Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

Then people stood up, took off their hats, and joined in chanting, "God save Lucert!" At first, there were only a few scattered voices, but soon the voices grew louder and louder, countless voices overlapping until they resonated and merged into a single, unified sound.

God bless Lucette.

The blonde girl stood on the stage, clutching the fluttering flag tightly in her hand. Little did she know that this was not only the beginning of the story of Joan of Arc, but also the beginning of the story of the future Emperor Lucerne.

Chapter 9 He Wants Your Head

When Aaron came to the stage, Joan of Arc had already fainted.

Everyone in the church was very excited at the time, and people were in a kind of frenzy. Everyone was shouting "God save Lucette" and getting close to Joan of Arc on the platform. A kind of crazy emotion spread in the church.

Joan of Arc's banner seemed to possess some kind of magic, a magic that stirred the crowd in the church. Once emotions are stirred, they are difficult to quell, especially in a church with tens of thousands of people. Religious fervor quickly engulfed the entire church, and with shouts of "God save Lucretia!" the voices grew louder and more unified.

Seeing that the scene was about to get out of control, Aaron picked up Joan of Arc from the stage, wrapped her in his black trench coat, and carried her out through the back door. A moment later, the two reappeared in the heavy snow.

Looking at Joan of Arc, who had fainted in his arms, and her three blessings, Aaron became more and more convinced that she was the legendary saint.

This was not the first time Joan of Arc had performed a miracle; she had already performed one when she met the king.

When the king saw her, he gazed at her for a long time, then asked her a fatal question: "Do you feel that you are blessed by God?"

This was a trap question posed by the king. In the Kingdom of Lucerne, no one but the king could claim to have received divine favor; it was a taboo. If she answered yes, it would prove she was a heretic. If she answered no, it would mean she was lying, that she had not seen divine revelation, and that she was deceiving the king with a fabricated experience. Both answers were capital offenses.

Aaron, standing outside the door, was already sweating profusely. For the king and the bishop, any preparation was useless; they had already prepared countless traps for Joan of Arc, any one of which could lead to her death.

But Joan of Arc was unaware that this was a trap question. She even thought that the king was just asking her an ordinary question. With her unique innocence and piety, she answered without hesitation: "If I have not received it, I hope that God will grant it to me; if I have received it, I hope that God will still grant it to me."

This was a shocking answer that left the king and the kingdom's wisest priests speechless. They looked at each other in astonishment. Aaron was also stunned, for he had never taught her these things before; it was all her own answer.

She avoided danger with her unique innocence and piety towards God, and eventually the king released her. It has to be said that this was a miracle in itself. Even Joan of Arc herself did not know how dangerous the situation she was in.

Recalling the miracles Joan of Arc performed and the strong character of this 13-year-old girl, Aaron became increasingly convinced that she was the saint in history who had not yet come of age.

And he had no doubt that, given Joan of Arc's character and abilities, even if he hadn't brought her to Esgard and had allowed her to continue growing up, she might still, like in history, rise to prominence at some point when she turned eighteen, repeating the miracles that have happened time and time again in history. She seemed to possess this kind of magic.

But Aaron also knew that relying on miracles would eventually lead to failure. No one can survive solely on miracles. If she were allowed to continue growing like this, Joan of Arc would repeat the same mistake and be burned at the stake.

But Aaron felt that Joan of Arc's fate was more than that.

Joan of Arc in history was just a village girl who couldn't even read many words, but even such a village girl created such a miracle in history. What if Joan of Arc had been prepared?

Aaron felt that Joan of Arc was actually a rough gem, a rough gem that hadn't been properly polished, but people at the time didn't know how to cherish it. They only saw it as a miracle and wasted it by sending an unpolished gem directly to the battlefield.

Even so, this rough gem still shone brightly, which means that it actually has great potential for development. If it can be properly polished and sent to the battlefield, it might be able to play a greater role.

Unlike anyone in history, he saw the immense potential hidden beneath her saintly exterior, but more than that, he felt sympathy for the 13-year-old girl, hoping she wouldn't repeat the mistakes of history, being captured and burned at the age of nineteen. He could make her better than she had been in the past.

But even putting all that aside, even if Joan of Arc did nothing, he would be content as long as she was prevented from being captured and burned at the age of nineteen.

After all, he didn't know the girl's name was Joan of Arc when he saved her.

Aaron carried Joan of Arc through the snow, lost in thought. Then a black carriage stopped before him.

*

When Joan of Arc awoke, she found herself lying on a recliner in a carriage.

The candlelight in the carriage was warm, and she was covered with a soft cashmere blanket. Snow was falling heavily outside the window. She turned her head slightly and saw a familiar figure sitting next to her.

Upon seeing that familiar figure, Joan of Arc smiled instinctively, a sense of security welling up within her. Reassured, she wrapped her wool blanket tighter around herself, leaned against the familiar person, and decided to sleep a little longer.

But the conversation in the carriage startled Joan of Arc from her dream.

What does he want?

"He wants your head."

"Did he really say that?"

Joan of Arc opened her eyes abruptly.

"Yes, the Duke specifically asked for your head, he seemed furious, and even we've heard about it," the woman said gloatingly.

“But I was working for the king. If something went wrong along the way, it should be considered a necessary sacrifice. You shouldn’t blame me, right?” Aaron took a sip of red tea.

"Lord Aaron, do you really know what you've done?" the woman asked in an exaggerated tone.

“You not only injured the clergy, but also 141 villagers in Domremi. Most importantly, you actually drew your sword against a duke. That last crime alone is enough to get you killed eight hundred times over. Not to mention the multiple crimes combined. According to the kingdom’s laws, the executioners should already be on their way. Our carriage should go straight to the execution ground.”

Joan tried hard to recall the scene at the time. Her teacher did indeed seem very arrogant, after all, the person standing opposite her was a clergyman, who had the Duke backing him up. But her teacher didn't care at all and just beheaded him. Now it seems that her teacher may have committed a serious crime, but it was all because of her.

"So he said he wanted my head?" Aaron asked.

"Getting your head isn't that easy," the woman sighed. "That duke is pitiful too. It's said that he came to Esgard at the age of seventy just to seek justice. All the officials saw his miserable state and said we must give him an explanation. Do you know how troublesome this matter is?"

Chapter 10 You're the Villain

"Why do I sound like a villain?"

"So you're not?" the woman asked in surprise.

"So whose side are you on?"

"In short, he demands that we give him an explanation." The woman pretended not to hear.

“I think their proposal is pretty good, and I wouldn’t mind sending my head over there,” Aaron said.

"Send it over on two legs and one shoulder, carrying its head?" the woman asked.

Aaron nodded.

"This isn't an apology; it's a threat. Of course, we won't agree to this demand! Luckily, someone is willing to help you settle this."

"It would be even better if he were willing to come by himself..."

"We already said we've chosen other solutions! He doesn't want your head anymore!"

The woman's voice sounded angry. Joan of Arc felt it was all her fault; her teacher had drawn the sword for her sake, and if it weren't for her, her teacher wouldn't have had to offend a duke.

However, Joan of Arc seemed not to understand that the actual situation was completely different from what she had imagined.

"Lord Aaron, you are very lucky. Several important figures in the kingdom are willing to fight to handle this trivial matter that has caused you some 'discord.' Although you have offended a duke, that duke is, after all, seventy years old. For those important figures, a few words from them are enough to calm things down. I must say, Lord Aaron, you are truly lucky!"

"This isn't luck, is it?" Aaron looked out the window, took a sip of his black tea, and said, "What did they ask for?"

"Lord Aaron, you are very perceptive. Even those important figures will not act without self-interest."

The woman's voice said, "He wants you to owe them a favor, to fulfill one of their requests, and you can't refuse that request."

"This price is a bit too high. I think it's simpler to just send my head over..."

"I've already said you're not allowed to threaten His Excellency the Duke! He is, after all, a Duke. Lord Aaron, can't you show him some respect? We're in a difficult position too."

The woman said helplessly, "It's already good enough that someone is willing to solve this huge problem for you! The person who stepped forward for you is the grand-nephew of the cardinal. He is very kind to you, so we have already agreed on your behalf! He also said that you are very grateful for the Duke's help and that you will definitely do your best to help them complete their mission."

"So all I need to do is help him solve one thing." Aaron also seemed quite helpless.

"This used to be called a blood oath, which represented something that had to be done. Now it's not as strict as it used to be. Now it's more like a favor; they want you to owe them a favor."

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Aaron said. “What does he want me to do?”

"She'll probably make you complete those S-rank missions! The kind of missions where you're guaranteed to die. She'll definitely make those kinds of requests. Just wait to die, Lord Aaron!" the female voice said gloatingly.

“Sir Jasmine, as a newcomer to the Order of Knights, have I been too lenient with you?” Aaron put down his tea.

“Ten...ten deaths without a chance of survival…” Joan of Arc murmured.

It was only then that the two noticed that Joan of Arc's face was unusually pale, wrapped in a cashmere blanket and leaning against the chair, with an expression of utter despair. Both of them were startled.

"She was frightened because of what you said."

"Was it my fault? I didn't know she was awake!"

“It’s all my fault… It was because of my teacher that he drew his sword… Is there anything I can do to help my teacher?” Joan of Arc’s face was pale.

Aaron and the girl exchanged a glance, and Aaron gave her a look, indicating that she should deal with the problem she had caused herself.

Jasmine was initially stunned, then realized the fault lay with her. Joan of Arc was only a 13-year-old girl, and there was so much she didn't understand about Esgard. They were talking so earnestly about adult topics; of course, Joan of Arc would believe them.

“Well… alright… Lord Aaron isn’t easy to die… even if he were to carry out a mission with a certain death, he wouldn’t die easily, so don’t worry…” Jasmine tried to comfort him.

"Is this how you comfort someone? Give me a proper explanation."

“Okay, okay, it’s my fault. I made things too serious… No… what you did was serious enough! Isn’t drawing a sword against the Duke a serious crime here? I haven’t misremembered the constitution, have I?” Jasmine felt very wronged.

But seeing Joan's pale face, the woman's voice finally softened. She took out some chocolates from her bosom and held them out to Joan: "Um...would you like some candy?"

The woman who had been talking was about seventeen or eighteen years old. She was wearing a black trench coat similar to Aaron's. Joan of Arc thought she looked a lot like the woman she had seen on Queen Street, but she looked more spirited and prettier. She had light golden curly hair like a Lucerne and a faint fragrance emanated from her when she apologized to Joan of Arc.

"Hey...don't kids these days like chocolate? But I don't have any other candy on me..." The girl hurriedly reached into her other pockets.

“I want to know about the teacher…” Joan said in a slightly hoarse voice, staring intently at Jasmine. Joan had emerald green eyes, and it was impossible to refuse those eyes.

“Wait…you called him…teacher?” Jasmine was stunned and turned to look at Aaron.

Joan of Arc lowered her head shyly, while Aaron nodded slightly in agreement.

"Okay." Having barely processed this bombshell, Jasmine composed herself and said with a wry smile, "But it seems you still don't know who your teacher is..."

These words truly touched on Joan of Arc's innermost thoughts. To this day, Joan of Arc still does not know the identity of her teacher. He harbors too many secrets: who is he, where did he come from, and why did he save her?

Joan of Arc only vaguely discerned from some clues that her teacher seemed to be a big shot in Esgard. He entered the palace as if it were his own home, knew everyone in the palace, and seemed to be respected wherever he went. Even the archbishop seemed to be his friend.

"Your teacher is an Obsidian Knight in the kingdom. Those missions where certain death is certain for others are just missions for your teacher..."

Jasmine didn't actually want to say these things. She came to Aaron to gloat a bit, since Aaron often did things without considering the consequences. But now she had no choice but to bite the bullet and say it.

"Hmm, that sounds nice. Say a few more words." Aaron crossed his legs and picked up his black tea again.

Seeing Aaron's expression, Jasmine was seething with hatred, but also somewhat helpless. She could only give up and say, "Okay, actually it's like this! Your teacher is the third seat of our esteemed Obsidian Knights. Even I am just his subordinate. What is a mission that would mean certain death for others is nothing to him!"

Chapter 11 Obsidian Knights

"Moreover, although that duke appeared aggressive on the surface, he actually didn't dare to act recklessly. He only came to Asgard because he couldn't let go of his pride. After all, being attacked like that by your teacher would make anyone lose face, let alone a duke. But anyone could see that he was all bark and no bite; he didn't dare to do anything to your teacher at all..."

“The Obsidian Knights…the third seat?” Jeanne asked.

"You didn't know?" Jasmine was surprised. She hadn't expected that Joan of Arc wouldn't even know this. How lucky was Joan of Arc to become Aaron's student without knowing this?

Aaron gave her a look that said, "You explain yourself." Jasmine was furious, but had no choice but to continue explaining.

The girl tried hard to understand. As a village girl, she knew very little about the outside world. She only knew that the Knights were supposed to be very sacred and powerful figures.