Type-Moon: Root Seiko

"Based on our experience, out of ten business owners who greet us, eight assume we're a couple—the other two think we're a married couple who got married relatively young. So instead of going through the trouble of explaining to each one individually, isn't it more efficient to just assume it's a couple?"

"...You're pretty good."

Luo Zhen was somewhat disappointed that he had been refuted by this village girl.

Fortunately, Jeanne wouldn't actually want to be face-to-face with Ryougi while simultaneously drinking from a straw; that would just be a couple showing off their affection.

The two took turns drinking their beverages, each sucking through their own straws. Joan of Arc even broke off a piece of egg waffle and fed it to Luo Zhen.

The aroma of freshly baked food filled my mouth; it was quite delicious.

Joan of Arc also focused on appreciating the taste of the food.

The combination of eggs, sugar, and cream evokes a sense of luxury in any era.

"...Still no one is responding."

Joan of Arc tore off another large piece and put it in her mouth, her fingertips glistening with oil: "I've already unleashed my magic to its maximum. Half the magicians and heroic spirits in the new capital can definitely sense my presence."

“After all, she’s an assassin, so she probably wants to stay hidden,” Luo Zhen said. “We’re more of a deterrent to her. If that assassin notices us and follows us all the way to our house, that would be a good thing. Hopefully, she and her Master are reckless enough to attack our house like they attacked the Church.”

"Yes," Joan of Arc nodded earnestly.

His job is to use himself as bait, waiting for assassins to attack him at any moment!

Chapter 42 Should stockings be worn inside or outside?

They went on a nighttime date and walk, which lasted until 10 p.m.

Luo Zhen and Jeanne d'Arc ate ​​and strolled along the way, with croquettes in their hands that Yu Zhu had specifically requested.

I know she might not eat oranges, but she'll definitely throw a tantrum if I don't buy her some.

Plus, the Tohsaka sisters might wake up in the middle of the night if they've been sleeping this late, and they'll probably get upset if they see the adults eating a midnight snack.

So Luo Zhen ended up buying enough for the whole family – that's what it means to be the head of the family.

Joan of Arc had a wonderful meal today, and even her smile seemed more smug than usual.

"Master, modern times are really interesting. We can get food so easily, and the types and flavors are so different. It feels like we could eat a different thing every day for a year."

"I wonder what my motherland is like now. It would be great if I could go back and see it sometime. And Britain, I'm ashamed to say, I never set foot on British soil before I died. Although my purpose in raising an army was to drive the British back to the other side of the coast, I ended up being burned at the stake on my own country's soil. I really want to know what the British thought about this."

Luo Zhen: "You really have an endless stream of self-torture jokes... Did seeing so many barbecue stalls just now remind you of your own experiences?"

Hehe~ (€€＞€€＜)☆

The Holy Maiden was in an unusually good mood today, telling one hellish joke after another without stopping.

But her mood was indeed not gloomy at all; she talked about her own jokes purely to start a conversation and enjoy chatting with Luo Zhen.

That's fine then. Luo Zhen is also more pleased with her way of getting along without putting on airs.

If she were to act like a missionary, constantly preaching about the will of God, devout prayers, or even meddlesome things like telling Luo Zhen to give up his lust and choose only between oranges and pearls, then she would truly be disliked.

But why did she suddenly shed her idol image (or heroic spirit image?) and really act like a lively 19-year-old female college student...? Let's leave that for now.

In short, the two of them chatted and talked as they walked.

Joan of Arc's mouth never stopped for a moment during the journey. After telling her own story, she started asking about Luo Zhen's past experiences, listening with great enthusiasm.

Then, they arrived at their destination for the night patrol.

Luo Zhen and Zhen De traveled south to the south side of the new city center, to the embankment of the reservoir on the banks of the Weiyuan River.

A few kilometers straight east from here is the Fuyuki Church, which was attacked last night.

Joan of Arc's perception as a Heroic Spirit has a maximum coverage area of ​​about this size.

Luo Zhen asked again, "If you manifest as the Ruler, your perception will be stronger, right?"

“Yes,” Jeanne answered crisply. “Rulers possess several cheating privileges, one of which is their ability to sense Heroic Spirits.”

"I'm not particularly adept at sensing Servants. But with the Ruler privilege boost, I can clearly detect the presence of Servants within a ten-kilometer radius, even ignoring an assassin's 'presence concealment.' Of course, to know a Servant's true name, I must make eye contact with them."

"Very good," Luo Zhen nodded in understanding.

Ruler is, after all, an unconventional class, so it's understandable that they have this ability to cheat.

But Jeanne is now Saber, and Rōjin, who has taken over Ruler's spirit origin, is from the previous generation. Their various permissions are not yet implemented, so they cannot be connected to the foundation of this generation's Holy Grail War.

But this wasn't without a solution, so Luo Zhen raised his arm.

He peeled off the artificial orange skin, revealing the Command Seals on the back of his hand that were faintly burning:

"I command you with a Command Spell: Saber, unleash your magical power to its limit and see through all Heroic Spirits."

“I will obey the Master’s command.”

The saintess, who was laughing and joking just a moment ago, immediately put on a solemn and handsome expression.

Her long braid, tied in a single strand at the back of her head, swayed in the wind, and the magic within her surged into a vortex.

One of her weapons, the military flag, appeared in her hand. The metal counterweight slammed heavily into the ground, generating a magical wave that spread for ten kilometers around.

Joan of Arc did not speak, but her overwhelming magic was clearly proclaiming:

(All the participants gathered on this battlefield of the Holy Grail War, and their invincible heroic spirits!)

(I am here, awaiting your challenge! If you wish to win this Holy Grail War and fight me fair and square, answer me now!)

Because of the intense vibrations of his magic, Luo Zhen could see the dazzling lights of the new capital flicker a few times, and the surge of magic even affected the normal power supply.

If the lurking assassin were within ten kilometers of Joan of Arc, she would definitely have noticed him.

Unfortunately, the radiant light in Joan of Arc's eyes gradually faded, and she shook her head.

"No Heroic Spirits. I was confident that the magical shockwave just now was enough to dispel the assassin's 'Aura Concealment.' But since even that didn't reveal them, the opponent is probably not in the New Capital."

"Yes, that was expected." Luo Zhen wasn't discouraged at all.

Although there was no concrete evidence, Luo Zhen had a hunch during yesterday's encounter that the Master behind the assassin was an even more troublesome individual.

Attacking the church right at the start is absurd, but being able to summon a Heroic Spirit months in advance, independently supply her with mana, and then decisively use a Command Spell to transfer her away when necessary, is not something an ordinary person could do.

Luo Zhen couldn't imagine who could do such a thing... Even if Emiya Kiritsugu hadn't died, it wouldn't have been possible; that old guy wouldn't have done something like attacking the church at the start of the game.

Given that, Luo Zhen really didn't think he could catch the other party's tail so quickly.

"It's okay, go home and rest."

Luo Zhen called to the saintess, who had returned to normal: "Go home and make yourself another cup of black tea. Let's invite Yuzhu and Orange to eat some mochi together. Remember to brush your teeth before you go to sleep, okay?"

"Okay! I'll make sure Master brushes his teeth properly too. Early to bed and early to rise is the only way to... Hmm? You're not going to bed early? 'Tonight we're going to Orange's room... Master~!"

That's great, this saintess can still blush at dirty jokes, she's so worthy of being teased.

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

This hectic yet private period of life continued for a while.

Thanks to Karen's help, and with the active efforts of Yuuka and Touka to replenish Rojin's magic power, it was all thanks to her.

They managed to keep Joan of Arc, who was a huge consumer of magic, under control, even before the Holy Grail was fully activated.

Joan of Arc thus became a big eater, spending her days eating and trying to replenish her magic power through nutrition and digestion... though more importantly, she genuinely loved to eat.

This kind of pleasant life is quite nice.

Luo Zhen also increasingly enjoyed playing dress-up games with this great saintess with an excellent physical body, letting her wear all sorts of clothes.

Although the hidden assassin has not yet been found, there is no sign that the other party has made another move, as if they have already left Fuyuki City.

And so, this pleasant life continued.

“€€€€ is here.”

Orange, who was in charge of monitoring Xindu, opened the sliding door to the living room.

She said to Luo Zhen, who was watching TV with Yu Zhu and her two younger sisters, "A high-end silver supercar has arrived outside the city. Inside is a magician and a Heroic Spirit. They made no attempt to conceal their presence; they're most likely from the Einzbern Empire..."

"Master! Master, Master!"

Joan of Arc, who was in the dressing room, rushed out, her bare legs landing directly on the wooden floor, showing how anxious she was.

Under the watchful eyes of Luo Zhen, Yuzhu, Touko, and the Tohsaka sisters, she asked very seriously:

Should the garter belt be worn inside or outside the underwear?

Chapter 43 Irisviel and Artoria

“€€€€I definitely wear the inner part, that's even more revealing.”

Ignoring the disdainful looks from the girls around him (including the Tohsaka sisters), Luo Zhen gave a cool thumbs up!

After about a month of getting to know each other, Jeanne d'Arc and Rōjin became increasingly close and were now practically family.

Moreover, since Luo Zhen washes all her clothes, and he even buys them himself, all the styles perfectly suit his taste.

Seeing Joan of Arc's long, voluptuous, and incredibly beautiful legs, and her signature black lace trousers paired with a white shirt, Luo Zhen felt wonderful.

He was lavish in his praise: "Joan of Arc, your legs are truly the best in the world! Keep it up!"