Night fell, and bonfires flickered to life in the ruined city.
After the day's battle, most of the soldiers were too exhausted to maintain their regular patrols. Fortunately, with the help of the Servants, the city felt a little less dangerous.
A young woman in white sat alone before one of the bonfires. Her pristine banner lay beside her. Even in this desolate place, the spot where she sat felt as pure as a sanctuary.
"What's wrong, Miss Saint? Lost in thought?" a sudden voice startled her.
"Master? I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Is it my turn to patrol?" Jeanne asked, quickly getting to her feet.
"No, no. There's still some time before the shift change," Mo Wang said, waving for her to sit back down. "I was just passing by and saw a beautiful girl here. It's amazing, Miss Saint. The moment you appeared, the army's morale was restored. You truly are the legendary savior of France."
Jeanne was still not used to his silver tongue. "Master, please don't call me Miss Saint. I don't feel worthy of that title."
"Hahaha, to think that the woman who will one day be synonymous with the title 'saint' would be embarrassed to be called that," Mo Wang said, as if he had discovered a new continent.
When people thought of the word "saint," Jeanne was usually the first name that came to mind. If you asked them to name another, most would be hard-pressed to do so. In both history and the ACG world, she was a top-tier figure. Yet here she was, feeling uncomfortable with the title.
"I... I never intended to be a saint," Jeanne said with a wry smile. "I don't think I've done anything particularly great."
A few years ago, she had been just an ordinary village girl who couldn't even read. She had fought to save her country, not to become a saint.
Mo Wang understood. Her story was a dramatic one. Who would have thought that a common, illiterate peasant girl would become the hero who saved France?
"You seem to have something on your mind," he said, looking at the silent Jeanne. "Are you afraid?"
Jeanne slowly nodded. "Is it that obvious?"
"What's that supposed to mean? You make me sound like some kind of insensitive oaf who doesn't care about the people around him," he grumbled.
Jeanne scratched her head, embarrassed. To be fair, he didn't exactly seem like the type to be perceptive of others' feelings. But now it seemed that he knew everything and was just enjoying watching people squirm. My Master really is a sadist.
"Well, since we're both here, why don't you tell me what you're afraid of?" he said. "I can't promise I can solve your problems, but at least it'll be entertaining."
"Master, do you really enjoy taking pleasure in others' pain?"
"Is there a problem with that? As the saying goes, happiness is built on the suffering of others."
Jeanne sighed at his shamelessness, but she began to speak. "To be honest, I've been under a lot of pressure since I was resurrected. The other me burned the king and countless citizens with the flames of revenge. The Gilles of the future went mad because of me. My goal was to save this country, but in the end, I saved nothing and only brought more disaster..."
"But that's not your fault, is it?" Mo Wang interrupted. "You saintly types always overthink things. That Jalter is just a fake created by a lunatic. The one who made this mess was the Marshal. Even he's not feeling as guilty as you are, and you're the victim here. Besides, this is a singularity. It has nothing to do with the main timeline. Once we kill Goetia, this place will be corrected. So what are you worried about?"
"I..."
"Are you going to say you're worried you're not worthy of being a saint? You worry too much. Whether you're worthy or not isn't up to you or me. It's up to history. You were recognized as a hero, and the people who persecuted you will be remembered as villains. Think on the bright side. At least you're better off than they are. You get to be summoned as a famous Servant and go on adventures in different Holy Grail Wars. And them? They've been forgotten. No one even remembers to summon them for a Holy Grail War."
Jeanne couldn't help but laugh. "You're surprisingly good at comforting people, Master."
"Of course! I'll have you know, I have a psychologist's license. I just don't usually tell people," Mo Wang said, puffing out his chest. He was, after all, St. Freya's number one therapist.
"One last piece of advice," he said. "The more you think, the more likely you are to actually fall to the dark side. Just be true to yourself."
"Thank you for the advice, Master," Jeanne said, her eyes shining with a new light as she looked at her banner.
"Good, now get back to your patrol! You're too young to be so gloomy. If you really feel that bad, then help me finish this and come work for me at Chaldea. We're seriously short-staffed."
"If you summon me, Master, I will definitely come," Jeanne said with a sweet smile before heading off.
Mo Wang watched her go. He knew that part of her fear was that the Dragon Witch was a true reflection of herself, that in her final moments, she had truly hated everyone. But it seemed she had come to terms with it.
"Why is everyone here more difficult to deal with than the students at St. Freya?" he sighed, about to get up. But then he sensed a familiar presence behind him.
"What are you doing here, kid? How long have you been watching?" A young woman with lilac-colored hair slowly approached him.
"Not long," Mash said. "I was a little worried about you, Senpai, so I came to check. I didn't expect to see you comforting Miss Jeanne."
"Oh? Is little Mashu jealous?" Mo Wang teased, pinching her nose.
"Of course not! What do you take me for?" she said, blushing and pushing his hand away. "If I got angry every time you talked to a pretty girl, I'd have died of anger by now."
"Oh? In that case, I'll go have a chat with Miss Marie."
"You will not!" Mash immediately snapped. But then she saw his mischievous grin and looked down, her face turning red. "You're so mean, Senpai."
"Sorry, sorry. You're just so cute, I couldn't help but tease you a little," he said with a chuckle.
"You've changed a lot, Senpai," Mash said, looking at his smiling face. When they had first met, he had been apathetic about everything. But now, he was like a different person. Though, she wasn't sure which was worse: a lazy slacker or a perpetual troublemaker.
"Are you really okay, Senpai?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. Despite his recent changes, she was still worried. When he had gotten angry earlier, she had seen that same emptiness in his eyes, the same void that threatened to consume everything. It seemed even more severe than before.
"Of course, I'm fine! Didn't you see me pin that dragon to the ground with one hand?" he said, about to flex. But then he saw the worry in her eyes and sighed. "It's nothing. I was just a little annoyed at that Jalter. I... I guess I just don't like tragedies. It's an old habit."
He understood her concern. His situation was a little complicated. As he walked the path of Nihility, the stronger he became, the more he negated the world. In a way, Nihility was the most dangerous of all the paths. You never knew when you would lose yourself.
He had thought that by accepting the other paths, the emptiness would subside. But his anger had brought it rushing back.
"Are you sure?" Mash asked, her eyes filled with an unspoken worry. Despite his unreliability, he was Chaldea's only hope. Everyone knew that without him, they would have given up long ago. If he were to fall, she couldn't imagine what would happen.
"I told you, kid, I hate tragedies," he said, ruffling her hair and giving her a big smile. "You guys just take care of yourselves. You're the most precious things I have in this world. As long as you're safe, I can take on Goetia, Gaia, and Alaya all at once. You, the Director, that slacker Romani, and that greedy merchant Da Vinci... you just have to believe in me."
Mash couldn't help but smile. Perhaps that was Mo Wang's magic. No matter how much trouble he caused, no matter how unreliable he seemed, you couldn't help but believe in him.
"Now go get some rest. Your senpai has big plans for tomorrow!" he said, shooing her away.
After she had left, he pulled out a can of coke and sat by the fire, drinking in silence.
"Nihility... Heh, to think I would one day doubt my own path," he thought, staring into the flames. "But for their sake, I'll walk this path a little slower."
Perhaps one day, he would surpass Acheron and even stand before Nihility itself. But until then, he had people to protect.
His essence was Nihility, but the existence of his comrades had given that void a tangible form. These small, insignificant anchors had shaped him into who he was.
Or perhaps, he would one day escape Nihility and walk the path of Elation instead. Of course, for the Nasuverse, that might be an even more terrifying outcome.