Chevalier d'Éon stared blankly at the newly arrived Marie (Caster), completely lost as to what was happening.
The more experienced Marie beside her thought for a long moment before arriving at the correct conclusion.
"I see. Master summoned you, didn't he?"
"I never imagined that besides that black version of me, there would be another…"
Marie looked Swimsuit Marie up and down, taking in her light, breezy one-piece dress before finally adding:
"…a refreshing, summer-ready me."
There was a clear trace of envy in her eyes as she spoke. She seemed to want to wear such a beautiful outfit herself.
Even after receiving the explanation, Marie still struggled to keep her composure. Having yet another version of herself suddenly appear wasn't easy to accept—especially after a black version had already shown up earlier.
She was seriously starting to wonder whether Adam's Chaldea had several more versions of her tucked away somewhere.
d'Éon looked even more bewildered than Marie. Her gaze kept darting back and forth between the two identical queens. She even rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
"Wait, hold on… I don't quite understand this."
"What do you mean there's another Queen Marie?"
"Is this some kind of royal conspiracy?"
"Queen Marie, do you have a twin sister or something?"
"And the one who went to the guillotine that day wasn't actually you, but your twin?"
d'Éon's thoughts had already veered far off course.
Marie (Caster) saw d'Éon's confusion and originally wanted to properly introduce herself and her current outfit, but remembering Adam's instructions, she gently shook her head. That wasn't the focus right now.
"None of that matters, d'Éon."
"You only need to know that I am indeed the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette."
d'Éon pressed her lips together, still somewhat doubtful. She looked back and forth between the two Maries, comparing their identical faces.
"Is this some kind of duplication magecraft?"
Marie, riding her crystalline horse, had moved up beside Swimsuit Marie. Seeing another version of herself join their side and increase their combat power, she felt considerably more relieved.
Two against one gave them a clear advantage in numbers.
"Perfect, another 'me'."
"Now that you're here, the two of us together should definitely be able to defeat d'Éon."
"I wasn't feeling too confident fighting her alone earlier. Amadeus is busy dealing with that Shadow Servant and can't come support me right now."
"We've been locked in a stalemate for so long. I honestly didn't think I could beat Chevalier d'Éon by myself."
Swimsuit Marie looked at her other self, who still wore that bright, optimistic expression, smiling as if they could simply team up and take d'Éon down quickly. She let out a small, helpless sigh.
"Another 'me,' did you really not notice how much pain d'Éon was in while fighting you?"
Marie blinked blankly, her face showing genuine surprise at the revelation.
"Huh? Was she?"
She truly hadn't noticed anything unusual about d'Éon during their battle.
This was the first time Swimsuit Marie felt somewhat helpless about her naturally cheerful and oblivious personality. Unless someone said it outright, she would never pick up on it.
"Of course she was, another 'me'."
"Looking at it from an outside perspective, sometimes I really do feel helpless about myself."
Swimsuit Marie sighed heavily once again while looking at Marie.
Finally, she turned her serious gaze toward Chevalier d'Éon across from them.
d'Éon had just shaken herself out of her confusion. She gave her head a small shake, raised her rapier to her chest, and prepared to launch an attack against the two Maries.
Strangely enough, the corners of d'Éon's mouth were curved into a smile.
Even though the enemy's fighting strength had increased, d'Éon herself looked genuinely pleased.
She was secretly relieved that the enemy's numbers had grown.
Good. She didn't know why another Queen Marie had suddenly appeared, but this way she could be defeated faster and escape her identity as a destroyer of France sooner.
However…
Even if she fell here, could she truly escape the guilt weighing on her heart?
Scenes from her time in France kept flashing through d'Éon's mind—the dying screams, the sound of her sword slicing through flesh, the eyes filled with despair and hatred, the smell of blood in the air. All of it was her sin.
As a knight, her sword should have been one of protection, yet it was now stained with the blood of innocents.
The pain in her heart was excruciating.
This torment had followed her even after she was summoned to Chaldea. Servants retained their memories from the Singularity, and d'Éon was no exception. The pain remained.
Without external help, this suffering would continue to devour her heart endlessly.
She had buried it deep inside and didn't want to burden the cheerful Queen Marie with it.
d'Éon charged forward in one swift step, swinging her rapier almost numbly. She wanted to end the fight and her sins as quickly as possible.
Yet the pain in her heart continued to gnaw at her, slowly changing her mindset.
She began questioning whether seeking judgment from Queen Marie like this was truly right.
After all, who attacks their judge with a sword in hand?
Did someone as sinful as her even deserve the Queen's judgment?
Perhaps she should fight another monster steeped in sin instead. That would be a battle between equals—two guilty creatures.
Not an "honorable" death beneath Queen Marie's hand.
"That's enough, d'Éon."
Swimsuit Marie spoke with a serious expression. Sensing something wrong with d'Éon's state, she blocked the knight's strike with her crystal orb, then raised it high.
The orb instantly split into three magical projectiles that shot toward d'Éon at incredible speed.
d'Éon was blasted back dozens of steps. She stared in shock at the hand holding her rapier—it was trembling uncontrollably from the force of the impact.
Was Queen Marie always this powerful?
d'Éon couldn't help asking herself.
Just moments ago, when she fought the other Marie, she had needed to hold back her full strength, carefully controlling both her speed and power just to keep the fight even.
Yet this Marie seemed overwhelmingly strong. It felt like she didn't need to restrain herself at all to overpower her opponent.
The massive difference in strength between the two Maries left d'Éon stunned.
Before she could recover, Swimsuit Marie's next words completely shattered her mental defenses.
"Your heart is in pain, isn't it, d'Éon?"
Swimsuit Marie looked directly at the knight and spoke the truth she had been trying to hide.
d'Éon's eyes widened in shock as her inner turmoil was laid bare. She stared at Swimsuit Marie in disbelief.
This single sentence shocked her far more than the display of power. Her response came out faltering.
"H-how… did you know…?"
In d'Éon's memory, Marie was supposed to be a cheerful, airheaded optimist.
How could someone like that see straight through her heart?
Having worked in intelligence, d'Éon was extremely confident in her ability to control her expressions. She couldn't understand how Swimsuit Marie had seen through her so easily.
"Because I'm Intelligence Marie—ah, never mind, that's not important."
Swimsuit Marie had instinctively slipped into her usual playful tone when she saw d'Éon's surprised face, but she quickly realized it wasn't appropriate and forced herself back into a serious expression.
"Ahem. D'Éon, I understand your current suffering. You are a knight, yet you became an accomplice in the destruction of France."
"You, who were always so loyal to the French royal family, have become a sinner who helped tear your country apart."
"I'm sure your mind keeps replaying the crimes you committed, constantly condemning yourself for your actions."
Every word Swimsuit Marie spoke struck directly at d'Éon's heart, hitting her pain with perfect accuracy.
The other Marie turned her head in surprise, looking at d'Éon with astonishment. She truly hadn't noticed how much pain the knight had been enduring during their fight.
Having her inner thoughts exposed in front of two Queen Maries—two gazes from the French royal family—only deepened the agony for someone who saw herself as a traitor and destroyer of France.
d'Éon lowered her head in self-reproach, her face darkening with suffering.
"Queen Marie… I am no longer worthy of being a knight who protects France."
"The things I did… they were truly…"
The horrific scenes flashed through her mind once more. She gritted her teeth in hatred—hatred aimed at herself for destroying France.
She closed her eyes, as if waiting for Queen Marie to condemn her.
Swimsuit Marie looked at d'Éon's pained expression and scratched her head in confusion.
"Hm… I don't quite understand?"
"D'Éon, why do you say you're no longer a knight who protects France?"
"Aren't you still the same knight who wants to protect France with all your heart?"
d'Éon stared at Swimsuit Marie in utter shock and confusion.
Even when her inner pain had been exposed, she had maintained control of her emotions. But hearing that she was still worthy of being a knight protecting France completely broke her composure.
"What?! What are you saying, Queen Marie?"
"How could I possibly still be worthy of being a French knight?!"
"Ever since I was summoned to this Singularity, everything I've done without exception has been destroying France, breaking the oaths I once swore…"
"So what? Weren't you being forced?" Swimsuit Marie asked, tilting her head in genuine puzzlement as she stated a simple fact.
d'Éon was momentarily speechless. She looked down at her blood-stained hands. Even if she had been controlled and it wasn't her true will, the things she had done were undeniable.
"…Even if I was forced, I still did those… those things…"
Swimsuit Marie looked at the suffering knight and spoke another truth.
"But your heart is in pain, isn't it?"
"Eh?" d'Éon was completely stunned. She didn't understand what Swimsuit Marie meant by that.
Swimsuit Marie continued gently:
"The more pain you feel in your heart, the more it proves that you are still the same knight who protected France. You haven't changed just because you were turned into an enemy Servant or forced to do those things."
Her words defined something clearly in d'Éon's heart: the greater the pain, the more it showed she remained the knight who guarded France.
Every ounce of suffering inside d'Éon now felt like proof of her unchanged knightly honor.
She understood this, yet she still had doubts.
"But… I…"
Seeing that d'Éon was still trapped in her guilt, Swimsuit Marie decided to follow Adam's earlier advice and do what came naturally to her.
"I don't care about any 'buts.' I am the Queen of France, so I shall indulge in a small royal whim.
"As Queen of France, I hereby declare: Chevalier d'Éon, you are still a Servant who protects France. You remain fully worthy of your identity as a knight. That fact has never changed.
"D'Éon, as a knight, you should obediently follow your Queen's command."
***
Hey, everyone! I'm currently working on a new Marvel project, and I'm really excited about it. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, feel free to give it a read:
[Marvel Apex Predator]
Synopsis:
What would happen if you were born into a world filled with bizarre races wielding even stranger powers, as a species whose sole purpose is to evolve by devouring every other race?
Chaos.
That's exactly what happens when the universe's one and only true Apex Predator is born into Marvel.
This is the story of how Xenomorph tears apart the cosmic food chain and reshapes the hierarchy of life itself.