In the world of Type-Moon, it all begins with becoming Morgan's husband!

"In any case, she won't be inferior to that saintess."

221. The Test from a Man / The Witch and the Holy Grail / Mordred and Gudako (4k)

The Holy Grail is an object containing a great deal of magical power.

According to the legends passed down among magicians, each Holy Grail can grant the wish of its owner.

Because of this, it is often called the "omnipotent cauldron" or the "wish machine".

Ian has always been a staunch supporter of this view.

after all--

He truly witnessed the power of the Holy Grail.

In the distant Heian period, the great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei had already used the Holy Grail to create a descendant named Abe no Yasachika.

After decades, the final fate of Minamoto no Yorimitsu was changed.

To put it bluntly...

A normal Holy Grail, in the hands of someone who knows how to use it, can indeed be used to the point of defying fate.

but--

For singularities, the Holy Grail is no longer the same thing—it is the very thing that causes singularities to appear.

The overwhelming power contained within the Holy Grail distorted history, giving rise to many possibilities that should never have existed.

As a result, pan-human history gradually veered off course, ultimately leading to the burning of human reason.

This is the most terrifying thing about Operation Rafe.

Thinking of this, Ian couldn't help but gasp.

He composed himself and brought the analysis back to the present.

If Jeanne Alter wasn't lying—if she really was summoned by the Holy Grail.

Then many things can be explained clearly.

Why does she have memories related to Artoria?

—This is because it is a unique "memory correction" feature of the Holy Grail Summoning, which allows Servants to possess memories they would not normally have.

Why does she look almost exactly like her sister Joan of Arc?

—Because she is not a real person, but an existence reproduced through the medium of the "Holy Grail," there is naturally no need to consider her appearance.

and many more.

Ian suddenly realized that something seemed even more wrong.

While the existence of the Holy Grail can indeed explain many previously incomprehensible questions.

But it also brings up more questions that have no answers at the moment.

one.

If the woman before us is indeed "Joan of Arc"—that means there really is someone who wants to summon "Joan of Arc," right?

Who could this person be?

Second.

If this is the case, how did the person who wanted to summon "Joan of Arc" prepare the necessary items?

The Holy Grail summoning isn't something you can just do if you want to.

That was a rather complicated process.

Third.

If both of these conditions are assumed to be true.

Why would someone like Jeanne Alter, with such a fragmented mental state, be born?

What exactly happened during the summoning process?

Damn.

This is not an answer at all—it's a conveyor belt that brings more problems to its feet!

Ian clenched his fist instinctively.

"Hey!"

Jeanne Alter's furious voice rang out.

She reached out and pinched the man's face in front of her.

"You're here again, aren't you?"

"Why do you always drift off into thought halfway through a conversation?! Don't tell me you're thinking about that saintess!"

"..."

Looking at Jeanne Alter's menacing expression, Ian knew he couldn't just blurt out what was on his mind.

Given her extremely unstable mental state, she might do anything if she were to be subjected to any further stimulation.

At this moment, the best course of action is to pretend to be her follower and praise her actions.

"of course not."

"I just think the way you described is..."

"very?"

Upon hearing that word, Jeanne Alter moved her body forward a few more inches, her cheek almost touching the man's face.

It's clear that although she has no sense of shame, she cares a lot about these external opinions.

fine--

The man's response was still praise.

"Very handsome."

"Eh--?!"

Jeanne Alter had expected Ian to criticize her behavior, but to her surprise, she received praise from him.

She, who had been so fierce just moments before, suddenly became somewhat coquettish.

"really?"

"Do you think I look...handsome?"

Although it was somewhat against his will, Ian nodded earnestly.

"Yes."

"That's exactly what I think."

These few simple words deeply touched Jeanne Alter's heart.

A hint of joy shone in her eyes, just like a younger sister being praised by her older brother for doing a good deed.

But soon——

She seemed to realize that this was too embarrassing, so she immediately changed the subject.

"Oh, right, I have one more question to ask you!"

"what is the problem?"

"This is it!"

As Jeanne Alter spoke, she showed the man the front garden they had used during their intimate encounter on the dragon's back.

At this very moment, it is still raining outside.

Drip, drip, just like snow that you don't see in summer.

"What...what are these things you left behind?!"

"..."

Ian knew that Jeanne Alter had zero knowledge in this area, but he never expected it to be this lacking.

"Put it down first."

"..."

Although she didn't like Ian, as a Servant, ordering her, who was also her master, Jeanne Alter, desperate to know the answer, complied anyway.

She stopped that incredibly embarrassing action.

"All right."

"Now it's your turn to tell me the answer, isn't it?"

"..."

Realizing that what she was about to say might have a permanent and irreversible effect on Jeanne d'Arc Alter, who had absolutely no experience in this area.

Ian carefully considered his choice of words.

"Hmm... I guess you could say it's a way of acknowledging my feelings for you."

"Agree?" Black Jeanne, sitting on the man's lap, looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Hmm.” Ian nodded.

"Because you said this was about forming a contract, right?"

"Since it's a contract, it's actually a process of mutual evaluation between the two parties—you're evaluating me, and I'm evaluating you."

"..."

Jeanne Alter did not answer immediately.

But judging from the girl's serious expression, she at least didn't dislike this idea.

"So what were my evaluation results?"