"Ah? This child actually can't read?"
Tiamat was taken aback by Jeanne d'Arc's level of illiteracy, seeing as she looked like quite a well-educated child.
"That shouldn't be right. Isn't her Class Ruler? And as a Priestess, shouldn't she be a child favored by God?"
"Those two things theoretically have nothing to do with each other, right?"
Jiang You roughly understood that Tiamat meant she should have been heavily nurtured by the Church. However, Jeanne d'Arc wasn't a Priestess during her lifetime either. As for why, you would have to ask her country's flag. "Her title was bestowed posthumously. She was even accused of being a Witch when she was alive."
"That sounds so complicated. Humans truly are complex creatures..."
Tiamat couldn't wrap her head around the cause-and-effect relationship involved.
"There's one more thing. Because I occupied her Summoning Ritual, take a look at this..."
Saying this, Tiamat began to take off her clothes. Jiang You jumped in fright, thinking the game was starting to push the boundaries again, but fortunately, Tiamat turned around just in time, presenting her back to Jiang You. He saw half of the red Command Spells spreading across Tiamat's back like wings. This was the symbol of the Holy Grail War's arbiter. Because the Holy Grail War over in Fate/Apocrypha wasn't orthodox, the Throne of Heroes also sent someone down to interfere (and act as a crooked referee).
"Tiamat... you've been recognized as a judge for the Holy Grail War?"
Jiang You truly hadn't expected such an outcome; half of Jeanne d'Arc's authority had been split with Tiamat.
"Yes. In fact, it's because the simultaneous summoning had some effect on both me and that child."
Tiamat was very clear about her own condition and didn't need anyone to help her understand it. She put her clothes back on, then opened up a small patch of the Primordial Sea beneath her and reached her hand in to fish for something. "And the effect on her is this... Ugh, it's a bit too deep, I can't reach it. Having a body that isn't mature enough is quite troublesome... Jiang You, come help me."
Looking at the black, viscous, mud-like liquid, Jiang You appeared a bit hesitant. Although he knew what this stuff was and it didn't have any smell, he still had some misgivings in his heart. Under Tiamat's repeated urging, Jiang You could only reluctantly reach his hand inside. Unlike what he had imagined, the sensation inside was not sticky at all, but rather a very comfortable warmth.
"Jalter?"
Jiang You never dreamed that she would make her appearance in this way. Since she had a significant role in 1.5.1, logically she should be a permanent servant in Chaldea.
Of course, saying that isn't entirely accurate either. Her debut was created by a certain bug-eyed guy based on his own impressions; Jeanne d'Arc simply doesn't have a corrupted side (setting-wise, though if you refer to her performance in Fate/Apocrypha... it's hard to say). Her official debut in Chaldea was also during a comedic event (TYPE-MOON Love Story, where the heroine was Jalter and various male servants were the capture targets, although it was actually still just fighting), so how exactly did she show up in Chaldea? Though Tiamat pulling her out of the Black Mud was ridiculous enough on its own.
"A corrupted Jeanne d'Arc...? Hmm, this child indeed exists in the form of an Alter."
Tiamat felt that this naming method was somewhat perfunctory, but it also seemed to be the most fitting.
"The Summoning Ritual theoretically can only summon one Servant, but that isn't absolute. Because my Spirit Origin is much more massive than hers, the result of the summoning was that she became my subordinate servant. The principle of her manifesting in The Mortal Realm is based on my Primordial Sea enveloping her Spirit Origin, although I have no right to control her."
Jiang You nodded in understanding. Mary and Anne were a similar example, as the two shared a single Spirit Origin, though they didn't have a master-servant relationship. Tiamat and Jeanne d'Arc were more like Elizabeth and Nine-Tattoo Dragon—a product of a forced Fusion, which resulted in someone turning straight into a Weapon. Bubble had linked the Gate to the Teleportation Circle; truly worthy of being the master of the Silver Key.
"Therefore, my Primordial Sea recorded her Spirit Origin, and then this Spirit Origin took in a certain masterless obsession, turning into her current state... This child, to be precise, is the daughter of me and that child."
Tiamat unhesitatingly spoke words that posed a considerable challenge to ethics.
"...Please don't describe it like that."
Jiang You felt his brain stall. Jeanne d'Arc was referred to by Tiamat as her daughter, and then Jalter was the daughter of her and Jeanne. Was Tiamat some kind of Bethesda player?
"?"
Tiamat felt that she still had no way of understanding humans.
"So why did you keep her saved up until now before taking her out?"
Jiang You figured that even if Tiamat's reach wasn't long enough, there were plenty of her children in the Primordial Sea. Couldn't she just have them help?
"Because I was quite busy before, and this Spirit Origin hadn't changed at the time. There seemed to be some problems with the Holy Grail War that child was presiding over. I didn't have time to say anything before entering battle." Tiamat didn't know much about the Holy Grail War, and the Holy Grail held absolutely no appeal to her. She even thought that a 7v7 battle was normal.
"On the way, we met a child from India. He also seemed to recognize my Spirit Origin and attacked me directly."
"Karna, huh..."
Jiang You had almost forgotten the plot of Fate/Apocrypha and would have to brush up on it later, although it seemed there was no longer any need to do so, because Tiamat's appearance meant the plot had completely gone off the rails. Karna had almost no weaknesses other than his massive mana consumption; it would be weird if he didn't take action when facing a threat to all of humanity.
"He should have some understanding of Beasts, because they have a similar guy on their end, which is understandable. So, did you beat him to the ground too?"
It was almost impossible for a single servant to face a Beast. Even someone as strong as Karna would find it extremely difficult to injure a complete, intelligent Beast like Tiamat.
"At first, this child was quite sturdy, but then he suddenly went crazy and almost completely abandoned his defense, so I didn't dare to hit him too hard."
It was almost impossible for a single servant to face a Beast. Even someone as strong as Karna would find it extremely difficult to injure a complete, intelligent Beast like Tiamat.
"At first, this child was quite sturdy, but then he suddenly went crazy and almost completely abandoned his defense, so I didn't dare to hit him too hard."
Karna's Golden Armor and God-Slaying Spear couldn't exist at the same time. He had really risked his life to try and hurt Tiamat. "Which meant I couldn't catch him in time and let him get away. Really, does Mommy look that scary!"
"I think it might be an issue with your Spirit Origin."
Under normal circumstances, who would see a complete Beast running wildly on the streets? Wouldn't the Counter Force go completely crazy on the spot? Then again, it was quite strange. Tiamat had been running around blindly in FA for so long, so why hadn't the Counter Force jumped out to do something? Logically speaking, someone there should have summoned a Grand, just like in his own first script.
"If you had the ability to disguise your Spirit Origin, then situations where they directly attack you probably wouldn't have happened."
Speaking of which, Tiamat was truly unlucky. Right off the bat, she encountered two servants who recognized a Beast; the other servants in FA probably had no concept of what a Beast was.
"What a pity, Mommy doesn't know how to do that."
Tiamat sighed. It wasn't like she was trying to destroy humanity right now anyway.
"Hmm... We'll see if Chaldea can help you with that when the time comes."
Although Chaldea's Spirit Origin switching required considering compatibility, Tiamat did have an Alter Ego Class in the game, so perhaps it was doable.
"Really? That's amazing. Come, lower your head and let Mommy pat it."
Tiamat stood on her tiptoes, wanting to rub Jiang You's head. Jiang You compliantly squatted down to make it easier for her; he had been in the wrong earlier, so it was naturally best to coax her now.
"Because that child ran away, the news of Mommy's appearance also spread. Thus, the rules of the Holy Grail War changed to subjugating me."
Tiamat didn't look too good, not because she felt threatened, but because she was deeply saddened.
"Following that, the servants from both sides joined forces and launched an attack on me."
"..."
Jiang You really wanted to say again that it was understandable, but he held it in. Presumably, they must have treated it as the official appearance of a Beast. Speaking of which, among all the Holy Grail Wars, aside from Fate/Grand Order, Fate/Apocrypha was indeed the most suited for subjugating a Beast, given the sheer number of servants deployed and the presence of top-tier combatants. However, without a Grand Servant present, it was highly likely to still be a futile effort.
"What about Jeanne d'Arc? She was with you, so she should know that you're no longer in that state of wanting to destroy humanity, right?"
Even though Jeanne d'Arc was quite single-minded, she still fit her Priestess persona perfectly, and wouldn't harbor hostility toward the current Tiamat, who only wanted to watch humanity grow.
"That child did indeed speak up for me... Mmh, Mommy is very happy, but her self-reflection still can't be skipped."
Tiamat stated that Jeanne d'Arc still had her endearing qualities. "But a Ruler Class servant also appeared on the opposing side. He declared to everyone that he was the true Ruler, and that Jeanne d'Arc was merely something I molded using my Authority of creation."
Jiang You thought about it. This was indeed something Amakusa would do. That salvation-obsessed fanatic probably took Tiamat's appearance as a divine revelation, believing he was meant to accomplish his great cause of saving the world right here. The good news was that the guy wouldn't be causing trouble for the time being. The bad news was that he had probably become even more delusional.
"Jeanne d'Arc does have the mark representing a judge on her, right? Even if it's only half."
Jiang You figured that it being incomplete was indeed a bit problematic, but those Command Spells were genuinely effective, which should have been enough proof.
"Didn't she try to explain herself?"
"She did explain."
Tiamat revealed a course of action Jiang You could never have anticipated. "She agreed with his claim."
Jiang You slapped his forehead. This village girl really was capable of doing something like that. How on earth did she manage to lead France to victory back then?
"...But what the other side said was the truth."
Tiamat blinked, feeling that there was nothing wrong with what Jeanne d'Arc did. She was just too genuine, which ironically made her seem less human.
"Lying is not a good habit."
"...Never mind, please continue."
Jiang You had no way to explain why human beings were creatures that both extolled and discarded virtues.
"The result was that she became a target of attack just like me. In the camp of those bad children, there was also a red-haired writer who accused Jeanne d'Arc of being a Witch."
Tiamat puffed her cheeks in anger. Even though this child's identity had been officially verified, they still dared to turn around and make false countercharges.
"Jeanne d'Arc has done so well, isn't it infuriating?"
"Shakespeare, huh..."
Considering that this guy had done even worse things in history, Jiang You found it quite normal. How could a servant from a hostile nation pass up the chance to kick someone when they were down?
"Speaking of which, this child's appearance..."
Tiamat pointed to Jalter, who was sleeping on the ground. "It's because that guy used his Noble Phantasms to write something. I briefly glanced at the flying pages, and they said things like 'the burning Witch' or whatever."
"That explains it."
Jalter's first appearance was due to the Marshal, and her appearance here was due to various coincidences, allowing this recorded but non-existent Spirit Origin to successfully manifest in The Mortal Realm. Shakespeare's Noble Phantasms recreated the elements related to Jalter's flames and her status as a Witch.
"I'll have to thank him properly when the time comes."
"I'm afraid there's no chance of that."
Tiamat's angry, pouting look hadn't faded yet. Obviously, what Shakespeare wrote was nothing good. "Mommy couldn't stand seeing that. He was loudly shouting things like 'Let the Witch have a magnificent curtain call' at the time, so Mommy just made him take his curtain call directly. Because I was quite angry then, I struck a bit too hard. Mommy is also a little ashamed..."
"Understandable."
Jiang You said this without any psychological burden this time. Before certain figures showed up, Shakespeare was the mastermind behind the scenes of Chaldea's events, a real troublemaker. Even Jiang You had to say it served him right. Under Tiamat's full-power strike, a fourth-rate servant like Shakespeare probably didn't even have ashes left.
"Let's pause the story for a moment. The problem right now is... we need to find her some clothes."
Jiang You looked at Jalter on the ground and frowned. It seemed that the Censorship System was malfunctioning.