The Demon God Pillar, toyed with by Manaka for quite some time—unable to die or be de-manifested—eventually spat out five Hearts of a Foreign God before vanishing into a haze of light.
"…That was a gruesome sight."
"These are valuable catalysts in their own way… It is best to gather as many as possible while we can."
Judging by the Hearts of a Foreign God, this Demon God Pillar was likely Barbatos. Of course, it was probably just a single 'Barbatos,' not a fusion of others like Paimon, Buer, or Gusion.
[So, what is the real plan?]
"A defensive war. We must bait them into attacking us first."
"Well, it is said that in a siege, the odds of success for the attacker versus the defender are three to seven."
"That is when the forces are equal; the defender's advantage is overwhelming. If we assume a battle centered around a castle, basic tactics dictate that the attacker needs at least three times the numbers."
"Well, our main strength lies in Servants, so numerical differences are meaningless. However, the wyverns they command are troublesome. No matter how powerful a Servant is, they can't fight while ignoring a swarm of wyverns, and using Siegfried's Balmung on such fodder would be a waste."
[So you're going to lure them in?]
Precisely.
While Jeanne d'Arc Alter would certainly lead the wyverns in her assault, doing so would allow us to maximize our defensive advantages.
"The real Marshal Gilles de Rais is in this era, after all."
"Gilles… I see. He is a capable general; he must have rallied the remnants of the defeated army."
"Romani, you can track them, right?"
[I see what you're getting at. You intend to conduct a siege alongside the forces of this era?]
That was the plan.
It was exactly why having Kiyohime and Elizabeth would have been incredibly useful.
Kiyohime, who could easily pull her weight as a Servant, and the 'Hard Rocker' (Temporary) Elizabeth, who possessed immense capabilities when it came to siege warfare.
But there was no use lamenting over Servants who had already been consumed by the Demon God Pillar. I turned my attention back to the current situation.
"First, we need to meet Gilles de Rais and persuade him. If Jeanne goes, that should be enough, right?"
"Yes… Gilles followed me quite loyally in many respects."
"Wait, I think there might be a problem with that plan."
"What is it, Ritsuka?"
Ritsuka spoke with a grave expression.
"Even if Gilles de Rais is insane, he is still the enemy leader. If he's a capable commander as Jeanne says, wouldn't he naturally avoid a disadvantageous siege? The enemies win as long as they burn France down; time is on their side, not ours."
"Hmm… you're right. I thought of that too. Which means we need a way to provoke them, don't we?"
"How?"
"First, we should split the teams. Ritsuka and the Saint will go persuade the Gilles de Rais of this era. I'll move with Marie and Mozart."
[What kind of scheme are you cooking up now?]
"Oh, good timing. Roman, please block the transmission to Mash on your end."
The things that were about to be said… well, they were a bit too extreme for a child to hear.
*
The Dragon Witch.
The hero bearing the True Name of Jeanne d'Arc—now inverted—Jeanne d'Arc Alter was a sort of counterfeit Heroic Spirit created by Gilles de Rais.
A forgery born from a single obsession: the belief that the Saint 'could not possibly be without a desire for revenge.' Yet, because she would continue to affirm her own existence, she was destined to be recorded in the Throne of Heroes.
However, because she was fundamentally a false inverted being, her memories were degraded compared to the original Jeanne d'Arc. Gilles de Rais, having etched only the desire for revenge against France into her, had omitted all the memories precious to her… happy memories of her parents, or her childhood. Since Gilles himself didn't know those details, it was unavoidable.
In short, Jeanne d'Arc Alter was an incomplete Heroic Spirit.
A puppet moving solely by Gilles de Rais's obsessive wish to 'burn the France that killed her.' She had yet to discover her true identity, remaining nothing more than a weapon swept away by vengeance and destruction.
"…Good grief. Even for a puppet, I can certainly feel the dissonance."
"Shut up. Do you think I'm unaware that you destroyed our base upon our first meeting?"
"Ooh, Jeanne! Give that puppet to me… If I can analyze the receiver attached to it, I might find where they are hiding!"
"Be quiet, Gilles. I possess the privileges of a Ruler; locating their Servants is a simple task for me."
Jeanne d'Arc Alter and Gilles de Rais.
The puppet sent nominally for reconnaissance—but secretly to rattle their mental states—was instantly snatched by a wyvern and impaled by Alter's banner spear.
"Anyway, I believe this is our first proper greeting? Nice to meet you, Dragon Witch. I am Karma Kirigaya, one of Chaldea's Masters."
"You certainly talk a lot for someone skewered on a spear. Then again, perhaps it doesn't matter since it's a puppet…? I plan to skewer your real body with a spear soon anyway, so it hardly makes a difference."
"I'm honored… but let me ask you one thing. You were the Holy Maiden who saved France, were you not? Why try to burn it all down now?"
The moment I opened my mouth, spikes formed from her flagpole, instantly piercing through my eyes and throat.
I didn't care about being blinded since one side of the vision remained active, but having my throat pierced certainly made articulation difficult.
"Are you… honestly asking that right now?!"
She gritted her teeth, barely swallowing her overflowing rage, and raised her banner as she cried out.
"Why burn this country? Why kill these filthy humans…? You wouldn't know! You wouldn't know the beasts who hurled mockery at me even as I was dying in the flames! How could I forget? Those filthy faces I saw through the fire as I burned! That horrific smiling, that ugly finger-pointing! I learned then—as long as this foolish humanity exists, I cannot endure it!"
"So you killed them all? The French people you saved, the King of France you put on the throne, even Bishop Cauchon who killed you?"
"Yes! Having experienced that, I can say with certainty. I shall save this country through death. That is the salvation of the nation by me, Jeanne d'Arc, resurrected within the flames!"
Saying so, she squared her shoulders and shouted grandiosely, as if making a declaration of war.
"Behold our homeland. It has already become a cradle for Evil Dragons and wyverns. It will devour everything, burning this world and all humans to ashes… That is enough. This world shall end there. That is the finale of the Hundred Years' War I desire: the Hundred Years' War of the Evil Dragons!"
As if responding to the Dragon Witch's cry, the wyverns and Fafnir began to roar in unison.
The sound of thousands of wyverns and a legendary Phantasmal Species howling was enough to shake the earth; I felt the puppet's vision vibrate from the sheer volume.
"Die, Master of Chaldea. You, the fake Saint, and the Dragon Slayer. I shall visit this wrath and hatred upon all of you. As the true Jeanne d'Arc who enacts rightful vengeance, I shall incinerate every last remaining scrap of you."
"Hmm… alright. I see there's no room for negotiation. But isn't killing everyone a bit much?"
"…Are you still spouting such nonsense after knowing my hatred!"
"No, really. There were people who tried to save you until the very end when the English captured you. That Marshal Gilles de Rais over there was one, your lieutenants were others… oh! And your mother, too."
The erupting volcanic emotions suddenly stalled, as if doused with cold water. Jeanne d'Arc Alter, who had been wearing a face of intense agitation, suddenly froze.
"…My mother?"
"Yes, your mother. Your family and your lieutenants. Those who supported you until the end, even when you charged recklessly ahead. Did you know? During your trial for heresy, the people of your village testified to your innocence with one heart and mind. The whole village almost got branded as heretics for it. And what about your lieutenants? Some spent their entire fortunes and nearly died in the border wars just trying to rescue you."
"Lies. If so, why was I killed—"
"Ah, sorry. I misspoke. I was talking nonsense; forget I said anything. You can ignore it."
"What… Speak at once! What were you trying to say?!"
Yes, cutting oneself off mid-sentence really is a globally recognized way to piss someone off. Gilles de Rais seemed to realize what I was trying to do and tried to restrain her, but… well, I wonder if that's possible?
"Domrémy. Your hometown."
"My hometown…?"
"Yes, your hometown… It actually started there. Do you know why Jeanne d'Arc could be remembered as a true 'Hero'? It's because the false charges against her were cleared. Your mother visited the Holy See three times to obtain your pardon. The pressure from the royal family was immense, and your other family members nearly died several times."
"Do you think my anger will vanish just because the charges were cleared! I'm already dead! I was burned and mocked by everyone as I died! Stripped naked, tied to a cross, and burned while being spat on! Do you know what that feels like?! As long as that memory exists, as long as France—the source of that memory—exists! I will not stop! I will burn it all down!!!"
"Yes, yes, quite so. I agree that level of anger justifies burning everything down."
Including your hometown, and your family.
"…!!!!!"
"Ritsuka mentioned that she first landed in Domrémy. It was completely destroyed. Wyverns attacked the village first, then Fafnir's breath burned it to the ground… Since there couldn't possibly be any other wyverns in France besides the ones you control, I assume it's safe to say it was your doing?"
"…You, what are you…"
"I understand. It's only natural. You died in horrific agony, so of course you'd harbor resentment. Resenting the people who died trying to save you, the people who didn't give up on your honor even after you were gone… you can hate them. After all, you died without being saved. So, tell me.
How does it feel to kill your own mother with your own hands?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"