"Be a good boy~ Tell me about yourself first. You know everything about me, but I know nothing about you except the title 'Humanity's Last Master.' That's hardly fair."
Jeanne gently combed through Takumi's hair, her cheeks slightly flushed.
After all, she was an innocent maiden; this was her first time having such intimate contact with a male.
"Don't talk to me like that... I'm not a child..."
Takumi felt a little uncomfortable with Jeanne's actions.
"Not a child...?"
Jeanne looked at the unburned, youthful half of his face and blinked.
"Then how old are you?"
"Sixteen... Seventeen!"
"I heard that~ Only sixteen. Aren't you even younger than me?"
"I remember in Chaldea's historical records, you went to the battlefield for the first time around that age too."
"You even know about that? But I wasn't alone back then. I had comrades helping me."
Jeanne's face heated up a little more.
"Wait, how did we end up talking about me? Weren't we talking about you?"
Jeanne stiffly changed the subject.
Takumi didn't mind her clumsy deflection. He hesitated for a moment, organizing his thoughts, and began to recount everything that had happened since he arrived at Chaldea.
"So you're saying you ran here the moment your injuries healed? Isn't that a bit too rushed?"
After listening, Jeanne, who could guess how hard it must have been for Takumi alone, couldn't help but ask.
If he was tired, he should have rested a bit longer.
Takumi shook his head.
"If I didn't hurry, there wouldn't be enough time. I might not have even met you."
"Besides..."
Takumi took a deep breath.
"It was only when I was lying in Chaldea, injured and alone, that I realized I was truly by myself. It felt like the world had abandoned me..."
The small bit of pride he had felt from clearing Singularity F had been burned to ash during that time.
"I hate the empty Chaldea."
Takumi lowered his eyes, forcing himself not to recall those days of isolation and helplessness.
Jeanne's gaze softened significantly, and her hold on Takumi tightened.
She had never experienced that feeling, so she didn't know how to comfort him. But surely, companionship was the best comfort, right?
Neither of them spoke again. The only sounds in the small grove were the chirping of insects and birds, and the occasional crackle of the fire.
After some time.
Jeanne noticed that Takumi's breathing had become steady.
'Asleep?'
She looked down at Takumi's face. The frown that had been etched on his brow had relaxed, revealing a sleeping face as peaceful as a baby's.
"Looking like this... how can I let go?"
Feeling her legs starting to go numb, Jeanne sighed softly. Resigned, she continued to stroke Takumi's hair.
She could feel the insecurity in his heart, and the dependence he had formed on her—someone he had met only once—clinging to her like a lifeline.
'I feel like I'd be condemned if I let go now...'
At that moment, Takumi, deep in sleep, seemed to be looking for a more comfortable position. He unconsciously nuzzled deeper into Jeanne's embrace.
"Ugh..."
Feeling her two holy peaks being rubbed against, two suspicious blushes flashed across Jeanne's face.
She pinched Takumi's cheek in embarrassment and annoyance.
The night passed.
It had been a long time since he slept so well. He even had a dream...?
In the dream, he seemed to be eating jelly. The kind that couldn't be bitten through no matter how hard he tried—oh right, the jelly hit back! It pinched his face until it hurt!
Takumi thought groggily as he slowly opened his sore eyes.
Beside his nose was a familiar scent, and the embrace was quite warm and soft. Directly in front of him were two majestic peaks of humanity. They were so "bouncy" that just looking at them made one want to take a bite...
Wait, take a bite?
Seeing the suspicious wet mark on the clothes covering those peaks, Takumi instantly woke up. A bad feeling suddenly washed over him.
He looked up past the two massive mounds and met the girl's azure eyes, which held a mix of shyness, annoyance, and a hint of resentment.
...Huh?
Takumi's heart skipped a beat.
The two didn't have one of those scenes common in anime or novels. They simply rose from the grass in silence, tacitly agreeing not to bring it up.
But when Takumi saw Jeanne silently cleaning her chest with water, he couldn't help but cover his face in embarrassment.
After completely extinguishing the bonfire, the two set off to find traces of Siegfried.
"By the way, I remember you said you've been here for over a day. Where have you been?"
Without a map, Jeanne had to confirm their direction first.
Takumi fell silent, then spoke with difficulty:
"...Only here."
"Hm?"
Jeanne tilted her head in confusion.
"I got lost as soon as I got here. Then I wandered around here for a day and ended up back where I started."
Takumi turned his head away, deciding to just admit it.
Yes, this was the final straw that had plunged Takumi into despair at the beginning.
Even knowing that time was tight, Takumi, who had a poor sense of direction and a bit of a "getting lost" attribute, inevitably fell into the desperate situation of running in circles.
He couldn't help it. No map, limited supplies, and not a single person in Chaldea to provide support. The Savior of Humanity had stumbled over the most ridiculous hurdle.
"Anyway, I'm hopeless with directions. Do you have a way?"
Forcing himself to ignore Jeanne's strange look, Takumi stiffly changed the subject.
Jeanne held back her laughter, trying not to burst out laughing on the spot.
"After forming a contract with you, my Spirit Origin has recovered a bit. Although not to my peak condition, I can barely use the [Revelation] skill. Pointing out the way shouldn't be a problem."
Calming herself down, Jeanne's expression returned to serious. She clasped her hands together in prayer.
Jeanne d'Arc—or rather, the Saint of Orleans—claimed in her youth to have received revelations from God, telling her to lead the army to recover French territories occupied by England.
And history unfolded just as she said. After several twists and turns, Jeanne obtained military command and indeed led France to many victories.
However, Jeanne didn't remain active for long. Due to some rather "brilliant" maneuvers by the French, she was captured and later burned at the stake, living a legendary yet short life.
In his original world, Takumi's understanding of the historical Jeanne was simple and widely accepted: rather than hearing God's revelations, she was a natural-born military genius who could catch subtle clues and anticipate the enemy's moves.
That was why she won so many victories.
But now, Takumi didn't think so. This was the Type-Moon world, where God might actually exist. Jeanne, possessing the Revelation skill, probably didn't have as high a military aptitude as in actual history. The credit for winning those battles likely belonged mostly to God.
He had to admit, the Revelation skill was truly useful. Jeanne had only prayed for a short while before obtaining information regarding Siegfried's direction.
"Because my skill level has dropped, the revelation isn't very clear, but I barely managed to get a direction. Let's head that way."
Jeanne opened her eyes and pointed into the distance.
"Okay."
Takumi nodded, then extended his finger and drew a strange character in the air.
"What is that?"
Jeanne watched Takumi's movements with curiosity.
"Rune Magecraft. It's one of the abilities I inherited from Cú Chulainn. This character can strengthen our physical abilities and increase our movement speed."
"You're using it now? We probably have a long way to go to find Siegfried. Traversing the entirety of France isn't out of the question. We should save Mana."
Jeanne frowned and suggested.
"It's fine. Rune Magecraft doesn't consume much Mana. With my current Mana capacity, I can maintain the reinforcement for a long time. Besides, there are Runes that can recover Mana too."
"...I see. Rune Magecraft really is convenient!"
Jeanne realized, gaining a new appreciation for the utility of Runes.
"Yeah."
Only after truly obtaining this skill did Takumi understand how complex and useful Rune Magecraft was. What was shown in the game was just the tip of the iceberg.
Unfortunately, this skill wasn't something Takumi had learned or trained for himself. Inherited from Cú Chulainn, Takumi couldn't fully utilize the power appropriate for the skill's rank.
He was only proficient with the fire-attribute offensive Runes that matched his affinity and were frequently used by Cú Chulainn.
Spending a little time, the drawn characters turned into two rays of light that covered Takumi and Jeanne.
Feeling their bodies become lighter and more powerful, the two knew the power of the Runes had taken effect and began their journey in unison.
Both possessed the power of Servants, so their running speed wasn't slow to begin with. With the aid of Runes, they were even faster. Before long, they crossed the plain that Takumi had circled for a day.
In a sense, Takumi had been lucky. That plain was likely one of the few pure lands left in France. Once they left it, Takumi had the illusion of returning to the burning Fuyuki.
This era was during the Hundred Years' War between England and France. The flames of war were already everywhere. Torched villages, ruined cities, and maggot-ridden corpses could be seen everywhere.
Although it hadn't reached the level of the burning Fuyuki—where not a single person could be found and the entire city was dead silent—this kind of ruin was even more silencing.
The two remained silent about what they saw on the road. After all, this was the basic form of war; Jeanne had experienced it countless times.
Takumi, having cleared the Fuyuki dungeon, had gained some experience and was somewhat immune to such sights.
More importantly, the changes brought about by Jeanne Alter's manifestation were the real issue.
Wyverns, which absolutely shouldn't exist in this era, occasionally swept across the sky. Seemingly endless Skeleton Soldiers roamed the land. If this continued in this Singularity, France might truly be emptied of people one day.
"Over there! Several Wyverns are attacking a city!"
Jeanne suddenly spoke up.
Another group of Wyverns swept over their heads. Following their flight path, they could see a medium-sized city. Soldiers on the walls were using bows and crossbows to try and attack the incoming beasts.
But Wyverns were a sub-species of dragons. How could their scales and bones be easily breached by ordinary bolts? The Wyverns completely ignored the soldiers' attacks. With a swoop, they smashed into the city walls, then swept the soldiers off with a swing of their tails, sending them crashing lifelessly to the ground.
Even well-trained soldiers would find Skeleton Soldiers to be their limit. Against Wyverns, they had basically no chance of winning.
For a moment, screams and wails filled the city. The old, weak, sick, and disabled could only lock their doors and windows, curling up and praying in terror.
Whoosh!
A fireball the size of a washbasin suddenly rose from the ground, tracing an arc in the sky before squarely hitting a Wyvern hovering in the air.
BOOM!
An explosion rang out. The bursting flames engulfed the entire Wyvern, blasting its body backward. After flapping its wings a few times, it crashed uncontrollably to the ground.
Rapid, heavy footsteps sounded on the city wall. A figure leaped down from the ramparts, a rolled-up flag-lance aimed straight at the neck of the fallen Wyvern.
Thud!
A figure landed heavily, a lance-flag piercing straight through the Wyvern's neck.
The Wyvern's eyes bulged. It struggled weakly twice before disintegrating into gray dust and vanishing on the spot.
The figure let out a breath and shook the bloodstained flag. The fabric, emblazoned with a crest and golden irises, fluttered in the wind.
It was Jeanne. The fireball from earlier had been launched remotely by Takumi using Rune Magecraft.
Of course, both of them knew they should be prioritizing the search for Siegfried. But faced with beasts committing atrocities and the helpless cries of people, the two who could still do something within their power exchanged a glance and rushed over together.
After remotely shooting down a Wyvern with Rune Magecraft, Jeanne accelerated, leaped from the ground to the city wall, and then jumped straight into the city to finish off the enemies.
Takumi's stats were likely even lower than the half-crippled Jeanne's, but with the enhancement of Rune Magecraft, he borrowed a bit of leverage from the wall and managed to jump up as well.
Standing on the high city wall, looking at the devastation within the city and the Phantasmal Species rampaging through it, Takumi felt a bit dazed.
Everything before him, combined with the fact that he had just jumped up a city wall in two steps—a feat impossible for a modern human—made Takumi truly realize he was now in a world filled with fantasy.
Unlike in Singularity F, where he relied entirely on Cú Chulainn to carry him, now he had to truly join the battlefield.
His fingers slid through the air, and characters appeared before him one by one.
Rune Magecraft could be used individually, but characters could also be combined for greater power.
However, unlike Cú Chulainn's rapid-fire combinations, Takumi's speed in combining Runes was more than just a little slow.
In a battle between Servants, even someone as fast as Cú Chulainn had to find an opening to use Rune Magecraft, preferably with someone providing cover.
If facing a Servant alone, with Takumi's speed, he probably wouldn't even have the chance to use ordinary Rune Magecraft.
It was only because he was dealing with a group of mindless Wyverns now that he had the opportunity to unleash his skills.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Fireballs lined up and fired continuously like a machine gun, tracing arcs in the air and accurately hitting the Wyverns in the city.
Although Takumi used it clumsily, it was a skill inherited from Cú Chulainn, so the power was guaranteed. After a few fireballs, the two Wyverns hovering over the city were shot down by Takumi, then finished off by Jeanne.
Of course, Wyverns weren't completely brainless beasts. One of them scattered in the city slyly targeted Takumi, who was acting as a turret on the wall.
Flapping its wings, it charged toward Takumi's position.
How could Takumi miss such a large target?
Anticipating this, Takumi controlled several fireballs hovering beside him to attack the Wyvern.
It turned sideways to dodge the first fireball, but the second one followed immediately, smashing into its body. Its body paused for a moment—and that pause taught the Wyvern the meaning of "firepower saturation."
Takumi emotionlessly rubbed out fireballs, smashing them into the Wyvern one after another. In no time, the entire Wyvern was burned into charcoal.
The current Takumi was no longer the Takumi who ran from Skeleton Soldiers!
There weren't many attacking Wyverns, so in a short while, they were completely wiped out by the duo's cooperation.
Seeing the dust settle, the soldiers who had been hiding or fighting in a sorry state finally revealed smiles after a long time.
"To be able to deal with those monsters... you guys are really amazing..."
"By the way, where are you from? You don't feel like locals."
"Wait! Look clearly! That person's face—the Witch! It's the Dragon Witch!"
"Ah! Don't kill me, don't kill me..."
...
The soldiers who had gathered around, looking dusty and grateful just a moment ago, instantly revealed expressions of sheer terror upon seeing Jeanne's face. Screaming, they scrambled away in a panic.
They didn't even give the two a chance to speak.
Jeanne watched this scene with disappointment.
"Are you okay?"
Takumi hesitated before asking.
"I'm fine. I just don't quite understand what the other 'me' actually did to make these soldiers so terrified just by seeing my face."
Jeanne shook her head, her eyes revealing a trace of worry.
"Does that even need to be said? Of course, it's destroying this shitty country!"
A voice suddenly came from the sky.
Both were startled. As they looked up, they readied their combat stances.
A black dot expanded rapidly in the air, then smashed heavily into the ground. Dust billowed, and debris flew everywhere.
Jeanne waved her flag twice, deflecting the debris flying toward them, while staring intently ahead.
Under the ominous black magical energy, the dust was dispersed and suppressed to the ground, revealing the newcomer's appearance.
Black armor and clothing, holding a flag identical to Jeanne's in style, except the pattern was that of a black dragon.
Dull hair color, pale skin, and a mocking smile on her lips—it was Jeanne Alter!
The existence who was jokingly called "one of the easiest women to handle in Chaldea" in the game now stood on the opposite side of Takumi, the Master.
Without Chaldea's support, Jeanne had lost the super-large detection range inherent to the Ruler class. Essentially, both relied on hearing and sight to lock onto enemy positions.
This resulted in them not sensing the danger until the opponent appeared right in their faces.
"Unlike political or economic methods, isn't destroying everything in this physical way simpler, more effective, and more satisfying?"
Jeanne Alter grinned.
"I know that, of course. I just don't understand. If you are me, why must you do this? Why must you destroy this country?"
Jeanne pointed her flag at Jeanne Alter, questioning her sternly and with confusion.
Jeanne Alter's face instantly darkened.
Without seeing her make any move, four figures deactivated their Spirit Form and appeared by her side.
They were the "look like bad guys" duo: Vlad III and Carmilla.
And the "forced against their will" duo: Martha and Chevalier d'Eon.