Type-Moon: Root Seiko

Fortunately, for the two young sisters, the novelty of moving to the home of their "favorite older brother" greatly lessened the sadness of being separated from their parents, and now they are walking hand in hand very lively.

Tokiomi Tohsaka's dignified farewell to the two sisters certainly played a decisive role.

Jeanne, who had just blushed from being teased by Ryougi, felt her mood naturally ease just by watching the sisters' cheerful smiles.

This made her realize what was happening, and she looked at Luo Zhen with a hint of resentment: "Master, are you having fun teasing me?"

"Putting aside whether I'm comfortable with it or not, you wouldn't actually do something with Miss Touko and the others in front of Rin and Sakura, would you? That would be very bad for the children's upbringing, and I would really poke your eyes out if that happened."

"Oh~" Luo Zhen deliberately made an exaggerated expression: "It's really good that the Holy Maiden can think of this. I thought you would first advise me to focus on preparing for the Holy Grail War and not get involved in anything between men and women."

Ugh... The Holy Maiden became even more sullen, smoothing her long braid at the back of her head without saying a word.

But it was truly unbelievable that she would be so stubborn; even Joan of Arc herself was quite surprised.

I am a heroic spirit.

They were summoned to fight against other heroes who also came from history and mythology to seize the Holy Grail.

Even if, according to the original plan, I was supposed to be the impartial arbiter.

That would inevitably involve fighting other heroic spirits, and even directly punishing humans living in the present.

But perhaps it's because he could sense that Master Rōzō didn't see him as a tool (Servant) at all.

He truly treated himself the same way, regarding himself only as "a nineteen-year-old woman who was relatively capable in combat and had a history that made her name in history"... nothing more.

Because of how he treated me, I subconsciously accepted it, and when I communicate with him, I always forget that I am a Heroic Spirit.

Joan of Arc murmured softly, "After all, in terms of his experience, whether it is humanity, heroic spirits, or the entire history of humankind, it is just a fleeting moment."

Jeanne watched as the two girls pulled Luo Zhen to choose a cup design, and seeing his doting smile on his profile, she felt inexplicably heartbroken and distressed.

Joan of Arc, who had shared a fleeting fragment of his memory in her dream, was already overwhelmed by the overwhelming length of time and the emptiness.

And he not only firmly preserved his individuality, but now he is also spreading his kindness in such a friendly way...

Or the opposite.

He was clinging to this fleeting moment of human existence, which was of his own.

Live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment.

Upon realizing this, Joan of Arc's heart, as a saint, was filled with anguish.

I want him to be happy.

"I wish that his selfless, boundless, and universal love could be repaid."

"...I understand. Karen, this is your wish, isn't it?"

Joan of Arc could feel the increasingly sharp pain in her heart, and the feelings of Karen, who was still sleeping and recuperating within her spirit core.

Even if Luo Zhen obtained the Holy Grail, he would never use it to harm the world—absolutely not.

Joan of Arc clutched her clothes, once again convincing herself.

He wanted to win the Holy Grail for his Master, Ryougi.

Protect every minute and second that he deserves to walk freely on this land.

-----------------

After that, the family of four continued to make large purchases.

Joan of Arc had changed into her newly bought clothes during this time; they were a sleeveless shirt and athletic shorts that were easy to move in.

Although by the standards of hundreds of years ago, this outfit was a bit too revealing.

But encouraged by Rōjin, Joan of Arc decided to try dressing as a modern young girl, one that matched her age (or rather, the year of her death). She was actually quite eager to try it.

And on Luo Zhen's recommendation, Joan of Arc bought more than a dozen pairs of stockings, including various colors and patterns in addition to the most versatile black.

After Joan of Arc asked, with a puzzled look, why she had to wear stockings.

Luo Zhen gave a thumbs up with an incredibly righteous look: "Because the glimpse of thigh peeking out between the stockings of a girl wearing shorts and a short skirt is the romantic absolute territory!"

"Romantic...absolute territory! (€€°€€°€€)€€€€€€"

Jeanne herself was still clueless, but Rin Tohsaka next to her seemed to be even more shocked, as if she had eaten too much pelican pancake.

Then Rin changed into a children's pleated skirt and stockings, and tried to get her younger sister Sakura to change with her, but her shy sister refused.

Luo Zhen, the older brother, wholeheartedly agreed, and was truly delighted by the budding of the girl's heart.

It was in this newly dressed Joan of Arc that, while Luo Zhen was leading his two younger sisters, she volunteered to buy the cakes the children wanted.

When she took the wallet from him, the saintess was quite eager to try it out, ready to make her first purchase in this prosperous modern world!

Then I heard the kind, plump lady behind the counter say, "Oh my, this foreign mother is so young! Her eyes are beautiful blue, just like her children's. I'm so envious!"

"Even your husband is so handsome, you must have gotten married very young! Here are two extra cakes for you, please come again soon~€€"

"…………That's very kind of you."

The saintess's heart, always drawn to goodness, made it impossible for her to deny the pure kindness of the enthusiastic aunt... Perhaps there was also a little ulterior motive, hoping that the wealthy family, a young transnational marriage with two children, would support their business more in the future.

(But I never expected that my appearance would actually make me look like Rin and Sakura's mother, rather than their older sister or something... Could it be that I actually look old in the eyes of Asians?!)

The inexplicably anxious and uncertain Saintess, her face flushing red and then pale, returned to her family.

The children, engrossed in their conversation, didn't notice Joan of Arc's unusual behavior and were eager to go to the next shop.

Luo Zhen held their hands and whispered to Joan of Arc, who was half a step behind:

“You don’t want to spoil the mood with your explanation, and you’re worried about embarrassing the other person, which is understandable. But every time these two kids pass by this store in the future, people will think, ‘Where did that young and beautiful blonde mom go?’... If Ms. Aoi has any misunderstandings in the future, you should explain it to her yourself.”

"~~~~!"

(Oh, I forgot, my Master is also a Heroic Spirit with a Spirit Origin! He can hear everything perfectly!)

Joan of Arc silently pressed her head down... She really felt that ever since she was summoned, she had been experiencing all sorts of unexpected situations that broke down her psychological defenses, which was really terrible.

Chapter 40 A Nighttime Date

"Master, please have some tea."

"Thank you."

Luo Zhen took the black tea (selected tea leaves) that Zhen De had brewed for him and rested for a while after washing the pots and pans.

Now, only Luo Zhen and Jeanne d'Arc, who was standing beside him very consciously, were in the living room.

During dinner, both children's batteries suddenly ran out, causing the power to cut off.

The two of them went from a state of high energy and excitement to a state of rest, almost falling asleep while eating. Now they've been taken back to their room to rest.

Yuzhu was in her Western-style mansion, and Orange went back to her room to work overtime.

Joan of Arc savored the peaceful moment when it was just the two of them, stared blankly at the clock for a while, and then spoke:

“Master, you could have asked me to help with the dishes. I’m pretty good at housework, you know. After all, you know my background.”

"I know that, but I basically don't let women into the kitchen," Luo Zhen replied in a very masculine way.

Luo Zhen loves to cook.

Get to handle all kinds of ingredients and seasonings, and experience the process of these materials going from their natural, raw state to coming into your hands.

Then, combining the experience and innovation of predecessors, cook it in a way that makes it delicious, so that your loved one can enjoy it.

The process was enjoyable for him; the cooking itself was like a condensation of human history... though not quite that exaggerated.

The more crucial reason is actually quite simple: "Orange and Pearl are both terrible at housework. And their hands are precious; it would be terrible if they got hurt. I naturally got used to it while taking care of them."

"But I won't get hurt, okay? My fingers are harder than a knife, I won't get injured, at most I'll just break some kitchen utensils, okay?"

The saintess actually wanted to prove this point, so she stretched out a pair of slender, white palms in front of Luo Zhen, her ten fingers twitching.

She didn't sense anything was wrong at all, looking at Luo Zhen's puzzled face:

"Although I'm not as good at cooking as you, Master, my dishes probably won't taste as good. But I'm not some delicate princess, so helping out in the kitchen is no problem at all!"

"And washing dishes and such, Orange and Miss Yuzhu need to be pampered, but I'm fine, okay? Dish soap won't hurt my skin, you can touch it if you don't believe me."

What was she trying to do...? Luo Zhen looked back and forth at her approaching hand and face, and saw that she was inexplicably showing a proud smile.

"...Since you've put it that way, why don't you come and help in the kitchen for breakfast tomorrow?"

Feeling that it would be dangerous to tease her casually, Luo Zhen restrained himself from squeezing her hand and silently pushed her away.

The saintess smiled with satisfaction and nodded with a radiant expression.

That smile is truly as healing as a golden retriever wagging its tail.

No wonder Rin Tohsaka, who was initially quite wary of her, became very close to her after spending a day together. This saintess is definitely the type that children like.

What a pity, only nineteen years old... Luo Zhen silently drank his tea, saying nothing.

"Okay, let's go."

After finishing his cup of black tea, Luo Zhen washed the teacup and placed it on the drying rack. Then, he planned to go out with Jeanne.

The Holy Maiden nodded energetically, taking a half-step behind and closely following Luo Zhen.