Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

On the outskirts of La Salle, Jeanne, who had already met and spoken with Ritsuka, removed the hood that concealed her appearance.

Just now, Ritsuka and Mash, who were greatly shocked by Novia's disappearance, started exploring the vicinity after contacting Chaldea, still holding the idea that 'the advisor should be fine'.

The intelligence gathered revealed that Joan of Arc had been resurrected and summoned dragons to attack various places, causing the English army to retreat. King Charles VII of France was killed, and the country's various mechanisms were paralyzed. Even if there were people who resisted, they were very insignificant. Therefore, there were also people who cursed and lamented Joan of Arc.

The two then met Joan of Arc, who had been summoned, at the site of the dragon attack, and went to the outskirts to discuss the situation.

“Chaldea, you are children sent to reclaim the burned future. My troubles are far too insignificant compared to you…”

"Is it because of that Dragon Witch Jeanne?"

Jeanne d'Arc paused slightly upon hearing Ritsuka utter the name, then nodded.

"In the end, who exactly is the Dragon Witch? No, am I really Joan of Arc, or is that the real Joan of Arc? If I don't meet that other version of myself..."

Joan of Arc closed her eyes with a touch of sadness, then quickly opened them again, her face regaining its resolve.

"But in any case, even without divine revelation and without knowing what means to use, I, who have already joined forces with you, have decided to reclaim Orleans and remove the obstacle of the Dragon Witch."

Upon hearing this, Ritsuka flashed her usual brave smile, reaching out a hand to Jeanne d'Arc, intending to shake her hand.

Suddenly, Jeanne, who had also reached out her hand, seemed to remember something, and the smile on her face turned into an expression that seemed somewhat conflicted to Ritsuka and the others.

"...Speaking of which, is the Novia you two mentioned really just a maintenance advisor for Chaldea?"

The saintess's tone was filled with an undisguised 'caution'.

"Don't worry, don't worry, Consultant Novia just happens to have the same name."

Even now, Ritsuka, who has grown accustomed to the awe-inspiring power of the name Novia on these historical figures, still can't help but feel an inexplicable sense of pride.

She confidently patted her chest and continued speaking to Joan of Arc, whose face was filled with conflicted emotions:

"Novia's daughter is my junior at school! We're quite close. It's impossible for the founder to still be alive and have offspring, right? It's just a coincidence, isn't it, Joan of Arc?"

"That makes sense, but becoming a Demi-Servant or something... does that seem a bit possible, doesn't it..."

"That's certainly possible. After all, the names are exactly the same, so you might just get lucky and be summoned..."

Ritsuka nodded thoughtfully. "But I always feel that you seemed a bit reserved around that Pope, Jeanne? You two are from different eras, you shouldn't have met before, right? Don't worry, according to the records, that Novia should be a kind old man, at least to us."

"Haha, that's true, that's true..."

Joan of Arc chuckled twice in agreement, then fell silent.

He couldn't very well tell these two that he had recently fought with Pope Novia in another world due to various misunderstandings...

Joan of Arc's first reaction upon returning to her seat was to crouch down, clutching her head; she was completely numb.

Who knew that the fifth sun of the Americas would be the first pope from thousands of years ago, who also served as the Hun king! Could that legend be true? I must be so stupid I didn't understand properly. The pagan god refers to Tlaloc, right? Not Lord Novia…

It seems I was really stupid.

But will begging for forgiveness bring understanding? If it could, I'd do anything...

In short, I deeply regret my actions and cannot forgive myself for my mistakes.

The next instant, Joan of Arc, who had been blaming herself, suddenly opened her eyes wide, looked at the sky already shrouded in twilight, and shouted:

"We need to get out of here! A huge life form is heading our way!"

But by the time Joan of Arc cried out, it was already too late.

From a vantage point overlooking the ground, people huddled in a corner. The sun was about to set, and a colossal life form approached this place, its wings flapping and emitting a blue-white light, accompanied by a vast, ever-advancing magical force.

Although Joan of Arc cried out the moment she realized what was happening, the giant life form was already in front of the three of them the instant she finished speaking.

"……dragon."

Jeanne stared at Fafnir, whose size and magical power were completely different from those of the Dragon Fang Soldiers, with a livid face. Even Ritsuka and Mash couldn't help but show panic on their faces, after all, Fafnir's arrival was too fast, far beyond their imagination.

However, in the next instant, Fafner, who had been so fierce just moments before, stuck out her tongue, turned around, and lay on the ground, panting softly.

This stark contrast caused the expressions on the three people's faces to quickly turn to astonishment. They were completely baffled as to what was going on with this dragon, which was behaving like a little dog...

In fact, Fafnir was truly exhausted. To satisfy Novia, who was carrying Jeanne Alter Lily, it used a speed it had never used before, which could be described as working beyond its limits.

But just as the three were still wondering, a voice came from the dragon's back—

"Hmph, you've made me like this because of your deception, Ryufu, you're absolutely awful! This will drastically lower people's opinion of you! Seriously! Seriously! I'm never talking to you again today!"

This somewhat delicate and coquettish voice was familiar to Joan of Arc and the others.

Because it sounds exactly like Joan of Arc's voice, except that it carries an irrepressible childlike quality.

"That voice... Joan of Arc—"

"No, no, no, I didn't say that!"

Joan of Arc shook her head frantically, her face filled with panic. "I...I would never say such a thing. It just happened to sound like my voice..."

"Ah, that's the ideal me! Isn't this the perfect me even after growing up? I see, now I understand why I'm so anxious after growing up. Longfu, is this all because of me? You're such a good old man. Longfu, how about you take me to see the sea? Just the two of us! I've always wanted to go!"

Just as Jeanne and Ritsuka were explaining, the voice came from Fafnir's back again. When Jeanne heard the words "Take me to see the sea," her expression changed, as if she remembered something. But she quickly came to her senses and, like Ritsuka and Mash, focused her gaze on the two people who were walking down from the dragon's back in the dim light.

Upon first seeing the silver-haired youth, all three instinctively exclaimed in surprise.

"Novia, the advisor!"

"consultant!"

"No, Novia, Your Excellency..."

Then they saw a silver-haired Jeanne d'Arc, practically a miniature version of her, riding on Novia's neck, looking at them with a displeased expression.

……

"So, this child really is me when I was young?!"

Afterwards, Jeanne d'Arc, who had been exchanging words with Novia, stared blankly at Lily, the Dark Jeanne, who was still riding on Novia's neck, and was somewhat speechless.

“Yes, Joan of Arc, this is you as Lily, you are the arbiter, right? This child is also the arbiter, so the answer is obvious.”

Novia nodded firmly at the sight of the saintess, who seemed a little slow to grasp the situation.

"I see."

Indeed, Joan of Arc was completely flawless; she looked so much like her, and was also the Arbiter. One could easily believe she was her sister, given her previous words of great reverence and the 99% confirmation from Novia…

As for why Lily's form was summoned, it's probably due to the current instability of human affairs.

But why is she silver-haired? Shouldn't she be blonde? And she's going to see the sea with this person who seems to be 99% Pope Novia... Isn't that a bit too much... Could it be because of this person that she changed from blonde to silver-haired?

The saintess's smile remained as radiant as ever, though it twitched slightly.

Joan of Arc was initially doubting whether the child was her past self, since even if they looked very similar, it was still very likely to be a fake. But when she heard the child say, "Take me to see the sea," she was certain that it was indeed her.

Seeing the sea was her longing, her wish, but it was just a small dream from her childhood, so small that she abandoned it in her homeland when she set off at the age of seventeen to save her country. That's why she felt a little dazed when she heard it again.

"I am extremely grateful for your efforts on behalf of this child, Lord Novia, the maintenance advisor of Chaldea."

Although Jeanne had met Novia before in the Holy Grail War, she still hoped that Novia could forgive her for her rudeness at the time, and Novia had not yet told her "I am Novia". Therefore, even though Jeanne felt that there was a 99% chance that it was Novia, she kept it to herself. After all, in her opinion, Novia must have her reasons for not revealing her real name, and it would be bad if she revealed it and caused any accidents.

At the same time, she secretly cheered on Joan of Arc, whom she had just met.

Come on, young me! Let the Holy One forgive me. After all, you are me too, so with your help, I'll be forgiven easily, right?

Therefore, in order to provide a good environment for the group, the saintess volunteered to go to the side of a big tree to perform what was ostensibly a night watch, but in reality, she was observing people.

However, Lily, standing to the side, suddenly felt a little annoyed by the look of longing, pity, and encouragement in Joan's eyes. Still riding on Novia's shoulders, she leaned close to Novia's ear and whispered:

"Although I am the ideal and perfect version of myself, as I have grown up, it is no exaggeration to say that I am a foolish guy."

If it were the adult version of Jeanne Alter, she would have been furious and attacked Jeanne the moment she saw her.

However, for the girl who has shrunk to a smaller size, who has not yet learned the truth, she only feels that the paths of the Saintess Joan of Arc and the Dragon Witch Joan of Arc are the branch paths she chose after growing up. Although she is indeed the Dragon Witch, she still feels that the Saintess Joan of Arc is better.

But this was just a thought, because according to Alter Lily's observation, the ideal and perfect version of herself in front of her seemed to have subtle feelings for her own 'Dragon Husband', her heart was beating so fast that she could feel it, so the girl was very unhappy.

The old man Longfu belongs to him; no one is allowed to take him away and ride him.

Why is it called that?

"Dragon Husband" is what I call myself now that I'm grown up, so I can't not call him that. But since he's mine now, he deserves a proper title. After much thought, I decided on "Old Man." The reason is actually quite simple: Alter Jeanne Lily really wants to be Santa Claus, and Santa Claus needs reindeer...

Although Novia, who was being ridden on her neck, was already recognized as a reindeer, the name "Dragon Husband Reindeer" sounded a bit strange. Should she call her "Reindeer Husband" or "Deer Husband"? Neither sounded very nice. So after thinking for a long time, Alter Jeanne Lily finally split the name "Santa Claus" in half and gave it to Novia.

"So, Consultant Novia, you got separated from us because you encountered little Joan of Arc all alone...?"

As she spoke, Ritsuka subconsciously recalled that back at the shrine, Novia in her eyes truly resembled a kind old man.

"Speaking of which, Consultant Novia is quite popular with children. Is it because her personality is like that of an old person?"

"I suppose it's my responsibility."

Ritsuka, unaware of what was going on, looked at the silver-haired youth in front of her with confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"because……"

Novia raised her lips slightly and said.

"Ritsuka, aren't you a child too?"

Upon hearing this, Ritsuka, wearing the Chaldea battle suit, felt a surge of heat rising from the depths of her body, almost instinctively. Fear and a tiny bit of secret joy welled up from the bottom of her heart.

Have I been discovered? That's right, isn't it? Absolutely right?

So what kind of reply is this...?

Ritsuka felt that Novia was being ambiguous, but also felt that she might be overthinking things. So after giving an awkward laugh, she said something perfunctory like, "It's getting late, I should rest," and ran back to her tent.

"...That Ritsuka has a lot of feelings for you."

Black Jeanne Lily whispered in Novia's ear again.

For some reason, Novia acted as if she hadn't heard the girl's words, just as she hadn't given any response before speaking to Ritsuka.

"Hey, why aren't you saying anything? Say something..."

Novia still didn't answer, and just continued to warm herself by the campfire.

This almost made Black Jeanne Lily think that her old man, the Dragon Husband, had suddenly gone deaf or something was wrong. So the girl hurriedly touched Novia's face with both hands to see if there was a problem.

The result was naturally fruitless, and Black Jeanne Lily was truly puzzled by this.

Novia waved her hand, using magic to display a few words in front of the campfire for Jeanne Alter Lily to see—

"Didn't you say you were ignoring me today? I'm just keeping my promise."

"You, what kind of child are you...?"

Black Jeanne Lily murmured in complete disbelief.

"It seems I need to strip you of your title of 'elder,' Ryufu. A naive child like you can't shoulder this responsibility..."

Novia did not react to this and remained silent as before.

"If you don't talk to me, I'll tell everyone that I'm actually the Dragon Witch. You're going to ruin your plans, aren't you? You won't even talk to me?"

Still no answer.

"If you keep being so cold to me, I'm going to get angry!"

Novia still didn't answer, which made Black Jeanne Lily both angry and sad, and tears quickly welled up in her eyes.

"Talk to me! I was wrong, I won't do it again. Please don't ignore me, okay? You be Santa Claus, and I'll be your reindeer, is that alright...?"

Novia felt that her teasing might have gone a bit too far, given Lily's tone and demeanor.

But just as he was about to speak—

"Looks like you're having a great time here."

A sound so calm it was almost terrifying echoed through the forest at night. As Joan rose to guard the source of the sound, she came into view of a simply dressed, calm, purple-haired woman with eyes devoid of any color.

Good evening, everyone, it's a lively evening.

The purple-haired woman's words were so cold that it was not surprising that she could suddenly launch an attack at any moment, and her Servant aura was also extremely strong, forcing Jeanne to be cautious.

"You're... one of the Dragon Witch's allies?"

"Tell me, Joan of Arc, how are you feeling right now? You've seen it, haven't you? Even though you've fought so hard for this country, there are still people who see you as an enemy and hurl insults at you. So, do you want to die or do you want to kill someone?"

The purple-haired woman's question was like an invisible shackle, firmly binding Joan of Arc.

"Under normal circumstances, I would definitely regret it and be consumed by despair."