When they woke up the next morning, Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others felt something was definitely off. Jeanne, especially, seemed oddly shy, while Laurent—he was smiling nonstop.
Of course he was happy; who wouldn't be after finally winning over his wife?
"Yosh! I'm full of motivation today!" Laurent strode over to Ritsuka Fujimaru and slapped him heartily on the back. "Master, it's a great chance to show off my abilities. Haha!"
Jeanne stayed to the side, bashful and quiet. Last night, however, Laurent had already revealed everything about himself to her.
Two Noble Phantasms, two Reality Marbles, and…God-Slayer.
Jeanne had guessed at the last one.
Then came Laurent's passive abilities:
[Eternal Trial of the Lake of Blood]:Ignores all attacks that deal purely physical damage.
Well, strictly speaking, not completely ignored. To put it simply, unless someone wiped him out entirely—every last cell—he simply couldn't die.
And even then, to harm him required a Noble Phantasm effective against evil.
A Noble Phantasm effective against evil…just like the Luobishi Divine Sword in his left hand.
[Absolute Evil]:All concepts or beings related to evil are under absolute domination.
Paired with the Trial of the Lake of Blood, Laurent was essentially immortal. If someone managed to utterly vaporize him without a trace, it would prove they had killing intent—an evil inclination he could easily control.
[Mad Enhancement EX]…Laurent specifically emphasized this several times to Jeanne.
He couldn't casually use this ability. If he did…his brain would probably tremble, becoming consumed with thoughts of her.
[Devourer of All Things]:Allows him to consume any living entity and convert it into his own energy. There were other less significant skills, like Mastery of Blood, but Laurent only gave a rough explanation.
Then, as a first step toward deepening their friendship, the two exchanged all information they had about each other.
Naturally, it wasn't some shameless husband-and-wife conspiracy.
Marital affairs, how could that be a conspiracy?
But Laurent himself was surprised—the cross necklace around his neck had unexpectedly become an A-rank Noble Phantasm.
As for its name…let's not talk about that. Anyway, the person described by that name definitely wasn't Jeanne.
Although the Luobishi Divine Sword was incredibly powerful, its attributes were indeed rather special.
Then came his status:
Strength: A
Endurance: A
Agility: B
Luck: C
Magic Resistance: E
It seemed okay? Laurent honestly had no idea if these stats were impressive or not. Judging by his past gaming experience, he'd only consider it impressive if all attributes were maxed out.
"Let's get out of this forest first and head towards Orléans."
Jeanne took charge, voice firm.
"Although infiltrating Orléans directly will be difficult, we might be able to gather intelligence about the city and fortresses nearby."
"Yes," Jeanne continued. "The other 'me' has occupied a prison tower as her fortress."
"I see," Laurent said thoughtfully, stroking his chin as he recalled Jeanne Alter's appearance and aura. "Though I must admit, that version of you was strangely cool."
"Hmm…?" Jeanne's voice dragged out, tinged with discomfort and grievance.
At this point, she still wasn't sure exactly who this Jeanne Alter was. But regardless of whether she truly was another 'her,' Jeanne didn't feel comfortable hearing Laurent talk about her this way.
Jeanne felt vaguely upset, yet found it strange she was even jealous of herself.
"All right, all right." Laurent placated gently.
Jeanne nodded slightly, addressing the rest, "Given our current combat strength, we shouldn't engage recklessly without a solid chance of victory."
Laurent thought inwardly: No, Jeanne—actually, aside from Jeanne Alter herself, I could handle everything easily. The rest of them have been infected by Mad Enhancement to some degree; they can't possibly be my opponents.
But he didn't say any of this aloud. He needed to know Jeanne Alter's true identity first. If Laurent discovered she was merely an imposter wearing Jeanne's face, he'd show that woman exactly what hell meant. If she truly was another aspect of Jeanne…then that'd be a different matter.
"Let's move out."
After leaving the forest, they arrived at La Charité-sur-Loire. Soon, Doctor Romani's voice sounded in their ears:
"Wait—I detected a Servant's presence ahead of you!"
Everyone immediately tensed up, though Laurent casually continued stealing glances at his wife's chest and butt.
Though covered by armor, that didn't stop his infrared or ultraviolet gaze.
"Huh…? The enemy is retreating…Ah, no! They disappeared! Too fast!"
Beside them, Fou started squeaking. Every time Laurent saw this little creature, he had the urge to braise it. Eventually, he just stopped looking at it altogether.
He suspected this little creature wasn't ordinary; otherwise, there was no reason it attracted him so strongly.
"We should hurry too!"
When they arrived at the city, it was utterly silent.
Laurent's senses picked up no traces of life.
Crack—
"Wait, I just heard something…" Jeanne's hand gripped the French banner tightly. Laurent's eyes had never left her from the start.
It was his first time seeing Jeanne's combat style—it was undeniably charming and compelling, and her decisions were always the best for the situation at hand.
Several undead appeared within their field of vision, identical to those Laurent had encountered last night.
"Prepare for combat!"
Everyone tensed up again, Laurent's eyes landing on Mash.
It wasn't that he was hoping for some fanservice during the fight—he simply wanted to see this girl's capabilities clearly.
Her shield…looked pretty sturdy.
But once Jeanne moved forward, Laurent simply stayed beside her, protecting her. Occasionally, when undead approached, he casually devoured them for energy.
These things were still flesh, after all—not living, but still had energy.
A few minutes later, the battle ended, everyone breathing heavily. In the distance, they spotted several wyverns feeding on corpses.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't steal my food!"
This immediately provoked Laurent's displeasure. In a few swift steps, he ran forward and devoured the wyverns competing with him.
You eat my food, I eat you! Laurent perfectly demonstrated this principle with his actions.
This unusual combat style left Ritsuka Fujimaru utterly speechless, sweat forming on his forehead.
"How deeply must one hate humanity to commit such acts…even after death, there's no peace."
Jeanne watched this scene with saddened eyes.
Perhaps Laurent eating them was, ironically, a greater mercy.
"Wait, the Servant who left earlier has returned!" Doctor Roman's voice urgently broke in. "Their speed is incredible—possibly a Rider-class? Regardless, run away now! You can't match them in speed; you have to retreat!"
"Hm…"
Laurent's gaze sharpened as he stared at the distant horizon.
This aura… It's Jeanne Alter.
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