"What on earth are you talking about??"
Artoria felt as if her head were about to split in two. Just moments ago, in order to help Leon recover his mana as quickly as possible, she had been both mentally and physically exhausted.
And now she had to deal with a Servant like Caster—someone who clearly couldn't communicate rationally.
Honestly…
"How could that be?!"
"Have you truly forgotten me?!"
"I already told you," Artoria explained patiently, "this is the first time I've ever seen you—whether in life or after being summoned as a Servant."
"You must have mistaken me for someone else."
"Ah—no, no, no!"
Bluebeard looked devastated. His long, inhuman fingers clawed frantically at his own face.
"It's me! I am Gilles de Rais!"
"I prayed with all my heart for your resurrection, waiting for the miracle of meeting you again!"
"I even came to the end of time itself for you—Jeanne!"
Gilles de Rais burst into tears, his face twisted with madness. The already grotesque and sinister aura around him became even more horrifying.
Artoria and Irisviel instinctively stepped behind Leon, avoiding the invasive gaze of Bluebeard's bulging eyes.
"I don't know anyone named Jeanne. You've definitely mistaken me," Artoria said again with a frown.
Irisviel added gently, "That's right. Artoria is British, while Saint Joan of Arc was French. They cannot possibly be the same person. You really have the wrong person, Caster."
"How could that be…"
"There is no way I could mistake you! Have you forgotten who you were in life?!"
Suddenly, as if suffering a manic episode, Bluebeard collapsed to his knees and began hammering the pavement with his fists.
"Damn it!"
"How cruel must God be to inflict such punishment upon my beautiful maiden!"
"Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable!"
"Wait!"
Bluebeard suddenly raised his head.
"Jeanne! It must be that the Servant summoning ritual has twisted your will!"
"But it doesn't matter—the Holy Grail War has already been decided!"
"There is no need to fight anyone. The Grail has chosen me, Gilles!"
"And my only wish is the resurrection of Saint Joan!"
"It has already been fulfilled—"
Before he could finish—
BOOM!!!
A golden beam of light blasted Bluebeard—who had been groveling on the ground—straight into the sky.
Leon had deliberately controlled the power of the blast so it wouldn't cause excessive damage to the surrounding buildings.
After all, this was already inside the city. He couldn't act as recklessly as he had earlier at the harbor.
When the golden pillar of light finally faded, a piece of bloodstained human skin fell into Leon's hand.
"This is…" Leon narrowed his eyes.
Irisviel stepped forward, frowning in disgust.
"A clone made from human skin… It seems this Caster isn't as mindless as he pretends to be. He must be wary of Leon's strength."
"But one thing is certain," Artoria said with a stern expression.
"He has murdered people."
"To make a human-skin double like this would require at least a dozen victims."
"What an unforgivable—"
She was visibly furious.
Just then, Bluebeard's faint voice echoed from somewhere in the distance.
"It seems you truly have lost your memory, my saint…"
"You'll need some… stimulating therapy to recover it."
"I will prepare everything and return."
"I, Gilles de Rais, swear that I will free your soul from God's curse…"
Whoosh—
Leon ignited the remaining piece of human skin with mana, instantly extinguishing the eerie voice along with it.
Then he sheathed the Holy Sword and gently placed his clean hand atop Artoria's head.
"It's fine. He won't escape."
"…Mm."
Artoria nodded obediently.
She seemed to have almost forgotten that she was a Servant, instead quietly enjoying the feeling of being cared for like an ordinary girl.
Seeing this, Leon's lips curved into a faint smile.
As the saying goes—
The fastest path to a woman's heart is indeed…
"But—"
Leon suddenly changed his tone.
From behind, he wrapped his arms around Artoria—who was practically a petite little figure compared to him—and whispered into her ear.
"The mana we just replenished… a large portion was used up again just now."
"Artoria, what should we do~?"
He gently blew warm air against her already reddening ear.
"!!!"
Her whole body trembled.
Like a shy mimosa plant folding in on itself, she lowered her head and softly held Leon's large hand against her chest.
In a voice as quiet as a puppy's whimper, she murmured:
"I… I understand… I'll take responsibility for Leon…"
Nearby—
Irisviel quietly tried to step away.
But a large hand easily grabbed her and pulled her back.
"Iris~"
"You started this 'battle,' remember? Don't think you can stay out of it~"
"Huh?!"
Irisviel's expression froze instantly.
Like a fish that had lost all hope in life, she was dragged back into the room by Leon—who had already lifted Artoria with one arm.
There, he proceeded to conduct further "tactical instruction" and open up a new front of battle.
Meanwhile—
After rescuing Kayneth, Iskandar drove his replacement chariot, carrying both Kayneth and Waver Velvet as they sped aimlessly through the night sky.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Aside from the rushing wind, the chariot was strangely silent.
No one spoke.
Waver didn't dare—his instinctive fear of Kayneth kept him quiet.
Kayneth remained silent because reality had slapped him hard in the face, leaving him too embarrassed to speak.
As for Iskandar, he deliberately left space for this pair of master and student.
After a long while—
The dullness in Kayneth's eyes gradually faded, and a trace of clarity returned.
He noticed that one of the Command Seals on Waver's right hand had already been used.
Then he spoke.
"Let's go to Fuyuki Church first."
"Huh? Ah—yes!"
Waver froze for a moment before quickly responding.
Nervously, he elbowed Iskandar in the side.
"Honestly, Master, you should say your commands properly!"
With an outsider present—especially someone who was Waver's former teacher—Iskandar deliberately gave Waver face. Instead of addressing him as a subordinate, he used the respectful title "Master."
He then slapped Waver heavily on the shoulder.
With a snap of the reins, the chariot turned and thundered toward Fuyuki Church.
Back when he had first arrived, Iskandar had dragged Waver along to "liberate" a bookstore for free. His main goal had been to collect world maps in preparation for future world conquest.
Naturally, he had also memorized a detailed map of Fuyuki City.
After all—
Such preparation was basic etiquette for the King of Conquerors.
Fuyuki Church
A Hundred-Faced Hassan clone hidden in the darkness outside saw a streak of green lightning racing across the sky.
She quickly informed Kirei Kotomine , who was resting inside the church, before entering an even deeper Spirit Form, ensuring Rider and his Master wouldn't notice her presence.
"Oh?"
"That's quite a rare guest."
Kirei Kotomine opened his eyes with a faint smile and rose from his chair to greet them.
Inside the church hall—
When Kirei entered, his father Kotomine Risei—an elderly man with graying hair but a strong and upright posture—was already receiving the midnight visitors: Kayneth, Waver, and Iskandar.
"According to the contract, the church is an inviolable neutral ground for all parties."
"Mr. Kayneth, your Servant Lancer has already returned to the Holy Grail."
"So…"
"Have you come here seeking sanctuary?"
Kayneth stood with his hands behind his back, calmly surveying the dim interior of the church.
He shook his head.
His expression carried the same proud arrogance as before—the demeanor of the genius Lord of El-Melloi.
"No."
"I did not come seeking protection."
He pointed toward Waver, who stood cautiously behind him.
"I have already been eliminated from this Holy Grail War. Even if I contracted another Servant, it would only bring disgrace upon the title of Lord El-Melloi."
"So I came… for my student."
"Huh?!"
Waver froze in shock.
His teacher seemed completely different from before. In the past, Kayneth would have scolded him mercilessly.
"For him?"
"Rider's Master?"
Kirei Kotomine 's gaze settled on Waver.
"With a magus's usual methods, even if you didn't kill him, you should at least take his Servant."
"After all, from what I understand, that Servant should have been contracted by you originally. This boy merely stole the opportunity."
"Are you trying to tell me how to conduct my affairs?"
Kayneth shot Kirei a cold, arrogant glance.
"No—you misunderstand. I meant no disrespect," said Kotomine Risei, stepping in to smooth things over.
Out of respect for the elder priest, Kayneth chose not to pursue the matter further. He merely snorted at Kirei.
He didn't like this man.
Kirei looked like the sort who would stab someone in the back without hesitation.
Not someone worth associating with.
With that thought, Kayneth got straight to the point.
He raised his right hand—on which one Command Seal remained—and showed it to Kotomine Risei.
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