Chapter 175 The Princess Named D'Eon
Shirou and the Princess stood on opposite sides of the long table in the banquet hall, their amber and azure eyes meeting, both wary of the other.
This person, with an angelic and pure appearance yet exhibiting a masculine heroic spirit, was suspected to be a Princess who was half-man and half-woman.
"Now that there's no one else to interfere, I've wanted to talk to you for a while." Shirou looked at the person before him and asked, "You are a Servant, aren't you? Why are you staying with the Emperor here, and do you know what's going on with this dream world?"
"And who are you?! What is your purpose? I will absolutely not allow anyone to approach His Majesty the Emperor!" The Princess drew a long sword directly from beneath her skirt and pointed it at the young man as she questioned him.
"Yo! D'Eon~! Long time no see~!" At this moment, the Chaldea projection screen appeared directly, blocking the Princess. Gudako waved her hand towards them.
"Eh? Gudako, Mash? Then you are actually part of Chaldea?" D'Eon recognized the identity of the newcomers.
"D'Eon? You've become the Princess here?" Gudako asked in surprise.
D'Eon, now wearing a dress, said with shame, "Master... I didn't want to be a princess here, but it was the Queen's command! I had no choice. I am supposed to be the Dragon Knight who protects the Royal Family!"
"D'Eon? The famous French spy?" Shirou said in surprise.
Chevalier d'Eon de Beaumont, the Dragon Knight of the White Lily, the symbol of France, and the Sword Saint of Europe.
He, or she, as a spy, traveled between Russia, England, and other countries, carrying out various confidential and secret affairs for the French Emperor, facilitating diplomacy between nations. After several ups and downs and periods of exile, she never abandoned her love for her country, ultimately witnessing the destruction of the nation she served.
"So, this isn't actually your castle, young man? And you're not a Marquis?" D'Eon asked.
Tamamo Cat jumped in from the doorway and retorted, "That's not right, nya! This is the castle Meow snatched for Master!"
"That's wrong! That has nothing to do with you, you stray cat! This is my! And Shirou's castle!" The silver-haired girl walked in, her arms crossed, and said.
"You are the witch who attempted to destroy France..." D'Eon frowned upon seeing Jeanne in black and instinctively placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.
She recalled some very unpleasant memories. She was a person who deeply loved her country but was forced into being an enemy of her respected Queen due to her madness.
"What? Do you want to fight?" Jeanne d'Arc Alter immediately summoned her flag and glared back. If the opponent intended to fight, she would directly set them on fire.
Tamamo Cat shook her head, looking utterly exasperated. "The Demon King is truly an untalkative and unpopular child, totally unqualified as a pet.
Originally, according to the script, the Demon King was supposed to turn into a radish and be eaten by Meow, nya. But Meow's Master is just too handsome. To be honest, this is quite bothersome for Meow. I didn't expect the Demon King to surrender directly before even fighting, willingly becoming Master's captive, and offering the castle and herself to Master. The Demon King is such a clingy child."
"Waaah! What... What in the world are you saying, you stray cat!!!" Jeanne screamed, her face flushed.
"Meow-ha-ha, the Demon King is angry! Master, save Meow~!" Tamamo Cat laughed, raising her hands, and ran to Shirou's back.
"Don't run, you stray cat!" Jeanne huffed and lunged after her.
The girl and the cat chased each other, circling the young man, but Tamamo Cat always managed to dodge Jeanne's grasping hands with her flexible, wild agility. Shirou felt a blur of black and white spinning before his eyes and finally couldn't help but grasp the silver-haired girl's shoulders.
"Jeanne, calm down, calm down. There's no need for you to be so angry with Tamamo Cat, is there? She has the nature of a child."
"What? Shirou, are you siding with the stray cat?" Jeanne asked the young man angrily.
"No, Jeanne, I'm very grateful that you came to help, and you gave this castle to me. But I knew you would do this from the beginning," Shirou said, smiling softly at the silver-haired girl.
Although she was stubborn and unforthcoming, and her words were harsh, her heart was not bad. Her intentions were actually very pure, her personality was straightforward, and she took everything seriously. She had unconditional trust in the people she believed in. Having such a good friend was truly a blessing in life.
"What?!" Jeanne felt her heart pounding violently, but she forced herself to calm down, stealing a glance at the young man's profile and asking, "What do you mean?"
"Because you came to this world to help me in the first place, didn't you?" Shirou looked at the silver-haired girl and said gratefully. "So, when things are over here, as promised, I'll treat you properly! I'll take you to eat delicious food, have fun, and... well, you like dancing, so let's go to a ball together."
"Hmph... as long as you remember!" Jeanne turned her face away, crossing her arms, but a flush of red appeared on her cheeks in a spot where the young man couldn't see. The anger that had filled her earlier had already vanished without a trace.
"..." D'Eon saw this scene and put away her sword. She felt that this easily placated woman in front of her was indeed a different person from the Dragon Witch of the past.
"Princess, do you understand now?" Tamamo Cat ran up to D'Eon and asked.
"What?" D'Eon looked at the cat-like Servant in confusion and asked.
Tamamo Cat smiled brightly and said, "So! This castle belongs to Master! Master's things are Meow's things! Meow is also Master's thing! So! Master is also Meow's thing, nya~!"
"Hah, I understand your loyalty to some extent." D'Eon nodded. Although she couldn't keep up with the mind of this beast-like Servant, she sensed the same sincere devotion and love for her Master in Tamamo Cat.
"Is that so? That's good, Princess~!" Tamamo Cat smiled, turned around, and leaped onto the young man's back, saying, "Master, Meow also wants to go back to the outside world's home with Master."
"Is that so... But I actually already have a dog at home," Shirou said.
"Master, Meow can guard the house too! I'll make delicious food every day and wait at the door for Master to come home. Master and pet, it's practically a relationship like husband and wife!" Tamamo Cat said with a rosy, pretty face, smiling.
"Hey, stray cat, it's not that easy to go to that world. First, you need a Holy Grail as energy, and then there needs to be a person there with enough compatibility who can summon you," Jeanne looked at Tamamo Cat and explained.
"Although Meow doesn't really like that inedible golden cat food, to live with Master, Meow will find one or two and bring them back!" Tamamo Cat vowed confidently.
At this moment, in the Chaldea holographic image, Gudako was constantly inching closer to the Dragon Knight, staring at D'Eon's chest with her chin propped up. "Speaking of which... D'Eon, you're wearing a princess dress now, aren't you?"
"I told you I didn't want to wear it... Never mind," D'Eon lowered his head in resignation.
"With this loose style, the clothes shouldn't be bulging, right? Then... what's with the bulge on D'Eon's chest? Mash, what do you think?" Gudako narrowed her eyes and asked, stroking a non-existent beard like Di Renjie.
"Reporting, Senpai, there must be something suspicious here, but there is indeed a bulge. According to observation, it's roughly an A-cup!" Mash, acting like a machine, reported seriously.
Pinch, pinch.
Instinct overtook rationality, and Tamamo Cat, the feral action-oriented one whose hands moved faster than her brain, had her two pairs of paw pads pressed against Princess D'Eon's chest.
"Waaahhh!" D'Eon let out a sharp cry.
"Hmm, it seems there is indeed a bulge! Although it can't compare to yours, Mash." Gudako stretched out her soft, noodle-like tentacles and hugged the pink-haired girl.
"Hmph, Senpai~!! Mash blushed intensely.
"Master, this is the real deal, nya. Although a bit modest, it's about the size of a small pudding. In terms of feel, it's a bit inferior to Meow's paw pads. Would Master like to feel it?" Tamamo Cat extended a cat claw towards the young man, recommending it.
"Then I won't be shy... No! I wasn't asking for your opinion!" Shirou almost couldn't resist the temptation of the paw pads and was about to reach out but quickly changed his words in protest.
"Master is such a pure-hearted person, nya. Normally, you could freely pet Meow's tail and paw pads. This is a rare, super fanservice, nya," Tamamo Cat said, giggling.
"I told you... I'm a man!" D'Eon emphasized, his small face flushed with shame. D'Eon was a world-famous master of disguise, and his skill was so refined that even his own countrymen and foreigners would open betting pools on his true gender.
His Self-Suggestion A had reached the realm where it could alter his physical body.
In a sense, this had surpassed Great Magic and reached a more profound realm of mystery. Although D'Eon claimed to be male, he looked like a beautiful and pure girl when wearing male clothes, and when wearing female clothes, he had a mysterious bulge on his chest.
However, the possibility of a mysterious bulge beneath her skirt could not be ruled out either, so her true gender would remain a mystery forever.
"..." Shirou looked at the gender-ambiguous knight in front of him and pondered. It seemed he had accepted the super-troublesome invitation from King Louis, the old man. He decided to take it one step at a time.
"D'Eon, you now know my identity here, right? Can you tell me how you got here?" Shirou asked.
"I did not come here through a dream. And this is the first time I've heard that humans from the outside world have come to this world through dreams, and that residents in Paris are comatose because of it," D'Eon said.
"We want to find the culprit who created this dream world and connected it to the outside world. Do you have any clues, D'Eon? Like dangerous Servants or anything," Shirou tried to ask.
D'Eon was momentarily stunned, then shook her head, saying, "No, I was invited by the Queen to leave Chaldea, and I've been with the Queen ever since.
As for Servants... there are quite a few around the palace, but they aren't dangerous individuals... There is indeed a troublesome person who is very dangerous when they sing, but they aren't a villain, are they?"
"I see, thank you," Shirou nodded.
"It looks like you'll still have to search one by one, Shirou. You'll have to rely on your Mystic Eyes from now on," Da Vinci said to the young man from Chaldea.
"I understand. In any case, since I've been invited by the Emperor, I'll go to the palace in the forest tomorrow to look around. D'Eon, you won't obstruct us, will you?" Shirou asked.
"Hmm, although I serve the Queen, I was once a comrade in Chaldea. As long as you don't do anything to harm the French Royal Family, I will be your ally," D'Eon nodded and agreed.
"Good. Tomorrow, I'll be a guest at the palace," Shirou decided.
"No, no, Shirou-Senpai, that's not just 'being a guest.' It involves letting young people talk alone and meeting the family. This is already a marriage interview!" Gudako exposed the truth.
Before she could finish, cheerful laughter and chatter could be heard from outside. King Louis, the Minister, and the General had returned together.
The Chaldea holographic image instantly disappeared.
"Oh, my Princess, how did your talk with Shirou go?" King Louis walked in and asked happily.
"Your Majesty, I told you I am your knight! I can't possibly fall in love with a man!" D'Eon emphasized once more, but was again ignored.
"Oh, there's a cute little cat here, and Shirou, who is this little girl?" King Louis walked in and saw Tamamo Cat and Jeanne, showing no surprise as he asked with a smile.
"Meow was complimented~!" Tamamo Cat said very happily.
"I am Shirou's guard! Where he goes, I go!" Jeanne said directly to the Emperor, leaning on her flag.
"Ha-ha, what a dependable little knight. I will permit you to accompany Shirou to the palace as his guard," King Louis looked at Jeanne, as if seeing a little girl pretending to be an adult, and agreed with a laugh.
In the eyes of the Emperor, the Minister, and the General, Tamamo Cat was seen as an ordinary farm cat, and Jeanne as a little girl.
"No, Your Majesty the Emperor, please listen to me. The Princess insists that he is male, and you know this, don't you? What is your view on this?" Shirou asked the Emperor.
Even though this was a dream world, and the Emperor saw Tamamo Cat as an ordinary cat and Jeanne as a little girl, D'Eon had made no attempt to conceal his identity or gender from the start.
"Ha ha ha! Shirou, you will have to be the one to change her stubborn view! Rest assured, my Princess's body is female, as long as she believes she is female! So I'm entrusting this task to you!" King Louis patted the young man's shoulder, as if entrusting him with some great mission.
"Eh? So her current body is male?" Shirou was stunned and looked at this Emperor, whom he had initially thought was just a kind old man. He had just seen another side of him. Was it true that no one who could become an Emperor was an easy person to deal with?
"Ha ha ha! Nothing is a problem with love! Youth is a wonderful thing!" King Louis gave a thumbs-up and said, "With love, gender, age, and race are simply not an issue. A woman can become a man for her beloved! A man can also become pregnant and bear children for his beloved! That is the power of love! So, young man... give it your all and cultivate a relationship with my Princess!"
"The Emperor spoke beautifully~! Meow is so moved, nya!" Tamamo Cat wiped her tears and said, "There is no barrier between Meow and Master! The love between a pet and a Master is the most sincere!"
"No! No! I think that's already a marriage scam!" Shirou complained.
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