Reika Rikudou stared silently at Jack's wounded arm, her eyes overflowing with heartache and self-reproach. She sighed softly, "If only I were a miraculous magus, I could cast a spell to heal your wound... I'm truly sorry."
However, Jack shook her head sensibly, showing no blame toward her "mother." She blinked her clear, bright eyes and said, "Mother isn't wrong at all! It's all because those bad people were too despicable!"
"It's such a shame... those beautiful, moving hands of yours!" Reika lamented. Then, she had a sudden brainwave. "How about this? Why don't I carve out the heart of that unlucky magus from earlier for you to try?"
Before her voice had even faded, Reika stood up impatiently, showcasing her tall, voluptuous figure. She twisted her slender waist and headed toward the kitchen next door, intending to retrieve the magus's heart from the refrigerator.
At this moment, the innocent and ignorant Jack was happily swinging her tender, pink feet—as delicate as if they were carved from jade—waiting expectantly for Reika to bring the delicacy to her lips.
However, in the next second, the relaxed expression on Jack's face suddenly became grave.
"Mother, hurry up! I feel like there's a Servant nearby..."
CRASH—
Before she could finish her sentence, a crisp shattering sound rang out—the window of the kitchen where Reika was standing shattered instantly!
It all happened too fast, so fast that even Jack couldn't react in time. At that moment, Melusine arrived like a phantom, hurtling from a hundred meters away at a speed comparable to a J-20 fighter jet!
Faced with such a sudden change, Jack was caught completely off guard. If Melusine had targeted her from the start, Jack might have had the confidence to react and strike back with her own strength and agility. Unfortunately, Melusine's target wasn't Jack, but the defenseless Reika Rikudou.
Seeing her mother in danger, Jack was anxious but powerless. After all, her right hand was injured, and she was six or seven meters away from Reika. How could she save her in time?
"MOTHER!!!" Jack cried out in desperation.
In the blink of an eye, she shed the pajamas Reika had put on her, instantly transforming into her skimpy, more seductive combat outfit. It perfectly outlined her curves—especially her barely-covered backside.
Jack rushed into the kitchen without hesitation, but it was too late. Melusine had already flown out with the unconscious Reika, landing steadily on the roof across the way. Her left arm held Reika tightly, while her right hand held the heart Reika had intended to take.
Squish!
Melusine reached out expressionlessly and crushed the heart into powder with one hand. The reason she had risked entering was precisely to prevent Jack from consuming that heart. Haruka Kasugano had actually revealed this detail to her beforehand, though she hadn't understood the significance at first. However, seeing Reika attempt to take the heart made everything click, and she sprinted in without hesitation.
By now, Jack had leaped onto the roof, roaring at Melusine in a fury, "You bastard!!! Give Mother back to me!!!"
Melusine didn't respond. She stood still, seemingly waiting for something. Meanwhile, Mordred and Artoria alter noticed Melusine's sudden move and followed close behind. Within moments, the two of them landed on the nearby roofs, completing a three-way encirclement of Jack the Ripper.
Jack looked around in terror at the three powerful Servants eyeing her. An unspeakable fear welled up in her heart.
"Two Sabers, one Lancer... you aren't Servants of the Great Holy Grail War! Who the hell are you?" Jack shrieked at the top of her lungs.
"Who cares who we are! Just surrender quietly!!!" Mordred barked back, sounding triumphant and excited. She kept remembering how Jack had annoyed her in the dark alley earlier, and the fire of revenge made her grit her teeth. Now that she finally had the chance to wipe away that shame, how could she not be thrilled?
Before long, with a loud boom, Mordred charged at Jack like an arrow from a bow. Faced with this sudden assault, Jack had no choice but to unleash her Noble Phantasm. Instantly, a thick black fog billowed out, wrapping her tightly within.
Jack vanished into the mist. However, Mordred didn't stop. Relying on her massive magical energy, she continuously released sharp mana bursts, hacking wildly at the fog.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Coward, come out!" Mordred shouted, her voice echoing through the area. Meanwhile, Artoria alter also stood within the thick fog, focused entirely on searching for Jack's trace.
But...
Melusine simply placed a short sword against Reika Rikudou's neck and shouted into the fog: "Cancel your Noble Phantasm, or I kill her!"
---------
Whoosh—
With a crisp sound, Jack looked pained, but ultimately chose to deactivate her Noble Phantasm. Simultaneously, Mordred leaped to her side, raising her blade to strike.
"What are you doing?" Artoria alter stepped forward to stop her. "She is someone Haruka Kasugano specifically named to keep alive."
Hearing this, Mordred let out a disdainful "Tch..." and reluctantly withdrew her sword. Shortly after, Jack was bound tightly by Artoria alter's ropes, unable to move.
"Alright, mission accomplished! Let's rest for a bit before we go report to Haruka Kasugano," Melusine said with a smile, still carrying Reika.
"Mhm," Artoria alter nodded in agreement.
However, Mordred questioned the decision: "What? Rest? We're Servants, why the hell do we need to rest?"
"That's where you're wrong. We aren't like you. Since we have physical bodies, we're essentially half-human. Of course we need proper rest," Melusine explained patiently.
Artoria alter didn't pay much attention to the explanation. She jumped back into Jack's room and, without a word, lay down on the bed to rest. Since she hadn't officially formed a contract with Haruka Kasugano yet, the massive amount of mana spent in the battle left her exhausted.
The night grew deep and silent. Mordred didn't join the others in sleep; as a pure Servant, she had no need for it and remained awake. Now, she bore the responsibility of keeping watch.
She sat quietly by the bed, staring at Artoria alter's charming face while she slept. She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "She really is beautiful..."
Seeing Artoria alter sleeping peacefully, Mordred felt a sudden urge to do something for her. After a moment of hesitation, she stood up, walked to Artoria alter's side, and carefully picked up a blanket to gently cover her. Just as she finished, a voice rang out: "What are you doing?"
It was Melusine, woken by Mordred's movement. Mordred froze in embarrassment, standing there awkwardly and stammering, "I... it's not... I just..." She didn't know how to answer.
Melusine rubbed her eyes, becoming more curious. "Usually you seem to hate Miss Artoria..." She couldn't understand why Mordred would act this way.
Mordred's face turned bright red as she lowered her head in shame. Actually, she didn't truly hate Artoria. Quite the opposite—she had always been Artoria's biggest fan. Now, thanks to Haruka Kasugano, she had a chance to be close to the "Father" she admired so much; her heart was practically bursting with excitement. Moreover, since Artoria had become Artoria alter, she seemed to have more of a "human" touch, making their bickering much more enjoyable for Mordred.
Mordred wanted to explain further, but seeing Melusine lie back down to sleep, she gave up. She carefully checked that the blanket on Artoria alter was secure, then returned to her position, satisfied, to continue her duty. A slight smile played on her lips.
----------
[Ding~! Mordred's Infidelity Progress has increased by 10~!]
What's the situation?
Haruka Kasugano was momentarily baffled. He was still walking with Jeanne; why did Mordred's favorability just go up? Bizarre!
At this moment, Haruka Kasugano was still following Jeanne up a hillside. Seeing him looking suspicious, Jeanne turned back and smiled, "Are you too tired? It makes sense; this is probably the first time you've walked such a long distance. Let's take a rest."
Jeanne found a large rock, and the two sat down side-by-side. Perhaps out of a "Holy Mother's" love for the weak, Jeanne was completely unguarded. Even something as intimate as sitting shoulder-to-shoulder seemed not to bother her. It might be because she had witnessed Haruka Kasugano's "rebirth," so she believed in her heart that he was a good person—a newborn in need of care.
She pulled some dry rations from her pocket and offered them to him. "Here, try some!"
And so, the two sat on the rock, eating crackers together. Because Jeanne's summoning had "failed" in a sense, she had gained the permission of Leticia to possess her body. Therefore, Jeanne had to eat and rest like a human; she couldn't dematerialize.
Throughout the meal, Jeanne watched Haruka Kasugano eat, like a mother watching her child grow. This made Haruka Kasugano quite awkward, so he said insincerely, "Wow... my first time eating... it's so delicious..."
"Right! You only have the strength to live if you eat. In your future life, you must eat well!" Jeanne taught him with high spirits.
"Hahaha..." Haruka Kasugano was incredibly awkward. However... being cared for by Jeanne proved his plan was working perfectly!
In the past, he had won girls over through threats or by misleading them. This kind of "pure" interaction with Jeanne was a first... If all went well, he wouldn't need to do anything "evil." He could naturally capture Jeanne's heart just like Sieg did. He only needed to turn the tide at the final moment to change the ending!
...But would it really be that smooth? He could only take it one step at a time.
After eating, the two continued their journey. It was also the first time Jeanne had walked through the wilderness with a member of the opposite sex. A strange feeling began to stir in her heart. Knowing nothing of romance, Jeanne simply assumed it was the pride of helping someone. She didn't realize it was the seed of affection.
Before dawn, they finally saw a village. Jeanne deactivated her armor, turning back into her school uniform, and ran to talk to an old man to convince him to take Haruka Kasugano in.
After the old man agreed, Jeanne ran back and smiled at Haruka Kasugano: "From now on, live with this old man. He will teach you how to live!"
"Mhm," Haruka Kasugano nodded.
Just then, without warning, Jeanne leaned down, her lips curling into a soft smile as she said softly, "Before I go, why don't you give this lady a smile~?"
She made the request so naturally. The scene was thick with ambiguity~! Faced with this, a sly smile appeared on Haruka Kasugano's face.