Arthur knew about the anomaly behind this Holy Grail War.
Shirou Kotomine, now the Master of the Red Assassin.
His true name was Shirou Amakusa Tokisada, and he had once been summoned as Ruler during the Third Holy Grail War.
His existence, his wishes, and his unyielding determination were the reason why Jeanne had been summoned once again as Ruler.
Arthur, however, had no intention of simply placing the answers into her hands. Where would be the fun in that? The true amusement lay in watching her search, struggle, and eventually be consumed by her own ignorance.
His mission was to support her, but that didn't mean he had to hand over everything.
If he were to reveal the truth now, Jeanne would undoubtedly use her Command Spells to bring a swift and dull end to the entire performance.
Even though Arthur wanted to return home quickly, he also wanted to enjoy himself — after all, he had few chances to fight in his own world.
Jeanne frowned, bothered by his evasiveness. It disturbed her, and she began to think of ways to extract the truth.
Arthur, noticing her sinking into thought, let out a short laugh, laced with disdain and amusement.
"If you want answers, investigate them yourself. Thinking you can drag them out of me is sheer naivety."
"Why?" Jeanne asked, genuinely intrigued by his refusal.
"Because, even though I know exactly what you want to uncover, our missions are different. If I indulge myself by speaking, it will inevitably interfere with mine."
Not that he could outright lie to that woman — there was something about her that made lying feel vulgar, unworthy. And so, Arthur limited himself to offering half-truths, crumbs tossed to a beggar.
And, as expected, upon hearing his words, Jeanne fell silent. She wasn't the type to force answers. If not for her role as Ruler, she probably would have abandoned the questions long ago.
"Our meeting is a work of destiny," Arthur said, his tone almost poetic. "It isn't worth wasting our time with complications now, Jeanne."
"By the way, I never told you my name was Jeanne. How do you know that?"
Jeanne stared at him in silence, confused. There was something profoundly enigmatic about that man. She was fully aware of her true name, her story… and yet, she couldn't understand how he already knew all of it.
Arthur only smiled, folding his arms.
"That's a secret."
She detected no lie — only an irritating air of superiority.
"Even if I won't tell you anything about what's happening," Arthur continued suddenly, "I will give you a small warning."
"Hm?"
"Be careful with the Red Faction Servants."
"Be careful? Why?" Jeanne raised her brows.
"Because they will attack you and try to kill you."
"Why would they attack the Ruler?"
Her confusion only deepened at his warning. Arthur, however, merely displayed a lazy, relaxed smile. In the end, he was required to give her minimal support — it was part of his mission.
---
And so, Gilgamesh/Arthur and Jeanne continued their journey toward Trifas.
On the way, their conversation drifted away from the Holy Grail War and turned into something more ordinary, almost mundane.
"So, you mean to tell me…" Arthur began, his tone dripping with malice, "…that the glorious Saint of Orléans, the maiden who saved France, is not defeated by armies, but by numbers?"
Jeanne immediately flushed red, clutching her math book against her chest.
"Who said that!? I am perfectly capable at mathematics!"
"Oh, really?" Arthur tilted his head, that arrogant smile on his lips. "Then tell me… what is a quadratic equation?"
The silence that followed was deafening.
Jeanne averted her gaze, shame written all over her face.
Laeticia, the girl whose body she inhabited, was a French high school student. But Jeanne, the peasant girl who had lived in the 15th century, had never encountered such concepts. Expecting her to solve those strange formulas was, at the very least, cruel.
Arthur laughed loudly, as satisfied as a bored king who had finally found a worthy fool.
"Magnificent! The saint who heard the voice of God cannot answer the simplest question in algebra. This is a spectacle I could watch forever!"
"Don't laugh at me!" Jeanne protested, blushing to her ears.
"Then prove your dignity, maiden. Solve this simple riddle." He tore a page from the notebook and scribbled quickly. "x² – 5x + 6 = 0."
Jeanne stared at the equation as if it were a death sentence.
"I-it's… easy," she murmured, with little conviction.
"Oh, of course, easy as can be!" Arthur crossed his arms and raised his chin. "Then what's the answer?"
"It's… hmm… seven?"
Arthur burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
"Seven! Hahahaha! Sublime! Incomparable! The purity of a saint mixed with the ignorance of a child! Jeanne, you truly illuminate this world with your innocence."
Jeanne clenched her fist, struggling to maintain her composure.
"This isn't funny! If you're going to mock me, at least teach me properly!"
Arthur stopped laughing and looked at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Teach? Me? The sovereign of Uruk, reduced to a math tutor for a lost maiden?"
"Yes!" Jeanne shot back, firm. "Or would you rather be remembered as the one who mocked a woman in need instead of helping her?"
Arthur sighed dramatically, as if it were the greatest humiliation.
Actually, I think I've done something like this before… he thought.
"Very well, very well… since you insist. Watch and learn, saint. The equation x² – 5x + 6 = 0 is nothing more than a child's riddle. Just factor it."
He wrote with elegant movements, as if even teaching were a performance.
"(x – 2)(x – 3) = 0. Therefore, x = 2 or x = 3. And the mystery is solved."
Jeanne blinked several times, trying to process it.
"So… all that… just to end up with two and three?"
"Exactly." Arthur spread his arms as though revealing a miracle. "See? While you trembled before the monster of mathematics, I decapitated it with a single strike."
Jeanne puffed her cheeks in frustration.
"You're making this insufferable on purpose, aren't you?"
Arthur laughed again, triumphant.
"Obviously."
---
The road to Trifas, which could have been silent and solemn, quickly turned into something else entirely: an improvised classroom in the back of a truck, complete with a proud teacher and a reluctant student.
Arthur, arms crossed, fired off math questions.
"Tell me: what is seven times eight?"
Jeanne swallowed hard, her eyes widening as she began counting on her fingers, slowly and desperately.
"Uh… fifty-six?"
Arthur clapped his hands as though before an audience.
"Impressive! The Saint of Orléans has overcome her first arithmetic obstacle! A feat worthy of the history books!"
"You don't have to say it like that," Jeanne muttered, blushing.
"No, no, Jeanne. I must! Every small step you take in this swamp of ignorance is a miracle equal to the parting of the Red Sea."
Jeanne sighed deeply, trying to ignore him, but he showed no signs of stopping.
"Next question," Arthur said, his smile widening. "What is the square root of ninety-nine?"
Jeanne choked.
"Square… root? Of what!?"
Arthur raised a brow, feigning outrage.
"Don't tell me the glorious maiden who defeated entire armies cannot handle such a simple number? What would you do if, on the battlefield, an enemy commander shouted: 'Advance in square root formation!'?"
"That would never happen!" Jeanne protested.
"Exactly, because after today, everyone will know that's your weakness, and no commander would dare waste such a powerful secret weapon."
Jeanne huffed, her cheeks red with frustration.
"You're insufferable!"
Arthur leaned closer, grinning with superiority.
"And you are delightfully predictable."
He then wrote on a page a ridiculously simple problem:
2 + 2 = ?
Jeanne glared at him, narrowing her eyes, feeling insulted.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"Answer!" Arthur raised his voice.
"Show me that the saint of God at least commands the secrets of childhood!"
Jeanne, irritated, snapped back instantly:
"Four!"
Arthur clapped again, so loudly that some nearby birds flew off in fright.
"Excellent! Magnificent! I knew you had hidden potential! Perhaps, just perhaps, one day you'll reach the level of a six-year-old child!"
Jeanne punched his arm lightly, which only made Arthur laugh harder.
"You're impossible!"
"I am a king, Jeanne. For someone like me, being impossible is a virtue."
She turned her face away, trying to hide the involuntary smile breaking through her frustration.
Arthur noticed and leaned closer, that irritating triumphant glint in his eyes.
"Ah… so even the saint smiles at my brilliance? I should start charging tuition for this."
"I only smiled because I imagined you failing a simple calculation," Jeanne shot back, trying to compose herself.
Arthur feigned shock, clutching his chest.
"Fail? Me? The treasure of human wisdom? Jeanne, do not blaspheme!"
"Then prove it," she challenged, crossing her arms. "What's thirteen times nineteen?"
Arthur blinked.
For the briefest instant, he was silent.
Jeanne noticed and waited, smiling.
Arthur, however, didn't yield. Straightening up, regaining his arrogant composure, he spoke firmly:
"It's too simple. Not worth wasting my intellect on such a trivial matter."
"You don't know it, do you?" Jeanne teased, raising a brow.
Arthur turned to the side, hiding the laugh that almost escaped.
"I could answer right now, but I fear your mind would explode before the magnificence of such a sublime calculation. For your own good, I shall remain silent."
Jeanne burst out laughing, unable to hold it back.
"You really don't know!"
Arthur sighed, lifting his eyes to the heavens as if complaining directly to the gods.
"Ah, how difficult it is to be a king surrounded by subjects who fail to grasp the benevolence of my silence."
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."