BOOM!
Laurent shot forward without slowing in the slightest, quickly catching up to Jeanne Alter.
She reacted swiftly, trying to beat him back with her spear—but Laurent's combat instincts far surpassed hers. The instant he drew close, he firmly grabbed her spear, violently yanking it out of her grasp and throwing it aside. Shock briefly flashed across Jeanne Alter's face, but seeing Laurent's face inches from hers, she immediately tried to headbutt him.
She had armor protecting her head anyway—she didn't care. But Laurent cared.
He tilted his head slightly, gently meeting Jeanne Alter's head, whispering softly in her ear:
"Sorry."
His acceleration was like a bullet. He collided directly with Jeanne Alter, and the two plummeted toward the ground at dizzying speed.
"You bastard! Just what the hell is wrong with your head—!?" Jeanne Alter felt momentarily weightless from the collision but suddenly found herself wrapped in an embrace.
Laurent had shielded her with his own body to cushion the fall.
Jeanne Alter clearly didn't appreciate his efforts.
She violently kicked off Laurent's body, stabilizing herself mid-air, slowly landing gracefully on the ground.
A loud boom and cloud of dust marked their impact, followed by brief silence.
Jeanne Alter gasped heavily, her face still flushed with rage. A gust of wind cleared away the dust, gradually revealing Laurent's figure standing amidst it.
"She actually didn't use force to blast me away just now…" Laurent murmured, puzzled.
Honestly, Jeanne Alter's kick earlier had barely matched the strength of a professional weightlifter. While the analogy wasn't perfect, compared to her usual power, she'd basically used no force at all.
She'd mainly used it to steady herself without hurting him.
Jeanne Alter sneered mockingly, "Hah? You're not conceited enough to think I'm like that stupid village girl, are you?"
"I'd never think that. Your personalities couldn't be more different. Still, there are a few things I need to ask you."
Jeanne Alter furrowed her brows, saying nothing.
"Are your bodies exactly the same?"
Jeanne Alter shot Laurent a look clearly meant to say, "Huh? What nonsense are you spouting now?"
"I mean your figure! Your body shape! Are they identical?"
Jeanne Alter's temper flared even hotter as she angrily drew the sword at her waist.
Laurent instantly pointed out: "That flag and sword you have—I'm the one who gave them to her."
Jeanne Alter immediately tossed the sword away as if it burned. "Disgusting!"
Laurent's expression turned strange. "Your clothing and even your underwear—those were also my gifts. Of course, I realize they're probably dirty now that you've worn them. But if you're disgusted, you can return them to me."
Jeanne Alter froze briefly, her face flushing in embarrassed anger. "That woman really has nothing of her own!?"
It sounded like irritation over Jeanne's lack of pride rather than anything else.
Nearby, Jeanne nearly stumbled during her fight.
"Actually, that's not right—she does have some clothes, but they're all so tacky, she'd look awful wearing them."
"Shut up! Shut up already! You bastard! Buzzing around my eyes every day like some damned insect!"
Laurent's mouth twitched slightly, but his expression soon returned to seriousness. "There's something I absolutely need to confirm. Even if you hate me for it—I have no choice. Tell me honestly—you don't have memories of the village, do you?"
Laurent was unusually cautious when asking this. No matter how dense he was, he could feel this Jeanne Alter held some affection toward him. But as to why she felt this way, he was completely baffled.
She clearly lacked memories of the village, yet she still had feelings for him? How was that possible? Ever since he and Jeanne separated in Domrémy, besides briefly seeing each other at the stake, they hadn't even exchanged letters. Unless she was gullible enough to be swayed by anyone—or perhaps, Jeanne Alter's existence wasn't solely derived from Jeanne, but something else entirely.
He had thought it was just a straightforward question. He failed to realize that Jeanne Alter now stood frozen, staring blankly at him.
Her gaze wavered. Laurent, noticing her silence, finally understood.
"So...you really don't have them?"
"That stuff—is it really so important?" she muttered quietly, all her anger and arrogance suddenly gone. Her voice was flat, yet strangely heavy.
"Yeah, it's incredibly important. Those memories represent the happiest time in my life with her. That time is truly special to me."
Laurent didn't realize the implications of what he had said. Jeanne Alter clenched her fists tightly, biting her lip so hard it nearly bled.
"Ah…so that's it. That kind of thing was so important after all."
She forced herself into a cruel smile, glaring fiercely at Laurent.
"In that case, you can die together with her!"
Her words finished, she kicked off violently. The earth shattered beneath her feet, sending her charging toward Laurent with blistering speed, throwing a fist straight toward his face.
"So now I'm curious—how exactly did you even come to exist?"
Laurent dodged her punch, but Jeanne Alter didn't stop, continuing her relentless assault.
"What business is that of yours!?"
"Nonsense! You're my wife! If I don't look after you, who the hell will!?"
Laurent caught her fist—this time using a bit more strength.
"Bastard!"
Jeanne Alter swung her other hand toward his nose. Laurent caught this one too. Now she was completely restrained.
Jeanne Alter's expression grew increasingly ugly as she struggled wildly.
"Let me go! Who's your damn wife!? Bastard, do you see every woman as your wife!?"
Jeanne Alter tried another headbutt. This time, her words had momentarily distracted Laurent, causing him to hesitate slightly.
BAM!
A second later, the hard metal helmet on her head smashed directly into Laurent's forehead.
Shock and panic briefly flashed through Jeanne Alter's eyes. She'd expected Laurent to dodge easily.
Laurent himself felt just how hard that helmet was.
Damn it, when he'd forged it, he'd specifically made sure it was tough enough for headbutts. He never imagined he'd suffer it himself!
At that moment, Fujimaru, Mash, and Jeanne, having finished dealing with Gilles, rushed toward them.
"Laurent-san!"
Noticing Laurent, dizzy from the hit, Mash immediately dashed forward, raising her shield to knock Jeanne Alter away.
Jeanne Alter, her wrists firmly restrained by Laurent and her attention entirely focused on him, didn't even register Mash's attack until the shield was inches from her face.
Her pupils shrank instantly.
She couldn't dodge—
---
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