"Here, kiss right here."
Laurent tapped his cheek, motioning for Jeanne. Her face instantly tensed, caught between panic and hesitation.
It wasn't that she didn't want to—it was just that, as someone who had never faced such a situation, she genuinely didn't know how to react.
Her gaze drifted aside awkwardly.
"If… if I kiss you, you really won't be angry anymore…?"
Her flushed face trembled with uncertainty.
"Pfft—"
Seeing Jeanne so bashful—a rare sight—Laurent couldn't hold back a laugh.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing. I was never angry at you to begin with, Jeanne."
He reached out to pat her head gently, exhaling with a faint smile.
"If anything, I had plenty of regrets back then. But seeing you here now… makes them all meaningless."
Jeanne's heart eased. She smiled softly.
"Mm."
"It's honestly shocking," Roman quipped with a hint of humor. "Who'd have thought that history's infamous tyrant would turn out to be this approachable?"
His light joke immediately made Fujimaru stiffen.
"Dr. Roman! Please don't say things like that so casually!"
He looked genuinely worried that Laurent might take offense—and that would end badly.
But Laurent only waved it off. "Don't worry. Titles like that never bothered me."
"In that case, may I ask you a few questions?" Roman ventured carefully.
"Sure. But once you're done, I have a few of my own," Laurent replied.
"Fair enough."
Roman glanced at his notes and began.
"According to historical records, you went on a quest for immortality. Is that true?"
"Immortality?"
Even Jeanne turned to look at Laurent in surprise—she'd never heard that before.
Laurent shrugged lightly. "You could say that—in a way."
"And afterward—did you succeed? History also calls you a god-slayer. It even claims you killed every angel to seize their power. Are those myths or facts?"
"Oh?" Laurent's curiosity sharpened. He stepped closer to Fujimaru's communicator, leaning forward with interest.
"I'm curious—how did you even learn about that? When I was killing gods back then, no one else should've known except those feathered pests themselves. And I'm sure I wiped them all out afterward. Even if word spread later, people should've believed I became the one and only god."
"O-one and only god?!" Fujimaru stammered, clearly overwhelmed.
"Well, it's not as grand as it sounds. I just killed them all and crowned myself a god, that's all."
Laurent spread his hands casually, unaware that the gesture only emphasized how terrifyingly strong he was.
Roman sighed. "Mr. Laurent doesn't seem to realize how absurdly difficult that is. Killing one god is a miracle—let alone all of them."
"There was no helping it," Laurent said coolly. "They were asking for it."
"Was it because of Jeanne?"
The question hung heavy in the air. Jeanne froze, unable to speak.
Laurent clicked his tongue. "You really know how to hit a nerve."
"Ah, sorry, sorry… I'm just curious whether you're considered divine now, or still human—a god-slayer who remains mortal."
Laurent ignored him for the moment, instead turning to Jeanne, who looked shaken by everything she'd just heard.
"If there's something you want to say, just say it. Like he mentioned—the God you believed in? I already killed Him."
"Huh?"
"HUH!?!?"
Everyone—including Roman—exploded in disbelief. Even Da Vinci, listening in on the other end, couldn't resist cutting in.
"Let me hear, let me hear! That sounds juicy! Did your love for Jeanne twist you into doing that?"
"Da Vinci!" Roman groaned. "Please don't interrupt right now!"
"Ohhh~, what's the harm~?" Da Vinci sang cheerfully. "I'm just curious~!"
Jeanne stood silent for a long moment before shaking her head. Her sorrow didn't seem to come from Laurent's blasphemy—but from something deeper.
"I just realized… compared to you, Laurent, I truly don't know anything. You sacrificed so much, and in the end, I—"
"That's why I said none of that matters." Laurent smiled faintly. "Didn't you hear me? I love you—that's enough reason for everything. Instead of worrying about meaningless things, you should think more about how we'll consummate our marriage and have kids."
Jeanne's expression changed instantly, her face turning crimson again.
"T-t-that kind of thing… maybe… later—"
Oh? So when we're alone, then?
Laurent smirked inwardly at her flustered reaction before turning back to Roman.
"If you want a straight answer: I don't have divine power myself anymore—though my left arm and leg still do."
He lifted his left hand, studying it briefly.
"Unless someone cuts down the evil sealed within me using a divine sword, my divinity stays suppressed."
"Then you're basically a contradiction," Roman murmured.
"Pretty much. And before you ask—no, I'm not revealing my Noble Phantasm."
Roman gave an awkward laugh. "Fair enough. Your presence alone is already a big help."
"Good. Then it's my turn." Laurent crossed his arms. "Who exactly are you people?"
Roman understood immediately that they'd finally reached the real topic and began to explain carefully.
"So, basically… none of this should've happened. If we fail, this timeline becomes reality, true history gets overturned, and humanity's future disappears."
"I see. So you're here to fix it."
"That's right."
"And Jeanne and the others? They're Servants summoned to fight and restore history?"
"In a sense, yes."
"So when everything's fixed, we'll all disappear, won't we? No memories left, history continuing as if nothing happened."
"Exactly, Mr. Laurent."
Laurent rubbed his chin thoughtfully, sneaking a glance toward Jeanne.
If we fail, this timeline becomes reality…
"Alright, I get it."
He smiled easily again.
"Then one last question. Earlier, I ran into several Servants—female ones, mostly—and I've been wondering…"
He shot a mischievous glance toward Mash, whose instincts immediately screamed danger.
"Do all female Servants dress this revealingly?"
---
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl