[Altair Miller]
The next few hours were spent walking through the French countryside. We were almost in La Charité, and our goal was to gather information about Orléans.
"Altair-kun, couldn't you transform into a dragon and carry us on your back?" Ritsuka, who was walking beside us, asked with eyes sparkling like stars.
It seemed she genuinely wanted to fly on my back.
"I wouldn't mind, but I think that would be way too flashy... not to mention it would consume a lot of magical energy."
The Mystic Transformation: 72 Forms required considerable magical energy. It wasn't overly demanding, but it was still energy that might be needed later.
"However, if you just want to be carried..." I smiled, moving my hand toward her. Ritsuka jumped back, raising her hands in a defensive stance.
"I'm not getting carried like a sack of potatoes for the third time." She hid behind Mash, glaring at me furiously.
I just smiled lightly at that energetic girl, but in the next moment, a breeze passed by, bringing with it a familiar scent... the smell of burning wood.
I turned my face and spotted a column of smoke rising into the sky beneath thick, dark clouds.
"Something's wrong," Jeanne said, worried. "We need to—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Dr. Romani's voice echoed in our communicators.
"Wait a second, I'm detecting a Servant on your path... huh? I lost it!" Romani said, his voice confused. "Be careful, everyone."
"Understood," I replied, while Jeanne looked at me with pure concern. I nodded, and right after that, she rushed toward the city.
I glanced over at Ritsuka.
Noticing my gaze, she let out a tired sigh and raised her arm, too exhausted to even complain.
I grabbed her by her soft waist, and we dashed toward the city.
•••
The smell of fire filled the air, and smoke completely covered the sky.
The city was in flames, utterly destroyed, as if it had been hit by an earthquake.
I set Ritsuka down. She covered her nose as the smell of burnt flesh and the suffocating smoke made it unbearable.
"No..." Jeanne murmured, horrified, as she saw the state of La Charité.
Just two years ago, she had led the army that reclaimed this city from the English. Now, seeing it reduced to ruins must have been agonizing for her.
Without saying a word, Jeanne ran into the city, searching for survivors.
Not only was the city destroyed, but bodies were scattered all over the streets—men, women, and children. Some were burned, while others had been slashed or mutilated.
Ritsuka's eyes scanned the destruction, but she refused to look away.
I sighed. For a teenager, this was too much, especially for Ritsuka, who was such a kind person with a somewhat goofy personality.
"Let's split up and look for survivors," I said, snapping Ritsuka out of her daze. She simply nodded.
The moment I took a step, a loud noise echoed from the opposite side of the destroyed city.
Jeanne, still hoping to find someone, opened a door.
But when she did, she came face-to-face with a man devouring a little boy. His teeth tore through the child's flesh as screams echoed through the room.
"You!" Jeanne shouted, charging forward. Her right hand summoned her flag.
She shifted her weight onto her left foot, gaining momentum. The tip of the flag pierced the man's back with relentless force. The impact staggered him, but Jeanne pulled the shaft back with a smooth, fluid motion, spinning it in a swift upward arc—cleanly separating his head from his body. The head rolled across the floor while the body collapsed.
Turning to the boy, she realized... he was just like the man.
His skin was grayish, his eyes hollow and shadowed, carrying an expression that didn't belong to a child.
Jeanne's eyes widened as she grasped the situation. Even with trembling hands, she gripped her sword tightly, determined to end the boy's suffering.
But before she could move her flag, a sharp sound cut through the air. A heavy stone staff shot past her like a bolt of lightning, followed by a dull thud. The boy's skull was crushed instantly, leaving no time for pain or suffering. His small body collapsed to the ground, lifeless, as silence filled the room.
I walked up to the paralyzed Jeanne.
"Are you okay?" I asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Jeanne clenched her fists tightly. "No... but thank you, Master," she answered sincerely.
"It's alright. I may not be a religious person, but at least... he's at peace now."
She nodded, gripping her sword's hilt even tighter.
Seeing that she was doing slightly better, we left the house—only to be greeted by a group of zombie-like monsters.
I let out a tired sigh as I saw the bodies of zombie-like creatures scattered on the ground, while Okita's blade dripped with blood.
"Doctor Romani," I said, activating my communicator. "Are you detecting any life signs besides us?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"Other than you, there's nothing alive—neither humans nor animals." Romani sounded clearly saddened.
"Jeanne," I turned to my Servant.
"I know, Master," she replied, raising her blade. "I couldn't save them... but at least I can set them free." She charged toward the zombies.
Watching her determination, I swung my staff, smashing the skull of a zombie.
I wasn't in a good mood at all.
With a quick step, I dodged the swipe of another zombie. At the same instant, Artoria's blade came down, cleaving the creature in two.
As the zombie was cut, her eyes met mine.
We stared at each other for a few seconds and, without saying a word, went back to fighting, eliminating the zombies that, just hours ago, had been ordinary people.
After several minutes, we had taken down all the zombies. Some had turned to ashes, while others were just broken corpses on the ground.
"Is it over?" Ritsuka asked, placing her hands on her knees, panting.
There was no need to answer, because some Wyverns descended from the sky... and began devouring the corpses.
Ritsuka's eyes widened as she covered her mouth with both hands, trying not to vomit.
Even I frowned, finding the scene utterly inhumane and disgusting. Jeanne's eyes filled with fury as she watched her people being consumed.
Nobunaga, with an indifferent expression, raised her hand and summoned eight arquebuses that fired energy blasts, blasting the Wyverns apart before they could eat any more corpses. Jeanne followed up, wiping out the remaining Wyverns.
"This is exhausting," Ritsuka muttered, looking down at the ground.
"Yeah... it is," I murmured, plucking two strands of hair and throwing them into the air. They transformed into clones and, without a word, dashed toward the Wyverns.
"But if you keep walking this path, you'll definitely witness things even worse than this. So... instead of focusing on the cruelty of the world, focus on the good things—not just for yourself, but for the people who are important to you."
Ritsuka looked at me, tears running down her cheeks. Mash remained silent, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Altair-kun." She wiped her tears, her face now determined.
I simply smiled, proud, spinning my staff as I charged toward the remaining Wyverns with my clones.
Ritsuka clenched her fist, ordering Mash into the fight while coordinating Artoria.
With everyone working together, we eliminated the flying lizards, but since they were scattered, it took about half an hour.
"That was the last one," I said, raising my staff and crushing the skull of the final Wyvern.
"Seems like it," Ritsuka replied, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Meanwhile, Jeanne stood in silence, staring at the corpses.
"Jeanne." I turned to my Servant.
"It was probably 'me' behind all this," she said bitterly.
"N-no... we can't be sure..." Ritsuka started but trailed off as Jeanne began shaking her head.
"No, I'm sure. The only thing I don't understand is... why? How much hatred do you have to harbor in your soul to do something like this? Even in my final moments, when I was branded as a witch, I didn't hate the people who did it. I only prayed for them. That's why... I can't understand the thoughts of this other Jeanne," she said, her voice heavy with sorrow as she looked at the chaos.
At that moment, Dr. Romani's voice echoed from the communicator. "Hold on a second! The Servants that left a while ago... they're heading toward your position!" His voice was filled with panic.
"What?! How many?!" Fujimaru asked, sharing Romani's alarm.
"You've got to be kidding me! Five! And they're closing in fast! At this speed... are they Riders or something?!" he shouted, panicking. "You guys need to get out of there!"
"But..." Mash started, only to be interrupted by Romani.
"We could fight them if we knew who they were, but right now they're probably fully rested, and you've just fought Wyverns and what seemed like half the city. Fighting an opponent possibly stronger is stupid, right? Retreat—like any sane person would!"
"No, I won't retreat. I need to at least find out what their true intentions are!" Jeanne declared.
"But Jeanne..." Mash protested as the group prepared for whatever decision was coming.
"It's no use. We won't make it! Mash, Ritsuka, Master—take your Servants and run. Got it?" she said, dead serious.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her head.
"Hey. I'm your Master. If you think I'm going to run away, you're dead wrong."
"Altair-senpai!"
"Altair-san!"
Romani and Mash exclaimed at the same time.
"Nobunaga, Okita, get ready," I said with a slight smile.
"Yes, Master," Okita replied, her expression cold as she adjusted her scarf.
"Mwahaha! This is going to be fun," Nobunaga grinned, summoning her katana.
"Master..." Jeanne began, but I cut her off, ruffling her hair.
"You silly saint. As long as I'm your Master... I will never leave you alone," I said sincerely.
Jeanne blinked at me. "Thank you," she smiled.
"We're staying too, then," Ritsuka said, standing beside me, while Mash let out a sigh and raised her shield.
"Too late. They've arrived." Romani's voice echoed, and right after, the sound of several footsteps calmly approaching filled the air until they emerged from the smoke.
The five Servants appeared before us, but my focus went straight to their leader, mounted on a dragon.
She was identical to Jeanne.
The true Black Saint stood before us.
••• ••• •••
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