“I-It’s her! The Dragon Witch!”

Ren blinked as he looked at the soldiers, all of whom were shrinking with fear at Jeanne. Morgana frowned at them and yelled, “Hey, what’s the big idea?! She just helped save your butts from those wyverns and that’s how you act?! If she’s really the Dragon Witch, do you think she’d bother?!”

The soldiers didn’t falter, holding up their spears still menacing the group. “D-do you really think we’d b-believe that?!” the soldier in front demanded. “She could just b-be f-fooling us and have us l-lower our g-guards! W-we know wh-what you’ve done. Y-you’ve c-consorted with the D-Devil and c-came back from the d-dead, killed the king with hellfire a-and butchered Orleans! Y-you’re nothing more th-than a demon!”

That caused Ren, Mash, and Morgana to gape at Jeanne. Nothing about any of what the man said added up. Even discarding the Servant in front of them, the Jeanne d’Arc in recorded history was well-known for her love and passion for France, leading its people against the English. Not to mention, as Ren recalled, the king was someone that Jeanne personally had helped raise to the throne. These actions may make sense if it was in revenge, perhaps, but massacring innocent people? That didn’t make sense.

The Ruler didn’t even raise a protest and just smiled sadly. “It’s fine, I can understand how it looks,” she murmured. “We’ve helped how we could. Please, follow me – I’d like to speak with you, and we should probably do so away from these men.” She began walking into the nearby forest, leaving the small group to look at each other.

Ren sighed. “She doesn’t seem like a bad person overall,” he finally said. “Besides, we need information anyway. Probably better to follow her. Besides, if something happens, Archer, Lancer, Mash, I think you guys will have it covered.”

Morgana hesitated, then nodded, as did the Servants. They trusted Ren’s judgement. That being said, as they walked after her, Morgana and Mash were by Ren’s side. Lancer moved a small distance behind, his bored expression belied by the fact that his eyes were darting about, looking for any threats, as well as the fact his spear was resting on his shoulder. Archer was much the same, a slightly further distance away. All in all, the group looked rather casual walking about, but it was a formation that would allow them to be ready at a moment’s notice.

The sun was setting as they walked, with the promise of dusk in the very near future. Jeanne stopped at a small forest clearing. “Here should be good,” Jeanne noted. Her flag was gone. Turning around, she smiled and bowed to them. “Allow me introduce myself once more,” she said. “I am Jeanne d’Arc, a Ruler class Servant. I’ve only manifested a few hours before to aid France, but it seems my summoning was interfered with in some way – my stats are at least a full rank lower and I’m lacking many abilities I should have as a Ruler, like my command seals and the ability to discern true names from Servants.” She looked between Lancer and Archer. “For instance, I only know your classes, but I have no inkling as to your true names.”

Ren blinked and looked at his companions. “Ruler class Servants?” he asked.

“Certain Servants are summoned as arbiters of a Holy Grail War if it becomes either stalemated or grows much larger than just seven Servants,” Archer supplied. “They are typically considerably stronger than most Servants in other classes and come with their own command seals that are useable on any Servant in that Grail War, as well as the ability to discern their true names immediately. Having one on our side normally would be a major advantage for us, but as she is now…”

Jeanne flinched as Archer’s eyes flicked towards her. “Yes, I’m not as strong or capable as I should be,” she admitted ruefully. “However, my dedication to my country and home has not wavered in the slightest, no matter what challenges there may be. This may not be a typical Holy Grail War I’ve been summoned to, but I won’t let such trials bar me from saving my people and land.” Jeanne’s eyes glimmered with pure determination and passion. She had meant every word she had said, decreased strength and capabilities be damned – perhaps literally.

Ren just chuckled. “In that case, I think we’ll get along,” he replied easily. “We’re with Chaldea. Our job right now is to preserve human history by dealing with whatever’s causing the disturbance. I’m Ren Amamiya, one of the Masters. This is Mash, our Shielder Demi-Servant.”

The Ruler looked over at Mash and blinked. “Shielder? Demi-Servant?” she asked for clarification.

Mash summoned her shield as emphasis. “A human bearing a heroic spirit,” she explained. “The Shielder class is a new designation as we have no information currently about the heroic spirit itself. I’m not even sure what’s my Noble Phantasm.” The last part was said more quietly. The fact that she didn’t know her heroic spirit or her Noble Phantasm still disturbed her. She was strong, but she wasn’t as strong as she could be, and therefore didn’t know if she was strong enough.

Jeanne gave a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry I can’t help in that regard,” she told the girl. “But you are a kind woman, Mash, with an earnest dedication to your Master and doing what’s right. Whatever heroic spirit that dwells within you must be as noble as your heart, with strength to match.”

The Shielder looked up blinking, then beamed happily and nodded. “Thank you for your kind words, Madamoiselle Jeanne!” she chirped.

“J-Just call me Jeanne,” Jeanne stammered out, her face coloring pink in embarrassment. “I’m merely a peasant girl. No need for such formalities!”

Ren just looked between the two with a smile. He cleared his throat to get Jeanne’s attention once more. “Anyway, as we said earlier, that’s Archer and Lancer over there.” He jerked his thumb in their direction. “I’ll leave it to them if they wanna introduce themselves or not.”

Lancer grinned, whirling his spear before it vanished. “Ah what the hell,” he said casually with a shrug. “Not every day you get to meet a Saint. Cu Chulainn. Nice to meet ya!”

Archer smirked. “I will refrain,” he replied. “It is better for me to keep my identity a secret, else my combat effectiveness is compromised.” Lancer just rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath about how Archer probably had a sword summoned up his ass. A statement that Archer completely and utterly ignored.

Jeanne noticed something – the fact that Morgana was staring at her extremely hard. But she ignored that fact for one small detail. “Um… Morgana, if I may be so bold to ask,” she asked hesitantly. “May… may I pet you?”

That caught everyone off guard. “Er, what?” said cat asked, startled out of his reverie.

“It’s just… you are very adorable, and I’ve not had much of a chance to pet cats in my village or during my campaigns,” she explained shyly. “So, may I ask if I can pet you?”

Morgana looked flabbergasted for a second, then he saw the hope dancing in Jeanne’s eyes. He sighed in resignation and slumped. “Go ahead,” he wearily replied. Jeanne grinned happily, reached over, and began petting the inhuman yet still adorable catlike being. Morgana couldn’t help but purr in response. Another set of hands joined in to pet him. He opened his eyes and saw that Mash had succumbed to temptation and was petting his soft, luxurious fur as well.

Meanwhile, Ren frowned slightly. He noticed Morgana was staring hard at Jeanne earlier – not in suspicion, but perhaps recognition. Now that he thought about it, Jeanne did look familiar. But where had he seen a young, beautiful looking young woman with blonde hair before…? Then suddenly, the pieces clicked. He tapped his watch to connect to Roman, who was focusing on his monitor on something. “Hey, Roman? You still have a video feed, right?” Ren asked. “Is Saber available?”

Roman on the other side blinked. “Er, yeah. Why do you –“ He looked closer at the radio feed, squinting… then his eyes widened. “Oh. Oh! Yeah, she should be available. Give me a second…” He disappeared from the monitor for a second.

A minute or so later, Saber appeared. “Master, is something the matter?” she asked, concerned.

Ren wordlessly turned the display to Jeanne, who had looked up from petting Morgana in curiosity. Saber stared at Ruler, who in turned stared at Saber. Everyone – Ren, Mash, Morgana, Lancer, and Archer - looked between the two Servants back and forth like it was a tennis match as the realization slowly sunk in: That the two Servants – the English king and the French saint – looked exactly the same.

“WHAT DEVILRY IS THIS?!”

----------------------------------------

There was no small discussion (read: dismayed and confused shouting) from both sides: Accusations of an imposter, perhaps amnesiac identities, extremely distant relatives, or being possessed by some spirit that gave them the same appearance. For the latter, Roman theorized the spirit’s name started with a ‘T’ though he couldn’t quite remember, which everyone dismissed it as rather fanciful thinking even by their standards, much to his dismay. However, once the more hysterical and heated arguments died down, Saber and Ruler got along surprisingly well.

“Your dedication to your people is most admirable, Ruler,” Saber complimented, smiling. “It is a shame they cannot see that. However, I do not doubt that without your strength of character, the country of France would stand so proudly as it does today. Take pride in that.”

“O-Oh, you flatter me, y-your majesty,” Jeanne hurriedly waved off. “I am simply a peasant girl w-who was blessed to hear His will and was chosen to see it through. People rallied around me, and I granted what succor and strength I could. You, however, are the King of Knights: The standard of chivalry for all. You are what many knights aspire to, and I believe would be for the good of all.”

Ren yawned from his seat against the tree as they continued talking. Saber and Ruler had found a lot of commonalities in being the leaders of their people and figures of inspiration for their respective countries, said countries’ rivalries notwithstanding. It wasn’t a surprise they would be fast friends soon after. He idly wondered if he could summon Jeanne to Chaldea. He had no doubt that Saber certainly wouldn’t mind, and she was a nice enough of a person. They would all get along well.

Still, it was nice seeing people live to the hype. Between King Arthur and Jeanne d’Arc, it at least disabused the notion that powerful leaders were all corrupt. Yoshida would’ve loved talking to either of them – though Ren had no doubt even the aging Diet member-to-be would be intimidated in talking to them, despite his experience in politics.

In the meantime, everyone else had set up camp for the evening. Lancer and Archer kept watch while Mash and Morgana found firewood, the latter lighting it. A full moon was gleaming in the darkening sky, a tapestry of stars slowly being unveiled as the sun sank on the horizon. Ren would’ve helped out, but there wasn’t much for him to do, plus he didn’t want to deprive either woman a chance to speak. Their conversation soon wrapped up, with a small promise to speak to each other again at hopefully a more convenient setting overall – perhaps over Ren’s coffee and curry (a shiver ran up his spine as he remembered Saber’s appetite).

“So, we should probably talk about what we know,” Morgana started once everyone had finished and gathered. “The soldiers called you, Jeanne, the Dragon Witch. Which you’re not in the slightest – whether you’d actually do something like that or not, you only manifested a few hours ago so you couldn’t have made your presence known, whether good or bad.” Jeanne nodded, agreeing with the analysis.

“The soldiers are completely disorganized as well, with no organization or movements,” Archer noted. He had spent his time surveying the lands around them. “They act like chickens with their heads cut off, defending what spots they’ve been garrisoned in or fleeing altogether. I’m guessing with the king dead, there’s no lords or knights who are able to rally them and mount a proper defense or counterattack. Not like they can with constant wyvern attacks harrying them anyway.”

“Right,” Ren nodded. “And apparently Jeanne killed the king and killed their way through Orleans. Which I’m guessing you’d never do, Jeanne?”

Jeanne’s eyes widened as she shook her head. “Never,” she replied. “I hold the king and my people no ill will, in the end. I saved them how I could, and though I died, so long as France is saved and my people safe and free, then I can ask for nothing more.”

Archer scowled but quickly mastered his expression and looked away, on pretense of keeping guard. He had many, many things to say about the saint’s selflessness but now wasn’t the time or place for it. Lancer and Morgana noticed, the former of which shrugged off and the latter frowned in concern in his direction.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“So with that in mind, there’s really only one conclusion,” Ren summarized. “You have some sort of doppelganger that’s acting as the Dragon Witch. This doppelganger killed the king and did that massacre at Orleans and is probably behind all these wyvern attacks as well. Sound about right?”

Roman, who was still on the call, nodded. “It does,” he replied. “Not to mention, to command that many wyverns at once – that’s not something a Servant can regularly do without some sort of skill, especially if it’s a doppelganger of Jeanne d’Arc, who has no associations with wyverns. I’m betting she’s in possession of the Holy Grail and using the power to create the wyverns. And with this doppelganger holding the Grail, she’s the focal point of this Singularity and putting the foundation of humanity at risk.”

Jeanne was quiet as she considered the information. The only sound was the fire crackling as it burned, giving while little light it could in the warm countryside. “Whether it’s a doppelganger or something else,” she murmured. “And whether I’ve been weakened or not is irrelevant. The people of France are in danger. And… you said you’re here to protect humanity, right? That’s why you’re here.”

Morgana sighed. “Yep, though it’s a bit more complicated than that,” he explained, crossing his arms. “Turns out this place is one Singularity out of seven that basically leads to the Incineration of Humanity. So we gotta resolve it as fast as we can. “

Her eyes widened at that, then narrowed into determination. “Then my resolve is set,” she declared. “By His will, I will go to Orleans, face my doppelganger, and retrieve the Holy Grail. Chaldeans, I ask much of you, but can you please lend me your strength? I do not think I will be able to succeed in this trial alone.”

Ren smirked, relaxing against the tree. “That’s what we’re here for in the first place,” he replied easily. Everyone else just nodded, smiling. “We’re with you, Jeanne.”

Jeanne beamed and bowed. “Thank you all so much,” she replied gratefully.

The Master smiled in return, then dropped back into seriousness. “Still, we can’t exactly just head straight there, can we? After all, going in through the front door is never a wise idea.”

Morgana smirked, remembering how he himself taught Ren that lesson a long time ago, when they first began their work. “That’s right. We’ll need more information and allies. Roman, can you pull up a map of the surrounding area?” Roman did so, which everyone looked at. Morgana pointed to the nearest one to their location. “There. La Charite,” Morgana stated. “We’ll start from there and see if we can find information. With any luck, someone will know something we can use – and maybe another Servant too. If Jeanne’s appeared, then there’s a chance another Servant might have shown up as well.”

They all nodded, then Jeanne remembered something. “One more thing I should mention – as a Ruler, I’m supposed to have the ability to detect Servants. That’s another ability that’s been hampered by my summoning, but if this doppelganger truly is me, they’ll have that ability as well, so therefore…”

“Our position might as well be lit up like a beacon,” Archer concluded in frustration. “In any case, there’s no point in moving – I don’t see any better defensible spots nearby and night has settled anyway. Lancer and I will take watch. Servants don’t require sleep anyway. That being said - Ruler, you should sleep as well, to conserve prana given your botched summoning. The two of us will alert you if something approaches. Besides, it wouldn’t be Lancer’s first time as a watch dog.”

“Bite me, Archer.”

“Biting is the dog’s job.”

“Oh you son of a-“

“Again, that would be you.”

“You say one more GODDAMN-“

“Language!” Jeanne demanded, glaring sternly at the two male Servants. The two looked at her in surprise, glared at each other, then both of them took off in opposite directions. She huffed. “I do hope not all Servants are like those two,” she bemoaned. “Saber was considerably different. She was enjoyable to talk to.”

“Nah, those two just don’t get along at all,” Morgana shook his head, reassuring her. “Individually, they’re not too bad. Well, Lancer can be somewhat annoying and Archer sometimes doesn’t know when to shut it, but they’re good guys overall.” He paused and looked at the directions the two had disappeared to. “… I think,” he finished lamely. Jeanne just groaned in frustration as Ren and Mash chuckled.

“Mash, do you need any sleep?” Ren asked, looking at her direction.

The girl nodded. “Unfortunately, I do, senpai,” she replied. “I’m only a demi-Servant, so I still have a human’s bodily needs, including food and sleep. I won’t be able to easily take watch.”

Ren shrugged. “No worries,” he replied easily. “We can all do with some rest. With that, we should probably get some sleep.” He settled down as he finished to emphasize his point. “We’ve a long day tomorrow and probably many places to visit. And probably more wyverns to fight. We’ll need what energy we can get.”

All of them nodded. Mash and Morgana settled down to sleep while Jeanne knelt down to give a last prayer before going to sleep herself. “Goodnight, Senpai,” Mash murmured.

“Goodnight, Mash, Morgana, Jeanne,” Ren replied, smiling.

A couple minutes later, the three of them were asleep, their gentle breathing and snores mixed with the dwindling crackles of the campfire. Ren laid there, staring up at the stars of the infinite cosmos above. He recollected everything that had happened. From the beginning at Chaldea, the first Singularity, the Servants, and now he was here, in medieval France, sleeping in the woods with the stars over him.

He reached up, closing his hand like he was grabbing the little lights out of the sky. Come to think of it, he never had a chance to really see the stars like this – there wasn’t much of a reason to look up at the sky, after all, and even then, Tokyo’s light pollution would have ruined whatever view there was. But here, the myriad stars dazzled his eyes. He thought about looking for constellations but discarded the thought – he didn’t know any after all.

A lump formed in his throat. How would his friends have reacted to this sight?

“Whoa, dude, so many stars…!” Ryuji gasped out in wonder. He was laying beside Ren, his eyes as wide as saucers as he beheld the vision.

“Truly a marvel,” Yusuke breathed, a small distance away. “I wish to draw this but… I find myself utterly transfixed for fear of missing a single detail. I doubt I can accurately represent such beauty on any medium.”

“It is a quite a view isn’t it,” Makoto commented quietly, laying at Ren’s other side. “I don’t think I ever had time to breathe and just… look up. All my troubles, whether as a student council president, a college student, or even as a Phantom Thief, look so small in comparison.”

Ren let out a quiet, shaky breath. He could hear their voices, even feel their presences, clear as day around him, wishing yet unwilling to stop.

“I know what you mean, Mako-chan,” Haru replied with a quiet giggle. “Small wonder my father had outer space as his Palace. But this feels a lot… cleaner.”

“Less robots?” Futaba suggested. “But yeah, I thought I’ve seen this kind of thing with video game skyboxes before, but daaaaamn, these graphics knock them WAY out of the park!”

“Totally,” Ann said. “Huh… maybe I should model in one of those dresses that glitter like the stars. I think I can pull it off. That suave, sexy kind of style – I’ll knock everyone out with it!”

“Oh, I’ve seen those before!” Sumire added excitedly. Then she rapidly covered her mouth as she realized she spoke too loud for the quiet atmosphere. “Maybe you could wear a pair of red sunglasses with some red gloves as well,” she suggested more quietly. “Maybe one of those flamingo scarves as well! I think they’d look good on you!” There was a pause as no one answered. “… no good?” she asked, cringing a bit.

“Well… maybe,” Ann hesitantly answered. “I might be able to pull that off. Maybe. I’ll have to check.”

The stars blurred in Ren’s vision, forcing him to wipe his eyes. Nobody else seemed to be moving or stirring.

“Lady Ann can pull off anything,” Morgana said confidently. “An ensemble like that would look good on her, no matter what.”

“Though your sense of style leaves something to be desired, Sumire,” Yusuke frankly added. The girl winced at the blunt comment.

“Inari, do you have absolutely no tact whatsoever?!” Futaba snarled.

“Wha – you are one to talk, Futaba!”

“Man, can you guys knock it off for, like, two seconds?” Ryuji groaned. “You’re totally ruining the mood here!”

Haru giggled. “Still, it wouldn’t be us without the bickering, for better or worse,” she stated. “Right Ren?”

Ren reflexively opened his mouth to answer… and immediately bit down on his lips, both to stop himself from answering and to stop himself from crying. He forced himself to wipe out all traces of their presence around him, silencing their voices. No. Not here. He could do so later, but he was on a mission right now. ‘Ren’ wasn’t needed at the moment. Right now, when on a mission, what was needed was ‘Joker, leader of the Phantom Thieves’.

He rolled over, stifling whatever tears he felt. He would see them again. Ryuji, Ann, Makoto, Yusuke, Futaba, Haru, Sumire… Everyone. That was his end goal.

He didn’t have anything else.

----------------------------------------

Jeanne stared out at the countryside. Though it was dark, her vision adjusted to the moonlight allowing her to see a much farther distance than one would expect to at night. Her vision wasn’t as good as Archer’s, but she still saw quite a bit – including the dark shadows of wyverns flying through the air, their roars echoing through the silent night.

She was sitting at the edge of the forest, only a few minutes’ walk from the campsite. Her sleep had been restless, unable to put out of her mind thoughts of a doppelganger of her running around, tormenting and butchering her people. If her doppelganger was properly summoned, then she would be herself at full strength. Meanwhile, her own strength was cut considerable. She had allies here but would they be enough? Would she be able to lead them as she had her fellow countrymen in the past? Or would she just be a burden?

“Can’t sleep?”

Jeanne blinked and looked up. Mash stood beside her, smiling ruefully. “May I sit here?” she asked.

Smiling, Jeanne patted on the spot beside her. Mash sat down. “It’s a beautiful view,” Mash commented, looking over the countryside.

“Yes,” Jeanne murmured. “It is. And it’s my home.”

Mash was quiet. “What was it like? Your home,” she asked softly.

Jeanne smiled. “It was a simple life for me,” she replied. “Like I said, I was a poor peasant girl. I helped my family with the fields. I worked with my mom weaving. Every Sunday, we would go to church and offer our prayers to the Lord. As we worked, we sang hymns to track our time and relieve our tiredness for a while. When I received my revelations from the Lord, I knew what I had to do. But…” She smiled. “Those times and memories, I’ll always cherish. I might bring His words and doing His work, and I might linger on ‘what-ifs’ for a bit. A common lifestyle, a common prayer, maybe even a common romance. But in the end, my heart belongs to the Lord, my country, and my home.”

She glanced over. “What about you, Mash? What about your home?”

Mash hesitated. “Chaldea is the only home I’ve known,” she began. “White sterile walls, white sterile beds… I don’t have parents. I was an artificial baby.” Jeanne’s eyes widened at that detail but said nothing. “There were many doctors performing tests on me as I grew up. There was one doctor though – Roman. He was warmer than the rest. He talked to me, told me of the outside world. He would show me movies, bring me books, crack jokes.” She smiled as she recollected the unprofessional doctor. “Everyone else just thought of me as a lab subject. I was designed to be a perfect candidate for being a demi-Servant. But he at least taught me more about the world and talked to me. I’m grateful to him.”

Jeanne smiled at the end. “He seems to be a good man, if a bit unreliable.” Both of them shared a laugh at the doctor’s expense.

On an unrelated note, Roman sneezed as he monitored their readings.

“Still, I'm not sure it will be enough,” Jeanne mused once their mirth died down. “My doppelganger has already wrought so much damage and pain. She had an army of wyverns at her beck and call. And if she has a Holy Grail, it’s not out of the question she also has summoned Servants as well. My own summoning has been flawed, leaving me without many of my abilities or strength. I’m not afraid to die for my country once more – what I’m afraid of most is dying in vain, condemning my countrymen to live in suffering and death. I’m grateful for your assistance, Mash, and the rest of Chaldea. But I’m worried I won’t be enough.”

The Shielder twiddled her thumbs, looking down at her hands as she replied. “Not just you, Jeanne,” she murmured. “I told you – I don’t know what my Noble Phantasm really is, and because of that I only can use a fraction of its power. I’m a demi-Servant too – not as strong as a regular Servant, with many human weaknesses that a Servant wouldn’t have. I’m relying so much on senpai for strength but… I’m always afraid it’s not enough. Especially with how capable senpai is – his magecraft, his talents, his commands. He always feels so far ahead of me, like he’s the Servant and I’m just a regular person. With him, I don’t think we can ever lose, but even now, I’m not sure if I’m not just dragging him down. I’m not sure he trusts me, since he’s not telling me much of anything.”

“He trusts you.”

Both young women started as they looked around to see Morgana, blinking at them blearily. Despite his sleepiness, he smiled. “Ren’s not the type to judge people mistakenly, especially when it comes to talent,” he assured her. “If he’s relying on you to stay by your side, he completely trusts you. It’s not a privilege he extends easily. And hey, I get it, you feel like you’re useless and not needed right? Boy, I know how that feels.” Despite it being a long time ago, he still remembered those days – when Futaba first joined and her navigator skills blew his out of the water. He had been insecure, needled further by Ryuji’s taunts. Convinced the Phantom Thieves didn’t need him any longer, he left, in regret, sadness, anger, and most of all, frustration – not at the other Thieves, not Ren, not even Ryuji, but himself, for being so useless and pointless to the Thieves.

“But like it or not, you’re one of us now,” Morgana continued with a gentle smile. “If Ren’s not telling you something, it’s for a good reason. Give him some time, he’ll tell you sooner or later. If you need a place to belong, Mash, well, just look around you. I think you’re already there, don’t you think?”

Mash blinked as she considered. Ren was asleep nearby, able to let his guard down. Roman was keeping tabs on their progress. Da Vinci was no doubt working hard on something to help them later down the line. The staff were all working hard, helping them resolve the Singularities and bring back humanity, regardless of their differences.

A small smile crept over. Maybe she had a place after all.

“And Jeanne?” Morgana continued, turning towards the saint. “That passion of yours is honestly more important than your abilities. If you let that stop you, you’d never take back this country.” Jeanne blinked in surprise. “You’ll see things through. You got us with you too – even when you were a living, breathing human, you didn’t just rely on yourself to win all those battles, right? Lean on us a little – we’ll be counting on you a lot as well.”

Jeanne considered, then nodded with a smile. “Yes, you’re right,” she replied. “It’s silly of me to forget such a simple thing when you put it that way.”

Morgana chuckled. “Sometimes, it’s the simple things that gets the ball rolling. Or in this case, keep rolling,” he remarked. He turned back toward the forest. “Alright, back to bed, you two! We’ve got a long day tomorrow and we’ll need all the energy we can get!” With that, he marched back off towards the campsite. Mash and Jeanne looked at each other, chuckled, and followed after Morgana.

A new day would be there to greet them.