By the bonfire—
"Mm! Opportunities like this are rare—let's chat! Girl talk!" To lighten the mood, Marie cheerfully started the conversation.
Jeanne, unfamiliar with entertainment, tilted her head curiously. "Huh…?"
"Oh my, is that strange? You and I were both summoned in our prime, weren't we? I'm at the most wonderful age right now! Romance, love—I adore such things!"
"Ah…haha…yes, that's…" Jeanne struggled to respond. When it came to romance…aside from Laurent, she truly knew nothing.
Even Laurent himself had taken the initiative. Jeanne couldn't help but worry a bit—If Laurent hadn't proposed…would I ever have confessed to him first? Lost in thought, she fell quiet.
"I might know about romance…but I really have no clue about it at all."
"Oh no! Isn't that like losing half the joy in life?"
Jeanne wanted to explain but eventually gave up. "What about you, Marie?"
"At age seven, I fell in love with a boy who proposed to me. I suppose that was my first love."
Laurent's image appeared in Jeanne's mind. Then Laurent…would be my first love too?
"And after that, at age fourteen, I fell in love with the king I had married…"
"To hear you say it yourself like that…it's quite incredible."
At that age, I was still playing around with Laurent, even tattling on him to Papa for stealing pastries. If Laurent didn't spend time with me, I'd even sulk a bit…
Compared to Marie, Jeanne suddenly felt naive. Back then, I never thought of marriage or romance with Laurent…
"Jeanne? Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing. At that time, I was still playing around in the fields with everyone."
"That also sounds like a lovely, enviable way to live. You must have been happy!"
"Yes. Though I didn't experience romance then, at least I had friendship."
"Were you popular?"
"Ah, no…since I always played rough with them, they treated me more like a boy…"
The only one who treated me like a girl back then…was Laurent. Everyone else just ran wild with me.
"Haha! I never imagined I'd chat like this with Jeanne—it really is wonderful being summoned as a Servant!"
Marie's eyes suddenly noticed the ring on Jeanne's finger. "Oh, by the way, Jeanne. I've been curious for a while now. A ring on the ring finger usually means marriage, right? Does your ring also mean you're already married?"
She'd noticed it earlier but hadn't asked due to circumstances. Still, she was very curious—the Holy Maiden seemed to have someone she liked very much.
At this, Jeanne's smile turned gentle. "This ring…Laurent proposed to me with it."
Marie covered her mouth in surprise. "Then—you agreed?"
"Yes."
"Oh my, then you must properly experience romance! It's the most wonderful thing in life! Jeanne, shall I teach you a few tips?" Marie's eyes sparkled mischievously. "You must secure his heart thoroughly~"
"I-I'll try…"
"How surprising! So you're already married, Jeanne!"
Jeanne shook her head softly. "It was probably not a proper wedding, but…it's alright now."
"I see. If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine. But I do think Laurent's a man worth treasuring. Make sure you don't let anyone snatch him away!"
Marie then turned cheerfully toward Mash. "What about you, Mash? Do you have someone you like?"
"Eh?! Ah—!"
...
Meanwhile, Laurent waited on a tree branch. He didn't wait long—soon, a woman approached from the distance.
"Here she comes."
He dropped from the tree, blocking her path. "Sorry, if you go any further, I might just kill you."
With a heavy landing sound, a purple-haired woman appeared before Laurent, wearing somewhat revealing clothing. She held a cross-shaped weapon, her outfit partially exposing her ample chest, similar to a seductive qipao.
Another saintess…? Laurent's brows furrowed in displeasure. He disliked them intensely.
Martha glanced around, smiling slightly. "It really is a quiet, chilly night. Did they leave you here alone to block me?"
"It was my choice. I just don't want her to see unpleasant things."
"Is that so?" Martha smiled softly. "Ever since I saw you earlier, I've sensed a great danger from you. I keep telling myself to behave as a proper saintess, yet strangely…I feel a certain affinity with you."
"Because of the Mad Enhancement? Still, saintesses sure are impressive—keeping your sanity even after madness sets in."
"No, at this moment I'm barely suppressing my impulses. It's quite troublesome." She regarded Laurent calmly. "But compared to me, you're far more impressive. I've never seen someone with a heart as strong as yours. Even among everyone I've met before, none have been as clear and focused as you."
"Heh. Flattery won't help you escape death."
Laurent clenched his fist tightly.
"Perhaps. But it isn't flattery—I clearly sense the evil within you. Even though you're overflowing with darkness, you maintain your rationality. It must be extremely painful. Even breathing or moving probably requires tremendous effort to keep your sanity intact against the darkness."
Laurent's expression momentarily froze. Suddenly, he burst into laughter. "Should I be thankful that foolish girl isn't as perceptive as you? Or is it something else? Whatever, none of that matters anymore. Given what you've just said, I've concluded you must die."
"Initially, I worried your side lacked strength—after all, your opponent is the 'Dragon Witch' Jeanne Alter herself. But now that I've seen you, my worries vanished. Perhaps with you there, victory is truly possible."
These saintly Servants—even with Mad Enhancement—somehow manage to keep their true selves intact…
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