Chapter 170 Joan of Arc in Wonderland
"Why? Why!!" Jeanne Alter screamed in frustration. She had practiced her entry countless times in the room, designing the coolest way to appear, but the crucial Master was nowhere to be found.
"Hee hee hee, Jeanne Alter-chan, why do you think I, the all-purpose genius, would put the Holy Grail somewhere you could easily take it?" Da Vinci said with a smile.
"What! You conniving merchant, did you trick me?! I'll burn your paintings when I get back, you know!" Jeanne glared at the holographic image of Da Vinci and cried out angrily.
Da Vinci wore a smile of intellectual superiority and said, "I regret to inform you that what you mistakenly perceived as a compatible summoning column was actually a specially designed, one-time-use teleportation circle. You won't be able to leave until you resolve this crisis.
"What do you want?" Jeanne asked guardedly.
"Naturally, as a comrade of Chaldea, I wouldn't be so heartless. So, I have prepared both a teleportation circle to return to Chaldea and a way for you to stay in this world to find Shirou. Of course! There are conditions." Da Vinci said, wearing the Mona Lisa's smile.
"What do you mean!? When did I ever say I was going to find Shirou!" The silver-haired girl frowned in anger, then awkwardly added, "However... well, since I did take something from your cabinet, helping you out a little isn't out of the question. It's just a favor, though. So, tell me what you want me to do?"
"I have an arduous task for you. You have been transported to an alternate world connected to Paris. Although the black mud Servants inside seem to have no intention of harming humans for the time being, they are, in a sense, very tricky." Da Vinci said.
"Black mud? Are they allies of that insidious, shadowy archer from last time?" Jeanne frowned.
"So, if you want to live in Shirou's world, please work hard. Oh, and because the enemy is tricky and there are many Servants, I advise you not to rush in. Shirou will arrive in Paris tomorrow, so acting together then would be the wisest choice." Da Vinci then changed her tone, "Of course... if Jeanne Alter manages to gain the upper hand, he might look at you with new respect and give you a good compliment."
"A compliment?!... No! I told you! I'm just here to have some fun! But I'd better go in and check the situation first. If there aren't any formidable opponents, I'll just deal with them myself." With that, Jeanne raised her flag and plunged into the dense forest.
"Da Vinci, is it really okay for her to go in alone?" Mordred asked with a frown.
"It's fine, it's fine. In terms of defense and resilience, few Heroic Spirits can surpass her. She could probably escape even if four or five Servants ganged up on her. And... she said she would burn my paintings. I can't just pretend I didn't hear that." Da Vinci said with a smile.
"Woah... she really said it." Mordred curled her lip and decided to add Da Vinci to the list of insidious mages to be wary of.
"Mordred-senpai! Don't worry about the older me. She's tough. Let's study!" The silver-haired little girl, Jeanne Alter Santa Lily, wearing white armor, said enthusiastically.
"Senpai?! You're calling me that." Mordred exclaimed, looking at Jeanne Lily.
"Yes, because Mordred-senpai is the senior who teaches me my homework, right? Don't you like me calling you that?" Jeanne Lily asked, with pure, serious eyes.
"No... No, keep calling me that! You have pretty good judgment! Since I'm your senpai, I can't help it. Yes, Little Jeanne, if you don't understand anything, just ask me." Mordred patted her chest and said boldly. She never expected that she, Mordred, a dignified Knight of the Round Table, would be called 'senpai.'
"Okay, thank you, Mordred-senpai. But besides math, I think I'm fine with everything else. And... Senpai, you misspelled this English word." Jeanne Lily reminded her.
"Eh?!" Mordred cried out in surprise.
"Mordred..." Mash, who was silently observing nearby, covered her face in distress.
"She really is an idiot, an idiot who can't even compare to an elementary school student. Although I do like stupid girls," Gudako said with a smile.
Indeed, they had once heard such an evaluation from Merlin: "While you can't say all the Knights of the Round Table are idiots, Mordred is undeniably an incorrigible idiot."
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Jeanne burst out of the small thicket only to find herself in a strange forest. Magic mist permeated the surroundings, blocking the view of the distant landscape. There didn't seem to be any strange monsters, but it gave her an uncanny feeling that it wasn't the real world.
"Late, late, I'm going to be late for my date." At this moment, a sound of movement came from nearby, getting closer. Looking into the distance, she could see a pair of purple and white rabbit ears bobbing up and down, approaching from the slope.
Gradually, the figure of the newcomer became visible. Beneath the long ears was a seductive silver-haired handsome man wearing white robes and black trousers. He was hopping toward her like a rabbit, his head lowered as he ran.
The rabbit-eared Merlin, whose ears resembled Fou's, was looking at a pocket watch, hopping forward as he ran.
"Hey! Wait! Aren't you that cold-blooded woman's mage? Where are you going?" Jeanne called out, stopping the somewhat strange Merlin.
"Cold-blooded woman? Although I'm an apparition who was pulled here while dreaming, and I've only been here for about two weeks, which one are you referring to? The girl who's like a lofty flower? The fairy who's like an ice queen? Or the lady who plays with cold-blooded animals like snakes?" Merlin the Rabbit tilted his head, hopping in place as he asked.
Jeanne clicked her tongue. She regretted stopping this rabbit!
"Ah, now that I think about it, you are very cute, miss. Could your name be Alice?" Merlin the Rabbit said with a flirtatious and handsome smile after clearly seeing the girl's face.
"Who is that? That's enough! I'll just burn you!" Jeanne raised her flag and declared.
"Whaaa, I object to violence! No fires allowed in the forest. What a terrifying madwoman! I can't talk to you anymore! I'm late! I'm late! I'm late for the tea party! Those two girls are going to kill me."
"Damn it! Don't run! You stop right there!" Jeanne frantically chased after him.
"Ah, the Mad Hatter, the Dormouse, and now an arsonist woman. Am I lucky or unlucky?" Merlin the Rabbit used some kind of magecraft to open a large hole in a big tree and resolutely jumped into the rabbit hole.
Jeanne didn't hesitate and immediately jumped in after him.
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