"Huh? What's going on?"
"I was drinking tea just a second ago…"
Marie Antoinette (Caster) blinked in confusion, glancing around the open plain. She clearly had no idea how she had ended up here.
The last thing she remembered was relaxing in Chaldea with the other French Servants, everyone sharing their recent worries. The mood had grown a little heavy, and she had been about to speak up and lighten the atmosphere with her usual cheer.
Then, without warning, she found herself standing in this grassy field.
After scanning her surroundings, her eyes settled on Adam.
"Master? Did you summon me?"
Black Marie reacted very differently. Having been called by Adam before, she had already grown used to the sudden shifts. She turned toward him with a bright, eager smile, clearly anticipating what might come next.
"Master, who are we tormenting this time?"
Adam gave her a knowing look. Black Marie understood it instantly, and the two of them shared a quick, conspiratorial grin.
He then explained the current situation to both Marie Antoinette (Caster) and Black Marie—especially to the former—detailing the Singularity they were in.
"Marie, do you remember d'Éon's state back in the first Singularity?"
As he spoke, Adam pointed toward one side of the battlefield.
Both Maries followed his gesture and saw the ongoing clash: Marie versus Chevalier d'Éon.
Marie Antoinette (Caster) watched the fight below, tapping a finger thoughtfully against her lips.
"Yes, I remember."
"I didn't see much of d'Éon during that Singularity, but after we all came to Chaldea, you told us what she was going through."
"If I recall correctly, d'Éon should be feeling… deeply…"
She trailed off, the memory clearly weighing on her.
Adam gently finished the sentence for her.
"Burdened by guilt and inner torment."
"In this Singularity, d'Éon has tried countless times to end her own existence and escape the endless cycle of destroying France. But because of her Berserker state, she can't."
"Becoming an accomplice in her homeland's ruin has left the French knight in unbearable pain."
"That pain didn't vanish even after she arrived in Chaldea. You remember how she walked around every day looking so downcast, unable to shake that shadow, right?"
While he spoke, Adam's eyes lost focus for the briefest moment, as if he had slipped into his own memories.
Black Marie noticed the flicker immediately. Her brow twitched, and she began watching Adam closely in silence.
Unlike the more sensitive Black Marie, the innocent Swimsuit Marie didn't catch the subtle change. She simply nodded, fully absorbed in what Adam was saying. She could never forget how that story had unfolded.
"Of course, Master. It left a strong impression. You were the one who helped d'Éon find her way out."
"Come to think of it, your performance back then was really dazzling~"
"It was almost like you truly understood exactly how she felt."
"I even started wondering if you had once gone through something similar to d'Éon…"
Adam's gaze toward Swimsuit Marie suddenly darted aside for a split second. He waved a hand casually, cutting her off.
"Well, I just happen to have some experience with that kind of counseling."
"But that was then. Now the responsibility falls to you, Marie."
Swimsuit Marie had been puzzled by the interruption—after all, she had only been joking—but the moment Adam finished speaking, her focus shifted entirely to herself.
Her eyes widened in surprise, and she pointed at her own chest, voice filled with disbelief.
"Me…? You mean… me?"
Adam caught the lack of confidence in her tone. He flashed an encouraging smile and deliberately used a teasing tone to push her forward.
"What? No faith in yourself?"
Swimsuit Marie scratched her head awkwardly and let out a cute little whine.
"Ugh~ It's not that I have no confidence, but I don't think I could do it as well as you did, Master."
Seeing his first attempt fall flat, Adam switched tactics to build her up properly.
"Don't worry, Marie. You know how well I understand all of you—otherwise I could never reach your hearts the way I do."
"Because I know you, I'm certain you can handle this."
"Just be yourself and do what comes naturally."
Swimsuit Marie still hesitated, lips pressed together. After a few seconds of internal debate, she replayed Adam's words of trust in her mind. Fresh determination slowly welled up inside her.
Finally, she gave him a firm nod.
"I understand, Master. Since you believe in me, I'll do everything I can."
With that, she turned and dashed toward the battlefield where Chevalier d'Éon and Marie were fighting.
Adam watched her retreating figure, a gentle, satisfied smile curving his lips.
There was only one problem: he had summoned two Maries.
He slowly turned his head to look at the Black Marie still standing beside him.
She was already staring straight at him, brows furrowed as she glanced once more at Swimsuit Marie's back.
At first Adam assumed she was jealous of her other self, but the next instant he realized the expression on her face wasn't envy—it was worry.
Before he could speak, Black Marie asked, voice laced with confusion:
"Master… you're not trying to turn Marie into some kind of emotional support center for all the French Servants, are you?"
Adam's private thoughts had been seen through, but he didn't bother hiding them. He openly admitted it with a laugh.
"You caught me."
"I do have that in mind. Marie is a natural optimist—her mood spreads to everyone around her."
"Life in Chaldea keeps going, and living means running into emotional problems sooner or later."
"I can't handle everything alone, so I need to nurture a few Servants who can help me with that kind of support."
Adam glanced at Black Marie, who still hadn't moved, then at Swimsuit Marie's distant back.
"Aren't you going, Black Marie?"
"Don't tell me you've lost confidence too?"
"That doesn't sound like you at all."
Black Marie shook her head gently. It wasn't what Adam thought.
"I won't go. You already know my current state—I'm basically a walking bundle of negative emotions."
"If I stepped in, I might end up making things worse."
Hearing how she described herself, Adam gave a helpless little sigh and offered his own understanding.
"Hm~ You always cut straight to the heart of any issue and make people realize exactly what they're facing."
Black Marie listened quietly, offering no reply. She simply kept staring at Adam, her gaze so intense it felt like she was trying to peel him open layer by layer.
"Maybe so, Master."
"But that's not the real reason I don't want to go."
"Compared to d'Éon's situation, I'm far more concerned about you."
Adam's brow lifted slightly; he didn't quite follow.
"More concerned about me? What do you mean?"
He could tell her words weren't just an expression of affection—they carried another layer.
"Master, I've been in Chaldea for a few years now."
"During all that time, I've watched you help every other Servant work through their problems."
"But… you've never once told us what your own problems are."
Black Marie stared directly into Adam's eyes, as if trying to peer straight into his soul.
Adam let out a short laugh, as though he had heard something amusing.
"Hah~"
"What problems could I possibly have? I—"
He started to continue, but Black Marie cut him off, still watching him closely, searching for any crack in his expression.
"While you were talking to the other 'me' earlier, you kept deliberately dodging something, didn't you?"
"What are you avoiding, Master?"
"What is it that you don't want us to know?"
Adam's smile froze. Every movement in his body seemed to stop, as if time itself had halted.
The playful glint in his eyes vanished, replaced by something deeper as he looked at Black Marie.
After a long silence…
"…See? That's why I said my evaluation of you was spot-on. You always strike right at the core."
He spoke in his usual light, joking tone and slipped back into his everyday demeanor, as if nothing had happened.
Black Marie frowned at his evasive attitude. She clearly wasn't ready to drop the subject.
"Master, our feelings for you are no weaker than yours for us. What is it that you can't—"
Adam interrupted her—something he rarely did—his voice carrying an unusual note of finality.
"Black Marie, since you don't want to help with d'Éon, go handle Sanson instead. You're the perfect counter for him anyway."
"In my plan, that side was always meant to be your stage."
"Sanson has been turned into a Shadow Servant. Most likely, his Spirit Origin was too badly damaged under Mash's shield earlier, so he couldn't continue functioning as a regular Servant. That's why Gilles de Rais converted him into that form."
Adam calmly recited the information about Sanson, but Black Marie wasn't listening at all.
Compared to any of that, she cared far more about Adam right now.
She opened her mouth to say something else, but the moment she saw the look in his eyes, the words caught in her throat. She lowered her head in quiet disappointment and stopped pressing the issue.
"…Understood, Master."
Black Marie walked toward the battlefield where Shadow Sanson fought Mozart, her steps almost mechanical.
Her thoughts remained fixed on Adam; she paid no attention to the enemy Shadow Servant in front of her.
She hadn't gotten the answer—or the result—she wanted from him.
Black Marie could sense that deep inside Adam there was a place even those closest to him could never reach.
A quiet ache settled in her chest—not for herself, but for him.
She didn't understand.
Adam spent every day in Chaldea solving everyone else's problems.
She could see how deeply all the Servants cared for him.
So why?
Why wouldn't he let them help with his own?
The more she thought about it, the less it made sense, and the more unsettled she felt.
Eventually, Black Marie's foul mood was temporarily distracted by the sounds of Shadow Sanson and Mozart clashing.
She turned her gaze toward the enemy Shadow Servant.
Since Sanson was an opponent now, she could do whatever she wanted to him, right?
Black Marie silently decided to vent all her frustration on him.
In his current Shadow Servant state, Sanson should have been incapable of feeling any personal thoughts.
Yet for some reason, cold sweat suddenly broke out across his body, as if he could sense the coming disaster.
...
On the battlefield where Chevalier d'Éon fought Marie.
The stalemate continued—until suddenly—
"Ciallo～(∠?ω<)⌒☆"
"Another 'me,' I'm here to help!"
An unexpected new figure jumped into the fray, greeting them with an utterly whimsical wave that instantly drew both combatants' attention.
Chevalier d'Éon and Marie instinctively pulled back at the same time and turned toward the voice.
Another Marie had appeared on the battlefield, wearing a light one-piece swimsuit dress and a straw hat—the perfect image of a carefree summer day.
d'Éon stared blankly at Swimsuit Marie, then at the Marie she had been fighting. Her eyes flicked back and forth between the two identical queens.
It took a full three seconds before the knight finally reacted.
"Eh?! Queen Marie… Q-Queen Marie?!"
"What is happening here?!"
***
Hey, everyone! I'm currently working on a new Marvel project, and I'm really excited about it. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, feel free to give it a read:
[Marvel Apex Predator]
Synopsis:
What would happen if you were born into a world filled with bizarre races wielding even stranger powers, as a species whose sole purpose is to evolve by devouring every other race?
Chaos.
That's exactly what happens when the universe's one and only true Apex Predator is born into Marvel.
This is the story of how Xenomorph tears apart the cosmic food chain and reshapes the hierarchy of life itself.