Johanna felt like all of this was a miracle.
The Singularity had collapsed, and having sent off even the one she loved, she quietly closed her eyes and awaited her end.
At that moment, an intense light enveloped Johanna.
A voice calling her. The words of light, telling her to help the last Master of humanity with the Restoration of Human Order, were like a revelation.
There was no reason to refuse, and Johanna was naturally summoned to Chaldea.
Thinking back to that time, it was quite surprising.
"Waaaah!"
"Ritsuka? Why are you suddenly crying…?"
Having gained knowledge, she immediately knew this place was the summoning chamber. And that the people watching her were the living staff of Chaldea.
However, why was the girl crying, and where had the shield-bearing girl who protected her gone?
Johanna was able to find out the reason soon enough.
"Mash pushed herself too hard and collapsed… Waaaah…!"
"Really?"
"Yeah…."
Tears streaming down her face, her exposed skin completely wrapped in bandages, the ailing Master Ritsuka explained her situation.
"The King of Mages attacked once. Tamamo protected us, and her Spirit Origin recorded in Chaldea disappeared, and Mash still hasn't woken up."
"I see. Are you alright?"
"I'm in this state, too…."
Ritsuka fell asleep, breathing softly.
As a staff member carried the exhausted girl away, a new person greeted Johanna.
Dr. Romani. He was the current head of Chaldea.
"Thank you for answering the summons. As Ritsuka said, the situation can't be called good even as an empty compliment, but we still can't give up."
"I understand Chaldea's situation. I, Johanna, swear in the name of God to help with all my might."
"A Pope's oath is very reassuring. But it's okay for now. A heavy atmosphere will only burden Ritsuka."
Romani handed Johanna a coffee.
It was watered down and tasted bland. A drink that indirectly represented Chaldea's situation.
"Four already. Including the Localized Singularities, we've been through a total of six. Ritsuka has grown, but after what happened in the last one… she needs a rest."
"Hasn't a new Singularity appeared on the panel?"
"It has. But it's in modern Japan. It shouldn't be too difficult. Being a Singularity, some basic caution is necessary, but above all, we've summoned you, Your Holiness."
"I don't know if I can be of much help. I am merely a servant of God; in a fight, I'm not much help…."
Johanna's power was that of a religious leader.
As a Servant, she could use magecraft, but her Spirit Origin was fundamentally tuned for a support role in the rear. That was only natural.
A certain iron-fist saintess who fights on the front lines is the peculiar one.
"Right now, every single Servant is a great help. Ritsuka relies on you a lot, Your Holiness, so it doesn't matter if your combat abilities are only basic. Other Servants will handle the fighting."
"Other Servants? Are there others besides me?"
"We'll summon one as soon as Ritsuka wakes up. We have to hope for the best. By any chance, is there a Servant you have a connection with?"
It's not unusual to summon a familiar Heroic Spirit based on a Servant's records from their lifetime.
However, there was the problem that Johanna was not an ordinary Servant, but a fictional Heroic Spirit.
The current foundation of Johanna was created by Lupus.
A virtual world created by the Beast with the Holy Grail. A kind of Singularity, and an existence whose new foundation was woven with the Beast's wedge-like property.
The basic composition of Johanna follows that of the female Pope Joan, who was believed to have existed until the 16th century.
However, Johanna's personality, inner self, memories, and values followed those from Lupus's Singularity.
A half-true Heroic Spirit, created based on the perception of the masses and the memories from Lupus's Singularity. That was Johanna.
"In my lifetime… even combining the records of Proper Human History, I have never met another Heroic Spirit. I don't think I can be of much help."
"It's fine. We have items we received from local Servants in the Singularities, so we can use those for a catalyst summoning."
Roman laughed awkwardly. He had intentionally used informal speech to get closer to the new Servant, but Johanna had steadfastly maintained her formal tone.
Isn't this being very rude to Her Holiness? Romani's worries flew away along with the now-awake Ritsuka.
"Summoning. A strong Servant!"
"You're awake, Ritsuka. How are you feeli—"
"Got the Saint Quartz. Let's go, summoning!"
Ritsuka, wrapped in a lighthearted mood, threw three Saint Quartz directly at the summoning circle.
The Saint Quartz, lumps of magical energy in themselves, acted as the primer for Chaldea's incomplete equipment to summon a Heroic Spirit.
The summoning would succeed, but there was a problem.
"Weren't we supposed to summon Drake? Ritsuka! Da Vinci has the hat!"
"Romani! You said you'd set it up for sure! Whaaat?!"
At Ritsuka's words, Romani's momentum was sharply broken.
Breaking out in a cold sweat, Romani made an excuse.
"Well, that's true, but, uhm. Da Vinci was stubbornly refusing, so I was planning to go get it in a little while."
"Chicken! Die! You pathetic old man who watches Vtubers and loses to a crossdresser!"
"Ugh."
"And that Vtuber isn't just any Vtuber, he's a guy!"
This time, Roman retorted.
"Magi☆Mari is not a man! She's a girl who gives dreams and hope!"
"Yeah, right!"
While the two continued their trivial fight, Johanna calmly gazed at the halo of light from the summoning circle.
There was no catalyst in the summoning chamber. If there was one, it was only Johanna herself.
There were no Servants related to Johanna, but there was a person. Johanna simply didn't mention him on purpose because he was a Beast.
'Really. Just on the off chance… if there's a possibility….'
She wanted to see Lupus. If not him, then her family, the precious daughter she had given birth to in pain.
Considering only the possibility, it was likely that her daughter would be summoned. It was questionable whether she was registered on the Throne of Heroes, but as a mother, Johanna wanted to see her daughter one more time.
She hadn't said with confidence to Lupus that she would see their daughter again. But Johanna's own faith did not waver.
Finally, the halo of light spread, and the summoning chamber was enveloped in light.
"Did it work?"
"Her Holiness is for the backline, so if we could get a frontline Saber…."
In the spot where the light faded, a man was standing.
A man in his 40s with a haggard face and a decadent air. He wasn't quite shabby, but his appearance was definitely not stylish, yet it somehow drew the eye.
"If that's a kimono… it's a Heroic Spirit from our country!"
"A Japanese Heroic Spirit in his 40s? Could it be Miyamoto Musashi? But I don't see a sword."
The dust settled, and the Servant, now the center of everyone's attention, finally opened his mouth.
His voice was one that felt extremely burdened.
"I have no name, please call me Mr. Yi. Um… my class is Assassin."
"Mister, are you strong?"
Ritsuka approached him with a sense of familiarity and asked.
Are you strong? The Assassin shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but in my youth, I was a farmer, and in my old age, I fell ill and died quickly. I have no idea why I've been summoned as a Servant."
"…Huh?"
"S-Skills? Don't you have Assassin skills, like Presence Concealment?"
Roman's urgent voice. He had a hunch they were screwed, but he clung to a sliver of hope.
Among the people left in history, there are ordinary ones with peculiar skills. Could he be one of those?
But his expectations were betrayed.
"If you mean Presence Concealment, I have it at E- Rank. It's about enough to hide behind a box or a pillar. As for the rest…."
The Assassin trailed off.
"Chaldea… service is terminated…."
Firstly, because his Master was making a dazed face,
And secondly.
"It's Lupus, right?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I don't know why you're wearing those clothes… but yes. You're definitely Lupus."
Because a very beautiful woman was holding his face, looking at him with an expression of longing.