Just how long does he plan to keep carrying me like a princess?
Thinking that, Jeanne could not help growing nervous.
The girl lowered her head in embarrassment while secretly glancing at Shirou's face from the corner of her eye.
Looking at him like this, Artorius seemed a year or two younger than her.
Most Servants manifested in the prime of their youth.
Although their mental structure remained in that younger state, they still possessed the memories of their later years.
Only Jeanne was an exception. After all, she had been sent to the stake at the age of nineteen.
Jeanne knew very well that one could not judge a Heroic Spirit's age by appearance, but she still could not help seeing Shirou as a boy close to her own age...
Could this boy, who still carried a hint of childishness, truly be the legendary Holy Sword User who saved the world?
No, no, no!
Jeanne shook her head. She could not conclude that Artorius was the Savior yet. That was only her own wild speculation.
But if he really was the phantom she had been chasing since childhood...
"Hey."
"Y-yes! What is it?"
Jeanne jolted and snapped out of her fantasy.
The red-haired boy asked impatiently, "Are you all right now? Can you walk on your own?
My arms are starting to ache... You're heavy."
"!"
Jeanne nimbly jumped down from Shirou's arms.
"I am not heavy at all!"
The girl clenched her fists and declared angrily.
"I-it's because I'm wearing armor woven from Mana! Yes, that's right... The weight comes from the armor. I am not heavy at all!"
"Yeah, yeah."
"What is that attitude...? I told you I'm not heavy at all! Artorius, are you even listening to me?"
Jeanne hurriedly released her armor and changed back into her regular clothes.
Unable to bear her grumbling, Shirou changed the subject. "Why were you sleeping by the roadside back then?"
"Th-that actually has a reason."
Jeanne explained her situation to him.
This time, she had not manifested as a complete Servant. Instead, she had borrowed the body of a human girl.
Because it was an incomplete Spiritual Descent, although she had obtained the power of the Holy Maiden Jeanne d'Arc, she still retained some ordinary human traits in certain details, such as being unable to resist the body's need for sleep.
Fortunately, it did not affect combat.
"I see..."
Shirou nodded thoughtfully.
That explained why he had stepped in to protect Ruler from Lancer at the time.
What he had sensed was probably not this steel gorilla of a woman, but the innocent girl inside her body.
"Are you thinking something very rude?"
Jeanne stared coldly at Shirou, and he quickly shook his head.
"No wonder..."
"No wonder what?" Jeanne asked curiously.
Shirou looked at her, standing more than two meters away from him, and said, "The girl inside you... Leticia probably isn't good at dealing with men, is she?"
"Ah...!"
Jeanne nodded, looking deeply embarrassed. "Yes. If I don't keep this distance, it feels very awkward. Please forgive me."
Shirou grinned wickedly. "Even though you had no problem sleeping soundly in my arms just now."
"Please don't bring that up again! Ugh, how embarrassing... The greatest blunder of my life!"
Jeanne stamped her foot in frustration.
As they chatted, the two of them had already reached the inn.
Just before they went inside, Shirou suddenly spoke.
"The 'Red' faction seems to be after your life. I don't know why, though."
"Yes, I'm confused about that as well. I can't figure out what they're thinking."
Seeing Shirou staring at her, Jeanne asked, "Is something wrong?"
Shirou answered, "Nothing," then left Jeanne behind and walked into the inn first.
"???"
The girl frowned slightly as she watched his back.
At first, she did not understand Shirou's hesitant, cryptic behavior. Then it suddenly dawned on her.
So that's what he meant.
"I won't let the Red faction hurt you."
That must have been what he had wanted to say just now.
Of course, he had not been referring to Jeanne, but to Leticia's body.
Hehehe... If that's what you think, you could just say it outright!
What an awkward personality. The girl covered her mouth and giggled. But that's exactly the kind of thing I like~
Shirou's concern was actually unnecessary.
Leticia's body, which Jeanne possessed, had been preserved and backed up in advance.
The moment Ruler completed her objective or was defeated midway, Leticia's body would return to the state recorded in the data, and depending on the situation, it would be forcibly transferred to a safe location.
During that process, no matter what kind of injury she suffered, she would immediately regenerate.
In other words, no matter how badly Jeanne was injured, as long as she was not killed in a single blow, Leticia could survive unharmed.
Jeanne thought about it, but in the end, she decided not to tell Shirou this information.
She knew it was wrong, and one could even say it violated Ruler's principle of fairness, but she decided to indulge this little bit of selfishness.
After all, Jeanne was somewhat looking forward to being protected by the boy.
Yes, just like in the shoujo manga Leticia collected...
Though the girl he truly wants to protect is not me, of course~
...
After returning to her room at the inn, Jeanne sat down by the bed.
The room she was using now had been given to her by Shirou and Manaka.
The two of them had each booked a single room, then gave one of them to Jeanne while Manaka stayed in the same room as Shirou.
Jeanne had suggested that it would be better for the two women to share a room, but Manaka refused.
That made sense.
Even as Ruler, Jeanne was still one of the Servants in the Holy Grail War. It was only natural that Manaka could not fully trust her. She would feel safer staying with her own Servant.
Jeanne changed into her nightclothes, and while combing Leticia's beautiful golden hair, she sorted through her thoughts.
In tonight's battle, the "Red" faction had sent out Archer, Rider, and Berserker, while the "Black" faction had deployed all of their forces.
The forest that served as the battlefield had not suffered serious damage. Aside from fallen trees and the like, it was generally within acceptable limits.
There was one detail Jeanne found strange, however.
The Magi of Yggdmillennia had all remained inside the fortress, which was understandable. But why had she not seen a single Master from the Red side tonight?
Then again, considering that the war had only just begun, it was not an especially unbelievable situation.
Most Masters who participated in Holy Grail Wars were Magi from the Clock Tower. Perhaps they were simply unaccustomed to combat.
"...In any case, it counts as a normal battle."
Yes. Although many Servants had taken part, their tactics were reasonable.
Archers sniped from long range, Berserkers broke through the front line, Casters commanded golems with Magecraft, Lancers summoned stakes to pierce enemies, and Riders and Sabers were not unreasonable beings that exceeded the bounds of Heroic Spirits.
The only exception was Artorius, Jeanne thought.
Among the fourteen Servants manifested, he stood out above all the rest. After all, he had defeated that dragon slayer Siegfried head-on.
Aside from Artorius, the "Red" Lancer and Rider were top-class Servants as well.
Especially Karna. If he became serious, he could probably reduce forests and even towns to scorched earth.
When that time came, Jeanne would have to step in.
She would use the exclusive Privilege of Ruler to minimize the damage caused by the Holy Grail War.
Even so, an uncertain unease still lingered in her heart.
Why did the Servants of the "Red" faction want to eliminate her?
Ruler knew Karna was a noble Hero. That was why he must have come to take her life under his Master's orders.
It seemed she would have to find some way to make contact with the Magi of the "Red" faction after all.
In any case, tonight's battle was over...
Just as Jeanne thought that, there was a knock at the door.
"Ruler, are you asleep?"
It was the voice of the boy staying next door.
At this hour? Did something happen?
Jeanne answered as she walked over to open the door.
When she passed the mirror, she stopped and spent over ten seconds straightening her nightclothes and hair. Only after confirming there were no problems did she open the door.
"What is it, Artorius? It's late."
"Sorry, Ruler. Have you seen Manaka?"
"?"
Jeanne frowned slightly. "Isn't Manaka-san with you?"
"Yeah." Shirou nodded. "I tried contacting her through telepathy, but she didn't respond.
So I searched the inn and couldn't find her anywhere. I thought she might be with you."
"I haven't seen Manaka-san either."
"I see. Got it."
Shirou nodded and was about to leave when Jeanne called out to him.
"I'll look for her with you."
"No, you're probably exhausted already. You should rest early."
Leticia's body was indeed at its limit. If she did not rest soon, she would not be able to endure much longer.
"All right. Contact me if anything happens."
"I will."
...
Let us go back half an hour.
Deep within a solemn palace, in an audience hall no less imposing than the one in the Fortress of Millennia.
Semiramis, the "Red" Assassin, was watching the melee in the forest of Trifas closely.
"That damned Berserker!"
Her beautiful face twisted slightly with frustration, and her fist slammed hard against the armrest of the throne.
In the end, Spartacus had exited without achieving anything at all.
He had ignored his Master's orders, and even using a Command Spell on him had been completely ineffective. He had recklessly charged into the heart of the enemy lines, only to end up eliminating a few foot soldiers.
Tonight's operation could be called a complete failure.
Still, it was not as though there had been no good news.
The good news was that the Saber of the "Black" faction had also exited, though it had not been the Red side who defeated him.
In terms of overall strength, the Yggdmillennia side had clearly suffered the greater loss by losing their Saber.
But after Semiramis personally witnessed Shirou's effortless composure through the perspective of her pigeon familiar, a shadow settled over her heart.
That man... he will definitely become Shirou's greatest obstacle!
"We must accelerate the plan. We need to secure the Greater Grail in our hands as soon as possible."
Just as the Queen of Assyria bit her lip and prepared to rise from her throne, she narrowed her eyes and looked toward the entrance of the audience hall.
"What?"
A petite girl walked in with calm steps.
For a moment, Semiramis wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her.
This hall was at the very center of the "Palace" she took such pride in. To reach it, one would have to pass through thousands upon thousands of bounded fields and traps.
No...
Considering the "Palace" had only been activated tonight, perhaps it would not be strange for there to be some loopholes even she had not noticed.
But even leaving aside whether infiltration was possible through Magecraft, it should have been physically impossible.
Because the "Palace" where she and the girl were standing.
The "Hanging Gardens of Babylon" was currently in the troposphere, 8,500 meters above the ground!
"..."
Semiramis kept her face expressionless and spoke calmly. "Who are you...?"
"Nice to meet you, Assassin. No, perhaps this isn't our first meeting?
That day outside the church, I even greeted your pigeon."
Manaka Sajyou elegantly pinched the hem of her Western-style dress. "I am Saber's Master."
Semiramis immediately understood the identity of the girl before her, but...
Saber's?
Wasn't Saber killed by your Servant tonight?
Confusion stirred in her heart, but she said nothing and quietly waited for the girl to continue.
"I came tonight to become friends with Assassin."
Manaka spoke with a bright expression. "In the language of you Magi, that means forming an alliance."
Hearing the girl's words, Semiramis gave a bewitching smile.
"To think you would propose an alliance with me. What an adorable idea...
Do you truly believe you are qualified to speak with me as an equal?
The only reason you are still standing is because of my great mercy, you know?"
Within this "Garden," Assassin could send the girl into an abyss beyond redemption with a single snap of her fingers.
Poisoning, strangling, beheading. Semiramis had countless ways to kill Manaka Sajyou.
Yet she did not, because she was curious about the red-haired boy's Master.
Semiramis displayed the cold pressure befitting an Empress, but Manaka did not shrink back.
"Qualification... So I just need to show you my strength?"
Assassin raised an eyebrow with interest.
She did not answer with words, but with action.
"Fill. Manifest."
With the Empress's brief incantation, a terrifying, enormous shadow manifested within the audience hall.
In Mesopotamian mythology, Tiamat, the Mother Goddess of Creation, once gave birth to eleven Magical Beasts who fought against the gods.
What she had summoned now was one of them.
It was said to have been born in the sea, with two brightly colored horns and forelimbs. A terrifying great serpent of the highest rank, one that rivaled even Dragonkind.
Bašmu.
Its fangs carried a poison even stronger than the Hydra of Greek mythology. A mere graze could inflict a fatal wound on a Heroic Spirit, making it the strongest biological weapon, one even the Empress used cautiously.
Summoning Bašmu without the Greater Grail was putting some strain on herself.
Semiramis rested her cheek in one hand, lazily leaning her graceful body against the back of the throne.
"If you can defeat it, I shall acknowledge you as my ally."
"Oh my?"
Manaka Sajyou leaned her head back and looked up at the dark-green serpent more than a hundred meters long, speaking with innocent brightness.
"There's no way I could beat such an amazing monster... Assassin, you're bullying me."
The Empress ignored the girl's plea and crooked her finger.
The next second, the great serpent twisted its heavy body and coiled as it slithered toward Manaka Sajyou.
Semiramis did not intend to kill the Master who had delivered herself to her door.
She wanted to use this child to control the red-haired boy who called himself Saber, so she had merely ordered Bašmu to intimidate her.
But the scene that unfolded next left her stunned.
"How could this be...!?"
The ferocious serpent did not carry out its master's command. Instead, it quietly lowered its body to the ground, then peacefully closed its eyes.
That expression could not possibly be associated with the legendary venomous serpent or dragon beast. It was clearly...
A child acting spoiled with its mother.
Semiramis held her breath.
As the Empress who had once ruled Mesopotamia, there was no way she did not know that legend.
Sometimes regarded as a curse, and sometimes as a blessing, it was one of the oldest authorities on this planet.
In Mesopotamian mythology, the goddess who gave birth to life fell into chaos and became the mother of Magical Beasts who stood as enemies of humanity.
That was the origin of the world-devouring authority known as "Potnia Theron : Conception of All Animals."
"Hehe, good child~"
The Potnia Theron extended her hand and stroked the great serpent with a compassionate smile.