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75% A Nascent Kaleidoscope. / Chapter 441: Chapter 400

Chapter 441: Chapter 400

Olga Marie Animusphere POV

Things were going bad, and then they went worse. It was already a horrible situation with half of France literally burning or having been burnt down the ground. Then we figured out how many enemy Servants there were, nearly a dozen! And if that wasn't bad enough, the name Dragon Witch wasn't in reference to the literal army of wyverns!

I could feel the dragon pulling the insane amounts of Mana from the air to use its breath attack as it tied with Saber's Noble Phantasm.

Fafnir that was what Siegfried claimed it was.

I almost thought we were lucky that we had the Dragon's mythological weakness, until I was informed that our Dragon Slayer had barely recovered!

Then Wilhelm did something to ground the dragon. I didn't even feel the Magical Energy in his spell. Oh, and that was after he gave Caster a damn Divine Construct like it was a random Mystic Code!

And to top all of this ridiculousness off, he decided to taunt the Dragon Witch to her face.

I watched in anxiety as the Dragon let loose a breath attack at him and he took it head on.

I knew he was strong, but still, it was hard to see. I was heavily relieved to see him apparently unscathed from the attack. And then he continued to mock the Dragon Witch. I was fuming, I knew he was doing it on purpose, drawing her undivided attention onto himself. But I couldn't call him out on it or get angry at the moment.

He obviously had a plan, and I knew he could handle the Servants that appeared to engage him. I….trusted him not to do anything stupid and get himself killed.

However, it seemed like I wasn't the only one that was upset. Saber lashed out with pure anger towards the Dragon, and I decidedly choose not to comment.

Wilhelm's Servant, Siegfried, Saber, and Lancelot all attacked Fafnir. And the Dragon showed no visible signs of struggling under their assault.

I did not remain distracted for long, the Wyverns that still filled the sky made sure of that as I could feel the heat from so many readying their breath.

"Εστία Εκάτη Χρόνος" Caster Medea held up the staff immediately, casting words I couldn't understand, but a powerful spell actualized. A shield colored lavender appeared overhead, runic symbols and images unknown to me filled every corner of it.

The Breaths fell down onto it, but it held firm against the onslaught of Wyvern.

"Damn, that's a nice staff." Caster Cu whistled. "Can see why you offered your hand for it."

"Never thought I'd see a Staff in this age better than my mine, let alone my teacher's. I think even Circe would have thrown herself at him if she could get this Staff in return." Medea commented. "Half the effort, ten times the results."

…..What kind of ridiculous thing did you hand over, Schweinorg?

"What're you gonna do if he takes you up on your offer?" Cu cracked a smile.

She shrugged. "Probably just kill him in his sleep."

"Damn, what a cold bitch."

"I'd atleast make sure he went to sleep happy." She smiled maliciously.

Cu just laughed.

"Enough chit-chat." I announced. "We need to –"

Caster Cu slammed his staff on the ground, and massive Roots sprang up to cover us. Arrows made of Magical Energy fell down, tearing them apart, but protecting us, if barely.

There was an Archer sitting on one of the Wyverns up in the air. First things first we –

"Medea, can you handle Archer?" Pierre spoke up before I could. I was about to admonish him…but that is exactly the same order I would have given.

"I can keep her busy." Medea nodded.

"And take out any Wyverns if you get the opportunity."

"Will do, Master." She flew up into the sky.

….Good Job Pierre.

"Well, this puts me in a rather bad spot." Cu hummed. "Hey Lass, guard my Master and the others." He glanced back at Mash.

"Yes!" Mash held her shield up.

"As much as I want to take a crack at that dragon…my Magic aint gonna do much unless I whip out the big stuff, and I'd just be getting in the way at that point."

I could understand his sentiments. I wasn't sure I even had any Magecraft capable of harming a Dragon through their insane Magic Resistance. Besides, those four Servants were keeping it busy for now and not….losing it seemed.

"Well, looks like my opponent is here." Cu Chulainn looked forward and a rather well dressed….man, woman? Person walked calmly our way.

"I shall be your opponent." The strange Servant declared. It was odd, the person didn't seem hostile, yet there was a faint…bloodlust regardless.

"Introductions?" Cu asked.

"Do you really think that's going to –"

"Chevalier D'Eon, Knight of the white Lilly." The servant introduced themselves without hesitation.

"…work."

"Haha." Cu chuckled at my expense. "Don't underestimate a Servant's pettiness, lass. It's obvious this person isn't working under their own will."

"You speak the truth." He nodded darkly. "This bloodlust is not mine; it clouds my mind. Once we begin, I will not be able to hold myself back. I do not choose this path of my own will, but I shall fight with the intent to kill."

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Cu barked with a wide grin. "Cu Chulainn, unfortunately summoned as a Caster, but I'm up for a fight regardless."

"The Hound of Ulster, you honor me." The Servant held their rapier infront of themselves. "Please give me a good death. Know that unless I am commanded, I will not utilize my Noble Phantasm. En Garde!" He stepped forward with the speed of a being beyond Humans, and Cu responded, swinging his staff to block the thin blade.

This is getting more and more ridiculous….

The transmitter started beeping too. "Roman, what is it?" I answered.

"Director, we picked up some insane readings! What's going on!?" Roman's face appeared on the small projection above my wrist.

"There's a Dragon, Roman!"

"Dragon?" Da Vinci's face appeared separate from his. "Does it have a name?"

"Fafnir." I responded.

"I'll pull up the information we have….Ah, here it is. Fafnir isn't a natural born Dragon, but a curse that is derived from the concept of Greed. Such that both Sigurd and Siegfried both slayed the Dragon Fafnir in their legends. The legends say that Fafnir has nearly impenetrable armor."

I looked at the Dragon who barely had a scratch on him after getting hit by four Servants. "I am aware, Roman."

I couldn't expect any more than that. It's not like we have perfect records from things that took place so long ago in myths and legends.

"Roman, how are the generators holding up? Do we have enough for multiple, simultaneous Noble Phantasm activations?" It was best to prepare to defeat the Dragon now.

"The Generators are holding well enough even if we have only these few up. We have enough in the reserves for the Rayshift that we can shift everything into supporting the Servants available." Roman relayed.

"Best to err on the side of caution. Let the Masters use up their own Magical Energy first before the FATE system handles the burden." I decided after a moment. One of them could restore their own reserves after a day or so of rest. And it felt like if we didn't win in this encounter, it would become prolonged enough that such a concern was unneeded.

"Fujimaru, can Siegfried release his Noble Phantasm?"

"Uh….he said that he can, but it'll take him out of the fight." Ritsuka took a moment to respond, presumedly after asking.

"Hinako, go aid Cu." I quickly decided.

She was hovering near us protectively like Mash was. "He's going to hate it."

"He can file his complaints with out HR department." I snorted. He wasn't looking like he was in a favorable position. "Samuel, I'm giving you free rein, if you see an opening, use a Command Seal to end the fight with his Noble Phantasm."

"Yes, Ma'am." He quickly nodded.

I looked up, and Medea was doing a phenomenal job of keeping the Wyverns preoccupied and the Archer, even if it didn't look like she was gaining any advantage, it was the best possible situation for us.

The Dragon Witch herself was….just watching the 'real' Jeanne D'Arc and Wilhelm fight with the other Servants.

If she didn't wish to participate, that was fine.

I aimed my hand up and fired off a few Gandr shots, hitting one Wyvern. It was taken by surprise an lost its flight rather quickly in the confusion and plummeted to the ground.

"Roman, did you get any readings from that?"

"I was watching, director."

"If I use the same amount of power, calculate the shots needed to defeat a singular Wyvern." Wilhelm mentioned that they should be…lower than traditional Wyverns, as odd as that was to consider.

"With the same output, you would need three Shots, landing center mass. Perhaps less if you hit them in a vital." Roman replied back rather quickly.

"Suboptimal." I clicked my tongue. "I will run out of Magical Energy far before I make a dent." However, I could snipe any that got ideas about us down here instead of focusing on another Servant.

I nearly fell over when the Dragon let out an earth-shattering roar. It looked like Siegfried got a good hit in on it.

"Fujimaru, prepare to – "

"Director!" Mash yelled.

I blinked, noticing something out of the corner of my eye, as a blade was coming right for my neck.

"Mash, by the power of this Command Seal! –"

It happened so quickly, but I could see the sparks fly, and the sound of steel clashing with Mash standing over me, her shield deflecting an oddly shaped sword.

I quickly regained my composure. "Mash, Assassin Protocols!" I shouted, ducking and rolling to the side. It wasn't the time to worry about my appearance as I did the best I could to get away from them.

Despite my reservations, Mash performed admirably. She used her large shield to push the Assassin Servant away from us and force him to keep a distance.

A strategy we devised for her, simply become a wall between us and an Assassin.

The Servant didn't appear like an Assassin, but looks can be deceiving. He held a large….oddly shaped blade.

Mash and him began exchanging blows. The sword of his lashing out against her shield. Mash didn't need to do much to keep him at bay as his attacks never came close to harming her. In fact, he seemed to be relying more on his pure strength than anything.

Wide, open arcs….I was no Swordsman, but that seemed odd even to me. Almost like a pendulum as he continued his swings and, then it made sense. "Ritsuka, command Mash. He's aiming –"

"I saw, Director!" Fujimaru cut me off. "Mash, he's aiming for your head!"

Mash quickly changed up her pattern, once she was informed, she was weaving between strikes. Then dodged and caughthim in some awkward spots. Every so often, her shield would land on him, causing some amount of damage.

The tide further turned as a root sprung up out of the ground and wrapped up the Assassin Servant's foot. Both him and Mash were surprised by the sudden turn of events, but Mash was quicker and her shield smashed into his face, sending him flying.

I glanced at Caster Cu, but he was still preoccupied with his fight. Instead, I looked towards Samuel. He had a hand on one of Cu Chulainn's Roots that he himself had summoned earlier.

"Ah….there was some magic left in this, thought I'd use it to help?" He looked embarrassed.

"Well done." I gave him a brief word of praise.

They all had been taking the initiative lately, their training was paying off in spades. I was genuinely surprised at how far they've come in the meant time, even if they still had further to go.

I surveyed the battlefield again as Mash was putting the Assassin on the defensive at this point.

"Roman, quickly, scan Wilhelm and report." I reinforced my eyes to see clearly what he was doing. I could hear it, even over the battlefield's chaos, it sounded like Japanese, but I wasn't an expert. He was chanting something, and it was long.

"I'm getting some strange readings." Roman confirmed.

"Oh wow, those are weird." Da Vinci chimed in. "There's no Magical Energy present, but there is an unknown phenomena occurring."

"How is there no Magical Energy? I'm seeing an unnatural occurrence with my own eyes. There has to be Magical Energy!" I could literally see the energy around him conglomerate into a solid color. And whatever spell he cast actualized, trapping the Servant he was fighting. Some kind of black box that had stakes stab into the side.

I had no idea what was happening, but as soon as it unraveled the Servant was utterly defeated.

"Nope, nada. Whatever he did, it was not Magecraft or Magic. Tell him to give me an explanation after the fight is over, I want to see it again." Caster cheerfully chirped.

"….wonderful." More things I just had no knowledge for.

How many lines of an Aria count was that? It was strong enough to take out a Servant, so it had to be at least an A Rank Spell.

"Woah woah!" Roman squeaked from his side of the projection. "Something's going on, be careful. These readings, it's like the Singularity is being torn open in a small scale."

"What..." There was nothing like that? Just battles going on, a new Caster joined the fight it seems, and Wilhelm engaged him. Summoning some kind of tentacle construct….eww.

But otherwise –

A deafening scream silenced the battlefield.

It was wrong.

It didn't belong.

Every fiber of my being told me to eliminate whatever it came from. I had to cover my ears, but even so, I felt my Aura vibrate in nausea at the sound.

I felt my head wobble and I nearly fell over.

Eyes, Tentacles, like something massive was looking at me from the other side of a mirror.

I only regained my senses with Sir Wiggles jumped onto my head. A tiny jolt from his lightning cleared away the foreign feeling.

I wasn't the only one who felt that. Wyverns fell from the sky like flies. The others, they were having trouble climbing to their feet.

And the enemy Servants….they were glowing bright and they simply disappeared a moment later, along with the massive Dragon.

"Director, what just happened!?" Roman called out.

"I-I don't know…"

"Well, that was a nasty surprise. Ruined my fight too." Cu grumbled, walking over. "Been awhile since I've felt something like that."

"You know what that was?!" I questioned him.

"Something that doesn't belong." Medea floated down. "I was barely paying attention to the source, but it's a taboo that shouldn't be touched by humans."

"Something from the Age of Gods?"

Medea snorted. "Not even Hecate herself would willingly touch the source of that. I don't know too much, but It's something from outside. Something that the Gods themselves actively denied access to our world."

"Yup, things got a bit more complicated." Cu nodded. "Something like that popped up in my homeland once. One of the few times I saw Pops serious about something."

….. His father was the God of Light, Lugh.

Medea said even the Greek Gods were critical of the source…

"Don't even bother asking for details." Hinako scoffed, cleaning blood off herself from where her wounds were healing. "I'm pretty sure I recognized what it was as it originated from my part of the world a long time ago. A spellbook that shouldn't exist, from a person who's name I refuse to even mention. If I saw it in any other circumstance, I'd been forced to take action. Humans these days, I think you call them 'Outer Gods'?"

…..why did that sound familiar?

[***]

Jeanne D'Arc, The Dragon Witch POV

"Gilles, Gilles!"

"Jeanne, what's wrong?"

"I….?" I looked around, why were we back at the castle? "Why are we here, why aren't we fighting that fake and those others!?"

"A temporary retreat." Gilles reassured.

"Your book?" I looked at the Book he always carried; it was cut in half.

"Fear not, Jeanne." He held up the cup and it glowed bright, and the book began to mend. But something weird happened, and the faces on the cover changed, and I think I heard some crying? As soon as it was fixed, it split apart again, lightning jumping between the two halves. His face twisted, and he looked really mad before he returned to normal. "....divinity."

"Something wrong, Gilles?"

"Only a small hindrance. Nothing will be able to stop our goals." The two sides opened up and tentacles jumped between both sides, pulling the edges together, and binding them. "It will have to do."

Goals?

"What were our goals again, Gilles?"

"Why, to show that this is a Godless world." He swept his arms around. "To prove that there is no God."

"….right, thanks Gilles." It made sense.

If there was a God, why did I burn?

That made a lot of sense.

Of course, that's what we were doing. And getting revenge, that was important too.

But why…..did something feel wrong?

Why was there a pain in my chest? I didn't understand, I wasn't hurt so why did my chest hurt so much?

….my head was feeling funny too.

"Gillles, I'm confused."

"What bothers you, My Jeanne?" He asked in concern.

"I don't know, but I feel confused. I keep remembering things, but then I forget them. But I know things that aren't true? That person...why was he familiar? Why is it that I know him?"

"He was simply beguiling you, Jeanne. There's no need to pay him any heed. I will remove the pest the next time we meet."

A Grail War….

Two Side, and then, why was that guy with Red Hair so….vivid?

Wait…

"Gilles, did we ever do a Grail War?" I asked my closest friend.

"A Grail War?" He tilted his head. "Why would we fight a war for something we already possess, my dear Jeanne?"

"….yeah, you're right. That makes sense. But why does it feel like I know him so well? I was happy when he came to me, and not that….fake." I scoffed. "Do you think the fake me is confusing him? I don't want to fight my friend again."

"Your…..friend?" He looked at me strangely.

"Oh yeah." I couldn't help but smile. "We fought together! In the Grail War that I was a Ruler of. He even summoned that cow of his." Annoying bitch that she was. "But he's here again! We should go get him, I'm sure he'd help us if we just told him what we were doing."

That Fake Jeanne must have done something, that's why he was on her side. I'll just have to show him the truth.

Huh….when did the war happen? Didn't Gilles say that there was no Grail War? Maybe he's just mistaken, it must have been a hard few days. Taking over Orleans, burning the country down, yeah, that must be it.

"Are you feeling unwell, Jeanne?" Gilles asked.

"I don't know." I still felt it. "There's something painful in my chest, Gilles. Ever since I saw him on that Fake's side, it started hurting. Is something wrong with me, Gilles?" He would know, he knows everything that's been happening.

"…..nothing you need to trouble yourself with my dear Jeanne." He held up the Golden Cup and it began to glow. "Why don't you take a rest?"

"A nap?" I felt my eyes getting heavy.

"Precisely." I saw his warm smile before my eyes closed. "When you wake up, all will be better."

"Mmm, I'll listen to you Gilles, you're the best. You stood by me when no one else did."

"Of course, of course. Don't trouble yourself with anything confusing, let me handle the troublesome matters."

So tired all of the sudden. He's right, a nap will be nice. "What's the plan to deal with the fake and those others? I think we lost one of our servants." I yawned, finding the ground comfy.

"I will prepare something special. We have plenty of living materials left in the dungeons that I can use." He laughed.

That's good.

And then he can come back to my side, not that fake.

Then everything will be good again.

[***]

Non-Canon Omake -- What really happens in Wilhelm's soul.

Finding out that a bunch of other entities took up residence in my soul, what else was there to do?

"Alright, I'm going to roll a perception check." I stated, tossing my dice. "12."

"12…" Musū Tengai paused, looking down at some papers. "You notice that the cave is oddly dry despite the heavy rains you suffered the last few nights. But that is all."

"I would like to cast Glimpse of Evil." Meridia spoke, clutching her own dice.

"You cast Glimpse of Evil, giving you sight beyond your own. Any evil creature within 40 yards is known to you. However, nothing appears." Musū Tengai replied.

"Enough with this!" Odin slammed his fist on the table. "The great Berserker Grimmar isn't a coward! I rush into the cave with my battle axe, ready for battle!"

"ah fuck, I realized what's going on." Ddraig covered his face with his claw.

"Roll for me." Musū Tengai ordered.

Odin, the great All-Father threw his dice. "…..1." He said quietly.

Musū Tengai nearly laughed. "With a blind fury, you rush into the cave as something didn't quite feel right, you were on edge. Your boisterous roar as you charged forward awakened something. Something ancient opened a single eye, its red iris illuminating the cave with a soft blaze. You then realize what monster you have awoken as flame spew from its nostrils, revealing what hid in the darkness. You find a Dragon, in all its glory staring down at you.

"Oh god dammit!" I threw my arms up. "Wait, how did Meridia not detect that?"

"I would too like to know." Meridia asked.

"Most Dragons aren't Evil." Ddraig shrugged.

"Ddraig is right, Dragons are more natural calamities than evil entities. With exceptions, of course. But you no more call a wolf evil for hunting a deer, than a Dragon does hunting to satiate its own stomach." Musū Tengai clarified.

"Joy, the one-eyed bastard woke it up." Meridia drawled.

"I can handle this!" Odin huffed. "Grimmar is a hero worthy of Valhalla! A mere Dragon can not defeat him. Do I have an action or does the beast wish to start combat?" He asked towards our vaunted Dungeon Master.

"The Dragon, waking up after so long, is confused as to your presence. It does not attack immediately, and silently stares at you." Musū Tengai elaborated.

"Alright, alright, we have a chance." I tapped the table impatiently.

"What every you do –"

"I attack the beast with my axe!" Odin roared, cutting off Meridia.

"You idiot!" She spat out.

"Roll." Musū Tengai smiled.

"…..four." Odin whispered.

"We're fucked." I sighed.

"You swing your mighty Axe with such fury and ferocity that songs would have been spoken of your prowess, had you not deemed to do so against a Dragon. Your axe collided with the Dragon's mighty scales and snaps, leaving no damage done to the beast. However, what would have been a peaceful and amicable Dragon, is now utterly furious. Roll for initiative."

"You damn fool!" Meridia scowled.

"Wait!" Ddraig held up his claw.

"You have an action before combat, Ddraig?" Musū Tengai asked.

"I am a Dragonkin." He puffed up proudly. "I attempt to seduce the dragon."

"…..you're lucky that I already decided that the Dragon was Female." Musū Tengai grumbled. "Roll." He sighed. "And give me your best attempt, if you say something good, I'll give you an extra point on your roll."

Ddriag cleared his throat. "I'm sorry for intruding on your lair, Great Dragoness. I understand if my friend here enraged you enough to burn us all alive. I do not ask for forgiveness, only that you grant this poor Dragonkin one act of mercy. Let me gaze upon your beautiful scales for even a moment longer, and I will be content with whatever end comes for me."

"….not bad." I had to acknowledge.

"Who do you think you're talking to? I've been laying down Dragonessess before you were even born!"

Ddraig looking confident, he clutched his dice between his claws and tossed them onto the table. "…..3."

"The Dragon's name is apparently Tiamat, negating any chance at your seduction." Musū Tengai replied.

"Dick!" Ddraig pouted.

"Right then, there goes that…..can I roll another perception check?"

Musū Tengai shrugged. "Go ahead."

"11." I stated, looking at the dice I just rolled.

"It's a Dragon." Musū Tengai stated.

"Well, we're right fucked, aren't we?"

"I did say Ancient Dragon." Musū Tengai reiterated.

"Do you have a plan, Wilhelm?" Meridia asked.

"Die horribly?"

"We could run while the one-eyed fool attempts to fight it." Meridia offered.

"I will slay the beast!" Odin slammed his fist on the table.

"With what weapon?" Meridia countered.

"….I'm working on it." The God scowled.

"Alright, I have a plan!" I clapped my hands. "I would like to make an action before combat."

Musū Tengai gestured for me to continue. "This is the last action then we roll for initiative, choose wisely."

"I attempt to seduce the Dragon."

"Oh come on." Musū Tengai sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Proceed, same as Ddraig."

"Really, Brat? Why do you think you're going ot succeed where I failed?" Ddraig scoffed.

"No faith." I shook my head, juggling the 20 sided dice in my hand. "Swiggity swooty, I'm coming for that Dragon booty!" I threw it across the table. "18!"

"Thank god, it's not enough." Musū Tengai sighed in exasperation. "The Dragon –"

"Wait…" Meridia groaned. "I would like to make it known that I do this with as much hate I could possible possess….I cast Divine Radiance on him, giving him a +2 to his Charisma roll."

"Woo!" I cheered.

"Dammit, fine!" Musū Tengai threw his hands up. "The Dragon is swooned by your mastery of the common language and falls heads over heels for you."

"That's bullshit." Ddraig huffed.

"It's called charm, Ddraig. Ever head of it?" I said smugly.

"I also attempt to Seduce the Dragon." Odin spoke up.

"Why!?" Musū Tengai groaned.

"I won't be out done by a brat! This beast needs a real man!"

"Roll." Musū Tengai Seethed.

[***]

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Chapter 442: Chapter 401

"Why can't things just be simple?" Roman bemoaned.

"Yes, why can't our little time traveling adventure to save humanity be simple." Medea's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Be glad that the woman over there has some manner of Divinity." She held her finger up pointing at Raikou. "Otherwise something as simple as just cutting it in half wouldn't have mattered much."

I was ready to respond with something similar myself, but I was rather preoccupied with something else.

"Fou, fou!" A certain furry animal jumped up to my shoulder, looking right at me inquisitively. I didn't even know it was here in the first place, and it suddenly just showed up!

"Oh, Fou! Where have you been? You disappeared as soon as we came." Mash cooed to the small animal.

I tried to ignore the dangerous Beast as best as I could, while it did its best to get me to not ignore it, with its little paw poking me constantly.

Everyone else seemingly didn't even care to acknowledge it.

….I envied them.

Olga bit her lip, looking pensive. "Does that mean the Book is dealt with? We don't have to worry about it?"

Medea shrugged. "I can't give a guaranteed answer unless I get a better look at it. It's not like that sort of thing follows the logic we're used to. Even compared to my time, it's something utterly incomprehensible."

"C'est toujours quelque chose." Pierre rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Hope for the good, prepare for the bad, yes?"

"It's pointless to speculate." Medea frowned. "My Master is right. Best to assume that disgusting thing is still around. Regardless, I'm not needed here, I'm going to harvest some of those Wyvern corpses then get myself some of the meat the Soldiers are cooking." She began to walk away. "Tell the other Servants to eat some too, it's packed full of Magical Energy and should help relieve a bit of the burden on our Summoners. And it's pretty tasty."

"I think you're forgetting something." I commented.

Medea swung my staff over her shoulder. "Nope." She ignored me and walked away.

If I wasn't friends with the other Medea, I wouldn't have ignored it, but I know her enough that it won't be an issue to get it back when I did actually need it again.

"I'm gonna follow her lead." Cu spoke up as well. "Haven't tasted Wyvern much even during my life."

"No problem, thanks for all your help so far, Caster." Samuel smiled.

"Just doing my job, Farm boy." Cu flicked his hand in a mock salute and also disappeared back towards the camp of the Soldiers.

"You all aren't able to take all those Wyvern's back, right?" I pondered for a moment.

"There's hundreds of them, even if we pieced them out perfectly, we wouldn't have enough room to store the materials, why?" Olga asked.

"I just wanted a few myself."

"Shall I go retrieve them for you, master?" Raikou questioned.

"If you wouldn't mind?"

"Leave it to me." Raikou smiled brightly, leaning over she gave me a quick kiss on the lips and trotted off towards the literal piles of Dragonkins.

Raikou was the best, always helping me when I needed it.

"….what?" I looked around as everyone was staring at me.

"You and your Servant, really?" Hinako snorted.

"Sorry, are you going to give me a hard time for that?"

"What's that supposed to mean!?" She pursed her lips.

"You know exactly what it means."

"It's not the same!"

"Literally the exact same."

"He was my husband!"

"And I'll most likely marry Raikou in the future." I countered.

Hinako harrumphed, crossing her arms. "Didn't you say something about Scáthach already? Caster wouldn't shut up about it. Then something about Saber, and now your Servant? You're just a horn dog."

"Bite me, Vampire girl."

"I am not a Vampire!" She hissed. "You stupid horny brat."

"You come from an era where the Emperor had like a bazillion concubines. A literal imperial Harem. Are you really giving me shit for having multiple women?" I raised a questioning eyebrow. "Huh, Concubine Yu?"

"I'm just asking because she's a Servant." Hinako huffed.

"What's wrong with her being a Servant?"

"Servant's aren't exactly supposed to stick around long." Her tone dropped a bit.

Was she saying that because of me, or for herself? "According to who?"

"Pretty much every rule, both mundane, magical, and the world's." Da Vinci chimed in.

"….why is my love life so interesting?" I sighed.

"We haven't exactly covered Servant – Master relationships as a possibility to be honest." Da Vinci responded, humming to herself. "The Director dismissed them as something unlikely and unneeded."

"T-that is not what I said!" Olga grumbled. "But clearly I was wrong."

Well, that seems like a clear oversight then.

"Do you mind answering some questions? We have a severe lack of data on this point. Do you and your Servant –"

"Not the time, Caster!" Olga hissed.

"What? It's important. I was just going to ask about the conditions that led to them like this." The Caster Servant pouted on her projected screen.

I shook my head in exasperation. "Through the Dream Cycle, Raikou knows me better than anyone, just as I know her to the same degree. It's not strange that something would come out from that."

All my high points, all my low points. Raikou knew them all in vivid detail. Just as I knew all the good and bad across her own life. It was a relationship difficult to put into words, a trust that was beyond unbreakable at this point.

"Is it really weird?" Ritsuka asked. "Servants are people too."

"My parents raised me that as long as two people love each other, it aint no one else's business." Samuel also spoke up.

Maybe I should give them other lessons as well. Now that I think about it, they're basically in the same boat that Godou was….

"…..maybe we should prepare for contingencies." Olga said quietly, glancing at the other Masters.

"You all seem like a fun group." The newly arrived Marie Antoinette just smiled happily as she and her companions stood nearby.

Olga quickly reorientated herself back to Director mode. "Thank you for coming to our aid. We are Finis Chaldea, an organization built to protect the continuation of the Human Order. We arrived in this Singularity recently to resolve the mess with this Dragon Witch."

"Singularity?" Marie tilted her head.

Olga nodded and continued. "A…consequence of interference in the normal flow of time. History was altered, the normal records have no mention of this Dragon Witch. The repercussions are far reaching, thus we are tasked with setting History correct."

"Oh my, that sounds horrible." Marie covered her mouth. "Of course, we'll help you as best as we can!"

"Wonderful." Olga brightened up. "We could use all the help we can get."

"Marie Antoinette will assist you in saving France!" The French Monarch declared. "And my friends will help!"

Saint George next to her chuckled. "It would be my honor to assist in such an honorable venture." He bowed his head slightly.

"Another Dragon Slayer is more than welcomed." Olga thanked him.

"Yes, we were able to glimpse the beast before it escaped. A terrible Foe, that I will gladly raise my sword to." The Holy Dragon Slayer patted his chest plate. "Speaking of swords, however." He glanced at me. "I am surprised to see that my sword made it to another's hands."

Everyone turned to look at me.

"How did you get your hands on a Noble Phantasm, Schweinorg?" Olga asked.

"I thought they were supposed to be impossible to exist in our Era!" Roman exclaimed. "There's only one Magus family that has a Noble Phantasm, and that's a whole can of worms. But for another one to exist in our time period, that's phenomenal."

"Well….it's sort of the other way around actually. It's not that I inherited his sword down the line, it's that he got his hands on mine." I revealed.

"Pardon?" Saint George blinked. "Forgive me if I am unclear, but your implication is that you come from a period in the future, far beyond when I have lived."

"That's correct. But my sword came from the person who collected all the prototypes of Noble Phantasms." I flicked my wrist, letting Ascalon appear once more. I handed it over to him to let him feel for himself. "Notice the difference?"

"I do, yes. I noticed it previously, I assumed it was due to…well…" He scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"My lack of faith?" I offered.

"I did not wish to be rude."

I waived it off. "You're right, more or less. But my sword is only An Anti-Dragon weapon. Your's gained the Holy Attributes it possesses is due to your nature as a Saint and when you were canonized by the Church."

Mine was a degree stronger, but his was holy. So it sort of evened out in the end.

"Anyways, we're getting off topic."

"Oh, I haven't introduced my other friend!" Marie clapped her hands.

"Allow me, your Majesty." The other man next to her gave an elegant bow. "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, at your service."

"Mozart!?" Roman exclaimed. "But you're a Caster Servant?"

"That is correct. I did experiment a bit with Magecraft in my music." He chuckled. "I may not be a fighter, but please allow me to use my Music to aid you in your quest."

"…..would it be rude if I asked you for an autograph?" I coughed into my fist. "I know someone who constantly regrets missing your last performance."

Mozart looked at me in surprise. "I would be delighted!"

Venelana was going to be so happy later. She mentioned before that she missed his last performance before his abrupt death. One of her favorite musicians.

"Later." Olga nudged me with a look of annoyance.

"Right, right." I cleared my throat. "The priority is the Dragon Witch, which may or may not be an alternate version of Jeanne D'Arc. Still not entirely sure, but it's immaterial for now."

"Alas, we too are in the dark about this woman." Mozart sighed. "Until your arrival, we have been on the back foot, constantly moving to avoid detection by her many Servants."

"They're one down now, and we're three more up." Hinako noted. "We should easily be able to take the fight to them."

"And the Dragon?" Pierre asked. "Difficile d'ignorer le grand dragon. We are ignoring the biggest problem."

"Oh, a fellow countryman!?" Marie's eyes lit up. "It's so nice to see one of my subjects helping protect France!"

Pierre actually blushed a little. "Je fais mon devoir, votre majesté. It is merely my job, your Majesty." Pierre awkwardly bowed.

Marie giggled, patting him on the head. "Oh, you're so cute."

"How is Siegfried, Ritsuka?" I asked.

"Uh, he's doing better. I can –"

"I am here." Siegfried materialized next to his master. "Apologies for not participating, I was assisting the soldiers and Caster with dissecting the Wyverns."

"It's no problem, Saber." Ritsuka smiled. "We just wanted to know how you're doing."

"I regret to say that I am still not fully recovered. The curse sunk deep into me, but I am getting better. If I am given a day or two, I believe I will be ready to fight my old foe once more." He earnestly replied.

"And what's your opinion on Fafnir?" Olga asked. "Coming from the expert, is there anything we should know?"

"My old foe is weaker than I remember." Siegfried replied.

"….weaker?" Samuel whispered. "How strong was he before then?"

"It is hard to describe. Perhaps, weaker is not the correct word. My old foe lacks the intelligence that made him truly dangerous. It feels as if his mind is clouded, and he only relies on instinct. During the fight when I was alive, Fafnir spoke and calculated his attacks. This one I do not believe is capable."

"Interesting. The dragon I fought did not speak to me at all. I believed it was capable, but it looked down upon me even until the end." Saint George rubbed his chin.

Siegfried turned to look at his apparent peer. "I am Siegfried, wandering Knight of the Netherlands." He tapped his armor with his fist.

"Georgios." He returned the same greeting. "I am hailed as a Saint after death, but I was a simple Knight seeking honor through faith."

They both seemed to silently evaluate one another before smiling warmly.

"I am confident then, if I am to fight alongside Saint George, and Sir Lancelot once more. I believe our combined experience facing Dragons will prevail." Siegfried stated.

"Then we'll leave it to you." Olga looked relieved.

"And where is Lancelot?" I looked at Hinako.

"Sulking somewhere. He's barely been speaking, and not because his Madness is back." Hinako replied.

….I should probably go talk to him at some point.

"That merely leaves the hordes of those other flying monsters, and the army of undead corpses." Mozart quipped.

"Undead?" Hinako furrowed her brow. "We haven't encountered any Necromancy so far."

"I've heard mention by some people I've passed about corpses walking around and attacking, but I also didn't see any when I went to Lyon." I added to what she said.

"Curious." Mozart tapped his cheek. "Perhaps the magics that held them together unraveled?"

"I find it unlikely that we would be so lucky." Olga snorted.

"Martha did let slip that the Dragon witch had become more erratic a few days ago, before I arrived at Lyon. Perhaps they were….recalled to Orleans?" That was the theory I was working under.

"So we're most likely going to have to get through hundreds if not thousands of Zombies to reach the Dragon Witch?" Samuel asked. "And do these 'Zombies' have the same weakness that I'm guessing?"

"Probably. Fire works well, Holy stuff is best. Do enough damage and the magics unravel easily. But a good hit to the noggin usually works best." Mundane people actually got it fairly accurate with most basic Zombies.

"Luckily, we have an army ourselves." Roman added.

"The Soldiers?" Olga frowned. "You want to use them?"

"They will participate regardless of your will." Marie proclaimed proudly. "They are proud children of France, they will not sit by while their home suffers. They will march. It is a matter of if they work with us or not."

She had a very bubbly personality.

Randomly, I think she and Jinn would get along well.

"…I don't like bringing in random people like this." Olga bit her thumb. "But dealing with a large swath of Zombies, that should be something they're capable of."

"We also have our own Jeanne D'Arc, she can rally them herself…..um, where is she?" Roman blinked, looking around from behind his projection.

"I'll go find her." I volunteered, poking the highly dangerous beast off my shoulder.

Because I had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

[***]

I had to wander around a little bit, but I finally found her.

A little head of blonde hair peeking out above a large rock about a minute or so walk from camp.

"I knew my Jeanne senses were tingling."

"Will?" Jeanne looked up. She was sitting behind the rock, legs pulled up, staring out into the night sky.

"Figured you were hiding somewhere." I plopped down next to her.

"Wasn't hiding." Jeanne mumbled as she buried her head into her legs.

"Really?"

"En." She grunted.

"Then how come no one could find you?" I quirked a smile.

"If I was hiding, how did you find me?" She countered, looking rather amused at her own response.

"Touche." I acknowledged. "You should know, however, that I can sense a Jeanne within a hundred feet at any time."

"You're lying." She puffed up.

"Am I? Am I really?"

"Yes!"

"I miss when you were easy to fool."

"I was never easy to fool!"

"Do you really want to argue with me?" I raised an eyebrow. "I have examples."

"Neh!" She hit my shoulder lightly.

"Alright, alright." I nudged her with my shoulder. "Then why were you totally not hiding, but keeping your distance and not letting anyone see where you were?"

"….."

She looked away.

"…..okay I was hiding." She said softly. "I'm scared to see Gilles."

"That's normal."

"B-but, it's wrong! I'm being a coward."

"You were going to talk to him eventually." I pointed out.

"How do you know?" She looked at me in confusion.

"Because you're Jeanne." I said simply. "I'm not here to convince you to go talk to him. I'm just here to support you."

"…..I wish I was as confident as you."

"Confident?" I actually laughed. "Jeanne, you rode off to war as a teenager because a voice in your head told you to. Do you really think you're not a confident woman? There's a difference between being a coward and experiencing emotional turmoil."

"It wasn't a voice in my head." She puffed up again. "He really spoke to me." She said with a pout. "I know people don't believe me, but he did. I wouldn't have been as confident if he was there with me every step of the way."

"Huh, I thought it was more like directions and what to do. Did you really have conversations with Big G?"

"Conversations?" She repeated, looking thoughtful. "Not really. I guess we did a few times. But I could feel it when he was specifically looking at me. Sometimes he would say a word or two, sometimes I would just talk to him and I could feel him listening."

"Do you not feel or hear him anymore?" I asked.

"I don't have the same feeling anymore, no." She shook her head.

"Does that make you afraid?"

Jeanne seemed to ponder my question. "No. I know he's always listening.But It was nice, knowing that I was being watched so closely. Do you think it's because I did something wrong? She was just like me, Will. The Dragon Witch, everything about her was so similar."

"She's not you."

"How can you be sure?"

"Again, because you're Jeanne."

"That's not an answer!" She huffed adorably.

"I disagree."

"You're doing that thing again." She pouted.

"What thing?"

"Where you're being mean by being nice."

"I'm being honest." Maybe only mildly teasing her. "I never told you about Artoria did I?"

"King Arthur?' She looked at me.

"Yup. Her real name is Artoria Pendragon. My Grandfather's student, Rin Tohsaka and her teamed up in their own Grail War. They won, and she stuck around afterwards, accompanying Rin. I met her when I went to the Clock Tower at some point. I'm not going to say I fell in love at first sight, but I admired her a lot. I asked her out pretty quickly, wanting to get to know her better. And, well, things just moved forward from there."

"That sounds sweet." Her expression softened.

"I love her very much." I could feel the warmness in my heart as I thought about her. "This is the Second Singularity we've been to. The first one, there was no Dragon Witch. Instead, it was the Saber you've seen earlier. A version of Artoria that held onto the Grail as the world burned around her."

"…what happened?" She whispered.

"I killed her." I said, looking up at the sky. "I wasn't left with any other choice, so I drove my blade through her heart. She wasn't my Artoria, I know that. Even still, she was so similar that it hurt either way."

"And you told me what came afterwards." She quietly added.

"Mm, the Demon, yeah." I nodded. "Not my finest moment."

"She's different than the one you know, right?

"Yeah." I didn't deny it. "If I had to guess, she's a fringe possibility. An Artoria that took a different path, and ended on bleaker terms."

"And you think the Dragon Witch is the same!?"

"Actually no." I bluntly denied.

"What…?"

"Jeanne, I genuinely don't think you're capable of being evil." I replied pointedly. "There was something significantly wrong with that pale copy of yours. I think the idea is similar, but she isn't you in the same sense."

"It makes me happy that you think so highly of me." Jeanne whispered, looking slightly red. "Have you talked to Saber yet?"

"…..not exactly."

"Will." Jeanne looked at me with disappointment.

"Sorry miss 'hiding from Gilles' are you going to lecture me?"

"Neh!" She puffed up once more.

I pulled on her braid, making her give a cute yelp.

"Meanie." She huffed. "…you should talk to her."

"I don't know what to say." I sighed. "I want to hug her and tell her that everything is fine, but she's not the Artoria I know. She's not my Artoria and she pretty much said just that. I just….want her to be happy." I smiled wryly.

What exactly was I supposed to say to her at this point?

Everytime we met, it was just awkward.

"You know what might help?"

"No." She didn't even hear me out before rejecting me.

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"I can guess!" She wailed, hiding her face. "You have that same look and tone when you say something embarrassing!"

"It's not embarrassing."

"I don't believe you."

"Two words –"

"No!"

"Booty shorts!"

"Neeeeh!" She started slapping my shoulder again. "How is that supposed to help!?"

"Morale boost?" I offered. "I'd be much more willing to march into battle if Jeanne D'Arc was showing off her legs and butt."

"Stoppppppp!" She covered her reddening face. "I would die if they saw me wearing that."

"I have pictures."

"No, I forbid it!" She squeaked. "Why do you have pictures!?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I countered. "I think you don't realize how beautiful you are."

"W-what are you saying!?"

"Embarrassed Jeanne is cute Jeanne."

She made some more strange sounds, hiding her face further.

"…..do you really think I look nice?" She asked, rather muffled from where she was hiding her head in her legs.

"I am many things, but a liar is not one of them." I replied.

"….later."

"Pardon?"

"W-when no one else is around, I….don't mind wearing those clothes later for you." She refused to look in my direction.

She was honestly adorable.

"Do you want a hug?" I offered.

"Yes, thank you." She nodded, leaning over as I wrapped my arms around her. "Thank you, again, Wilhelm. You're always helping me."

"Feeling better now?"

"Yes." She smiled brightly. "I'm going to talk to Gilles. You were right, I was being silly. He's my friend, the truth is going to hurt, but it would hurt more if I didn't say anything. I can't help what Gilles turned into, but he will always be my friend."

"Do you want me to come with?" I knew the answer, but I wanted to offer regardless.

She shook her head. "This is something I need to do, but thank you." She stood up, looking a lot more resolved than before.

"Good luck." I said before she nodded my way with thanks, and moved towards the camp.

I stood up myself, brushing off the dirt I had gotten on me.

I was about to head back as well, until a Servant appeared in front of me from their astralized state.

Saber looked at me expressionlessly.

"….um, were you listening?" If so, it's going to be much more awkward now.

She held up her hand, her Darkened Excalibur Materialized and she pointed it right at me.

And now, I was confused.

[***]

A/N

If you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.eo.n.c.o.m / astoryforone


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