Type-Moon: Root Seiko

But she shouldn't care about such things... The saintess ruminously churned with a bitter taste in her mouth.

Despite some differences in doctrine and sectarianism, Joan of Arc considered that foreign Christian, who was a model of faith, to be one of her own.

Both were heroic spirits and believers, and Joan of Arc also wanted to get along with her amicably.

But she couldn't help but feel competitive, which surprised even Joan of Arc herself.

“…You can’t be so narrow-minded, Jeanne.”

"If you feel you still have shortcomings, you should learn from Xiao Kuang's character and strive to improve yourself... Hmm?!"

Joan of Arc was still encouraging herself when she suddenly felt the berserker's magic.

That's her Noble Phantasm! She used her Noble Phantasm again? Who is she attacking?!

Joan of Arc immediately rushed out of the dressing room, changed into her battle armor in a few steps, and ran out of the corridor.

"Master! I'm here to help... Huh?"

Joan of Arc slid and barely managed to stop herself at the gate of the mansion, her expression even more dumbfounded.

She saw Luo Zhen standing in front of Kyoshino, his hand still gripping the demon arm that extended from Kyoshino's back.

That was one of her Noble Phantasms, "Delusional Heartbeat," a skill of Hassan from history known as "Cursed Arm."

Luo Zhen grabbed the outstretched claw of the demonic creature with his bare hands.

The incredible magic-suppressing effect activated again, causing the demon god's arm, which was manifested through magic, to disintegrate and disappear.

This enraged Kyoko again: "Saber's Master, get out of my way! Let me kill that woman!"

"She reeks of the Dead Apostles! She's a member of that filthy church and connected to the Dead Apostles; such depraved beings must be eradicated immediately!"

"Don't say that." Luo Zhen raised his hand to stop the agitated Xiao Kuang.

Because of the Berserk state, Kyoko's thinking is prone to being extreme and getting stuck on trivial details, so she needs to be constantly guided to listen to explanations.

After Joan of Arc, Canaan, sensing the commotion, arrived late, still leisurely sucking on a lollipop.

She quickly understood the situation, and with a "pop," she took the hard candy out of her mouth.

"That nun isn't a Dead Apostle... or at least not entirely. Although she does smell of Dead Apostles, that's probably from killing too many people."

"Excuse me, Sister, my servant has a rather impulsive personality and always wants to kill people first. Would you like some chocolate?"

"Oh, thank you~, you're welcome."

The nun, protected behind Luo Zhen, remained remarkably calm; the near-attack by a Heroic Spirit did not faze her at all.

She took the chocolate Canaan offered, put it in her mouth without any suspicion, and silently savored it while gently covering her lips.

Her round, bright eyes darted back and forth between the two groups of lords and servants: Rōjin, Jeanne d'Arc, Canaan, and Kyojin, before she happily squinted.

"Please allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Hiel, and I am the overseer sent by the Holy Church to replace Father Kotomine."

"Because the process is a bit complicated, and the higher-ups are arguing endlessly about 'who should be held responsible for rashly giving away Joan of Arc's relics.' No one wants to face the questioning from the saint herself, so they'd rather just drag it out until the Holy Grail War ends."

"In the end, it just wouldn't end no matter how long it dragged on; in fact, it seemed to get worse, so the higher-ups finally dumped me on them. The only reason was because I'm also from France... so I'm really embarrassed. Our church is a disgrace, like a shady company; I'm truly sorry."

"Ah... hahaha. It's okay, I'm used to it."

Miss Joan of Arc nodded with great understanding and sympathy.

Upon learning that the young and clever nun was from the same hometown as her, Joan of Arc felt an even greater sense of closeness.

Judging from her appearance, she's probably under 20 years old.

Joan of Arc was very pleased that he could shoulder such a heavy responsibility at such a young age, and that his calm demeanor showed that he was a true veteran.

"Then let's confirm the current situation as soon as possible."

The young, blue-haired nun, dressed in her vestments, spoke in a lively and friendly tone:

"Afterwards, I will hold a general meeting at the church to contact all Masters as much as possible."

"But before that, I'd like to speak with both Saber and Berserker, who were deeply involved in the previous attack... or rather, the 'misunderstanding.' I assure you this is just a simple exchange from the perspective of a church overseer, and I will continue to uphold the principle of magical secrecy. What do you two think?"

"Okay, no problem." Canaan readily accepted and opened the third pack of lollipops.

then……

Only then did everyone present notice that, apart from stopping Kyoko from attacking the supervisor named Chiel, Luo Zhen hadn't said a single word.

He had been observing Hierl closely, scrutinizing him thoroughly from head to toe.

This made Hiel, who had maintained a friendly smile the whole time, a little embarrassed, and she blinked rapidly:

"Saber's Master is called Mr. Rozen, right?"

"Do you have a problem with me? Or do you think I'm too young and not suitable to be a supervisor, or something like that..."

"No," Luo Zhen immediately denied.

He hesitated subtly for a moment, but finally decided to ask:

"Sister Hierre, if I may ask a question... how old are you this year? To be precise, what year were you born?"

"Also, are your parents still alive?"

Chapter 68 This is the Lostbelt

"€€€€~? I get really shy when someone suddenly asks me my exact age~"

Hier's cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her eyes shyly, looking quite adorable.

But, the next moment.

A smile still lingered on her lips, but her eyes suddenly sharpened.

“Mr. Luo Zhen, do you know what happened in my village, and that’s why you’re asking this on purpose? Then I need to understand how you know.”

"..."

Luo Zhen did not respond to Xier's sharp probing, but simply waited for her answer.

Confused by the strange atmosphere, Joan of Arc could only stare blankly at Rozen and Hierro.

Although she didn't understand the deeper meaning behind Luo Zhen's words, Joan of Arc still firmly stood by Luo Zhen's side.

With Canaan and the fanatics naturally gathering around him, Hier was well aware that he was a complete outsider.

Moreover, both morally and logically, their own church owes them money.

Hier immediately relaxed and gave Rozen a clear answer:

"I'm 17 years old this year. If I were in regular school, I would be a senior in high school right now."

"Also, my parents are both alive and still run a small bakery in our hometown."

“I go back to visit them every year. They only think I attend a full-boarding church school and don’t know that I’ve become an agent.”

Hiel tilted her head slightly, still wearing her sweet, professional smile, and asked with her eyes, "Is that enough?"

These answers alone were enough to greatly shock Luo Zhen.

But to confirm his suspicions, he still had to make one more mistake.

"Nahiel, why did you become the proxy?"

"Especially since you carry a strong Dead Apostle aura. As agents, and specifically hunters of Dead Apostles, most of us are victims ourselves. Are you one of them?"

"...I always feel that you, Mr. Luo Zhen, are looking for answers before you even begin. I'd like to ask you, what do you know?"

Hier finally stopped laughing.

Even though she asked so directly, Luo Zhen still had no intention of answering her question.

What a troublesome person… Hiel sighed softly, frowning.

"Yes, as you said."

"About five years ago, when I was 12 years old, a self-proclaimed artist, a bitch, came to my house and kidnapped me."

"She said she wanted me to be her collectible, to turn me into her servant, and to manipulate me into killing all the townspeople with my own hands."

"Fortunately, at that time, a heroic spirit suddenly appeared and killed my apprentice, saving me—it was you, Jeanne d'Arc-senpai."

"what?"

Joan of Arc blinked in great surprise.

"I didn't really want to say it, I'm so embarrassed."

Hier scratched his cheek shyly:

“I know that the summoned heroic spirits will at most leave a record, but will not have clear memories, right? Jeanne-de-Claude would definitely not remember such a small thing.”

"Heroes in human history are not so cheap. Legend has it that only when human history encounters a major crisis will the Counterforce occasionally summon one or two heroic spirits."

"So it's really incredible that the evil deeds of a mere Dead Apostle seeking pleasure could attract heroic spirits. At that time, I thought that this must be a revelation."

Hierre's bright eyes looked at Joan of Arc, filled with gratitude and empathy for this fellow countrywoman:

"I was taken back for examination by church agents who arrived later, and they discovered that I seemed to have a good talent for magic."