Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

"Ugh, this is so gloomy! This is much better now."

Jeanne Alter proudly raised her hand towards the sky for Novia to see.

"Now I'll just disappear ridiculously with Jill. Next time I'll definitely forget about 'mother,' so at least for now I need to remember Isabella, otherwise Mom will be lonely."

"That's good."

Novia praised her, which made Jeanne Alter's smile disappear, and she returned to an expressionless face, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, as if she was disdainful or shy.

"...It's almost time. Listen up, you dared to embarrass me like this, but now I'm going to disappear."

Novia nodded again as she briefly described the fake saint.

Some people have to be defeated because they will not admit defeat or move forward until the last moment of their lives. It is precisely because Jeanne Alter was qualified to be summoned as a Servant that she must be defeated.

Nevertheless, he stood beside Jeanne Alter for a while.

Finally, the girl gave a self-deprecating smile and shrugged. Although she seemed to be very unhappy with every word Novia said, she was actually enjoying this time alone.

"I will wait, until your betrayal is betrayed by me. Then you'd better take responsibility for it, okay? Goodbye—"

The reason why Jeanne Alter couldn't finish her sentence was actually quite simple: she was kissed by Novia, which left her stunned.

"I am the dragon husband of the Dragon Witch, right?"

"You you you you you—"

In the end, in a state of extreme panic, Jeanne Alter hastily transformed into a spirit particle. After all, she probably couldn't think of anything else to say in this situation. If it were Lily, she would probably have launched a counterattack instead of passively accepting it. In any case, a few seconds later she returned to the essence of the Holy Grail.

……

Rewinding to the moment Novia appeared, Ritsuka, who was observing the battle between Jeanne d'Arc and Jeanne Alter, saw her appear and wanted to run forward, but a hand grabbed the hem of her clothes. When Ritsuka turned around, she realized that it was Kiyohime from Japan.

At this moment, the green-haired girl had completely changed her usual composed demeanor in front of others, replaced by an undisguised blush. She clasped her hands together, her forehead covered in sweat, and she looked as if she couldn't suppress her emotions.

"Um, Miss Kiyohime, what's going on?"

"...Ah, um, Ritsuka-san, I wanted to ask if there's any information in Chaldea that says Servants who follow Demi-Servants can gain mana by exchanging bodily fluids with the Demi-Servants? After all, Demi-Servants are still human, just unable to possess others, so even though they can't be summoned, exchanging bodily fluids or other methods should be possible, right?"

Upon hearing this, Ritsuka's eyes widened, completely surprised that Kiyohime would ask about this matter.

In fact, Kiyohime asked about this because during the use of her Noble Phantasm, she realized that the young man she had been waiting for for so many years and had fallen in love with at first sight was Novia. In order to see him again, she asked Ritsuka so urgently and hoped to be summoned by Chaldea.

"Hmm... I seem to remember the director mentioning it, but it seems to be an operation with a very low exchange rate."

Ritsuka answered truthfully, saying that she had only heard the director mention it briefly when he was explaining it in Fuyuki, and did not have a deep understanding of the exchange of bodily fluids.

"Great!"

Kiyohime sighed deeply, then happily bowed to Ritsuka.

"Miss Ritsuka, could you please tell me about Mr. Novia's lifestyle habits and... Ah, I don't have time now. I was planning to practice more, but please tell me in person next time I come to Chaldea. Thank you!"

After uttering those words, Kiyohime had no choice but to disappear, having fulfilled the mission given to her by the Holy Grail, just like the already vanished Dragon Girl and the French duo.

"Hahaha, what a lively Holy Grail War!"

“St. George, I want to thank you for your help.”

"Me too, Your Excellency St. George."

“Likewise, Siegfried the Brave, Vlad the Shield of God, I am honored to fight alongside you.”

St. George glanced at his camera, realizing he had taken enough photos of 'Novia,' then nodded slightly to the two of them again, and as he was about to disappear, he smiled and continued.

"From now on, this girl will probably have more than just us helping her."

Then, Vlad and Siegfried exchanged a glance, smiled, and walked toward Ritsuka and Mash who were standing to the side.

Just as Ritsuka was confused by Kiyohime's words, and Mashu was feeling sad because of everyone's departure, two hands suddenly grabbed their faces. Upon closer inspection, it was Vlad III, the warrior, laughing heartily.

"Sigh, since you are already protected by the 'spirit,' why show such an expression?"

"I'm sorry, I wanted to stop Vlad, but I really didn't want to see the looks on your faces, Fujimaru, Mashu."

Siegfried explained with a smile, “Your journey to the singularity has only just begun, and you will encounter many more situations like this. My dear friend probably thinks the same way.”

"That's right, I want you to remember one thing, which is both difficult and easy."

Vlad put his hand to his mouth, forcing a smile. "It means that no matter what the situation, you must always wear a smile, understand?"

"Ah."

"Ah."

After Ritsuka and Mashu nodded, the two disappeared.

Now, only Joan of Arc and Martha remained. However, since Novia had not yet appeared, Joan of Arc sighed somewhat forlornly.

"By the way, Fujimaru, could you please pass on a message for me when you meet with Advisor Novia later—"

Just as Joan of Arc was about to say something in a subtle tone.

What did you say?

Novia's voice came from the other end.

This startled Joan of Arc, who had been marveling at the scene, causing her to shrink back. The silver-haired youth looked at her with a somewhat malicious gaze.

After a bout of coughing, Joan of Arc quickly regained her composure as a saint, but still spoke with some embarrassment.

"Seeing the sea is just a wish I abandoned in the past, so please don't take it to heart..."

"Oh, really? I almost forgot."

Novia's nonchalant tone made Jeanne, who had been calm, look lost. Martha, who was standing next to her, shook her head and then turned her gaze to Ritsuka, as if she was thinking about something.

"Yes, really? That's good, that's good..."

The saint's expression seemed to be clouded over.

Novia smiled with pleasure and waved gently at the disappearing saintess.

"However, you don't need to worry, it's really not a big deal. But... I promised Isabella, so I'll catch her runaway daughter and take her to the beach where she didn't get to enjoy herself."

This almost made Joan of Arc cry out, but because she had just disappeared, the sound didn't get through.

"Ritsuka, I'm counting on you for this journey."

Upon hearing Martha's call, Ritsuka, who had been squinting at Novia, turned her head nonchalantly, touched her head, and gave an embarrassed smile.

"Actually, it's me who's troubling you all..."

Martha didn't answer, but simply smiled and handed the 'staff' that she had originally intended to return to Novia to Ritsuka.

"This is……"

"This."

Martha glanced at Novia not far away, then sighed and said, "This thing, which I was originally given to me and then gave away, is not my personal weapon, nor does it require magic. Although it's just an ordinary staff, its meaning is still very important—"

Martha looked at the Zohar Glowstone hanging around Ritsuka's neck and smiled gently.

"Whether you are a spirit or that child, you must keep going! I support you, and my blessings will be with you."

After uttering these incomprehensible words to Ritsuka, Martha disappeared, leaving Ritsuka alone, staring thoughtfully at the cane and fiddling with it. The cane seemed to have been taken back by Ritsuka, disappearing at the slightest thought.

Afterwards, with everything in the French Singularity completely resolved, the three of them were ready to return to Chaldea.

However, as they parted, Ritsuka suddenly noticed something unusual about Novia, so she reached out and unconsciously touched his lips.

"...Is this Novia's blood?"

The orange-haired girl stared curiously at the blood that had been placed in her hand.

"Probably so."

"Oh."

Ritsuka nodded and then asked no more questions.

However, at the last moment of the spirit transfer, the orange-haired girl, with her back to Novia, quickly put her blood-stained finger into her mouth and licked it, then immediately frowned.

Although it was strange, she subconsciously felt that this wasn't Novia's blood, but something else entirely. So, was it Kiyohime's, the Dragon Witch Jeanne d'Arc's, or Jeanne d'Arc's blood, or perhaps the blood of someone she had never seen before...?

But when Ritsuka returned to Chaldea, realizing that she had done something inexplicable at the last minute, she stared blankly at her fingers.

"...Strange, what was I just doing?"

Chapter 360 Sister-in-law.

"Prototype, do you have any ideas on the questions your Master has raised?"

Why are you suddenly asking this?

When Leonardo da Vinci barged into his workshop without permission and asked questions, da Vinci, who should have been displeased as an 'elder,' surprisingly smiled.

"Because Ritsuka asked a very strange question."

"is it?"

Upon hearing this, Leonardo da Vinci narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the ever-serious expression on the young Leonardo's face.

Since Ritsuka returned from the French Singularity, she did indeed inquire at Chaldea about the question Kiyohime had asked before her disappearance: "Can a Demi-Servant gain surviving magical energy through the exchange of bodily fluids with a Servant?" Naturally, she asked both the young and older Leonardo da Vinci, but she had already provided Ritsuka with a detailed analysis at the time.

"That kind of magical power is very difficult to exist."

Leonardo da Vinci asserted this.

"As a sub-Servant, one needs magical power, and so does a Servant. If the two are combined, the amount of magical power required is probably unimaginable. Although bodily fluids can indeed help, the conversion rate is still too low. You should know the answer to this, little Gran."

"Then why is it that even though he didn't sign a contract with Ritsuka and is a Demi-Servant, he can move around freely?"

"The servants possessing that guy's back are, according to him, a bunch of shadows."

Da Vinci frowned. "Perhaps there are beings among them that don't need their Masters to provide magic power, or that absorb magic power through some means."

"So, the possibility is very small, right?"

"I have a feeling that there's something you're hiding behind this question."

"Really? Who am I hiding this from?"

Upon hearing Leonardo da Vinci's completely calm voice, Leonardo da Vinci suddenly broke into a sunny smile.

"To me and your teacher."

Little Leonardo da Vinci suddenly shut his mouth, staring expressionlessly at Leonardo da Vinci, who had a 'smiling' expression on his face. He seemed to intend to remain silent, but in the end, he abruptly turned away.

"...Anyway, I'm very busy right now. Fujimaru will be heading to the second singularity soon, so let's put this aside for now."

"What you're saying sounds like you're saying, 'Oh no, my ideas have been exposed, and I need time to do some work on disguising them, or rather, to disguise them better'... But that's okay."

After uttering this seemingly provocative remark, Leonardo da Vinci turned back to continue studying his magic tools.

"As the second unit of 'Mei,' and also my child, I fully support it. If necessary, it can come back to me again."

……

At the same time, in the Chaldea restaurant.

"It's so peaceful..."

After murmuring to herself, Ritsuka gently brought the teacup to her lips.

The cafeteria was almost deserted this afternoon. Although everyone was busy preparing for the second singularity the next day, she, as humanity's last Master, was also very busy. Every few hours, she would go to the Chaldea Gate to collect seed fire, or to the training grounds and treasure warehouse.

After all, such professional matters should be left to professionals, such as Dr. Roman, consultant Da Vinci, Director Olga, etc., so it has nothing to do with her. After the Chaldea Gate matter is completed, she will continue to perform magic, and only in her spare time can she take a break.

For example, today, the day before we conquer the second singularity, Rome.

Ritsuka remembered that, according to Dr. Roman, this singularity was originally not in Rome in 56 AD, but somewhere else. However, after the French singularity was resolved, it immediately manifested as Rome in this time period.

The orange-haired girl thought, "So what?" But Dr. Roman's expression was exactly the same as when he saw Martha give him her cane in the report they submitted after their return—a truly subtle expression.

In the past, after the events at Lazarus, Jesus gave Martha his own staff, which was then given to Novia many years later. This led the twenty-seventh patriarch, Cowbek, to believe that Novia was an existence under the watchful eye of 'God,' just like his teacher Solomon.

However, there are not many records of this cane in history. When Roman learned of this, he asked if he could see the cane. Ritsuka did not refuse and took it out for Roman to see.

Unfortunately, after looking at it for a long time, Roman still couldn't figure it out and could only return it to Ritsuka with some disappointment.

Perhaps they are hoping to achieve something like the Ten Commandments they once did.

In fact, Ritsuka had asked what was so special about this Roman singularity. To be honest, she knew a little more about Rome than France, but all she knew was that the Church was founded within the Roman Empire and caused the 'schism' of the Roman Empire in the third century—points that were worth considering.

Of course, Ritsuka also learned from her history teacher at school that there was a very obvious trap in this. From today's perspective, the East and West Rome were indeed divided, but in the eyes of people at that time, one was the 'East of the Empire' and the other was the 'West of the Empire,' and they were simply managed separately because their territories were too vast.