Act I – The Hundred Years' War of Evil Dragons: Orléans.
Red Heroes of Justice – Marie Antoinette and Amadeus.
Thanks to the appearance of these two Servants, Ritsuka's group managed to escape the onslaught of Jeanne d'Arc's forces, who had sided with evil.
"You saved us. Thank you so much. So... are you the queen?"
"In my true form, I am indeed a queen, but now I am a full Rider-class Servant. So just call me Mari-chan," Marie replied kindly and immediately introduced the lean Servant standing next to her.
"Caster-class Servant. His name is..."
"Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! Nice to meet you, friends. Aha-ha!"
Waving a conductor's baton in the air, Mozart finished his introduction and gallantly kissed Mash's hand.
"It's a pleasure. But if you're Mozart, are you really *that* Mozart?"
If Mash had heard correctly, it was indeed him.
'The genius composer of the century. Along with Bach and Beethoven, he represents an entire era; his name is an absolute top in the world of music. Wow, I'd give anything to hear him play live...'
"Oh? It's nice to hear I'm so famous. In honor of this, I feel like conducting something. Although, on the other hand, it's a shame. Because of my fame, my friend... well, he's not here now, so it doesn't matter. Aha-ha!"
They say that in his lifetime, Mozart, despite his genius, had a rather bad temper. Perhaps due to the influence of legends, despite his tall stature, he behaved like an innocent child.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves as well. I am Mash Kyrielight, a Demi-Servant. And this is my Master..."
"Fujimaru Ritsuka. Nice to meet you," the young man added.
Mash and Ritsuka bowed politely.
And then, as if waiting for just this, a spotlight flashed in the dense darkness. Under it, clad in a snow-white guard uniform and a golden wig with curls he'd acquired from who-knows-where, Deadpool appeared before Maria.
"Born of a scarlet rose, Oscar-Pool at your service. I shall be your sword, Queen Marie Antoinette!"
The air smelled of "Versailles Rose"... but no, it was just Deadpool pressing the part of his mask where his mouth should be to Maria's hand, expressing his respect.
"Creepy guy..."
"You're as magnificent as ever, Pool-san. In many different ways..."
"Wait, was that a reference to 'Glass Mask'?"
It seemed the story was finally starting to lose its face. Someone had to stop it.
'Stop ruining the genre of the work! Please, stop!'
It was only thanks to Doctor Roman's desperate cry that Ritsuka and the others were able to regain their senses.
In fact, Mari was more interested not in Ritsuka's group, but in Jeanne.
"I am Jeanne d'Arc. Queen... no, Lady Maria."
"Nice to meet you, Jeanne. Honestly, I have many things I want to ask you. And this time – as the queen of my country!"
Maria's face transformed from its usual gentle expression to one of majesty and sternness.
"Jeanne d'Arc, why did you kill the French king and try to ruin your homeland? I, Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, my husband's country, cannot forgive you!"
After Maria's stern reprimand, Jeanne tried to justify herself:
"Maria! You saw it yourself! I am different from that other one. I am just an ordinary Servant, there is no malice or thirst for revenge in me..."
"Waa-a-a-a, forgive me, Jeanna-a!"
Maria's sudden embrace interrupted Jeanne's justifications. The stern look of the queen from moments ago had vanished – she was tightly hugging the holy maiden.
"W-what is the meaning of this?"
"Mari-chan just wanted to make sure you were the real Jeanne. She simply adores Jeanne," Mozart explained.
While Mozart was commenting, Mari, without taking her eyes off Jeanne, was blushing profusely and looking embarrassed. Jeanne herself also flushed, and a rather peculiar atmosphere settled between them.
"Wow..."
Ritsuka watched the scene as if mesmerized, unable to look away.
"Senpai?"
Noticing Senpai's glazed-over gaze, Mash felt a strange heaviness in her chest and called out to him.
"Ah, ahem-ahem. Wade, say something... Mommy!"
Hastily coming to his senses, Ritsuka awkwardly cleared his throat and tried to shift the attention to the Deadpool standing next to him, but immediately recoiled in horror.
"Vanessa! Vanessa, do you hear me?! It's happening! Yuri is wonderful-o-o-o!!"
An epiphany descended upon him. Deadpool's face expressed absolute enlightenment, as if he had been freed from all worldly desires and sufferings at once.
Only the whites of his eyes were visible through the mask's slits, but his frozen posture made it clear: his consciousness had left this world and soared to higher spheres.
"Wade! Come to your senses!"
"Pool-san?!"
Soon, Deadpool's mind, which had taken a flight into the stratosphere, returned to his body. The mercenary wiped the drool that was flowing from under his mask.
"O-o-oh... I'm getting the after-effects."
He trembled slightly, fully regaining his senses. Mozart, watching this, burst into laughter, clearly enjoying the comedy.
"You guys are funny, I like that! Aha-ha!"
When the commotion subsided, Ritsuka and the others asked Maria and Mozart how they ended up here.
"It's the same as Jeanne. Black Jeanne started summoning Servants indiscriminately with the Grail, and we got pulled in too."
'Ah, this must be some kind of defensive reaction. Black Jeanne is causing chaos, and in opposition, other Servants are being summoned.' Roman speculated.
After listening to the explanation, Ritsuka pondered, and a plan began to form in his mind.
"So, we need to find Servants summoned like Mari-chan and Mozart and win them over to our side."
Although it was unknown how many Servants were scattered across France, if they gathered them together, they could very well defeat Black Jeanne.
'Excellent idea. We'll try to track the magical signatures of Servants from our end and inform you immediately.'
"Ha, I like you, kid!"
The other Servants also supported Ritsuka's plan.
"Then please wait a moment. We have a meeting scheduled with another Servant."
"You had a partner?" Mash asked.
Mozart smiled and replied with a meaningful look:
"He will be our main support. Dragons are old acquaintances to him."
'Speaking of dragons... something huge is approaching you! It's not a Servant, but!'
Roman didn't finish before a giant boulder crashed down from the sky. Although "boulder" isn't quite the right word; it had a strange, almost geometric shape. Soon, the stone began to move, revealing its true form.
'Mash? No. This signature... A Dragon!'
The dragon that emerged from the debris did not resemble the usual winged lizard; it looked more like a turtle. More precisely, a monstrously huge mutant turtle.
"Now the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have shown up too?! What a mess this era is." Deadpool whispered:
"Wasn't he someone's lackey? Marty, I think?"
"The Tarasque! A dragon born from the great Leviathan!"
As soon as Maria cried out, Mozart shielded her, and Mash, Jeanne, and Deadpool prepared for battle.
'The Tarasque. A six-legged dragon from the legends of French Provence. It wreaked havoc until it was tamed by Saint Martha...'
So, the current Tarasque is the very same evil serpent from the times preceding its taming.
"It's simple. We just need to make soup out of this turtle."
"No! Our strength won't be enough to defeat the dragon completely. If only he were here..."
As Mari muttered this, the Tarasque's enormous paw crashed down on them. Its six legs alternately stomped the ground, causing a localized earthquake. The soil cracked, and the heroes' formation scattered.
"You're huge, but you can't fly! I'll make you a delicacy!!"
Deadpool, ignoring Mash's warning about the danger, rushed at the Tarasque alone, swords drawn.
"Take this, overgrown turtle! Do you have enough Hydro Pump?!"
However, instead of victory, he was met with the Tarasque's sharp beak.
"Wade!"
"Pool-san!"
The Tarasque bit Deadpool in half with no effort. Although it had no wings, the dragon remained a dragon. The strength of its jaws was more than enough to cleave a human.
"Seriously? Are you kidding me? This scenario again? If I had known, I would have asked for adamantium implants..."
However, there was no need to worry about his life. The problem was that the upper half of Deadpool was about to be sent straight into the Tarasque's stomach.
"Pool-san! Master, do something!"
"Command Spell! With the power of the spell!"
It felt as if being swallowed by the dragon would truly be the end. Ritsuka extended his hand with glowing symbols to save his partner.
"Com-Command Spell, I order you! Mash, save Wade..."
At that critical moment, when seconds decided everything, a thunderous voice rang out and a blinding beam of light flashed.
"Phantom Two-Handed Sword: Descent of the Heavenly Demon."
"B-Balmung!"
Tarasque was instantly incinerated. The upper half of Deadpool, suspended in mid-air, was caught by someone who emerged directly from the radiance, preventing his fall.
"I'm sorry. I'm a little late. Is anyone hurt?"
A man in black armor, with long silver hair and a sword radiating light, held Deadpool with one hand.
"No, you're just in time, Zig-chan!"
Maria joyfully welcomed the appearance of the true hero, while Ritsuka and Mash stared wide-eyed at the Dragon Slayer – Siegfried.
"Siegfried?"
"Senpai, if the name is Zig, it can only be him."
Meanwhile, Deadpool, now in the arms of his savior, blushed deeply as he gazed at the "prince."
"Oh... ♥ What a man. Zig me completely, my lord!"
"That's not how it sounds!! You're from a completely different franchise!!"
The last thing heard was the pained cry of the tormented Doctor Roman.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan