattack, sparking a fierce argument between the two, Ritsuka felt unbelievably awkward. How did a simple talk over a shower turn into this?

'

"Alright, everyone please calm down." She did her best to resolve the situation before it got literally fiery. There was definitely a bathing room of sorts in a castle this big, so that wasn't an issue. Now she just had to figure out how to calm the others down. "Everyone gets to try it, but our portable shower isn't big enough for multiple people at once, so we need to take turns." That certainly got the draconic duo's attention, seeing how they turned towards her. Though they still exchanged slight glares, making the choice for the turns all the more crucial. It had to be something fair that left them unable to claim bias... And then Ritsuka remembered something Marie had suggested during their discussion earlier. That would work perfectly. "As for the order of the turns... I dunno, I guess we could draw lots? Anyone feel like gathering some sticks or slips of paper?" she proposed, glancing towards Marie with a hopeful smile.

'

And thankfully, the Rider was on board immediately, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Oh, I'll do it!"

'

As Marie dashed off to look for suitable lots, Kiyohime and Elizabeth turned their backs on each other with simultaneous huffs, apparently at least satisfied with the method of choosing. Ritsuka shared a relieved, yet awkward smile with Mash, all the while they could hear Dio laughing in the background. "So, I guess that we're using our priceless Rayshift technology to deliver some extra towels into a Singularity for Servants to use. God, I'm glad that I came here. Chaldea is awesome."

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

A few hours after the meeting, everyone in the castle was busy with something or other. While Marie had pulled Elizabeth somewhere for a talk, Amadeus was undergoing something he called 'ear healing', Siegfried was resting on the couch, and Lemminkäinen had gone to look over the forest around the fort. Mash wasn't quite sure what the remaining two were up to, but she was currently accompanying Ritsuka in getting water for later tonight. She'd made the choice to stay as close to her Senpai as possible while they were here, just in case. Even if Sky Eye was keeping constant watch on a twenty kilometer radius around the castle, like had been noted earlier, a sneak attack by an enemy Assassin had a probability higher than zero, so the Shielder wouldn't be taking any chances with her safety. There was also a possibility that an enemy might try to attack the building itself with a powerful Noble Phantasm, which made her proximity all the more important. ...And, throughout it all, she did her best to ignore the thoughts of loss that had entered her mind during the battle against the wyverns.

'

"There. That should do it," the redhead noted as she poured the contents of her bucket into the water filtrator, with Mash following suit. There was now enough water to fill a large bathtub, which should indeed be enough for their needs. "It's been a while since we started, so let's see what everyone else is up to."

'

"Yes, Senpai." Walking after Ritsuka like her shadow, Mash moved through the pleasantly warm castle halls before arriving in the room the group decided to use for gatherings, the lounge. As they entered, the sole resident was hard to miss, both for his size and the peculiar air around him.

'

"How are you feeling, Siegfried?" Ritsuka asked hopefully, getting the Saber to look up from the book he was reading. And that hope was answered as he nodded with a grateful smile.

'

"Much better. While the curses still greatly inhibit my strength, the pain is mostly gone. I truly cannot thank you all enough."

'

As Siegfried gave them a short bow, Mash shared a relieved look with Ritsuka. He genuinely seemed to be feeling much better. "Well, I've already told you how you can thank us, so just don't forget it," the Master noted.

'

"I won't." And with a final grateful nod, the two left Siegfried to his reading as they headed elsewhere.

'

"I'm glad that Siegfried is getting his strength back," Mash smiled at Ritsuka. "Seeing him so vulnerable despite his obvious strength felt just... I don't know, wrong?" Every moment before receiving the medicine, the Saber had obviously been in an awful pain the entire time, making it somewhat hard to speak with him. But now that she'd seen him sitting straight and even smiling, Mash felt far more at ease around him. Like with most of the other Servants back in Chaldea, he just had this presence to him that made him seem great and trustworthy. Yet regrettably, it was mainly just his appearance, like Dio was quick to remind her as his projected screen appeared in the air.

'

"Unfortunately, he's not really getting his strength back. He's managed to recover quite a bit of magical energy thanks to Ritsuka, and is basically on Da Vinci's mega morphine, but that just makes him feel better."

'

"I told you to never call it that," the Caster huffed with annoyance as her own screen materialized, before taking a more serious tone. "Dio's right on the other matter, though. Siegfried is now on life support, but to truly get better, his curse will need to be removed so that he can fully recover."

'

Ritsuka nodded with confidence. "That's right. But, we'll be sure to make that happen." Seeing such a positive attitude, Mash couldn't help but smile at her Senpai, and the two inventors likewise responded with satisfied smiles. If her Senpai believed they could do it, she'd have no doubts about their success. "On another matter, how has Ascension gone?"

'

Da Vinci's smile faded just the slightest bit at the change in topic, but still persisted. "Quite fine, now that we've got plenty of materials. The process takes some time, but Emiya got taken care of last night, and Kintoki had his turn earlier today." A confirmation that made Mash particularly pleased. Of course it was great that their fighting power had increased, but she was happy that the ones strengthened had been those two specifically. Kintoki in particular was a very kind person, and Emiya had taught her quite a few helpful things, both in battle and outside it. Both of them were reliable allies that she was truly thankful for. "We plan to move on to Brynhildr next, and then to Medusa and Kojirou once we give the instruments some time to cool off. We should be finished with all of them within the next 36 hours."

'

Ritsuka smiled and gave the Caster a grateful thumbs up. "Great. Thank you so much, Da Vinci."

'

"Just another day on the job," she replied, before her smile widened as she turned towards Dio. "Speaking of, shouldn't you start getting prepared for your own shift at strengthening, Dio?"

'

The Spaniard laughed at the question, yet his eyes sharpened into a glare. "Oh, you know that I remembered it perfectly fine, but just loved saying it out loud, didn't you?"

'

"Of course," Da Vinci nodded, sticking her tongue out playfully. An act that only intensified his glare, only for all that to vanish once he turned back to Ritsuka.

'

"Well, whatever. We'll be seeing you later, so try to enjoy your evening."

'

"We will. Bye," the redhead said as both of the screens vanished, only to turn towards Mash with a sheepish smile immediately afterwards. "Although I'm not yet entirely sure how I'll be spending mine."

'

The Demi-Servant let out a small giggle as they continued walking. Whatever they ended up doing, she was sure that Ritsuka would find something pleasant for them to spend time with. Although before she could offer any suggestions, Mash's attention was caught by a faint noise. As if someone was rummaging through items in a nearby room. "Do you hear that, Senpai?"

'

Nodding, the redhead pointed towards one of the doors further down the hallway. If Mash wasn't entirely misremembering the layout, that was the pantry. "Yeah... Wonder who's behind it and why." As they peeked in through the doorway, the cause became obvious, though was just as surprising. Kiyohime was going through a cupboard, thoroughly checking all of its contents before moving on to the next one and doing the same. The two shared a surprised look before Ritsuka knocked on the doorframe to get the Berserker's attention. "Kiyohime? Are you looking for something?"

'

Upon spotting the redhead, a bright smile spread on Kiyohime's face. "Ah, Master. And no, not in particular. I am just looking over this pantry to see if I can use any of these ingredients to prepare dinner."

'

The pair shared another surprised look. "Huh? Dinner?" Ritsuka repeated, and Kiyohime tilted her head.

'

"Yes. Is there a problem with that?"

'

The Master quickly shook her head. "No, of course not. I was just a bit surprised." Mash felt much the same. It certainly made sense to plan such a thing in a pantry, but for a Servant to plan it... Then again, Emiya was always helping in the kitchen back at Chaldea, so maybe some Servants just enjoyed cooking, even if they didn't need to eat. "So... Is there a specific reason you want to make dinner?"

'

"Two," the Berserker revealed as she closed the cupboard. "First one is that I thought that since you're still a human, Master, you need proper sustenance to keep your health up. A warm, nutritious meal after such a harsh day should be practically mandatory." Mash nodded in agreement. While the prepackaged meals from Chaldea were perfectly suitable nutrition vice and tasted good as well, in a situation where the option was available, Senpai should certainly be allowed to partake in some better dining experiences. "And the second one is that I'm constantly striving to improve my housework skills."

'

An impressed smile spread on Ritsuka's lips. "I see. That's a really admirable attitude." An assessment Mash certainly shared. While most Servants seemed to mostly spend their free time doing what they pleased, Kiyohime spending it to improve herself while also being useful to Senpai was more than admirable in her eyes. Should she start doing something similar as well?

'

"Huh!? Are you serious!?" A voice, Elizabeth's, suddenly echoed through the halls, getting the two to peek down the hall as well as a frown from the Berserker. Despite their similarities, these two truly didn't get along in the least.

'

Although they didn't see anything, Ritsuka's reaction was immediate. "Lemminkäinen, I'd wager," she sighed, more than likely worried over what the Saber had done this time, before turning back to Kiyohime with an eager smile. "But please continue. Is there something I can do to help? It's only fair if you're making food for me."

'

A wide smile also grew on the Berserker's lips before she turned back to check on the panty. "I... Well..." She seemed really happy with the offer, but still looked over the cupboards hesitantly. "There are plenty of ingredients here I can use, but there isn't any meat or fish. So maybe if you... could..." Her gaze moving upwards to look at something behind Mash and Ritsuka, Kiyohime trailed off before falling completely silent. The two shared a confused look before turning as well, coming across a most unexpected sight.

'

Lemminkäinen was standing at the door with a full grown deer hung over his shoulder, grinning at them happily. "Hey, Pomo. Look what I found while I took a look around the area. We'll be eatin' good tonight."

'

Ritsuka didn't say anything in return, just staring at him with Mash for the next few seconds, until turning to Kiyohime questioningly. "...Can you prepare that, Kiyohime?"

'

The Berserker kept staring for a few more seconds before realizing that she was being addressed. "Uh... Yes, but only if it's dressed out first."

'

"Great!" the Saber grinned before walking off with his catch. "I'll take care of it. I know a spell that makes drainin' the blood way faster too."

'

"Alright. Apparently we're having venison tonight," Ritsuka mumbled as she looked after the leaving Servant. With this event, Mash was quite certain at this point that Lemminkäinen was the most unpredictable Servant she'd met. Still, her Senpai was at least somewhat used to him at this point, seeing how quickly she bounced back at her and Kiyohime's earlier suggestion. "So, can I help with the preparations? I'm no master chef, but I can wash and help prepare some of the ingredients. We also have some spices and herbs with us that can help with the seasoning."

'

The slight hesitation from before now completely gone, the Berserker gave her a grateful bow. "Certainly. I would be happy for your help, as well as for the herbs."

'

Gently tugging her Senpai's sleeve to get her attention, Mash started to speak, "I, um..." only to fall silent again soon. She was hesitant to offer her extremely limited aid, but still decided to push through with it. One could never hope to improve if they didn't try, after all. "While my knowledge in cooking is inadequate at best, I was wondering if..."

'

"You want to help too?" Ritsuka asked, getting Mash to quickly nod in relief. It truly was helpful how quickly her Senpai picked up on her intentions at times like these. That relief only grew as she began to smile while turning to Kiyohime. "I can instruct Mash in some simple tasks while you take care of the main preparations, Kiyohime. Does that work with you?"

'

The Berserker's smile faded just a bit, a reaction Mash was certain she got due to her inadequate skills, but she still gave them a stiff nod. "As long as she doesn't get in the way, I have no complaints." Mash felt a bright smile spreading on her lips upon hearing the confirmation, which was mirrored by Ritsuka as she raised her hand towards her. Ah! She knew what this was! The Shielder quickly slapped the offered hand with careful force. She was still learning the proper technique for a high five, but she was certain that this one was quite good. In fact, she was so happy that she couldn't hear Kiyohime mumble: "Now I just need to figure out what exactly I could make with all these..."

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

Leaning back against the backrest of the sofa, Ritsuka let out a satisfied sigh. They'd just finished eating dinner, and the stew Kiyohime had made was so good. The redhead couldn't remember when she'd last eaten venison, but she was sure that this meal had been far tastier. Spending a calm after dinner rest with the Servants in the castle's lounge, she could almost forget that they were on a critical mission to save the world. Almost. She'd suspect that Lemminkäinen had actually forgotten, but she was pretty sure that he'd act just the same even if they were five minutes away from a battle.

'

"Ahh! That hit the spot," the Saber grinned as he downed his who-knows-how-manyth bottle of alcohol for the night. He'd wasted absolutely no time in raiding the castle's drink storage. At least he'd been nice enough to share, even if the only one to accept the offer had been Mozart. "This French beer is pretty great. Whoever owned this castle had good taste."

'

"I doubt it's anywhere near as wonderful as this tea we received from Chaldea," Marie countered while taking a sip from her cup, letting it linger by her face afterwards. "Oh, these have such a wonderful aroma!" And indeed, on the other side of the drink spectrum, most of the people in the room were enjoying the tea they'd brewed from the bags rayshifted to them. Ritsuka herself savored the calming jasmine as she emptied her cup. Ahh... It really was a nice evening.

'

"Everyone. Since we are planning to spend this evening calmly to recuperate, I have a proposition," Jeanne suddenly announced, gaining the attention of the room as she stood up. "I believe it would be for the best if we all got to know each other a little better, and not just in terms of our combat abilities."

'

Most of the Servants just looked at the Ruler in surprise, while Marie let out an excited gasp. Ritsuka on the other hand could feel an awkward smile forming on her lips. Leave it to Jeanne to propose something like this. Still, she couldn't exactly say that she was entirely opposed to the idea, since it seemed like a useful and fun way to pass the time. "Team building exercises, huh? Sure, why not."

'

As no one else objected either, Jeanne clapped her hands together happily. "Great. Any suggestions on what we should start with?"

Marie bounced from her seat like a spring. "Oh! I know the perfect topic! Let's talk about love!"

'

A suggestion that left everyone who heard it dumbfounded, with just two exceptions. Jeanne especially looked befuddled over the suggestion, like this was the topic she'd least expected to come up. And on the other side of the spectrum, Lemminkäinen seemed more than pleased. "Oho? Now this is a subject I have more than my share of experience in."

'

"I suppose it wouldn't be the worst way for us to learn about each other..." Kiyohime muttered, clearly doing her best to not seem overly excited. Ritsuka on the other hand, found herself wishing for basically any other topic imaginable, much like Mash by the look on her face. Though if the redhead had to guess, their reactions were for the exact opposite reasons. She had basically no desire to recount her love life, or the-lack-there-of, to everyone here.

'

But, it looked like that choice was out of her hands, seeing how thrilled Marie was over the two who agreed with her. "Exactly! Who wants to go first?"

'

Though some of her earlier befuddlement remained, Jeanne couldn't hide her amusement in the Rider's clear delight as she shook her head. "I already told this to Marie last night, but I have no experience in romance. Thus I have no stories to share." Ritsuka barely withheld a laugh, while Mozart rolled his eyes at the reveal. They'd literally talked about this last night? No wonder Jeanne had been so surprised by the suggestion.

'

Marie just giggled. "Well, I suppose I should take the first turn, since I was the one who suggested this." Oh? Ritsuka had to admit that she was quite curious over what the ever cheerful girl would share, as were those around her judging by their faces. While her audience waited in anticipation, the Rider straightened her back and began: "Ahem. This is the story of my first love. At the time of our meeting during a concert at Schönbrunn, I was seven years old while he was only six." Yeah, Ritsuka could tell that this was about to get really cute. Although, she then noticed from the corner of her eye that Mozart had gone even paler than usual. Certainly an odd reaction. Was he somehow related in this tale? "Maybe it was because he was nervous, but he had tripped and fell flat on the ground. I offered him my hand, and with sparkling eyes he said this: 'Thank you, lovely lady. If a beautiful lady such as yourself has no fiance yet, would you allow me to be the first one?'" With that reveal, more than a few charmed gasps and coos came from around the room, and Ritsuka had to agree that the tale was extremely adorable. The boy had certainly been extraordinarily smooth despite his young age. Marie certainly seemed to think so, judging from the way she happily held her flushed cheeks. "He said that to me! That was the first time my heart had ever beaten like that! I'd never been flattered like that since I was born!"

'

Even Lemminkäinen seemed to enjoy the tale, laughing uproariously and slapping his knee. "Hah! A direct, immediate confession? Not bad for a 6 year old brat."

'

"So, so? What happened to you and him after that?" Elizabeth asked eagerly, but Marie just shook her head with a smile.

'

"Apart from that, nothing. Seven years after that, I ended up getting married." Ritsuka couldn't stop herself from cringing at that reveal. Married at fourteen? The past could certainly be uncomfortable when compared to the 21st century. But, that thought had to be put aside, as smiling Marie casually revealed a truth that shook the entire room. "Although, everyone's already met him."

'

A complete silence reigned over the lounge. While Ritsuka had her earlier suspicions confirmed, most others looked like they were still trying to process the words themselves. Eventually, Kiyohime muttered: "You don't mean..." Everyone's disbelieving eyes turned towards the only reasonable subject, who at the moment looked like he wanted to be swallowed up by the sofa he was sitting on. Yup, that certainly explained his earlier reaction.

'

Lemminkäinen burst into loud, unrestrained laughter while slapping Mozart on the back. "Way to go, man! Who knew you had it in you!" The Caster meanwhile had bent over, hiding his face with his hands.

'

While the others still kept staring at him, Mash's wide eyes bounced between the Caster and the Rider. "Wait. Marie? And Amadeus?"

'

Seemingly amused by the shocked reaction, Roman's screen popped up next to her. "Oh, you didn't know Mash? It's a pretty popular story even during our time." And apparently those in Chaldea were listening in too. The redhead really hoped that nothing too awkward would come up during this talk.

'

His face still hidden from view, Mozart groaned in pain. "Who knew the story would get passed down... This is a nightmare..." Yeah... Ritsuka had to admit that if she was in a similar situation, she too would want to crawl into a hole to hide from the world.

'

And then, as if to rub salt in the wound in the most innocent way imaginable, Marie giggled: "Hehehe. Of course it would. I was so happy that I told everybody about it."

'

The Caster jumped to his feet in an instant, and whether it was from anger, embarrassment or both, the heavy blush on his face made his skin tone actually seem more natural. "So it was you! You did it!" he yelled, pointing at her accusingly. "You were the one who turned me down! You're such a femme fatale!"

'

"Well, there was nothing I could do. I wasn't allowed to choose who would be my fiance," Marie countered sincerely. So sincerely that Mozart actually calmed down considerably just from seeing her expression. "Besides..."

'

"Besides?" he asked, and a somewhat sad smile spread on Marie's lips.

'

"You know how my life was after that, don't you? I was happy with my decision. It was a good thing I turned you down. After all, you became loved by many people as a musician. And my life was ended as a silly queen."

'

A silence fell into the room once more, with most looking somewhere between shocked and disbelieving. Ritsuka could hardly believe her ears. Silly? Was that seriously how Marie would describe the end of her life? Given everything she knew, that was... honestly really sad. Mozart, while still clearly doubting what he'd just heard, remained neutral, staring the Rider straight in the eyes "...You're saying that's a good thing?"

'

Marie kept that sad smile on her face. "It can't be helped you see, I have no choice because I'm always in love. I didn't love my people. I loved nothing but the country itself. I really did love the country called France... Because I was such a conceited woman, my end came at the hands of the people of the nation themselves."

'

"Marie, that's..." Jeanne started to say, only for her voice to drift off. Ritsuka was having similar thoughts. She couldn't really disagree with what the Rider was saying, since that basically lined up with her own historical knowledge. And if she tried to tell her otherwise without actually knowing her personally during life, it'd just be arguing for the sake of arguing, and not her place to say. Jeanne must have come to the same conclusion. Everyone in the room was in a similar position... With a single exception.

'

"...What's with that? Are you an idiot?" Mozart asked, leaning on the armrest while looking at her skeptically. The reactions from most of the others were indignant to say the least.

'

"Hey! Putting it like that's really mean!" Elizabeth pointed an accusing finger at the Caster, but Marie ignored her completely. In fact, she seemed more curious with the statement than anything.

'

"An idiot? Am I?"

'

Mozart shook his head. "Yes, you are. You've got it all wrong. You say you were in love with France?" A smile spread on his lips. "You've completely got the wrong idea. It didn't matter at all what you loved. After all, I know it all. The warm welcome of the people celebrating your marriage, the delightful royal court you held, your dedication to serving the people, and even more, the hatred of the people who killed you. That's the part where you're wrong. It's not that you were in love with the country. It was the country known as France that was in love with you."

'

Marie stared at the Caster with wide eyes, seeming surprised by how much he actually knew of her life. Though that surprise soon made way for her usual smile as she gave him a curtsy. "...Your encouragement is always hard to understand, but thank you, Amadeus." But as soon as she rose back up, she seemed confused, tapping her cheek. "Wait. Isn't that strange? Doesn't that mean that I was killed by the people who loved me?"

'

"That's right. That's how people are. Love can easily turn into hatred," Amadeus nodded as if were some wise sage. "You were hated precisely because you were loved. Isn't that just the proof that they love you?"

'

While that heartwarming conversation was going on, Ritsuka did everything she could to not show any emotion at that moment, to the point where she was clenching her fist and biting the inside of her cheek hard enough to nearly draw blood. Mozart's words: 'Love can easily turn into hatred.' She knew... How easy it was for a person to care for someone one moment, then despise them the next... She absolutely hated how much she knew that to be the truth. But before she could fall into that abyss of a thought, she was snapped out by the voice beside her. "...Hated because she was loved..." Mash muttered, clearly confused by the concept. "They were in love, yet killed the one they loved..." Faced with such pure innocence on the subject, Ritsuka could only stare at her. And then she made a vow to herself. She would do everything she could to make sure that Mash would never have to experience such a feeling directed at her personally. No matter what!

'

"That's not exactly unheard of, but it's still one hell of a way to treat the queen of your country," Lemminkäinen muttered, not really seeming to like the subject himself.

'

"I see. People are complicated. Until I died, well, even after I died, I couldn't reach love," Marie muttered, staring at the ceiling in a solemn tone. And yet, after just a few short seconds, a satisfied smile spread brilliantly on her lips. "But I think I'm fine with it now. I'm Marie Antoinette, a woman loved by France!" As the Rider let out her cheer, Ritsuka felt her mouth fall agape from sheer astonishment. That genuine joy in her tone... This wasn't just something to stop the others worrying about her. She genuinely meant that... Maybe that's why she was a Servant. Like Jeanne, Marie just held this unbelievable ability to forgive and care for those who had slighted her in unimaginable ways. In Ritsuka's eyes, anyone capable of such a thing was more than worthy to be called a hero.

'

"That's the spirit," Lemminkäinen chuckled, giving Marie a thumbs up while Ritsuka was too preoccupied with her thoughts to even properly register it. "Love never comes easy. You've got to seriously work for it."

'

Mozart nudged at him with a smirk. "Look at you, saying something sensible."

'

"What about you, Ritsuka? How has your lovelife gone?" Marie asked, her name being mentioned snapping Ritsuka out of her contemplation.

'

Oh, hell. It was her turn? Thankfully, she had already thought of an answer in advance, so she could confidently shrug. "Meh. I have absolutely nothing worth telling. Neither confessions or dramatic encounters. Nothing interesting." Just depressing.

'

A somewhat sly smile spread on the Rider's lips, like she was digging for something. "Oh? Are you telling us that not even one boy has asked you out, Ritsuka?"

'

Ritsuka cheered internally at the wording. Here she could answer with absolute truth and confidence. "Exactly. Not even once."

'

Marie's smile faded away in an instant. "...Oh." She seemed genuinely disappointed, to the point that the redhead almost apologized... Until a shocked gasp escaped Marie's mouth as she covered it. "Wait. Don't tell me that I took your first kiss earlier today!"

'

Ritsuka nearly fell off of the sofa. She could feel heat rising to her face like she'd just been submerged in a bath. "No, you didn't!" she yelled, unable to help herself. She'd almost forgotten that that had happened today, but now it had to be brought up again! It most certainly wasn't her first kiss. Though to be fair, the kiss with Marie had been a much nicer one. But still... "And just like that one, my first kiss isn't something I want to discuss. It was just kind of... stupid. That's all I'm gonna say." She didn't want anyone knowing about that mess any more than she liked to remember it.

'

"If you say so," Marie nodded, a smile returning to her lips. "I just think it's a pity that you haven't had a chance to experience romance yet, despite being such a beautiful young woman."

'

Ritsuka had nearly managed to banish the earlier flush from her cheeks, only for it to make a frustrating comeback. She was absolutely not used to anyone complimenting her like that, but she still did her best to answer calmly and sincerely. "...Don't worry about it. I guess that just means that I haven't found 'the one' yet."

'

"I think that's a wonderful outlook," Jeanne noted. Ritsuka thought so too, and genuinely wished that it would actually happen, no matter how unlikely.

'

"Well, alright." Marie, seemingly at least somewhat satisfied with Ritsuka's answers, turned to the person next to her expectantly. "And you, Mash?"

'

And yet, Mash shot down her hopes immediately with utmost sincerity. "No. I have no experience with romance either. Some of the books I've read have contained parts that one could consider romantic, but I personally never got too invested in those scenes."

'

Marie puffed her cheeks up in frustration, a wonderfully adorable display. "Boo... Am I the only one with any stories to share?" Desperately, she turned towards the first of the dragon girls. "What about you, Eli? Did you have any lovers when you were alive?"

'

Elizabeth nodded, igniting the Rider's excitement again. But... "When I was alive... I did get married, but the me here is from before that." Hopes shot down x3. And yet, just as Marie was about to sigh with disappointment, a light flush rose on the Lancer's cheeks and she started tapping her fingers together. "...But there may have been one, I'm pretty sure, during one summoning. The details are pretty hazy, so it's hard to elaborate, but I know that it happened."

'

Marie's mood did a complete 180, to the point that Ritsuka could've sworn that her smile was literally dazzling for a second. "Oh, I wish you'd have some more details. That actually sounds really juicy. If you remember anything at all, be sure to let me know!" Clearly having not expected such enthusiasm, Elizabeth just nodded awkwardly without saying anything.

'

"Well then, I'll tell my tale," Kiyohime suddenly stated with a smile, most likely not wanting to be left behind by her rival. It at least seemed to work, seeing how Marie's attention snapped to her in an instant. "When alive, I had a love burning like fire. He was a traveling priest called Anchin. I fell in love at first sight and confessed my feelings. I was turned down, but lord Anchin promised we would meet again." A few excited murmurs came from around the room, mostly from Marie. But while the Berserker smiled happily, Ritsuka had a bad feeling about this. Since she actually knew the legend of Kiyohime, she was pretty sure she knew how this story would go. "However, lord Anchin didn't come to see me. He ran away, afraid of me. He lied to me and betrayed me. So I chased after him, further and further, with sadness and anger and hatred. Before I knew it, I had become a dragon." At this point everyones' smiles had faded, except for Kiyohime's. Yeah... This was going exactly where the redhead had expected it to go. Not even noticing the change in the atmosphere, the Berserker continued. "When I finally caught up to lord Anchin, he hid in the bell at a temple. So with the flames of a dragon, I burned him along with the bell. The end." Another painful silence reigned over the room. Ritsuka could hardly even look at Kiyohime at this point. The story was infinitely scarier due to the fact that she told it all with a smile. Frankly, the whole thing was more like a horror story than a romance.

'

After an uncomfortable amount of seconds, Jeanne finally muttered: "That was just... Wow..." And silence fell once more. It seemed that no one really knew what to say next, until...

'

"Ah, this all reminds of my darlin' wife, Kyllikki," Lemminkäinen suddenly chuckled, gazing at the ceiling while reminiscing. "She was one hell of a spitfire."

'

From that point on, Ritsuka's attention was fully on the man. "Oh, this should be good." She really wanted to hear how Lemminkäinen told the story from his perspective. Of course, she would also be ready to instantly call him out on any obvious bullshitting.

'

"This guy was seriously married?" Elizabeth asked in disbelief while pointing at Lemminkäinen.

'

"Damn right I was!" Setting down his bottle, the Saber straightened his back before he started talking. "It all started when I heard rumors of Kyllikki, the absolutely gorgeous daughter of a great family that lived on a large island. She'd gotten pretty famous, not only for her looks, but for turnin' down more suitors than any had ever heard. Naturally, I took it upon myself to be the great man she was clearly waitin' for. But once I got there, she said that I wasn't good enough to be her husband, since I didn't come from a great family." Ritsuka listened intently. Thus far, he had kept with the truth... "So, I lived on that island for the next few months as a shepherd, just waitin' for my chance to prove myself and lettin' her learn of my charm."

'

"Huh... That actually sounds somewhat romantic," Kiyohime muttered, clearly surprised by the tale.

'

But there it was. Her moment was here. "It does, doesn't it?" Ritsuka asked in a dry tone that gained everyone's attention. It truly did sound somewhat romantic. Yet, that was only since she was the only listener who knew the true story, and of the 'little' detail that the Saber had not mentioned. "But that's just because Lemminkäinen left out the part where he slept with literally every other woman on the island within that time."

'

The painful silence from earlier returned in full force. The eyes of every woman in the room turned towards the Saber, their glares filled with disbelief and aversion. But before anyone else could say anything... "Hey, that's just not true!" Lemminkäinen himself objected, yet... "Only the young ones, but not too young. Those that had grown into proper maidens. Ah... Those were the times..." he sighed while taking a gulp of beer, not a hint of remorse in his person. Mozart was the only one who laughed...

'

"...That is actually way worse than anything I had imagined," Elizabeth grumbled.

'

"Please tell me that I am misremembering something..." Kiyohime muttered, rubbing her forehead. "Or are you seriously trying to tell us that this Kyllikki actually married you after that?"

'

Lemminkäinen nodded with utmost confidence. "That she did."

'

"How?" The poor girl was clearly struggling to comprehend the situation. "And I mean: How did you even manage to get her to talk to you after something like that?"

'

"Well, since she was as stubborn as ever after such a long stay, I came up with another approach," Lemminkäinen chuckled, and Ritsuka felt like she might actually need some of that beer herself. "One day, when Kyllikki and a bunch of her friends went out for some merriment a nice distance away from the village, I swooped in on my horse, threw her into my sleigh and rode away." As the Saber finished telling of his ingenious plan, most of the women in the room were completely flabbergasted, just staring at him with their mouths agape, while Mozart held his mouth in front of his face, clearly trying to stifle his laughter. Granted, the Master would've been shocked herself if this was how she learned of his absolutely insane life.

'

"So you literally kidnapped her!?" Elizabeth shouted in complete disbelief, only to be met with a shrug.

'

"Temporarily, since she actually agreed to be my wife afterwards."

'

Jeanne stared at him with perfectly justified skepticism. "She just decided to marry you right after you'd abducted her?"

'

"Oh, no. Immediately afterwards, that spitfire punched me right in the throat," Lemminkäinen cackled, much to everyone's surprise. "Hahaha! She got me good with that one! I could barely breathe for a minute, much less talk!"

'

A small smile spread on Ritsuka's lips as she shook her head. "Props to Kyllikki for that." Granted, that was actually something she was unaware of and a comforting detail to know. Unlike in Kalevala, she'd actually put in some real effort to escape.

'

After finally halting his laughter by drinking some more, Lemminkäinen continued. "Though after that, she started cryin' again about how she didn't want to marry a nobody. So, I decided that I'd finally had enough of that. Now that we were alone and I had some proper room to work, I showed her my brilliant sword, my great strength, and mighty magecraft. Needless to say, she was pretty damn impressed." Yeah, that was something Ritsuka was willing to grant him. With all the amazing skills at his disposal, Lemminkäinen was hardly a nobody, even at that point of his life. Even in a situation like that, Kyllikki must have realized that he'd eventually become someone famed across the land for his feats. Although, that still left another, more serious issue... "But then, she started to worry about marryin' a war hound, that I'd just end up goin' off to war somewhere and gettin' myself killed." Yeah, that. Kyllikki sure had skills in reading people.

'

"Pretty reasonable, given who you are," Ritsuka chuckled, getting the others in the room to join in, even Lemminkäinen himself.

'

"Had to give her that, except for the dyin' part," he chuckled, drowning more booze. "Well, in the end, we both made vows to each other. I wouldn't go to fight in any wars, and she wouldn't go out spendin' nights on the town without me."

'

His audience, even Mozart, looked at the man in wonderment. They seemed genuinely surprised by the rationality of the terms. "Huh... Those are both actually reasonable vows," Marie muttered in amazement.

'

"Oh, and she also thought that my old house was a wreck, so she made me build a new one from scratch. So that was a bit of a bonus," Lemminkäinen added before staring at the ceiling nostalgically. "In hindsight. that house ended up being a damn fine one. Good to live in. Too bad it ended up being destroyed."

'

An addition that earned some awkward smiles from the audience as Kiyohime asked: "I'm afraid to even ask, but why was it?"

'

"I sorta challenged this guy into a duel and killed him for disrespectin' me. Too bad that he was a king, so all the men in his kingdom came searchin' for vengeance and burned my house down," Lemminkäinen shrugged, as if it had been just a common occurrence. Ritsuka also knew what that was about, but decided to keep quiet so as to not sidetrack his tale too much. This idiot had actually challenged Louhi's husband to a duel and killed him over the pettiest shit. Plus, the aftermath of the duel was the only instance she could think of where Lemminkäinen actually decided it was better to leave than to fight someone. Then again, he was all alone against the entire army of Pohjola and royally pissed off Louhi, so maybe logic won against adrenaline for once in his life. "Well, I was keepin' a low profile on a remote island at the moment and told the others beforehand to live elsewhere for a while, so no one got hurt in the end." Another stupidly casual reveal. "The only problem was that I had to rebuild the house later."

'

The audience seemed at least a bit relieved by that, but Kiyohime still pressed Lemminkäinen on, glaring at him like her natural enemy. "This remote island... Please tell me it wasn't the one where you proposed to Kyllikki."

'

"Of course not. I mean, that would've been one of the most obvious hidin' spots out there. This was a completely separate island with a nice village of its own."

'

"It might as well have been the same island, considering that you likewise slept with all the women on it," Ritsuka muttered, and once more, the audience had appropriately disbelieving reactions.

'

"This guy seriously did it twice!? Seriously!?" Elizabeth confirmed, as if refusing to accept what she was being told as real. Not that the Master could blame her.

'

"Ahahahaa! You didn't tell me about that second one!" Cú's roaring laughter erupted from the Multi-Appliance. "Man, you really would get along well with uncle Fergus."

'

"Yeah, and he only left when he happened to notice that quite a few of the island's male population were sharpening their blades very intently," Ritsuka continued with a sigh, to more disbelief, plus some chuckles from Mozart.

'

"Makes sense. I'd imagine that there were quite a few fathers and bachelors that absolutely hated this man's guts."

'

Lemminkäinen shrugged. "I mean, I could've taken 'em all without much trouble, but that would've just turned the place into the island of orphans and widows, so I figured it'd be best if I just left."

'

"That might have been the most sensible decision you made in your entire life," Ritsuka admitted. Credit where credit was due.

'

"And when I left, all the maidens I'd spent many nights with came to wave goodbye. Some of 'em cried so intensely that I teared up a bit myself," he admitted, rubbing his right eye lightly.

'

The entire audience bombarded him with the most disbelieving looks imaginable, 100% deserved in Ritsuka's opinion, while Kiyohime turned towards her. "...Is he serious, Master?"

'

The redhead wished she'd had a solid argument, but was unfortunately forced to shrug. "Well, I can't say for myself, but the myths at least agree with that part, so who knows."

'

"Man, what did you do to them?" Mozart asked, looking genuinely curious. "Did you enchant them all for something?"

'

"You could say that I worked my 'magic' on all of them." Lemminkäinen winked, and the entire female audience was filled with disappointment.

'

And then, while glaring at the man skeptically, Elizabeth suddenly decided to give the worst observation of the entire night. "You know, for such a pig, despite how you're in a group filled with beautiful women, you've been shockingly unobtrusive with your philandering." Ritsuka screamed internally. Why did she have to say that!? Was she genuinely stupid!?

'

But thankfully, Lemminkäinen just laughed the whole thing off. "Well, Pomo will basically kill me if I try anythin' with Mash, and she made it personally pretty clear that I have no chances with her." As the Saber smirked at her, Ritsuka let out a tired sigh. If nothing else, at least that conversation had the desired effect. "I also gave Jeanne a shot, but she's just... that," he muttered while motioning at the Ruler awkwardly. "The conversation we had this mornin' got me to really get her. There are impossible missions, and then there's that." Jeanne herself just smiled, not saying anything, while Lemminkäinen seemed actually genuine. Oh? Now the Master was desperately wishing she could've witnessed that conversation.

'

"Huh? But there are three other pretty girls right in front of you, aren't there?" Marie asked, pointing to herself, Elizabeth and Kiyohime. The latter of whom visibly cringed. "While I saw you approach Jeanne quite a few times yesterday, I don't recall you trying to flirt with me or them even once." Ritsuka genuinely facepalmed. She wasn't sure if Marie was actually that oblivious, or just really, really, really curious over his preferences.

'

Whatever the case, she still earned the Saber's attention. Lemminkäinen looked at each of the three in turn, his eyes so focused that both of the dragon girls started to seem genuinely uncomfortable as he thoroughly examined them from head to toe. Ritsuka was quite sure she'd never seen him as immersed in a task as he was now. Finally, after what had to have been at least a few minutes, he stopped and took a drink, before saying... "Meh. Come back in six to eight years and we'll see." And yet another painful silence took over the room. Marie, Elizabeth and Kiyohime had all gone stiff from shock. Ritsuka had almost never seen anyone look so offended as the three of them did at that moment. Jeanne even seemed genuinely worried, carefully rubbing the Rider's shoulder. But then, as Lemminkäinen took another gulp over the tense silence, his eyes suddenly grew sharp once more as they locked onto Elizabeth, like he'd noticed a crucial detail he'd missed until now. "Although... You're the younger version of that masked Assassin, right?" The Lancer nodded stiffly and a wide grin spread on his lips. "Great! Once you grow a bit, I'll definitely go for a round with you."

'

In response to such 'praise', Elizabeth's face struggled somewhere between growing pale and blushing heavily, leaving her mouth and brow contorting in bizarre ways. "...Why?" she groaned, hiding behind her tail, but Ritsuka didn't feel too bad for her. She fully faced the consequences of her thoughtless question. This would be a valuable lesson for the future.

'

Besides, the redhead was far more worried about Kiyohime at the moment, who looked like she might genuinely murder the Saber at any moment. "Master? Is this man seriously a hero from your homeland?"

'

Smiling apologetically, Ritsuka nodded. There was no point in lying here, even if this girl didn't have the ability to detect lies. "Yup. He's just the kind of guy who follows his passions anywhere. Sometimes those passions are a big beast he wants to catch, sometimes great battles, and often women. Once he gets really going, no amount of logic can shut him down, so I've tried to keep him on a relatively tight leash to keep him from going wild."

'

While everyone else looked exhausted just trying to process her words, Mozart burst into laughter. "Ahaha! You mean this whole time, he seriously hasn't 'gone wild' for real?" he cackled, getting a chuckle and a nod from the Saber next to him. "Wow. Your mom must've done one lousy job while teaching yo-"

'

Boom

'

Before Mozart could properly finish his sentence, Lemminkäinen shut him up with a fist to the face, launching him off the sofa and crashing into the wall, leaving a noticeable crater on the stone. To say that everyone was stunned would be an understatement, their eyes either on the Caster laying on the floor or the Saber now standing by the sofa. His previously merry demeanor nowhere to be seen, his enraged, golden eyes glowed like sparks as if to burn holes into Mozart. No one knew what to say, but the first to break the silence was no one in the room, as Cú Chulainn's voice, sounding somewhere between amazed and extremely amused, came from Ritsuka's Multi-Appliance. "Oh, shit. He actually went there..."

'

"He talked shit about his mom..." Came Kintoki's voice afterwards, actually sounding concerned over the situation. Still, now that Ritsuka thought about it, this wasn't that surprising, considering that according to Kalevala Lemminkäinen cried for an entire day straight when he thought his mother had died. That's also why, when Lemminkäinen began to walk towards the man he'd downed, she raised her hand to stop Jeanne and the others from interfering.

'

Looming over Mozart, now sporting a painful looking bruise on his cheek, the Saber lifted him by the collar, pulled their faces just centimeters apart, and spoke in a severe, uncompromising voice. "I'll let you off the hook this time with just that, since I doubt you meant it seriously, but here's a little warning for the future." His eyes genuinely glowing and his hair waving like flames, Lemminkäinen looked at the man straight in the eyes. "No one, and I mean no one, talks trash about my mother and gets away unscathed. We clear on that?"

'

For the first time since Ritsuka had met him, Mozart looked genuinely afraid as he nodded. "C-crystal... Absolutely n-no chance of that happening again."

'

Lemminkäinen also nodded. "Good." He then let go of the Caster's collar, letting him fall on the floor, before walking back to the sofa, which was now missing a portion of its backrest, and sat down. "So, where were we?"

'

Most of the room was flabbergasted once more and Ritsuka didn't even want to bother, which left only Elizabeth to yell at him. "You seriously want to go back to stories after that, like nothing even happened!?" Without even bothering to answer, Lemminkäinen took a deep gulp from another bottle, and the Lancer shook her head with the most dry look imaginable. "Right. I forgot who I was talking about," she muttered and sat back down. It seemed that she was finally learning.

'

Using her expertise in smoothing over conflicts, Jeanne turned towards the other Saber in the room with only a slightly forced smile. "Siegfried, would you like to take the next turn?"

'

Siegfried looked somewhat surprised by the sudden question, but still nodded in agreement. "...Well, I was technically married when alive, so I suppose I could share my tale." As the famed Dragon Slayer began his story, the tension of the last few minutes was slowly starting to dissipate as everyone got drawn into the tale. Ritsuka being the most relieved of them all. But little did any of them know that they would be in for the worst trainwreck of the night...

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

"And then Kriemhild cut off Hagen's head, ending the tale."

'

As Siegfried quietly finished his story, a deep silence fell into the room. Much like everyone else, Jeanne had no idea what to say. Just... what even could be said? Today, quite a few from their group had shared stories that couldn't be called happy by any stretch of the imagination. And yet somehow, Siegfried managed to have the most heartbreaking and disturbing story of them all. An astonishing feat, given his current company. While Jeanne was aware of his legend before this, the single detail of him actually wanting Hagen to kill him just completely changed everything. The whole revenge story became infinitely more tragic, considering it was wholly unnecessary.

'

"Alright, that was just... I mean, wow..." Ritsuka muttered, voice drifting off. She looked like she'd meant to say something, only to be unable to form her thoughts into proper words. "There... There had to have been a better way to handle that situation, right...?"

'

"Man, you really should've let your wife know about your plan," the other Saber noted from a sofa while rubbing his temple in agitation. "Hell, even a letter she'd receive afterwards would've been better than nothin'." Even Lemminkäinen was making reasonable points. That's how depressing the whole situation was.

'

Siegfried just nodded, not even trying to argue. "...In hindsight, yes. I had no idea the feelings she held for me were that strong..."

'

"And to think that you got yourself killed solely to avoid war, instead of your friend betraying you, like in the stories..." Marie muttered, looking depressed even by the room's standards with her eyes downcast. "In a way, that's far more tragic given how things turned out." Jeanne's gaze fell to the floor as well. Indeed, that was what they were all thinking.

'

Well, most of them, considering what Lemminkäinen said next. "Also, while I can respect that resolve of yours as a hero, it was a bit too tame of a way to die for my tastes." As Jeanne and the others turned to look at him in disbelief, he took another gulp from his bottle before continuing. "Like, you couldn't have had your pal stab you in the back at the end of a climactic battle or somethin'? Or, like gettin' arrows rained on you, which would've explained how your weak spot got hit? Sneak attacks are pretty borin', so basically anythin' could spice them up."

'

Ritsuka, appearing desensitized to even this level of callousness from the Saber, shrugged with a teasing smile. "Well, I'm not sure you're allowed to call them boring, since you did get killed by one, but there certainly must have been better ways to handle the situation."

'

While the others shared a short laugh, Siegfried remained quiet, deep in thought. He seemed to seriously consider the advice given to him. "...Perhaps, but I simply couldn't come up with anything better during my life. I also severely underestimated Kriemhild..."

'

"How about a change in topic?" Ritsuka suggested. "Maybe we could focus on something less depressing?"

'

"How about your reasons for being here?" came a sudden idea from Ritsuka's communicator. Jeanne believed it to be the mage called Dio. "Like your reasons for fighting. You know, aside from it being the right thing and all."

'

Now that was a suggestion the Ruler could get behind. It seemed like a good subject to let everyone take their minds off of the earlier tales. "That sounds sensible. Does anyone want to go first?"

'

"As you know, I'm planning on confronting Fafnir," Siegfried stated without hesitation. "Even if you hadn't asked me to fight him, I would have done so anyway. He and I are old foes, so if we exist at the same time, it's only natural for us to fight until one of us falls."

'

A smile spread on Jeanne's lips. Not that she would expect anything less from a famed hero. Though Lemminkäinen seemed far more pleased with the answer, grinning widely as he raised a battle towards the Dragon Slayer. "Hell yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!"

'

As the Saber continued drinking, Marie stood up to give her answer. "Even if this isn't the time of my rule, I'm still the queen, so saving France is just natural," she confirmed with a smile. Only for it to noticeably brighten as she turned towards Jeanne. "And I really wanted to meet Jeanne in person, which made the choice all the easier!"

'

Jeanne felt a slight flush rising to her cheeks as they shared a laugh, followed by Amadeus' reasoning. "I'm only helping because Maria and I bumped into each other. If it wasn't for that, I'd be hiding out there somewhere," he admitted without a hint of shame.

'

While there were a few disapproving sighs, Marie giggled. "If anyone is surprised, please raise your hand in shame." And thankfully, all hands were kept down.

'

"You all know I'm after Carmilla," Elizabeth admitted, though it was accompanied by a smile. "But, since we've all teamed up, I don't mind helping you take down her Master in the process." While Jeanne was still a bit concerned with the Lancer's motivation, it was at least relieving to know that she enjoyed their company. Besides, it's not like her goal was too different from her own, so it was hardly her place to judge it.

'

Then came Kiyohime, who started with a sigh. "I hoped to be summoned by a proper Master, only to be summoned by the Grail." She sounded genuinely disappointed until her expression shifted, not even trying to hide her obvious displeasure. "The Dragon Witch is a Master as well, but she's out of the question. That's why I decided I'll burn her down." Jeanne admittedly felt a bit unnerved by the words. It was vague, but she could feel something dangerous in her reasoning. Maybe it was simply due to her being a Berserker?

'

Still, now it was her turn, so Jeanne took a moment to gather her thoughts before answering. "Well... Aside from doing it to save my homeland, I suppose I must confront the Dragon Witch due to her being 'me'." Her answer got quite a few sympathetic smiles from the others. Had she been asked the same thing yesterday, Jeanne wasn't sure how she would've answered, but even if she hadn't figured the situation out completely, today had provided her with plenty of guidance towards her goal, especially what Lemminkäinen had said during the short meeting with the French army.

'

All eyes turned towards Mash next, but the girl remained calm. "We are all here, since it's Chaldea's mission. We're quite simply fighting for our survival and for the future of mankind."

'

Ritsuka nodded beside her. "Yeah, that about sums it up." Indeed, that was the part that bothered Jeanne the most. Though she understood Chaldea's circumstances and that they had no other options, that didn't mean that she was completely fine with them. While she had been close in age to Ritsuka while she started striving to save France, her responsibility was still far greater. Compared to just a single country, saving the entirety of human history was infinitely more taxing, along with the consequences of failure. She'd held no doubts of her success during her life, given that she'd received the Lord's blessings and promises, but as far as Jeanne knew Ritsuka didn't have anything like that. The fact that she hadn't collapsed under the pressure was certainly remarkable. Then again, given the way she interacted with everyone, maybe it was her allies that she had so much faith in, letting her move forward... Or perhaps she had no choice but to have faith in them... Still, whatever the case, it wasn't her place to question them. They first had to save France to further their goal, so that was what they should focus on for the moment.

'

But then, Lemminkäinen said something rather unexpected. "Well, even if I wasn't her Servant and was just summoned here like the rest of you, I'd still be out here fightin' against the Dragon Rider."

'

It was such a casual remark that Jeanne had trouble taking him seriously even knowing his personality, and it seemed that she wasn't the only one. Most people in the room were looking at him quite dubiously, Amadeus especially. "Why? You have absolutely no connections to France, so why risk your life against impossible odds to defend it?"

'

The Saber looked at him as if he'd asked the most idiotic question imaginable. "Huh? That should be the most obvious thing in the world." Taking a long gulp from his bottle as if attempting to make his point less valid, he somehow managed to say the next words with the most convincing smile imaginable. "I'm helpin' to put a stop to this mess, because that's what heroes do."

'

Jeanne felt her brow rise at the Saber's reasoning as the others either mimicked her or rolled their eyes, while Mash stared at him with puzzlement. "...Because it's what heroes do?" she repeated, and the Saber nodded.

'

"Of course. If there's a threat the regular people can't handle, then it's the job of a hero to take care of it. If there's a task people consider impossible, then a hero has to complete it. And if the people need someone to look up to and rally around, then it's up to a hero to rise up and be that someone." The last part was accompanied by a wink to Jeanne. "There's many types of heroes out there, but basically all of them fit into one of these categories." The Ruler couldn't exactly disagree with that view. Indeed, by that third example's definition, Jeanne herself was a hero as well. Even if she didn't really think of herself as one, she could still see the logic in it.

'

"Yeah. Can't exactly call yourself a hero if you get summoned to a mess like that and don't fight against the wyvern hoard," one of the Servants from Chaldea agreed.

'

"Exactly," Lemminkäinen nodded, an eager grin spreading on his face. "And there's also the fact that the Dragon Rider has some damn strong subordinates. Fightin' almost any of 'em is an absolute blast."

'

"Really should've seen that last part coming," Ritsuka sighed, though she seemed more amused than anything. Jeanne couldn't help but let out a small laugh, which was soon joined by others. It seemed that they'd all thought that the last part would be his main reason for fighting.

'

Though as the laughter quieted down, Amadeus spoke up with a curious sparkle in his eyes. "Well, that was everyone's motivation for helping, so how about a more interesting activity for a change?" With a snap of his fingers, the Caster materialized a violin into his hands.

'

The instrument got more than a few pleased reactions from the others, Jeanne among them. This was certainly an interesting change in topic. While she wasn't all that familiar with so-called higher class music, singing was certainly something she enjoyed. And yet, the most unexpected reaction came from Lemminkäinen. "Oh, music?" Surprisingly, a matching sparkle to Amadeus' appeared in his eyes as well. "If we're gonna be playin', can I get a turn as well?"

'

The Caster's reaction was quite unexpected as well. He'd seemed perfectly ready to start playing, yet he lowered the violin to his side and looked at the Saber expectantly. "Sure, suit yourself. I've admittedly been a bit curious as to how you hold up to your cultural inheritance."

'

Lemminkäinen grinned. "Great. Gimme a sec and I'll fetch something." He then rushed out of the room, only to return just a few short seconds later, holding something under his arm proudly. "Durin' our ride, I had time to finish this baby." It was clearly an instrument judging by its overall appearance, yet it wasn't quite like any Jeanne had seen. While similar to a violin in that it had five strings, its shape was much bulkier and far less curved. Being roughly the length of an arm and more than twice as thick, it was obviously not meant to be held with just a single hand. ...Then there was the fact that it was clearly made of bone, the jaw of a wyvern if Jeanne had to guess.

'

"Is that a koto?" Kiyohime tilted her head, seemingly familiar with at least a similar instrument.

'

"A kantele, huh?" Revealing the name of the instrument, Amadeus eyed it with clear interest. "It's not something I ever played during my life, but after becoming a Servant, I'm familiar with the history it has in your country. The first kantele was apparently constructed by Väinämöinen, the god of chants, songs, poetry and magic, using the jawbone of a giant pike for the body and the hairs from the mane of a demonic horse for the strings."

'

Lemminkäinen let out an impressed whistle. "You've done your homework, man."

'

"Knowledge of the arts is one of my few strengths as a Servant," the Caster admitted without a hint of shame, his eyes still locked on the instrument. "But I see you made something similar in nature to the kantele Väinämöinen owned."

'

Lemminkäinen nodded, patting his creation. "Yeah, but only in appearance. I built this from the jawbone of a wyvern and used my own hair for strings." The choice in material for the strings was... unusual to say the least, but Jeanne couldn't exactly deny that his hair was quite splendid, so maybe it made for fine strings as well. "I've seen the the real thing in person, and there's no way in hell I could make somethin' to rival it, even with the exact same materials."

'

A reveal that earned him quite a few surprised looks from the audience, the Ruler among them. To hear Lemminkäinen admitting something like that so sincerely was certainly unexpected. Although some seemed to take it as an opportunity, judging by the mischievous smile spreading on Elizabeth's lips. "Too hard?"

'

And yet, the Saber didn't lose the slightest bit of his sincerity as he shook his head. "It ain't about hardness. That thing is just not somethin' a human can make. The old man loved that kantele more than anythin' in the world. Even if someone made an identical one and spent their entire life lovin' and worshipin' it, they'd never even get close to the level of adoration the old man siphoned into his kantele over who knows how many centuries..." Falling silent, Lemminkäinen took another drink before muttering: "The love of a god is a hell of a thing..."

'

"Tell me about it..." one of the Chaldean Servants from earlier sighed. He seemed to have personal experience with this subject. Jeanne was only familiar with the universal love the Lord showered all of humanity with, so she didn't really understand this all too well, but she could imagine that when someone divine focused their love towards a single entity, the results would be... powerful.

'

"Still, I'm eager to hear what you can create with that," Amadeus noted, pointing at the instrument somewhat restlessly. Indeed, the Ruler was quite sure this was the most excited she'd ever seen him.

'

Lemminkäinen grinned as if he'd just been challenged. "Then just keep your ears open." Placing the kantele on his lap, he stretched his fingers before lowering his hands, and then... he began to play.

'

To say that Jeanne was pleasantly surprised as the first notes reached her ears would be an understatement. Of all the skills Lemminkäinen held, this was by far the most unexpected. And judging by the astounded yet pleased expressions of those around her, she wasn't alone in thinking that. "Oh, wow..." Elizabeth gasped, her voice quiet to not disturb the song even in the slightest. "He's actually really good..." And indeed, he was. While Jeanne was hardly an expert in evaluating music, even she could tell that this was the work of a genius. Lemminkäinen handled his instrument with almost mystic skill. His fingers glided along the strings as if it were completely natural, like a fish swimming through water or a bird soaring across the sky. The music he was producing was upbeat, yet felt perfectly natural, making Jeanne just want to focus on listening to it.

'

"Quite nice, indeed..." Keeping his eyes closed, Amadeus lightly waved his finger together with the song's rhythm. He seemed extremely pleased with this outcome. "While there are similarities to other string instruments, it truly has its own identity."

'

Lemminkäinen nodded, a satisfied smile on his lips. "And with a song like this, nothing works better than some singin'." Oh, Jeanne couldn't wait to hear that. Together with his playing, that sounded absolutely lovely.

'

But before he could begin, the other redhead of the group slid closer to the girl sitting next to her. "Sorry about this, Mash." In the instant that Lemminkäinen took in his breath, Ritsuka covered Mash's ears with her hands and performed some type of magecraft on them while a simultaneous glow on her own ears revealed that she'd done the same to herself. But before anyone, especially the confused Shielder, could say anything, the Saber began to sing...

'

The entire room shook, and despite the fact that all of the Servants were already sitting, most of them nearly fell over due to the shockwave that halted their thoughts to their tracks. As soon as the atrocious sound reached her ears, Jeanne thought that they were under attack, almost bringing out her flag to protect everyone from the attack of the 'dragon' that was 'roaring' at them. But then, she noticed something that made her stop. This wasn't at all like any roaring she'd ever heard, in fact, there was a sort of... rhythm to the bellowing... And finally, she realized the source of the sound... Lemminkäinen was 'singing' with a look of utmost cheer, yet the result was quite simply mind boggling. Deep like thunder, his voice was literally powerful enough to shake the castle. The candles giving them light threatened to fall over, some paintings fell from the walls, the empty bottles beside the couch rattled, yet he kept going unperturbed. While Jeanne could tell that he was using 'words' while singing, she couldn't understand any of them. She wasn't sure if this was due to him singing in his native tongue or from the absurd loudness, but she was simply too stunned to care at the moment. This went on for what felt like hours, since everyone was far too stunned to simply tell Lemminkäinen to stop. And once sweet silence fell once more, the only ones in the room that weren't completely flabbergasted were Ritsuka and Lemminkäinen himself, who for some reason appeared extremely content with his performance. After letting out a few gasps to make sure that her hearing was still functioning properly, Jeanne turned towards the Saber and asked the question everyone was more than likely thinking. "What... was that?"

'

Ritsuka removed her hands from bewildered Mash's ears, letting out a deep sigh as she shook her head. "Wow... Just, wow... I figured it would be the case, given all the legends, but to think that you were actually this bad..."

'

"What... What do you mean?" Marie asked, clearly just as confused as Jeanne.

'

A grin spread on the Master's lips. "In Kalevala and other connected stories, while Lemminkäinen is a powerful magus and gifted in the arts, his singing is infamously horrible. He once shattered a powerful enchantment affecting an entire country from a stupidly long distance away, just by singing. On accident." A silence fell. It was like nobody knew what to say. While Jeanne could understand how a voice like that could affect magecraft, she couldn't even begin to fathom how Lemminkäinen could produce it, let alone appear so pleased with his performance. But, she was hardly the most curious of the people there.

'

"How!?" Amadeus screamed, rage and disbelief filling his voice. "How can someone that skilled in both poetry and instruments be so damn horrendous at singing!?"

'

And yet, the Caster was shocked to complete silence, as it was Lemminkäinen who turned towards him with the most disappointed expression imaginable. "Man... I figured a genius like you would get it, but it's the same here as well..." His expression shifting to something Jeanne could only describe as poetic, the Saber placed a hand on his chest. "Most people just don't get my style of singin'. When I sing like I mean it, I just let out what's inside my heart. Nothing less. The rhythm in my heart guides my voice." Jeanne felt her eyes widen. It truly was rare for Lemminkäinen to appear so spirited and sincere, while simultaneously being so calm and profound, giving the impression that these truly were words coming straight from his heart.

'

But Amadeus didn't seem to care about that in the least. "Don't follow it! It's leading you astray, damn it! Follow an actual rhythm!" he practically pleaded. The man seemed genuinely desperate at the moment, like a wounded soldier on the battlefield doing everything he could to survive. ...Was music truly this serious to some people?

'

And yet, despite the pleas thrown at him, Lemminkäinen shook his head sincerely. "But then I can't sing at my best. If my heart isn't in it, then what's the point of music?"

'

It was as if the Saber's last words had completely annihilated any sort of argument he could present. Slumping in defeat, the Caster trudged towards the door, his despairing eyes not turning to look at any of them as he exited the room. "...I need some fresh air."

'

While Jeanne held some slight worry for him, Marie's giggles quickly dissolved them. The laughter soon spread to the others, and even if the Ruler felt a bit bad for Amadeus, she couldn't exactly deny that the exchange had been quite funny. Stifling her laughter, Ritsuka stood up. "Well, that was definitely a thunderous ending to our get together, but it is getting kind of late. We have another early leave tomorrow, which means I'm heading to bed. I don't have the vitality of a Servant, so I need my sleep." With that farewell, she began to move towards the door, a bright smile on her face. "But first, a shower." She seemed to be very happy with this shower invention, to the point that Jeanne was honestly looking forward to trying it out later tonight when her turn came.

'

"I'll come as well, Senpai," Mash announced immediately, only for a light flush to rise to her cheeks. "N-not at the same time in the shower, o-obviously. I-I'll just prepare our beds while you're there."

'

Marie giggled at the reaction, and Jeanne had to agree that it was quite cute. But indeed, while they could keep telling stories all night, it was essential for the Master to get her rest. With that, she gave the two leaving girls a light wave. "Good night to you both. We'll rest in our own ways, and take turns with the shower once you're done."

'

"Night," Ritsuka nodded, and with a quick exchange of similar goodbyes from the others, she and Mash left the room.

'

"I guess we'll need a new topic..." Lemminkäinen muttered, only to have his face brighten as if he'd just had the most wonderful idea of the night. "How about some huntin' stories?"

'

And yet, everyone else, Jeanne included, had the exact opposite reaction. In fact, she was quite sure that their group had never seemed as unanimously disinterested in anything, to the point where she went ahead and asked: "Has anyone here aside from him gone hunting?" As expected, everyone but Lemminkäinen shook their heads. Not that it hampered his mood in the least.

'

"Well, no worries. I've got more than enough for the rest of-"

'

"How about no?" Kiyohime countered flatly.

'

Lemminkäinen looked over each of the women, and even he was unable to miss the complete disinterest on their faces. Realizing he was not winning this argument, he grumbled: "Bunch of spoilsports..." With a sigh, he rose from the couch and stretched his arms. "Well, it was a good time while it lasted. Guess I'll look around the castle for anythin' interestin' to do 'fore I head down to the stables." As the Saber walked out, Jeanne looked at the number of empty bottles he left behind. With a quick estimation, there were at least a dozen... They were truly fortunate that normal alcohol was insufficient for getting Servants drunk, or there might have been unfortunate consequences.

'

"How about we share some less depressing stories for a change?" Marie suggested, her smile brightening up the room. "For a start, I've got plenty of fun and adorable tales about my darling children." A smile spread on Jeanne's lips as well. This was certainly something she would like to hear.

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

Early in the morning, Mash walked out of Château de Chalmazel's main building into the courtyard, finding all of the other Servants and Fou waiting there. Upon noticing her, Jeanne walked closer. "We're all ready to leave. Where's Ritsuka, Mash?"

'

"Senpai is performing a quick ritual of some kind. Something to help her in case there's trouble," the Shielder revealed. Indeed, their Master had requested to be left alone for its duration and told her that she could head outside with the others. She'd wished to at least stay with her, but she still understood the need for secrecy. No matter how kind and caring she was, Senpai was still a magus, so she had to uphold at least some of their customs. "Don't worry. It will only take a few minutes according to her."

'

"Yeah, makes sense for a mage," Amadeus hummed, getting a nudge from Marie.

'

"Just remember to play nice with everyone, Amadeus."

'

"I will make an attempt," he grinned, appearing to be in a... shockingly good mood, given everything that transpired last night. "But, there's no need to worry. Even with you gone, there's more than enough sources of wonderful music in our group."

'

Mash tilted her head. "Music? Do you mean Lemminkäinen?"

'

The Caster's expression fell like a rock. "Ugh, don't remind me of that..." With a shudder, he quickly shook his head to shake the thought off, turning towards the Saber leaning against a wall with a mixed expression. "Though to be fair, as long as he keeps his mouth shut, the music he plays with that kantele is quite excellent." A smile that could only be described as evil returning to his lips, he turned back to her. "But no. What I was referring to was the music you produce naturally, just like last night."

'

Mash's mouth fell agape. "I-wha? Huh...?" At this point, she was just completely lost. Judging by the expressions of those around her, they were feeling much the same.

'

But Amadeus seemed more than happy to explain. "I became a Servant because of my music. I can detect any sound wave in the air." Mash felt a chill running down her spine. Wait. But wouldn't that mean...? "For instance, the sound of you and Maria's sleeping last night. I enjoyed listening to them both. And, not just the sound of your breathing, but even smaller biological noises. During our journey, I've made sure to carefully record them from each of you. Except Elizabeth of course, because she frightens me. I've recorded all the miniscule sounds your body makes in my Wolfgang Recorder!"

'

Mash... wasn't quite sure what she was feeling at the moment. Though if she had to guess, it was probably what every other woman around them looked like they felt, judging by their expressions. Disbelief, repugnance, indignation, some fear, all that and more. The only exception among them was Marie, who had buried her face in her hands and was facing towards the ground. Throughout all of this there was only one thing Mash knew for certain: This was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most extreme sexual harassment case she'd ever heard of.

'

And yet, it seemed like Amadeus still wasn't done. "Ritsuka's breathing especially was quite a rare find. The rhythm and control she has over it, even while sleeping, is something I haven't experienced anywhere else," he revealed with absolute cheer. "Oh, discovering new sources of music is just the best!" It was with those words that Mash got a better understanding of her feelings. Yes. Indignation was definitely the strongest of them now...

'

But before anything more unfortunate could happen, doctor Roman's screen projected itself from the Multi-Appliance they had lended Jeanne. Even he looked shocked over the Caster's complete lack of tact. "Wow. Just wow. Are all geniuses just perverts of some kind?" he asked, glancing towards Da Vinci.

'

"I'm not," Dio announced from somewhere, getting the Doctor to think for a moment.

'

"Fair enough. But you've got other quirks to more than make up for that."

'

While the Chaldeans continued their quibble in the background, it did very little, if anything, to calm the outrage most of the women felt towards Amadeus. And yet, it did manage to have one notable effect, seeing how while they were both watching Roman's screen, Kiyohime and Elizabeth's eyes met. For the next few seconds they stared at each other silently, until the Berserker nodded with a sigh. "...I see that we are in agreement for once."

'

Crossing her arms, Elizabeth also sighed. "...Yeah. I don't like it, but this is something that I can't help but to agree on."

'

"Very well." Taking out her fan, Kiyohime opened it, generating a ball of fire at its tip and pointed it at the group's sole Caster, who stared at her in confusion. "Good bye, Amadeus."

'

With startling efficiency, the Berserker unleashed her fireblast towards Amadeus, who managed to barely dive out of the way, leaving his coat's hem and sleeves burning. As he tried to get up, Elizabeth lept at him with her spear, forcing him to roll out of the way as she stabbed the weapon into the spot where he'd just been. "You're seriously trying to kill me!?" he screamed in disbelief before dashing off, the two dragon girls chasing right behind him.

'

"Obviously!" the Lancer roared, supported by Kiyohime.

'

"Barring that, we will at the very least annihilate those disgusting ears of yours!"

'

While the three ran around the castle yard, Mash, Jeanne, Marie, Siegfried and Lemminkäinen were all just watching the chaos unfold in stunned silence. The Shielder was... unsure what to think of this development. While Amadeus most certainly deserved this after his disturbing remarks, the two dragon girls did seem to be going a bit too far. "As entertaining as this whole scenario is, you should probably stop them before they actually kill him," Dio eventually called through the communicator, getting Jeanne to jump into action, even if she still looked quite mixed on the matter as a whole.

'

"Please stop, everyone!" Materializing her flag, the Ruler dashed between the Caster and the chasing dragons. "Even if Amadeus' actions are contemptible at best, we can't fall to infighting at a time like this!"

'

Both Kiyohime and Elizabeth still looked extremely agitated, like they might attack Jeanne just to get her to move, prompting Mash to rush to her side to try and assist. "E-exactly. No matter how disturbing his personality may be, Amadeus is at least minimally helpful during battle. We still need his help in ending this crisis."

'

Marie moved to their side as well. "I'm sorry, everyone. This is definitely revenge for yesterday. As his keeper, I apologize." Bowing in apology to the two dragons, she motioned towards the Caster now hiding behind a corner short distance away. "But please bear with him a little. If you take away his ears, all that's left is a pervert!"

'

"How rude. This is a musical talent as well," Amadeus muttered, still clearly frightened by his near death experience, yet not enough to keep his thoughts to himself. "Human beings create filth just by living! When I faced that truth, my music became complete for the first time. Life is filth, and music cleanses it."

'

"That is one depressin' as hell way to look at life," Lemminkäinen sighed, but also shuffled to defend the Caster. "Still, you really should stop. Like the others said, he's got some uses, so losin' him would leave a tiny gap in our forces."

'

While neither of the dragon girls seemed happy, their hostility lowered considerably. "Ugh, fine." Dematerializing her weapon, Elizabeth huffed with a pout. "At least I'm not in the same group as him."

'

Kiyohime kept her fan out longer, but eventually folded it up. "...Very well, since you asked for it, Marie." Though she still shot a piercing glare at Amadeus. "However, if he ever brings that up again, I'm burning his ears off."

'

The Caster visibly shuddered. "Please don't. They're very useful. For example, I can tell you that Ritsuka is finished and heading outside as we speak."

'

Marie sighed, appearing disappointed even when she knew him so well. Jeanne just shook her head and started walking towards the gate. "Admittedly that is somewhat useful to know. We can start preparing to leave so that we're ready when she gets here."

'

"So, Ritsuka Lemmikki Repo is finally joinin' us, huh?" Lemminkäinen chuckled, getting most of the Servants to look at him in surprise. Mash too was caught somewhat off guard, but not for the same reason. She obviously already knew Senpai's full name, yet it was admittedly strange to hear him use it.

'

"Oh, is that her full name?" Marie asked, getting a smirk from the Saber.

'

"Hehe. It sure is."

'

Everyone looked at him questioningly, Mash included. Lemminkäinen was certainly acting oddly. "What's so funny?" Elizabeth asked, more than likely expecting the reasoning to be something stupid, judging by her expression.

'

"Nothin' really. It's just, that's one hell of a name to give someone." As he kept snickering, the others exchanged confused looks, yet none more so than Mash. Now that she actually knew her Senpai's full name and the meaning behind it, his reaction that first time had certainly been bizarre as well.

'

Marie tilted her head, starting to appear genuinely curious. "Is it really?"

'

Now it was the Saber's turn to look surprised, his merriment halting. "Wait. You mean you guys don't get her name?"

'

Kiyohime tapped her chin. "Ritsuka is a fairly common name in Japan, but I'm not aware of the origins of her other names. I assume that they are of Finnish origin?"

'

"Oh, man. You really don't know?" Lemminkäinen seemed genuinely stupefied, as if the knowledge was perfectly common. "Huh... So the summoning teaches us languages, but not really the meanin's behind all words. Guess it falls to me to enlighten you." The earlier grin returned to his face, and he seemed eager to share his knowledge on Ritsuka's name.

'

And yet, Mash already knew, cutting in on the conversation. "Senpai told me about it once. Apparently her middle name, Lemmikki, is the Finnish name for the flower 'forget-me-not' since the color of her eyes matches its color," she declared proudly, getting several delighted reactions from the others.

'

Marie clapped her hands together, an adoring smile spreading on her face. "Oh, that is lovely! What wonderful reasoning!"

'

Kiyohime nodded by her side. "Yes, it is quite beautiful. Master must have been blessed with caring parents." Though Mash couldn't help but notice that even when compared to the others, she seemed oddly pleased with this new knowledge.

'

But as most of the others were gushing over Ritsuka's name, Lemminkäinen, the one who brought it up in the first place, scratched his head curiously. "...Huh? I never really thought about it, but guess that's true as well."

'

"You mean there's something more to it?" Mash asked, eyes widening in surprise.

'

Lemminkäinen began grinning again as he nodded. "Oh yeah." A confirmation that certainly caught the Shielder's curiosity. There was something about her Senpai's name that she was still unaware of? Was that why she had seemed so intent on keeping it a secret? "But first, her family name. To keep it simple, Repo is basically a synonym for a fox. Nothin' more complex than that."

'

A detail that wasn't exactly shocking, but important enough that Mash made sure to properly remember it. Still it was quite fitting, as all of those present seemed to agree. "I see. Well, it matches her hair quite nicely. Having a name that matches one's appearance is quite fortunate," Jeanne noted.

'

Lemminkäinen grew even more excited. "But you don't even know the best part. While lemmikki really is the name of a flower, it also has another meaning. You see, it's also used to refer to some domesticated animals. Specifically things like cats and dogs."

'

Silence reigned. "Huh...?" Was all that Mash could mutter, staring at the grinning Saber in disbelief together with the others. The answer was quite obvious, yet the shocking truth was preventing her from fully comprehending it. There was just no way something like that could be possible. Her name simply felt too bizarrely perfect to actually be real.

'

Mozart, barely able to contain his laughter, motioned towards Lemminkäinen. "...W-wait. So you're seriously saying that 'Lemmikki Repo' means..." He couldn't even finish his sentence. It was like he was simultaneously doubting the legitimacy of his words and desperately wishing for them to be true.

'

"Stop!" Mash's attention was drawn towards the main building as out of nowhere, Ritsuka burst out of the door and rushed towards the group with surprising speed. She'd clearly heard what they were talking about and wished to put an end to the conversation.

'

But alas, she was far too late. They had all already figured it out. And, putting everyone's thoughts into words, Jeanne muttered the answer: "Pet fox...?"

'

"AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" Mash went pale as her Senpai screamed as if she'd just been grievously injured and fell to her hands and knees, face towards the ground with her hanging bangs hiding it from sight. As she rushed to the fallen redhead's side, she was relieved to find no notable injuries on her, yet there certainly was something worrying. Still on her knees with her head hung low, Ritsuka was endlessly repeating in a low, barely audible voice: "Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy...?" It was... honestly quite haunting to listen.

'

While his Master knelt on the ground, Lemminkäinen scratched the back of his head with a smirk. "Sorry, Pomo. After the topic came up, I just couldn't help myself." There wasn't even a hint of remorse in his voice or expression.

'

Marie then approached the fallen girl. "Oh, there's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, Ritsuka." While she began to pat her on the back comfortingly, the Rider was unable to quell her smile in the slightest. The other female Servants seemed to be gushing over the topic amongst themselves in the background, a few giggles erupting from time to time. "That is an absolutely adorable name, no matter how you look at it." Of course, Mash agreed as well. It was very cute, indeed. She was sure that Senpai's parents had thought of that as well when they picked it.

'

Yet Ritsuka herself didn't seem to care about that in the least. "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuugggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Desperation leaking from her eyes, she raised her head and turned towards Jeanne, voice pleading. "...Please tell me that everyone at Chaldea didn't hear that."

'

And yet, that small hope was denied as Roman's apologetic voice came from Jeanne's communicator. "...Sorry, Ritsuka." Mash could faintly hear the sound of laughter echoing from the transmission, which meant that her Senpai most likely did as well.

'

Ritsuka's face at this point was roughly as red as her hair. With absolute indignation blazing in her eyes, she glared at Lemminkäinen. "There are no words to describe how much I hate you right now." Though after a few seconds, a smile that could only be described as dangerous grew on her lips. "At least, English doesn't. Finnish on the other hand..." Rising back to her full height, the Master walked right in front of him, their faces uncomfortably close as she poked him on the chest. "Once we have some time, you better be ready for an absolute earful."

'

If Mash had been in a similar position, she was quite sure she would have started to sob, yet Lemminkäinen took the attitude on with a smirk. "Well, looks like I have somethin' to look forward to." He then headed towards the castle stables, one of the few locations in it that Mash hadn't visited at all. "But, as fun as that was, it's time to show you what I found last night."

'

As the Saber disappeared inside, several curious and uncertain looks were exchanged. Knowing him, this could be just about anything. Yet, it wasn't anything they'd expected, despite the answer being sort of obvious. As Lemminkäinen came out, he was leading two large, brown creatures whose reigns he held. Most of the others' eyes widened and both Mash and Ritsuka let out surprised gasps. While she had never seen these animals in person, she still obviously knew what they were. Jeanne slowly approached one of them, petting it on the muzzle as if to make sure that it was actually real. As the animal responded to her touch with a push of its own, she turned to Lemminkäinen, still just as surprised. "You... you found horses? I'm certain that the stables were empty when we got here."

'

Smiling in an unusually gentle manner, the Saber petted the other horse's muzzle. "Yeah, they were empty alright. I found these girls in the forest some distance from here. Probably ran off after wherever they lived was wrecked or when their riders were killed. They're too clean and tame to be wild," he explained before motioning at the saddles. "I spent the night getting them all geared up. Thankfully the stable had plenty of useful tools. so it didn't take too long."

'

Cocking a brow at the vague wording, Amadeus eyed the horses skeptically. "And what exactly did you do with them?"

'

"Well, just some basic enchantments for their equipment. Saddles that don't chafe and also reduce the weight of the riders, and a little boost on their horseshoes that lessen all impacts on their legs. Stuff that helps them ride for longer periods of time."

'

"Basic stuff, huh?" Smiling, Jeanne shook her head at the man's dubious definition of basic. Mash was quite sure that the Ruler had never even heard of such gear for horses during her life. "Still, traveling with horses is far more energy efficient than just having Servants run at full speed, so this should definitely help in case you come across a surprise fight."

'

Lemminkäinen nodded in agreement. "And since Siegfried isn't in any condition to run anywhere near that fast, just havin' him ride a horse is way less awkward." With the slightest hint of uncertainty in his eyes, he turned towards the other Saber who had been quiet until now. "You can still ride a horse, can't you?"

'

Siegfried nodded with a small smile. "Yes. That shouldn't be an issue." Aside from his better mood still remaining from last night, there was a noticeable change in his appearance when compared to yesterday. His exposed chest and neck, as well as other parts of his body that were covered by his black clothes, had been thoroughly wrapped with bandages. Lemminkäinen had apparently enchanted them for him during the night. As he didn't have any normal wounds, the bandages didn't do anything but hide the ominous feeling the curses gave off. Still, it seemed that Lemminkäinen had made them solely to keep the horses from being frightened by Siegfried's curses. He must have really liked the animals. Mash also had to agree that it made staying in Siegfried's presence considerably less unnerving.

'

"So while Siegfried rides one horse and Pomo and Mash the other, the rest of us will follow in spirit form," Lemminkäinen noted with a slight frown. "Not the most fun way of travel, but we'll have to make due."

'

Ah, that. Ever since Mash had first seen the horses, she had expected something like this, but his words confirmed it. Her Senpai had been unusually stiff ever since they had appeared, but the Shielder had another issue that required most of her attention at the moment. Walking closer, she gave Lemminkäinen a hesitant look. "...Can I ask you something?"

'

"Shoot."

'

"Um, I..." For just a second, Mash moved her gaze to one of the horses, only to return it back to the Saber as a sheepish smile spread on her lips. "...How do I ride it?"

'

Lemminkäinen blinked in surprise before an understanding smile grew to his lips. "Never rode a horse before, huh?" The Shielder shook her head. Of course she hadn't. Where would one even keep horses in Chaldea, let alone practice riding them? Well, it technically would have been possible in the Simulator, but her training had focused on more practical subjects, so it never came up. Despite that, the Saber took the reins of one of the horses and gently guided it closer to her. "Well, even if it's low ranked, you do still have the Riding Skill, right? These girls are well trained, so just hop on the saddle and take the reins. The rest should come naturally."

'

"Naturally... Yes, I've got it." It wasn't the most detailed advice she'd received, but Mash had recently learned that some things were best experienced just by simply attempting them, so maybe this was one of those cases. Taking a step towards it, she finally took a good, long look at the horse that had been brought to her. It really was a beautiful creature. Large, brown eyes that returned her gaze, smooth coat that both looked and felt pleasant, and long, muscular legs that would carry them to their destination... as long as she could properly ride it. Mash took a deep breath and clenched her fists to keep them from shaking. "I-I'll be giving it my best shot!"

'

In response to her declaration, the horse jolted and moved away from her, only to be stopped by a soothing touch from Lemminkäinen. "It's good that you've got spirit, but calm down a bit. Horses are sensitive animals. If you're all nervous like that, they'll get skittish too. Just take it slow."

'

Mash felt a blush rising to her cheeks. She'd already made such a massive error right at the beginning. Of course a horse would be nervous if its rider was. "Right... Calm..." Taking a few more calming breaths, she walked to the horse's side. Patting it gently, she raised her foot and slipped it into the stirrup, hoisting herself from the ground while lifting her other leg over the horse to place it into the other stirrup, finally seating herself onto the saddle. And as soon as she took the reins in her hands, Mash realized that Lemminkäinen had been right. With just the slightest nudge, she got the horse to walk, letting her fully feel it all. The horse's breathing, the movement of its muscles as it walked. She instinctively knew every method, from the tiniest nudge to pulling the reins, of guiding the horse move as she wanted. Pressing her legs gently into the horse's sides and getting it to trot around the area, the last bits of doubt were repelled from Mash's mind. Despite her apprehension, it really was just as natural as fighting when she'd first started it in Fuyuki. Though there was no doubt in her mind that this was a far more pleasant experience when compared to something like combat. A new, wonderful experience... To Mash, it seemed that lately every day brought with it at least one of those to her. And now, it almost felt like someone was pulling on her cheeks with how widely she was smiling. Barely able to stay on the saddle due to her excitement, she guided the horse closer to Ritsuka. "S-Senpai, look! I'm doing it!" she exclaimed while still keeping her voice low enough to not startle her mount.

'

And yet, as she saw Senpai's face, Mash's mood changed immediately. All of her previous excitement was replaced by confusion. While Ritsuka was smiling at her, it looked like an incredibly forced, nervous smile, to the point where her lips were visibly quivering. Not once had Mash seen her like that, almost... frightened... "T-that you ar-are," the redhead stuttered completely uncharacteristically. "G-good jo-job, Mash..." Thinking about it, she had acted somewhat strangely ever since the horses showed up, so maybe...

'

And then, it happened. For some reason that Mash didn't understand, the horse suddenly kicked its back legs and let out a loud neigh. Perhaps it was bitten by a gadfly or something, but that wasn't important. What was important was how Ritsuka reacted to it. The instant the horse opened its mouth, the redhead jumped back, shielding her face with her arms, and let out a loud shrill screech. "Hiiiiyyaaaaa!" Mash could only stare at her in disbelief. It almost sounded the same as Director Olga Marie's screams in Fuyuki. She had never heard her Senpai make a sound like that, nor look even remotely this frightened, even when her life was in genuine danger. It was only after a few seconds of neither the girl or the horse moving that Ritsuka seemed to realize what had just happened, her mouth falling agape with a shocked: "...Ah?"

'

Silence reigned over the courtyard, everyone quite simply too shocked over what happened to speak. All eyes were on Ritsuka, who was growing redder by the moment. Her head tilted forward, eyes hidden by her bangs as she stood there in silence. The Shielder kept staring at her, processing what had just happened. Her Senpai had been nervous ever since the horses appeared, even more so once one had approached her, and had been genuinely frightened by it neighing. With all these clues, even if it sounded unbelievable, Mash arrived at a single solution: "Senpai... Could it be that you're afraid of horses?"

'

For the next few seconds, there was no response. The redhead merely kept staring at the ground, bangs covering her eyes, until finally a despondent voice spoke out. "...Mash, could I ask you for a favor?"

'

"Huh?" Mash blinked in surprise at the unexpected response, not entirely sure what she should say. "Um... I mean, of course. What do you need?"

'

"Please dig a hole, as deep as possible, so that I can crawl into it."

'

In the face of another, even more unexpected response, she nearly fell off her horse. "I... uh?" Mash could feel anxiety setting in. Even if it was a direct request from Senpai, she was quite sure that she shouldn't fulfill it. Frantically searching for a solution, her eyes eventually focused on the Servants still standing there in shock. "Please help, anyone."

'

Her desperate plea seemed to do the trick, seeing how Lemminkäinen suddenly shook his head, a grin growing on his lips. "Hah! 'Fraid we don't have time for that, Pomo." Striding to the silent girl's side, he gave her an encouraging slap on the back. "You can sulk all you want while we're on the road, though."

'

Ritsuka still didn't react in the least, prompting Marie to walk to her and place a hand on her shoulder in a mix of concern and curiosity. "Why are you so afraid of them, though? Horses are such wonderful animals."

'

That seemed to have worked, as Ritsuka noticeably twitched at the question. After another short moment of silence, she raised her head, now red enough to match her hair all the way to the tips of her ears, while keeping her eyes on the ground. Still greatly struggling to come up with the words, she eventually confessed in a quiet voice. "...It's a childhood trauma. When I was either two or three, I got bitten by a horse. I even still have a small scar on my arm..." She took a quick glance towards Mash and her horse. "If they keep their distance, I'm fine, but I absolutely can't stand their mouths. I just can't look at their blocky teeth without freaking out..." The redhead visibly shuttered at the last part, while the Shielder could only stare at her in surprise. She had honestly never expected to see her Senpai like this. Although thinking about it, she had mentioned that she was afraid of things as well, even if horses were the last thing Mash would have expected to get a reaction like that out of her.

'

While Ritsuka's embarrassment was still clear to them all, the Servants listening to the explanation just smiled empathetically. And instead of making a joke out of it like one might have expected, Lemminkäinen instead gave the Master an understanding nod. "Guess I can see where you're comin' from. Horses can have one hell of a nasty bite. They can be pretty dangerous, especially to lil' brats." Even if her blush hadn't disappeared in the least, a faint smile was starting to grow on the Master's lips, much to Mash's relief.

'

...And that's when Amadeus cut in. "But it's pretty funny that you can face wyverns without showing any signs of fear, but a single neigh gets you screaming like-" The rest of his sentence was cut off by Marie harshly slapping the back of his head, nearly causing him to fall over.

'

Unfortunately, the damage was already done, and Ritsuka was once more crouching on the ground, face hidden by her hands. "First my middle name and now this..." she grumbled. "...This might honestly be the single most mortifying morning of my entire life."

'

Mash was growing anxious just watching her Senpai struggling from the back of her horse like this, but she honestly didn't know what she could say. And once again, she was truly thankful for their traveling companions as Jeanne walked to the crouching girl's side, rubbing her elbow soothingly. "Everyone has their weaknesses, Ritsuka. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

'

The redhead let out a deep sigh. "...Yeah, I know, but how many weaknesses are as stupid as this?"

'

"Not many," Lemminkäinen admitted casually, getting more than a few frowns directed at him before he continued. "But there are some even dumber ones out there. Like, Cú told me about this friend of his, Conall, that couldn't cross a ford if the water was dirty. It even got the poor bastard killed in the end."

'

"Yeah, that was a pretty unfortunate geis, even compared to the ones I have," the Caster's voice agreed from the communicator. "Point is, Master, that even us heroes have our fatal flaws. Mulling over them won't help you."

'

Ritsuka remained quiet for a short while longer until finally standing up. At that point, only the faintest traces of a blush were discernible on her cheeks. "...Alright." She turned her attention to Mash's steed once more, clearly struggling not to react in any notable way. "I should be fine as long as I don't look at the mouths. If I sit behind Mash, I can manage."

'

"Well, that's good. I was gettin' kinda afraid that you wouldn't be able to ride one at all," Lemminkäinen nodded before turning to the other Saber. "What about you, Siegfried?"

'

Following Mash's lead, Siegfried mounted the other horse, though thanks to his height, he made it look far easier. Taking the reins into his hands and giving the mount a few experimental commands, a faint smile grew to his lips. "This should work fine. She is a fine steed."

'

With that confirmed, Ritsuka proceeded to approach Mash's horse once more, but only after taking quite a notable circle around it to reach it from the back. As she got to its side, she froze for a moment, seeming to contemplate on how she should continue. Which was where Mash intervened, offering her hand with an encouraging smile. "Here, let me help you up, Senpai."

'

The redhead looked at her hand silently, hesitant to take it until her gaze moved up, locking eyes with her. At that point, a faint smile spread on her lips as well, even if it was still mixed with hesitance. "...Thanks, Mash." Taking a firm grasp of Senpai's hand, Mash lifted her up slowly to not alarm her. Once she was seated, Ritsuka immediately proceeded to wrap her arms around the Shielder's waist, holding their torsos close as she mumbled quietly: "Sorry if I hold on a bit tight at times..."

'

It truly was bizarre for Mash to see her acting this timidly, but that hardly mattered at this point. Placing one of her hands on the arms wrapped around her waist, she patted them soothingly. "I really don't mind at all." In fact, it made her happy that she could help Senpai deal with her fear like this, no matter how little effect it had. While Ritsuka didn't say anything, she did tighten her grip the faintest bit, and Mash could feel her nod.

'

Jeanne looked at the Master with relief, though her expression soon shifted to a somewhat solemn smile. "In that case, it seems that we are all ready to leave."

'

Mash felt a slight pang in her chest. Ah, that's right. With everything that had happened in the last few minutes, she'd almost forgotten that they were splitting up. "Yes, I guess this is goodbye..." she muttered, eyes downcast. Even if it had only been a short time, she'd admittedly gotten rather used to traveling in a larger group. With this parting, it would be reduced by a third.

'

Noticing her melancholy, no matter how slight, Marie was quick to skip to Jeanne's side and happily show off the Multi-Appliance the Chaldeans' had lended her. "Oh, don't you worry, Mash. We'll call you at least two times per day with this nifty thing you gave us." A faint smile grew to Mash's lips. Indeed, receiving regular updates from them did ease her worry a bit. Marie then turned to Amadeus, her tone growing the slightest bit stricker. "Do your best not to cause any more trouble for them, Amadeus."

'

The Caster nodded with a smile. "Take care on your journey, Maria." ...Mash couldn't help but to notice that he didn't acknowledge her point in the least. Still, judging by Marie's smile, she didn't seem to care, so she kept quiet about it.

'

"Of course." With a happy nod, Marie summoned her carriage. But just before boarding it, she looked like she recalled something and turned back towards him. "Oh, and Amadeus. It's been a long time since I've heard your piano. If I come back, let me hear it once again." Hearing her request, the Caster's eyes widened in surprise, and though he remained silent, a genuine, heartfelt smile grew on his lips. Apparently taking that as confirmation, Marie entered her carriage, Jeanne right behind her.

'

"Good fortunes on your search, everyone. I hope that we all get to meet again, safe and sound." With those hopeful words delivered with a smile, she too entered, leaving just Elizabeth.

'

"Same," she said with a wave, only to peek out of the carriage as soon as she got in. "Oh, and if you happen to run into Carmilla, you can beat the crap out of her, but you better not kill her, got it? I've got some choice words to give her, and I won't be satisfied until I do so."

'

"We'll try our best," Lemminkäinen nodded with a grin that didn't seem to convince the Lancer all that much.

'

The carriage started to move, but before it could reach its full speed, Marie popped her head out of one of the windows and waved at them with a cheer. "Au revoir, everyone! Let's all work extra hard to save France, even when separated!"

'

As the vehicle exited through the gates and disappeared from view, Amadeus shook his head with a smile. "Always so full of energy." Mash also felt a small smile spread on her lips, even if the slight sense of melancholy remained. Even if they were separated from each other, surely they would be fine. Jeanne had the strongest defensive Noble Phantasm they knew of, Marie's carriage would let them escape almost any threat, and Elizabeth... Well, she was quite strong in a fight, so she would certainly be useful as well.

'

"Suppose it's time for us to head out too." Walking to the two horses with Kiyohime and Amadeus right behind him, Lemminkäinen shot the riders a confident smile. "Ready to go?"

'

"Certainly," Siegfried nodded without hesitation.

'

"Fou!" While the Shielder wasn't entirely sure where he'd jumped from, Fou suddenly landed on her shoulder from behind, settling in a comfortable position. Indeed, with this, they were completely ready.

'

"Yes!" Mash followed, patting the arms around her waist once more. "Please hold on tightly, Senpai." And as soon as she felt the hold tighten, the Shielder gave her horse the sign to move ahead, Siegfried doing the same by her side as the three Servants without mounts all changed to their spirit forms. The horses galloped through the castle's gate and headed towards the east, all the while Mash enjoyed the pleasant breeze on her face.

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

During the second day after they split from the other team, Jeanne, Marie and Elizabeth, dubbed 'Team Maiden' by Lemminkäinen during one of their calls with the other group, were making quick progress as they headed for the west coast. In order to get to their next town faster, they had actually opted to travel on foot instead of Marie's carriage to avoid an unnecessary detour, which led them to jump over a river and cross through a forest. And this was more than likely going to be the Ruler's favorite moment for the day. It was simply a thoroughly pleasant afternoon. The sun was shining upon them warmly, a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, and the songs of birds told them of all the life in the area. Indeed, it was the most serene atmosphere imaginable... until it was shattered by a shout.

'

"I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooo bored!"

'

As Elizabeth's whiny cry echoed throughout the forest, Jeanne shared an amused smile with Marie. Even if they appeared to be the same age, it was quite clear that the Rider was generally the more mature one between the two. "Eli, we've been walking for just ten minutes. Hold on just a bit longer until we get to the next town," Marie pointed out, trying to calm the Lancer down, but her response was much like earlier.

'

"But it's all the same! Either a forest or a field and sometimes a river! And the towns are all the same too! This isn't at all what I had in mind when I wanted to go on a tour of France! I wanted to see Paris! Côte d'Azur! Mont-Blanc! Bordeaux! All these beautiful locations! And instead, all we're doing is...!" As Elizabeth continued her rant, Jeanne took a look at their surroundings, not really getting the point of it all. Although, putting some more thought to it, they hadn't exactly been traveling along the most scenic route available, so she could understand the complaint a bit. She was more than aware of the breathtaking locals France held within its vast territories, making regular countryside seem dull in comparison. Even if the Ruler herself didn't grow tired of them, she couldn't expect the same from everyone else. And to further drive that home: "I'll even take wyverns at this point! Just anything to distract me!" the Lancer growled before sprouting a pair of wings and beginning to hover just above the treetops, her head whipping around in search of the desired diversion.

'

"Poor thing. Now that she can't compete with her friend, Kiyohime, all of that energy is staying in without a proper release," Marie muttered with a slight smile, getting a nod from Jeanne.

'

"Perhaps it truly would have been better if they stayed together." Then again, those two could get quite loud during their disagreements, even more so than Elizabeth by herself, so in the end their current separation was more than likely for the best.

'

"Ah! There! There actually are some!" the Lancer suddenly cheered, pointing towards the north. Jeanne shared a quick concerned look with Marie before jumping up a tall tree to gauge the situation. As she reached the top, she could indeed confirm the Lancer's statement immediately. There was a group of wyverns flying towards the direction of the village they were planning on visiting themselves. Yet surprisingly, there were only six of them, with some even wounded. It was likely that they had gotten into a battle against humans and lost some of their numbers. Unfortunately, Jeanne was very aware that these wyverns never retreated, which meant that whoever they were fighting had perished instead of driving the beasts away. By taking care of the wyverns here, they could at least ensure that the fighters' bravery wouldn't have been for naught, as well as saving at the minimum another village. But before she could prepare for a battle, Elizabeth announced triumphantly: "You can just keep walking! I'll take care of them myself while practicing my aerial acrobatics!"

'

"Are you sure?" Marie asked from the ground, obviously concerned, but Jeanne was quick to ease her.

'

"There are only six of them, and all are green. I believe she can handle them without issue." Not only would this take care of some of the wyverns threatening the country, but it would also let Elizabeth release a lot of her pent up energy, so it was perfectly fine in her book. And of course, they could always back her up in the case something surprising happened.

'

Shockingly quickly, the Rider's worry made way for a smile and she waved at the Lancer. "In that case, have fun Eli!" Elizabeth waved back before dashing off, managing to stab one of the wyverns before Jeanne even got back on the ground. Marie let out an impressed whistle as she watched the aerial battle commence. "She really is a surprisingly efficient flier."

'

"Certainly for someone who wasn't originally born with wings," Jeanne nodded. "That's one of the reasons why I have faith she'll be able to deal with this. Let's resume our walk while trying to keep an eye on her, just in case." As the two headed for the town once more, the Ruler began falling into deep thought. It was a bad habit, but it was happening to her more and more as of late. But how could she not? After all, nothing about this battle was certain. Of course, she was hopeful for their success, but there were still so many unknowns, so many chances for failure. Was there truly a saint summoned in France? If not, how could they hope to rid Siegfried of his curses? The Dragon Witch had summoned that powerful knight, so who knew what manner of other allies she could call to her side. And above all else, she still couldn't understand her motivation. While obviously, she would still oppose her and strive to save France, that fact wouldn't change no matter how lost she felt, the Dragon Witch's existence as a whole was something that bothered her to no end.

'

For the next few moments, Jeanne walked in silence, her mind consumed by similar thoughts, until...

'

"Jeanne?" Marie popped up right in front of her with a mischievous smile, close enough that their noses nearly touched.

'

"Ahhh!" Jeanne jumped back at the sudden call, a faint blush rising to her cheeks as Marie began to giggle. She quickly shook her head to clear her mind. She really should try to save these contemplations for when she was alone. "...Sorry. I was lost in thought."

'

"Over Elizabeth?"

'

"No. I can sense her perfectly well from here, so I could tell the moment she starts to struggle. She is doing completely fine taking care of the wyverns by herself."

'

Marie tapped her cheek while looking a bit puzzled. "What's wrong, then? You're not still worried that you'll be recognized in one of the towns, are you?"

'

Jeanne shook her head. "No. I was admittedly nervous during our first town visit, but that just proved that these 'Perception Guises' the Chaldeans lended to us worked perfectly." While she wore it under her clothes, she could feel the tiny trinket resting on her chest. It truly was a helpful gift, considering that it let her visit towns without the populace running in fear of her. While she wouldn't have minded it too much if it was purely about her, frightening innocent townsfolk was something she simply couldn't accept, which made the gift even more valuable. "With that in mind, are you sure you don't want to wear yours?" she asked, but Marie just shook her head with a wide grin.

'

"Nope! I love the attention! Especially when children come and tell me how beautiful I am! Oh, their starry little eyes looking up at me are just the cutest!" she cooed, while Jeanne let out a small laugh remembering the hordes of children that had surrounded Marie in most of the towns they'd visited. Not that she was going to argue with her. It wasn't like the Rider really needed it in the first place. While she was... well, her, and Elizabeth had her draconic features, Marie could very well pass for just an unusually dressed noble. Not that most common people knew how nobles dressed in the first place, making it all the more effective. Besides, her charm just made it incredibly easy for people to trust her, which led to her collecting any and all intel very efficiently. But then, Marie's previously pleased smile took on a hint of sadness. "I guess this is about the Dragon Witch, then?"

'

Of course, she would arrive at the correct answer eventually. "Yes," Jeanne nodded, turning away from Marie as her gaze moved to the distant sky. "From the day I was born I've received God's revelations, and I just ran off without even looking back. I became a Heroic Spirit after I died, and then was summoned as a Ruler. ...I accept this fact as part of the natural order of things." Even if her life didn't go entirely how some would consider to be ideal, she still believed it was a good and meaningful one. And in a way, being a Servant made her happy, just like how Marie had described it during their first night together. If she hadn't become a Servant, she wouldn't have met all these interesting people whom she could count her life on. And yet despite all of that, she couldn't shake the feeling of incompleteness she'd felt ever since she was first summoned. While her contract with Ritsuka certainly helped, it couldn't remove all of it, leaving her feeling like there was still a hole inside her. Like she was missing something obvious. Her gaze now falling to the ground, she revealed her greatest doubt. "But I... I don't understand... anything the Dragon Witch says, not a single word. I truly don't feel any of it... Her words... Her hatred... I don't feel it at all..." It was all just so confusing. She could imagine all the people she'd met during her life, from common folk, to soldiers, to clergy, to royalty, and she still didn't feel it. Obviously, there were some she preferred the company of when compared to others, but even when it came to the ones who mocked and tortured her during her final days, she couldn't find any loathing in her heart. While she understood that cruel people who took joy in harming others certainly existed, imagining a version of herself that felt the same was simply... "I just wonder... Who that 'me' is. The Chaldeans' explanation on the nature of Alter Servants helped, but it still feels so strange." With her confession finished, Jeanne raised her head, wondering what manner of expression her friend now wore.

'

But to her surprise, Marie had the brightest smile on her face as she approached her, placing her hands on Jeanne's cheeks as if looking at something extraordinarily precious. "Ah, you really are beautiful. So very, very, very beautiful, Jeanne."

'

Faced with such completely unexpected adoration, Jeanne felt a blush rising to her cheeks as she hastily stumbled backwards, for a moment even wondering if Marie was going to kiss her like with Ritsuka. "W-why would you say that at a moment like this? Don't tease me."

'

Not caring about the burst of false indignation she received, Marie kept her smile sincere. "Well, it's the truth. The way you act when you seem lost is quite adorable, however, I've seen how you look when you shine at your brightest, and that makes you absolutely dazzling," she continued with the praise, only causing the Ruler's blush to intensify. But before any argument could be made... "Because if I were in your position, I would probably have accepted her words. The words of the Dragon Witch, the other me."

'

Whatever Jeanne had planned on saying next was completely washed away from her mind in the face of such a reveal. For the next few seconds, she could only stare at her friend. All the rest of her emotions simply made way for the utter confusion she felt. "...Marie?"

'

"I don't hate the people who executed me. It's a fact that I'm 90% positive about," Marie revealed with a smile, bringing Jeanne some relief... Only for it to completely fade away along with the smile. "But the 10% that's left... Or, it might be much smaller than that. I hated those who killed my children, just for a little bit." Jeanne still didn't know what to think, either of the reveal or of Marie's appearance. She had never seen her as vulnerable as she was at this moment, leaning against a tree while looking like she might cry. "They killed my son Charles, to hurt me... He's someone you should feel truly sorry for. So, if my version of the Dragon Witch appeared, I would probably think 'oh, that's the other me'. Even if she were to say things like: 'Curses to France! 1000 years of starvation and 1000 years of war!' I would readily accept those words." Jeanne's bewilderment only grew. To hear that her always kind friend could hate someone so much... But then again, she wasn't a mother, so she didn't have the faintest idea of the pain losing a child brought with it. Maybe that was it. Perhaps the Dragon Witch's case was something similar, that she remembered something that Jeanne herself didn't, something that made her feel all that hatred... But just as she was about to delve deeper into the possibility, Marie suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder, her usual smile beginning to return. "But that's not the case for you, is it Jeanne? It's something really great and beautiful. It's not because you don't want to get dirty, or don't want to believe you are. Nor does that mean you lack something." And then, as wide-eyed Jeanne stared expectantly into her bright eyes, Marie provided the answer. The purest, simplest answer imaginable. "You love people, don't you? People who work hard. People who laze around leeching off of others. People who march forward proudly. People who try to move forward by groveling around. The prudent ones, the commendable. The unreasonable ones, the accusers. No matter what kind of person someone is, you still love them, right?"

'

Time seemed to crawl to a halt as the two stared at each other. The only sounds interrupting the silence were from the clash between Elizabeth and the wyverns, but the Ruler couldn't even hear any of it as Marie looked at her cheerfully, as if already knowing her answer. All Jeanne could do was give her a slow nod as she mumbled: "...Yes. I do love them... Ah?" And in that instant, she realized her answer. But... That was it? Could it truly be that simple? Yet, the more she thought about it, the more it all made sense. In fact, after a moment of contemplation, it was as if it was the most obvious answer ever, one that Jeanne should've seen from the start. She honestly felt silly at the moment, dropping a fist into her palm as a smile spread on her lips. "Oh, I see. There was no way I could hold a grudge against them... because I loved them."

'

Clearly expecting that reaction, Marie merrily grabbed her hands and danced around with Jeanne. "Yes! That's exactly it! That's why France was saved by you!" she cheered, getting the Ruler a bit embarrassed with the praise, but it was still drowned out by the feeling of clarity she was experiencing. After an indiscernible amount of time they stopped their dance, but the Rider still kept their hands locked as she moved closer. "It's okay, tell the Dragon Witch when you see her."

'

Jeanne could only smile awkwardly. Admittedly, she was a bit lost again. "Tell her? Well, tell her what?"

'

"Say what you want to say out loud. Say, 'You're not me'. Or, 'I don't know you'," Marie declared proudly, and Jeanne couldn't help but to nod in agreement.

'

"Marie... Well, you're right. Absolutely right." Indeed, the Dragon Witch was a completely alien entity to her, and judging by the reactions she'd received, the same was also true the other way around. They couldn't understand each other in the least, so how could they be the same person? And yet, as soon as that thought entered Jeanne's mind, it started to haunt her ceaselessly. "Ah... But if that's the case..." No matter how she thought about the situation, it just didn't make sense. There was still something important about the Dragon Witch she was missing. Something that held the key to this whole tragedy.

'

"You're starting to look serious again..." the Rider noted, looking at Jeanne apologetically. Apparently she'd been frowning without realizing it. "I'm sorry, it wasn't as much help as I'd hoped?"

'

But Jeanne was quick to refute her. "Y-Yes. ...It was very helpful." Even if she didn't have every piece of this puzzle at the moment, she could still find the missing parts before this was all over. "Thank you, Marie. When I confront her next time, I'm sure I can tell her what I want to say."

'

The smile returned to Marie's lips. "Yes, you should be fine." With her broad smile, she took Jeanne's hand and began to lead her away. "Now then. We should see the next town just beyond these trees, so let's not dawdle. I think Eli is just about done as well."

'

Not resisting the pull in the least, Jeanne happily followed Marie through the woods, once again thanking the Lord for the chance to meet a friend as wonderful as this.

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

She saw it all.

'

It took years, decades, yet it also seemed like an instant. She's sure that's how he felt too.

'

She saw a man. His flaming hair, his blazing blade, and his heart of fire that burned as intensely as the sun. An extraordinarily idiotic man. A moron that went to war with an entire kingdom with just his best friend, only because he was bored. A maniac that rode a great distance on his horse, far longer than most people traveled in their entire lives, for the sole reason that he wasn't invited to a wedding and wanted to complain to the hosts. An ordeal that ended with him killing the ruler of the land in a duel, thus upsetting his wife, a powerful witch, and sending every warrior in the land after his head. A lunatic that ventured into the underworld, traveling through a whirlpool of death to shoot down the single most cursed creature in his mythology, all for the chance to possibly wed a beautiful maiden.

'

Without question, he was insane. All who knew him in life must have thought so as well. His motivations were the most base, shallow kinds one could imagine: 'I want to marry a beautiful girl. I want to be famous. I want my name to grace the lips of everyone. I want to be a hero.' He followed his whims wherever they led him, no matter how dangerous or hopeless. Once he set his sights on a goal with all his heart, he would follow it to either completion or the grave.

'

Truly, he was an absolutely incorrigible madman. A spitting image of his very legend.

'

Yet as she saw it all, as much as she hated it, she also couldn't help but to admire him. How he kept moving despite all the hardships he faced. On his quest to marry an unbelievably beautiful girl, he was given absolutely impossible missions that turned basically every other suitor away as soon as they heard them. To capture the Uncatchable Elk. To tame the Untamable Horse. To hunt the Accursed Swan. The tasks given to him were especially difficult, since the girl's parents didn't want him marrying her, and were ultimately meant to kill him. And yet, without hesitation, he took on the quests with astounding results. He caught the Uncatchable Elk. He tamed the Untamable Horse. And if it weren't for the intervention of a third party, he would've without question hunted the Accursed Swan too. The reason for his success was unbelievably simple: Perseverance. No matter how difficult the task, he just kept at it until he succeeded. It was simply how he lived his life. Even as he faced his own death, and was brought back to life only by a miracle, he still kept going on as usual. Upon coming face to face with his own mortality, where others would have crumbled, the man just said: 'Huh. Well that happened,' and moved on to new adventures.

'

But what moved her above all, was the source of his power. He didn't carry the blood of the gods, or demons, or dragons. He wasn't born out of a stone, or seafoam, or from a bolt of lightning. He didn't possess a great prophecy, or an inheritance, or a great gift of some kind. He was just a human. That was all. Even if he possessed great skills in magecraft, he was in the end just a human. The source of his power, his legend, his feats, was ultimately that same inexhaustible perseverance.

'

And so, without question, no matter how humble his origins, no matter how unsightly his motives, and no matter how insane his methods were, he still accomplished great deeds that would be spoken of in legends for centuries to come. At the end of it all, without question, that man, Lemminkäinen, was someone worthy to be called a hero to her.

'

'

/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\/¤\

XlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlXlX

\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/\¤/

'

'

Opening her eyes with a groan, Ritsuka was greeted with the now familiar roof of a tent. She'd dreamed about Lemminkäinen again, huh? At this point, she was pretty sure that she had seen all of the most important moments in his life. Seeing the man in her dreams wasn't exactly the most pleasant subject to dream about, but at least it gave her some proper bias-free glimpses of his life. Admittedly, there were also some sights she'd absolutely preferred not to see. Especially his visits on the two islands, given what he was mostly up to on both of them. She had to wonder though, if she would see the lives of any of the other Servants while sleeping. So far it had just been Lemminkäinen, but she was definitely curious to see them, some more than others. It was such a fantastical experience that she couldn't help but to be somewhat excited whenever she went to sleep. Particularly, she was hoping to see Kintoki's past. The possibility of seeing one's childhood stories in person was such a novel possibility that the excitement made it somewhat hard for her to fall asleep at some nights... Not that she would ever share that with anyone. Everyone already knew far too many of her embarrassing secrets for Ritsuka's taste.

'

Letting out a yawn, she checked the time to discover that she had woken up only about ten minutes earlier than her alarm. That seemed to also be becoming a habit of hers, but that was more beneficial than anything. Waking up regularly on your own without outside interference had its perks, as she very much knew from experience. She'd been able to do so back home due to her practiced sleeping schedule, but coming to Chaldea had messed it all up. She'd been a bit worried that her body wouldn't be able to adapt to this new schedule, but it appeared to have been for naught. She'd gotten used to going to sleep and waking up so early in just a few nights, so there really wasn't a problem. Deciding to let both Mash and Fou beside her continue their rest for a while longer, she began getting dressed as quietly as possible, and was done rather quickly, choosing to leave the white coat and black robe behind for now, since the morning air seemed fairly warm. After getting her boots on, she excited the tent silently.

'

And like with every morning for the last few days, Kiyohime was there to greet her with a smile as soon as she got out, stirring a pot that gave off a delicious scent waking up her taste buds. "Good morning, Master Ritsuka. Breakfast is just about ready."

'

Faced with such a greeting, Ritsuka would have been unable to stop herself from smiling, even if she'd woken up from a horrible nightmare just before. "Good morning, Kiyohime. And thanks. I'll be there to eat soon." Without a doubt, the best part of traveling in their current group was that Kiyohime was cooking for them. And she was just an absolutely wonderful cook. While they mostly tried to use whatever edibles they found in France, there were a few ingredients sent from Chaldea, which Kiyohime could make more than good use of. It'd been a while since Ritsuka had eaten proper Japanese cuisine, so the change was more than welcome. It also helped that Kiyohime always seemed genuinely happy to greet her, even if she wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe that's simply how she was as a person.

'

But with that, Ritsuka headed to the nearby string to freshen up, as well as wait for Mash. Once the Shielder showed up, adorably apologetic despite waking up at the appointed time, they took care of their morning exercises along with general morning activities before heading for breakfast. The four Servants were already waiting for them, and would've likely started eating if it weren't for the Berserker keeping her ground on everyone eating at once. Like every morning thus far, Ritsuka thoroughly enjoyed her meal, to the point that she was a bit sad once it was all gone. "Thank you, Kiyohime. Your food was as delicious as usual," she praised, and the Berserker smiled as brightly as the rising sun.

'

"Oh, but I wouldn't be able to make it taste nearly as good without the seasonings and rice you brought with you."

'

"Nah, no need to be so modest. Take pride in your skills. Even the best ingredients can turn into slop if the cook is incompetent," Lemminkäinen noted while finishing his coffee. "While it ain't exactly what we Servants are for, I haven't met many that can cook well. Aside from you, I know only the red Archer who hangs in the kitchen back at Chaldea."

'

A point Ritsuka very much agreed with, even if Kiyohime herself seemed quite confused by it. "...Was that actual, genuine praise I just received? From Lemminkäinen?"

'

The Saber grinned with a thumbs up. "Sure was. I'll go get the girls ready while you clean up here."

'

"He actually has a point. Eating good food does wonders for morale, so you're being truly helpful by cooking for us," Ritsuka agreed. Plus, she had been taught from an early age that a good cook always deserved at the very least a thank you. "So again, thank you very much for the delicious breakfast, Kiyohime." At this point, the Berserker's smile was starting to outshine the sunrise.

'

After finishing up with breakfast, everyone focused on their tasks, whether it was cleaning the campsite or their equipment, or just packing up. As Ritsuka finished packing up their tent into a tiny cube, ...which would never not be weird, her Multi-Appliance started ringing, signaling the daily morning call from Chaldea. She opened the channel, being greeted immediately by Dio. "Morning from Chaldea, everyone. Are you all ready to continue on your search?"

'

"Yup. Within the next few minutes," Ritsuka confirmed, only to notice something off about the Spaniard. It was slight, but there were signs of aggravation on his usually lively face. "Are you alright? You seem kind of annoyed."

'

Dio just let out an amused huff. "Yeah, I'm fine. This whole Servant rayshifting thing is just really getting on my nerves."

'

"Tell me about it," Da Vinci grumbled, busy with typing on some unseen console while taking part in the conversation. "The way this system is constructed is absolutely aggravating."

'

"Yup... But, I have managed to narrow down our possibilities at least somewhat. At this point, I'm sure that layered magical circles is the way to go for our bypass."

'

"Oh?" The typing stopped for a few seconds. "...I have to agree. That does seem like the most promising route to take."

'

Ritsuka cringed internally. Yeah, this was nowhere close to her area of expertise. "As interesting as your discussion is, I doubt I'd be of any help to you, and we should get moving."

'

"The girls are both rested and ready to go," Lemminkäinen called out, causing Ritsuka to cringe externally. Ah, yes. Them. The horses. Of all that damned things to come across on their journey, even if it actually wasn't that unlikely. The fact that she had to daily ride on the sole subject that her fear negating charm didn't work on was absolutely infuriating. Stupid childhood trauma! Thankfully there hadn't been any more... 'incidents' since the day they departed. Like she had said back then, she was fine as long as she didn't look at the beasts' mouths, even if relaxing was completely impossible while she sat on one's back.

'

After she finished packing everything and double checking the backpack, Ritsuka moved on to the hardest part of her day. Mash was already quite used to it, waiting patiently as she slowly walked to the back of the horse, her hand ready to help her up. "Here, Senpai."

'

"Thanks, Mash..." she mumbled, taking the encouraging hand before being pulled up. Every time, seating on the horse's back was just as embarrassing and mortifying. The only comforts she had that allowed her to go through with this whole riding thing at all, were Mash and Fou. Both equally comforting and distracting during the ride. Feeling the critter nuzzling against her cheeks sometimes almost made her forget that she was riding a horse to begin with... Almost. Still, no matter what, this was at the moment the most efficient form of travel at their disposal, and Ritsuka would be damned if she became a burden for her team just because of her stupid phobia. So with that, she pushed through and turned to the Saber to her right, doing her best to keep her eyes on the man instead of his mount. "Ready to go, Siegfried?"

'

The Saber gave a confirming nod. "Yes. Let us." And with that, the two horses and the three spirits following them headed off once again.

'

For these past two days, they had searched the southeastern part of France as thoroughly as possible, coming across more than a few communities burned to the ground. Something that never failed to hurt their morale. Thankfully, they had at least managed to find a few remote villages that were left unharmed. But during the brief visits to these villages, even the lack of any useful information was by far only the second most frustrating occurrence. The truly annoying part was dragging Lemminkäinen away from any pretty young women he spotted. The bastard didn't miss even a single second, and immediately went for the kill. Truly putting that legendary persistence to work. Still, with Kiyohime there, they managed to put a stop to his wooing each time. Mostly by scaring the poor women away, but at least it was effective.

'

By the time the sun began its descent, Ritsuka felt a pang of frustration running through her head. The third day had been much the same as the first two. Something Lemminkäinen was especially annoyed with, judging by his tone. "And another day with nothin' excitin' going on... The most borin' part of a war is always tryin' to find the enemy, so guess that also applies in tryin' to find allies."

'

Mash nodded stiffly. "It is indeed a bit disheartening. I wonder how Marie and the others have fared today?"

'

"Well, you don't need to wonder, since it's about time for our usual check in," Ritsuka noted from behind her, getting a gasp from the Shielder.

'

"Ah, you're right, Senpai. It really is that late already." Slowing her horse down until it finally stopped, Mash offered her hand to the side as Siegfried came to a halt as well. "Here, let me help you down."

'

Ritsuka gladly took the offered help, more than happy to have anything that made mounting and dismounting the horses easier. "Thanks." As she was lowered to the ground, Mash was quick to hop down next to her and the dematerialized Servants took their forms again. It seemed that everyone enjoyed these little calls, even if they had different ways of showing it. With that, the redhead began the call immediately. As soon as the ringback tone ended, she began to talk. "Hello, this is Ritsuka from the other team. Do you hear me? Everything alright on your end?"

'

After a few seconds of silence, a projected screen lit up, revealing Marie's happily smiling face with both Jeanne and Elizabeth in the background. "Good evening, everyone! And yes, we're all fine. Has Amadeus been behaving today?"

'

"Tolerably," Ritsuka smirked, giving the Caster a light glare and getting a shrug in response. He'd only made a single joke about her phobia today, so that was progress at least. "Unfortunately though, this is only a checkup call. We still haven't found anything useful in our search."

'

As a complete opposite to the Master's apologetic tone, Marie's smile shifted to a more proud one as she giggled. "Hehee! We've actually had some success over here."

'

Ritsuka's eyes widened in surprise, followed by those around her. The other team had seriously found something? She shared a quick, hopeful smile with Mash before turning back towards the screen. "Really? You've found signs of another Servant?"

'

Marie nodded before letting Jeanne move to the front. "Yes. It seems that in these parts of the country, there have been several sightings of a knight who has rescued people from the wyverns. He's apparently wielding a magnificent sword that can slice through a wyvern with a single slash, all while riding atop a majestic, white steed that gallops as swiftly as the wind."

'

"A knight, huh?" Ritsuka muttered, hearing some excited murmur from behind her. Yeah, with a description like that, there was no doubt that this was a Servant. Judging by the horse, it was most likely a Rider. That was both good and bad. Good in the sense that if they could recruit him, they'd have another form of fast transport. And bad in the sense that the knight could move rapidly across France, making it harder to find him. Of course, she did her best to ignore the fact that it was another horse. Ignoring that, this all sounded very promising. "That doesn't automatically mean that he's a saint, but it's still good to know that there at least are other possible allies in France."

'

The Ruler nodded. "Indeed. From what we've gathered, he has seemingly been traveling either west or south depending on the location, so it is likely that he is heading towards one of the larger settlements on this side of the country, like Bordeaux."

'

Ritsuka had to agree. That was the most likely theory. "Yeah. If this guy is willing to stop and help people in trouble, he is most likely heading somewhere where he can do the most good." But wow. This call really was useful when it came to morale. Everyone, including herself, had been quite disheartened after a day of nothing, so some good news was exactly what they'd needed. There wasn't much the redhead could do to show her appreciation, so she just flashed them a smile along with a thumbs up. "Good work, team. It's great that at least one of us has learned something."

'

"Indeed it is," came a sudden call as Da Vinci's screen appeared next to the one already manifested, and judging by the surprised reactions from the other team, the same had happened to them. Ritsuka was getting somewhat used to the screens just popping up at this point, but she was also kind of getting paranoid on the Chaldeans listening in on private conversations. "Even if our guy is not a saint, him being a knight is a big bonus. France has more than a few strong knights tucked away in its history, and if we're really lucky it might even be one of Charlemagne's."

'

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Marie cheered, clapping her hands. "While not as much as Jeanne, of course, I've always wanted to meet the great knights of France's past."

'

Dio's screen popped next to Da Vinci's, not even surprising Ritsuka. "Man, either Roland or Charlie himself would be an absolute jackpot. Not only are they powerful Servants, but even if he's not a saint, Roland might be able to help us remove Siegfried's curse."

'

Oh? That certainly caught the Master's interest. While she was somewhat familiar with Charlemagne's legends and knew that Roland was stupid strong and had a holy sword of some type, if he could also help with the curses he might just be their ideal ally. "Really? How?"

'

"His Noble Phantasm, Durandal. It's one of the most famous holy swords in history, and it has several relics inside its hilt. With those, it is possible for Roland to perform genuine miracles with the sword," Da Vinci continued, and Ritsuka's interest only grew. Roland was just sounding like an absolute jackpot of a Servant.

'

Dio nodded before adding: "While miracles like that are usually costly, it shouldn't be too taxing for him to pull something like curse removal off with Jeanne also assisting in the procedure."

'

"That is indeed hopeful," Jeanne agreed, an expectant smile growing on her lips as well. "But that is all that we have at the moment. We will continue our journey and wish you the best of luck as well."

'

Ritsuka, as well as Mash beside her, gave the other team a wave. "Good luck. And if you learn anything more, don't be afraid to let us know."

'

Jeanne returned the gesture, but nowhere near as enthusiastically as Marie. "We won't. Later."

'

"It's good to see that they're doing well," Amadeus noted, most likely referring solely to Marie. Still, Ritsuka had to agree that having these communicators was really convenient for stuff like that as well.

'

"It's also good that you quit that call just now," Lemminkäinen said, his expression turning serious. Immediately, all the others prepared for possible conflict and Mash moved right to Ritsuka's side. At this point, they were all well aware of what such a gesture from him meant. Taking a few steps forward, the Saber pointed towards the southeast. "The wind is blowin' something nasty our way."

'

Ritsuka shared a worried look with Mash. Even if she had an idea, she still had to ask. "How bad?"

'

Lemminkäinen let out a frustrated sigh. "Most likely another recently torched town by the smell. Better head that way to make sure."

'

Mash nodded and quickly remounted her horse. In such an urgent situation, Ritsuka even managed to ignore some of her phobia slightly, hopping on as well without too much trouble as they headed in the specified direction. With possible danger around, the other Servants didn't bother with spirit forms and just ran alongside the horses. "We'll use Sky Eye to take a look ahead," Dio noted from Chaldea and Ritsuka just nodded, not wanting to accidentally bite her tongue while riding... this thing.

'

A bit less than a minute later, Da Vinci solemnly confirmed the expected result. "I see... Lemminkäinen was right. Gap has been burned to the ground."

'

The pace of their travel slowed down immediately, though it didn't fully stop. Ritsuka could feel Mash tensing up in front of her, the tiny hope she'd held of being able to save a town crushed. Clicking his tongue, Dio seemed especially frustrated by the reveal. "Aww, hell. The bastards really destroyed Gap? What petty fuckers. At this point, it's still a Principality and not truly even a part of the kingdom of France."

'

"Fair point, but I doubt the Dragon Witch's forces care about topography that much," Da Vinci noted, her reply containing only about half of her usual sass. She didn't really show it, but it seemed like she hardly enjoyed seeing so much death either.

'

And on the other side of the spectrum, there was Lemminkäinen, who's frustrated expression during these incidents was clear to anyone. "Let's take a closer look. See if there's anythin' we can use to find the bastards." Wordlessly, everyone agreed with his suggestion and began heading towards the town. That at least was easy. They weren't in the best condition, but there were still clear roads the group could travel on. Romans really knew how to build them.

'

Then, in about twenty minutes, they reached a sufficiently high portion of the area that let them see Gap... Or its remains at least. Like every other town, everything inhabitable was burning and there were no survivors. "How awful..." Mash muttered while everyone else remained quiet. The mood had once more sunk to the depths of the earth. Ritsuka silently bit the inside of her cheek. Another destroyed town... The fact that she'd seen about a dozen of them this past week didn't make seeing another one any easier. It never did. And if seeing them made her feel powerless, she couldn't even imagine how awful the Servants felt, considering that they could've actually done something to protect the towns if they'd been present.

'

As they got closer, the horses started making some noises and even tried to turn around, prompting Ritsuka to cling on Mash even harder than usual. Thankfully they calmed down soon enough as Lemminkäinen started petting them. "Easy there, girls. There's nothin' left here that can hurt ya." The Master let out a bated breath, as the mount quit moving. She'd thought that the Saber's Skill in managing animals would've been useless on this journey, but in this case she was happy to be proven wrong. Though he had a soothing air about him as he calmed the horses down, that soon changed as he eyed the ruins further. Ritsuka could best describe the expression on his face as furiously deprecative. "Aw, hell... Vlad was here."

'

The Master strengthened her eyes to observe the burning town better, and indeed, there were quite a few burning corpses impaled on giant stakes. That was already troubling enough even without such a reaction. Ever since that duel in the forest, Lemminkäinen had gotten really severe whenever the subject of the enemy Lancer came up. Ritsuka had been curious over it a few times, but never seemed to find the proper moment to ask. Still, at the moment there were more essential details to focus on. Mainly that the corpses dangling away from any trees or buildings were still burning. "Yeah, this looks quite recent. Dio, could you see if Sky Eye can pick up the perpetrators' trail and maybe their numbers?"

'

The Spaniard gave a thumbs up. "On it." While waiting for the confirmation, the group continued slowly approaching the town, and after about a minute, they got it... And his troubled tone told more than the words. "Oh, that ain't good."

'

"How bad?" Ritsuka asked, not bothering to beat around the bush.

'

"It's Vlad and 47 wyverns. Safe bet that they're the ones that tore Gap apart," Dio confirmed, and the redhead rolled her eyes. She might actually kiss a horse if anyone other than them destroyed the town. Still, 47? Vlad alone was a nightmare, but that many wyverns could've taken down a fortress all by themselves. The town hadn't stood a snowball's chance in hell. But just when she thought it couldn't get worse... "And now they're headed straight for Marseille."

'

At the mention of their next destination, the group froze, and Da Vinci audibly gasped. "Oh, not Marseille too! It's such a wonderful city. Why are they going straight there of all places?"

'

Dio shrugged. "Considering that it doesn't become a part of France until 55 years from now, I'm not 100% sure. Guessing they just really don't care as long as they can massacre people. And to be fair, if massacre is their goal, Marseille is a pretty good option, considering its large population." ...It was honestly quite disturbing how matter of factly he added that last part.

'

Still, it wasn't time to focus on something like that. Ritsuka's feelings of helplessness only continued to grow, and the Servants seemed equally as frustrated. She could feel Mash trembling in front of her, mumbling silently as if looking for words, until she asked in a desperate voice: "Is... Is there anything we can do to stop them?"

'

But unfortunately, the Spaniard shook his head. "Not much. Marseille is roughly 150 kilometers from your location, and they're 87 kilometers from you. Aside from using a Command Spell to launch Lemminkäinen closer to them, there's no way you'll get to them before they get there." Mash's gaze fell and Ritsuka bit the inside of her cheek again. Yes, he was right. She was pretty sure that they couldn't have reached them in time even with Marie's carriage, much less on normal horses. They quite simply weren't fast enough... But, Dio wasn't done yet. "And, there's also an extremely important detail you're forgetting. Look at the time," he said, and Da Vinci nodded with an apologetic look. Ritsuka's confused gaze bounced between the two of them. Time? What were they-!? It hit her like a truck. The sun was already setting in the distance, and no matter what, by the time they could even hope to reach the Lancer, it would have fully set. Mash let out a sharp gasp in front of her, signaling her understanding as well, and Dio nodded. "It seems that you've realized it yourselves, but night will fall soon."

'

The Master grit her teeth in frustration. This really was absurdly bad timing. "...Which means that Vlad will be more powerful than ever."

'

Da Vinci gave her and Mash another apologetic nod. "Exactly. While Lemminkäinen can match him by himself during the day, this is a different story. If at least Jeanne was there, I would tell you to go for it since Vlad is at least separated from the other Servants, but with your current fighting strength, your chances of victory are extremely low." Ritsuka didn't say anything, but was forced to agree. Vlad was a powerful force during the day, but he was more than likely the strongest among the Dragon Witch's troops during the night, excluding Fafnir. In fact, she wasn't even sure they could actually kill him. Then there was the swarm of wyverns. A total of 47 of them... Vlad by himself was tough, but with all of those... Their chances really were looking absolutely awful.

'

Yet, while she had already accepted that, the girl in front of her couldn't. "But still..." Mash mumbled in a voice that damn near broke Ritsuka's heart. "To just let them burn another city to the ground and massacre the population..." Hearing her talk like that made the redhead tighten her hug slightly, but it was the only thing she could do at the moment. Short of using all three of her Command Spells, she didn't have any plan that could hope to let them catch up to Vlad and beat him, and that was simply too great a prize. With the Dragon Witch and Fafnir still out there, she would need to save at least one for an absolute emergency. Looking around, the other Servants appeared frustrated as well, especially Siegfried, yet they kept quiet due to lacking any ideas of their own. It was infuriating, but they would simply have to grit their teeth and bear with it, as they had no way of stopping Vlad and-

'

Suddenly, Ritsuka felt a firm hand landing on her shoulder as the horse came to a stop. Surprised, she turned around to see Lemminkäinen looking at her seriously. "I should be able to stop him. And I've got a plan for what to do afterwards if it works."

'

Ritsuka felt her mouth fall agape, and could see from the corner of her vision that the Servants were much the same. "Are you serious?" she asked, caught too off guard to even be skeptical. And yet, Lemminkäinen met her gaze with absolute sincerity, preventing skepticism of even entering her mind. He actually, seriously meant it. In that case... After only a few seconds of contemplation, Ritsuka gave her confirmation, not even waiting for any input from the others. "Do it."

'

The Saber nodded, moved to their horse and touched its ears while mumbling something, did the same to Siegfried's mount, and then walked about ten meters ahead of the group before turning back to give them a warning. "Alright, cover your ears, guys." Remembering his demonstration from the castle, everyone followed his instruction, and Ritsuka protected her own ears with magecraft while covering Fou's with her hands. Mozart in particular had protected his hearing faster than the blink of an eye. Seeing that, Lemminkäinen rubbed his throat and let out a few miscellaneous voices. "Ahem. Here goes." He then took a deep breath, turned towards the south, and opened his mouth. "KING OF WALLACHIA! TURN AROUND AND RETURN TO THE SETTLEMENT YOU DESTROYED! TONIGHT, WE WILL FINISH OUR BATTLE FOR GOOD!" Thunder? A foghorn? An air raid siren? Not even close. Not one of them could come close to the sheer volume his voice carried. If the sound he made in the castle could be compared to humming, this was a full blown scream. The difference in force between the two was simply incomparable. By the time he finished, Amadeus looked like he wanted to cry. Letting out a cough and rubbing his throat some more, Lemminkäinen turned to Da Vinci. "So, did it work?"

'

The genius, who had more than likely muted the comm or at least lowered the sound, let out an impressed whistle. "Well, considering that the speed of sound is 1235 kilometers per hour, it'll still take over four minutes for him to hear that."

'

"So fingers crossed," Dio agreed, looking equally as impressed. At their words, Ritsuka felt anticipation gripping her heart as Mash turned to her hopefully. God, she was really hoping this would work.

'

"Thank you for at least warning us beforehand," Amadeus muttered while rubbing his ears. Though he sounded appreciative, he still glared at Lemminkäinen. "But I swear, you are just as much of a monster as that Báthory girl. Having a far reaching voice is useful, yes, but music isn't just about being loud, damn it!"

'

Ritsuka could only let out an amused huff at the statement. He was luckier than he realized. "If you think that's bad, he would be even worse as a Caster."

'

The Caster went from already pale, to just about the tone of paper as he stared at her in disbelief. "Please tell me that's a joke..."

'

Ritsuka shook her head. "Nope. I'm pretty sure he would be able to overpower Elizabeth's Noble Phantasm just by singing a strong spell." Granted, it was pretty damn weak for a Noble Phantasm, but still.

'

Lemminkäinen chuckled in agreement. "That little lady has potential, but I definitely could."

'

Mozart stared at him with true fear in his eyes, before turning towards her with a deep bow. "In that case, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for summoning him as a Saber." Both Kiyohime and Mash let out giggles at the act, while Ritsuka was quite sure that this was the most genuinely grateful she'd ever seen him.

'

While the little joviality was welcome to make the anticipation less painful, it also helped time fly more quickly. Before Ritsuka even noticed, Dio let out an excited yell: "Oh? Oh, shit! Yeah, they're turning around. They definitely heard you, Lemminkäinen." As soon as he confirmed the result, Mash turned to face Ritsuka, her smile beaming more brightly than the almost fully set sun. Ritsuka returned the smile, Kiyohime looked quite satisfied as well, and Siegfried gave Lemminkäinen an appreciative smile, which he returned with a proud chuckle. And this was all before the Spaniard added: "Vlad is even bringing all the wyverns with him, so that's a real bullet dodged."

'

Ritsuka felt a sudden chill. She hadn't even thought about it, but that would've been really bad. Da Vinci clearly agreed, judging by her nodding. "True. If they'd gone ahead and destroyed Marseille, this would all have been quite meaningless." While she was obviously satisfied with the results, the Caster then turned towards Lemminkäinen seriously. "Now, about that plan of yours. Please tell me you actually have one."

'

A confident grin spread on the Saber's lips. Ritsuka had thought so, but he really had been serious. She was admittedly a bit excited to hear what he'd thought of. And to deliver on his promise, his motions full of purpose, Lemminkäinen pointed at Mash. "Alright, here's what we'll do: Mash, you keep Siegfried and Pomo safe." Then, he pointed at Kiyohime and Mozart. "You two, take care of any wyverns or corpses that get too close to them." And finally, full of vigor, he jabbed a thumb in his chest proudly. "And I'll take out the fallen king and anyone who gets in my way. I can't stand lookin' at him any longer."

'

Silence. Absolute, painful silence, broken only by the wind. No one said anything and just stared at Lemminkäinen in utter disbelief. Even Fou appeared genuinely shocked. Before she could even think of doing anything else, Ritsuka slapped herself in the forehead and just kept her hand there. The worst part was, his 'plan' was delivered with absolute, unwavering confidence. Da Vinci was the first to speak up, pinching the bridge of her nose while a vein had popped up in her forehead. "...Your plan is to fight Vlad... by yourself?" In a rare moment, it seemed that the Caster actually lost her composure, slamming her fist on the desk hard enough that the image shook. "Are you actually an idiot!? You could somewhat match him during the day, but you won't stand a chance during the night if he's that much more powerful." All perfectly valid points. But before anyone could go any further...

'

"No. I'll fight him, and I'll win," Lemminkäinen replied with such sincerity that Da Vinci's mouth was left agape. She'd seemed like she wanted to say more, but seeing his humorless, serious expression had stopped the words from exciting her mouth. Satisfied with the result, the Saber then turned his eyes to Ritsuka, a smile spreading on his lips. But this was no ordinary smile of his. It lacked all the bravado and was instead filled with pure, unwavering confidence and pride. "Master, give me permission. I'm usin' everythin' I've got, and I'll show that demoted king the meanin' of heroism."

'

Ritsuka let out a baited breath. "...Everything?" He nodded, getting her mind racing. So he was actually going to use that? With it combined with all the support everyone present could muster, he might actually pull this off. But there was the obvious risk of him going completely overboard, which was why she had banned him from using the Noble Phantasm at all. If he went out of control, he would almost definitely die... And yet... what choice did they have at this point? With a deep sigh, Ritsuka made up her mind and locked eyes with Lemminkäinen, putting off the most intimidating aura she could manage. "...You better survive this, or I'm resummoning you just to give you a lecture that would put your mother's to shame."

'

His smile widening just a tinge, the Saber nodded. "I wouldn't be much of a hero if I couldn't pull this off, would I?" A reply that got the Master to smile as well, no matter how much she tried to resist. No choice, then. She'd just have to put all of her trust in his strength.

'

"Hey, excuse me?" Amadeus suddenly called. "Could someone please explain how we're not all going to get slaughtered?" A question shared by literally everyone else, judging by the expectant looks they were shooting at them.

'

In response, Lemminkäinen let out a roaring laughter that quite literally shook the ground. "Hell yeah, I can! The stage is set and the opponent is perfect! It's time to finally show off the very manifestation of my heroism and unleash my ultimate Noble Phantasm!" Pulling out his sword, he pointed it towards the darkening sky as a wide grin threatened to split his face in two. "Forget about hiisi! I'm gonna show you all an inferno that'll be a worthy match for a Kokko!"

'

'

.

.

Notes:

And it's finally out! This time completely! YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

'

Sorry about the wait, guys, but I just wasn't happy with cutting this one apart. Hopefully it's worth it, so don't be afraid to tell me what you think with a comment. I'm not gonna babble for too long, since it's late and I want to get this out, but here's some stuff:

'

Believe it or not, Ritsuka's name ending up like that was a complete accident. I chose Repo quite early on, but only picked Lemmikki as an option later, since I actually quite like the flowers and found the coloring and the eyes matching to be cute. ...And then like half a minute later, by brain caught up and I realized how the names went together. At that point, I just had to use it. It was too perfect of a name to not use.

And while on the subject of Ritsuka, yeah, her horse phobia is bad. While I don't have an identical case personally, I still can't stand their teeth. Also, this'll make a certain Servant showing up far more interesting, and he'll be appearing far earlier than he does in the game. Though not for the next few Singularities.

'

As for all the stuff on Lemminkäinen, yeah, it's all pretty accurate. All that crazy shit actually went down in Kalevala. I personally remember being completely flabbergasted when I read about how he slept with all the maidens on an island, only for him to say: "I'll fucking do it again." and actually do it again on another island. At that point, I just had to be impressed by his sheer confidence.

'

Now for some irl stuff. I'll be taking a small break from writing to focus on a school project. It won't be too long, as I'll post a new update on the 10th of February, and I might get some small writing done during the break if I get motivated enough. But yeah, from the title and knowing the actual story, you can probably guess at least one big event that happens during the next chapter, so it's gonna be rough to write, since I want to do it justice.

'

Also, I'll post some updates on the Servant Profile for Lemminkäinen either tomorrow or the day after, so feel free to check on the World Revisions Doc a few times.

'

Next time: [What Heroes Must Do]