บท 177: -174- Already accepted this outcome
Afterward, the group deliberated and decided to rest temporarily in the forest today and then proceed to meet up with Mash tomorrow.
Even though Rozen wanted to reunite with Mash sooner, firstly, his magical energy hadn't fully recovered, and secondly, due to the presence of French soldiers, moving around was inconvenient. Given that they had just withdrawn from Orleans, acting hastily could potentially lead to their location being noticed by enemy Servants, which could result in retaliation.
After careful consideration, Rozen reluctantly admitted that now wasn't the time for hurried action. He communicated their decision through the communicator to Roman, asking him to inform Mash.
Roman naturally had no objections and promptly set their support in motion, acting quickly.
In summary, the group continued to hide and rest within the forest.
As Marie and Amadeus had arrived in the forest ahead of time, they were somewhat familiar with the area's conditions. The two of them volunteered to take on certain responsibilities.
"While Servants don't need to eat and can survive with magical energy alone, Rozen is a human Master and can't do without food."
With these words as an opening, Amadeus headed into the depths of the forest for hunting.
"In that case, I'll fetch water. A cute little deer I encountered here earlier told me where we can find safe drinking water."
Marie's words sounded somewhat mysterious and unsettling, and she then left on her own.
Left behind were Rozen and Jeanne. One needed to recover expended magical energy, while the other needed to mend accumulated injuries—neither was in a condition to move.
And so, as the evening gradually darkened, dusk settled over the forest.
Sitting beneath a tree, Rozen finally opened his eyes.
"My magical energy has recovered quite a bit."
After sensing his internal magical energy, Rozen nodded in satisfaction.
"Though it's only about seventy to eighty percent recovered, I'll leave the rest to my magical circuits to replenish."
With these words, his magical energy would be completely restored by the time he woke up the next day.
"I hope everything is going smoothly on Mash's side too."
While worrying about his junior, Rozen unconsciously murmured to himself.
It seemed that this murmur was overheard.
"Is the one called Mash your contracted Servant?"
Unexpectedly, Jeanne had also finished her rest and stood up from beneath another tree. She looked towards Rozen and spoke softly with a gentle smile.
Unlike the rebellious and hate-filled Jeanne Alter, the saintly demeanor of this Jeanne was very peaceful and gentle, captivating those who saw her smile.
"Yes," Rozen squinted his eyes, as if her smile was dazzling, and said, "Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes," Jeanne nodded, her answer sincere. "Because my Saint Graph wasn't damaged, my recovery hasn't been impeded."
Generally speaking, Servants were like living automatons. With sufficient magical energy, all injuries would theoretically heal at an extremely rapid pace, unless the Saint Graph was damaged or the Spirit Core itself suffered an irreparable injury.
Fortunately, due to the absence of a Master and the fact that they were summoned directly by the Holy Grail, including Jeanne, all the Servants were supplied with magical energy from the Holy Grail itself. As a result, there was no need to overly worry about depleting their magical energy.
With magical energy fully available, Jeanne's injuries wouldn't take much time to heal.
So...
"Even now, I can fight normally. Please don't hesitate to command me, Master."
Jeanne made this point quite assertively.
"Master?"
Rozen scratched his cheek.
Strictly speaking, Jeanne wasn't Rozen's contracted Servant.
However, for the upcoming battles, Rozen had requested a temporary contract with Jeanne's group to conveniently provide them with magical energy, enhance their combat abilities, and also strengthen them with Command Seals. Consequently, it seemed quite natural for Jeanne to address Rozen as "Master."
But...
"Since you're calling me Master, then I should do my duty and ask again."
Rozen looked at Jeanne and voiced this question.
"Is this really alright?"
It was the same question he had asked during the day.
The implication beneath the question was quite straightforward.
"Are you truly willing to fight for France again, Jeanne?"
Finally, Rozen asked the question he had been meaning to ask Jeanne.
There was no other way.
"Like the Dragon Witch said, France betrayed you, and they watched you burn at the stake. What you fought so desperately to protect during your life ended up treating you this way. Even if you don't hate it, there's no reason for you to continue fighting to protect it, right?"
Rozen looked intently at Jeanne and said as much.
"Could it be that there isn't even a trace of hatred in your heart?"
This was something Rozen had always wanted to ask Jeanne.
In response, Jeanne seemed puzzled for a moment, then fell into silence.
However, after a brief pause, she answered Rozen without hesitation.
"That's right."
Jeanne said so.
"There isn't a single trace of hatred in my heart."
Her answer was given without the slightest hesitation, leaving Rozen completely stunned.
Rozen nearly blurted out:
"Why?"
Yes.
Why?
Why can you still stand up for them, risking everything, even after being betrayed like this?
Rozen couldn't understand this point.
But Jeanne's response was just as concise as ever.
"Because I had already accepted this outcome."
Jeanne lifted her head and gazed at the sunset, her voice resonating as if from a distant place.
"I knew from early on that I would be executed."
This wasn't prophecy, nor was it foresight. It was merely a gut feeling Jeanne had.
And such a gut feeling appeared for a simple reason.
"I was just an ignorant country girl, never a saint. After hearing my Lord's voice in a stroke of luck, I impulsively left my home without considering the difficulties and obstacles ahead."
Jeanne murmured as if speaking to herself.
"As a result, I took the lives of many enemies to save my homeland."
"As a result, in order to liberate my people from the pain of war, I snuffed out the hopes of many enemies who fell before me."
"Leaving my hometown recklessly and making naive wishes led to my hands being stained with countless lives."
"Someone like me—if I weren't executed, that would be abnormal."
Jeanne's narrative left Rozen gaping, unable to utter a word.
So it means...
"Do you... feel heavily burdened by guilt?"
Rozen's tone was unusually heavy and bitter.
And Jeanne's immediate response was what he received.
"Yes."
This was the reason Jeanne didn't harbor any hatred at all.
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