The incident had come to a close.
The fire in the village was extinguished, and all the hostiles were defeated. And the main culprits who led them.
We captured Martha and Atalante.
"Uweeegh!"
Atalante, in particular, had been hit by Chen Gong's self-destruct, but perhaps due to her demonization, she didn't die. I heard Lu Bu was also so tough that he didn't die from self-destructing either.
"You cruel bastards. How can you call yourselves human!"
"I didn't want to hear that from you, Lady Martha. To think that you would become like this. It's beyond disappointment; I feel pity."
"Hah! Who are you to pity me, you who were burned at the stake by the very people you protected?"
Jeanne looked at the fallen Martha, who had become a villainess, with eyes full of compassion. We had them restrained with the Spirit Origin Binders BB sent us.
It might not be a problem for me or the other men, but it would be for the women. Besides, dealing with them trying to escape would be a pain.
"Will they be okay?"
I look at the burned-out village. There are still some buildings left, and some men who survived. Will this village be safe even after we leave?
"I'm not sure. But we can't stay with them forever. They are afraid of us, as well."
Leonidas said regretfully. For people who had already been through such a shock, we who wield superhuman powers must also be terrifying.
Do we even have the luxury of looking after the villagers?
"We should just leave. We've done enough, what more can we do?"
"Yes. It might sound cruel, but it's probably best for us to leave at this point."
Yu Miaoyi spoke as if we'd already done our part, and Parvati nodded in agreement as she spoke to me.
I agreed with them and left the burned village behind. It left a rather bitter taste in my mouth.
On our way, we gagged Martha and Atalante. They were too noisy. For some reason, they were bound in a tortoise-shell rope bondage. That BB, what the hell did she send us?
"That person... what on earth is he doing in France? What did he do to make a saint and a hero turn into... that?"
Mash wore a complicated expression as she looked at the women who had been corrupted by Ryuji. I understand. To be honest, I still can't quite grasp it myself. The way this world works, that is.
[That man... it was the right call to kick him out of Chaldea. Of course, what's happening in France is our responsibility for kicking him out.]
[But~ if we had left him be, there might have been victims, right? Like my original self.]
[It was my decision to expel him in the first place. If there are negative consequences from that, then please, blame me.]
"I have no intention of blaming you. You did it for our sake, after all."
The result of kicking him out into a Singularity was this. The choice was between killing him on the spot or exiling him.
On the one hand, there were victims, but on the other, exiling him made us aware of the potential danger that someone like Ryuji could cause.
There's a possibility that another person like Ryuji exists.
It'd be great if there wasn't, but the possibility isn't zero.
If we kill Ryuji now, it's possible another NTR-perpetrator might appear to replace him. Well, it's also highly possible that one won't.
It's just complicated in many ways.
Anyway, after the incident at the village, we started looking for a place to camp. We found a pretty decent forest, but BB said there was no need to set up camp and did something.
As a result, a building the size of a villa appeared.
[It's a lodging I made. Please use it~]
I never thought we'd be staying in a modern building inside a Singularity.
I wondered why she couldn't build a car if she could do this, but she said this was much easier.
The furniture and rooms were constructed by copying the ones in Chaldea, whereas vehicles had to be built from scratch, so it would take time, or something like that.
Well, I have no complaints. I'm grateful for just this. If it weren't for BB, we probably would have been camping in tents tonight.
"Haaah."
There were several rooms, so everyone except the Servants standing watch decided to rest inside the building.
I was also assigned a room, and I went inside and lay down on the bed.
Being alone in the room, all sorts of thoughts came to mind. If only I had arrived sooner... that thought keeps echoing in my head.
Atalante and Martha wouldn't have ended up in such a state. As enemies, they would have met a normal end without being so broken.
Do I feel guilty about them? It's not that I don't. Of course, it's not as great as my guilt for the innocent people of France.
What that Ryuji guy does isn't brainwashing, it's corruption. And he probably doesn't have any brainwashing drugs on him right now.
Is it even possible to change that much in just a few days? I wasn't counting the days back then, but to think they'd change so much for a guy with no foundation...
This world is a little frightening.
Perhaps, as I am now, I might have a power similar to Ryuji's.
The power to corrupt a woman and make her mine by raping her.
The thought doesn't make me feel good. If it were simple brainwashing, maybe, but rape...
It's a dirty method, but it's a surefire way to create allies. Turning an enemy into an ally would certainly be a huge merit.
But I don't want to use it. Maybe it's because I've seen a case like Ryuji. No, in the first place, who would prefer raping someone? Any normal person would naturally feel revulsion.
But funnily enough, it might be viable as a last resort.
I wonder if it would work on Tiamat? The Three Goddesses, or the Lion King... if it works, it might be worth a try. Though my reputation would hit rock bottom.
I looked up at the ceiling and reached my hand toward the empty air.
I gazed at the Command Spells on the back of my hand.
What is this? What's different about this timeline that's given me this kind of power?
The power of a Master and a man of this world. But unlike the previous Ritsuka, not all men are getting a buff. In fact, most are getting nerfed, and cases like Ryuji who get a buff are rare.
Why? What on earth is different?
Thinking about it just gives me a headache.
I should be sleeping, but my mind is racing. Or maybe it's because I've been sleeping with someone recently. Is it getting harder to sleep alone?
"Maybe I felt safe because I was sleeping with someone."
Because the people I wanted to protect were by my side, because I wasn't alone, maybe that's why I could sleep soundly. And I had lewd dreams about those very people... I feel so sorry.
Just then, I heard a knock on the door. I slowly sat up and said to come in, and the door opened.
"Ritsuka?"
"Good evening, Sho."
It was Ritsuka who came to my room. She entered my room in her pajamas.
I welcomed her in, and she sat down next to me.
"A lot happened today, huh?"
"Yeah."
"I came because it looked like you were having a hard time, Sho. Being alone, your mind must be a mess, right?"
"You hit the nail on the head."
She's really good at reading people. I can't believe she saw right through me.
"It's not your fault, you know? You don't need to feel sorry, Sho. It was all those other people who were in the wrong."
"I know. But still, it's been bothering me."
It's not my fault. I know the fault lies with the people who caused the tragedy, not the ones who couldn't save them. But my heart feels heavy.
"You're a good person, Sho. And in this world, it's always the good people who suffer. I don't want you to live your life suffering like that. Because I like you, Sho. I don't want to see the person I like in pain."
I agree with what Ritsuka is saying.
Thinking about these things alone will only hurt me. I also tried my best because I didn't want to see Ritsuka suffer.
I wonder if Ritsuka and I are similar in that regard. We're both ordinary people, I guess. Maybe that's why we can empathize with each other.
"You told me this world was twisted, right, Sho? Seeing Jeanne and the other Servants today, it really hit home."
"Ahaha."
Jeanne must have left quite a strong impression on her. It's understandable, given she's a saint.
"The women in this world... they definitely seem to get more lewd. Don't you think the Director is becoming like that too?"
"Mmm, I'm starting to see signs of it."
She's a tsundere, but she's gradually becoming more and more maiden-like.
"And... I think I'm becoming like that too."
"Huh?"
Ritsuka rests her head on my shoulder.
"I guess I'm also a woman of this world. I... I see you as a man, Sho. Is that why? When I think of you, my heart pounds, and I ache between my legs."
So Ritsuka is also being affected by the laws of this world? No, that makes sense. Ritsuka has been a woman from the start here. Even in the previous timeline, after she became a woman, she seemed to be somewhat affected.
While being raped by that guy, she would sometimes get lost in pleasure and laugh without realizing it. Afterward, she would hate herself for it and sometimes self-harm.
Is the Ritsuka of now also being affected?
I don't want that.
I don't want a Ritsuka who desires men, who becomes a lewd slut like the Jeanne from before.
"Sho. I... I want you to hold me."
"What?"
Then, Ritsuka pushed me down, climbed on top of me, and looked down.
"It's not just simple lust. I like you, Sho. This feeling is genuine. Or... you can think of it as me becoming an easy woman. But this pounding in my heart when I see you... it's real. My heart doesn't pound for other men, only for you, Sho."
She caressed my chest with her hand and slowly took off her pajamas. Her firm breasts, along with her bra, were revealed.
"I want you to hold me, Sho."
"Ritsuka."
"Don't tell me to cherish my body more. I... I worked up the courage to come here, you know? Or what, do you want to see me become some other man's bitch?"
Of course I don't want that.
It would be great if Ritsuka found her own love and had a pure relationship. But I don't want her to become debased and corrupted like the other women of this world.
It's as if Ritsuka is giving me an ultimatum.
Will I stand by and watch her be defiled by some man I don't even know? Or will I hold her with my own hands and make her my woman?
I know. It's sophistry. But maybe because I keep having those dreams, Ritsuka looked lovely to me.
Is it because she's actually someone precious to me? I didn't want to push away the girl who had worked up her courage to come to me.
Suddenly, I remembered. One of the reasons Ritsuka was betrayed in the previous timeline.
Almost like she was saving herself for marriage, Ritsuka refused to have physical relationships with the Servants who loved her. Was it because she was still a minor, or because she wasn't sure of her feelings yet?
She acted like the protagonist of a romantic comedy, and as a result, the sexually frustrated women were the first to betray her.
I trust Ritsuka. I trust that she won't become like them.
But rejecting her now, when she's whispering that she loves me and asking me to hold her, feels like I'm repeating the same mistake as the previous Ritsuka.
Was she anxious? Ritsuka's hand, touching me, was trembling. Her eyes were filled with the fear of being rejected.
Are Ritsuka's feelings real? Are they just pure feelings? Or are they twisted feelings mixed with lust, like the other women of this world?
I made a vow.
That I would make her, Ritsuka, happy. That even if the whole world became my enemy, I would be on her side.
"You won't regret this?"
"Of course not. I... I'm being sincere."
Right. I know that most of the men in this world are twisted too. The Servants I summoned were fine, but I just have to remember the Cú Chulainn from Fuyuki.
In that case, wouldn't it be better for me to become Ritsuka's man and make her happy?
It might be selfish. This might also be hypocrisy born from regret. But.
Right now, my heart was pounding as I looked at Ritsuka. It wasn't lust. It was a feeling that I couldn't let this go, a feeling that I wanted to embrace Ritsuka.
"Ritsuka. If you love me, then I'll love you too."
"Sho…."
I slowly remove her outer clothes. She was embarrassed, but she smiled as if she were happy.
The night deepened, and the moon felt especially bright.
Morning came.
The long night passed, and the morning sun rose.
I lovingly stroked Ritsuka's hair, and then decided to go get her some clothes to wear.
The moment I stepped out of the room, I found Yu Miaoyi standing in front of the door.
"Oh, Senpai?"
"Hurry up and summon Lord Xiang Yu for me."
"Huh?"
"I said hurry up, because I don't want to see you two flaunting your relationship."
What, did she hear us?
"This house... the soundproofing is worse than I thought. The guys who were outside might not know, but everyone who was resting inside does."
That bitch BB….