Ritsu bounced on her feet in the summoning room, barely able to contain her giddiness. After all the events from before, she was about to summon her own Servant! She already noted that Chaldea had far more Servants than they were supposed to – five Servants and an incarnated being – but frankly, given there was no one else and the fate of humanity was at stake, she had already agreed with their decision to summon more. They needed every advantage they could get.
Besides, the more the merrier! She couldn’t help but stare in awe at the various Servants – there was the noble and regal Saber, the cool yet oddly maternal Archer, the aloof Rider, the confident and battle-ready Cú Chulainn, and perky, arrogant Elizabeth (was that really THE Elizabeth Bathory?), and a… doppelganger of Jeanne d’Arc?
Okay, how the heck did that work? She got the rundown from everyone on how that came about but… how the heck? Well, they got a cool, brooding Servant – or person or whatever. That’s a solid A in her book.
Mash had set her shield up in the middle of the platform, the circuits lighting up. She glanced at her command seals on her right hand. Beside her were Ren and Morgana, ready to summon as well. At the door were Saber and Cú Chulainn, the Servants who would be guarding them if they summoned a hostile Servant by chance. All of them were calm and collected, which was fair considering they had done this before.
Honestly, she should take a page from their book but how could she?! She was about to summon her own being from history and mythology to their side to fight for humanity, and the Phantom Thieves were right beside her! She was their peer now! If the situation wasn’t so deathly serious, she’d still be squeeing the entire day at just how awesome this whole situation was! As it was, she already squeed for half a day. She should probably calm down now.
Yep.
Any second now…
…
Nope. Not happening.
“Wanna start us off, Ritsu?” Ren asked, glancing over at her with a smile. Although he knew how to read people well, it didn’t take a social expert to see that she was excited beyond belief. He was reminded of Futaba whenever a new game was just released, or when there was a particular computer part that had her almost literally drooling before she turned around and started explaining at top speed why they were so great. Even their shade of orange hair was extremely similar…
No. He brushed away the thoughts. Not now.
Ritsu’s eyes, in the meantime, widened as her grin broadened. Then she stopped herself and cleared her throat, trying to still herself. “Er, yes, I can do that,” she replied as calmly as she could, doing everything she could to withstand her enthusiasm – and fooling literally no one, to their amusement.
She stepped up, taking a deep breath. It was a momentous occasion for her. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her, staring and judging patiently. A modicum of nervousness crept up her body but she pushed it down. This was her big moment and she wasn’t about to make herself look like a fool in front of the Phantom Thieves.
The girl raised her hand and began the incantation.
“Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Repeat five times, but destroy each when filled.”
“A base of silver and steel.
A foundation of stone and the Archduke of Contracts.
And my ancestor, my great master, Schweinorg.”
The words of the Fate summoning ritual. It was practically one of the first things she was made to memorize when she first arrived at Chaldea as a Master candidate. It felt like a jumble of weird words and grammar which threw off memorization considerably, but she learned it well enough. She focused, shoving aside her audience and the fact the Phantom Thieves were there. She couldn’t afford to lose concentration.
“A wall to block the falling wind.
The gates of all four directions close.
From the Crown, come forth and follow the forked road to the Kingdom.”
The shield lit up as a magic circle appeared, separating and floating above it as the air around it started picking up, buffering everyone within the room. She could feel the sheer amount of power that was emanating from the circle, sending shivers down her back. Once or twice she almost bit her tongue from the sheer amazement at what she was witnessing, but she managed to rein herself in.
“I hereby propose: My will shall create thy body, and thy sword shall create my fate.
Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail, if thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer me!
I hereby swear. I will be all that is good in the eternal world. I will be the disposer of evil in the eternal world.”
As she recalled, there was an optional phrase she could’ve added here if she wanted to guarantee a Berserker summon. They were immensely strong, but at expense of their mental acuity and their skills. However, she didn’t want to use that unless she had to. Berserkers by nature were hard to control, if she remembered her lessons correctly, and great care should be taken in being a Master to one.
That being said, it was agreed she would probably summon a Berserker back in Team A to make up for her lackluster ability as a magus. But she wasn’t given the order here so to hell with that!
“Thou, clad with the Great Trinity, come forth from the circle of restraint.
Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!”
The circle immediately flashed with a great light, obscuring everyone’s vision as mist filled the room. The light dwindled away gradually, revealing a figure standing on the platform. A girl about their age in a red dress, with the largest hat Ritsu swore she had ever seen. Cheerful blue eyes with platinum blonde hair with a cheer expression. The Servant enthusiastically waved at all of them.
“Bonjour!” she chirped out cheerfully. “I am Marie Antoinette, Rider class! I am here to help you save humanity! Vive la France!”
Ritsu blinked in surprise. While she was a bit more prepared for Servants to not be like recorded history (King Arthur was a girl. What in the actual heck.), she thought Marie Antoinette would be more aloof, maybe a bit more arrogant or pompous, acting like an actual queen. She hadn’t expected her to be so… cheerful and energetic.
Welp, no sense questioning it now! “Greetings, your majesty!” she greeted cheerfully in kind. “Welcome to Chaldea! I’m Ritsuka Fujimaru, one of the three Masters here, but just call me Ritsu! It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Marie clapped her hands together. “Tres bièn! Such a respectful girl!” she remarked cheerfully. “Ah, but please, call me Marie. My time as queen has long since passed after all. I am delighted to work and fight alongside you!” So saying, she glided over to Ritsu, taking the Master’s shoulders, and giving her an air kiss on either side of the cheek – a greeting that was enthusiastically returned in kind by Ritsu.
After all, it’s not every day one did a traditional French greeting with the queen herself, and one who was such a cute girl at that!
The Rider looked over and saw Ren and Morgana watching them. “Ah, but I see familiar faces here!” she exclaimed. “Ren Amamiya! Morgana! I trust your time in Orleans was most productive? And how fare you, Saber? Lancer?”
Saber smiled. “We are quite well, thank you,” she replied. “In no small part due to your and Mozart’s valor. I welcome you to Chaldea as well.”
Cú Chulainn grinned in turn. “Sounds like I missed a helluva battle, but I’m not gonna complain,” he commented. “Good to have you here! Just call me Cú, though – we have another Lancer around here so calling me Lancer will make things confusing.”
Ren and Morgana were still gaping. Honestly, they hadn’t expected to see her again so quickly. The last time they saw her was back in the doppelganger’s Palace. Morgana especially remembered distinctly her and Mozart wheeling about to face down the cognitive Satan, knowing full well it would cost them their lives. A lump formed in his throat as he struggled to speak and apologize, though no words would issue out.
Marie looked at the two Masters and blinked with surprise. “Oh? What’s the matter, mes amours?” she asked, concerned. “This is a time of reunion – it should be a happy one, non? Yet you look like you’re about to burst into tears.”
The mouths of the two moved up and down, trying to express words they deeply wanted to say, yet it kept getting caught in their throats. This was a friend of theirs who had died under their watch, and even though she was brought back
But now wasn’t the time for it. They could apologize later. For now, they had to keep their composure.
“Bah, it was just an unexpected surprise, after all!” Morgana replied, grinning up at her. “It’s good to see you, Rider! We’ll be counting on you more than ever!”
“What Morgana said,” Ren replied with his trademark smile, putting his hands in his pockets. “Welcome to Chaldea, your majesty!”
Marie smiled beatifically. “My, such a warm greeting!” she chirped, clapping her hands together. “Very well! It is not much, but I shall do my very utmost to help! But, ah, do call me Marie – I’m no longer a queen, after all. This is well after my time – I’m just simple Marie Antoinette!”
The Masters blinked in surprise, then grinned. “Works for us,” Ritsu piped up. “We already have another Rider here so calling you Rider would be way too confusing!”
Somewhere in the library, Medusa sneezed.
Marie grinned. “What adorable Masters I have,” she cooed as she scooped up Morgana, cradling him while giving him a kiss on the top of his head. “Our time together shall be most wonderful! Tres Bièn!” Her lighthearted demeanor was infectious, and before long everyone was smiling in amusement. The queen of France seemed to have that kind of aura around her.
Morgana looked up at Marie aghast at being picked up and kissed. “Wha-wha – I told you that was specifically reserved for Lady Ann!” he screeched, holding his forehead.
The Rider gave a bright grin in response. “I apologize,” she replied, only sounding slightly apologetic. “However, you do have me curious as this Lady Ann. Perhaps we should settle down for a cup of tea and you may tell us all about it.” Ren, Morgana, and Ritsu all felt chills down their spine as Marie set the catlike Master down – and Ritsu herself was deeply curious as well. Perhaps she could be a fly on the wall for that particular discussion…
Finally, she turned to Ren. A smile curled her lips – one with a combination of coy and mischievousness. She glided forward and, before anyone could do anything, she leaned forward and kissed him fully on the lips, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tender embrace. Ren’s eyes shot wide open in full surprise, his arms frozen as if torn between returning her embrace or pushing her away. Morgana and Ritsu’s mouths just dropped as Saber raised an eyebrow and Cú Chulainn began laughing uproariously.
Breaking off the kiss, she smiled up at him. “And my Master is such a marvelous man,” she purred with a giggle. “I have no doubt you will be one of the most magnificent Masters any Servant would wish to have.” Ren’s mouth worked, trying to form any word at all, and failing miserably. In contrast, his mind was running a million miles an hour – and coming to absolutely no conclusion.
She released him and glanced at the other two Masters. “Ah, but where are my manners?” she gasped. “I’m sure you have more summonings to do! Don’t mind me, I’ll be right over here.” With that, she made her way to stand beside Saber, drawing amused gazes from the two Servants.
Ren and Morgana could only just stare at her before looking at each other. The former felt eyes drilling into him and slowly turned – and saw Ritsu staring straight at him. She was grinning. One that stretched from ear to ear. A combination of fierce curiosity and mischievousness. Suddenly, he realized the day was only just beginning for him.
He could only sigh.
Next, it was Morgana’s turn. Normally, the image of a little cat mascot invoking the summoning ritual would normally have gotten a few giggles out of her, but one, the Servant summoning ritual was just far too epic to really laugh at. And two, Morgana was a Phantom Thief. There’s no way in hell she could laugh at him for that! Both he and Ren were far more awesome than she could ever comprehend!
… it was still kind of funny though.
Once more, the geyser of mana filled the room with a bright light, blinding everyone in the vicinity. When the light dwindled down, a new figure stepped forth: A tall, powerfully built man with wild, long silver hair. Although he wore spiked armor, he wore no breastplate – or even a shirt, leaving him bare-chested and exposing his front, revealing glowing green glyphs.
Frankly, not a bad looker in Ritsu’s opinion, but he was a bit more muscular than she liked. Not her cup of tea. At the very least, he looked very reliable – scratch that, completely reliable judging by how Ren and Morgana’s faces immediately lit up upon seeing him.
“I am Siegfried, Saber class Servant,” the man announced, bowing slightly. “I apologize if you were hoping for someone else, but if you would have me, then I dedicate my sword and life to your cause.”
“Jeez, stiff as always, Siegfried,” Morgana replied with a grin. “Of course we’d be happy to have you! Welcome to Chaldea!”
Siegfried looked down at Morgana (a considerable feat given their sheer size difference) and smiled. “Thank you, Master Morgana,” he replied calmly. Then he frowned slightly. “But should you not refer to me by my moniker? It would be unwise for someone knowledgeable about my myth to know about my weakness, after all.”
Ah, right. Ren remembered the legend from his studies. Siegfried bathed in the blood of a dragon and drank it after he slew one, which rendered him invulnerable. However, a leaf covered one spot on his back as he bathed, rendering that spot the place where he could ultimately be killed.
Honestly, he always wondered why he didn’t just cover that spot in dragon’s blood – it wasn’t exactly like the blood dried out that quickly, especially in such large quantities. But legends had a funny way of working like that, and he wasn’t about to question it. Besides, he certainly had heard of far weirder things in myths and legends that common sense would poke enormous holes in.
More importantly, he certainly remembered Siegfried as one of his Personas. Now that Siegfried was contracted as their Servant, would he be linked to his Siegfried Persona in turn? What changes would be made to it? He would have to consult with Igor, Lavenza, and Olga about it on the next Velvet Room visit. But in the meantime…
“Well, we can’t keep calling you Saber,” Ren pointed out as he gestured over to Artoria. “Things are going to get confusing otherwise. Do you mind if we call you Siegfried, at least while we’re in Chaldea? You’re with friends and allies here, so you don’t need to worry about someone using your identity to take you out or something.”
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Siegfried frowned slightly. “It is not my safety that I am worried about, Master, but yours,” he gently admonished in turn before looking about. Taking in the people around him, he slowly relaxed. “Nevertheless, I see your wisdom,” he admitted. He smiled at Ren once more. “Very well. Address me as Siegfried if it pleases you, Master. Once more, I pledge my sword to you and your will.”
Ren nodded before looking over to their original Saber. “We never got a chance to ask, but what would you prefer to be called?” he asked in curiosity. “Since you were here first, you got first dibs on the moniker. Unless you want to be called something else?”
Saber blinked in surprise at the question before frowning in thought. Then she met Ren’s eyes with a smile. “If that is the case, call me Artoria, Masters,” she replied confidently. “All of you have earned my trust, as warriors, commanders, and Masters. It is only right you address me as your peer, and I you in turn.”
Ren and Morgana grinned brightly, while Ritsu was left blinking in surprise. “Er, am I included in that too?” she asked, pointing to herself. “I mean, you haven’t seen me in action yet so I’m not sure if I qualify for that kind of trust. Pretty hefty, if you ask me.”
“The fact you acknowledge my trust is a responsibility says more than you might expect, Ritsuka,” Artoria responded kindly. “I have no doubt you will be a major asset in the battles to come. I look forward to working with you.”
Ritsu once more blinked and grinned broadly, only barely holding herself back from squeeing yet again. On a first name basis with freaking King Arthur herself? Her time here was just getting better and better! So many heroes including her personal ones! But she restrained herself – just barely. There was still one more summoning to do, after all.
Marie happily greeted Siegfried as the dragonslayer stood beside her, him greeting her cordially in turn. Meanwhile, Ren stepped up to the summoning platform and began reciting the ritual himself. Once more, bright lights began whirling all around the room, orbs of mana orbiting until they converged, creating a fountain of power.
As the light dwindled for the last time today, a new figure stepped forth. A young woman, someone shorter than Ren and around the same height as Ritsu. She had short blonde hair and wore a black cloth while wearing greaves and gauntlets as her armor. Adorned on her head was a small headpiece as her blue eyes shone.
“I am Servant Ruler,” the girl declared. “Jeanne d’Arc. I come to aid you in your time of greatest trial and shall stand resolutely beside you until the end.”
Ren grinned in return. “Glad to hear that, Jeanne,” he replied gratefully. “Welcome to Chaldea!”
The saint smiled warmly at him. “Thank you, Ren Amamiya,” she replied. “It is my honor to fight with you alongside so many famous-“ Her words were interrupted as Ritsu immediately sprang up right beside her, her eyes practically shimmering with enthusiasm. “Um, greetings,” she said hesitantly, mildly nonplussed. She glanced at Ritsu’s hand and saw command seals on her as well. “I take it you are a Master as well?”
The girl blinked, then nodded. “Yes, yes, I’m your Master,” she replied quickly, brushing the question off. “But are you Jeanne d’Arc? The Maid of Orleans?! The one who single-handedly rallied the French to fight off the English?! I’m a huge fan of yours! Oh my god can I shake your hand?!”
Jeanne could only give a confused glance at Ren and Morgana. Both of the Masters shrugged helplessly. “She does that,” Ren commented with a minor wince. “You’ll get used to it sooner or later.”
Ritsu immediately rounded on Ren. “Oh?” she asked, a predatory smile widening on her face. “Are you perhaps jealous that I’m fangirling over someone else? Oh no worries, oh dear leader of the Phantom Thieves – you’re not out of my sight just yet.” So saying, she reached over and booped Ren on the nose, once more shocking him into silence. Just when he thought he had a good bead on her, she immediately did something else to catch him by surprise.
“Wait, is Ren particularly well known?” Marie asked, stepping forward while blinking owlishly. “I must admit, the Throne only provides so much information about the time period we are summoned in – I’m not caught up on the latest trends.”
The girl’s eyes widened as she stared at Marie. An ear-to-ear grin split her face once more. “Oh, my dearest Servant, my gentle Rider,” Ritsu cooed. “Allow me to regale you with the tales of the infamous Phantom Thieves – bringers of justice, shadows in the night and mind and most of all –“ She winked over at Ren. “One of the most awesome men I’ve ever had the honor to meet.”
“Oh, I already know the latter quite well,” Marie giggled. “But do tell, do tell, mi amour. I wish to know all about them!” For a queen, gossip was her bread and butter – whether in the ballroom or the women’s quarters, it was all the same. And Chaldea would prove to be no different for her. And before long, Ritsu and Marie were chittering away excitedly over Ren and Morgana’s deeds.
Meanwhile the Masters looked about helplessly. Artoria looked amused, Siegfried gave an apologetic shrug, Cú Chulainn was laughing his head off, and Jeanne looked extraordinarily confused by it all. Everyone in the room aside from the two girls could only think one thing:
Oh god, there’s two of them.
“Well, now that we’re finished with summoning,” Morgana spoke up, trying to broach the topic and be heard over the girls’ chatter. “We’ll give you the grand tour of Chaldea, then set you up with your rooms! Right this way guys! You too, Ritsu!”
With that, they all exited the room, Ritsu and Marie still chatting excitedly to each other about the Phantom Thieves’ exploits while hanging close to Ren, to his mild discomfort. Unseen by everyone was Roman and Da Vinci standing by, the latter sipping tea as they watched and listened to the motley crew passing by. The doctor could only sigh. The Caster placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.
Interesting days were ahead.
—-------
Joan rubbed her sore eyes as she set aside another book, adding it to yet another stack that surrounded her on the table. The library was quiet and unoccupied. Even its usual occupant, Medusa, was out for the time being. Staff members rarely frequented the library and even when they did, they gave her a wide berth or tried to ignore her – while sneaking wary glances at her. Well, that was to be expected. Just a few days ago, she had been trying to kill Ren and Morgana, after all.
She had been here almost day in, day out ever since that Rider helped her out with that one book, starting with the history of the Hundred Years War. Since then, she had been on a bit of a reading binge, learning more and more about different facets and branching from there: Military tactics and battles, logistics, even one or two fairy tales that had apparently been popular. The evidence of her curiosity was laid out on the table.
At the end of it all, she hadn’t been sure what to think about herself. The original Jeanne d’Arc of history had been rather hot-blooded, advocating a ‘rush them’ style of attacking with minimal tactics. If God was on their side, then they should’ve won no matter what, right? What was insane was that her ‘tactics’ up to a point actually worked. Besides the sheer zealotry, it honestly reminded her a lot of herself in terms of battle tactics: Rush things with wyverns and Servants. Didn’t work? Send more.
Joan had to laugh bitterly. To think, all she was missing was God’s will for a similar success. The irony of that was so thick she could cut it with her sword.
She relaxed against her seat with a sigh. The robots would come in and put the books back when they could. There hadn’t been any books that particularly drew her eye. It was certainly odd though – all these records and tales of battles and slaughter, not just from her leading armies but from countless other soldiers, warriors, and generals. Even her second in command, Gilles de Rais, had undoubtedly bloodied his sword in combat no small number of times.
The change wrought by her new Masters was strange, to say the least. No longer was she consumed by the insane rage that the Caster Gilles de Rais implanted into her. Her mentality was more… ordinary. To the point where knowing she had killed so many people and brought so much pain made her genuinely sick to her stomach.
And there was still the fact that she was a facsimile of a pure saint. One who she knew would give her another chance with an outstretched hand if she could. Quite a difference from what she read. It had only been a few days but already, she was assailed with far harder questions than she ever had back in Orleans.
Who was she, really? And what did she want?
She had to sigh. “Why am I even doing this?” Joan muttered to herself, drawing a hand over her eyes.
“And here would be the library – Oh. Joan. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
The Lancer Servant blinked as she looked up – and her eyes widened. There were the two – no, three Masters. She heard that they had a new one: A rather excitable girl all things considered. Chaldea’s Saber and Lancer Servants: Artoria Pendragon and Cú Chulainn (how in the hell did she ever expect to succeed when those two showed up?). But they weren’t what caught her attention.
With the group were three more Servants, ones she immediately recognized: Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France before she was executed during the French Revolution. Siegfried, the infamous dragonslayer who made himself invincible with dragon’s blood and was ultimately brought low not by war and conflict, but internal intrigue and drama.
And finally, the Maid of Orleans, the saint who led France against the English… and was burned at the stake for being falsely accused as a witch. And most importantly, she was her template, who Gilles de Rais wanted her to be: Jeanne d’Arc.
Ren and Morgana were utterly surprised to find Joan here – they had expected Rider at most. Ritsu was quickly looking between Jeanne and Joan so fast her orange hair was whipping about. She quickly saw both the similarities and differences between the two Servants but even she knew that, as excited and giddy as she was, it wasn’t the time or place to start talking about it.
The reaction of the new Servants was more pronounced. Siegfried immediately summoned Balmung to his hand while Marie raised her hands, looking pale but more than ready. Joan tensed up, but didn’t draw her blade nor summoned her flag. Her eyes darted around, looking for an escape route. Unfortunately, as an incarnated Servant, she couldn’t enter spiritual mode but against Servants, it wouldn’t matter anyway.
Until Jeanne raised her hand in front of them. “Stop,” she commanded gently. “If she is here as well, then that means she is no enemy of Chaldea. Nor do I sense any hostile intent from her.” The saint turned to look at Joan and smiled. “Is that not correct?” she asked rhetorically.
Joan, Siegfried, and Marie blinked in surprise as they processed Jeanne’s words. Slowly, they relaxed as Balmung vanished from Siegfried’s hands. The Ruler was right – Joan was in no mood to fight, even if they saw her as enemies. And the other two quickly took note of the situation – specifically the large pile of books sitting on the table where she had been sitting.
Ritsu quickly looked between Jeanne and Joan once more, then a proverbial lightbulb went off in her head. “Welp, looks like you’re busy so guess we shouldn’t disturb you!” she loudly declared. “We’ll leave you be for now and come back to this part of the tour later! Come on guys, out out out, shoo, shoo!” With that she began bodily shoving the group out, starting with Ren and Cu as they were the closest within reach. The two males could only protest as they were bodily shoved out by the energetic girl.
Jeanne could only blink flabbergasted before starting to follow – only to have the library door shut in her face by Ritsu once everyone else was out. “What? No, we’re not missing Jeanne!” Ritsu’s muffled lie came through from the other side. “Come on, Chaldea’s a big place so we better get going! Lead the way Ren!”
“Hey, don’t just pick me up like that – ow!” squawked Morgana as the voices and footsteps faded away after a second pause.
Soon, an awkward silence filled the air of the library. Jeanne and Joan were the only ones left in there. The former was twiddling her fingers, trying to find a way to start a conversation while the latter was pointedly looking away. She would honestly leave right now if she could, but the saint was right in the way of the door, and she didn’t want to push right past her to do so.
Jeanne looked over at the table, desperate for a conversation topic. “So, I can see you’ve been reading quite a bit,” she started hesitantly. “I could never get into reading – of course, it would be difficult for me to read since books were pretty rare when I was alive. I was never even taught to read or write. You would think someone leading an army would learn such a skill. So, um…” She tapered off and continued to twiddle her fingers.
Joan stared at the saint as she talked. This was who she was based off of? The saint was a larger-than-life figure who inspired men even when they were on the edge of defeat, yet here she was fumbling words trying to start a conversation. Was Jeanne always this…mundane?
Then she remembered. Before everything, Jeanne was a simple farm girl who was simply given a divine mission from God – no more, no less. Had it not been for that, she would’ve just like everyone else.
For some reason, that conclusion made Joan feel a bit better about herself. And ironically, made it easier to talk.
The Lancer sighed aridly as she ran a hand through her hair. “You’d think those damn fools would make sure you learned to read in order to lead an army,” she grumbled. “But then, if you actually could read, you’d be even more of an annoyance to the higher ups than you already were. Ugh. Just as well, I guess.”
The Ruler blinked in surprise. “Oh? Did you have some memories of mine about that or…?” she inquired innocently.
“Hardly the case,” Joan scoffed. She held up one of the earlier books she read, detailing the politics around the Hundred Years War. “You were pretty popular with the soldiers and common folk, and less so with the generals and nobles,” she explained. “You were a massive cheerleader they could use to rally the forces around. The mission from God helped massively with that front. But if you were more capable of things like reading and math, you could’ve possibly been seen as a political threat.”
Joan noticed the shock on Jeanne’s face. “Oh, don’t give me that look,” she snapped. “If you’re wondering, it’s nothing against you. If it was another girl or guy in the same place, the same damn situation applies. Honestly, the more I read about this shit, the more I’m disgusted about people in general.” Her glare lessened as she stared at the books. “Maybe this bullshit is why Gilles went mad in the first place,” she muttered.
A soft giggle caught her attention. Looking over, Joan saw the saint laughing gently. “What’s so funny?” she asked suspiciously.
Jeanne giggled again, shaking her head. “Oh, I just hadn’t expected one who was created in my image to be so… well, studious,” she admitted. She walked forward, nodding at the books. “I could never sit still long enough to learn to read or write – it’s only thanks to the Throne that I can do so now. Though mathematics escape me still.”
She smiled over to the Lancer. “You were given a new life and are defining yourself by your own choices,” she commented. “Isn’t that nothing short of a miracle?”
The Lancer blinked, then looked away from how radiant Jeanne seemed at that point. “Ugh, you’re still that goody-two-shoes that legend keeps declaring you were,” she grumbled, albeit lacking much heat or malice. “I can’t help but feel there’s some sort of string attached with this new life. There’s a lot I have to do, a lot to make up for though. Can’t think about it too much.”
Jeanne nodded. “Sometimes, it’s best to take blessings as they come, however large or small,” she stated, smiling. “Also, what should I call you? I don’t think it would be fitting to call you Jeanne as well – if how you were in Orleans was any indication, you wouldn’t take to that kindly.”
Joan sighed irritably. “Just call me Joan,” she grumbled. “Not the most original, I know. It’s just a placeholder name for now until I can get my head on straight.”
The Ruler considered it, then nodded, smiling happily. “As you wish,” she replied cheerfully. “Joan it is!” She looked curiously over the books that Joan had been reading. “Perhaps you could tell me more about what you’ve been reading? Between your experiences and research, perhaps we might have a rather interesting conversation between us, no?”
That took Joan by surprise. Something here wasn’t adding up. “Why?” Joan asked.
The saint blinked in surprise. “Oh. I thought that a good conversation could-“
“Not that,” Joan immediately interrupted, dismissing the saint’s reply. “I was made into some sort of twisted doppelganger of yours, wasn’t I? I butchered everyone in France, innocent and sinner alike, whether they were of high status or mere peasants. I spat and cursed your and God’s name. I still don’t consider the latter very kindly, to be honest with you.”
She looked up at Jeanne. “You have every right to want absolutely nothing to do with me, so what gives? What’s your plan here?”
Jeanne stared at her with an oddly blank expression. “Do you regret all you’ve done?” she asked softly. “Do you wish to make amends?”
Joan blinked in surprise at the question. “I-“ she started, then she sighed. “Of fucking course I do,” she growled, looking away. “I’m not sure how, but frankly helping everyone else here save humanity is a start, I guess. Probably won’t make me any less of a monster I am now, but I gotta try anyway. Not about to just sit on my hands and mope all day about it.”
The Ruler smiled as she clasped her hands and closed her eyes. “Then at the very least, I forgive you,” she said gently. “I hold no grudge for all you’ve done, especially as you’ve set your eyes towards atonement. You may not find forgiveness from everyone, but perhaps you shall in time be forgiven in His eyes, when He sees the goodness in your heart.”
Jeanne opened her eyes and beamed at Joan. “I know you do not put much stock in God, but perhaps that can be your first step?” she suggested. “After all, to err is to be human. To forgive, divine.”
“I’m pretty sure massacring and killing a lot of people with wyverns, Servants, and my own blade is a bit more than just erring,” Joan deadpanned.
Jeanne chuckled. “Perhaps,” she admitted. “Yet you have been granted a miracle nevertheless. If that’s not proof His gaze is still on you and you may have His forgiveness still, I don’t know what is.”
Joan blinked again, then sighed, her posture sagging as she gave up any form of further argument. “You are beyond annoying, you know that?” she grumbled.
The saint chuckled again. “Should I keep a running tally?” she asked mischievously. “Now, shall we discuss those books of yours?”
Once more, Joan could only sigh and gestured to the chair beside her. “Take a seat,” she said wearily. “I get the feeling we’ll be here a while.”
Jeanne grinned as she practically hopped into her seat. The two would be discussing for quite some time.
—-------
Beyond time and space, they watched.
Through the eyes of the unwitting Servant, they observed. They collected data. They kept track of conversations and presences. Knowledge that Chaldea possessed, and information they did not. It was agonizingly limited, being able to only perceive things through one set of limited senses, but information was information nevertheless.
The thoughts of the Servant were laughable as well. Purpose? Meaning? Atonement? Simple mortal concepts, to be embraced once in a lifetime at most and eternally forgotten. A life like that was hardly worth living. Just like every other human’s life. So many petty squabbles that ended up in bloodshed. So much foolishness that ended in pain, suffering, and misery. Humanity in general was nothing more than a squalor of stupidity and futility.
That was why their plan would – must – succeed. They could fight all they wished, but in the end, what they strove for would be the best for them. Humanity could not be trusted with themselves.
However, they would keep observing. Learning. Information was always key to staying one step ahead. The presence of the Saint – the original template their seed was based off of – was an intriguing development, but hardly consequential. Still, it was a factor that they would bear in mind. There was a new Master, but her presence was quickly discarded as a non-factor. Another weak human didn’t factor into the equation at this point.
The current point of interest was the young human male Master. They could not solidify their thoughts about the Master. A lingering sense of… familiarity? No. Similarity? No. Kinship? Absurd. Further observation was acquired.
All data currently judged inconsequential. Orobas would continue to monitor and gather information.
For the World, and for humanity.