"Wow, that's great. We thought you guys were enemies, or even minions of that dragon witch," the French soldier said.
As soon as we heard the term "dragon witch," our group exchanged glances.
"Dragon witch? Who's that?" Mash asked.
[It's Jeanne,] Roman said.
"Huh? I thought Jeanne was supposed to be a saint?"
[Until the Pope and those nobles decided to slap that nickname on her.]
"…That's rough."
"Could it be that this singularity is caused by the appearance of an evil version of Jeanne?" Gudako said bluntly.
Wow, she's pretty sharp.
[Not entirely certain yet. We don't have any proof, do we?]
"But the soldiers just mentioned Jeanne and her minions. It's highly likely it's her," Gudako said, adjusting her glasses to look smart.
Where did those glasses even come from?
"By the way, are you all trying to get into the castle?" the soldier asked.
"Yeah, we're here on business. Do we need a pass or something?" Caster asked.
"Actually, we used to require one… but ever since the witch showed up, it doesn't matter whether you have one or not…" He wiped away a tear.
"Hmm…" Our group started thinking.
"Fou…" Even Fou was thinking.
…Huh?
"Wait a second, where's Nura?" Gudako looked around.
At that, everyone turned to look for Nura.
"…Oh, he's gone," Caster said.
Well, he is an Assassin, so hiding his presence is as easy as flipping his hand.
"But isn't it dangerous for him to go off alone? What if enemies ambush him?" Mash said worriedly.
"No need to worry!"
Caster, Mash, and Fou looked at Gudako, who was standing on a rock.
"I believe in my boyfriend!"
[He's not your boyfriend.]
"Anyway, no need to worry! I've invested everything in him! Right now, he's at level 40, and with a few more materials, he'll be ready for his first Ascension!"
"Huh? What's she talking about?" Caster asked Mash.
"No idea. I haven't known her for that long, after all."
"Fou."
Right after that, a sound rang out from outside.
"Huh?"
"OH NO! IT'S THAT SKELETON ARMY AGAIN!!" The soldier pointed in fear.
A horde of skeleton warriors wielding weapons, and even Wyverns, appeared.
[What?! Why isn't he here when we need him most?!]
"I don't think I can take on all of them with my current strength," Caster said, sneaking a glance at Gudako.
Grrr, you jerk Lancer, are you trying to make me upgrade you?!
"Fine! But I'm not Ascending you!"
Right after that, Caster was fully leveled up, specifically to level 30.
"I feel stronger now than I did at the F Singularity! Young lady, you're the best!"
"Shut up, Lancer! Mash, block their attacks!"
"H-Huh?! Oh, got it!"
And so, the three of them engaged in battle against the undead and Wyverns.
Of course, somewhere out there, to be blunt, in some bushes:
"They're handling it really well, but I have to go out and help them!"
She tightly gripped her flag, filled with determination.
"But… if I help them, the soldiers might think they're my allies… Dragging others into this mess doesn't feel right at all…"
Suddenly, a deep voice echoed from above.
[Are you scared?]
"…"
[What? If you're scared, just say it. A Servant being afraid is pretty pathetic.]
"…No! I'm not scared! What's there to be afraid of?! Oh, my lord, watch me!!"
And so, she headed toward the battle.
***
"This… is bad."
Nura looked at a city engulfed in smoke and flames.
Those who had been slaughtered had completely turned into Undead.
Yes, he was quite far from Gudako.
With his B+ agility stat, he had reached this place.
He then looked up at the sky, where there were quite a few Wyverns.
And they were feasting on corpses with relish.
"…" His eyes twitched slightly.
These Wyverns were most likely created by Magecraft—there were definitely no Wyverns in this era.
Their presence meant that some lunatic was trying to completely destroy Orleans.
But what angered him was something else entirely.
"Human problems should be solved by humans, and Servant problems should be handled by Servants. Interfering with one side or the other is never a good idea."
That was his rule, ever since he was the lord of the Nura clan.
So, he charged toward the city, determined to take down all the Wyverns and Undead.
…
"Phew."
He sheathed his sword, looking at the scene now resolved.
Needless to say, it was utter devastation—everyone was dead, not a single soul spared.
Among them were innocent people.
"…"
He then moved on to continue exploring this Singularity.
…Well, if it was that easy?
A spear of flame shot straight toward his position, startling him.
He immediately released a cloud of black smoke, vanishing instantly and causing the flame to miss.
"An Assassin, huh? And with pretty good concealment skills too?"
I reappeared and looked up.
There was a girl standing on a Wyvern, her eyes looking down at me like I was an ant.
"Excuse me, may I ask who you—"
Another spear of flame shot toward him, forcing him to leap into the air.
She spun her flag and hurled it straight at him.
He blocked it with his sword, deflecting the flag and sending it spinning back to her hand.
"Oh, not bad combat skills either. Not terrible for an Assassin Servant."
I landed on the ground, watching as she rode her Wyvern closer.
Then she dismounted, staring at me.
"I set up these Wyverns here to lure those who would oppose me so I could wipe them out completely. But oh my, who would've thought someone with concealment skills so good I couldn't even detect them would show up?"
"Why, thank you, beautiful young lady," Nura said with a light smile, calmly looking at her.
"Hmph. It seems you're the one my Servant mentioned. That strange hair is exactly as she described."
"Oh? You have a Servant who knows me?"
"Yeah, she's from Japan. Why ask me?"
"Oh, I'd be grateful if you could tell me her name."
"Hoho, quite the gentleman, aren't you, soon-to-be-dead sir?"
She unleashed another flame at him, this one even stronger than before.
He gripped his chipped katana tightly and swung with all his might.
BOOM!
She was slightly surprised by the sight before her.
The flame had been sliced cleanly in half.
He then pointed his katana at her.
"Kind lady, how about a truce for now?"
She raised an eyebrow at his words.
"Reason?"
"Because I think you should calm down a bit. You may be stronger than me right now, but I'm confident I could cut off one of your arms, and I'm certain I could do it."
"Are you threatening me?" She glared at him.
"Threatening? We're both Servants. What good would threatening do to someone as enraged as you?"
"You talk too much. Get to the point."
I smiled.
"Why don't you call more Servants here to kill me? Wouldn't that be easier and more in line with what you want?"
"…"
This bastard… he's stalling for time.
But… I like it.
"Pretty boy, has anyone ever told you you're an idiot?"
"No, they usually call me a Casanova instead."
"Pfft."
[Evil Magnet EX]
[Always attracts the attention of evil beings, and depending on the situation, they may be willing to become allies. Causes a charm effect on evil enemies.]