"How was that? Were you moved?"
The Servant named Marie Antoinette leaped down from the head of Tarasque while riding her glass white horse. She landed beside Jeanne and Takumi, smiling brightly.
Moved? Takumi was on the verge of tears.
If he had been forced to unleash Siegfried's full power just now, it was doubtful whether he would have had enough strength left to defeat the remaining enemies later.
"Of course! Thank goodness you arrived in time!"
"Hehe, that's good to hear. It was worth rushing over without stopping the moment Amadeus and I found your traces."
Hearing Jeanne's praise, the smile on Queen Marie's face became even more brilliant.
"Ugh, this might be a mood killer, but for a musician, such hasty travel is truly inelegant."
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart knocked on his legs with a distressed expression.
Wait, do Servants get sore legs even in Spirit Form?
"Really now, I haven't even complained yet. How can you be weaker than a delicate girl like me?"
"Although I travel often, I've never traveled for so long without rest. Besides, Maria, your class is Rider. You are naturally more suited for long-distance travel than I am."
Amadeus spoke helplessly.
"Alright, alright, now isn't the time for complaints. Let's solve the enemy in front of us first. She has been waiting for us for quite a long time."
"As a gentleman, it is inappropriate to keep a lady waiting too long."
After speaking, everyone turned their gaze to Martha, who had been standing silently opposite them.
"Actually, it doesn't matter if you talk a little longer. I can barely hold back the urge to launch a surprise attack."
Martha spoke expressionlessly.
"Um, is this beautiful lady complaining about us?"
Queen Marie turned sideways and whispered to Amadeus.
"...Maria, it's fine if you know it, you don't have to say it out loud."
Amadeus covered his forehead helplessly.
Noticing that Martha's face seemed to darken a bit more, Queen Marie smiled apologetically.
"Talk is useless. Tarasque, go!"
Martha waved her cross-staff again, commanding Tarasque, whose charred tongue was hanging out, to launch a charge.
She completely ignored Tarasque's somewhat resentful gaze.
The battle erupted instantly.
With the addition of two Servants, even if they weren't top-tier combat Heroic Spirits, the tide of battle finally turned in favor of Takumi's group.
With the buff from Siegfried's [Dragon Slayer] skill, Tarasque was the first to retire. Afterward, the group collectively gang-beat Martha.
However, Takumi was exhausted after helping to finish off Tarasque. He didn't contribute much to the subsequent fight, at most throwing two fireballs as support.
The battle ended.
"Is that so? It seems this is the end..."
Golden light flowed from a penetrating wound on her body, but Martha's face was surprisingly calm.
Jeanne looked at this scene with a slightly unbearable expression.
Not only because the opponent was a Saint even more legendary than herself, but also because even under Madness Enhancement, she still retained her basic reason.
To be honest, if Martha hadn't been holding back the entire time, she and Takumi might not have lasted until Marie and Amadeus arrived.
"Are you going to say I went easy on you? Impossible. You truly defeated me. You did very well."
Looking at her junior, Martha's gaze softened considerably.
"I'll give you one last piece of advice. Head further north. There is an existence there who can solve the curse on him."
"If you cannot lift the curse on that Master, you will never defeat the Dragon Witch and Fafnir beside her..."
After speaking, Martha turned into golden particles of light and vanished from the spot.
Meanwhile.
"...Rider has retired. To think that even after being inflicted with Madness Enhancement, that Saint still retained some reason. How unexpected."
"Gilles, take the Servants I summoned and Fafnir. Prepare to launch an all-out attack. I can't wait to sever their pathetic hope!"
Jeanne Alter grinned, her eyes filled with excitement.
The Servant whose True Name was Gilles de Rais—but actually a facet manifested from a specific period of his history, known as "Bluebeard"—stood behind Jeanne Alter.
Hearing Jeanne Alter's words, Gilles stared with his bulging "fish eyes" and bowed respectfully.
He stepped back.
"As you command."
"...Gilles. Tell me... what exactly am I?"
Watching Gilles' retreating figure, Jeanne Alter suddenly asked.
Her eyes were shadowed, making it impossible to see what she was thinking.
"You are Jeanne. A perfect existence. Enraged by betrayal, you returned from Hell to punish the country and humanity that betrayed you."
Gilles lowered his head and answered without hesitation.
"Is that so... Go and gather the Servants."
A trace of imperceptible weakness was hidden in Jeanne Alter's voice.
She waved her hand, signaling Gilles to continue his work.
Gilles bowed again and left the gloomy hall.
Only after Gilles had left did Jeanne Alter step out of the darkness. The dim candlelight reflected the confusion in her eyes.
"If that's really the case, why do I only feel joy when I am destroying and taking revenge...?"
Even that joy was gradually becoming dull as the vengeance ended.
---
The bonfire was lit, casting a warm glow over Takumi and the group.
"So, Master really the only one left saving the Human Order...?"
After listening to Jeanne's story, Marie looked at Takumi with a complicated expression.
Even as a Heroic Spirit, she found it hard to imagine how one could achieve such a great feat when there was only oneself to rely on, fighting a lonely battle.
To be precise, just the thought of living alone without a single person to talk to was enough to make Marie shudder.
"Mmh... Speaking of which, our meeting was quite dramatic."
Recalling the scene of their first encounter, a smile inevitably appeared on Jeanne's face.
"Because I manifested suddenly, and my Spirit Origin wasn't complete, I was actually a little lost at the beginning. Then, while wandering aimlessly, I met this child who was also lost and crying all alone..."
Jeanne looked gently at Takumi, who was lying on her lap, her fingers lightly brushing through his somewhat messy short hair.
Because of the curse, his body was in constant pain and devoid of strength. This caused immense mental exhaustion for Takumi. After the fight with Martha, his consciousness had become blurry, and he was groggy.
So they had to rest for a while. Judging by the frown on Takumi's face while he slept, it clearly wasn't a pleasant experience.
"He was crying, yet he was unexpectedly strong... or maybe stubborn is the right word..."
"He kept saying it was over, yet he knew many things even I didn't know."
"He wanted to give up on himself, yet with just a few words from me, he decided to try hard one more time—actually, even I don't have much confidence in how far we can go."
"I thought I could help him a lot on this journey, but unexpectedly, it feels like I'm the one being taken care of by this child..."
You really beat me.
Jeanne pinched Takumi's cheek, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
"Mmh mmh, He is a very strong child! Let me pat his head!"
Marie was also infected by Jeanne's mood and carefully rubbed Takumi's hair.
"If we really can help him end the chaos of this Singularity, what about the journey ahead? Even I find it a bit hard to imagine."
"Hm? Speaking of which, I suddenly have inspiration. Should I compose a piece right here and now?"
Saying this, Amadeus actually summoned his conductor's baton.
"Hey, don't be a killjoy. Master needs rest right now. Your music is too loud!"
Marie extended her small fist and punched Amadeus.
"Not all pieces are loud. Aren't there peaceful songs like lullabies?"
Amadeus protested.
"Then is the song you want to compose a lullaby?"
"No~"
"Then why did you bring it up!"
Marie extended her fist and punched Amadeus again.