Theirs
Sasaki Koujirou POV
"You can feel that, can't you?"
He followed Georgios's gaze down the partially destroyed road that led to the vast, empty countryside, past the charred fields of wheat, and to the steep hills in the distance.
It was faint, but he could feel several heroic spirits coming towards the city.
"Yes, I do." He narrowed his eyes when a glare of light struck his face.
"Monsieur Sasaki, is everything alright?" Their light-brown-haired companion, Elaine, asked with worry.
"Go home to your brother, Elaine. It's not safe." He didn't want to drag her into a servant battle. Based on how many servants he could feel, he would not be able to protect her if one of them slipped by him and Georgios.
Hearing the serious tone in his voice, the girl's concern turned into horror, "y-yes! I'm going!! Please be careful…"
Without questioning his order, Elaine ran back into the village, not bothering to take her basket back with her.
The rest of the town noticed her frantic running and realized a possible attack was coming. The mass closing of doors was a sound that he had grown used to hearing since he had been a guardian of this place.
The action was meaningless before the might of a servant, but people needed some semblance of security to keep them sane in these times.
Satisfied that Elaine had left, his gaze settled on the approaching vehicle, which was close enough that he was able to make out that it was a carriage made of glass which was being pulled by a glass horse.
"Did the Dragon Witch send more of her subordinates?"
Georgios didn't seem to think so, "if it was, then the Dragon Witch would have sent a flock of wyverns to follow close behind."
"I'll meet them halfway. If they have bad intentions, then I can drive them off while keeping the town out of the ensuing fight."
Georgios shook his head, "there's too many of them. I cannot in good faith leave you to face a possible horde of enemies by yourself."
The saint was right. Unlike the last siege, the Dragon Witch only bothered to send one servant after them and a massive army of wyverns and undead. This group was composed of multiple servants, so it would be a much more difficult fight than what they went through before.
"Suit yourself then."
His feet pushed off the ground, and the surroundings blurred as he ran towards the incoming carriage.
Just as he promised, Georgios followed in tandem, his own heavier steps not the least bit slower than his.
It didn't take long for them to close the distance with the new arrivals. The glass carriage was so close he could make out the detailed engravings made in the glass.
"Halt. Identify yourselves and state your intentions, or we will use force to stop you! This is your only warning!" Georgios's voice boomed across the valley.
The carriage stopped in compliance, then it gently descended in front of them until it landed on the road with a soft plunk.
A door swung open, and a figure stepped out, a small, regal young woman wearing a ridiculously oversized red hat.
"Bonjour, friends! My name is Queen Marie Antoinette, and we come in peace!"
The young woman then struck a playful pose, "Now take us to your leader!"
He raised a brow at that, this Marie Antoinette sounded like she was making a modern reference of some kind. Frankly, it looked and sounded quite ridiculous.
If Georgios thought the same thing as he did, he was doing a good job of not showing any rude emotions on his face. In fact, he looked quite amused and pleasantly surprised to see her.
"It's an honor to meet you, Your Majesty." A somber expression fell upon Georgios's face, "Unfortunately, the rightful nobleman in charge of this settlement is currently at the pearly gates with St. Peter."
The young royal lost her cheer at the news.
"Oh."
"Indeed. As of now, the current leader of the French Army has temporarily taken charge of Theirs during this crisis."
Her mood went back to jolly, but it was a bit more muted than earlier.
"May we be allowed passage? We have been travelling for days, and we wish to have a place to rest and to drop off a refugee."
Another refugee. There was no shortage of them coming into the city at first, but they have become a rarity the more time has passed.
Georgios's features softened, much like how they had done in the past whenever new arrivals showed up. The man was just too pure-hearted to let an innocent civilian die to a horde of monsters.
"We would be honored to welcome you and your allies into the city, provided you all show yourselves and vow not to harm anyone in the settlement."
"That will be no issue," the bubbly woman told them with a smile.
A second figure stepped out of the carriage, and the tension in his shoulders slackened.
"It's been a while, Koujirou-san," the familiar figure of Kiyohime said as she delicately walked out of the carriage.
"Yes, it has been a while, Kiyohime-san. It's a pleasant surprise to see you again." He told her sincerely because he meant it. They both got summoned around the same time in the same place, and they were even traveling companions for some time before he tagged along with Georgios.
He had honestly feared that the young girl had been killed after he found out the kinds of monsters running around in this country.
He evaluated her appearance once more, she seemed much more mature-looking than the last time they met. Her voice even sounded a bit deeper.
"You've changed, Miss Kiyohime, " Georgios seemed surprised to see her change in posture and confidence.
"Yes, I have. I have a temporary contract with a master right now, so I have more energy to allocate toward my image as a devoted housewife to Anchin… for when he gets summoned."
Ah, right, Anchin. The monk whom she roasted inside a bell after he rejected her. Well, despite her violent past, he considers her a close ally. A trustworthy one… so long as you never lied to her.
"Master?" Georgios furrowed his brows, wondering what she could mean, until said Master came out of the carriage.
His clothing was something that was too advanced for this era. The boy wore grey clothing held together with small stitches, had numerous zippers and pockets, and even had rubber running shoes.
A boy from the modern era as a master? Interesting.
"Hello, my name is Ritsuka Fujimaru, and I am the master of all the servants inside this carriage."
After he said this, the rest of Fujimaru's servants came out of the carriage one by one.
And what a colorful cast of characters they were.
The first to emerge was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a renowned composer that will be born in the future of this country. He was followed by the super idol Elizabeth Bathory, though based on the looks sent her way, the title was most likely self-proclaimed.
So far, everything seemed normal, but that changed when the Shielder servant emerged.
Mash Kirielight.
Her nature as a demi-servant did give him pause. She was such a unique and strange phenomenon, even more so than he was. However, so far, everyone doesn't seem to harbor any ill intentions.
Unfortunately, he spoke too soon. Whatever calm and positive atmosphere Kiyohime had managed to cultivate burned into ash when the next servant arrived.
The intense aura emitted by this woman was overwhelming. It made him a bit wary, but he stayed his blade.
Georgios, on the other hand? He reacted with prejudice.
He unsheathed his sword.
The holy sword Ascalon gleamed in the sun as the Saint pointed it at the stern woman.
The reaction from the others was immediate, as they all tensed at the unexpected hostility.
He could not blame them, Georgios was a jolly man who had compassion for all, but if you crossed him, hurt the innocent, or just did something he disapproved of, he could become terrifying at the drop of a hat.
The glare he was pointing at the armored woman was just as sharp as the holy sword in his hand.
"This woman is under madness enhancement!" Explain yourselves!!"
The woman raised both of her hands in surrender, which earned her a hard but less hostile stare from the Saint.
"You have nothing to fear from me. I am not a berserker-enhanced servant of the Dragon Witch. My true name is Kriemhild, a Berserker-class servant who was summoned outside of this place and era."
He spared a look to Kiyohime to confirm the truth of this woman's claims. Even though Kiyohime had a master, he knew her nature well enough that she despises lies and would not hesitate to expose them.
If this Master was working with the witch and used a command seal to force her to lie, then it would be obvious she was under the effects of a command seal. However, that didn't seem to be the case, as Kiyohime confirmed the validity of the berserker woman's words with a head nod.
It was good enough for him, and Georgios as well, since he relaxed his posture and sheathed his sword.
"Hm, it would seem like you are speaking the truth. Forgive me, but the Dragon Witch's constant attacks have left me wary of servants with that skill."
"It is alright, I understand. We too have been dealing with such subordinates for the past few days. Besides, it is only natural to be wary of Berserkers."
A surprisingly cooperative and sane Berserker-class servant? How novel. Not at all like that brute Heracles or that frustrated one with the oversized cannon that he bested a little while ago.
"Um, well…" Fujimaru scratched his cheek awkwardly, "sorry about that. Anyway, Kiyohime spoke well of you two, and I think it's best we come clean with the identities of the next two people. You see, they have controversial appearances, so much so that we had them dye their hair to avoid facing danger from the populace.
Hmm, that sounded oddly suspicious. What kind of appearance would cause such a reaction?
Two red-headed women stepped out from the carriage.
The younger woman wore a battle dress that looked similar to the French Army in style, while the older woman wore normal civilian clothing. This woman must be the refugee that they had claimed to be dropping off.
The older woman was staring at Georgios with awe and reverence in her eyes, the same look that a few of the devout followers of the Abrahamic God had when Georgios revealed his true nature. He remembered how over the moon Elaine and her brother were when they found out.
"This is Madame Isabelle Romee, the mother of Jeanne D'Arc. She has travelled with us in search of a safe place to rest." The boy's words made Georgios's expression soften with pity for the woman.
"I-It is an honor to meet you, St. George."
"The honor is mine, Madame Romee. Fear not, for your long, arduous journey has come to an end."
"Thank you… Um, and please… I beseech you, please have mercy on my daughter."
He raised a brow, looked at the younger redhead with a squint of his eyes, then realization struck his face.
Fujimaru winced, "Well, here goes nothing… and please, don't freak out, but the servant next to Madame Romee is the actual Jeanne D'Arc."
Jeanne D'Arc?! The dragon witch?!!
He partially draws his blade, but Georgios's hand stretched out to stop him.
"Easy, friend, this is not the Dragon Witch, this is the genuine Holy Maiden, is she not?"
The woman who was identified as Jeanne D'Arc gave a nod, "yes, I am Jeanne D'Arc. Although I would not dare call myself a saint when compared to you, Saint George."
His sparring partner gave the other saint a chuckle, "nonsense, you are equally as famous a saint as I."
His features hardened, "unfortunately, the atrocities of the Dragon Witch have tainted the image of the French people, so your real name will have to be kept under wraps to avoid issues."
The saint agreed with Georgios, and the tension was relieved once more, but there was still the issue of the last servant in the carriage.
"Hoh? You really haven't changed, have you, Samurai?"
His eyes widened at the familiar voice, then a smile crept up his face when he saw the red Archer come from behind the carriage.
"I could say the same about you. Always coming out of nowhere when people least expect you."
The Archer rolled his eyes, "oh yes, I just love to make dramatic entrances, just so that I can make myself look cool." A look towards Kiyohime, and to his surprise, she nodded at Archer's statement which caught him off guard.
And based on the awkward cough Archer made, it seems like it caught him off guard as well.
"Do you know this servant Sasaki?"
He gave Georgios a lazy stare, "you could say that. We met in a previous Grail War unrelated to the current affairs."
"Hm, I see." Georgios raised a brow, "Then I take it you can vouch for him?"
Looking back at the Red Archer, he couldn't help but think back on the last time they met. He recalled how he had tried to kill the red-haired master of Saber. Then there were a few, muddier memories. Happier ones, but he could not properly recall them at the moment.
"I'm not too sure, this one is a bit sketchy. It's a bit difficult to trust a man who calls himself an Archer but wields swords like a saber."
He gave the Red Archer a coy smile, one that the man returned, "Heh, says the Assassin who fights like a Saber."
Ah, he got him there.
He scoffed, "Touché."
Archer raised a brow, "I see you picked up the language."
"I did. In fact, I am the guardian of this city and its people. It is my job to keep suspicious people like you away from this city and its inhabitants."
The red Archer let out a hum, and then all of a sudden, his focused stare moved down and turned empty. He followed his gaze and noticed that he was not looking at him specifically, but rather at his damaged sword.
"Your sword has gone through quite the beating, hasn't it?"
A pang of frustration bubbled to the surface, "yes it has. It's quite unfortunate, but the blood of the local swallows is quite hard to clean off."
"Hm, swallows, huh?" He gave another hum, then he unexpectedly projected a sword. But not just any sword, it was a nodachi.
He narrowed his eyes at the servant, who was inspecting the blade like it was some fruit in a market stall. He let out a sigh and unsheathed his blade. It looks like it will come down to a conflict after all.
Or so he thought.
That thought process was nipped in the bud when Archer nonchalantly tossed the sword over to him.
Instinctively, he caught the sheathed sword out of the air.
As soon as his palm touched the hilt, it was as if he had been made whole once more. He inspected the blade's edge by running his fingers over the blade.
Sharp.
"Consider that a token of our free will. We mean no harm. Quite the opposite, in fact."
"Is that so?" he weighed the sword, it felt just like his old nodachi and a few test swings confirmed it. It was an exact replica.
"Yes, we're on a quest to hunt a dragon."
"Quite the quest you are going to undertake."
"Yes, and we're going to need every servant we can to achieve that quest." He pointed a thumb at the red head, "that includes the dorky saint in our party."
Jeanne didn't approve of the moniker, as she pouted her cheek at Archer.
"I'm not dorky."
Archer ignored her, "So we would appreciate if you would allow us into the city so we can plan our next moves."
"And I suppose that means you will be seeking our services?" He wouldn't mind lending a hand. Sparring with Georgios was entertaining, but a life or death battle with a skilled opponent was something he yearned.
Archer shrugged, "If you wish, but there's no pressure to help. Though given the circumstances, it's not a matter of if you'll help us, but when."
What a smug bastard. He was right, the Dragon Witch would not sit on her laurels forever. Since they are both enemies of the Witch, their team up will be inevitable.
He was just rubbing the futility of choice in his face.
"Well, I accept your offering and I do not mind you being in the city, but Saint Georgios has the final say."
Georgios, who was keenly observing his interaction with Archer, gave the man a nod, "Well, while I cannot promise I will join you on your quest, I can grant you a place to rest after your long travels. Come, we have much to discuss."
✦✧✦
Ritsuka POV
[GroundHippowdon: Man, this place is a dump. ]
[Don't be rude! They are living in bad times!! ]
[GroundHippowdon: Nah, that's just plain ye ol' city life. Piss and shit everywhere, people dressed in rags, and peasants getting trampled by the nobility. The only thing missing is the swarms of rattata and raticate going on turf wars with the poison and dark types in the city. ]
[IndoorElm: Spoke too soon there bud, look at that! it's a Rattus norvegicus! A brown rat for those who don't know the scientific name. ]
[It looks a bit smaller than the ones near Gudao's neighborhood. ]
[Probably cuz it's in the past. Not enough Pizza and burgers to make the guys chonkier. ]
[OrochiMochiHime: Are my Lord's living conditions truly that poor? (•᷄ᴗ•᷅ ᵕ) ]
[Well, he inherited a house, but it's in a bad neighborhood. But he told us its way cheaper than actually paying rent so he just does his best to live. ]
"Not used to the smell, are you?" He gave Georgios the side-eye, but it wasn't effective like he hoped, given the amused smile on the saint's face.
"No. It's-" he coughed, "too pungent."
"It is a rather unpleasant experience, but you'll get used to it with time. Though it could take you longer due to you being a human from the modern era."
He doubted he would ever get used to this, "I don't think I'll get used to it."
Suddenly, the disembodied voice of Da Vinci filled the air, startling the few onlookers who were brave enough to come out to the street.
"You do realize you have a smell purification spell included in your mystic code, don't you? "
He nearly stumbled when he heard that.
So he could have just gotten rid of the smell from the start?!! Why didn't Da Vinci say anything earlier?!!
"Hmm, magecraft. While I personally hold no ill will towards it now as a heroic spirit, I feel most of the people here would not be welcome to it."
"Ah, my apologies, I just got a bit excited to see his reaction. It did not disappoint. "
[She has a point, seeing Gudao's funny faces is always a treat. ]
[There's a subteddit dedicated to all the different faces Gudao has made when he's streaming. Thanks to Da Vinci, that number has gone up significantly. May Arceus bless you, Da Vinci, you sexy troll, you. ]
He ran some of his weak magical energy to his mystic code, and the smell of sewage muted into a fart.
"It still smells," the worst of the smell had faded, but his sour tears still stung his eyes.
"You have to get used to the smell Gudao-kun, the past doesn't smell nice. The sooner you get used to it, the better. You're lucky I even included the spell in the first place mister! "
Da Vinci's faux motherly scolding tone caused him to wince, "sorry for sounding so ungrateful, Da Vinci, I appreciate your thoughtfulness."
Smell aside, this place did look to be in rough shape. The black charred walls on these houses told him everything he needed to know about how bad things got around here.
The wary stares from the inhabitants made him nervous, but they're still relatively tame compared to the looks people gave him when he first started doing livestreams on his GoPro.
[Madame Isabelle's hair dye is working. People aren't calling for her or Jeanne's blood! Instead, they're just being treated as normal strangers! ]
[I swear, my heart was beating in my chest during the entire confrontation with Georgios and the Aerial Ace guy. ]
[El_Kukui: I never thought we'd meet the man, the myth, and the legend, Sasaki Koujiro. The guy who invented the move for Aerial Ace/Tsubame Gaeshi!! ]
[*in Gudao's world. ]
[El_Kukui: Oh, right. Of course. While a samurai being in medieval France seems out of place, I'm not complaining. The guy is cool as a Powder Snow on a hot summer's day! ]
[Wide_OpenSky-la: He might be a handsome bishonen that makes my heart skip a beat, but he's still a swallow cutting asshole!! ]
[VioletZephyr_Falk: @ Wide_OpenSky-laRight… ]
[I'm more surprised that GARrcher KNOWS him, from a previous grail war. It's honestly quite the small world. ]
"It's truly a sad state, isn't it? For such a proud country to be reduced to just a few pockets of squalor. Yet, despite how deplorable it looks, these people have been through hell just to get here." Georgios's face was filled with compassion and pity as he looked at the surroundings.
He truly seemed to care deeply for these people.
And he was right. No matter how bad the state of the city was, compared to the outside, they could at least sleep easy knowing they could wake up alive the next morning.
"I can't really compare it to other places, since we haven't seen another human settlement since Vaucouleurs."
A grave look fell on the man's face, "that would be because of a certain subordinate of the dragon witch. An emperor from the future who conquered most of Europe."
"It was Napoleon Bonaparte wasn't it?" He asked, and the grim nod from Georgios confirmed it.
He heard the saint's gauntlet creak as his hand turned into a fist, "his wretched army of undead has made it their mission to burn and salt the land wherever they go. Combined with people being too scared to work the land, the food shortage and famine that followed was inevitable.
He even went as far as to kill off all animals: deer, birds, livestock, and even fish. All just so that the innocent people of this country would starve. This place is lucky to have had some food stores to keep themselves fed, but it's dwindling. Honestly, if not for us, this city would have fallen a long time ago. "
Yikes, the situation was more bleak than he realized.
[Damn. ]
[Makes sense. With no food, people will not have the energy tofight back. ]
[TheIcePryce: To go as far as to make the land barren for all life just so that your enemy can't eat. It's evil, but it's genius since heroic spirits and zombies don't need to eat normal food. ]
[As expected of the man who conquered most of Europe. ]
"Truth be told, if not for Sasaki, I would have struggled to fend off both the servant and his army of undead. I could have still driven them off, but it would have come with the price of heavy casualties. A fate that was averted thanks to his presence."
"Napoleon has wyverns?" That was strange, he didn't have any wyverns when they encountered him.
"He had wyverns." The saint smirked, "that was until they met their doom to Sasaki's blade."
The purple swordsman overheard their discussion and verified Georgios's boast, "Really, they were just oversized swallows."
[Dragon's-Iris: huh?! ]
[DragonMasterLance: Did he just…refer to wyverns, as oversized birds?!!]
[Oh! So that's what he meant when he said "swallow blood is hard to clean off." Geez.]
[DragonMasterLance: I know Gudao's Earth classifies wyverns as a subspecies of dragons, but it's still a dragon!! How can he compare a majestic, and brutal dragon to a small songbird?!! ]
[Lol. If he considers all dragons oversized swallows, then that means, to Sasaki, your username would be SwallowMasterLance. ]
[.·°՞(˃ ᗜ ˂)՞°·. ] x 345
[DragonMasterLance: I hate all of you. ]
[VioletZephyr_Falk: I don't know if I should be impressed that he thinks so highly of swallows that he would compare them to dragons, or offended that he thinks so lowly of swallows that he used them as a way to discredit the threat of a wyvern. ]
Sasaki's glanced at him, "The way you spoke of that servant, have you encountered him?"
"Yes, we did, hard to miss the giant laser of a noble phantasm he threw at us," if it wasn't for Mash holding onto him when Marie's carriage hit that laser, he would have been sent flying and crashed on top of Marie.
"Ah yes, it was quite the annoying noble phantasm, but useful since his allies weren't immune to it." The wistful tone in Sasaki's voice told him that he had found that game mechanic mid-fight. "Seeing as how you made it here alive, I take it you finished him off?"
This time, Archer was the one who answered for him, "no. We didn't. We were actually just trying to head here as quickly as possible after Kiyohime told us about you and the dragon-slaying saint. And it was a good thing too, since the Witch sent Lancelot du Lac at us."
"You don't say? I have heard he was quite the great swordsman. One of the strongest swordsmen in King Arthur's court." Huh, so Sasaki Kojiro was a battle junkie. Neat, then again, it makes sense considering his deal came about for accepting a duel invitation from Musashi.
"I cannot really say much about his swordsmanship given how he chased after us while riding a modern fighter jet and wielding a mini gun."
The absurdity of that statement actually caused he samurai to lose his composure and stare at Archer with the most comically surprised reaction he has seen from the samurai thus far.
"Truly?!"
Archer let out a sigh, "yes. I know. None of us know why, but he just did. But I wouldn't worry about it, considering I blew up his mount, his gun and his arm, all in one shot."
[I still can't wrap my head around that. ]
[DragoonRuleZ: Lancelot du Lac, the knight of the lake… and Gareth's lord. I cannot say the man left a good impression on me. ]
[Beaumains: Ser Lancelot is a great and noble knight! ]
[CasCu: what kind of "great" and "noble" knight betrays his own king by wooing and laying with his queen? ]
[Beaumains: He made some mistakes. Mistakes which I will admit did kickstart the downfall of Camelot, but he is still someone I dearly respect! ]
[Bunny_Aachan: Didn't he splatter your head on the ground with his boot? ]
[Beaumains: Um… not really with his boot but... yeah, he did. ]
[(ʘᗩʘ') ] x 234
[DragoonRuleZ: @ Beaumains He did what?!!! ]
"Ah, Ser Georgios and Ser Sasaki! There you are!"
Their fascinating conversation about a knight packing heat in the 1400s came to an end when a man in full plate armor yelled out towards the two swordsmen escorting their party.
The man's armor was stained with dirt and scratches, which had dulled what he assumed was a shiny silver-white hue into a muted silver.
For some reason, Jeanne had decided to take a step back and pulled her hood lower to cover her face.
Was this someone she knew?
"I apologize for the tardiness, my men and I came as fast as we could!" The man paused and a wary look emerged on his face, "ah, I see you brought some travelers?"
Seeing the distrust in his features, Georgios made a calming gesture, "do not worry friend, it was a false alarm. These people are not enemies, they are here to come to aid the fight against the Dragon Witch."
Georgios turned to them, "everyone, this man is the leader of the French army, the good baron, Gilles De Rais."
Oh crap baskets. It's HIM.
[AHHHH!!! It's the frog-eyed child killer!! ]
[ (ಠ益ಠ) ] x 121
[But his eyes look normal?? ]
[Doesn't matter! Someone put some sand in his eyes!!! ]
[We don't have more PP for sand attack to do that, besides, potshots are disabled. ]
It seems like the man caught onto his wariness, as he raised a brow at him. He couldn't help it, the guy was notorious for doing heinous shit, and it was hard to not let some of his emotions slip!
The man seemed to not pay him more mind and searched the crowd for a moment, then his scan stopped when his eyes landed on a hooded figure.
He pointed his finger at Jeanne, "you there, in the cloak, take off your hood. I wish to see your face."
[(0_0 )] x 342
[He's caught onto us!! Run for your lives before he decides to start chopping!! ]
[Shit we were so close. The hair dye was a mistake! ]
Jeanne seemed hesitant to comply, but she did as she was told.
Red hair shone in the morning light.
The man narrowed his eyes, "have we met before? You look rather familiar."
"No sir, we have not. You have me mistaken for someone else."
"It's a lie.It'sa lie.It'salie.It'salie.It'salie," he heard Kiyohime frantically whisper under her breath, a bit too loudly.
It was honestly a miracle that Kiyohime was tolerating someone blatantly lying in front of her. There was no doubt that if Gilles decided to ask her directly, she would tell him the truth and expose her.
Thankfully Gilles did not seem to hear her whispers.
Georgios noted Kiyohime's depleting sanity state and decided to intervene before she blew Jeanne's cover, " excuse the interruption Baron de Rais, but these people are weary from travelling the wilds and fending off the Dragon Witch's forces. I will host them in my home for the moment. So please, go about your normal routine.
The man hummed, but he didn't take his eyes away from Jeanne. After a silence that dragged on for what seemed like hours, the baron let out a sigh of disappointment, "you're right, Ser Georgios."
He sent the hidden saint an apologetic look, "forgive my rudeness, mademoiselle. You just looked exactly like someone I know, so I had to get a better look."
His posture straightened, "welcome to our Theirs. Although we cannot offer much in terms of food, allies against evil are always welcome."
"There is no issue My Lord, you are not the first person who has mistaken me for another, nor will you be the last."
He nodded at her, "you have my sympathy, mademoiselle," Then he turned and gave a nod to Georgios. "In that case, I will take my men and do another round around the perimeter of the city. Should we encounter any enemies, I will send a scout to inform you."
With an affirmative response from Georgios, Gilles de Rais marched off with his small group of soldiers to perform his rounds.
[Phew, that was close. ε-(´∀｀; )]
[Jeanne almost suffered the same fate as the protagonists of the first mystery dungeon games. ]
[OrochiMochiHime: context? ]
[Ah. SPOILERS FOR PMD: Red and Blue rescue teams, Long story short, the protagonists of the game got framed for something they didn't do by the antagonist of the story. It happened in the middle of town in front of all the villagers, which caused everyone to turn on them and drive them out of town. ]
[OrochiMochiHime: Ah, see. Yes, that would have been unfortunate. Though the danger has not passed. It could still happen if Jeanne does not keep dyeing her hair. ]
[Bunny_Aachan: Oh man! That sounded like a fun twist!! But now that I know what will happen, it's not gonna be as impactful when I play it. (╥﹏╥) ]
[I did warn people about spoilers, so you shouldn't have read it if you were gonna play it. ]
"I believe it is best if we move this conversation indoors before someone else recognizes the saint," Saint Georgios told them, and he couldn't help but agree.
✦✧✦
Orleans
Jeanne Alter POV
Her sharp fingernails tapped on the armrest in a rhythmic pattern. The sound echoed in the empty ceiling of the throne room.
She was displeased. And these two idiots kneeling before her are the reason why she is in such a bad mood.
She decided to focus on the sanest one first, Napoleon. The giant of a man showed promise at first, but it seems the early victories have gotten to his head.
The tapping stopped. She let the silence hang for a moment, letting it bear its full pressure on his subordinate's shoulders. Then she spoke.
"Two times, you failed me TWO TIMES, Bonaparte!"
"Joanne-" The man flinched when she smashed her fist on the armrest of her throne.
"Do NOT 'Joanne' me, Bonaparte! I don't want to hear it!!" She roared at the pathetic man who claims to be the Emperor of France. The man looked away in shame, but not daring to meet her eyes again.
Another beat of silence, this time she fermented the words she would say before she spoke them, just so that she could properly convey her disappointment.
"I had high hopes for you, Napoleon. You have been serving me well by killing the most swathes of humans out of all of us." The man perked up at the end of her sentence.
Oh, was that pride? Better squash that before he gets full of himself, again.
She narrowed her eyes, "don't get the wrong idea. What good is killing most when you can't kill the one thing that could threaten to stop us from killing the rest?!"
Napoleon's head sunk lower, "I have no excuses Joanne. I will accept any punishment you see fit."
She let out a scoff, then her ire was redirected towards the crippled black knight. Her eyes lingered on the marred armor around where his arm used to be.
"And you, you got so worked up in your own madness to kill 'Arthur,' that you ended up losing an arm."
"A-Arth….uurr.."
Her head throbbed at his response, and she could not stop herself from massaging her temples. She really should not have put so much faith in a Berserker-class servant. But honestly, how could she have predicted that he would mistake her other self for King Arthur?!
She let out a sigh, she wanted to take a nap, but she still had to punish these idiots.
Her eyes fell on Archer once more, "Napoleon, raise your head and look at me."
Like always, as soon as she made a command, the lovesick fool did as she asked.
She stared into his longing eyes for a solid few seconds. Her eyes flickered to Lancelot for a second, then to Napoleon.
Oh, she knew the perfect punishment for these two.
"Napoleon, you love me don't you?"
Her words caught him by surprise, and he gave her a wholehearted response, "with all my heart Joanne."
She could hear Gilles let out a scoff from nearby, then mutter something under his breath, but she ignored him.
"Then, would you kindly extend your right arm for me?"
She didn't even get a chance to finish her sentence before he followed her order like the good little soldier he was.
She let her features soften, she even went as far as to give him a sincere smile.
"D'Eon. Cut off his arm."
The look of betrayal on Bonaparte's face was delicious, yet the man still obediently kept his arm up.
Chevalier D'Eon, meanwhile, gained a gleeful expression on their face, "gladly."
Saber's rapier sang as it sliced through the air.
"Ngh!" Poor naive Napoleon let out a grunt of pain as the tip of the blade cut through his shoulder.
Blood sprayed out like a fountain, staining the Chevalier's white clothes red.
Archer's now severed arm plopped to the ground, the fingers still twitching in pain.
Her smile turned into a cruel smirk, "Your arm will serve as a good replacement for Berserker"
He looked like he was in pain, but he was too much of a man to complain about it, "you can heal us with ease, why not regenerate his arm?"
She tilted her head, "but if I did that, it wouldn't be much of a punishment, now would it?" Her face settled back into a stoic one, "Gilles, you know what to do."
Oh wow, it's been a while since Gilles has looked this happy.
"Of course. Although, I must confess that my skills lie in dismantling bodies apart, not mending them. So I might be a bit rusty, but I will do my best."
She waved him off, "consider this a refresher then. I won't care if you make mistakes, just make it hurt."
"Heh, but of coarse! And unlike this pathetic excuse for a conqueror, I will not fail you."
Archer sent Gilles a glare, but Gilles just dismissed his existence and focused on berserker, "Come along now. You have a long night ahead of you."
Berserker nodded and stood up from his kneeling position, then followed Gilles to his workshop.
Suddenly, she felt a tug on her mind.
She put her hand on her ear, "report.'
'The deed has been done. Vaucouleurs has fallen.' The voice of Vlad told her through the other end.
Her good mood returned in full force.
'Excellent, return to Orleans at once, and be sure to kill off any stragglers that Napoleon missed on your way back.'
'Understood.'
The connection cut off, and her hope for the future got a lot brighter.
One city down, one left go.
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VioletZephyr_Falk = Falkner, the first gym leader of Johto.
Teddit = The pokeworld version of reddit, with Teddiursa as its mascot.