Chapter 52: Feels Like Entering a Zoo
[Your class has welcomed a Lancelot with the Berserker-class Spirit Origin.]
[But you can't shake the feeling that something is off…]
"Didn't expect to see the Berserker version of you, huh. We might not be able to chat much, but with that kind of Spirit Origin you must be pretty fast, right? After all, you're a Bersercar, a ha ha ha ha ha ha."
How many times are you going to say that awful pun before you're satisfied? That's the third time already—are you some kind of repeat-play machine?
Black Jeanne glared inwardly with irritation.
The woman hiding inside the knight's armor—the dragon witch herself—was starting to feel the pressure.
She had finally managed to sneak into the Britain class, thinking she could soon begin her sabotage, but instead, the moment she entered, she had to sit next to a loudmouth who wouldn't shut up.
This mission… was not going to be easy to complete.
"..."
Black Jeanne coldly turned her face away, still firmly determined to ignore Eikou.
Because he wasn't an important figure, nor was he one of Lancelot's close comrades—there was absolutely no need to interact.
Moreover, she had a strange premonition—just getting involved with this guy would definitely bring bad luck.
"…This really makes me sad, Sir Lancelot."
From behind came a sigh, laden with the sorrow of a red-haired young man.
Black Jeanne's heart instantly tightened.
If the intel wasn't wrong, then that man was Tristan—the Round Table Knight, the Child of Sorrow.
This guy didn't just know Lancelot extremely well, but was also incredibly close to him, which meant he wouldn't be easy to fool.
In other words—this was the type of person she absolutely could not afford to ignore.
If she couldn't convincingly act as Berserker Lancelot, she could very well be exposed.
This is bad…
Black Jeanne slightly furrowed her delicate brows, her golden eyes narrowing with sharp vigilance.
In front of her was Mochizuki Eikou, behind her was Tristan—this lineup was enough to make anyone feel utterly drained.
Meanwhile, Tristan seemed completely oblivious. He calmly took out his harp.
"Sir Lancelot, after so much hardship we finally meet again, and yet you've fallen into a state of madness where you can't even communicate… I can't imagine what you must have gone through in the France class…"
"Arrrthur."
Black Jeanne used the voice synthesizer to mimic the typical speech of Berserker Lancelot.
"Oh… My sworn brother turned mad… I am truly overwhelmed with grief. Let me play you a melody."
With that, Tristan lightly ran his fingers across the harp strings, preparing to play a sorrowful little tune.
"???"
He's really going to play?!
Black Jeanne screamed inwardly: It's class time right now! Shouldn't you be focusing on the lesson instead?!
Why is everyone around acting like this is perfectly normal? Even the homeroom teacher is nowhere to be seen—why isn't anyone stopping him?!
Could it be… your class is like this every single day?!
"I hope the sound of my harp can soothe your soul, easing the frenzy brought by Mad Enhancement."
「Harp of Healing C」
「Evade damage, remove debuffs, restore HP」
"..."
Black Jeanne silently stared at the BUFF effects that suddenly appeared above her head.
Tristan: "No need to thank me!"
Her fists clenched tight—she could barely contain the fiery rage that made her want to burn him alive.
You bastard, your playing isn't calming me down—in fact, it makes me want to roast you even more! Stop trying to summon the real Lancelot already!
Don't you dare walk down any alleys tonight! Or I'll be there waiting to smash your legs!
"Wait—"
Just as Tristan was about to strum his harp, Gawain beside him suddenly cut in.
"I don't know what kind of trauma Sir Lancelot suffered to fall into madness, but even as a Servant of the Bersercar class, his essence has not changed. Sir Lancelot is still a noble Round Table Knight who stays true to his heart."
Gawain spoke very seriously.
Black Jeanne thought: Nice speech, but I'm pretending to be Lancelot Berserker, not Bersercar. Don't let that stupid pun lead you astray.
"Sir Gawain, you mean…"
Tristan looked as if he had just had an epiphany.
"If we take out the item Sir Lancelot loved most, then perhaps it will help him recall his memories and recover, right?"
"Exactly." Gawain nodded firmly.
"How very fortunate, because in my desk I happen to have something Sir Lancelot cherished most—the thing that holds so many unforgettable memories between us…"
Black Jeanne suddenly had an extremely bad premonition.
"I offer it to you. A small gift, nothing special."
Tristan rummaged through his desk, his expression brimming with confidence as he pulled out a book and handed it to her.
"Just by seeing this, even in your Berserker form, you'll surely remember the beautiful memories we shared…!"
It was a very thin book, complete with illustrated pages.
Hearing the words "unforgettable memories," Black Jeanne's first thought was, of course, a photo album.
Her family had one too—filled with everyday pictures of her and her sisters.
Her eldest sister, the Saint Jeanne, always treasured life's precious moments, carefully photographing family scenes and storing them in the album, taking it out to look at every day with a blissful smile.
It seemed these Round Table Knights weren't all that different…
However, when Black Jeanne clearly saw the book's contents, the beautiful face beneath her helmet instantly flushed red.
So red it seemed like she might burst into flames.
On the cover, the title was written in bold, clear letters:
"The Shy Snow Woman And The Cursed Ring"
Isn't this an 18+ doujinshi with a married woman theme?!
What the hell kind of filthy memories did you and Lancelot create with this thing?! What the hell are you showing me right now?!
Before Black Jeanne could even explode in rage, her deskmate, Mochizuki Eikou, couldn't hold back and spoke up, his tone full of reproach:
"Tristan, you really lack common sense. Don't just pull out that kind of book in the middle of class."
Exactly!!
Black Jeanne screamed inwardly: Compared to this guy, at least my deskmate acts somewhat like a normal human being!
"Finn-sensei likes the 'married woman' genre too. Be careful or he might take it from you," Eikou added as a warning.
"???"
Black Jeanne didn't even have the energy to curse anymore.
This Britain class was definitely insane.
She felt like she'd just been thrown into a zoo full of rabid animals—sure, it was lively, but in reality, the entire group was twitching like they had seizures. Not a single one of them resembled a normal living creature.
Having to infiltrate a class like this was truly a living punishment!
Just endure a little longer—just hold out until tomorrow when the tournament starts.
After that, she would definitely burn them all to ashes!
Or throw them to the dragons! Burn them alive! Pierce every single one of them! From the ass to the mouth!
At that moment, a teacher walked into the classroom and whispered something into Finn-sensei's ear.
Finn's brows instantly furrowed.
"Everyone, I have an important announcement."
"What is it, Sensei?"
The entire class looked up at once.
"Recently, a suspect named Sesshouin Kiara has escaped from prison. Since then, there have been a series of disappearances on campus. At first, it was just students, but now even the teacher in charge of coordinating the tournament has gone missing. Therefore, the administration has decided to postpone the tournament by one day to strengthen security measures first."
What the hell?!
Black Jeanne was stunned.
She… had to stay in this zoo for another whole day?!
This damn place—she didn't want to stay another second!