As Abigail, I caused trouble in infinite space.

However, the bishop didn't seem to expect anything in return. He smiled slightly, said, "Child, this is a gift from the Lord. Thank the Lord well," and then turned and left.

After that, things were simple: the bishop's status was recognized, and all those who accompanied him, including Joan of Arc, were released.

Then, just as in history, Charles's mother-in-law, Joan of Arc, raised funds for an expedition to liberate Orleans. Joan of Arc requested to participate in the expedition and donned knightly attire. Since she had no funds of her own, her armor, horse, sword, banner, and retinue were all provided by the bishop.

This time, the bishop did not lead his troops to follow Joan of Arc, but only sent two knights from his cavalry to accompany her and obey her commands. He also instructed them not to use the gifts given to them by the Lord unless absolutely necessary.

Joan of Arc's army arrived at the battlefield shortly afterward, but the French commander at the time, the Duke of Dunois, and other generals devised their own battle plan and launched the attack without informing Joan of Arc.

Joan of Arc was furious when she realized this. Ignoring the advice of other experienced commanders who planned to resupply Orléans first, Joan of Arc advocated for a direct attack on the English army. She threw herself into every small battle, was at the forefront of the fighting, and always carried her distinctive flag.

Joan of Arc displayed extraordinary leadership on the battlefield, often making remarkably wise decisions. However, her victories were often attributed to the mysterious power of God by her soldiers and generals.

Subsequently, under Joan of Arc's leadership, the Battle of Orléans was swiftly won.

Given the typically cautious approach of French generals, the victory at the Battle of Orléans might have brought the war to a temporary close.

Joan of Arc, however, was different. She greatly disregarded the French generals' habitually cautious strategy. While the French army's original target was Paris or Normandy, Joan insisted on launching an attack on Reims. Following a series of unexpected victories, Joan finally persuaded Charles to grant her and the Duke of Alençon full command of the army and permission to attack the bridges near the Röhr River as a prelude to the later attack on Reims. This was a rather bold proposal, as Reims was twice the distance from Paris and deep within enemy territory.

Subsequently, the French army captured Jarjou, Meun-sur-Loire, and Beaugensey in succession, and the Duke of Alençon fully supported Joan of Arc's decision. Other generals, including the Duke of Dunois, were also impressed by Joan of Arc's victory at Orléans and became her loyal supporters.

Joan of Arc also saved Alençon's life by warning him to dodge incoming artillery fire during the Battle of Zajo. In the same battle, she was also struck in the helmet by a stone while climbing a siege ladder, but she continued fighting.

And then, as expected, English reinforcements arrived, commanded by John Fastough. The Battle of Partey can be seen as a reversal of the Battle of Agincourt: the French vanguard launched a surprise attack before the English longbowmen could complete their formation, annihilating or capturing a large number of English soldiers in the ensuing battle, including their commander. Fastough, who escaped with a small group of soldiers, became the scapegoat for England's shameful defeat. The French suffered only minimal casualties in the battle.

Similarly, even on the battlefield, she truly treated everyone with kindness, even if they were enemies. Joan of Arc forbade the killing of prisoners of war, and she even confessed to an English soldier who was about to die (at the time, it was believed that those who had not confessed would go to hell).

Afterwards, Joan of Arc led her army to attack Reims from Meun-sur-Loire. Through negotiations with the Burgundian city of Auxerre, she secured Auxerre's neutrality, allowing her army to pass through. Other towns along the way surrendered to the French without resistance.

Troyes, which had previously signed the Treaty of Troyes, surrendered without shedding a drop of blood after a four-day siege. The army faced food shortages upon arriving in Troyes.

At this time, Joan of Arc met a monk named "Brother Richard," who had long been spreading warnings of the impending end of the world in Troyes, which led the local farmers to switch to planting beans—an early-maturing crop. When the army arrived, the beans were just ripe, thus solving the food problem.

It must be said that, aside from battle, Joan of Arc was young and naive, but in battle command, she was the most skillful. Whether it was carrying her own lance, directing troops to obey orders in battle, or setting up artillery on the battlefield, everyone was amazed by her caution and wisdom in command, including some of the best commanders with two or three decades of military experience; especially in the placement of artillery, she was simply extraordinary.

Joan of Arc's achievements are undeniable.

Count Dunois once remarked: "She was a gifted person with a sixth sense for placing artillery subtly in key positions on the battlefield. Therefore, she was not someone who was indifferent to military affairs, although some battles were won in a rather strange way. Even so, she was an undeniable spiritual leader."

Soon, Joan of Arc arrived in Reims, and the city opened its gates. The coronation ceremony was quickly held the following morning, and Prince Charles was officially crowned Charles VII. When Charles VII became king, he intended to grant Joan of Arc a noble title, but she refused, requesting only that her birth village be exempted from taxes.

Joan of Arc and Alençon then strongly advocated for an attack on Paris, but Charles preferred to negotiate with Burgundy to reach a truce. The Duke of Burgundy, Philip, then used the negotiations as a delaying tactic, secretly reinforcing Paris's defenses while simultaneously negotiating.

During this time, the French army continued its advance towards Paris, securing the peaceful surrender of more towns along the way. The English army, led by the Duke of Bedford, then encountered the French forces, and the battle ended in a stalemate. The French then attacked Paris, and although Joan of Arc was wounded in the leg by a crossbow bolt during the battle, she continued to command her troops until the end of the day's fighting. However, the following morning, she received orders from the royal court to order the French army to retreat.

After resting for five months, Joan of Arc prepared to return to the battlefield, but before leaving, the bishop saw her one last time.

When the bishop saw Joan of Arc again, a year and a half had passed since their last meeting.

Joan of Arc was quite different by this time; a year had allowed her to grow a lot, but in the bishop's eyes, she was still that girl who devoutly believed in the Lord.

After Joan of Arc left, the bishop closed his eyes.

"Lord, I have arranged the task you entrusted to me. Joan of Arc will no longer suffer an injustice."

............

Time flies, and we arrive at the battle in history where Joan of Arc was captured.

When she ordered the army to retreat back to Compiègne, she was at the very back of the army to ensure that everyone had retreated back into the city. But at that moment, fearing that the English army would follow and break in, Compiègne closed its gates before all the troops had retreated.

Just as Joan of Arc and the remaining rearguard were about to be captured by the Burgundians, an angel descended.

I need to take a leave of absence!

I'm sorry, I've been helping a friend with some things these past few days and I've been quite busy. I really don't have time today, so I have to ask for leave.

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Chapter 308 The Story of Joan of Arc

Abigail originally had a question before she read Joan of Arc's story.

Why would Jeanne d'Arc, who had already gained the powers of a magical girl, be captured by British soldiers? Consider the astonishing destructive power of magical girls; even a single one could easily destroy an army.

But now Abigail has finally found the answer.

It turns out it was all because of Jeanne herself—whether you call her too kind or too stubborn. She believed the power she received from Kyubey was a gift from God, and she felt such power shouldn't be used on humans. So, in every battle, Jeanne relied solely on her magical girl body, which couldn't feel pain and was immortal unless the Soul Gem was destroyed.

Looking at the giant angel that suddenly appeared in the scene, this power was obviously not Joan of Arc's, but probably summoned by the bishop. However, this was not a real angel, but just an illusion formed by power. But even such an illusion was enough to save Joan of Arc from her fate of being captured.

If things really came to that, Joan of Arc might have been able to escape the fate of history, no longer be burned at the stake as a witch, and even lead France to continued victories.

But would Abigail allow such a thing to happen?

On the battlefield, the rearguard soldiers, who had been despondent, suddenly saw the angels descending and cheered with relief at their survival.

As for the British troops, they were also Catholics, so when they saw angels descending on the French side, they turned ashen-faced.

But just when everyone thought God was on France's side, the angel disappeared.

"Why, why is this happening?! Lord, is this also Your will?"

At that moment, the bishop in Lance suddenly opened his eyes. He couldn't believe what he had just felt—the gift bestowed upon him by God had vanished. In truth, it hadn't truly disappeared; rather, it seemed an invisible force was preventing him from using that power.

Immediately afterwards, news came from Lance that Joan of Arc had been captured.

"Your Majesty, you must rescue Joan of Arc!"

Upon receiving news of Joan of Arc's capture, the bishop immediately approached Charles VII, who had already succeeded to the throne.

"Don't worry, Your Excellency, we will definitely rescue Joan of Arc."

The Duke of Alençon, who had once worked with Joan of Arc, spoke up. However, although Alençon's stance was clear, Charles VII remained silent, his thoughts unknown.

In the end, despite the bishop's best efforts, Charles VII still did not show any clear intention to save Joan of Arc, merely offering some meaningless promises.

Upon leaving the king's palace, the protagonist realized that Charles VII had begun to fear Joan of Arc. There was no way around it; Joan of Arc's achievements were simply too dazzling. In just one year, she had recovered so much lost territory, and she had never been defeated in battle, except for this one time.

Although Joan of Arc, given her character, would never have been the one to overthrow the monarchy, and she didn't even have the ambition to gain power or wealth, her dazzling achievements already threatened Charles VII's absolute rule.

"It seems that I am the only one who can find a way to save Joan of Arc. Lord, is this also a test you have given us? I understand."

In fact, according to the custom at the time, a captive could be ransomed as long as her family paid the ransom. However, Charles VII clearly did not intend to do so, so other methods had to be considered.

So the bishop gathered his troops and prepared to rescue Joan of Arc by force. He believed that once Joan of Arc was rescued, even though Charles VII was very wary of her, he would be powerless against her.

As the bishop's procession departed, Joan of Arc remained in the examination hall, still devoutly praying to God.

"Don't you believe it? The so-called Lord does not exist."

Just then, a voice appeared at the agonizing window. There stood a lovely creature, all white with eyes like rubies. Its eyes glowed red in the darkness, sending a chill down one's spine.

"No, the Lord exists."

Joan of Arc said firmly.

"However, there is no evidence to prove the existence of the so-called Lord, and according to your Catholic Church, the Lord is omniscient and omnipotent, which is a paradox in itself. It is impossible for the Lord to be omniscient and omnipotent."

"No, it's just that you can't understand the Lord. Of course, neither can we."

"I simply cannot understand the thoughts of you humans. You could easily escape by simply using the power of a magical girl, yet you are still here praying for the so-called God's help. It's completely meaningless."

Of course, Cupid didn't mean any harm by saying these things. He didn't have those feelings himself; he only said these things because he couldn't understand them and wanted an answer from Joan of Arc. But obviously, Joan of Arc couldn't give him an answer he could understand.

"No, I cannot use the power that the Lord gave me on ordinary people. This power that the Lord gave me is for defeating the monsters hidden in the darkness."

At this point, Joan of Arc stood up and turned her gaze to the window where Cupid was.

"Are you planning to use the power of a magical girl to leave?"

Watching Joan of Arc's actions, Cupid asked with some curiosity.

"The Lord will not save someone who waits blindly."

As she spoke, Joan of Arc climbed up to the window. At this time, the cell where Joan of Arc was located was 70 feet above the ground, which is about 21 meters.

At such a height, there is no doubt that a normal person would die if they jumped. This is why the British army did not put wooden bars on the windows, because they believed that no one could jump from such a height.

"Lord, please bless me!"

After saying that, Joan of Arc jumped down.

However, the ending was not good. Although Joan of Arc escaped from prison, this was English territory, and given Joan of Arc's importance, there were quite a few soldiers patrolling the area.

Although Joan of Arc was very careful, she still couldn't escape in the end. However, when she was discovered, the soldiers who found her didn't dare to go up and arrest her directly, which shows how deep an impression Joan of Arc left on the English soldiers at that time.

............

"Joan of Arc, as expected of the famous Savior of Orleans, you can make the British army tremble with fear. Even a tower 70 feet above the ground could not trap you."

In a makeshift cell, Joan of Arc was now bound in chains. Standing before her was the Duke of Burgundy.

“If you just ask, my king will definitely pay the ransom.”

"Your king? Of course. But how will he pay my ransom, with cows or chickens? I like gold, and the English have plenty. I wonder how much they're willing to spend to make the Witch of Orleans a prisoner. The proud English can't accept being defeated by a peasant girl, so it has to be the devil's doing."

To clarify, the Dukes of Burgundy were not actually subordinate to the United Kingdom; their relationship with the UK was more like that of allies.

"God defeated the British army."

Joan of Arc retorted.

"Was it God who made you get caught?"

However, the Duke of Burgundy's direct question left Joan of Arc speechless.

“I personally don’t believe in God or the devil, so I’m never disappointed. Sell her.”

After saying this, the Duke of Burgundy turned and left.

"It seems your Lord has not protected you."

When Cupid reappeared, Joan of Arc remained silent.

............

When Joan of Arc's cell was opened again, a man who looked like a bishop walked in.

"who are you?"

“Bishop Pierre Cochrane, now that you have been arrested in my diocese, it is my duty to carry out the trial.”

"Trial? What trial?"