Securing their piece of the map had been easy enough. Aside from a couple packs of demons and wyverns, they hadn’t encountered any further opposition nor any other cognitive Servants. Georgios could even afford to quickly dip into his spiritual form to regenerate his armor. It had been a simple matter of getting to the guard outpost, picking up the piece of the map, then making their way to the rendezvous point. Thankfully, there was a safe room around the location they predicted. However, none of them could miss the ruins that were further down the street, which filled Joker with incredible trepidation.

When they entered, his fears had been confirmed when he saw Mona, Elizabeth, Saber, and Jeanne all sitting in chairs, with everyone aside from Saber crying.

All of them were told what had happened: The three Servants who guarded the guard outpost, the ambush by the cognitive Satan, and how Marie and Mozart had sacrificed themselves to draw them away. Joker made to march right out of the safe room, only to almost run straight into Archer who had positioned himself in front of the doors.

“We can still save them, Archer,” Joker growled. “Move out of the way.”

“Use your head, Master,” Archer coolly retorted. “The others just told us that Satan is invincible and immune to literally everything we do. Even in the unlikely chance we find them, how do you propose we deal with the monster who most likely would’ve pursued them to the world's end? They knew the stakes when they entered the battlefield and most likely paid it gladly.”

“We’ll find a way, Archer,” he retorted. Perhaps appealing to strategy and tactics would get through to him. “Right now we need all the manpower we can get. This Palace is extraordinarily dangerous and we need everyone. Once we get there, we’ll find a way to get away from the cognitive Satan and figure out the rest from there.”

The red-mantled Servant scowled. “That’s a fool’s hope and you know it,” he stated. “And even if we did catch up, the chances of them still being safe from that monster is slim to none. If it catches wind of us, it will pursue us again. Do you want to sacrifice someone else so the rest of us can get away? As you’ve just stated, this place is extraordinarily hazardous and we can’t afford to lose anyone else.” He crossed his arms. “We’re better off writing them as gone, for the safety of everyone else.”

“That’s not your call to make,” the Master snapped. “I don’t want any sacrifices on my account. There’s been too many already. We’ll find Marie and Mozart, then we can keep going for the Treasure.”

Archer narrowed his eyes. “With your experience and powers, it seems I’ve forgotten a fundamental thing,” he replied, an edge creeping into his voice. “I don’t know what clean, straightforward battles you have fought in the past, but whatever happened then, this isn’t the case. This is a war, Ren Amamiya, where your enemy won’t hesitate to take every single advantage they can. You may be attached to your allies, but do NOT act like a child when they take the risk to secure victory in the end.”

Joker’s eyes widened with rage. “’Clean, straightforward battles?’” he hissed. “Every single opponent we’ve dealt with, we’ve had to because there was no other way to do so! That’s the whole reason we’ve infiltrated Palaces to begin with! I know they’ll take every damn advantage they can get – that’s all they’ve ever DONE! We’ll gain victory but I’m not sacrificing anyone else for them!” He held up his hand. “By my command seal-!”

“Joker, stop!” Mona shouted, tears dropping from his eyes. “Please… please don’t. Archer’s… Archer’s right. Marie and Mozart are g-gone by now. They volunteered to l-lead the cognitive Satan a-away so w-we can survive. We’re here b-because of them.”

He buried his face in his paws. “I-It’s my fault,” he sobbed. “I-I made the wrong call. We sh-should’ve just r-ran after w-we got the map to th-the rendezvous p-point. Then Marie and M-Mozart w-wouldn’t have…”

“Enough,” Saber admonished calmly but firmly. “You made the best choices you could – both of you. But no king nor commander can control every variable. Unexpected factors can derail even the best laid plans. The only thing we can do now is proceed and make the best of the situation. We’ve achieved our objectives with a few losses – regrettable, but nothing can be done at this point. We need to proceed from here.”

Mona looked at the Saber, then slowly turned to Siegfried. “Is… is this what you w-were t-talking about?” he asked the dragonslayer plaintively. “Wh-when you talked a-about luck…?”

Siegfried hesitated, then nodded in sympathy. “Yes,” he agreed. “As your Saber has mentioned, it is impossible to control every factor. I had never fallen on the battlefield. Rather, it was ultimately my circumstances and my choices that led to my downfall. But there is nothing I can do now about it.”

As he listened to Mona and the Servants, Joker felt his fear and anger ebb away, leaving only a horrifically painful hollowness within. One that came from hearing a truth he had no desire to hear. They were right. This wasn’t like their previous adventures in the Metaverse, where they could plan almost every battle to their advantage or simply maneuver themselves around various obstacles. The battles here had far higher stakes with far more dangerous enemies. Having no casualties at this point was simply a childish delusion.

Marie and Mozart were gone. And there was nothing they could’ve done to stop it. Once more, the image of a metal door slamming down before he could move replayed in his mind. Was he truly this powerless?

Archer sighed and relaxed his stance. “We’ll need some time to recover,” he stated calmly. “All of us have been through battles and stress in this Palace. We’ll rest here for a bit before we resume planning and the mission. Masters, you still have some rations. Eat and regain your strength – you’ve both no doubt used a considerable amount of power while we’re here.”

“I’m not hungry,” Joker mumbled, exhausted.

“Please, senpai,” Mash begged, stepping forward. “Nutrition is important and… and I do not think Marie and Mozart would wish for you to go hungry. Even Mozart a few nights ago tried to have some of the rations. Although, I think it was more out of curiosity than anything to do with nourishment.” She trailed off at the end, scratching her cheek in embarrassment at the memory.

Both Joker and Mona blinked at the Shielder before chuckling, despite their sadness. “So that’s what that was about,” Mona murmured, laughing despite himself. “We should probably eat, Joker. We might feel better with some food in our stomachs. At the very least, we’ll be miserable and full as opposed to miserable and hungry.”

“Well said,” Saber agreed, nodding sagely. Both Masters shot her a stink-eye that she pointedly ignored. Joker sighed as they both fished out a ration pack each and proceeded to heat it up. As they did, the room was silent, everyone with their own thoughts. Besides the occasional sniffle from Jeanne, Mona, and Elizabeth, there wasn’t a sound from anybody. Archer and Siegfried had once more taken up guard positions beside the door and Georgios was murmuring a quiet prayer for the two.

Joker watched his food cook within the bag as he thought. Both Marie and Mozart knew how to make things lively in the group. Despite their silliness, they didn’t fail to bring a smile to their faces with their antics. With both of them gone, everything felt far heavier. He wanted to do something to honor their memory – perhaps a toast or something – but he didn’t have anything proper to do so with. Bottles of water certainly didn’t seem fitting for the occasion. Maybe after they scouted a route to the Treasure and got out of the Palace.

Once the food finished cooking, they quietly ate, sitting at the table. The food tasted bland and indistinct as it always did, though it seemed to be even more flavorless this time around. Mash sat near them, fidgeting, though she didn’t say anything. No one mistook the silence as a lack of care, however. They all had their mission. There would be time for grief later.

A few minutes later, all of them produced their portions of the map and laid them out on the table. As Joker and Mona had said, the three pieces formed into one complete map. Mona, who was standing on the table, pointed to a specific spot. “There, the throne room,” he declared. “That’s where the Treasure will be.”

“You’re certain?” Jeanne asked.

Mona nodded. “Positive,” he replied. “The Treasure is always in the deepest part of the Palace. Whether it’s some sort of safe or treasury. There’s nowhere further than the throne room, so that’s gotta be where the Treasure will be.”

“She couldn’t just hide it away somewhere else?” Archer asked, frowning. “One of the functions of the heist you mentioned was the calling card. If she knows we’re coming for it, wouldn’t she have moved the Treasure to some place more secure?”

Joker shook his head. “Palaces don’t work like that,” he answered. “The conscious mind isn’t aware of the subconscious, where the Treasure lays. It’ll be in the most guarded section, but for the most part it won’t be moved. Worst case, it’ll just be moved even deeper into some deeper compartment, but that’s rare.”

When Treasures were moved, it was often under extenuating circumstances – Okumura ran with it with his flying saucer, Sae moved it to her custom arena, and Shido basically had it flying above them their entire fight. Still, no matter the situation, once the shadow was defeated, they would end up relinquishing their Treasure, one way or another.

But there came another issue. Once the ruler was defeated, it was all too likely the Servants would try to kill her then and there. As much as he liked and trusted them, they were hardened warriors who would grasp victory however they could simply because it was necessary. Jeanne had convinced them to go with the heist for now as opposed to outright killing her, but would they ultimately listen to her? Or him? Him and Mona had command seals that could force them to stop but… what would that mean afterward?

‘Am I really too much of a child for this after all?’ he thought. His eyes trailed down to his gloves. Normally a bright, vivid red, he saw the splotches from his blood still on them, staining them an ugly crimson.

His hands gripped into fists. Maybe they couldn’t stick to their old ways. Already, this heist had cost them Marie and Mozart. Sooner or later, for his friends and family – for humanity to come back…

He remembered the gun Akechi showed him back in the dream. The false detective had used the Metaverse for his own ends, killing people or driving them psychotic for his own ends. As one who could slip into the Metaverse, he could kill with impunity and it could never be traced back to him, nor could he easily be defended against as it was a plane that almost everyone had no awareness of. A Servant’s Palace had far more potent defenses than their previous targets, sure, but they still had the element of surprise.

Could he do what he did? If he needed to, would he be able to pull the trigger? If he did, he wouldn’t be a Phantom Thief anymore. He would be a…

“Senpai? Senpai!”

Joker blinked as he looked up. Everyone else was staring at him in concern. Mash had come up right beside him and was almost in his face. He forced a grin. “Sorry about that, spaced out,” he apologized easily. He looked back down at the map, trying to ignore the looks everyone else was giving him. Pointing out a section of the wall near the keep, he said, “Over here. A hole in the wall’s marked. We can get in and make our way inside that way.”

Everyone looked. Indeed, where Joker pointed was an indicated breach. The keep itself seemed straightforward overall. It boiled down to ‘keep going up until they reached the throne room’. “Now, there may still be other defenses there,” Mona warned. “Cognitive Servants, demons, wyverns. It’s possible we might encounter the Palace ruler – Jeanne d’Arc Alter - herself. Everyone be on your toes and let’s just hope Satan doesn’t pop up again.”

Everyone nodded. With that, they filed out the door. Joker could feel Archer’s analyzing gaze upon him, but he ignored it. He could think about it after this singularity and would talk to Morgana about it. However, the conclusion he was steadily approaching sank into the pit of his stomach. And he already killed people – Servants. One way or another.

He wondered how Akechi felt after he killed his first person. How did he continue to justify to himself to keep killing, no matter who or what? How did it come to him so easily? Would he be able to do so?

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Master of Chaldea, a word.”

Joker glanced back and saw that Kiyohime hadn’t stepped out yet. Everyone else looked at her in surprise. It wasn’t like her to call out someone like this. He nodded to the others. “I’ll be back out in a bit,” he reassured them. With that, he stepped back inside, closing the door behind him. “What seems to be the problem, Kiyo-“

“Why did you lie?” she interrupted in a clipped voice. Joker froze at the accusation. Now that he was taking a closer look at her, he could see her eyes boring into him with a near-unrestrained wrath, her grip on her fan so tight that her knuckles were an even paler shade than usual. “I believe I have made myself clear, Master of Chaldea – I do not tolerate liars under any circumstance. Yet you have lied in front of me. Before I judge whether you deserve my wrath, I ask you to explain yourself.”

His mind raced to figure out his argument. If he said the wrong thing, then Kiyohime would definitely carry out her threat. He was certainly able to resist long enough to either subdue her or get one of the other Servants back in, but either method would likely end up with her losing her life. He couldn’t allow that to happen. He had to think for a bit what he had exactly lied about. Was it him saying he wasn’t hungry? He didn’t feel hungry at the time. Was it – oh right.

“Is this about me spacing out?” Joker asked. “I had a lot of things on my mind, Kiyohime. Sorry about that. I really did blank out for a bit there because of them. I just thought I could get it out of the way so we could get back to planning.” It was better to tell as much of the truth as he could in this scenario. Anything else would probably just anger Kiyohime more, and that wasn’t what he needed right now.

Kiyohime continued to glare at him, with Joker’s gaze unflinching despite the terror that crawled down his spine. “Once this alliance has completed its purpose, I shall go my own way,” she growled. “I do not require a Master who keeps so many secrets that he would have no choice but to lie. Watch yourself, Ren Amamiya, else I will direct my dragonfire at you instead.” Without waiting for Joker’s answer, she walked past him and out the door. Joker could only breathe a sigh of relief as he followed her.

Everyone looked between Kiyohime and Joker in concern, but the latter simply shot them a reassuring smile and shook his head. The situation was settled at least. Not in the most satisfactory manner but at least no one died. It would have to do for now as they moved out.

As they made their way through the alleys and streets, the areas were once more prowled by demons and wyverns. The Servants made quick work of them as quietly as possible as they moved along, following the map’s directions. Before long, they came to the wall itself: Dark, looming, and completely covered in ice. There would be no way in hell anyone could climb it.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Elizabeth commented, keeping her voice to a whisper. “Why couldn’t we just blast through this thing to begin with? We’ve got some real powerhouses here – heck, I can probably knock it down! Why did we even look for that map to begin with?”

“Like we said before, Elizabeth, we don’t want to alert the subconscious too much,” Mona whispered back impatiently. “We might be able to blow it up, but that would probably get us kicked out at best or at worst, bring down the cognitive Satan on our butts. With the area around us packed tighter than a sardine can, we’d be sitting ducks for it. You wanna risk that?” Elizabeth paled at the thought and shook her head frantically. “That’s what we thought. Now, let’s go.”

Moving along the wall, they eventually came to the indicated spot on the map: A narrow crack that was just large enough to allow a single person through at a time, even Siegfried. Saber went through first to establish a foothold, shimmying through the crack and popping out on the other side, summoning her blade as she kept a careful guard.

The crack led into an empty courtyard – the stables near the gate a crumbled ruin, the smithies cold, snow and ice dripping off various target dummies that lined the walls. Though the gates of the walls themselves were closed as well as the main doors, there was a side door she could see from there. There weren’t any signs of cognitive Servants, demons, or wyverns.

One by one, each person came through the crack, with Elizabeth having the most difficulty thanks to her tail. Surprisingly, she didn’t complain. Even she knew that complaining about it was only going to be counterproductive at this point. The last one through was Archer, who had been acting as a sentry on the other side and made sure no one got hit from behind.

Moving warily across the courtyard, they came to the side door. Joker reached forward and pulled it open. The castle was much darker, illuminated only by various torches burning with a blue flame as well as the odd lighting from outside. The hallways were tall and wide, but still fairly narrow overall. “Do you know this area, Jeanne?” Georgios asked, looking at the frozen hallways as they filed in.

Jeanne shook her head. “I never had the pleasure of staying at the castle for long,” she murmured. “I was often out in the field and only came for my various audiences with the Dauphin and the king. I do not think I can serve as a guide to the castle. My apologies.”

Mona waved it off. “Wouldn’t matter anyway,” he replied. “The layout of a Palace is often completely different to the location in real life, otherwise we would have had no trouble navigating our first Palace, which was Ren’s high school. It’s best we keep to the map and follow that instead. That’ll get us closer to where we need to go.”

With that, they began moving. With the narrower hallways, they had to alter their formation to proceed. Saber, Georgios, and Jeanne took the vanguard, with Mash right behind them to guard the Masters. Joker and Mona were in the center. Covering the rear were Siegfried, Archer, Kiyohime, and Elizabeth. Despite specializing more in range, Kiyohime was in front of Archer and right behind the dragonslayer and Lancer.

The two Phantom Thieves felt uneasy as they carefully walked through the frozen halls. The cognitions outside were one thing, but the castle should have shadows patrolling or wandering. Yet nobody saw or felt any presence of them overall. It was the classic case of the whole scenario being quiet. Far too quiet. Judging by how tense the Servants seemed, they were all in silent agreement. Thus, everyone kept their guard up as they moved.

Suddenly, the vanguard froze and immediately ducked down, pressing themselves against the walls, weapons at the ready. Everyone else followed suit. There was silence for a few seconds… then they heard some liquid slithering. Joker and Mona barely stopped themselves from squawking as some tentacled… thing squirmed by, going through a door down a staircase.

Elizabeth had prevented herself from shrieking by biting her sleeve, almost tearing through the fabric. “Puppy, kitty, what the hell was that?!” she demanded in a frantic whisper.

Joker shook his head. “Don’t ask us,” he replied, trying to keep his own terror from his voice. “We’ve never encountered that in any Palace we’ve gone through! And those are still cognitions, not shadows!”

Jeanne’s eyes widened. “Cog – wait, do you mean to tell me those… things exist in real life, and my doppelganger might be utilizing them?” she asked, looking at the group. Hearing that, everyone’s faces paled.

Mona gulped. “Sometimes, cognitions can be distorted,” he explained. “But… I dunno what kind of distortion would get you something like that . So… it’s pretty likely that at the very least, something almost as gross is wandering the halls of the Orleans castle.”

Thunk .

Elizabeth had collapsed in a dead faint.

A few minutes later, after rousing the idol-to-be, they continued through the castle. Everyone was even more on edge now compared to before, looking out for more of those tentacled monstrosities. Archer particularly kept checking any ceilings or corners, with Joker and Mona did as well as soon as they noticed him doing so. Joker’s eyes were red as he accessed his Third Eye, looking for more distinguishing marks or the signature glowing auras of any enemies. It reduced the rest of his vision, but luckily the Servants around him would easily guide him in turn.

While more tentacled monstrosities slithered by, none of them seemed to notice the group, allowing for a relatively smooth, if nerve-wracking, trip. As they approached the throne room, the vanguard immediately threw themselves against a wall, peeking around a corner. Everyone else did suit as well while the rear guard kept a watch to make sure nothing snuck up on them. Moments later, the doors of the throne room burst open as two figures marched out – or rather, one figure stomped out with the other following.

The first figure was the doppelganger. Her yellow eyes were glowing in comparison to their relatively dead hue in the real world. “What the hell do you mean you haven’t found the intruders yet?!” she screeched. Her voice had a reverb to it that distorted her voice and only emphasized her rage. “They’ve been rampaging everywhere and even killed off the other Servants, weak as they are! Who the hell can I summon now?! No one’s responding!”

At the sight or sound of her, everyone’s eyes widened as they looked over to Joker and Mona. They could only nod in grim confirmation. Without a doubt, it was the doppelganger’s shadow. Unlike most Palace rulers, she was still wearing the same clothes that she did in the real world – that is, the saint regalia that was blackened to contrast with Jeanne’s normal clothes. However, the eyes and voice as well as her presence gave it away.

“I am most sorry, my dear Jeanne, a thousand apologies,” the second figure simpered as he lowered his head. It was a man wearing long, black robes with a flamboyant black and red collar. His face was unhealthily pale and gaunt, with greasy slicked black hair and bulging fish-like eyes. In his hand he carried a book that was yellowed with age, the cover having some sort of yellow fiber stretched across.

Jeanne raised a hand to her mouth to suppress a gasp. Despite how twisted and different the man looked, she couldn’t forget one of her most ardent supporters and second-in-command in life. “G-Gilles?” she whispered in a horrified tone. “Is… is that truly you?”

Everyone looked at the saint in shock, but quickly silenced themselves as the two began speaking again. “I don’t give a damn about your apologies, Gilles!” the doppelganger snarled. “What I want is all of these intruders dealt and crucified! Or better yet, fed to the demons! Crucify them in front of that… monster for all I care! Get rid of them! And set up more patrols!”

“Yes, of course, of course, my beautiful Jeanne,” the man replied, his tone supplicant. “Your will be done! And afterward, we shall continue turning France into a Hell the likes of which the Devil has never seen!”

The doppelganger clicked her tongue. “Tch, I got a taste of Hell already, both by flame and ice,” she growled as she began stomping away. “At the very least, I can give them a taste of fire. I’m not gonna let that pathetic excuse of my past self ruin everything!” Turning around a corner, she was gone.

Gilles in the meantime opened his book. Muttering incomprehensible words, he held out a hand over the yellowed pages. In front of him a black portal glowing with eldritch energy opened on the floor. Out crawled another more of the tentacled abominations they had been seeing throughout the castle. Elizabeth covered her mouth to avoid throwing up as everyone else barely held back their revulsion. The fallen knight pointed with one gnarled finger. At his direction, the monsters slithered down separate hallways as Gilles shambled down another.

A few minutes later, there was only silence through the halls. Everyone let out a shaky sigh of relief. Jeanne turned to look at everyone else in horrified askance but Joker raised a hand. “Later,” he murmured his short answer. Jeanne gulped and nodded. Indeed, it wasn’t the time for discussing what they just witnessed.

The doors of the throne room still open, they quickly moved in. The room was massive, with a marble tiled floor and elaborate walls and ceilings. On the opposite side was a small indent housing a throne. It was a surprisingly simple yet ornate room overall. It would’ve even carried an air of splendor and power with it if the entire place wasn’t completely frozen over like everything else. Here, in fact, it was even worse: piles of ice had collected around the bottom of the walls as massive, sharp icicles hung ominously on the ceiling. Normally vibrant touches like the red carpet were iced over, dulling their look to insignificance. On the throne itself rested a bright, glowing haze.

However, the frozen throne room nor the haze weren’t what caught the group’s attention. There were other points of interest around the throne room.

Namely, the crucifixes that stood in front of them. Three total. All of them mounted with their victims.

Joker and Mona braced for combat, as did most of the other Servants. However, it was clear that unlike the ones that were guarding the guard outpost earlier, the people on the crosses were dead, their corpses frozen over with expressions of pure agony. Then Jeanne gasped and raced over to one of the crucifixes, her flag dropping from her hands and crashing against the frozen floor, the sound echoing through the empty chamber.

“Th-the Dauphin?” she stammered. Joker blinked in surprise. The Dauphin, he recalled from his lessons in world history, was the name of the crown prince of France at the time – and was raised to the throne by Jeanne d’Arc to become King Charles VII. To see him crucified like this… it was clear the doppelganger had quite a bone to pick with him. Probably for leaving her to be tried and burned at the stake in the end, unable or unwilling to help her.

The other corpse was an important personage as well. Philip the Good, who was the Duke of Burgundy – a technically French region that had allied itself with the English and fought with them against the French. Jeanne had led her men against his forces in the later parts of her campaign and would later be defeated and captured by his men.

The saint’s expression could only be described as ‘utter horror’ as she stumbled to the last crucifix. “Bishop Pierre Cauchon,” she whispered. On the cross was an older man in priestly robes. The doppelganger seemed to have it particularly out for him, with multiple swords and spears buried in his body whereas the other ones were left more or less untouched after their crucifixion.

That wasn’t a name either Master was familiar with. “Who?” Mona asked.

“The bishop who tried and had Jeanne condemned,” Georgios supplied, gazing up at the body with a mix of cold anger and revulsion. “The man had made sure the trial was rigged with as many enemies against her as possible and manipulated things to the end. I am unsurprised that the doppelganger particularly mistreated this man in both life and death – no doubt he would’ve been quite the focus of her rage.”

“This is not what I wanted,” she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. “I bore no ill will towards him, nor my people. If by my death I could secure peace for my country, then I would go in peace and grace. And I did. To enact such wrath and vengeance upon them…”

She wiped her eyes and gulped. “No, now I know for certain,” she murmured. “This… doppelganger. Whoever she is, she is not me. I would’ve remembered the men I fought and broke bread with, the generals I argued with, and my family whom I missed dearly every day. I saw none of them here. And… I never would’ve given such cruel fates to these men, no matter what. She must be stopped.”

Joker nodded approvingly. “And our goal is right there,” he pointed out, nodding toward the glowing haze. Finally, almost everyone’s eyes were drawn to the haze floating above the throne (Archer and Kiyohime were standing guard by the door). “That’s the Treasure,” he explained. “Once we send the calling card, the ruler will be made aware of the Treasure and it will manifest. After that, it’s a matter of getting in, grabbing it, and getting out.”

“And with that, our route to the Treasure is secured,” Mona affirmed. “Now, we better get out of here. We have a lot of preparations to make. Tomorrow’s gonna be a big day.” Everyone nodded and left the throne room. Jeanne was last. She took one last glance at the crucified men and the indistinct Treasure. She whispered a prayer for them as well as the doppelganger.

And then she left with the others.