Welcome to the Holy Maiden's Dream, Fleeting as a Bubble (Part 5)
In truth, Jeanne Alter didn't get far before being apprehended by the city enforcement squad.
In this ever-evolving New Gaia-Earth Ι, the number of registered Servants grew by the day. One might bump into a former Grand Magus while shopping for cakes, discover the staff at a New Year's mountain summit was actually the progenitor of the Roman lineage, or witness skeletal visages emerging from the mist when night bells tolled.
Since most Servants possessed strong personalities, heroes and anti-heroes often clashed, while those with shared histories frequently locked horns like needle against thread... In the early days of New Gaia, terror alerts and "gas explosion" reports came every few minutes.
To address these constant Servant conflicts, under the Mooncell Student Council's initiative, five major factions—the Roman, British, Uruk, Apocrypha, and Emiya lineages—jointly established an organization unique to New Gaia-Earth Ι: the Throne of Heroes.
The city enforcement squad was this colossal entity's shadow incarnation, with rotating lineage members each month. Squad members needed only two qualifications: having free time, and... being formidable fighters.
A mere unbound Avenger, even with top-tier spiritual rank, stood no chance against the squad's righteous gang-up.
By the time Sakatsuki arrived, Jeanne Alter had already been bound in humiliation, slung over Caligula's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The Roman Servants cheered as if they'd bagged a foolish deer, eagerly marching toward the police station.
Leading them was undoubtedly the empire's most beautiful crimson rose.
"Ah, Governor!"
A delighted cry rang out. Nero had keenly sensed her beloved's approach from down the street, rushing forward with glee. Sakatsuki instinctively opened his arms, catching the fiery emperor in an embrace, his smile deepening at the grand softness pressing against his chest.
A foul for charging with the ball, Your Majesty!
"What brings thee here?" After a brief affectionate moment, Nero blinked her starry eyes, snuggling in Sakatsuki's arms with adorable softness. "Came to see me?"
The enforcement squad members immediately turned their crimson gazes on Sakatsuki, their expressions clear: deny it and you'll be tied up and hauled to the Golden Palace too.
Sakatsuki hesitated, struggling for words under Nero's expectant gaze. Noticing his dilemma, Nero glanced at the bound "caterpillar" on the ground, her face falling.
"Ah, should've known thy appearance meant trouble. Seems we caught thy prey by mistake."
"I'll have the student council issue compensation." Sakatsuki nuzzled Nero's cheek apologetically. "Forgive me—I must take responsibility for every Servant summoned by the Mooncell Throne."
Especially one so fundamentally different from that saintly maiden—he needed Jeanne Alter to understand this.
"Governor," Nero suddenly murmured into his chest, "if I asked thee now to abandon everything and return to the palace with me..."
"Then I would follow you," Sakatsuki answered calmly, as if reciting an oath, drawing astonished looks from onlookers. "Even if the world drowned in our wake."
Truth. The Roman Servants nodded approvingly.
Truth indeed. Light returned to Nero's eyes.
Truth... Jeanne Alter stopped struggling, closing her eyes in resignation.
Absolute truth. Though such words would earn him accusations of debauchery if spread, Sakatsuki remained unshaken.
Bearing fivefold affection meant paying fivefold costs.
A tyrant's favor was but a trivial part—why shy away from it?
After a long, adoring gaze, Nero finally smiled contentedly and pushed Sakatsuki away.
"Then go, Governor." She winked. "She's thine now. Treat her well~"
"I'll try." Sakatsuki chuckled wryly. A diamond-shaped portal opened as he stepped through with the fallen Jeanne Alter, vanishing instantly. The squad members exchanged worried glances at their empire's most cherished daughter.
"Nero..."
"Worry not, uncles." Nero beamed. "'Tis no parting with the Governor—merely failing to claim his heart today. Onward! Our hunt continues elsewhere!"
———
When Jeanne Alter opened her eyes after spatial transit, she found herself in a garden blooming with flowers surrounding an enigmatic sculpture. Beneath it were inscribed words:
["Compared to history's vastness, countless heroic legends and glorious moments are but fleeting sparks. Yet even these starlights in endless night, we record and pass down like poetry, inspiring those who follow."]
["As the later Zweig wrote... We call them so because they shine like stars upon the transient night."]
"That's Shakes—ahem, Shakespeare and Andersen's joint epitaph," said the young man seated beside her, gazing at the university's most renowned spot. "Who knew those two could be serious?"
"None of my business." Jeanne Alter turned away. "Don't talk to me."
Stripped of armor and defenses, she resembled nothing so much as a sulking child.
Sakatsuki smiled, studying her swan-like neck, platinum hair, and pale, delicate skin—everything so unlike the vibrant Saint Jeanne d'Arc.
Masked, none would connect her to that saintly sister.
Then he saw tears hit the bench. Startled, he reached out, only to be slapped away as Jeanne Alter whirled on him with furious sobs:
"Get away, you detestable bastard! Womanizer! Disgusting creep!"
"You've lied from the start!"
"You claimed to like me! Why say those things in front of that woman!"
The awakened memories still clashed in her mind like nightmares—that radiant saintly image refused to fade, leaving no shadow for her to inhabit.
What right had she to any name? What could she even call herself?
Rage and endless flames seemed her only recourse, yet recalling how easily the enforcement squad subdued her, helplessness flooded her heart instead. She tried curling inward, but the now-grown youth wouldn't allow it, forcibly parting her arms to meet her tearful glare.
"I like Jeanne d'Arc, not you." His golden eyes brooked no argument. "Despite similar faces, remember—you aren't her."
"You're not Saint Jeanne d'Arc!"
The harsh words widened her eyes. Before she could react, Sakatsuki continued:
"Saint Jeanne d'Arc burned at the stake. You commanded dragons in Singularity F."
"Saint Jeanne fought beside me in the Holy Grail War. Today, I met and walked with you!"
"Know why I refused your true name? Because Jeanne Alter isn't that saint's shadow."
"You're different!"
"You prefer dashing suits; she loves girlish dresses. Your care comes as barbs; her comfort is shy stammers."
"You made Draco apologize—she and the saint can't stand each other!"
"Still don't see? I've never treated you as Saint Jeanne d'Arc! Draco's mistake was natural, but did I ever force you to emulate her?"
Fragments of their brief time together surfaced, dispelling bitter memories. Jeanne Alter bit her lip silently under Sakatsuki's earnest gaze.
He wasn't wrong—he'd respected her will, shown her the saint's world while accepting her differing opinions with only smiles. Had he... hoped for something?
Unconsciously, Jeanne Alter voiced her doubt.
"You were summoned through Servant karmic bonds by the Mooncell Throne." Sakatsuki released her, offering a handkerchief for her tears. "For others, summoning continues unfinished lives."
"But for you, it's life's beginning. Born from Gilles' wish with Jeanne's memories and self-awareness, your existence as Jeanne Alter was incomplete—created by desire, then destroyed by it. Now you need a wholly new self for this New Gaia life."
Scratching his cheek sheepishly, he added: "Realizing that... I couldn't help feeling responsible."
Leaving her to meet the saint unprepared, potentially breaking down before the enforcement squad... The thought alone pained him.
"Kind men are worse than womanizers." Jeanne Alter stared at the damp handkerchief, her tone oddly soft.
"Hey now..." The "kind bastard" clutched his chest in mock injury. "I went through all this to help you!"
"Hmph. Who asked you?"
"Fine, next time I'll watch you cry helplessly." Rolling his eyes, he sobered. "Wear what you like, visit beaches you choose, stay with desired companions—maybe even surround yourself with handsome men. Even as a wish-born phantom, finding meaning in this city would make our journey worthwhile."
Having said his piece, Sakatsuki rose to leave—only for his sleeve to be tugged. Glancing back, he saw Jeanne Alter mutter:
"Th... thank you."
"That's it?" He raised a brow. "How ungracious. Saint Jeanne would've hugged me crying by now."
"I'm not that idiot saint!" Flushing crimson, Jeanne Alter glared up defiantly. "I said: Thank. You!"
"Remember this expression." Smiling, he poked her soft cheek. "This is what I wanted to see."
At her stunned look, he grinned triumphantly, stepping back with a bow.
The diamond portal dispersed, the handsome guide vanishing, leaving Jeanne Alter alone clutching the handkerchief, savoring this uniquely hers loneliness.
Yet... she couldn't help it.
She wanted him to stay.
Realizing she was alone again made the cold isolation cut deeper.
She longed to find him, talk more, walk these streets together once more.
This desire—this impulse—stemmed not from the saint's memories, but her own heart.
"Showing up uninvited, then leaving just as abruptly." Jeanne Alter licked her lips, whispering: "Think I'd let you go that easily...?"
New energy surged through her, urging her to explore this city, understand it deeply.
Once she belonged here, she'd surely see that throne's occupant again.
Exiting the garden, the uniformed girl stretched like any schoolgirl after class, sighing contentedly.
Moonlight bathed her lovely face—serene, gentle, as if someone watched over her, whispering in her ear:
"Welcome," the youth had said.
"Welcome to New Gaia-Earth Ι, this eternal paradise."