"If the chance arises, you must stop Laurent."
In the quiet woods at night, the girl Jeanne d'Arc received such a prophecy.
It included many future events, such as the locations of battles in the war between France and England.
Standing before her were three angels shimmering with golden light, as if illuminating the path ahead.
Yet just as she was prepared to accept her destiny and begin her journey, the angels gave her another warning.
"Jeanne, mercy toward your enemy is cruelty toward yourself. Ideally, you must kill Laurent. His existence will become your greatest enemy in the future."
Laurent…my enemy?
How could that possibly be true?!
The girl obviously didn't want to believe it. The angels understood her turmoil as they continued:
"Further guidance will become clear in time, but Jeanne, you must always remember that you fight for France. If nothing changes, Laurent will soon use these culinary skills to develop your village."
These words plunged the girl into chaos. She didn't know how to handle it.
Laurent becoming her enemy was something she couldn't even imagine. She wanted to save France, yes, but not at the cost of turning the person she cared about most into her foe.
"If you don't stop him now, he'll eventually become a tyrant ruling England, forcibly conquering nations and concentrating all power in his own hands. France needs your guidance. Never forget your mission, Jeanne d'Arc. The Lord shall always be within your heart."
Such brief words had an immense impact, so heavy that Jeanne struggled to sleep peacefully for several nights.
Laurent, a tyrant…?
Now, as Jeanne lay beside Laurent, watching him sleep, she couldn't help but softly chuckle in disbelief.
Impossible. The angels must have made a mistake. After all, even angels must get confused sometimes, with so many tasks to handle.
...
"Sister Jeanne! You're staring at that bad Laurent again!"
While playing with the village children, Jeanne had become distracted when Laurent happened to walk past.
Only when the ball bounced off her did she snap out of her daze.
"N-No, I wasn't!"
Her protest was weak, and Jeanne felt a bit annoyed at herself.
Lately, Laurent had been busy with developing some kind of economic plan, always among the adults and rarely having time to chat with her. Previously, they'd spent every day together, talking and playing; now, all that time was lost.
Wait, why am I always thinking about him anyway?
Jeanne found herself feeling confused.
No, no—I won't think about that Laurent anymore!
Determined, she shifted her focus back to playing.
Yet, no matter what she did, Laurent's face kept slipping into her mind.
Nowadays, Laurent was always busy working for the sake of the village. Meanwhile, she was still playing around.
She desperately wanted to help—at least so he wouldn't be burdened alone.
She'd seen how tired Laurent looked at night, falling into a deep sleep completely unlike his usual self.
Or rather, Laurent was clearly working very hard now, pouring effort into helping the village. Previously, he would just fool around all day and stay up late.
Somehow, Jeanne felt Laurent was even more charming now than before. And that made her doubt the angels' words even more.
A Laurent like this couldn't possibly become evil.
...
A few days later, the newly-formed merchant team was ready to depart.
All the villagers gathered at the entrance, offering heartfelt blessings to the men about to leave and bring prosperity to the village.
Laurent stood among them, full of hope himself.
If this merchant venture succeeded, maybe he could finally keep Jeanne from going away.
Keep her from doing all those things.
Now, Laurent had already made up his mind. What did France matter? What did war matter? He didn't care about any of it.
All he wished was for this girl, who'd accompanied him for over a decade, to live peacefully, marry happily, and lead her own life.
He wasn't even sure if this feeling was romantic, familial, or simply friendship.
But none of that mattered. What mattered was that he simply didn't want the original fate to happen.
Defiling a holy maiden? Turning into a villain or ending up despised by history?
He couldn't care less. No matter how future history judged him, he wouldn't care.
He would alter the destiny of this legendary French heroine—nothing else.
And as for that holy maiden nonsense—why not choose someone else? Why burden a young girl like Jeanne with something like that?
He didn't believe in God, nor had he ever trusted any deity. Rather than believing in God, he'd sooner trust that his own two hands could revive the dead.
The time he'd spent with Jeanne over the last decade wasn't fake. Laurent would never accept the fate prepared for her.
Looking at the panel displaying the "Hero's Path" mission—to support Jeanne in becoming a saint—he decisively rejected it.
Only after the merchant group had fully disappeared into the distance, and all burdens felt lighter, did Jeanne quietly approach Laurent's side.
"How did you make those breads of yours?"
Laurent glanced sideways at her. He knew she'd been eager to ask.
He'd noticed her secretly helping around these days, though he hadn't mentioned it openly.
In history originally—
No, Laurent corrected himself. This wasn't history; this was now, reality.
Jeanne had always been kindhearted, and seeing him busy, she naturally wanted to help.
"You wanna learn? I can teach you." Laurent crossed his arms smugly.
"Come on, call me 'Lord Laurent' a few times. If I'm in a good mood, maybe I'll teach you something even better."
Jeanne immediately froze at his suggestion.
"You—! Stupid Laurent! I can just ask Papa instead!"
"Hah! Uncle Jacques can't do what I can."
Laurent smirked proudly, leaving Jeanne flustered and unsure how to respond.
After a long moment, she gathered herself and cautiously said, "I—I can give you a massage! Your shoulders or arms!" she offered, proudly using something she'd just learned.
"So, is this equivalent exchange?"
"Of course! Just like you said—I offer physical effort, and you offer skills!"
Listening to her words, Laurent considered it a fair exchange.
"Fine, then. Tonight, give me a good massage, and afterward, I'll teach you. Follow me later."
"It's a promise, then!"
Yet inside, Jeanne was quietly pleased.
Heh, silly Laurent—you have no idea I planned to give you a massage for free anyway! I saw how tired you were and planned to be generous, letting you relax! Now, not only do I get to do something I wanted to anyway, but I also get your baking skills in return! I'm not as foolish as you always say!
Little did Jeanne know Laurent's thoughts were much the same as hers. If he wanted her to become a good wife someday, naturally, she had to learn these things anyway.
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T/N: woah laurent must die!