"Jeanne-san, you don't look very well. Is something bothering you?" Mash asked gently, as they walked together.
Jeanne nodded slightly. "Those things about the Dragon Witch... Honestly, I have no idea. Who exactly is that 'me'? I don't even know."
"And Laurent, he... he loves me too much."
Saying this should've made her happy, yet Jeanne's mood sank instead.
Mash tilted her head. "But isn't that supposed to be a good thing?"
Roman interjected before Mash could continue. "Mash, sometimes matters of the heart aren't so easily explained. Laurent-san's actions in life, to be honest—I also feel he really loves Jeanne-san too much. There's an expression for it... 'Going through fire and water without hesitation,' right? Compared to Laurent-san, even that seems insufficient."
Mash and Ritsuka Fujimaru nodded understandingly.
"Jeanne-san, you're worried about the choice he'll make once he learns the truth, right?" Fujimaru asked softly.
Jeanne nodded. "If... she really is me, Laurent will surely suffer greatly. But if she isn't, he'll never let her go."
"That's why we're here," Fujimaru flashed a bright, sunny smile. "We need to find the truth first, before we can solve anything."
Jeanne nodded again, though deep inside... the existence of Jeanne Alter still unsettled her greatly.
"You're still you, Jeanne-san," Mash said earnestly. "Laurent-san is standing firmly by your side. She's just an impostor. There's no need to worry so much. Next time you see her, you should say exactly what's on your mind—tell her clearly that you don't hate her."
"You're right," Jeanne replied, smiling faintly.
...
"Did Laurent-kun deliberately choose this setup so he could spend some alone time with me? Boys' thoughts can be so transparent~" Marie teased playfully.
Traveling another route together with Marie, Laurent found her undeniably lively and charming, but he felt absolutely nothing.
"It was just the best strategic choice," Laurent answered flatly, clearly uninterested in prolonging the topic. Soon, they arrived inside another city.
Laurent quickly sensed a Servant nearby, who also immediately noticed them.
"Halt! Who are you?"
"We're Servants—I'm Rider-class, my true name is Marie Antoinette."
"Berserker-class, Laurent," he added casually.
"I see... So you're not with Witch."
"No, we're their enemies."
"Understood. I am Georgios," the Servant replied solemnly. "This city was also attacked by that Evil Dragon and the Witch. I barely managed to repel them last time, but next time I may not be so fortunate."
Laurent leaned toward Marie, whispering quietly, "Is this guy the Saint we need?"
Marie glanced sideways at Laurent, then nodded. "We must lift the curse afflicting the Dragonslayer. He's burdened by multiple curses, and only with your help and the Holy Maiden—"
"I understand," Georgios interrupted decisively. "I will accompany you."
"ROAR!!"
But at that exact moment, both Laurent and Marie looked up in shock. A massive dragon was approaching rapidly through the sky.
"We need to retreat—now," Laurent ordered quickly, unwilling to encounter the enemy again.
But the Saint stopped in his tracks. "I cannot retreat. The citizens haven't fully evacuated. I promised to protect them. If I flee now, I'm unworthy of calling myself a Saint."
Those words inexplicably irritated Laurent. He almost blurted out, Then just stay here and die. After all, losing this Saint would benefit Laurent too. But before he could speak, Marie quickly cut in.
"In that case, I'll guard this place instead. Laurent-kun, you take Georgios-san and retreat. We absolutely need him!" She turned back toward the Saint. "Really, Georgios-san, you're so stubborn. Your mind is inflexible, your body rigid, even your beard is stiff!"
Georgios showed a rare reaction. "Excuse me?"
"But those aspects of you are also quite adorable and touching. So please, entrust the defense of this place to me!"
Both Laurent and Georgios stared at Marie, surprised.
"I'm the Queen of France—though from the future, there's no difference for me between now and then. Protecting the people is also my duty."
"What a hassle," Laurent sighed. He turned toward Georgios, tossing him the communication device Fujimaru had given them. "Here, take this and contact them yourself. I'll stay here with her—it's enough to hold the city. You're too valuable to lose."
"You two—"
"If you keep hesitating, no one's leaving. Hurry and regroup to lift the curse from that guy—that's the most important thing right now."
Georgios nodded gravely. "Since your minds are set, I entrust this city to you."
"Just hurry up and go, seeing your face irritates me. We'll catch up later." Laurent waved dismissively.
As Georgios departed, Laurent turned back toward the sky.
Looks like the plan will need some adjustments now.
Along with the dragon's arrival, Laurent immediately noticed Jeanne Alter standing atop it—and the silver-haired man who dropped down beside her.
"Sansón... You've finally arrived," Marie whispered, recognizing him instantly as the executioner she'd mentioned before.
Charles-Henri Sanson spoke calmly. "No one else has the right to execute you. You should understand this clearly, Your Majesty."
"Sanson, cut the pointless talk. Just kill her," Jeanne Alter ordered coldly, leaping down from the dragon.
BOOM!
She landed heavily, shattering the ground beneath her feet, and fixed Laurent with an icy stare.
"Again and again, you just keep irritating me."
"Sorry," Laurent replied calmly. "I can't let 'you people' kill her. Besides, there's just the four of us here now—taking care of two enemy Servants at once is exactly what I want."
"Oh?" Jeanne Alter sneered disdainfully. "Taking care of both of us at once, huh? Laurent… Hahaha! Don't tell me you actually think that just because you carry that name, you're really him?"
Her expression darkened noticeably. "Since we first met, you've done nothing but piss me off. I thought you'd stand on my side."
"I actually agree with your decisions, Jeanne," Laurent responded evenly, "but I'll never join your side."
He exhaled deeply, unsure how to phrase his next words. "There's something I've wanted to ask you for a while now… You—you don't actually have any memories of her village life, do you?"
This single question caused Jeanne Alter's pupils to contract sharply.
---
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