Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

With a touch of loneliness, Ritsuka lay back on the bed, her body spread out, surrounded by a faint fragrance, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Come to think of it, this isn't her room, Ritsuka suddenly remembered and whispered.

"I shouldn't have had the idea of ​​taking this room for myself..."

The silent room seemed to answer for Novia: Whatever. Or perhaps that was the girl's own thought.

"This kind of thing can't be done casually..."

This time, there was no response from the room.

For some reason, Ritsuka started to pay attention to her posture.

He lay on his back with his arms outstretched, his chin slightly raised, and repeated shallow breaths.

She suddenly realized she had done something incredibly daring. After all, this wasn't her room, and if she did this while hiding under the covers, what if Novia didn't know when she got back…

The things she began to imagine swung like a pendulum across Ritsuka's heart, striking her with tremendous force.

The orange-haired girl's lips trembled, and her breathing became slightly disordered.

The next instant, Ritsuka, who had been lost in thought, was fully awake and quickly got up because she heard the sound of the door opening.

"stand--"

"Novia, please give me the uniform from the Atlas Academy!"

As Ritsuka spoke, she ran towards Novia at the door and grabbed his hand. "I've passed the test! Look, I'm already wearing the combat suit. I came early this morning, but Advisor Novia, you weren't inside. I've been waiting for so long!"

“I knew it when you passed through, Ritsuka, and I was prepared.”

Novia said calmly.

It's like a teacher asking a student a question whose answer they already know.

Hearing that familiar tone of voice, Ritsuka suddenly realized that she shouldn't have overthought it...

"Thank you very much, Consultant Novia. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have barged into this room without permission. It will definitely not happen again..."

Ritsuka muttered to herself, then released Novia's hand and walked towards the door.

At first glance, it seemed as if she was leaving with light and quick steps, but the reason for this was that Ritsuka was walking with very small steps, and her lowered head made it even more difficult to catch the girl's expression.

"Speaking of which, Ritsuka, aren't you curious about why I went out so early this morning?"

Just as Ritsuka passed Novia, Novia suddenly turned her head and stared intently at Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"Whatever, Consultant Novia, feel free to say what you want to say. I don't mind."

Ritsuka's tone was very bright, and she revealed a cheerful smile that seemed to have nothing to do with despair.

"Tomorrow we'll be heading to the First Singularity, France in 1431, where the Hundred Years' War is still raging."

Novia then handed two or three bottles of potion to Ritsuka, saying, "Although I don't know the specifics, Ritsuka, you're not a Servant after all. If you keep walking, it will cause thick skin to grow on many parts of your feet and your hands to become rough. To avoid wasting time going back later, I went to Da Vinci this morning to develop these potions based on your physical condition. After all, women love beauty, and as our hope, we should take good care of you in this regard."

Novia's shoulders almost completely obscured Ritsuka's view.

"Also, I heard from Roman that you go to the Chaldea Gate every few hours, which is the daily collection of seed fire. Actually, it wouldn't be a problem if you stopped for a while, right? The training ground and treasure warehouse are the same. I think Ritsuka, you can go to sleep when you feel sleepy. There's no need to force yourself if you're not feeling well. Ritsuka, you are the Master who completed the restoration of humanity. You won't be blamed if you relax a little."

The turmoil in her chest carried an unusual heat, which, like heat itself, transformed into a numbing sensation that spread throughout the girl's entire body in the blink of an eye.

In order to get rid of this feeling as quickly as possible, Ritsuka immediately bent down:

"...Thank you, thank you for your guidance, consultant!"

The girl then hurriedly returned to her room, and still feeling very hot, she decided to take a shower.

After entering the bathroom, Ritsuka slowly took off her clothes, applied the medicine she had just obtained, and then entered the bathtub to soak.

"Talking about this kind of topic is really presumptuous of them..."

"You should have said those things sooner! Waaah, I was really hurt..."

Surrounded by a faint fragrance, Ritsuka stared blankly at the ceiling, then suddenly smiled because of something else.

"Really..."

He reached out into the water and touched his feet, stomach, hands, and other places where Fuyuki had been injured or had shallow scars. The pain had subsided and the marks had disappeared.

"Can't we just not talk about such private things like that... Whatever, given the current situation, whatever happens, happens—"

Rather than realizing she had said something wrong, Ritsuka was more surprised by what she had said. After a moment of silence, as if she had realized she had made a mistake, the girl's face gradually turned a bright rose color, a color that could no longer be described as pink.

In the blink of an eye, even the roots of her ears turned red, and then she shook her head as if trying to shake something off.

"I...I...I didn't say anything, really...I didn't say anything...Xiaoxiang, don't think too much..."

The girl became increasingly ashamed as she spoke, and after saying, "I was just talking nonsense," she chose to sink into the bathtub.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Gulu.

Gulu.

Even its head sank completely.

More bubbles emerged from the pile of white bubbles.

……

The following day, Ritsuka and Mashu, whose spirit particles had been transferred to the First Singularity, experienced a brief period of disorientation before both girls shared the same question—

"Hey, where's Consultant Novia?!"

Let's rewind to June 2, 1431, inside the cathedral of Orléans, France.

“It’s been a long time, Bishop Pierre Kochon.”

"No, impossible! I must be dreaming! You should have died three days ago—"

The portly priest stared in horror at the girl before him, while the bishop responded with a sharp, flag-adorned armor that ran through his entire body.

“I am standing right in front of you, the one you burned at the stake three days ago.”

"Spare me! Spare me! I'll do anything, please spare my life!"

"You actually begged me for mercy? That won't do. You killed me right in front of the mural of the church's founder, yet your faith is as thin as paper."

The girl laughed maniacally, "I feel so incredibly sad about this, so sad that I'm almost laughing myself crazy!"

she continued.

"Think carefully, Bishop, how did you kill me?"

A kind of madness stirred within the girl's terrifying smile, a smile that held both joy and sorrow.

Three days ago, Joan of Arc was condemned as a heretic, falsely accused of being a witch, and perished in a fire.

"If I am being burned by holy flames, then may your body be consumed by the fires of hell."

Pierre, engulfed in flames, struggled to reach out his hand to the girl.

"You... witch... witch! Zhen..."

After killing Pierre, Jeanne Alter and Bluebeard summoned six Servants, inflicted them with berserk power, and ordered them to join the Dragon Fang Soldiers in completely annihilating all of humanity.

"Raise the banner of the dragon, in the name of the evil dragon that symbolizes calamity, and burn this world to ashes."

As the last to leave the cathedral, Jeanne Alter heard a voice echoing from the center of the cathedral, which was filled with blood and flames, and a figure appearing and disappearing.

"Then it truly begins. You will be the ones to start the real Hundred Years' War with your own hands... That's what you think, Joan of Arc."

"Who are you?"

Black Jeanne stared at the center of the church for a while, her eyes filled with a sharp light, gritting her teeth as she stared at the approaching figure.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed a different expression hidden beneath the unfamiliar man's smile, which sent a chill down Jeanne d'Arc's spine. Nevertheless, as if by some premonition, she felt a nostalgic sense of familiarity in the man's smile.

Amid the chaos, Jeanne Alter seemed to have figured something out, and waved the flag in her hand at the approaching figures.

"So it's the guy who's late... Stop sneaking around, I'm your Master."

Without a doubt, I am your Master, and you are my Servant.

For Jeanne Alter, this was a vague yet intense confidence.

That was Novia, the 'Demi-Servant' who should have been with Ritsuka and the others, but for some reason she appeared here.

Ritsuka.jpg.

Chapter 353 Black Jeanne, what kind of husband is the Dragon Husband?

"Are you my Master?"

"Hmph, does such an obvious thing need to be asked? No wonder you arrived so late, you're just too weak."

Jeanne Alter stated bluntly, "But it doesn't matter. Berserk is already in your body. You can barely manage to drive those dragons to destroy those humans, and that's enough."

"Since Jeanne says so, then so be it. You are my Master."

Novia joked, sounding as if she had breathed a sigh of relief.

Why does this guy seem...disobedient?

Alter was lost in thought about these things, almost forgetting her purpose.

"What is your name, you bastard? And as my servant, you are not allowed to call me by my name without my permission. You don't have that right, understand?"

After exchanging glances with Novia for a while, Jeanne Alter continued to speak, but she still didn't reveal her purpose. Originally, she planned to have this last Servant, along with those who had already left, drive the Dragon Fang Soldiers to wreak havoc on the land of France, but for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to say it.

Seeing Jeanne Alter's tough demeanor, Novia found it amusing and answered directly.

"My name is Novia."

As for Jeanne Alter, who was created by Bluebeard using the Holy Grail and was not the other side of Jeanne, Novia felt that with her knowledge, she should not understand the meaning of the name.

As expected, Jeanne d'Arc Alter showed no reaction upon hearing the name, simply waving her hand dismissively and saying:

"This name seems familiar... Never mind, you're still—"

"Joan of Arc? Why are you still inside the church?"

Suddenly, a voice came from outside the church. It was the voice of the person whom Jeanne Alter trusted implicitly, Gildre, who was now Bluebeard.

Normally, Jeanne Alter should have immediately responded to Jill's words and opened the church doors, however—

"...No, that won't work."

She stood at the doorway and muttered to herself.

Originally, Jeanne Alter intended to send Novia, whose Servant aura was so weak, to lead the Dragon Fang Soldiers, but for some reason, she had a very subtle feeling.

Could this guy be one of the guys from the team I used to lead? Someone who, like Jill, worked tirelessly for me? Is that why I have this feeling?

Black Jeanne murmured blankly to herself; this was the first time she had ever been conflicted since she appeared.

"Joan of Arc, you who have been resurrected are right. No one can punish you. Let everything in the world be punished by you!"

Meanwhile, outside the church, Bluebeard urged the girl who had stopped at the door to hurry up. His voice was almost a scream, but in Jeanne Alter's eyes, Gilles' voice was full of anger and grief.

"……I see."

Jeanne Alter knew she was very anxious, but there was nothing she could do. She didn't want to delve too deeply into it, so she pushed the door open unsteadily, as if she were injured.

"Oh, oh, oh, forgive me, Joan of Arc... please forgive me... for urging you so urgently—"

The moment the church doors opened and Bluebeard saw Novia behind Jeanne Alter, his initial excitement vanished instantly, replaced by calm. "It seems Your Excellency isn't part of the ceremony we've been waiting for..."

As the holder of the Holy Grail in the First Singularity, he could naturally sense that this weak Servant with a somewhat 'strange' aura was not one he had summoned, and despite its weakness, the land of France seemed to be providing it with a continuous source of magical energy...

Normally, he should have dealt with such an unusual situation immediately, but unexpectedly, he showed no suspicion or dissatisfaction whatsoever.

Yes, there is... you just haven't noticed.

Novia, holding the book, suddenly turned around and looked at the cathedral surrounded by raging flames.

"Alright, alright, Gilles, he is one of my Servants..."

Jeanne Alter turned to Novia again, her indifferent gaze devoid of any sympathy or warmth. "Even with Berserk mode, she's still quite weak. There's no need to send her out. She can stay by our side as a follower for now."

Since she's now her servant, even though she's weak, she should still try to take care of her as much as possible, she thought.

"Yes, Joan of Arc, it is your will."

Bluebeard gently narrowed his eyes, wearing his usual smile, and walked away.