Three figures materialized out of thin air on the grasslands of Orléans.
Adam, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and Mash.
Mash glanced around at their surroundings, confirming that the temporary Rayshift had succeeded.
"…Phew."
"We've successfully transferred, Senpai."
Ritsuka let out a sigh of relief. To be honest, she had been tense the entire time during the Spiritron Transfer. Her first experience with it hadn't exactly been pleasant.
"Whew, this transfer went way better than the last one."
Meanwhile, Adam recalled the plan he had prepared back at Chaldea and reminded Ritsuka and Mash.
"Alright, let's stick to the plan."
Ritsuka and Mash nodded in unison at Adam's instructions.
"Yes."
"Got it!"
Adam's plan wasn't particularly complicated.
First, they would gather all the Servants on their side in the First Singularity. Once assembled, they would engage Jeanne Alter's forces in a full-scale Holy Grail War—Servants versus Servants.
And when the final Servant battle kicked off, that would be Adam's chance to harvest their emotional energy.
Speaking of which, this setup felt strangely familiar, didn't it? Right, regular Jeanne?
A biased referee overseeing a 7v7 Grail War.
Adam had sensed something oddly familiar about the final decisive battle in the First Singularity, and now he knew why.
At that moment, an unexpected yet entirely predictable figure appeared among the three.
It was Fou.
"Fou…"
Everyone except Adam was surprised to see the little creature.
Fou ignored the other two and hopped straight toward Mash.
Mash caught Fou mid-air and cradled the adorable little fluffball in her arms.
"Fou?"
"You followed us again?"
Ritsuka looked at the mysterious creature with even greater curiosity.
"But how did she manage to tag along?"
"Did Fou jump into one of our containers?"
Adam simply let out a helpless sigh at the sight of Fou, showing no surprise whatsoever.
"You really came along again, huh? Just can't leave Mash alone, can you?"
Hearing Adam's words, Fou leaped with a big jump into Adam's arms. She pressed her soft paw pads gently against him and let out a cry.
"Fou~" (Can't you keep your mouth shut for once?)
Having spent plenty of time with Fou back in the other Chaldea, Adam naturally understood what the little one was saying.
Looking down at Fou in his arms, Adam smiled with a hint of mischief.
"We'll see if you can handle this round."
He then began petting Fou with the expert technique he had perfected over ten years of Fou-handling.
Fou tried to protest a couple more times but eventually melted with a few contented "Fou" sounds, surrendering completely to Adam's hands.
While Ritsuka was still wondering how Adam could understand Fou's speech…
A group of soldiers approached from a distance.
They appeared to be a French reconnaissance unit.
Mash noticed first and quickly alerted the others.
"Senpais, hold on."
She observed the troops carefully.
"Confirmed. It looks like a French reconnaissance patrol."
"What should we do, Adam-senpai?"
"Should we try making contact?"
Adam thought it over. Since they were in the First Singularity, interacting with the locals was necessary. At the very least, they needed to let them know that they were allies, to avoid getting stabbed in the back by their own side later.
"Better to make contact. At least let them know we're friendly forces."
"Understood."
Mash headed briskly toward the French patrol at Adam's instruction.
But as he watched Mash's retreating figure, Adam felt like he was forgetting something.
What was it…?
"French troops…" Adam muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, it hit him. He tried to stop Mash.
"Wait, Mash! They're—"
It was already too late. Mash had reached the French reconnaissance unit.
Facing soldiers who had been fighting the English for over a hundred years, Mash greeted them in fluent English.
"Hi, excuse me." (English)
"Hello, we're travelers~" (English)
The leader of the French patrol froze for a moment upon hearing her.
"…"
Mash, receiving no response, also paused in confusion.
Mash: "?"
Then the leader suddenly reacted, shouting to his men behind him.
"Eeeeek!!!"
"Enemy attack!!! Enemy attack!!!"
Just then, Olga Marie's communication line finally reconnected.
"We've finally got contact. You're—"
Olga Marie started to speak but stopped short when she saw soldiers with weapons charging at Adam's group.
"Wait, what's going on?! Why does it look like you're being attacked by an armed group?!"
Adam awkwardly pressed his lips together and explained to Olga Marie.
"Nothing much. Just French soldiers who've been at war with the English for a century being greeted in English."
Olga Marie: "..."
Olga Marie fell silent on the other end of the line.
By this point, Mash had sheepishly returned to Adam and Ritsuka, looking guilty about her mistake.
"…I'm sorry. That was my fault. I should have greeted them in French."
Ritsuka comforted her.
"It's fine. Don't beat yourself up. We learn from our mistakes."
Adam watched as the French reconnaissance unit regrouped and charged toward them.
"Looks like avoiding a fight is off the table now."
With that, Adam summoned the Mash he had prepared in advance. He selected the deploy option.
The summoned Mash stood firmly by Adam's side.
Seeing her, Mash's guilty expression vanished instantly, replaced by excitement.
"Master!"
Adam pointed at the oncoming French troops and instructed the summoned Mash.
"Mash, treat them as friendly units that have lost their minds for now. Don't kill anyone—use the back of your shield to knock them out."
"Understood."
The summoned Mash charged toward the French patrol.
Meanwhile, Ritsuka and Mash both froze at one particular phrase in Adam's instructions.
"Shield-back strikes?"
What the heck was a "shield-back strike"?
They had heard of striking with the flat of a blade, but the back of a shield?
As they pondered this, the summoned Mash was already in the thick of it, swinging the back of her shield repeatedly. Even from a distance, they could feel the powerful gusts of wind from each swing.
Soldiers flew through the air one after another. The French patrol got a firsthand lesson in temporary weightlessness.
Before long, the summoned Mash had put the entire unit to sleep.
Mash watched in awe from the sidelines, her eyes sparkling as if she had learned something valuable.
"So that's… a shield-back strike?"
Ritsuka observed the scene, feeling like something was off but unable to pinpoint what.
"Is… is this okay?"
Adam struggled to keep a straight face and nodded vigorously.
"Yep, perfect."
Once the summoned Mash finished clearing the area, she returned to Adam's side.
"Battle complete, Senpai."
Olga Marie glanced at the French soldiers sprawled out in the distance and reminded everyone.
"Alright, let's not agitate them any further. From now on, communicate properly with the French forces in French."
At the mention of greeting them in French, Ritsuka perked up.
"Oh, I think I know a couple of French phrases!"
"Thank you, sir." (German)
The ever-innocent Mash nodded thoughtfully and repeated after her.
"Thank you, sir." (German)
"…I see. It sounds… perfect. I'll leave it to you then, Senpai."
Mash didn't seem to notice anything wrong.
Adam silently decided that Ritsuka should have minimal contact with the French troops.
…Actually, better yet, none at all.
They continued toward their destination according to the plan.
Their goal was a fortress.
If Adam remembered correctly, Jeanne should be somewhere near this city.
Despite some delays along the way, they eventually reached their target.
The reason for the delays? They had been ambushed six times by enemies—ghouls, skeleton soldiers, or wyverns. It was endless.
Fortunately, none of them stood a chance against the summoned Mash's sheer power. They were all sent flying with ease.
Ritsuka and Mash looked at the fortress, which was in terrible shape, clearly having endured heavy damage.
"This is… awful."
"Probably the work of those stray enemies we ran into on the way."
"So… should we try talking to them first?"
Hearing Ritsuka's question, Adam glanced at her and fell silent for a moment.
"…No. Let's find Jeanne first."
Ritsuka scanned the area but saw no sign of the Jeanne Adam had mentioned.
"Adam, are you sure that Jeanne you mentioned is around here?"
Adam recalled his memories.
"Yes, she should be hiding in the forest nearby."
Because of Jeanne Alter, the uninformed French people now viewed Jeanne with extreme hostility.
Jeanne was lurking in the woods around here. Whenever the locals were in danger, she would rush out to save them without hesitation.
Even if it meant risking betrayal from the very people she protected.
Thinking about it, Adam muttered softly, "That idiot…"
That was just how Jeanne was—pure, kind, always placing others' lives above her own.
Even now, with the chaos caused by Jeanne Alter making her face a source of trouble, she still threw herself into saving people.
While Adam deeply admired Jeanne, he often thought she could be a bit of a dummy. Was it because she was a country girl?
Facing the vast forest, the group decided to split up.
Ritsuka and Mash formed one team.
Adam and the summoned Mash formed the other.
They conducted a thorough search of the surrounding woods.
However, the one who found Jeanne first was neither team…
——————
An unnamed forest.
Jeanne sat beside a large tree, sighing in distress.
When she had first manifested, she lacked the knowledge granted by the Holy Grail, so she naively tried to communicate with the locals. But the moment the French people saw her, they fled in terror, screaming "Witch!"
After investigating, Jeanne learned that there was another "Jeanne" who looked exactly like her and had been committing atrocities.
She wanted to gather more information, but it was difficult. Almost no one would speak to her—they all ran away at the sight of her face.
Jeanne found herself in an incredibly awkward position.
It was truly lamentable. Only a short time had passed since her death. Not long ago, she had been a hero of France. Now, just days later, this was her reality.
"Sigh… What is that 'me' even doing?"
As Jeanne worried, a strange creature with pure white fur, rabbit-like ears, and features that were neither quite cat nor dog approached her.
"Fou~"
As a young woman, Jeanne had no resistance to such an adorable being.
Her eyes lit up at the sight of cute Fou.
"Wow, what a cute… cat?"
"Or maybe… a fox?"
Fou seemed annoyed by the comment and aimed straight for Jeanne's chest, leaping toward her.
But Jeanne was quick. She caught Fou in mid-air with both hands and examined the little creature closely.
"You're not afraid of people?"
"What a brave little one."
Jeanne began playing with Fou, who didn't resist. It seemed to be waiting for someone's arrival.
After a while of fiddling with the creature, Jeanne's thoughts returned to her troubling situation.
She looked at the little one in front of her, who couldn't communicate.
Since this adorable creature couldn't speak or understand her, it made the perfect listener for her complaints.
After all, what she wanted to say were things from the heart—things she couldn't let others hear.
What Jeanne didn't notice was that two figures had already drawn near.
She held Fou's face up to her own and began speaking to herself.
"What exactly is going on here?"
"I was summoned in this incomplete state, with no memories transferred from the Grail at all."
"I'm supposed to be a Ruler, right? So why can't I even access my recording abilities? I feel like a completely incompetent Servant."
"At least I manifested in France, the country I fought for in life. The language isn't an issue."
"But even though language isn't a problem, right now I…"
Jeanne fell silent for a moment. Recalling how the French people were treating her now, she let out another heavy sigh.
"Ah…"
Just as she sat there with a worried expression, unsure of what to do next, Fou in her arms cried out twice.
"Fou Fou"
Then Fou wriggled free from her grasp and dashed off in one direction.
Confused, Jeanne looked up to see a man and a woman standing not far away, watching her. Fou had already jumped onto the man's shoulder.
As if reporting her success, Fou let out a proud cry.
"Fou~"
The arrivals were Adam and the summoned Mash.
Adam affectionately stroked Fou's head. He hadn't expected Fou to be the one to find her first.
"Well done."
Jeanne saw Adam and the summoned Mash and assumed they would fear her like the other French citizens. She immediately prepared to leave.
"Wait, Jeanne. I know that the Jeanne causing trouble out there isn't you."
Surprised, Jeanne turned back to look at Adam.
Only then did she take a proper look at him. His strange clothing and appearance didn't seem local.
Hmm? Why does looking at him feel so strange?
"May I ask who you are…?"
Adam and the summoned Mash introduced themselves and explained that they had come to repair this Singularity and stood on the same side as Jeanne.
"I see…"
While Jeanne was still processing the information…
The summoned Mash recalled what Jeanne had been saying to Fou earlier. Without realizing Jeanne had been talking to herself or respecting her privacy, she began to comfort her.
"Miss Jeanne, I believe the faith the people of France hold for you in their hearts has not disappeared."
"Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, you will once again be the one their hearts turn to."
At first, Jeanne didn't notice anything off and felt embarrassed by the high praise.
"The one their hearts turn to… I'm not that great…" Then Jeanne realized something was wrong.
She glanced at Mash, then at Adam. A blush crept across her face, and her tone grew flustered.
"W-wait! Did you… hear everything I was saying to myself just now?"
Adam paused for a moment.
"…Yeah. I heard some of it."
Jeanne recalled her words to Fou—all of them heartfelt confessions that were never meant for others' ears.
"H-how much exactly?"
Adam thought about it.
"Starting from 'What exactly is going on here?'"
Jeanne mentally replayed the conversation from the beginning and realized the extent.
"Eh?! That means you heard everything?!"
"Ugh…"
Jeanne let out an adorably distressed whimper.
Adam silently saved that expression as a mental screenshot.
The summoned Mash scratched her head, a bit slow on the uptake.
Just as Adam was about to contact the others to regroup…
An urgent communication came from Ritsuka's side.
The device on Adam's hand displayed Ritsuka's panicked face. Behind her, Mash was desperately fighting off a large group of monsters.
"Adam, this is bad! The fortress is under attack by a huge swarm of terrifying monsters!"
"There are too many of them. We need backup!"
"Gah! Why these things again?"
A wyvern suddenly burst into the frame next to Ritsuka, and the transmission cut off.
Adam glanced at Jeanne, who was already eager to rush off and help defend the fortress, and stopped her.
"My team and I will handle those annoying wyverns first. You stay here for now."
Jeanne shook her head, refusing to stay behind in safety while others were in danger. Her eyes were resolute.
"How could I possibly sit by and do nothing when the people of France are in peril?"
"Even in this incomplete state, I must contribute."
Adam sighed lightly. He found this side of Jeanne's personality both admirable and troublesome, but he had to try to stop her.
"Don't forget that to the people right now, you're a terrifying witch. If you show yourself without explanation, they'll mistake you for the other one. Let me clear things up first. Otherwise, the very people you're trying to protect might turn their weapons on you."
As expected, Jeanne didn't listen.
She simply said, "Even so, I cannot stand by and do nothing," and immediately headed toward the fortress at incredible speed. There was no stopping her.
Watching Jeanne ignore his advice completely, Adam couldn't help but comment dryly.
"Now I understand where Jeanne Alter gets her reckless charging personality from."
"Even if she isn't literally Jeanne's dark side, the character traits have the same origin."
Still, Adam genuinely respected Jeanne for it.
Risking betrayal from the people she saved, and she still chose to protect them?
Ha, Jeanne, you really are something.
As Adam and the summoned Mash hurried along, he checked his Servant roster. There was one Servant who could solve the French people's distrust toward Jeanne.
Medieval France's superstition regarding religion ran incredibly deep.
And Adam had a Servant who could perfectly link religion with Jeanne…
No, more precisely, one who could directly show them a divine miracle.
Her appearance should be enough to turn Jeanne's current crisis around.
She was a member of Chaldea's shut-in group.
She had successfully broken through Mephistopheles' defenses.
She spent her days clinging to Adam (crossed out).
Formed with Jeanne's exterior shell, but occupied on the inside by an archangel.
Metatron Jeanne
***
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