Jeanne didn't leave the place of execution.
She simply sat there, silently holding Laurent.
The soldiers who had tried to rescue her were driven away, leaving her alone on the ground, cradling his body in quiet stillness.
"The king is dead!"
Someone shouted first.
"Kill the woman who murdered the king!"
The carefully rehearsed script had gone off course. Some soldiers hesitated, unsure what to do with Jeanne.
She looked around at the crowd, then at the Archbishop.
"Carry out the execution. He's dead now, so there's no point to any of this anymore. Please—just let me stay with him."
The Archbishop stared at her, his heart filled with shock.
What a holy woman she truly was… To face death and still speak so calmly.
He let out a long, helpless sigh.
"Holy Maiden, you don't have to follow this demon to his death. You could still leave safely—even if you wish to transcend—"
"Just execute me. Enough of those words."
This time, Jeanne's voice carried a quiet plea.
She turned to the hesitant soldiers around her.
"His Majesty the King told us you must live…"
"But he's already dead, isn't he?"
She gently stroked Laurent's face.
"Can I ask one thing? When I die, please bury me with him."
"But, Holy Maiden, this kind of man—"
Some soldiers who knew nothing approached—Laurent hadn't arranged everything perfectly.
Seeing Jeanne's determined eyes, they sighed, their voices low with sorrow.
"We understand, Holy Maiden. But you must realize, if you stay here now, everything he did will have been for nothing."
"So would my life mean anything if he's gone?"
She shook her head, clutching Laurent's clothes tightly.
"None of that matters anymore. I just want to be with him. Right now, that's all I want. Even if… even if my life is what he tried so hard to protect, I still want to stay by his side."
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Light the fire! Release the Holy Maiden from her suffering!"
Following orders, the soldiers threw torches onto the straw beneath her feet.
Flames rose, and every gaze turned toward the pyre.
The fire felt like a boundary between one life and the next.
Within that blaze, Jeanne lowered her head, holding Laurent close.
"I'm sorry, Laurent. In the end, let me be selfish one last time."
She pressed a gentle kiss to his face, and the flames swallowed them both.
Standing amid the searing pain, Jeanne made no sound.
Laurent's face feels so warm. Why didn't I touch him more before?
The one person who truly stayed by me—I abandoned him in the end. Laurent… I must be the worst wife imaginable.
If we had another chance… would we still make the same choices?
If we had another chance… I'd stay by your side for the rest of my life, quietly, as your wife.
...
As the flames died down, white doves rose into the air.
Everyone bowed their heads in silence.
After that day, the two kingdoms ceased fighting, placing all blame on Évigi.
Whether it was the cause of war or any other reason—Évigi became history's villain, while the Holy Maiden's name was eternally revered.
Her legend spread everywhere; there wasn't a soul who hadn't heard it.
England turned to overseas trade. Ten-year-old Henry VI inherited the throne under others' guidance and began rebuilding the kingdom.
Everything moved toward a better future. Only France's reorganization remained.
They retried Jeanne's case, overturning her conviction as a witch and declaring her a saint.
But even then, Monsieur Jacques wept without end.
Laurent and Jeanne—children he had raised—had given up everything for their country.
In the end, they had nothing. Even after Laurent was declared dead, his body was never found.
He had vanished completely, leaving no trace.
Some French soldiers claimed he had given Jeanne something, but when they searched, they found only a few pages of sketches.
That night, Jacques nearly broke. For a father who had raised those two from infancy only to lose both before they truly grew up—nothing could be crueller.
A monument was built in Jeanne's honor, recording her heroic deeds.
On that stone was also the name of a young man—Laurent.
He had been Jeanne's steadfast supporter, aiding her in secret, providing weapons and horses. But when asked who Laurent truly was, no one could say.
And on the other side—Évigi.
England's tyrant, whose reign was the shortest in history: a king who died the very day he was crowned.
Cruelty and tyranny were all that remained of his memory; no other words were used to describe him.
Time passed quietly, until celebrating the Holy Maiden became an everyday custom.
...
In the year 1500, on a day much like this one, a man arrived at Jeanne's grave.
He was wrapped tightly from head to toe, a cap pulled low over his eyes.
He walked slowly to the gravestone and knelt.
"Why did you have to be so foolish? Even back then—you never listened to me. I don't recall a time when a wife could so easily ignore her husband's words."
His murmurs met only silence.
Unbothered, he reached up and removed a cross necklace, placing it gently before the stone.
"Here. Compensation."
He sighed—a long breath heavy with emotion he couldn't voice.
"Forget it. None of this can be changed now. Jeanne, the Age of Gods is over. Those gods have already paid their price."
He tilted his cap up slightly, revealing eyes of gold beneath it.
"I guess now I finally understand what it means to become the kind of person you once hated most. And if you still believe in gods, maybe this time you'll actually listen to me?"
Pulling the cap low again, he clenched his fist.
Don't worry—I made a promise.
As long as I live, I won't let you stay dead.
The ground beneath him cracked faintly under the weight of his power.
Those gods were only the beginning. The ones who led you astray are gone. Now, only you remain.
They say this world holds something like a universal wishing machine. I wonder if it can bring you back.
But it doesn't matter. I'll fight for it—just like before.
Even if the odds are one in a hundred million, I'll do whatever it takes.
Those damned angels still managed to deceive him, though—the Luobishi divine sword could only seal evil, not destroy it. When his evil was sealed away, only his divinity remained…
---
A/N:
Due to story needs, there'll be one more update tonight. Next up: The Hundred Years' Evil Dragon – Jeanne Alter.
For readers unfamiliar with the game, don't worry—you don't need to have played the Hundred Years' Evil Dragon route. The plot is simple: Marshal Gilles summons Jeanne Alter, and the two sides clash. The main focus will be Jeanne and Jeanne Alter. Everything else is secondary.
One key detail: Jeanne Alter's memories are based on the Marshal's perception—not Jeanne's own.
...
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