'My strength has become just slightly stronger than an ordinary person's. That big-eyed cutie just now seemed the same, maybe even weaker than me...'
'Damn, smashing someone with my forehead made me so dizzy... should have poked his eyes directly.'
'But I only have one hand, and it's not my dominant hand. Whether I could poke accurately is another matter...'
Takumi rubbed his forehead, looking slightly dazed.
'Also, was the Jeanne just now real?'
Takumi carefully recalled "Jeanne's" movements and demeanor, trying hard to compare her with the Jeanne he knew.
Aside, The Count crossed his arms, wearing an intriguing smile on his face, quietly waiting for Takumi to finish thinking.
After a dozen seconds.
Fine, after all, I've only known Jeanne for a few days. In terms of familiarity, I can't compare to the Marshal.
But Takumi could still be certain.
"That was definitely not Jeanne!"
Takumi said with absolute certainty.
"No? Then who do you think it was?"
The Count asked with interest.
"I don't know."
Takumi was embarrassed.
He simply felt the other party wasn't Jeanne; how could he explain the whys and wherefores?
Hearing this, the Count shook his head repeatedly.
He thought Takumi finally understood, but the result was just this?
Anyway, there was plenty of time now. The Count still had patience to continue playing with Takumi.
"So what next? Are you going to continue upwards?"
"Uh, otherwise?"
Takumi felt even stranger, feeling that this Count he encountered had heavy riddler attributes.
He could tell from the Count's few words that this place was different, but he completely didn't understand what he wanted to express.
"Hehe, nothing. Since you've decided, let's go."
The Count chuckled lightly, continuing to signal Takumi to go first.
Looking at the Count reaching out to clear the way ahead, Takumi couldn't help saying:
"Are you not planning to help me?"
"Hah? Do you want to think about what you are saying?"
The Count looked surprised.
"Why should I help you? And you must understand one thing: I am an Avenger, a demon of vengeance!"
"The most famous Avenger in this world, the source of Avengers!"
"I've made it so clear. You—should know how to view me, right?"
The Count's face instantly became like an evil ghost, looking at Takumi fiercely and coldly.
Ominous black flames burned on his body, as if capable of igniting others' souls along with them.
And with his movements, sounds like the wailing of evil ghosts came from the pitch-black corridors on both sides.
"...How should I view you?"
Takumi looked blank.
Although he wanted to cooperate with the Count, he really didn't understand what the Count was saying.
Is he trying to scare me?
But after experiencing that glimpse of Goetia, Takumi had more or less developed immunity to scares below the level of a Beast.
At the end of the Fourth Singularity, Takumi understood what a true [Beast] was just by looking at Goetia once.
That was almost the natural enemy of humanity, completely different from the ordinariness seen through a screen. Just one look, and that terrifying appearance was imprinted in Takumi's mind.
It was precisely this glimpse and the calculated strike that instantly shattered the confidence Takumi had struggled to build.
Even now, Takumi would shudder when recalling it.
The severed arm would still throb with pain.
Back to the present.
Looking at Takumi's blank look.
The Count fell silent. His face was still like an evil ghost, but froze at some point.
Silent for a second, unwilling to give up, he continued to roar sternly with a sneer:
"Ridiculous! Do you think an Avenger would help you for free?!"
Hearing this, Takumi said carefully:
"No, you won't?"
Slap!
The Count slapped his face, as if losing all strength in his body, looking completely dispirited.
But looking up at Takumi's clear eyes, the Count suddenly felt an inexplicable rage.
Then he grabbed Takumi by the collar, roaring:
"In short, I am not worth trusting! You are not allowed to trust me either! Understand!!!"
"But if you don't help me, how do I pass the Prison Tower?"
Looking at the Count close at hand with fire in his eyes, the lifted Takumi turned his face to dodge the fire while asking softly.
The sincerity of his voice made the Count suddenly want to cry.
Want to cry in various senses.
But perhaps extreme anger leads to calm. Failing to cry, the Count put Takumi down casually, his evil ghost-like face returning to normal.
"I won't help you, absolutely won't. Figure it out yourself."
He said coldly while adjusting his somewhat messy clothes.
Takumi wanted to speak but stopped. Sensing the absoluteness in the Count's tone, he finally couldn't open his mouth.
So he silently adjusted his collar, which had been messed up by the grabbing, and walked towards the higher level.
'Strange Prison Tower, strange 'Jeanne', riddler Count who doesn't plan to help...'
Thinking about everything known, Takumi's eyes became increasingly confused.
Unable to find even a starting point, Takumi could only bury his head and walk forward, hoping subsequent developments would answer him.
And the Count following behind Takumi took out a small mirror from somewhere.
Facing the mirror, the Count revealed his ghost face.
Clearly looks quite terrifying...
So why?
The Count was puzzled.
Unknown how long they walked again.
After Takumi took the last step, the pitch-black corridor ahead suddenly changed appearance.
"Cells? We're back again?"
Looking at this familiar place, Takumi rubbed his eyes.
Subconsciously looking at the Count, he found him with his back to him, pretending to look at the stars.
Takumi's eye twitched.
'Fine, Fujimaru Ritsuka seemed to be like this when entering the Second Hall too.'
Answering himself, Takumi followed the memory from before, walking along the long, seemingly endless corridor.
Then—
"Hashire Sori Yo, Kaze No You Ni (Dash like the wind through the snow)"
"Tsukimihara Wo, Padoru Padoru! (Over the moonlit fields, Padoru Padoru!)"
"Hashire Sori Yo..."
Hearing this mesmerizing singing, Takumi's expression became strange.
Didn't expect to hear this even in another world...
As for the owner of the singing voice, did he even need to guess?
Takumi quickened his pace, walking deeper.
At the same time, he summoned his Noble Phantasm, holding the flag-spear in his hand.
This was a sudden discovery while he was walking halfway.
To be honest, he didn't hold much hope at the time, just tried casually. Unexpectedly, he really summoned the Noble Phantasm.
—Just that he couldn't deploy the defense.
Takumi found this very strange.
Because before falling asleep, he clearly remembered the flag leaning against the door of the room, not put away at all.
Although he couldn't put it away even if he wanted to.
This Noble Phantasm wasn't placed there by his choice, but dropped from his body by itself, like dropping equipment.
It seemed the physical weakness also took away the Servant's power, making him unable to even store the Noble Phantasm.
But since it was in hand, Takumi, armed with a weapon, felt much safer.