It did not take long for the group to reach the center of the forest, where the ley line identified by Arthur crossed through the territory dominated by the wyverns.
The creatures had indeed gathered in the area, but unfortunately, the battle ended almost as quickly as it began.
The monsters did not even manage to organize a proper offensive before being slaughtered by the combined strength of the Servants present.
Arthur sighed in disappointment as he watched the last wyvern fall among the trees.
"That was disappointing," Ishtar grumbled.
"I agree," Richard replied. "I was expecting something more exciting."
"Don't complain when something truly dangerous shows up," Mash said.
"I would never do that."
The king's cheerful expression made it abundantly clear that he would do exactly that.
With the area secured, Arthur and Tamamo immediately began constructing a temporary base.
The combination of both of their Territory Creation abilities allowed the work to progress at an impressive speed.
At the center of the facility, Arthur built an altar directly over the point where the ley line's concentration was strongest. Once the structure was complete, he took out the Holy Grail and placed it atop the stone.
Luminous filaments began to emerge around the base of the golden vessel as the underground magical energy was slowly absorbed into the chalice.
Watching the process, Arthur concluded that it would not take long for the Grail to reach its maximum capacity and for him to finally be able to use it.
He already possessed a considerable amount of mana stored within it before even arriving in the Singularity.
After finishing everything, Arthur gathered the others to explain his plans.
He intended to use that period to gather information and analyze the group's next course of action. Until then, everyone should rest and recover their energy.
No one objected to his plan.
As time passed, the atmosphere within the base became calmer.
Sitting atop the roof of the main building, Arthur analyzed all the information gathered so far while observing the forest beyond the barriers.
He continuously used Sha Naqba Imuru.
Despite the overwhelming amount of information available to him, his attention inevitably returned to the same issue: the existence of the other Jeanne d'Arc.
Using his soul manipulation abilities and Heaven's Feel, he had created a physical specter of himself and sent it across France to gather information.
That specter should be returning soon.
Near the entrance of the base, Artoria was speaking with Mordred.
Ever since discovering that Arthur and Artoria were married and had a daughter, the Knight of Treachery was still trying to reconcile that information with the image she had of the woman she knew.
"I still can't get used to it," Mordred complained while rubbing his forehead.
"Which part exactly?" Artoria asked.
"All of it. That appearance of yours and the fact that you're married is already strange enough. Then I find out you had a daughter with that man."
Artoria had to suppress a laugh at Mordred's obvious dissatisfaction.
Not far away, Ritsuka sat beside the outer wall of the base while Jack comfortably occupied her lap.
The little Assassin seemed perfectly content simply being there.
Mash chatted with them about trivial matters, though most of Jack's attention remained focused on her "Mommy," Ritsuka.
Atalanta watched the scene from a distance before turning her gaze toward the forest.
A few seconds later, however, her eyes involuntarily returned to Jack.
When she realized Ritsuka had noticed, the Archer immediately redirected her attention toward the perimeter of the base, as though she had been focused exclusively on guard duty all along.
Further away from the others, Richard examined several swords Arthur had lent him.
Sitting cross-legged, he spun each weapon in his hands, evaluating its balance and construction before moving on to the next one.
From time to time, a smile appeared on his face whenever he found a particularly interesting feature.
Though he was known for his love of battles and adventures, there was something oddly relaxing about the way he analyzed each blade.
Tamamo occupied a position not too far from Arthur.
The kitsune appeared to be resting, but occasionally exchanged observations with him regarding the information they had been gathering since arriving in the Singularity.
"Still haven't found anything useful?" she asked.
"I have, but I can't draw any meaningful conclusions until my specter returns," Arthur replied.
"I would prefer it if our enemies cooperated and left easier clues to find," Tamamo complained.
"I'll remember to suggest that when we meet them," Arthur replied with a tired sigh.
The kitsune let out an amused laugh.
Ishtar floated nearby, observing the forest while pretending not to pay attention to their conversation.
The act lost all credibility whenever she reacted immediately to something Arthur or Tamamo mentioned.
Among everyone present, Jeanne was by far the quietest member of the group.
The saint had moved a short distance away from the main area of the base and silently observed the landscape.
Her thoughts constantly returned to the memories she had acquired.
The existence of the other Jeanne raised questions for which she still had no answers.
Arthur noticed her expression from afar.
For a moment, he considered going down to speak with her, but ultimately remained where he was.
If Jeanne wanted to talk, she would come to him.
It was at that moment that an enormous amount of information flooded into his mind.
"Holy shit..." Arthur muttered in disbelief.
At that same instant, the communicator attached to his wrist emitted a signal.
["Arthur?"] Olga's voice came through. ["Has the specter returned?"]
"Yes. Before, I still had some doubts. But now I don't."
That immediately caught the attention of everyone nearby.
["So you discovered something?"] Rin asked.
"Much more than you think," Arthur replied.
Arthur rubbed his forehead and sighed.
"According to the soldiers from the fortress my specter encountered, Jeanne d'Arc's attacks have already forced the English to withdraw from France."
"She occupied Orléans and has been using the city as her base of operations to attack other regions. Charles VII was killed, and Paris is practically incapable of functioning."
["That's worse than I imagined,"] Olga sighed.
"There is resistance against her," Arthur continued. "But in every case, it's been a completely one-sided massacre."
The silence that followed did not last long.
["What the hell is happening in this Singularity?"] Rin muttered. ["I can't imagine Jeanne doing something like this."]
"There's more," Arthur said. "Most of the inhabitants of Domrémy are currently taking refuge in the region's fortresses."
Jeanne subtly raised her eyes upon hearing the name of her hometown.
"And it was from them that the most important information came..."
"Jeanne is using a dragon."
"..."
Silence immediately fell.
"A dragon?" Ritsuka repeated in surprise.
"Yes, and I can't think of any way to say that which sounds less absurd," Arthur replied.
On the other side of the communication, Da Vinci finally spoke.
["The creatures that appear in countless myths and legends and are considered the pinnacle of Phantasmal Species."]
Her voice maintained its usual calmness, though there was unmistakable interest behind her analysis.
["They possess members across all three categories of Phantasmal Species and are considered the greatest species within each respective category."]
["If we're talking about an ordinary individual, not even several Servants could compete with it,"] Rin added.
["But that's not the worst part,"] Da Vinci continued. ["You're in fifteenth-century France. Dragons shouldn't exist during this era."]
"In other words, Jeanne d'Arc summoned a dragon into this era the same way a Master summons a Servant," Arthur concluded.
["A summoning of that magnitude would require an absurd amount of energy,"] Rin added.
Da Vinci let out a small laugh.
["Which leads us to the most obvious answer. She is probably in possession of a Grail."]
"Actually, I'd say that's practically guaranteed," Arthur said.
["Yes,"] Olga agreed. ["That explains why there are so many wyverns in a random forest in the middle of France."]
At that very moment, a faint smile appeared on Arthur's face as he caught sight of something.
"Fortunately, I've already found Jeanne herself and her Servants."
His smile widened even further.
(End of Chapter)
A/N: Wednesday, or at the latest Friday, and the chapters return to their normal update schedule.