In the end, Hinako was persuaded by Roman through lengthy discussion.
It wasn't that Roman didn't trust Hinako's abilities. But since they had just arrived in the Singularity and knew almost nothing about the enemy, launching a reckless suicide attack was not a wise decision. At the very least, they needed to gather sufficient information before making any moves.
Though slightly dissatisfied with Roman's overly cautious thinking, Hinako eventually accepted it. Mash and Ritsuka also felt relieved. Having a senior who loved self-destructing was truly confusing—they didn't know how to react.
"Then, if we're not attacking the enemy base directly, where are we going now?" Hinako asked. "If we want to gather information, we need to find a city first, right? In that case, how about we follow the direction that group of soldiers went?"
"That works. Didn't those soldiers mention that a few cities in France are still resisting the Witch Jeanne's attacks? You can head there."
The basic situation of the Singularity had already been learned from the soldiers. What remained was information about the Witch Jeanne's faction. To correct the Singularity, Ritsuka and their companions would inevitably face the Witch Jeanne's side. To avoid being at a disadvantage due to an information gap, it was crucial to gather intelligence on the enemy beforehand.
Though, in Naoki and Hinako's opinion, simply sending Hinako—the Bomber-chan—to Paris to self-destruct would solve everything.
"Cities still resisting the Witch Jeanne… Weren't they Lyon and Paris?" Ritsuka thought for a moment. "But which direction are Lyon and Paris in? We don't have a map."
[Don't worry about that—we'll guide you.]
Roman's voice came through the communication device.
[Still, we can only show direction by comparing your coordinates with a modern map. Let me check… Your current position is near Domrémy. It's quite far from both Paris and Lyon. You won't be able to reach either today.]
"Then let's go to a closer town first. Rest there, and start our journey tomorrow. Maybe we can also get a map from this era there, Senpai."
"If Mash says so… Senior Hinako, you—"
"I don't care. Forest or city, go wherever you want."
Hinako waved her hand casually. In truth, sleeping outdoors was no issue for her. After all, she was a fairy. Moreover, compared to the modern era hundreds of years later, this past Singularity was actually more satisfying for Hinako. At the very least, the air felt far more comfortable.
And after scanning the surrounding area, Roman's voice came again.
[Around you—specifically to the east—if you head in that direction, you'll see a fortress. Just go there first.]
"Understood."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Slowly waking up from her bed, Aoko rubbed her eyes, walked to the window, opened it, and stretched her body toward the sky outside.
"Ugh~~~~~ Hmm! What lovely weather. So pleasant—no Wyverns in the sky today."
It had been about a week since Aoko arrived in this Singularity. During that week, she had grown utterly sick of Wyverns appearing and attacking at any moment.
Not that she couldn't defeat them. Though they were Phantasmal Species, Aoko—capable of defeating ancient monsters like Beo, who had a two-thousand-year history—could easily handle Wyverns. But even if it was easy, fighting them over a dozen times a day was truly exhausting.
Waking up peacefully like this morning was a rare luxury for Aoko in the past week.
A few days earlier, she had always woken up lazily to loud noises and desperate cries for help.
Besides dealing with Wyverns, in this week, Aoko had also learned part of the situation in this Singularity.
First, the city—or more accurately, the fortress—where she was now staying was called Vaucouleurs. It was a rural French fortress. Originally, during the Hundred Years' War between England and France, this place wasn't often involved in battles. Especially after the ceasefire agreement was signed, it had enjoyed a period of peace.
But recently, the fortress was attacked. Wyverns descended from the sky, mercilessly destroying everything around.
Aoko arrived just then. At the time, having just entered the Singularity, she wanted to ask someone for directions. She walked on, and eventually found Vaucouleurs under attack by a swarm of Wyverns. Guided by her principle of helping the righteous, she immediately acted and drove all the Wyverns away.
Afterward, Aoko was hailed by the fortress's soldiers and civilians as a savior sent by God. They welcomed her with great reverence into the fortress. She also received information about the Singularity from them.
Jeanne's resurrection, war breaking out again, and swarms of Wyverns rampaging across France…
Over the years, Aoko had traveled to countless places and considered herself experienced in many things. But she had never seen hundreds, even thousands, of Phantasmal Species freely flying through the sky. Remember, after the Age of Gods ended, Phantasmal Species had all moved to the Reverse Side of the World, with only a few remaining in the human world.
After learning part of this situation, Aoko decided to stay in Vaucouleurs—partly because the locals and soldiers asked her to provide protection and drive away Wyverns in exchange for food and lodging. The other reason was that she wanted to wait for someone here.
Since the Incineration of Humanity had occurred, her man wouldn't stay idle. He would come to this Singularity sooner or later—so Aoko decided to wait here until Naoki arrived.
As for why she had to wait here… that was what Merlin had said. Aoko gave him slight trust. If she turned out to be wrong, she could always have Artoria hang him later.
Putting on her casual clothes, Aoko tidied her appearance. "Time for a meal, right? It should be lunchtime now…"
"Your Grace Aozaki, are you awake?"
At that moment, a voice came from outside the door. Aoko walked over and opened it, seeing a soldier standing there.
"I just woke up. What's wrong? Did Wyverns come again?"
"No. There's a suspicious group of people in strange clothing trying to enter the fortress."
"Suspicious people? How suspicious?"
"Their clothes aren't like ours, nor like noble attire. If I had to say, they resemble yours, Your Grace Aozaki… Oh, and when they spoke, they claimed to be from a place called Chaldea."
Chaldea?!
Aoko's eyes instantly sparkled—after waiting for a whole week, her man had finally arrived!