...
Enveloped by the thick mist, Jeanne was dressed in her simple village girl attire.
Though the material and style of the clothes were plain, they failed to fully conceal her lush, captivating curves. Her high, full bosom and the rounded lines of her hips were faintly visible through the thin fabric, which, instead of hiding them, added a touch of mysterious, sensual charm.
She wandered through the fog. She didn't see a single soul.
Strange...
The Assassin had unleashed such a powerful Noble Phantasm. Why hadn't she used it to attack her? Was it purely to keep her trapped?
Wait! Her target is Haruka Kasugano!
Jeanne didn't know why, but the moment she thought Haruka Kasugano might be in danger, her heart skipped a beat.
Is it Leticia's heart worrying?
I suppose so... they've already shared the reality of being husband and wife, so it's only natural to worry.
Don't worry, Leticia, I will definitely protect him!
Jeanne ran frantically through the mist, even managing to regroup with Astolfo. But there was no sign of Haruka Kasugano or Jack the Ripper. She grew increasingly anxious and panicked.
Haruka Kasugano... Haruka Kasugano... please don't let anything happen to you...
Suddenly, two feminine silhouettes appeared before her. One was the incredibly curvaceous Reika Rikudou, who looked like she shouldn't be able to balance her own body, and the other was the petite but scantily clad Jack.
"Assassin, prepare to die!" Jeanne manifested her armor and flag, shouting in anger.
But to her utter surprise, Reika and Jack both burst into giggles.
"My, my, Holy Maiden, we are here to surrender~!" Reika laughed.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening to Mommy~!" Jack added with a giggle.
"What?" Jeanne was stunned. She hadn't expected this development at all.
Following that, Jack deactivated her Noble Phantasm, and the town returned to its sunlit state. Chiron, Frankenstein, and Mordred gathered around. Haruka Kasugano also strolled over slowly.
"Assassin, you have severely violated the rules of the Holy Grail War by slaughtering so many magi unrelated to the conflict. Surrendering won't help; you must pay the price!" Jeanne shouted, pointing at Jack.
But at Haruka Kasugano's subtle signal, Mordred suddenly spoke up: "Huh? You have to die even if you surrender? Who's gonna bother surrendering after this?"
Frankenstein: "Aaaahhh..."
Haruka Kasugano translated: "She says, isn't it better to have one more person on our side?"
Chiron, swayed by the two women, added: "I think it's worth a try. Compared to Shirou Kotomine, we are indeed weaker."
Jeanne wavered at their words and turned to Haruka Kasugano. "Haruka Kasugano, what do you think?"
"I think... regardless of the Assassin, her Master... this lady here doesn't seem harmful, right?" Haruka Kasugano said, scratching his head innocently.
True enough. Jeanne had seen Reika Rikudou's files and felt a certain empathy for this tragic woman.
"Fine... Assassin, I'll give you one chance. If you dare cause trouble again, don't blame me for being merciless!" Jeanne barked.
"Hehehe... a girl in the throes of first love is so cute~!" Reika couldn't help but laugh.
Jeanne didn't realize she was talking about her, so she ignored the comment and moved to place a seal on Jack.
----------
Jeanne brought Jack back to the Yggdmillennia castle. She needed to ask Fiore if she would allow Jack to surrender and join them, as Fiore was one of the primary victims of Jack's persecution.
However, Fiore had been notified by Haruka Kasugano in advance and readily agreed.
"It's fine. She tried to kill me because we were rival factions, but now that she's surrendered, we're comrades in the same boat!" Fiore smiled.
"Ah..." Jeanne was dumbfounded. Reluctantly, she agreed to Jack's inclusion.
With the unstable factor of Jack dealt with, everyone convened for a final meeting to plan the total assault on Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.
"In a few days, they'll leave Romanian territory. Once they leave Romania, they'll be in the Mages' Association's backyard. Attacking the Black Faction's stolen fortress then will be very problematic," Gordes complained.
"I plan to lease twenty airplanes to fly toward the Hanging Gardens simultaneously to create a diversion," Fiore stated.
"But no matter how many planes we have, they're just sitting ducks for the Red Archer," Chiron countered.
"Ah... if only I could remember what my Noble Phantasm is~!" Astolfo wailed to the heavens.
For a moment, everyone stared at him.
"What did you just say?" Jeanne asked, bewildered.
"Ah... I said I forgot my Noble Phantasm's True Name. What's the matter?" Astolfo replied nonchalantly.
"We're doomed... if I recall correctly... Rider's Noble Phantasm is... [Casseur de Logistille] (Magic-Decoding Almanac)," Chiron said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"That's a Noble Phantasm capable of shattering any magecraft!" Caules shouted.
"Exactly. With that, the Hanging Gardens' magical cannons and the Archer's Noble Phantasm could all be nullified," Chiron nodded.
"Yay? Is it really that powerful?" Reika giggled.
Jeanne grabbed Astolfo by the collar, threateningly: "What exactly will it take for you to remember the True Name?!"
"I don't knowwww~~!! Wait, I can remember on moonless nights! That's the only time my sanity returns!" Astolfo suddenly recalled.
"A moonless night... does a New Moon count? When is the next one?" Fiore asked.
"In three days," Caules replied.
Thus, everyone decided to wait three days before launching the final assault. Astolfo's Noble Phantasm became the "hope of the village."
During those three days, Fiore and Caules worked feverishly to prepare the twenty planes. Gordes, however, was unwilling to help.
"Curse it... I already handed over that strange card, why am I still expected to work? It's infuriating!" Gordes grumbled as he walked down the corridor.
He saw a group of wounded homunculi ahead, with Toole and Althea tending to them. To max out his favorability with them, Haruka Kasugano was also helping.
"What is the meaning of this..." Gordes was shocked by the camp full of wounded.
Thump!
Astolfo bumped into him from behind, carrying a water bucket. "Out of the way! Make way!"
"Master, I'm here~!" Astolfo arrived at Haruka Kasugano's side.
Haruka Kasugano was examining a gasping homunculus, feeling helpless because his [Healing] skill had no effect. As Gordes approached, Astolfo snapped: "Go away! Don't get in our way of saving people!"
Gordes ignored Astolfo, knelt down to check, and said: "He's not wounded. His respiratory system is underdeveloped! You need to get the auxiliary equipment from the culture vats!"
"Eh?" Astolfo was stunned to see the grumpy Gordes actually understood medicine.
"Go, now!" Gordes barked.
"Going, going!" Astolfo skipped away.
Haruka Kasugano didn't speak, just stood with hands on his hips watching Gordes work. Gordes suddenly looked up and snapped: "Are you wondering why I'm helping?"
Uh... I'm not...
"It's so chaotic! I don't know why either! This Holy Grail War... what we expected was to use the magecraft we spent our lives perfecting to fight noble battles with summoned heroes. Why has it turned into this... I don't even want to save the world..." Gordes cried out.
"Was it you who made Siegfried commit suicide?"
Facing Gordes' question, Haruka Kasugano didn't feel like responding, but Toole had already stood up, staring intently at him. Haruka Kasugano thought about it, and then...
WHAM!
He punched Gordes in the head.
"What was that for?!" Gordes gritted his teeth in fury.
"Siegfried was driven to his death because of you!" Haruka Kasugano laughed.
"What? It was my fault..." Gordes was dazed.
Emboldened by seeing Haruka Kasugano punch Gordes, the previously silent Toole stepped forward and shouted: "It is your fault!"
"You homunculus, you think you're in a position to—"
THUD—
Before Gordes could finish, Toole knocked him flat with a punch.
"It is your fault! You are arrogant, conceited, and beyond help! You're only slightly impressive as an alchemist!" Toole shouted at him.
"What?" Gordes sat on the ground, his pride in pieces. "Are there no other adjectives?"
Toole thought for a moment and said: "Yes, if I compare you to the Einzbern family, there are plenty..."
"Hmph! Fine... don't compare us... the Musik family will surpass them sooner or later... specifically through Gordesdorf, my son!" Gordes declared.
"Unless it's the end of the world, your son isn't going to achieve anything. You know that yourself," Toole said with a flat, cruel expression.
Gordes: "..."