"This is delicious."
After returning from my business, we started eating our lunch.
The tamagoyaki Olga Marie had made contained grilled eel, but both the eel and the egg were quite burnt.
Still, it was edible.
I looked at what Ritsuka, Mash, and BB had made. It was all food that was good for... stamina.
"Just how much energy are you planning to use, eating something this good?"
Jeanne asked shyly, sitting next to me. It was incredibly awkward. Was she like this back then, when she was Ritsuka's Servant?
"Kuriyama-san. Try this too."
Mash picked up an oyster with her chopsticks and fed it to me. Hmm, it tastes fresh.
"You'll need a lot of strength, won't you~? Eating so well like this."
Ritsuka linked her arm with mine and leaned against me.
It felt like she was blatantly showing off to Jeanne. There was something more than just playfulness in her actions.
Mash's attitude was similar. Even I could sense something meaningful directed at me.
Could it be that Ritsuka, by becoming a woman from the start, is being influenced by this world? And Mash, is she acting this way towards me because Ritsuka is a woman?
I remember Mash and Ritsuka having a sweet relationship before. With the man gone, it feels like I've become the new target.
Is that why Olga Marie and BB are acting this way towards me too? Wait, doesn't this put me in the position of being cuckolded? This is making me seriously anxious.
Is it because I keep dreaming about being with them every night? It feels like my inner sense of intimacy with them has grown too large. But this is just a delusion, right?
It's not real, but it's bothering me so much.
"While everyone is eating, shall we go and scout the area?"
"Hmm, a fine idea. We may find something of interest."
Parvati gave us a meaningful smile and excused herself. I couldn't see Leonidas's face well, but I had a feeling he was smiling warmly under his helmet.
Chen Gong also quietly left, but our Yu Miaoyi, as if she couldn't care less, remained seated, sipping coffee and reading a book.
"Um, Master. Earlier, I think I fainted from anemia, so we couldn't continue our conversation."
Just then, Jeanne slowly approached me. Is she going to talk about the impregnation thing again?
"We haven't formed a contract yet."
Ah, right. The impregnation talk was so intense that I'd forgotten.
A contract with Jeanne. Honestly, Jeanne makes me quite uneasy.
At least from what I remember, even though she looked like this, she had resisted that bastard for a relatively long time.
Does she have a preference for certain men, or is she the type to be devoted to one person? The fact that she resisted for so long was worthy of high praise by this world's standards.
But then again, it's strange that she lasted that long with such a warped sense of chastity. What exactly are her criteria? Could it be proportional to her level of love for Ritsuka? Considering Kiyohime also resisted for a long time.
Well, what does it matter now? I should focus on the present.
I don't think there's anything to lose by forming a contract. The possibility of betrayal isn't completely gone, but at least with a contract, I have preventative measures like Command Spells.
Judging that there was no harm in it, I extended my hand to her.
"Alright, let's form a contract."
Unfortunately, I probably can't expect much from her in terms of firepower. Jeanne's abilities as a tanker are excellent, but given the way this world works...
"Yes! I'll be in your care!"
Jeanne smiled and took my hand, and the contract was formed. At that moment, my Command Spells glowed with a red light.
*CRACKLE!*
For a moment, it felt like an electric current shot through me. It didn't hurt, but the instant my Command Spells lit up, it looked as if a current was flowing from Jeanne. Jeanne's body flinched for a moment, as if she'd been electrocuted.
She looked down at my hand with surprised eyes, then looked back up at me.
"Mas-ter?"
"Hm? What is it?"
"What in the world... huh?"
Tears suddenly started streaming down Jeanne's face. Why the tears? It's not one of those clichés, is it? Did the sudden electric shock hurt? Considering the state of female Servants in this world, it's not impossible.
"Hold on, let me see you."
Yu Miaoyi grabbed Jeanne's wrist.
"Senpai? What's going on all of a sudden?"
"This is a secret between women. You stay out of it for a bit."
Hmph.
===============================
Yu Miaoyi led Jeanne into the nearby forest. She looked at Jeanne with sharp eyes and asked.
"You, you know everything, don't you?"
"Pardon?"
"The Incineration of Human Order."
"...Then, you too?"
"I don't know the mechanics of it. But I saw it. The moment you contracted with him, you were replaced. With the 'you' from our side that I know."
Yu Miaoyi, as a spirit, could see it. The moment she contracted with Sho, Jeanne's body was replaced.
Her incomplete Spirit Origin was not just rapidly completed but strengthened, and a familiar magical energy emanated from her.
This was not the strange, unhinged Jeanne d'Arc from before.
"I don't know what the conditions are, but it seems that when a Servant who meets the conditions contracts with him, they get replaced like this."
Replacement.
By contracting with Sho, Jeanne, who had met certain specific conditions like Yu Miaoyi, was replaced by the Jeanne d'Arc who had contracted with Sho in the past. On the outside, there was no change, but her inner self was completely different.
It was as if Sho's Jeanne had been superimposed onto this world's Jeanne.
"I don't fully understand. But, the fact that Master is in France... the change in Master's appearance... does this mean Master is once again walking a path of hardship?"
Jeanne removed the symbolic circlet from her head. Yu Miaoyi nodded in agreement but was looking at it from a slightly different perspective.
"It's a little different. I think this side will be different in many ways. For one, I don't think the Incineration of Human Order will happen."
"Why is that?"
"Simple. I think the masterminds are different. In fact, you could say the ones who were supposed to be the masterminds are now on Kouhai's side. At the very least, he won't have to suffer like he did on our side."
"That's a relief."
Jeanne's face showed genuine relief. A few seconds later, her face flushed red.
She had remembered what this world's Jeanne had done before being replaced.
"W-What should I do!? At this rate, my little brother will think of me as a pervert!"
"A bit late for that. Wait, what did you say? Little brother?"
"Master is my little brother, of course."
"...Right, she was abnormal from the start. How is something like that a saint? No, all saints are weird to begin with."
"I don't know what you're talking about. The big sister-little brother relationship with Master was a mutual agreement, you know?"
"She started doing this after putting on a swimsuit and now she does it even without it. Still, I guess she's better than the one from before."
Between a pervert and a self-proclaimed big sister, the latter was probably better. Of course, it couldn't be said that this Jeanne was completely devoid of perverted elements.
At the very least, she would be devoted to one person.
"Ahem. I showed a disgraceful side of myself earlier. I must have left a bad impression on Master. He'll probably think of me as a loose woman."
"Don't worry. The others will probably be like that too."
"Pardon?"
Yu Miaoyi told her about the laws of this world that Sho had explained to her. How fundamentally twisted this world was.
"An eroge doujinshi... Is it different from the doujinshi Alter writes?"
"If you had to classify it, it's the genre Blackbeard watches. No, wait, does Hime watch it too?"
"Ahem, but considering what Master went through in the past, he'll surely hate it."
"He really hates NTR. He's a married man, after all."
"I can't imagine how much Master must have suffered mentally. And to think that one of the causes was the 'me' of this world, it makes me so angry! I did something a big sister should never do!"
"Anyway, it's not just the truth of this world. We're the only ones who know about the past. So, you can be good to him, right?"
"Of course. I've been prepared for this for a long time."
"This body and life were dedicated to Master long ago. I am prepared to burn them for Master's sake."
"You're definitely different from the previous one, that's a relief. I'll be counting on you, then."
Yu Miaoyi patted Jeanne's shoulder and chuckled.
As the two of them finished their conversation and headed back to the group...
Ritsuka had been watching everything in secret. Using the excuse of having to pee, she had gone into the woods and watched from beginning to end.
"So, she's a Servant that Sho likes, and one who likes Sho."
Listening to their conversation, Ritsuka felt like she understood the conditions.
'I will definitely protect you, Master. Don't worry. Unlike the others, I will always be on your side.'
"...Interesting."
She remembered the saint who had said she would always be on her side.
She remembered the saint who had eventually betrayed her and left.
The same Jeanne d'Arc, but a saint whose very foundation had changed. Ritsuka decided to observe her a little longer before returning.
When the returned Jeanne took Sho's hand, she declared to him.
"This big sister will definitely protect you, Master!"
"...Big sister?"
Suddenly declaring herself his big sister and vowing to protect him. Looking into her pure, clear eyes, Yu Miaoyi slapped her forehead.
"She's an interesting person."
Ritsuka's assessment was: an interesting person. At the very least, she wouldn't be a threat to Sho, so Ritsuka felt she could rest easy.
*************************************
The afterword is a bit long this time.
While I was looking for the next fanfic to translate, I stumbled upon the creation of a crazy comrade. In short: The main character was reincarnated as Stalin and is now changing history. You know what's the most interesting part? It's connected to the Fate universe. If you are interested - I will start translating it.
Like other translators, I will also create a Patreon. But an unusual one. The price is $5 a month, but the exclusive chapters won't be released there. Instead, they will be released on my simple website, which I will create so that subscribers can conveniently read all the content I translate. Access will be authorized through Patreon, so only those who have subscribed can visit it. This project has just started, but as soon as I finish it - there will be a notification at the end of the chapter and the chapters on this source will start coming out slower after reaching 25-30 chapters (I call these 'marathons,' when many chapters are uploaded in one day).