"A weapon, huh…? An incredibly fitting description, King Ophis."
Merlin's usual smile didn't waver. From start to finish, no one could tell what he was actually thinking.
"Um… King Ophis, aside from Lady Enkidu, there's another matter I haven't had the chance to report…"
"Hm? …Ah, Siduri, relay the earlier orders first. Also, Ishtar's behavior was strange—investigate through the Priestess Court."
"…Understood. As you command."
Ophis waved her hand, allowing Siduri to leave.
She wasn't dismissing her on purpose—some matters were simply better handled right away.
"Actually," Jeanne began, her expression unusually grave, "aside from the knowledge and memories I should possess, I also hold other memories… from the brief time after my death, when I became a Servant."
"There's no mistake. It was just a vague suspicion at first, but the longer I remain in this era, the stronger the feeling grows. That event back then—though on a smaller scale—was remarkably similar to what's happening now."
Ophis rubbed her forehead slightly.
According to Inori, a summoned Servant shouldn't retain irrelevant memories.
Which meant Jeanne's recollection wasn't "extra"—it was crucial information meant for her.
"Oh!? So Miss Jeanne has already experienced a Singularity before this? How surprising!!"
Merlin, whose face betrayed not even a hint of surprise, said it all the same.
"A Singularity, huh…"
That term—
[Oh! 'Singularity'—a perfect name, actually.]
Inori, who had apparently gathered enough soy sauce at home to fill a swimming pool, suddenly spoke up.
"Inori?"
[Eh? Don't tell me you really didn't notice? Ever since that giant ring appeared in the sky, this entire region's been cut off from the rest of the world. Super obvious. Even I—stuck inside you as a special existence—could feel it clearly. So yeah, 'Singularity' fits perfectly.]
"…"
[…Wait, you really didn't notice?]
"…"
Ophis truly hadn't been paying attention to that.
Her current detachment from the world made it nearly impossible for her to sense subtle changes in it.
[Forget it… just focus on what they're saying.]
Their mental exchange lasted only an instant; to everyone else, Ophis had merely paused briefly upon hearing the word.
"Oh? King Ophis seems to have reached her own conclusions. But as your most trustworthy advisor, the Magus of Flowers Merlin must prove his worth somehow—so allow me to share some intel~."
Merlin raised two fingers in a V-shape.
"As for these Singularities—there are seven in total~ Most have already been resolved. The one we're in now should be the last. And according to some mysterious yet ever-reliable law, the final one is always the toughest~!"
What does a V have to do with seven, anyway…
"Jeanne, summarize what happened back then. Just the key points."
"Yes… That Singularity occurred shortly after my death, in France. The trigger was my former comrade, Gilles, obtaining a Holy Grail and wishing into existence a 'Jeanne' who should never have existed—a witch. Using her to plunge, or rather destroy, all of France in revenge…"
As Jeanne spoke, Ophis gradually understood what a "Singularity" really was.
Certain pivotal "points" shared by every branch of human history—seven in total—had been severely altered, diverging from the proper timeline to become Singularities.
And the cause behind them was the so-called "Holy Grail."
Where it came from, why it appeared—none of that existed in Jeanne's memories, leaving no room for speculation.
What was certain was that it did not belong to its original era.
Then Ophis recalled something Inori had once said—someone possessing exceptionally sharp eyes.
Speaking of sharp eyes, this Merlin seemed to have them too… and he clearly knew far more than he revealed.
Eyes really were troublesome things.
If a Singularity's deviation from the proper course exceeded a certain limit, it would collapse—and the result…
Ophis suspected it would trigger the total collapse of human history.
If that happened, humanity itself would vanish.
In short—extinction.
Not exactly good news, especially now that Enkidu had dumped this responsibility onto her shoulders.
Jeanne had also mentioned one more thing—an organization called Chaldea, said to safeguard the Human Order.
"It seems King Ophis has already organized all available information. Indeed, as King Ophis is surely thinking—the future of humanity has truly been destroyed~!"
"So you're saying that as long as the Singularity persists, the future remains destroyed?"
"Oh, as expected of a king with wisdom from the Age of Gods! Though a few small details might be slightly off, that wisdom remains undiminished."
Ophis narrowed her eyes but didn't reply.
"In any case," Merlin continued easily, "it appears that Chaldea has already resolved the other six Singularities. So if we simply endure until they arrive, perhaps this one will be settled just as easily?"
He didn't seem the least bit affected by Ophis's silence, spreading his arms wide with mock drama.
"Placing all hope in others is the height of foolishness. Unless absolutely unavoidable, such thinking should never be entertained."
Ophis stood abruptly, eyes cold as a serpent's, locking onto Merlin.
"You did indeed buy time for my mood to settle. For that, you have my gratitude. But that doesn't give you the right to speak nonsense at will… Magician."
"Oh dear, how frightening, King Ophis."
Yet even under her glare, Merlin looked utterly unbothered, as though facing nothing more than a passing breeze.
"King Ophis, Lord Merlin, please calm yourselves."
Another voice cut through the tension. Though not loud, its tone carried quiet, undeniable authority.
The blonde girl standing before them now radiated a different kind of strength.
Jeanne d'Arc—one of the greatest Heroic Spirits—was no fragile saint to be brushed aside.
No matter how she denied it, she was the Saint of France, the one who had driven the English from her homeland.
Thanks to Jeanne's timely intervention, Ophis lost interest in pressing further. With a brief, dismissive wave, she released both Jeanne and Merlin—along with Berserker Heracles, who had stood silent all this time—and turned to leave first.
Watching the King of Uruk's departing figure, Merlin's smile remained as inscrutable as ever.