Earth Princess? No, it's Fujimaru Ritsuka!

Page 26

"Really? He looks like a grumpy, drunken old man!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka did feel a pang of sadness, but she didn't pay much attention to the knight.

The world is already this cruel, what's wrong with being a little down? I can understand, I can understand.

However, Fujimaru Ritsuka cannot be allowed to leave. If she does leave or goes insane, then humanity will have little hope left.

However, let's go up and ask anyway.

"Excuse me for asking... what exactly did you mean by Joan of Arc? We are new to this place and do not know what has happened."

Mashu stepped forward and asked first.

"Huh...uh?"

The knight glanced at Mash blankly: "First time here? You're really out of luck. This town is about to be destroyed. If you listen to me, you'd better run for your lives."

"Joan of Arc has returned from hell... She will kill all our traitors, kill all the living people of France, and turn them into living corpses. She hangs over France like a ghost."

"what……"

Fujimaru Ritsuka rubbed her forehead.

Why is this person so depressed?!

"Wait a minute—! How could this be!!!" Dr. Roman's voice came through the communicator: "You are the national hero of France, the saint who dedicated herself to saving the country, yet you're destroying France?! This is impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Dr. Roman stated unequivocally: "Joan of Arc is a saintly figure; she should not possess traits such as hatred or vengeance!"

"She was a noble saint who rose up at the age of seventeen to save France, and who, with her sublime faith in God, did not yield even when captured, interrogated, and executed. She would never have a dark side or a reverse side!"

""

The knight was slightly taken aback. He looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka and found that her mouth was not moving, which made him even more confused.

"Who is it? Who's speaking? That voice... it's infuriating..."

"It's our comrade supporting us from the rear. This is a remote communication device, and he's talking to us from afar right now."

Mash explained.

"Heh...so she's a magician who doesn't dare show her face." The knight sneered after realizing what had happened. "Joan of Arc won't turn evil?! I saw it with my own eyes! I saw her ride a terrifying dragon and destroy the entire city of Lyon!"

"I saw her tear the king's head off, and crush his spine into pieces... You're telling me Joan of Arc didn't turn evil?!"

"You don't understand, you just don't understand!"

"Joan of Arc has come for revenge!"

"She'll be here soon, and then this town will fall!"

The knight howled in anger, his heart-wrenching cries proving that he didn't believe Joan of Arc would turn to the dark side either, but... he had no choice but to believe it.

"What angry knight... I'm just... incapable of doing anything..."

"Alright, alright, what's with this old man crying like that? If Joan of Arc really comes to invade this city, I can just defeat her directly."

Fujimaru Ritsuka waved her hand and said, "Don't let our appearance fool you, we're still very strong, much stronger than the average person, right, Mash?"

She and Mashu looked at each other, and the latter nodded seriously.

"That's right, senior is incredibly strong, you know. Even the real Jeanne d'Arc could definitely defeat her..."

"it's useless."

The down-on-his-luck French knight shook his head: "Even the legendary dragon slayer who appeared in the shadows was defeated. If you had ever seen Joan of Arc in her vengeful moments, you would know that the flames of her vengeance were irresistible."

This person has been terrified by Joan of Arc.

Fujimaru Ritsuka shook his head.

What a poor guy. I don't know what happened, but he must have been really hurt.

Drip!

Just then, Dr. Roman's voice suddenly came through the communicator, and he said in a surprised tone:

"The observation data for Sheba is in. Ritsuka, Mashu, the person standing before you right now is actually—"

The doctor's tone was incredulous.

P.S.: Please read on, meow!!!

PS2: Guess who this knight is, meow! A little red flower is your reward if you guess correctly! Meow~

Chapter 24 I recognize you, King Arthur! We have a deep and abiding friendship!

"The knight you are currently encountering is a famous commander from the Hundred Years' War..."

"—Etienne de Vignoli

Dr. Roman looked at the analysis and judgment given by Sheba and made his judgment.

"Ai what...who is that?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka shook her head, indicating that she had never heard of it.

"I know, he was an important commander who followed Joan of Arc in a series of battles. It is said that he was called the Angry La Hire because of his impatient personality! He can be said to be a senior general who served as Joan of Arc's right-hand man along with Gilles de Rais."

"It is said that the Jack of Hearts on the playing cards is printed with this gentleman."

“I am very sorry, Mr. Raziel. We have offended you before. Please forgive us.”

Mashu's mouth gaped slightly, equally shocked. She seemed to find it hard to reconcile the dejected knight before her with the Jack of Hearts on a playing card.

The middle-aged man known as La Hire only glanced at Mash.

"La Hire is dead."

"He was already dead when Joan of Arc turned into a demon. What lies here now is nothing but a walking corpse."

The dejected knight stared blankly at the sky, muttering incoherently.

"Joan of Arc is a devil, ahahaha... she really is a devil, Joan of Arc is really a devil, ahahahaha!"

Just as Raziel was laughing bitterly and hysterically, a similarly disheveled figure came into view and angrily swung his fist.

It was an extremely sorrowful voice, and an uncontrollable fist.

"You bastard, making up such nonsense about someone's daughter being a demon is just... too much!"

The woman, whose body bore obvious burn marks, was just a wife and a mother, like most ordinary rural women.

But unlike them, her daughter was Joan of Arc, whom they called a witch.

The heavy fist slammed into the knight's face, a sight that made one wince in pain.

"You stupid woman, what do you know?! You bastard, don't hit my face!"

"What do I know?! I'm her mother, what do I know! Joan of Arc was only 17 when she went to war! For France, for the country of you guys! How could she be a demon, how could she be a witch!"

"Joan of Arc's mother..."

Everyone looked at each other.

Historically, there are indeed records of Joan of Arc's mother, Isabella. Mainly after Joan of Arc's execution, this poor yet great mother tirelessly worked to prove that Joan of Arc was not a witch. Although her efforts were rewarded decades later, this moment marks the beginning of a long journey for this mother who has just barely escaped the fire in Domrémy.

"I see... You've already arrived in Vokuler."

A pleasant voice came through the communicator; it was a very gentle female voice.

However, her name is quite well-known.

Leonardo da Vinci, the legendary inventor and a genius of the Renaissance.

However, for some reason, she is currently appearing in the world as a female [Mona Lisa], as a Servant.

"How's the intelligence gathering going?" Leonardo da Vinci asked.

"Based on the current situation, it has been confirmed. For some unknown reason, a Joan of Arc suddenly appeared, controlling a mythical creature from the Age of Gods, namely a [Dragon], and began attacking France. According to the current situation, at least Paris and Lyon have been destroyed. The next target city is very likely to be Vaucouleur."

Dr. Roman hesitated for a moment: "Leonardo, do you think it's possible for someone like Joan of Arc, who is blessed by the gods, to have an Alter form?"

"That should be impossible, right? As far as I know, unless the saint himself had great resentment and a legend of corruption before his death, it is impossible for a reversal to occur... Even if the most extreme situation occurs and the spirit origin undergoes a large-scale change, the self-awareness should still not be eliminated."

"Then what this singularity refers to as Joan of Arc...?"

"That's probably fake." Leonardo da Vinci smiled slightly, patted his chest, and said with certainty, "How could Joan of Arc possibly have the ability to control dragons? Moreover, it's very likely that the culprit behind the singularity, the Holy Grail, is in her hands."

"Understood!" Fujimaru Ritsuka summarized the mission:

"Find Joan of Arc, kill Joan of Arc, seize the Holy Grail, and return to Chaldea! Is that all?"

Da Vinci rested his chin on his finger bones and nodded, saying, "Hmm, that makes sense. But we need to decide on the specifics right away, Ritsuka-chan. By the way, wasn't there a woman claiming to be Joan of Arc's mother there just now?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka: "Yes, they're beating up Mr. La Hire right now."

As she answered, she watched the woman's calloused hands relentlessly attacking the dejected knight.

This situation has been brewing for a long time. Normally, the knights prey on the villagers, oppress the people, and even kill anyone they don't like in a fit of anger without being punished by law. But when it really matters, they become so cowardly and afraid of the truth, which is truly despicable.

Raziel didn't care at all, and just kept repeating: "Jeanne d'Arc Alter's revenge is irresistible."

“I see. Based on my judgment, if Joan of Arc’s mother appeared in Vaucouleur, it means that Domrémy has already fallen, and the surrounding villages have probably been burned to the ground long ago.”

"If it were the real Joan of Arc, even if she turned to the dark side, it would be unlikely that she would harm her own hometown, right? That's why I said that the Joan of Arc is definitely fake."

I see, that makes sense.

Even a tyrannical king like King Arthur, who turned to the dark side, would still have considerable affection for Britain. He might have adopted some extremely extreme methods of rule, but it would be absolutely impossible for him to carry out indiscriminate massacres like Joan of Arc.

"I understand! So, Jeanne's feelings for Orleans must be the same as my feelings for Chaldea! No matter what, I want to protect Chaldea, even after becoming a Dead Apostle, that hasn't changed! As expected of Leonardo da Vinci, his analysis is very insightful!"

Mashu clapped her hands with a look of admiration.

The two people in the central control room looked at each other in bewilderment, and then sighed in unison.

Mashu's words made Leonardo da Vinci doubt the accuracy of his analysis. After all, Mashu's creation was inhumane... such artificial life forms have always been a major moral obstacle for humanity.

For example, the Misaka Sisters from A Certain Magical Index, Rei Ayanami from Evangelion, and so on.

Even if Mashu hates Chaldea, it would be understandable for her to carry out a massacre of Chaldea researchers.

"In short, you all know the current situation. Try to assess the situation as it is, and then find a spiritual vein to set up a temporary base. That way, we can provide you with timely support," Dr. Roman said quickly after a brief silence.

“Understood. As for Mr. La Hire…” Mash glanced at the knight, then continued to ask.

"Since the other side has lost its will to fight, there's nothing more to say. We can only let it be. However, if you have the ability, try to protect Joan of Arc's mother... perhaps she is an important clue in this singularity."

Protect married women... no, protect saintly figures?

Indeed, since Joan of Arc's mother is here, we might encounter something. She seems like an important NPC, waiting to trigger the main quest.

It didn't take long.

Soon, an urgent bell rang from the castle watchtower.

A hoarse roar immediately echoed from each of the watchtowers!

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"The flying dragon is coming!"

"The flying dragon is coming!"

"The flying dragon is coming!"

The blue sky was radiant with the glow of the halo, and small dots could be seen gradually approaching on the horizon, one, two, three... more and more.

"It's over, that's...that's Jeanne Alter's vanguard, a special forces unit of twelve dragons. Encountering them means that Jeanne Alter and that dragon are not far from us...not far at all. Vokuller is about to fall."

"I'm telling you! Are you still a glorious French knight?!"

Isabella grabbed the knight by the collar: "Are you even that child's companion?! Answer me! Even the farmers who just put down their hoes are fighting, and women and children are on the city walls. Are you planning to keep going like this?!"

"Don't worry, madam."

Fujimaru Ritsuka gripped her wrist, her bloodshot eyes fixed on the approaching horde of flying dragons. After taking a deep breath, she spoke slowly.

“I’ll grab Jeanne by the collar and bring her back to you. Let’s go, Mash!”

“Yes, senpai! Madam, please trust us. We came here precisely to resolve this incident.” Mashu conjured a shield, left these words, and then hurriedly jogged to catch up with Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"Wait a minute...who exactly are you?!"

Isabella raised her hand, as if to say something, but the non-humans were too fast. She had barely opened her mouth when Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu had vanished.

"They are...?"