By the time Talulah raced back, the battle had already been raging for some time.
The Serpent's Fangs stared intently at Jeanne, trying to discern her true origins.
With their meticulously honed tactics, they could crush even seasoned Ursus veterans in a single exchange.
Yet this girl, who looked like an ordinary peasant girl, transformed the instant she picked up her weapon.
This slender, frail-looking girl had not only withstood their initial assault but had also sent two of them flying with a single swing of her flagstaff. Judging by the brutal impact, her strength was astonishing!
What exactly is this thing? Even the Draco cub Duke Kashchey had adopted years ago couldn't match her strength. Could she be an Abyssal Hunter who had escaped from Aegir?
That didn't make sense either! What would those aquatic creatures be doing on the snowfields? Had they come to check if there were any penguins here?
In an instant, the battle had completely turned around. Who would have thought that Jeanne, whom they had initially believed to be prey, was actually the hunter? No wonder the Grand Duke wanted her eliminated!
But he had no time to be stunned, nor could he even divide his consciousness to speak.
Their only thought now was to retreat quickly and call for reinforcements to deal with this girl. To avoid arousing the Grand Duke's suspicions, they had brought only ten elite operatives.
"I don't know why you attacked me," Jeanne said, as if reading their minds, "but since you've started this fight, don't expect to leave unscathed."
She grabbed her weapon and charged forward. The Originium Arts these men wielded were completely ineffective against her.
Though she didn't know the exact limits of her abilities, her exceptional EX-rank Magic Resistance gave her confidence to withstand their Originium Arts.
With a single swing of her flagstaff, she sent one operative flying, slamming him motionless into a towering tree. Her other hand wielded her sword, felling another enemy in a swift arc.
The remaining operatives hastily drew their weapons, attempting to surround her and exploit any openings in close combat. But the great flag, wielded like a spear, moved with such relentless precision that it formed an impenetrable barrier, denying them any chance to close the distance.
Jeanne fought calmly, anticipating her enemies' next move. All she needed to do was parry their attacks while counterattacking at every opportunity.
It was like... being in a dream! Her Revelation would show her how to defeat them, and all she had to do was carry it out.
By the time Talulah arrived, only three Serpent's Fangs members remained, fleeing desperately as Jeanne relentlessly pursued them.
The battle had unfolded in a way completely opposite to Talulah's expectations. She knew Jeanne was strong, but she never imagined she could so utterly dominate these hardened mercenaries.
When Talulah saw their Originium Arts, she immediately recognized their affiliation. She had witnessed such techniques before—they belonged to Kashchey's personal forces!
Kashchey, you truly are a persistent specter...
Talulah thought furiously. In the next instant, her rage erupted into a searing inferno that consumed everything in its path, surging toward the Serpent's Fangs.
The Serpent's Fangs were utterly dumbfounded. Trapped between a rampaging dragon blocking their escape and Jeanne's relentless pursuit, what were they supposed to do?
They had never fought such a humiliating battle before! This was no different than sending an Internal Guard to assassinate the Patriot.
The flames erupted, melting everything around them. The house they had lived in for years was engulfed in flames.
Talulah watched sorrowfully as everything around her burned, the acrid stench of burning corpses filling the air. A profound grief welled up within her.
Jeanne gazed at the burning wooden house, a pang of reluctance tugging at her heart. After all, she had lived there for years, and watching it vanish like this was truly hard to bear.
Suddenly, as if struck by a sudden thought, she charged into the raging inferno and disappeared!
"Ah! Jeanne, come back! Forget the stuff!" Talulah panicked instantly. She never imagined Jeanne would be so reckless. What could possibly be more important than her own life?
The problem was, this wasn't ordinary fire—it was fueled by Talulah's Originium Arts, burning hotter and fiercer than any natural flame. Yet she still hadn't figured out how to extinguish it.
Just as Talulah was at her wit's end, Jeanne emerged unscathed from the sea of fire. Not a single scorch mark marred her skin as she clutched a collection of miscellaneous items.
Among them was the red cloth she always carried, some mementos of her grandparents, a strange bottle filled with clear water... and her secret stash of savings!
She had completely forgotten her hard-earned money was still in the house. If Jeanne hadn't risked her life to retrieve it, the coins would have melted into molten metal.
"You're too reckless! What could possibly be more precious than your life? If anything had happened to you, how would I ever explain it to them?!"
Talulah hurriedly took the object from Jeanne's hand, scolding her for her recklessness, still shaken by the near-disaster.
"Ahaha, it's fine! The flames didn't affect me at all, did they?" Jeanne chuckled.
She had only entered the blaze after confirming it was created by Originium Arts. While she remained unsure how natural fire might affect her, she certainly wouldn't risk burning herself again to test it.
But these flames, formed from Originium Arts, were essentially equivalent to Magic from the Type-Moon World—completely harmless to her.
By the time they returned with Alina and her grandparents, the village had been reduced to ashes, leaving only a charred wasteland with drifting smoke.
The elderly couple stared at their burned-down home without a word, finally murmuring after a long silence, "It's good you're safe. That's all that matters."
Just then, the villagers, seeing the crisis had subsided, began to gather, casting fearful glances at Jeanne and Talulah.
"They actually killed the Inspection Team! We're doomed! We're doomed!"
"What do we do now?! Where did those flames even come from? Are they Infected?"
"Think about it! If they weren't Infected, how could they possibly defeat the Inspection Team's masters?"
Talulah lowered her head, silent with remorse. She knew she was the one who had brought this calamity upon them. The Serpent's Fangs had only been driven to such brutality because of her presence here.
"We're doomed! We're doomed! Those aren't the Inspection Team's Black Bugs! Those are the nobles' private soldiers! I saw their family crest with my own eyes!"
Anthony, the villager who had given them directions earlier, shouted from the crowd, his face flushed from too much wine. A born troublemaker, he relished the chaos and loudly proclaimed everything he knew.
"They're after Jeanne! They even pulled out her portrait when they stormed in! The nobles are going to wipe us out! We're doomed! So, Village Chief, that five Ruble debt I owe you? Consider it settled!"
Anthony gesticulated wildly, making a fool of himself. Nearby villagers, who had received kindness from the family, couldn't bear to watch any longer and tackled the drunkard to the ground.
"Let's go. We'll head to Alina's house first. We can discuss the rest later," Jeanne said with a gentle smile, observing the villagers' reactions. They helped the elderly and carried their belongings as they slowly made their way toward Alina's home.
The villagers wisely parted, clearing a wide path. Talulah noticed a myriad of emotions in their eyes: pity, confusion, sorrow, despair, disgust... but most of all, a reluctance to let go.
As if having made up her mind, her gaze burned with unwavering determination, like a flame. Yet she silently followed Jeanne.