"Eh…?" Jeanne stared blankly at what had just happened, her expression filled with grievance, as if she wanted to speak but held back.
Just now... Laurent got kissed by someone else? Even I haven't kissed him that many times...
Her voice was filled with nothing but grievance.
Laurent, who had been foolishly grinning from being kissed a moment ago, immediately turned serious upon hearing Jeanne's tone. He swiftly stepped away from Marie.
"Miss Marie! Men and women shouldn't be so casually intimate—please restrain yourself!" His tone was flawlessly serious.
"Ma-Miss Marie, it's best not to kiss others so casually," Roman awkwardly chimed in.
"Eh? Doesn't everyone kiss people when they're happy? Isn't it natural to kiss someone spontaneously when you're feeling delighted? Right, Jeanne?"
"N-No! Of course not!"
Jeanne rushed to Laurent's side in just a few steps, desperately clinging to his arm. "Th-this sort of thing should only be done when you're planning to marry, or after marriage!"
"Sorry, I just did it without thinking. Laurent-kun was simply too cool just now~"
Jeanne didn't respond; she just tightened her grip on Laurent's arm.
Luckily, their conversation was soon interrupted by another voice.
"You people are seriously noisy…"
Their gazes followed the voice. At some point, a man had appeared nearby, his left arm skeletal and exposed, his face wrapped in bandages, messy black hair obscuring his features, looking exactly like a monster straight out of a haunted house.
Even his aura felt extremely unpleasant.
"Who are you!?"
At this, the man looked displeased. "People call me the Phantom of the Opera. Under the authority of the Dragon Witch, I have absolute control over this city. I won't let you advance any further. So, come—this place is filled with the dead. What will you do?"
"Master!"
"Take him down!"
"Yes!"
Having finally gotten rid of the mobs, another enemy appeared.
In the ensuing battle, Laurent merely stood aside as support, quietly observing. He'd already demonstrated his power; now, he was just watching to see what Mash and the others were capable of.
This little girl's pretty capable.
Despite her young age, she clearly had plenty of battle experience. Laurent himself wasn't exactly sure how Demi-Servants compared to normal Servants, but for now, at least, the girl was decent enough.
Then there was Marie—nothing particularly impressive so far, though he was still curious about her Noble Phantasm.
Maybe later I'll sneak a drop of blood onto her…
Very quickly, as the fight came to a close, their enemy left behind some useful information.
Laurent was almost speechless.
These Servants… every single one seems to have been a famous figure or hero in their lifetime, way too noble and heroic for their own good.
Each of them clung stubbornly to their own beliefs.
Could it be that's why I became a Servant too? Laurent wondered.
At that exact moment—
"Massive energy fluctuations detected! Mash, Fujimaru, you only have a few minutes before it reaches you—run!"
Roman's urgent voice rang out. Laurent subconsciously glanced toward the direction Roman indicated. Even though his own mana sensing was pitifully weak, he could still feel something approaching.
Again…?
"No, we can't give up this chance to find the Dragonslayer!" Fujimaru had different thoughts. "If we miss this, we might lose our only chance of victory!"
"But they're almost here! If you don't run now, you won't have another chance!" Roman pleaded anxiously.
"Doctor, if we run now and miss this opportunity, the result will still be the same," Fujimaru replied resolutely.
Roman hesitated at Fujimaru's words.
Laurent interjected calmly, "Master, hurry and decide. If you don't, you'll lose both opportunities."
"Find the Dragonslayer!"
Following Fujimaru's command, the group didn't leave the city. Instead, under some rubble, they soon found a seriously wounded Servant. But at that very moment—
Jeanne Alter arrived.
Accompanied by a dragon's roar, a black shadow swiftly approached from the distance. Riding atop Fafnir, Jeanne Alter looked down coldly at Laurent's group, as if gazing upon ants crawling in the dirt.
Her eyes flicked briefly to Laurent, brows imperceptibly furrowing. Ever since learning his name, she had become inexplicably irritated just at the sight of him.
Extremely irritated!
But despite this, she still wore a contemptuous smile. "I thought you'd found something good, but it's just another dying Servant."
"In that case, you can disappear along with him."
Flames began gathering in Fafnir's mouth—it looked like it was preparing a powerful attack.
Without another word, Jeanne Alter had no desire for further conversation. Everything happening right now was putting her in a foul mood.
Mash: "I'll block—!"
Jeanne: "Mash, we'll do it together!"
Jeanne Alter: "Burn everything to ashes, Fafnir!"
"[LUMINOSITÉ ETERNELLE]!"
The two of them unleashed their Noble Phantasms without hesitation.
BOOM!
Flames surged wildly, crashing against their Noble Phantasms.
Jeanne desperately held onto her banner, her expression strained. Suddenly, she felt a firm back pressing against hers. Laurent clicked his tongue, stepping beside Jeanne and using his left hand to help support the banner.
"Laurent?" Jeanne stared in disbelief at Laurent, who was somehow able to wield this Noble Phantasm with her.
He rolled his eyes slightly. "Don't forget who gave you this set of equipment in the first place."
With the flames finally subsiding, they barely managed to withstand the attack.
The group, aside from Laurent and Jeanne, looked utterly exhausted. Laurent, however, stood firmly, his scarlet eyes fixated on the dragon.
Another attack incoming…
He turned back to glance at Jeanne, sweat still glistening on her neck.
Damn, I can't look away.
"Master, this isn't good—think of something quickly! Another attack's about to hit!"
As he spoke, Laurent raised his right hand, slowly forming a wall of blood in front of them.
Yet Jeanne Alter's anger was rapidly increasing.
That—that bastard! He's still protecting that woman! He's STILL protecting HER!
"Fafnir! Continue the attack! Burn them all to death, especially THAT BASTARD!"
Laurent felt his eye twitch at being singled out, suffering severe emotional damage.
"[IMMOVABLE FORTRESS]."
With a quiet utterance, his blood rapidly solidified into a wall in front of the group.
BOOM!
The attack landed fiercely, scorching flames crashing into the blood-forged fortress, sparks flying everywhere.
Laurent immediately raised the hardness, density, and heat resistance of the blood wall to its utmost limits, feeling energy drain rapidly from his body.
Damn, defense alone consumes energy way too fast. Even after devouring a Servant, three or four more hits like this, and I'll be forced to retaliate... And Jeanne Alter just had to curse at me again...
"Fafnir! Didn't that bastard want to protect them? Focus your attack on him alone!!!"
At this, Laurent's forehead was covered in cold sweat.
"Master, I-I can't hold on much longer… She's way too strong…"
"Eh??? Weren't you acting super relaxed just a moment ago?!"
---
T/N: LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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