To become a king and a magician

It was precisely because he knew that Ryougi Shiki would intervene that Natsukawa Torara was leaving things to their own devices. If not, even if he were chased and hacked down by Ryougi Shiki for dozens of blocks, he would still take her to Avalon.

Hearing Natsukawa Torato say that, Aozaki Aoko breathed a slight sigh of relief: "That's good. So, continue... Eh? Why is Fujimaru's face so pale?"

"Huh? Yes, really?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka, snapping out of her daze, quickly waved her hand: "I'm fine, I was just thinking about something, please continue—"

“If you’re thinking about something, it’s better to say it now,” Aozaki Aoko interrupted her. “I can understand if you’re hiding something, but if you keep your little secrets to yourself, it might cause some trouble later… Is there something about what I just said that bothers you?”

“Hmm.” Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded. “But rather than calling it my secret, I’m more surprised and incredulous. Um… just to confirm, are Ryougi Shiki and Ata, whom the captain and Aoko mentioned earlier, people who live in Kanbuko City?”

【Yes, how come... Could it be that you, Fujimaru, know Shiki and Ata?】

Fujimaru Ritsuka scratched the back of her head somewhat awkwardly: "I'm not very familiar with Ryougi Shiki, but as for Atalanta... Atalanta-sensei has been my teacher since elementary school."

"Really?"

"Well, really."

After exchanging a glance, Aozaki Aoko and Natsukawa Torato both saw surprise in each other's eyes. Atalanta was Fujimaru Ritsuka's teacher? And the teacher who had taught her since elementary school?

Isn't this too much of a coincidence?

[This really surprises me; I've never heard of you from Ata before.]

"I haven't heard anything about her getting married from the teacher... No, I can tell that the teacher is married, after all, she disappears for a week every month, and I sometimes find men's clothes when I go to her house—Minister, although I think it's impossible, could it be that the teacher's husband is you?"

Seeing the complex emotions in Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes on the other side, Natsukawa Torama nodded directly.

"Oh, it's me. But I really haven't married anyone yet, at most I'm engaged—speaking of which, Fujimaru, you not only have to call me captain, but also grandmaster."

"..."

Fujimaru Ritsuka felt like she was dreaming. How come every woman she met had such a deep relationship with her captain? Not a single one of them was unrelated to Natsukawa Torato. Had he gone too far in his relationships with women?

Even the most clichéd light novels she'd ever read weren't this outrageous!

Meanwhile, upon hearing the information revealed in Fujimaru Ritsuka's words, Aozaki Aoko's eyebrows twitched several times: "Whoa~~~ Ata is never seen for a week every month? This is something I can't just ignore... It seems like you, Tora, also go back to Japan for a week every month?"

[Yeah, I told you guys about that a few years ago—oh right, Aoko, you're often not home, so you probably didn't know, right?]

"..."

Only at times like this would Aozaki Aoko realize that her years of wandering were a mistake. Although she believed that Natsukawa Torama was not the type to take the initiative, he was extremely vulnerable to those who took the initiative against him. And neither Meryl nor Rei were the type to stop him!

"Tiger, just remember this for now, I'll settle the score with you later."

【Oh. 】

Completely clueless and unaware of why Aozaki Aoko said that, Natsukawa Tora nodded casually—he was already quite used to his mage mistress's occasional sudden reprimands, since he was the one who felt comfortable in the end anyway.

It's like making a profit for free, no, it should be called a win-win situation.

Putting aside the strange relationship between Natsukawa Toramaru, Atalanta, and Fujimaru Ritsuka for the moment, Aozaki Aoko continued the previous topic: "So, based on my description, Toramaru, can you deduce the true name of the Servant other than Atalanta?"

[It's very simple, there are already enough clues. A full suit of black armor, wielding a staff, and making "Arrr" noises—that's undoubtedly Lancelot.]

"Are you telling the truth, brother?"

Upon hearing the name Lancelot, Mash, who had been silent until now, immediately became serious: "Could the other Servant's true name really be Lord Lancelot?"

[At least in my memory, he's the only one who fits the bill. I crossed paths with him once during the Holy Grail War twenty years ago, and it left a deep impression. What, are you itching to try? Mash.]

Taking a deep breath, Mash placed her hand on her chest: "Perhaps, at least the power Mr. Galahad left me produced a similar reaction... Excuse me, everyone, if we encounter Lord Lancelot later, could you leave him to me?"

As a member of the Round Table, she was destroying her own homeland alongside the witch. Although the details were unclear, Mash could feel the power within her constantly conveying her dissatisfaction with her father's actions, which were tarnishing the name of a knight.

Aozaki Aoko shrugged: "If you want to repair the singularity, you will definitely have to fight Joan of Arc and her group. At that time, a battle with Lancelot will be inevitable. It would be best if you were willing to take on the task."

"Oh, by the way, speaking of Joan of Arc, there's someone I think you should meet."

"Someone? Who?"

Joan of Arc.

45. That woman is here.

Joan of Arc?!

Upon hearing Aozaki Aoko's words, Fujimaru Ritsuka and the other two couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Wasn't Joan of Arc burned at the stake and resurrected as the witch Joan of Arc? Why did Aozaki Aoko say that they could go see Joan of Arc now?

Seeing the three of them like this, Aozaki Aoko said, "Well, she will explain the details to you when you meet her. Wait here for a moment, I will go upstairs and call her down."

"No, no need, I'm already down."

Before Aozaki Aoko could finish speaking and get up, a soft female voice came from the stairwell. Then, Fujimaru Ritsuka and the other two saw a girl with golden braids coming down from the second floor.

Approaching the group, the girl—Jeanne—smiled slightly: "I heard your conversation from upstairs. I'm sorry, but I've been being chased by another version of myself since the beginning of this world. I was only able to rest last night after being rescued by Miss Aozaki, so I've been sleeping the whole time and haven't been able to meet you all right away."

"Nice to meet you all from Chaldea. I am Jeanne d'Arc, a Ruler-class Servant. I have been summoned to this world to deal with the crisis in this singularity. Please take care of me."

Jeanne's gaze swept quickly over Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mashu, and Akuta Hinako before landing on Natsukawa Toramaru, who appeared in the room as a holographic image. Jeanne smiled slightly and said, "Also, it really has been a long time, Mr. Natsukawa. I didn't expect to see you again. How is Miss Gray doing?"

【Huh?】

"Huh?"

Both sides were stunned for a moment upon hearing Joan of Arc's sudden remark.

Another old acquaintance of Natsukawa Tora?!

(Minister! The number of women you know is really a bit abnormal!)

"Tiger......"

[Aoko, I know why you're looking at me like that, but I'm also a little surprised. Although I do know Jeanne d'Arc, it was during a Holy Grail War in a parallel world. I haven't met her in this world yet.]

Xia Chuanhu was also somewhat bewildered.

Jeanne's class is Ruler, a class that retains memories of the previous Holy Grail War each time she appears in the world. If this were a parallel world, he wouldn't find it strange that Jeanne would say something like "long time no see".

But he had never met Joan of Arc in this world, so why would Joan of Arc say that to him?

Seeing that the others were somewhat puzzled, Joan of Arc explained, "Mr. Natsukawa, I am indeed Joan of Arc from this world, and this is indeed the first time we have met. As you might think, I shouldn't know you. But you also remember, a few years ago there was an incident involving parallel worlds, and the axis of the parallel world you visited intersected with that of this world."

[That Wallachia Night in Misaki City?]

Jeanne d'Arc nodded: "At that time, there was some contact between the Thrones of Heroes in both worlds, and it was then that I received memories of that Holy Grail War from my parallel self."

【No wonder......】

If that's the case, then Natsukawa Torato can understand why Jeanne d'Arc said those words earlier. According to actual time calculations, the Holy Grail War that took place in Tulipas was fourteen years ago. Although there is no concept of time and space on the Throne of Heroes, it doesn't mean that Heroic Spirits are unaware of the passage of time.

For both sides, it had indeed been a long time since they had seen each other.

Natsukawa Tora smiled slightly.

[Nice to meet you, and it's been a long time, Joan of Arc. Grey is doing well, but she's currently helping Orange and Da Vinci clean the workshop and can't come over for the time being. Otherwise, I think you'd be quite surprised by how much Grey has changed over the years.]

"I think so too. After all, Miss Grey was only nine years old back then. She must have grown up a lot by now. I really want to meet her if I have the chance."

There will definitely be plenty of opportunities later, let's get down to business now—Joan of Arc, is there something you want to tell us that you've appeared before us?

Jeanne nodded slightly: "Yes. But actually, I think most things don't need much explanation. Since everyone's goal is to repair the singularity, then our goals are actually the same. There's no need for us to discuss fighting side by side anymore."

"What I want to talk about is how to deal with the other me."

How to deal with the witch Jeanne d'Arc is indeed an important question. She is the main reason for the anomaly of the singularity. Although defeating her would probably fix the singularity, the strength of the witch Jeanne d'Arc is still unknown. All that Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others know is that she leads a large number of dragons and a number of Servants.

Do you know the details about Joan of Arc, the witch?

"After all, I was summoned almost right near their base, which could be considered lucky. Although I was being hunted down from the start, it also exposed their combat strength to me."

"Aside from the dragons that I know about, there are actually seven Servants. Unfortunately, my privilege as Ruler has somehow failed me, and I am unable to know the real names of each of them. I apologize."

[Don't worry about that. I also possess an ability similar to seeing through true names—besides these, does the witch Jeanne d'Arc have any other combat power?]

“There’s another dragon,” Joan of Arc said. “Not a wyvern, but a top-tier fantasy dragon. According to my other self, its name is [Fafner].

"The evil dragon that was slain by the famous dragon-slaying hero Siegfried."

——————————————————————————————————————

Meanwhile, in the sky about thirty kilometers away from Vokuler.

A dark cloud formation composed of countless wyverns was rapidly moving towards Vokuler. At the very front of this dragon formation was a colossal black dragon, several levels larger and more ferocious than the wyverns.

Leaning on the dragon banner atop the black dragon's head, Jeanne Alter gazed into the distance in the direction of Vokurare.

"I feel it, this feeling... Yes, it's there, I'm right there."

“How lucky you are, Joan of Arc.” Gilles de Rais came to Joan of Arc’s side and laughed. “Vokuller, that’s the fortress where the magician who repelled us was. This way, we can not only get rid of the fake, but also get rid of that troublesome magician at the same time. It’s a win-win situation.”

Jeanne Alter gave a sinister laugh: "Ah~~~~ You're right, Gilles. Whether it's that hateful magician or the naive and ignorant other me, this time you absolutely cannot escape."

46. ​​Jeanne Alter, about to be blown up into an ahegao (evil curse).

Favreau.

The evil dragons that exist in Norse mythology are legendary dragon species that appear in works such as the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, the Volsunga, and the Ring of the Nibelungs.

It was a creature that humans of that era feared immensely. Even heroes who mustered the courage to fight it were ultimately doomed. The legend of this evil dragon finally came to an end when the dragon-slaying hero Siegfried appeared and killed it with his holy sword.

However, even that hero, when facing this evil dragon, only managed to slay it after experiencing countless dangers and a series of strokes of luck, and was thus bathed in its dragon blood, thereby gaining immortality.

In terms of rank, Fafnir is undoubtedly a fantasy species, and at the pinnacle of that species.

Such a being is now under the command of the witch Joan of Arc? And is he joining her in the destruction of France?

Are you sure, Jeanne? If it really is that evil dragon Fafnir, then we'll have to deal with him... Can Akuta and Ms. Aozaki defeat him?

Roman, who had initially thought it would be difficult to deal with, turned to ask Hinako Akuta and Aoko Aozaki after some thought. As things stand, they are the strongest fighters available, and only the two of them can be relied upon to deal with Fafnir.

Aozaki Aoko and Akuta Hinako were silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"Using magic will definitely not be a problem."

"I'm about the same. It's just a mere evil dragon. I can bomb it a few hundred times, or even a few thousand if necessary."

Leaving aside Aozaki Aoko, the words spoken by Akuta Hinako immediately put Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu on edge. They remembered perfectly well what kind of phenomena Akuta Hinako had mentioned would cause by self-destruction; even a single instance could have such an impact. Imagine if she were to self-destruct hundreds or thousands of times…

Thinking of this, Mashu quickly advised, "Akuta-senpai, please be mindful of the consequences if you self-destruct. If you really self-destruct hundreds of times, the surrounding environment will definitely—"