Very similar to her own personality? Upon hearing Patriot describe the legendary Theresa in such a way, Jeanne's face betrayed a look of utter bewilderment.
She knew her own character and "virtues" well enough—a temperament that constantly teetered on the edge between madness and gentleness—and he claimed this woman was just like her? Granted, under normal circumstances, she didn't manifest that manic side, and no one had yet forced her to loosen the shackles on her boundless hatred, transforming her into that blackened version of herself who manipulated flames and wyverns.
But a person with a personality just like hers... Jeanne merely grimaced at Patriot without saying a word. Perhaps Patriot had misjudged her character; since she hadn't displayed her "Avenger" side lately, maybe he simply meant she was the type who possessed great majesty and could command a thousand followers with a single call? Jeanne considered herself to be exactly that type, though if Talulah knew what was going through her head right now, she would likely just stare with cold eyes at her mathematically challenged friend.
"It's getting late, old gentleman. You should head back and rest! I'm going back to check if those fellows are causing trouble. I'll take my leave first." Having satisfied her curiosity about the legendary Royal Princess, Jeanne bid farewell to Patriot and prepared to depart, heading back to her post to pass the time by playing with her dragons.
Speaking of dragons, wasn't Talulah one too? Jeanne wondered if the same techniques she used to tease her summoned wyverns would work on a Draco like her when she returned. Though she knew deep down that if she actually tried to tease Talulah like that, the woman wouldn't cooperate and might even bite her. After all, Talulah wasn't a dragon she had summoned herself; it was normal to have a bit of a rebellious phase. Jeanne figured Talulah would get used to it after a few tries; even if she didn't, Jeanne certainly would.
Perhaps because her brain was abnormally active from a lack of sleep, Jeanne couldn't even keep track of her own wandering thoughts. However, daydreaming had its benefits; it allowed one's nerves to relax from a state of tension, and Jeanne never bothered to restrain her mind when it wandered. At least she was still rational enough not to burst into Talulah's room in the middle of the night to tease her, otherwise, the woman might actually get angry enough to breathe fire and burn the house down. Yes, Talulah definitely had a bit of a morning temper.
As for the Princess she had been curious about? Jeanne currently had no deep impression of her. Patriot's description had been far too ethereal to leave a lasting mark. She tossed the matter to the back of her mind. Jeanne assumed that once Kal'tsit finished teaching her student and left, she would likely have no further deep connection with that Royal Princess. No matter how she hid it, her connection to Laterano couldn't be concealed from the other side; why would she wander off to Kazdel for no reason? To start a Crusade?
She could vaguely sense through Revelations that the Sarkaz Princess didn't have much time left. Yet Jeanne didn't know the reason why the Babel organization established by this Demon King would collapse. Honestly, were they serious about naming their organization "Babel"? It was as ominous as telling a lover "I'll marry you after this war!" before heading into battle. It was a massive "death flag." By naming it Babel, weren't they just waiting for the organization to collapse for some reason, just like the tower in the legends?
She wondered if she should find a way to tell the Pope about this. He seemed quite concerned with the happenings in Kazdel and would likely be interested... Currently, Jeanne's thoughts were like a runaway horse, galloping joyfully across the prairie of imagination, the kind that her brain couldn't reel back in no matter how hard it tried.
Fortunately, this state of self-indulgence didn't last long. When she arrived at her destination alone, her somewhat scattered brain finally dragged her runaway thoughts back.
"It's... so quiet! I thought these guys would try to find a way to escape once we left. I didn't expect them to be so well-behaved." Returning to the detention site, Jeanne looked with surprise at the Sarkaz in the tents, marveling at how they stayed perfectly still. Just moments ago, people had been peeking at her from the shadows! Those fellows even thought they were well-hidden and that Jeanne hadn't noticed their prying eyes.
But now? Jeanne found that since her return, even those surreptitious gazes had vanished instantly. Were they really this obedient? Or had something happened internally during the short time she was away?
Curious, Jeanne looked toward the nearby guards and asked in a gossipy tone, "Hey, did anything happen with these guys while I was away?" Rather than staring at a bunch of motionless tents, she preferred to hear some interesting news to pass the time. The sparkle in her eyes gave her away, and the people around her were already used to this side of her. They knew her character; she was simply bored to a certain extent and looking for something to divert her attention.
Everyone cast sympathetic looks at her, seeing how monitoring this group day after day was wearing the poor girl down to the point of needing such trivialities for amusement. A few even whispered among themselves, suggesting they could just make these guys "disappear" from the world without anyone knowing. They couldn't let these prisoners ruin the girl's spirit, could they?
"No changes. They've been exceptionally quiet since the leader had that big row with Patriot. It's like they're afraid someone will get upset and kill them." As they spoke, the group looked toward the tents, which were as silent as the grave. Not even the sound of light breathing could be heard, making one wonder if they had dug a tunnel to escape.
They had considered that possibility, but the lamps in the tents were lit, clearly showing the Sarkaz lying inside, completely motionless.
"I see, never mind then." Hearing that they were just being well-behaved, Jeanne stopped paying them much attention and sat down to watch them. She wasn't worried about them digging tunnels, as there were several earth wyverns Jeanne had brought along living underground; no matter how well those guys could dig, they couldn't beat them. If they really tried to tunnel out, Jeanne wouldn't even need to feed her dragons for a few days—those Sarkaz would be enough for the big guys to feast on.
Jeanne sat there watching them, taking out a piece of refined Originium to tease a small flying creature in the air. It was a miniature wyvern she had summoned out of boredom; she had been surprised that such tiny wyverns even existed. It was barely larger than a bat. Since Jeanne wasn't a dragon scholar, she didn't know if it was naturally this size or still a hatchling.
She guessed it was a hatchling because Originium—a substance packed with energy—had an extraordinary attraction for it. Jeanne tied the small piece of Originium to her finger with a string and tossed it back and forth; the little wyvern flew along with the dancing mineral.
Bored, Jeanne gazed at the camp, calculating how much longer these people would have to stay and if such strict supervision was still necessary. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the piece of Originium tied to her finger had vanished. The little creature smacked its lips and looked at her with expectant eyes.
Seeing this, the others couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. This kind of creature could actually eat Originium? How brutal!