What... what is wrong with me...
Why is it that whenever I face him... I feel like I can't stay calm?
Is it Leticia's heart influencing me from within?
Mmm...
On the other side.
Haruka Kasugano walked into the shadows to regroup with the others, still nursing his nose.
"I've used an excuse to draw away Archer and Rider. What's the next move?" Mordred asked, hands on her hips.
"Aaaahhh..." Frankenstein groaned, seemingly saying something.
"Don't worry, Reika arranged it so that I could spend an extra night with Ruler," Haruka Kasugano replied, patting Fran on the head.
"Wait... you actually understood that?" Artoria alter asked, bewildered.
"By the way, is the Red Faction's Archer still around?" Haruka Kasugano asked Melusine.
"She is. I've been tracking her; she's been keeping a close eye on the movements of you and Ruler," Melusine reported.
"Good. Notify Jack and Reika. Have them target the Red Archer with their Noble Phantasm. She's our next objective," Haruka Kasugano smirked. "The rest of you, go keep Astolfo and Chiron busy so they don't actually end up hurting Jack."
"Understood!" The girls nodded in unison.
Haruka Kasugano looked toward the clock tower in the distance where Atalante stood.
Hehehe...
Those legs of 'Big Sister Boar'...
Tsk, tsk, tsk...
------
Atalante stood atop the clock tower in Trifas, overlooking the town. Since arriving yesterday, she had been closely monitoring Haruka Kasugano and Jeanne. She didn't know why they were here, and she had also noticed most of the Black Faction Servants lurking about. Curious, she chose not to return to the Hanging Gardens and stayed to observe.
When she saw Jeanne and Haruka Kasugano check into the inn together, she grit her teeth in fury.
And she calls herself a "fair and just" Ruler...
This is blatant favoritism toward the Black Faction!
They even ended up in bed!
The next morning, she witnessed Haruka Kasugano being kicked out the window by Jeanne and caught a glimpse of Jeanne wrapped in a towel.
Pathetic...
This sham of a Holy Maiden, a Servant engaging in such acts with a human!
She looked again and suddenly noticed a thick mist beginning to envelop the entire town. What's happening?
Soon, she observed a Servant battle breaking out within the dense fog. Wait? Could it be internal strife among the Black Faction? She leaped down, intent on investigating.
---------
After finishing his discussion with the girls, Haruka Kasugano bought two outfits and walked back to the inn.
"Ruler, I'm back with the clothes!" Haruka Kasugano called out.
Jeanne hurriedly clutched her towel, terrified it might slip again, and opened the door to let him in. She took the clothes from his hands and looked at them. They were two dresses.
"Ah... these are so... girlish..." Jeanne was a bit dazed. Neither in her past life nor as Leticia had she ever worn such beautiful dresses.
"Does Ruler not like them?" Haruka Kasugano asked, scratching his head with feigned ignorance.
"No! I love them..." Jeanne blushed immediately. As long as he bought them... she loved them. "I've just never tried this style before. I'm worried it won't suit me!"
"Ruler will definitely look beautiful in them!" Haruka Kasugano continued his "praise-kill" strategy.
"Okay..." Jeanne retreated into the bathroom to change.
Soon, she emerged like an elegant white swan, wearing a white dress with black trim. Because Haruka Kasugano had deliberately bought a size too small, Jeanne's plump, sexy figure—as if carved by a master sculptor—was perfectly outlined by the dress. Her rounded curves and high peaks showcased her seductive charm to the fullest.
"Ah... does it fit?" Jeanne walked with a model's gait, her long legs stepping forward slowly. Being barefoot, her toes gripped the floor tightly, as if trying to dig a hole into the hard wood.
"Wow! So beautiful!" Haruka Kasugano praised with a grin.
"Mhm..." Being complimented made Jeanne's heart feel as sweet as honey.
Just then, she noticed the thick fog billowing outside the window, covering the world like a heavy white veil. She rushed to the window to check.
"Assassin is here!"
There was a hint of reluctance in Jeanne's voice, as if she still wanted to show Haruka Kasugano the other beautiful dress.
Whoosh!
She instantly manifested her armor and flag, leaping onto the windowsill. "Stay inside! I'll be right back!" She jumped down.
Chiron and Astolfo, seeing the smoke-filled town, also rushed back. Jack began a game of hide-and-seek with the three of them in the mist. During this process, Mordred and Frankenstein intentionally interfered with their pursuit, causing them to lose sight of Jack quickly.
-----------
Atalante observed from within the fog.
Oh! I see now.
So they're hunting the Black Assassin?
I heard that Assassin is a stray, so she isn't technically on either side—she's my enemy too. These Black Faction failures are being run in circles; it's laughable. I suppose I'll be the one to finish her off.
Atalante leaped across rooftops, searching for Jack's silhouette.
"Hubby, Hubby, I can feel the cat-eared big sister getting closer~!" Jack giggled, hugging Haruka Kasugano's arm.
"Good." Haruka Kasugano listened to the clatter of roof tiles and couldn't stop smiling.
In the original plot, Reika Rikudou used her last two Command Spells on Jack right before dying, and Atalante killed Jack at that moment. Jack released a hallucinogenic mist in her final moments. This meant that if Haruka Kasugano used Command Spells, he could trigger that mist manually. Two might not be safe, so he'd use three! Command Spells were cheap to him anyway.
"Jack, I command you with three Command Spells: release your Noble Phantasm with everything you've got! Plunge everyone into an endless hallucination~!"
"Understood..." Jack's eyes glowed green, her expression turning fierce.
Boom—
In an instant, the mist thickened exponentially. Jeanne, Astolfo, Chiron—everyone was trapped in an illusion. Atalante was no exception.
As she walked, she found the scenery changing into the smog-filled streets of 18th-century London. There was gloom everywhere, people shivering from hunger and cold, and children everywhere, pleading piteously.
In this moment, she recalled a conversation from her past when she was brushing Medea Lily's hair.
"Atalante, you are always so kind~!" Medea Lily had laughed. "To children, and to me."
"Yes. I never had a father; the Goddess Artemis saved me," Atalante had smiled, remembering the white-haired, large-chested goddess who wore a bear plushie on her head.
"So, that's the reason for your kindness?"
"Mhm. I want to be as kind to children as Lady Artemis was. I want to create a paradise where all children can be happy~!" Atalante had laughed joyfully.
Thump!
Suddenly, she snapped out of the memory. Before her appeared a young Jack. Her head was large and she was beyond cute. Seeing her, Atalante's heart melted.
Little Jack walked over and hugged her. "Hey, don't leave us behind~!"
Soon, more children appeared.
"Please, give us warmth!"
"Save us!"
"Please, give us love!"
Atalante felt her resolve break. "No... even you deserve to be loved!"
"It's so cold~!" a little girl cried.
Atalante grew more desperate. "Stop it! You can be like me, you can be—"
More children swarmed around her.
"So, come with us~!"
"Yeah, come play with us!"