"Doc... Doctor... my hand, my hand is cramping up…" Completely immobilized and forced to watch from the sidelines, Ritsuka Fujimaru awkwardly whispered into the communicator to Doctor Roman.
"Fujimaru, you're facing a very serious crisis right now! You must take this seriously—maybe if you help Laurent-san resolve this little love triangle, all of this can be solved!"
"Doctor, please don't joke around at a time like this!" Mash, also restrained in an extremely embarrassing position, shouted indignantly, her body trembling slightly.
The pose she'd been bound in was extremely weird, and Laurent's earlier strike hadn't been gentle either; her hands still felt sore.
"I'm being serious! Laurent-san clearly intends to prolong this Holy Grail War indefinitely to keep both Jeanne-sans in Servant form—but that's simply impossible! Even if he defeats us, it's useless. If the Holy Grail War drags on forever, the Counter Force will intervene by force."
Laurent obviously heard this. "Then I'll kill that too."
Having comforted Jeanne, Laurent quickly jumped into their conversation again.
If I don't divert their attention quickly, these two Jeannes will probably start fighting again.
Doctor Roman's intended words got stuck in his throat instantly.
Think…think! Laurent-san wasn't unreasonable; as long as he could offer a plausible alternative...
Just as Doctor Roman's head was spinning with desperation, Da Vinci suddenly leaned close to him, speaking into the communicator.
"Laurent, do you know the real identity of that Jeanne?"
Laurent didn't reply.
"Oh my, it seems you still don't know~"
"And then?" Laurent asked impatiently.
Da Vinci didn't rush at all, calmly continuing, "We just captured Gilles and managed to learn some important truths. It seems this Holy Grail War had a certain outcome predetermined from the very start, you know? You've probably realized something yourself, right?"
Laurent nodded slightly. "In other words, perhaps I've just been fooling myself all along."
Saying so, he manipulated Fujimaru, pulling him close to face him directly.
"Laurent-san…" Fujimaru, face-to-face with Laurent, surprisingly showed no fear of death. Instead, a complicated emotion was reflected in his expression. "I haven't experienced what you've been through, so I can't claim to understand your feelings—but after giving everything only to lose it all in the end, it must really hurt, doesn't it?"
Rather than spouting empty morals, Fujimaru simply expressed empathy.
"Mm. Fujimaru, your sensitivity towards others' emotions is honestly terrifying. If it weren't for the current opposition, perhaps we could have been good friends."
Blood began shaping itself into needle-like forms. Laurent intended to devour Fujimaru's concept, not his physical body.
Jeanne stared at Laurent in disbelief. "Laurent, we don't have to do this! They've already promised me, as long as I keep trying—"
"They? How long do they want you to keep trying? Did they specify? I can't wait any longer, Jeanne! I refuse to keep chasing these vague promises! I searched for you for centuries—centuries! Right now, I want nothing more than the reality in front of me!"
Laurent sharply rebuked Jeanne, causing her gaze to fill with pain, heartbroken by his suffering, self-blame heavy in her eyes.
A heavy silence fell over everyone present.
Doctor Roman knew this truth clearly. The original Jeanne undoubtedly still existed in the Throne of Heroes; even if Laurent kept her here, she was only a fragment of the original. Yet, even knowing this, Laurent refused to lose her again.
He understood Laurent's feelings perfectly.
In the past, Laurent had been willing to die for Jeanne, even slaughtering gods in Heaven. But now, if the Throne of Heroes didn't release Jeanne's original spirit, Laurent would likely try attacking it single-handedly.
This wasn't like facing gods—it was facing truly unbeatable existences. Not to mention countless heroes, even their fragmented copies would be enough to obliterate worlds.
For Laurent-san, that was the most painful and most irrational choice possible—because at that point, he wouldn't be fighting mere gods, but every single hero and legendary being that had ever existed, including ones capable of destroying entire worlds.
"Laurent-san…" In that heavy silence, Fujimaru's voice felt painfully sharp. "Give it up. You know exactly how this will end. Jeanne Alter-san was created by the Holy Grail. Once she disappears, as long as the Grail's intentions remain, you'll never find her again."
Hearing this, Jeanne Alter stepped back, trembling slightly in disbelief. I'm…just a manufactured copy? In that case—
"Snap out of it!" Laurent immediately grabbed her hand without hesitation, speaking firmly and reassuringly. "Believe in yourself. You have your own thoughts, your own feelings—you are yourself, not anyone's substitute. No one can ever replace you!"
Jeanne Alter's gaze remained dim, but seeing their hands clasped together, she stubbornly forced a proud expression. "Hmph, as if I'd be shaken by something like that!"
Even Jeanne's hostile gaze softened at this point.
Unlike herself, Jeanne Alter was another aspect of her—but even so, she genuinely loved Laurent. She had none of Jeanne's own precious memories. Her existence itself was merely the Holy Grail's creation.
If I had become like her, and Laurent wasn't by my side…
She would surely have broken down from despair—disappearing without anyone even caring…
Realizing this, Jeanne suddenly felt a strange sense of relief. Right now, all I need to do is trust Laurent—just as I always have.
"Fujimaru," Laurent spoke again, calmly this time. "Even if I give up now, won't she still disappear?"
Hearing Laurent's words, Fujimaru visibly relaxed, seeing that Laurent was finally opening up. "Our Chaldea can preserve Saint Graphs, then re-summon them later. As long as we safely store Jeanne Alter-san's Saint Graph—"
"Hold on, you'll summon her?" Laurent immediately caught this crucial detail, expression turning strange.
Fujimaru quickly explained nervously, "We absolutely won't force Jeanne Alter-san to do anything!"
"What about me, then? If she's summoned, what about Jeanne and me?"
Fujimaru smiled awkwardly. "Naturally, we'd also summon you again, Laurent-san."
"And then we'd all stay stuck in your Chaldea?"
"Yes. Since Laurent-san doesn't mind the difference between originals and fragments, this solution works best—and you won't need to fight against anyone."
Doctor Roman quickly added supportively, "Exactly! And Chaldea's rooms are very spacious—the beds are definitely large enough for you, Jeanne-san, and Jeanne Alter-san to—"
Smack! Before he could finish, Da Vinci hurriedly clamped a hand over Roman's mouth, veins bulging on her forehead as she quickly took over.
"The environment here is very comfortable, you know~ And you don't have to worry about anything else. Honestly, it's a rather appealing choice for you right now~"