"And after chasing him for a long time, I found him hiding inside a bell.
So I roasted him alive. It felt great at first, but after his screams of agony quieted and the smell of burnt pork hit my nose, I realized the gravity of what I had done. I had killed the liar who deceived me, but it brought me no satisfaction."
Kiyohime seemed sad for a moment, before that sadness turned to longing. "I only hope that I get to meet him again, just so that I can pamper him and never let him go this time."
Kiyohime finished telling her story, but there was no applause, no words of comfort or pity.
Just silence.
She doesn't think she will be able to eat bacon after this due to the vivid detail Kiyohime had gone into when she described the smell of Anchin being cooked alive.
When Marie asked people to share a story about a person they loved, the first one who volunteered was Kiyohime. Maybe they were a bit naive to believe Kiyohime would tell a normal love story, but eventually, it just devolved into a confession of murder.
The people in the room who weren't aware of her legend were staring at her warily now.
The normal humans in the room, Elaine and Madame Romee, had a green complexion on their faces.
She felt pity for them, but they will have to endure it a bit more since a question bubbled to the surface of her mind, "if Anchin somehow gets summoned and you meet him, what would you do if he lied to you again?"
As soon as she asked that question, the room got cold, yet paradoxically, it also got hot.
Kiyohime's smile curved inward, the shadow under her bangs made her eye glow more menacing and predatory.
"Then history will repeat itself, except this time, I will make him swallow a thousand needles bathed in dragonfire."
"I know romantic relationships can be difficult, and it isn't my business to meddle in other people's love lives, but was it truly necessary to burn him alive?"
Jeanne asked the question that everyone in the room wanted to ask.
Kiyohime looked at Jeanne the way a scholarly noble would look at an illiterate peasant, "no. Lies are evil. Death is the appropriate punishment for someone who utters such things."
'As long as you are human… Evil always dies in the end.'
She couldn't help but remember Mozart's words from that night. She sympathized with Kiyohime to an extent. She used to live a life blissfully unaware of the world outside Chaldea, only to realize it was all a lie when she finally had a chance to explore outside its walls.
Lev's face of glee and the desperate pleading of The Director Olga Marie were still fresh in her mind.
Lev Lainor Flaurous was not human, he was a monster who deceived all of them, years for some, decades for others. He is someone who she would agree must die.
But while lies can hurt people, she still doesn't think they are evil.
They were currently lying to Elaine and the people of Theirs about Jeanne and Madame Isabelle's identities, just so that the latter could have a safe haven to wait out the storm.
"Crazy bitch."
The sudden curse from Elizabeth brought her out of her inner mind and into reality.
Kiyohime narrowed her eyes at Elizabeth, "What did you say?"
"I said you're a crazy bitch! Jeanne was right, Anchin was awful for lying to you, but killing him was a step too far!"
Kiyohime covered her mouth with her fan, "as if a wench like you could understand what it feels like to love someone. You claim you are an idol, correct?"
"A Super Idol, but yes," Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, "you got a problem with that?"
"I pity you." Elizabeth's eyebrow violently twitched at Kiyohime's blunt but sincere response.
"From the scant information the throne has given me, I know that idols are forbidden from finding love and instead must whore themselves to millions for attention. So I pity you for having damned yourself to such a fate."
She isn't wrong per se, but the way she said it was too mean.
Elizabeth scooffed, "excuse you, I am not "whoring" myself out. I am merely gracing the piggies with my cutesy charm and beautiful voice, it's not my fault if they want to bankrupt themselves to send me money! Also, I can easily find a boyfriend to keep me company if I wanted to. "
"And yet, you don't."
Elizabeth crossed her arms, "Because I choose not to. My career comes first. "
"Your failing career."
And with just those three words, all forms of civility between the two vanished.
Elizabeth uncrossed her arms and bared her claws and fangs at the small berserker.
"Why you little-!"
Before Elizabeth could lunge for Kiyohime's throat, Marie intervened, "that's enough ladies, no fighting. We wouldn't want to disappoint Saint George by being bad guests now, would we?"
"Hmph, I suppose so." Kiyohime closed her fan with a snap.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "ugh, fine, whatever."
Escalation has been averted, thank you Marie Antoinette.
"But Kiyohime does have a point Eli, you shouldn't neglect your love life with work! If you don't have someone who cares for and loves you, then life would get dull."
"Hmph," Elizabeth started to inspect her claws like she had nothing better to do, "personally I'd never get with any piggies since their sole purpose is to kiss the ground I walk on, but I wouldn't mind having some loveydovey times with my manager..."
Her heart stopped beating, her face felt cold.
Was she being serious? Would Senpai actually go along with it if Elizabeth asked her? She knows her Senpai is weak to women.
She has caught him staring at her multiple times when he thought she wasn't looking, like the first time they met. But she wasn't the only one.
He stared at everyone.
Although, she could tell he tried not to.
Not that she would blame him, the servants he summoned always wore skimpy outfits and were either very cute, or very beautiful.
Why does her heart ache at the idea of Senpai being with someone else?
"...but preferably, I would rather have some intimate yuri time with my fellow gals. "
Relief washed over her, that Senpai was not her first choice; then, Elizabeth's words finally registered in her mind.
Well, she doesn't have the right to judge others. Elizabeth can like who she wants.
She wasn't blushing at the sudden confession like a few others in the room.
Definitely not.
Elizabeth then turned and smiled at Jeanne, whose red face turned into a shade of pale pink when she realized the implication. The saint crossed her arms into an "x" while shaking her head so fast her neck would have snapped if she were human.
Elizabeth covered her mouth and let out a giggle, "oh lighten up you prude, I was only teasing you. Besides, you're not my type."
Jeanne let out a sigh of relief, but that relief was short lived by the question Elizabeth asked next, "enough about me, do you have any romantic tales to tell us, Janet?"
Janet was the name they chose for Jeanne to adopt in order to prevent Kiyohime from losing her mind and blowing their cover.
"If you are expecting me to have some sort of fanciful tale of a boy from the village, then I am afraid I will have to disappoint you. I was dedicated to my mission to-" she suddenly stopped talking, with a panicked look as she remembered that someone else in this room didn't know she was Jeanne DArc.
"I mean, I wasn't interested in anyone. I was too focused on my job much like Elizabeth is at being a super idol. I had no time to find love when… other matters demanded my attention."
Kriemhild, after spending some time listening to the conversation, finally decided to join in, "is there really no one you considered? No one at all? Your problematic heroism aside, you're got a decent figure and a cute face, boys should have been all over you."
Jeanne's face flushed a deeper red, "N-No…" her eyes glazed over, as if she was remembering a distant trauma.
"Janet?" Her mother touched her shoulder, which caused her to jump in place.
"I'm alright, Mother, I just… I do not recall the memory well, but… now that people keep insisting, I do have some vague feeling that I should know someone."
"So, who's the lucky man? Come on, tell us~" Elizabeth kept poking Jeanne, but the saint never lost her pensive expression.
"I cannot recall his appearance or what he sounded like, but the feeling is there."
"And that feeling, what is it?" Mash was not one for gossip, but even she had grown curious about this person.
Jeanne looked at the open palms of her hands, as if they contained the answer she sought, "I… don't know…"
Seeing her daughter's state, Madame Isabelle comforted her by holding her shoulders, "whoever that person is, God must have a reason why you cannot recall them. Ah, but if you do recall them and meet them once more, please introduce them to me. I would really love to meet the boy who managed to sway my stubborn tomboy Janet's heart."
"M-Mother… please don't call me that… it's embarrassing."
"Why not? It's a cute word for my cute little girl."
"N-No fair!! That word isn't supposed to exist yet! You're not supposed to know it!!" Jeanne was pouting, she should feel bad about seeing her get called a name, but she can't help herself.
She let out a giggle, others joined in.
Jeanne just pouted harder, "Grmmm, I swear, once I see Master again, I am going to give him a sermon on time travel etiquette."
The word Master paused Madam Romee's soft laughter. Her face turned serious, which caught everyone's attention.
Then the older woman turned to face her.
She didn't like that pitying look on her face, "speaking of the monsieur, are you alright Mash? He's not leading you on, is he?"
Her lips suddenly felt dry.
Her eyes widened at her words. The room suddenly redirected their looks toward her.
"Oh? What do you mean by that mama Isabelle?" Marie asked in a manner similar to how a meddling housewife might question her neighbor.
"I don't mean to pry, but it's just that ever since I met you two, you always give the tells of a couple courting each other. Even with the knowledge of what a master-servant relationship is, both of you seem… close. So I was concerned that he was leading you on while he flirted with other women."
"S-Senpai would never do that! He might have his bad habits, but he's not a horrible person!"
For as long as she has known Senpai, he's always been someone who values people, especially their personal space and privacy.
He always goes out of his way to let people know when he is streaming and will ensure that his chat never overhears things they shouldn't.
This mindset was something she, her fellow servants, and many of the Chaldea staff appreciated.
When she first found out he was a streamer, she made an effort to learn more about Twitch and streaming as a whole, just so she could be closer to him.
So she looked up the most famous ones that were in the archived internet that Chaldea kept on hand.
She wasn't impressed.
Unlike Senpai, these people were loud, obnoxious, rude, and arrogant. They let the fame get to their heads and were more focused on trying to say or do dumb, hurtful things for attention.
They were nothing like him at all.
This knowledge only deepened her admiration of him. Despite having a power that always put him and those around him under the scrutiny of thousands of people, he always remained humble, and he cared for everyone in his Chat like they were people rather than seeing them as money.
The girls around the room nodded, though their sly grins aimed at her were a bit uncomfortable.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to yell like that," she tried to apologize, but an apologetic Madame Romee denied her attempt.
"No, you're not wrong to be upset. It was rude of me to make assumptions and judge someone you deeply care about when I barely know him. I was only concerned for your well-being."
"Um… Thank you for your concern. But the truth is… I do like Senpai… but, it's just that… he feels so far away sometimes. And frankly, I'm more worried about Senpai himself and the women who surround him."
"You are talking about Da Vinci, correct?" Kriemhild asked.
She reluctantly nods, "I like Da Vinci. She's a nice person, but she's a bit… dangerous."
"I have met the woman before, and I agree. She is far too shameless with her teasing. But do not feel so down Mash, while Master might be surrounded by beautiful servants, there's one thing they, or rather we don't have." Kriemhild said.
"And what's that?" She asked.
"Life. Once our duties are fulfilled, we will have to return to the throne. But as a human, you belong here, so even if he ends up having flings with Da Vinci or other heroic spirits in the future, you can always take comfort in the fact that you can still be with him after everything comes to a close."
Life, huh?
If only Kriemhild knew how wrong she was.
"Right… thank you Kriemhild." she couldn't meet her gaze.
"Do not feel sad, Madamoiselle." The voice of Elaine caught her by surprise, "I know exactly how you feel."
"You do?"
The girl nodded her head, "yes, because I feel the same way about Monsieur Sasaki. He saved me and my brother when our caravan was ambushed by wyverns. And since then, I have fallen deeply in love with him."
Her gaze turned distant, "I tried so hard to earn his affection, but no matter what I did, he never looked at me like a partner. He was always distant, as if he was afraid to get close to me."
A small frown appeared on her face, "Monsieur Sasaki and Saint George thought they were keeping it a secret from me, but I know."
Elaine looked her in the eye once more, "he will leave when the Witch is defeated, won't he?"
Should he tell her? Should she lie?
Would that make her evil?
No. It wouldn't, but it also would not be nice if she didn't say the truth.
"Yes, he will."
Her smile returned, "and yet, despite that, I still choose to love him."
"Huh? but, aren't you going to feel sad when he leaves?"
"yes… I will. But Madamoiselle, I still choose to love him, because I'm selfish. I don't care if the world wants us to part, because it will only make my love burn brighter."
She intertwined her fingers together, "a village girl like me doesn't have many chances to get swept off her feet by a prince in shining armor, so I am blessed he is in my life at all."
Elaine's lips trembled, her eyes almost holding back tears, "I won't lie and say that it won't hurt. I want him to notice me. I want him to embrace me and call me his, I want to be his wife, really badly. But so does every woman and girl in Theirs."
Elaine smiled at her, "so cheer up, unlike me, you have a better chance of ending up with your prince than I do with mine. Yours might still not choose you, but before that time comes, cherish every moment you spend together. That way, when you are old and gray, you can look back at the memories with joy rather than grief."
The room fell deathly silent.
Everyone shared glances with each other.
No one in the room had the heart to tell the girl that, once the singularity was resolved, her memories of Sasaki Kojirou would be gone too.
✦✧✦
Ritsuka POV
GONG GONG GONG
He jolted awake, the tranquil, bright, warm Japanese home vanished, replaced by a frigid, noisy, dark room.
His mind was still foggy, but his instincts put him on edge.
Were they under enemy attack?! What was going on?!
His only source of light was, as always, Chat's hovering UI over his face.
[:Chingling animated emote: ]
[Morning Guda-Woah it's so dark! ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: Y dew I gear wedding bells? ]
[Hex, those aren't wedding bells, they're just normal bells. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: Oh. Srry, I fdell asleep on keyboard again and the ells woke me up. ]
[Beaumains: That's no good. You should get some proper sleep on a bed Miss Hex! ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: iss rite doggo girl, you can call me Mr.s.Fujimaru's wife because marriedb I to your owner. ]
[Beaumains: (•᷄- •᷅ ;) ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): Hex. Go back to sleep. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: Neva! Sleep is for the week. ]
However, he had no time to read what they said. He swatted the screen away like it was an annoying fly.
The screen was dismissed, but the normal camera orb still hovered nearby.
He scrambled out of bed, almost falling on his face due to how dark it was.
He turned on his wristwatch, and the clock showed it was still 6 AM.
Turning on his flashlight, he sprinted towards the door and pulled it open.
And behind door number one was Marie Antoinette, standing in front of his door with the back of her hand facing him, moments before she was going to knock on his door.
She blinked in surprise at the sudden action, "oh, good morning Master! I'm surprised you woke up before I called for you."
Why was Marie being so calm when there was a possible attack happening?!
She tilted her head at his question, looking perplexed by his justifiable concern.
"There's no attack happening right now, Master."
[No attack? Then why are there bells?! ]
[PsychicMoostache(MOD): Looks like Hex isn't the only one who needs a few more hours of sleep. ]
[PerfectlySaneHex: See? We were made 4 each other Not like those hussies who always folllew him aroudh. If I had my way, i'd keep him lockes in my basement.]
[CasCu: Geez, why does Master keep getting all the crazies? ]
[Bunny_Aachan: Oh, you noticed too huh? I don't envy him. Hopefully he doesn't end up transformed into a tree someday. ]
"That's actually why I am here now, master." Marie reached out and cupped her soft, warm hands over his own.
Her mesmerizing blue eyes shone in the dimly lit hallway, eyes that he couldn't look away from.
She leaned in close, so close, in fact, that he could feel her warm breath on him. His nose caught a whiff of her perfume. It was like a fruit punch of various flowers, a garden given essence.
By now, she had leaned in so close to his face, it almost felt like she was going to kiss him on the lips.
[PerfectlySaneHex: GET WAY FOM HIM!! YU HAVE JEANNE!! HE MINE!! ]
[Early morning kiss from Marie? Gudao you lucky bastard. ]
He could hear his heart beating in his ears.
She was so close that she could see the moment when the twinkle in her eyes burst into sparkles of excitement.
"It's time for Sunday Mass, Master!!"
His mind screeched to a halt.
"Huh?"
Before he had a chance to process what she said, Marie pulled away from his personal space, grabbed him by the forearm, and dragged him out the door.
By the time his brain had caught up to what his body was doing, he was already surrounded by crowds of people, all of them marching towards the church.
[Lol. He got blueballed like that D'Eon guy. ]
[Yeah. But unlike the femboi wonder twat, Gudao didn't get a kick to the chest from a horse. ]
[Just goes to show how much Marie loves Gudao. ]
[Huh. I just realized that this is the first time Gudao has taken us inside a church from his world. Neat. ]
[SoniaYampers: Wow, the stained glass windows are so beautiful. ]
[Gible_Archeologist: The architecture and inner decor is very close to the churches of some denominations of the Arceus Faith. It's rather uncanny. ]
Despite the fact that his family originated from Japan, which was a country that was agnostic with some pagan beliefs, he was not ignorant about Christianity and Sunday mass.
He lived in California, which had a large population of Catholics. In fact, he's even attended mass before, back when he used to date a girl in high school and was invited to attend one Sunday by her parents.
No offense to his ex-girlfriend's family, they were nice people. They always fed him and even helped him find a part-time job at a local bakery, but he mostly went to church with them to be nice and also for the yummy food the church served afterward.
Anyway, the only reason their group was able to attend mass inside the church instead of being forced to listen from outside was due to being an ally of Georgios.
So he was able to get the full medieval mass experience. And with his previous frame of reference to compare to, he could say without a doubt that medieval mass "hit different."
For one, there were no pews, everyone stood and crowded around the priest, who had his back turned to them.
The elderly priest was delivering his sermon entirely in latin, which would normally be gibberish to him, but thanks to his mystic code, he could understand everything.
An ability that everyone but himself, the priest, and the servants in the church lacked.
Yet their belief remained strong, as all the men, women, and children listened and even reiterated the words the priest said.
Personally, he didn't have any beliefs in higher powers when he first arrived in Chaldea, but after finding out myths and legends were real, his mind was much more open to the possibilities.
Finally, after hours of praying at the giant sculpture of Jesus on the cross, the elderly priest turned to face them and addressed the crowd.
"Brothers and sisters, the times are difficult, I know. We have all suffered so much injustice the past month. Our homes stolen from us, our families ripped away from us and sent to meet St. Peter too early, and our peace and unity shattered by the hell spawn from the sky and their leader, the Dragon Witch Jeanne D'Arc!"
He could taste the raw, bitter emotions of grief, anger, and hopelessness in the air.
He spared a glance at Jeanne, who was looking at the ground in shame, her dyed bangs covering her eyes.
Next to her, Madame Isabelle looked angered, and for a moment, he feared she was going to do the same thing she did the last time someone badmouthed her daughter in her presence.
Thankfully, she remained silent.
"But fear not!"! While she may have taken all of our earthly tethers, there is one thing she will never take from us!"
The elderly priest put a hand on his chest, "our immortal souls! Faith in God will be our salvation! So long as we put faith in The Lord, our savior, in our hearts, we will always have hope. Hope that the Witch will receive divine punishment!!"
The man looked like he wanted to say more but was interrupted by a loud beeping noise.
He felt death drag its cold finger down his back when everyone inside the church turned to face him. He shrank under all of the dissaproving stares aimed his way.
[Bro forgot to turn off his phone. Lol. ]
[Uwah, this POV sucks. I can feel the second hand embarrassment. (-公- ;) ]
However, that shame turned to horror when Romani's voice came through his communicator.
"Sorry to interrupt your mass ceremony, but enemy servants detected from the North-WOAH!! WATCH OUT!! ONE OF THEM IS CHARGING UP A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF MAGICAL ENERGY!! "
Romani's words echoed in the cathedral, which carried to the outside, so everyone in attendance heard him.
The light from outside shone brighter, the dazzling stained glass windows glowing in an ethereal, rainbow-like light.
Jeanne did not hesitate.
She jumped in front of the crucifix of Christ the elderly priest had been giving his sermon to, summoned her flagpole, and slammed it on the stone floor.
"Our Lord is with us!! Luminosité Eternelle!!!"
No matter how many times he saw that noble phantasm, he couldn't help but be in awe of it.
The flag enveloped everyone in its warm embrace. The gasps of surprise did not distract Jeanne, she was fully committed to her task.
To shield.
To protect.
And it was just on the nick of time.
The light from outside had grown so bright that it overpowered the sun. The fortified walls of the cathedral disintegrated before its might.
The image of Christ held for a millisecond longer. The wooden eyes looked down at Jeanne with a somber expression before it too burned into ashes.
The ground shuddered, people screamed, and the world turned white.
[Waah!!]
[:Groudon Twerking Animated Emote: ]
[JigglyWiggly: Guys be serious!! ]
[I am being cerious ]
[JigglyWiggly: *Serious]
[:Minor Spelling Mistake animated emote:]
The light died down, but the spots lingered in his vision.
He rubbed his eyes, and when they adjusted, he noticed that everyone who fell under Jeanne's protection had been unharmed.
The same could not be said about the building.
The once proud building that had served as the house of God had been demolished, exposing everyone to the morning sky.
However, that was not the only thing that was left exposed.
Golden hair flowed in the wind, the once deep, rich red hair dye had burned away and now shone under the morning sun for all to see.
"Janet, your hair…" he tried to tell her, but Jeanne didn't respond, her gaze focused on the horizon, past the trench that had been carved through the town.
Then it hit him.
The screams of agony from people who weren't protected by Jeanne's noble phantasm, the wails of women crying out for their loved ones who had been killed in the blast, and the sounds of gunfire in the distance.
The town around them had turned into a war zone. And things just kept getting worse.
"Jeanne… Is that you?"
He turned to the owner of the voice and saw Gilles de Rais, a disbelieving look on his face.
Gilles's words carried through the air. The mere utterance of her name alone was enough to drive the crowd timid.
Jeanne's somber expression met Gilles's wary but desperate face, "hello Gilles, yes it's me. "
Gilles's wariness turned to awe, tears dripped down his face like a man who had met his favorite idol in real life, "It's really you… you are the actual saint… the real Jeanne D'Arc. I-I knew it… I knew that the Dragon Witch could not be you! People called me a fool, and I nearly gave up, but you have rekindled my hope… Jeanne… "
[Bro… I know you are happy to see her again but, bring the reverence dial back to a 3. You sound really creepy, it's gross. (ーー;) ]
Jeanne pursed her lips, but before she could say anything, something smacked her in the forehead.
A piece of rubble clattered on the stone floor.
[Hey! Who threw that?!! ( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡)💢 ]
He followed the trajectory of the rock that had hit Jeanne, and his eyes landed on a young man standing next to a panicked Elaine.
Was that her brother?
The guy, who he recalled was named Gerald, wasn't satisfied with just throwing one stone, and he picked up another from the ground.
"WITCH!! IT WASN'T ENOUGH THAT YOU BURNED MY HOMETOWN AND KILLED MY PARENTS!!" Gerald bellowed, his anger agitating the crowd like a hornet's nest.
"AND NOW YOU WANT TO DESTROY OUR NEW HOME TOO!! GO TO HELL!!" He tossed another rock at her.
The rock hit her in the face, but due to her nature as a servant, it shattered on impact and had no effect.
She said nothing, and accepted the hit.
"He's right!! The Witch burns everything she touches!!"
"How dare you show your face around here?! After all you have done?!!"
"Give me back my husband, Witch!!"
This action sparked many others into following suit.
A rain of debris fell on Jeanne, some of it hitting her, some of it striking the people who couldn't step out of the way in time.
The entirety of Theirs were now directing their anger, their frustration, and their grief onto Jeanne D'Arc.
[Ungrateful bastards!! Jeanne saved you, and you thank her by throwing rocks at her!? ]
[Ms.Roxanne: As a rock type specialist, I do not approve of throwing rocks at people or pokemon… outside a consensual pokemon battles that is.]
[TheIcePryce: These people have been through much grief. Most of them were just peasants who worked the fields and had no worries about some distant nobleman's war. Then their lives have been uprooted by a single woman and her crazy followers. I do not blame them for directing their anger at her. ]
Mash suddenly stepped in front of him, swatting a rock away before it could hit his eye.
[PerfectlySaneHex: Hey, watch it assholes!! Don't throw rocks if you suck at throwing! ]
[Do these people know that their actions are the equivalent of asking a wild, adult Bewear for a hug? ]
This was bad, they needed to get out of here.
"Enough!" Gilles's voice boomed over the crowd, "Good people of France!! Your feelings are valid and justified, but you should not direct them at the wrong person. This is not the dragon Witch! Cease your attacks!!" Gilles outright demanded, the raw anger in and seriousness causing the rocks to stop, but the people's anger burned hotter.
"Lies!! We all saw her face when she burned our village to the ground!!" Elaine's brother, who threw the first rock, yelled out.
Gilles pursed his lips, "I am not discrediting your experience. The dragon witch has committed many evils, but I plead for you to see reason. If she were truly the dragon witch, she would have arrived on a dragon mount and had unleashed hellfire upon us! heavens above, the woman shielded us from that light of death!! Why would she do that if she meant to kill us all?!!"
Gilles' reason seemed to blunt the hostility of the mob, but many still seemed on edge.
CLANG
Elaine's brother shrieked and fell to the ground, his body shaking in fear as Jeanne batted away a stray bullet that had been coming their way.
"I do not care what opinion you all have of me. You can hate me all you want, but I beseech you, please find shelter! This place is no longer safe!"
The mob seemed to hesitate, but the screech of wyverns returned them to their senses to reality.
Craning his head left, he could see a flock of wyverns diving towards them.
"Dragons!!"
"Oh God!! Please help us!!"
"R-Run!!"
[Oh look, they can see past their fear and recognize the immediate danger. (◔_◔)]
However, the wyverns never got the chance to take anyone.
His bones rattled when Archer loosed his arrows.
Three heavy corpses fell on the ground, all of them with an arrow sunk deep into their eye sockets.
"I'll take care of the fodder. Master, get everyone and go take down the servants attacking the town!"
"Right," he said, then he looked at Georgios, "Georgios!"
He didn't need to say another word, the saint was already aware of what his intentions were, "Of course, I accept you as my Master. So long as you help save these people."
A link between their souls formed.
they had become master and servant.
"Men! Stop glaring at Saint Jeanne D'Arc and focus on protecting the people!!" Gilles de Rais ordered, and while his soldiers looked like they wanted to protest, their protests died in their throats when Jeanne stepped between them and another hail of bullets.
"R-Right, as you say, Baron De Rais," one of his men said.
More flocks of wyverns poured in from the skies, but once more, Archer's arrows sniped them out of the sky.
"Senpai, come with me, " she didn't need to tell him twice, he let her pick him up and carry him towards the enemy.
The siege of Theirs has started.
✦✧✦
It didn't take long for Mash to arrive at the battlefield.
The sun had already left the horizon, but it was nowhere near noon.
He winced at the state Sasaki was in: robes ripped and riddled with holes, his breaths ragged, and a horizontal cut on his cheek.
This was the result of fighting off three servants at once while running low on mana and while protecting the town behind him.
He recognized two out of the three servants fighting him.
The white saber who got kicked by Marie's crystal horse, some guy with silver/whitish hair in a black trench coat with a psychotic grin on his face that gave off 'quiet kid' vibes, and Lancelot, the guy who Gareth squired under and who betrayed King Arthur by sleeping with his wife.
He never saw Lancelot in the aerial fight earlier, but he knew that the overly sized cannon he had was not his, nor was the muscular arm that protruded out of his broken armor.
His armor was broken around the same place where the arm that caught Archer's attack used to be. It seems that dark Jeanne fancied herself a Dr. Frankenstein.
[Woah, he's alive?!! After taking that explosion to the face?!! ( ˶°ㅁ°) !! ]
[He's a tenacious one, that is for sure. ]
[He didn't have that arm cannon before. Its waaay too large for his body. ]
[MagnetKing: Yet despite the impracticality of the armament he wields, he's still going to be a bitch and a half to take down. ]
Their sudden presence put a pause to their fight as the enemy beheld them.
The guy in the trench coat disregarded them entirely, his attention hyperfocused on one person.
Following his gaze, he frowned when he saw a distraught Marie, who was looking at the man like a ghost.
[Dammit! Another creep has his eyes set on Marie!!! ]
[Honestly, it's just depressing at this point. ]
[AltariaFloof: beauty can be a blessing, but too much of it can be a curse. Call us melodramatic all you want, but I believe I can speak for all ladies in chat that it's something many of us have bee forced to live with. ]
"Well, isn't this a surprise? It's-"
Sasaki took the pause in battle as an opportunity to fall back, but Lancelot wouldn't allow that.
He pointed the massive cannon at Sasaki and fired.
A twirl of a flagpole, and all of them were deflected, courtesy of Jeanne D'Arc.
Lancelot shook violently at the blonde-haired saint who interrupted his attack.
"ARTHUUUR!!"
[DragoonRuleZ: YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!! ]
[Beaumains: Please don't be angry with him. He knows not what he does. ]
"Shut UP, Lancelot!! I am trying to talk to Marie!!!" The guy in the trench coat slapped Lancelot across the helmet, which silenced the Berserker. He expected the servant to retaliate, but he never did.
The mysterious man shook his head, "double berserkers are quite the pain. Good thing Master used that command spell to put a leash on you. Now then, where were we? Ah yes, It's nice to see you again, Marie."
Marie looked at the trench coat guy with concern and fear in her features, "Charles Henri Sanson, so, you were summoned as well."
The man looked giddy when Marie called him by his full name, "Yes! Yes I was! The dragon witch summoned me to rid the world of France and gave me the opportunity to claim your head once more."
"Huh?"
"Charles Henri Sanson was the one who executed Marie Antoinette during the French revolution. So if he's an opponent, she is at a disadvantage. "
[Of course he was. ]
[I really wish we had another sand attack right about now. That ugly face looks like it could use some sanding. ]
"Yes she is… unfortunately, it seems like it won't matter much given how outnumbered we are now." Sanson's eyes scanned over all of the assembled servants before him.
Everyone but Archer had come to confront them, so them being outnumbered was an understatement. The army of wyverns and putrid zombies shambling in the background didn't count.
He could still hear the whistles and explosions, so he knew Archer had them covered.
Yet despite these odds, Charles only shrugged, "Oh well, more heads for me to spin."
His lack of self-preservation was surprising.
"My Queen, please, no matter how many numbers you have, you and your group are no match for the Dragon Witch. Once she arrives, even I will not be able to plead your case," the white knight extended his hand.
"So I will give you one last chance. Join us, or die."
Marie did not look at him, nor did she hesitate to speak her refusal.
"My answer is still no D'Eon. "
[You tell him Marie!! ]
[AltariaFloof: I like cute fembois, but I like them sweet and wholesome, not psychotic! ]
The answer made D'Eon frown, but Sanson smiled like a kid who had been given a gift he wanted for Christmas.
"Hah! I knew she would reject you! See?! I told you!! You don't know her like I do! "
D'Eon scrunched his face and gave Charles a bitter side-eye. He sighed, then looked at Marie with pity.
"Very well… if you won't listen to reason, then I'll beat it into you!!" He brought his sword to his face, and glared at Marie like a scorned lover.
"En Guarde-gaaaah!!"
Unfortunately for him, he would not be getting his revenge arc.
A giant eyeball of malice engulfed his small body in an inescapable attack.
Sanson stepped back in time to avoid being caught in the attack, but that didn't matter.
Because he was not the target.
The eye held him in place, so he could not stop the slash that cut his white clothes, and the soft tissues holding them, in half.
The sphere of malice dissipated, and the petite saber staggered back.
He fell to his knees, his formerly pristine suit now stained red.
It was a miracle that he was still holding himself together in one piece and not split open like a tomato.
Before Kriemhild could finish him off, a blast of light slammed into her side, sending her flying.
She easily righted herself and slid across the grassy terrain, her heels tilling the soil under her feet.
Once she stopped, she glared at the berserker who shot her.
Lancelot, meanwhile, just stood there, his cannon still wafting smoke from its entrance.