Type-Moon, isn't this really the other world?

She saw Lin Jiu'an lying in her arms, playing with her head while holding her hands, and her face flushed.

I immediately wanted to pull my hand back.

But then Atalanta realized something, and the shame in her beautiful eyes was covered by deep guilt and pain. The hand that was about to be pulled out only exerted a little force at first, and then quickly relaxed, letting Lin Jiu'an do as he pleased.

"woke up?"

"...Um."

Lin Jiu'an turned to look at Atalanta.

"Anything on your mind?"

Atalanta shook her head, forcing a smile: "I'm just worried about Elsa's safety."

"is it?"

"There's still some uncertainty about whether we can successfully stop the mastermind behind it all."

"That's it."

Lin Jiu'an didn't ask any further questions, but instead released Atalanta's small hand.

Atalanta felt a sense of loss for a moment, but she quickly lost that feeling.

Because Lin Jiu'an stood up and faced her, it filled the void in her heart.

"You and Elsa both really like children?"

"Ah."

Perhaps because of her childhood experience of being abandoned by her father in the forest, Atalanta loved children and did not want any children to have the same unhappy childhood as herself.

"Although I already asked Elsa once, I'll ask you again."

While stretching his body, Lin Jiu'an asked, "Do you think the Holy Grail can grant your wish?"

Atalanta was momentarily speechless.

On the one hand, she genuinely didn't know what the answer to this question was.

On the other hand, Lin Jiu'an's attacks were quite fierce, giving her no chance to speak and leaving her breathless.

After a long while, Atalanta finally managed to say with difficulty, "I...I don't know."

"To say something you might not like, I think your dream is really unrealistic."

It's definitely something I don't like to hear.

Atalanta bit her lower lip; if he weren't her man, she wouldn't want to talk to him right now.

Unfortunately, it didn't work. The only resistance she could offer was to remain silent, staring at the man who had humiliated her dreams with eyes that held a mixture of anger and resentment, before finally bowing her head helplessly.

"How about I grant your wish?"

"Help me?" Atalanta raised her misty eyes and looked at him blankly.

"It's not exactly fulfilling a wish, but rather fulfilling a part of a wish."

Lin Jiu'an explained, "Look, if I win this Holy Grail War, the Ise-san clan will be wiped out, and the Sajō and Reirō-kan families will both be my people. At that time, the Tokyo magic scene will be under my control, and even the entire island nation's magic world will belong to me."

"I'll give you and Elsa a huge sum of money and land so you can open a super big orphanage here together."

"No, I'll build you an orphanage!"

"It will be equipped with all kinds of facilities, including primary school, middle school, high school, university, and so on. You and Elsa can then adopt those homeless orphans."

"While it may not bring happiness to all the children in the world, it can bring happiness to the children you see who need help."

Listening to Lin Jiu'an's description of the future.

Atalanta's beautiful eyes involuntarily revealed a look of excitement and longing.

While it may not be exactly "to bring happiness to all children in the world," Lin Jiu'an's statement is clearly very appealing, and Atalanta also knows that this wish is more realistic than her and Elsa's vague and unrealistic dream.

"Sometimes, don't make big wishes. Small ones are actually fine. Making big wishes will only make you suffer."

"The Holy Grail can grant wishes, but it will grant some wishes that are too difficult to fulfill in another way."

"For example, your wish to 'make all the children in the world happy' might be expressed as 'making all the children in the world disappear' or 'making all the children in the world immersed in false dreams.' After all, you should know that your wish isn't very realistic."

Am I like that?

Lin Jiu'an did not answer, but leaned forward and hugged Atalanta.

Is it Kama?

Atalanta's expression didn't change much, but her body tensed up noticeably, making Lin Jiu'an gasp.

"We are both beasts of original sin. What she can give you, I can give you too."

"But I won't lie to you."

Atalanta's barely maintained expression completely crumbled.

Biting her lower lip, she turned her head away, not daring to look Lin Jiu'an in the eye, and said in a trembling voice, "Yes, Him."

"Well, keep talking."

“We originally planned to go to the Linglong Pavilion to form an alliance with them to deal with Him, but Kama suddenly appeared and defeated us.”

"Elsa, everyone has fallen into her hands."

“She told me that if I captured you and handed you over to her, she would grant my wish and release Elsa.”

Atalanta's voice trembled more and more, and later even sounded like she was about to cry. It was hard to tell whether it was because of her guilt over betraying Lin Jiu'an or because Lin Jiu'an was doing this to her.

"sorry."

"fine."

Atalanta couldn't help but look at him.

Lin Jiu'an showed no anger; instead, he remained focused on his task as if nothing had happened.

"Are you really not angry with me?"

"Why am I angry?"

Lin Jiu'an chuckled and pinched her cheek, saying, "You didn't do anything wrong."

Chapter 45 Joan of Arc: Did I come at the wrong time?

Aside.

It was Elsa, her best friend with whom she had known each other for a short time but shared common ideals and got along very well.

And her wish in participating in the Holy Grail War: "To make all children in the world happy."

the other side.

It was a betrayal of Lin Jiu'an, whom he wasn't very close to, and Lin Jiu'an didn't even think it could be considered a betrayal.

After all, he and Atalanta are not on the same side.

If Atalanta were replaced by someone like Irisviel, Natalia, or Aoi Tohsaka, they would betray Kama to fulfill other desires, or Atalanta would be his servant.

He would then get angry and teach her a lesson.

But Atalanta...

His only relationship was with her Master, Elsa, and that one time was essentially a consensual transaction while he was drunk.

They weren't even briefly boyfriend and girlfriend.

With Atalanta, there were only a few collaborations. To put it nicely, you could call them friends; to put it bluntly, they were enemies who cooperated temporarily for mutual benefit but would eventually turn against each other. It would be strange to expect the other party to be loyal to you in the face of self-interest.

Anyway, if it were Lin Jiu'an who had to do it, he would choose the former.

Besides, Atalanta had given herself to him as an apology.

"Feel sorry."

Atalanta couldn't help but smile with relief.

He then lowered his head somewhat dejectedly.

Even though she knew that Kama was most likely lying to her, it was indeed her only hope.

"Do not worry."

Lin Jiu'an embraced Atalanta's delicate body.

“I will still go with you. If I lose, maybe Jeta will grant your wish on Kama’s side.”

“If I win, although I can’t do what Kama said, I will help you and Elsa in the same way I said.”

"As for when you will give up that unrealistic wish and honestly work with Elsa to run the orphanage."

Atalanta bit her lower lip, her beautiful eyes filled with emotion as she looked at Lin Jiu'an.

"Thank you."

Lin Jiu'an suddenly stopped.

Atalanta looked at him with a mixture of confusion and nervousness, worried that she had done something to anger him.

Under her anxious gaze, Lin Jiu'an got out of bed and went to the single sofa next to the bed, sitting down with an air of authority and looking at her.

"Then how are you going to thank me?"

Atalanta bit her cherry lips with difficulty, her gaze towards him carrying a lingering resentment.

Although her rational mind told her that she was no different from a beast in this moment, she couldn't go against her body.

Moreover.

The other person wasn't exactly a proper kid either.

Of course, most importantly, he is the one who will help me and Elsa build an orphanage in the future. After the Holy Grail War ends, we will need his help to provide money, land, and connections. I must not offend him now and must do everything I can to please him.

Yes!

This is all for those homeless children, absolutely not for myself or anything!

"Like, like just now, okay?"

"How about it?"

Atalanta's eyes were even more resentful, but she still obediently got up, got out of bed, and limped over to Lin Jiu'an. Then, unable to hold on any longer, she suddenly knelt down in front of him and looked up at him.

Then he lowered his head again.

Atalanta's long green hair fell down, obscuring her already rosy cheeks.

Just as Atalanta was shyly but trying her best to express her gratitude to Lin Jiu'an, Joan of Arc's voice suddenly rang out in the living room.

"Jiu'an?"

Atalanta was startled, like a high school teacher who had secretly gone to her high school boyfriend's house to have her first sexual experience with him, only to be met with his parents suddenly returning home; she immediately thought of running away.

"do not move."

Atalanta stiffened, but instead of leaving immediately, she looked up at Lin Jiu'an with a somewhat panicked and pitiful gaze.

Lin Jiu'an responded with a wicked smile, and like a loan shark dealing with a full-time housewife burdened with huge debts, he casually pinched her cheek.

"Atalanta, you wouldn't want me to stop funding your orphanage, leaving those poor orphans homeless, would you?"

Atalanta's gaze became even more melancholy.

Although she understood that Lin Jiu'an was just teasing her, after hesitating for a while, Atalanta decided to play the role of the coerced wife in the decision of whether to stay or leave, and lowered her head with a sorrowful expression mixed with a bit of powerless anger.

"Jiu'an?"

Just then, Joan of Arc's voice rang out from the bedroom doorway: "Are you in there?"

"Yes, Mother Joan, please come in."

Joan of Arc opened the door, and her smile vanished upon seeing the scene inside. However, she wasn't too surprised, since they had likely already been corrupted by Lin Jiu'an based on their previous actions in saving him.

Despite not being surprised, Joan of Arc was still somewhat unhappy to see this scene, feeling as if something that belonged to her had been taken away. She couldn't help but say sourly, "Did I come at the wrong time?"

"Do not."

Lin Jiu'an opened his arms to Joan of Arc.