002 - Fate/Half Astral

"How will you find those who were involved?" Jeanne Alter asked Ritsu curiously.

"Of course, with this!" Ritsu held up her right hand, gripping Hermanubis.

"Hermanubis, can you please show me where we can find the people who were involved in Jeanne d'Arc's burning?"

Hermanubis responded with a low sound, briefly glowing dark to signify its agreement to help.

"Thank you!" Ritsu smiled before running past the other servants, who continued to watch her closely.

Once she reached the center of the room, she stopped and glanced back at Hermanubis.

"Now, show me!" She pointed the axe in front of her, slowly turning it around the room.

At first, nothing happened, leaving the others confused. But when she finally pointed it in a specific direction, Hermanubis glowed dark once more.

"That way!"

Seeing the Axe's direction, Jeanne Alter finally stood up from her throne and walked toward Ritsu.

"I see, that way, huh? Is everyone we're looking for in that direction?" Jeanne Alter asked.

"Probably, but most of them are over there, so we can check it out for now," Ritsu replied, smiling.

"Over there..." Jeanne murmured, glancing at the area Ritsu pointed toward. She knew that a village was located in that direction, a place where people had evacuated to escape her attacks and the wyverns. She had been planning to head there anyway before Ritsu showed up.

"But how will you get there? I can fly myself, but what about you and the others?" Ritsu asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Fly? You can fly too?" Jeanne Alter seemed a bit surprised.

"Yeah, but how's everyone else going to travel? Or is it just you going?" Ritsu asked.

Before Jeanne could respond, Gilles interrupted with a loud voice, "Wait, Jeanne! What about our plan? We still need to send the wyverns and other servants to the other city!"

Jeanne Alter paused for a moment after hearing Gilles' words, turning to face him. "Our plan? You mean your plan, Gilles," she said, her voice calm but carrying a hint of finality.

Gilles looked shocked, unable to comprehend her sudden shift. "But Jeanne, we were going to destroy them! Take revenge for what they did to you! For burning you at the stake! We must burn Orleans and all of France in retaliation!"

Jeanne Alter shook her head slowly, her expression soft but resolute. "No, Gilles. That hatred..." she said hesitantly while glancing briefly at Ritsu.

Gilles looked shocked, his eyes wide in disbelief. "But Jeanne! These people betrayed you! They watched you burn, and you—"

"I know what they did," Jeanne Alter interrupted, her voice firmer this time. She looked back at Ritsu, who was watching the exchange curiously.

Ritsu tilted her head. "Yep! No need to burn everything down. We can just find the people who actually did the bad stuff and make sure they pay. Everyone else doesn't need to suffer." She twirled the Hermanubis axe in her hand, showing off the power she'd used to detect the true culprits.

Gilles, however, looked devastated. "But... this is what I brought you back for, Jeanne! To make them suffer! To burn everything down in your name! How could you say this now?"

"What will we do now, Jeanne?" Gilles asked, his voice cracking as he struggled to hold on to the purpose that had driven him.

"We'll go with Ritsu and find the ones truly responsible," Jeanne Alter said softly. "And then, we'll see where things go from there."

Ritsu smiled brightly at that, nodding in approval. "Yay! See? Everything's better when we don't just burn stuff for no reason!"

Gilles, though still in shock, slowly nodded. "As you wish, Jeanne. I will follow your lead."

With that, Jeanne Alter turned back to Ritsu. "Let's go, little one. Let's find the people responsible. And this time, we'll make sure only the guilty pay."

Ritsu grinned, her excitement bubbling over. "Alright, Jeanne-neechan! Let's go!"

As both of them prepared to move, Gilles remained in place, his eyes darkening with resentment. He clenched his fists, watching as the little girl effortlessly won over the very person he had painstakingly brought back to life. All his efforts, all his devotion to Jeanne's vengeance, were being undone by this child.

Ritsu had ruined everything.

Gilles' grip tightened on his book, trembling with barely contained fury. How could Jeanne so easily abandon the hatred they shared? How could she allow this child to twist her away from the righteous path of retribution? He had sacrificed everything to bring Jeanne back, to see justice done for her cruel death—and now, all of it was slipping through his fingers.

His thoughts seethed with bitterness. That child... Gilles glared at Ritsu, who was obliviously smiling and chatting with Jeanne Alter, as if none of the chaos she had caused even mattered. He knew it would be impossible to sway Jeanne back to his side now that the Grail had been tampered with, her heart softened by Ritsu's meddling. But he would not forget this. He would never forgive the girl who had ruined his plans.

Draco, sensing the deep hatred emanating from Gilles, merely grinned, her sharp teeth glinting in the dim light of the throne room. She didn't need to do anything—yet. The tension in the air was thick, but Draco found the entire situation amusing. Gilles' silent rage only made her more entertained, and her violet eyes glimmered with a dangerous curiosity.

She could feel it—Gilles' bitter resentment, the way his thoughts churned with anger and a thirst for vengeance. But for now, Draco held back, watching the situation unfold with her twisted amusement.

-----

"Yeah, it's fuuuun!" Ritsu shouted excitedly.

"You're really enjoying this, huh?" Jeanne said, watching her behavior.

"Yeah, I always love flying like this with Papa and Mama—and my other mommy too!" Ritsu replied cheerfully.

At that moment, they were all riding a wyvern, heading toward their destination village.

"By the way, why don't the other Servants talk? They're just staring at us when we still inside the castle, looking weird," Ritsu suddenly asked.

"They're under the madness enchantment I put on them," Jeanne Alter replied casually. "They just follow my orders without thinking about anything else."

"Hmm, you're a lot like someone I know who uses a tactic like that," Ritsu murmured.

"Fou!" Suddenly, Fou jumped out from Ritsu's pocket.

"Cath Palug?? Why are you here? I thought you went with Mash-neechan and Fujimaru-niichan!" Ritsu lifted Fou out and placed him on her open palms.

"Kyu!"

"You fell asleep in my pocket?? Did you eat my snacks?"

"Fuu..."

"You ate them!!! How much did you eat?!" Ritsu shook Fou a little in frustration.

"What is that pocket, anyway? You've been pulling so many big things out of such a small pocket?" Jeanne Alter suddenly asked, curious.

"Hmm? This is my pocket dimension. Papa made it for me so I can keep anything inside—even living things, like Cath Palug," Ritsu said, holding Fou out toward Jeanne Alter.

"Your papa... Who is he?"

"My papa is Astral. His name is..." She paused, falling silent as she was about to answer.

"Your papa is?"

"Rei... My papa's name is Rei, and my mama is Rin. But I can't really say their names correctly because, for some reason, people don't understand me when I do."

Jeanne looked confused by what Ritsu meant, but before she could ask more, she noticed they were approaching the village and decided to postpone her questions for later.

"Looks like we're almost there. Hold on tight, Ritsu," Jeanne Alter reminded her.

"Sure!" Ritsu placed Fou on top of her head and sat up straight, ready for the landing.

With Ritsu sitting right in front of Jeanne Alter and on the wyvern's back, there wasn't much space for her to hold on or brace herself.

Suddenly, Ritsu felt something wrap around her waist from behind. She looked down to see Jeanne's hands holding her securely, preventing her from falling.

Seeing this, Ritsu smiled, then held onto Jeanne's hands with both of her own as they finally arrived at the village.

-----

Meanwhile, in the village where Ritsu and Jeanne Alter were headed, Mash, Fujimaru, and Jeanne were asking the villagers for information.

Jeanne had to hide her appearance because each time someone saw her, they would shout "witch" and run away in fear.

They continued questioning the villagers until they had gathered enough information, then regrouped in a quieter part of the village.

"So it's true, another version of you is the one killing everyone and destroying all these villages," Fujimaru said.

"But why would she do that? Killing so many people and destroying their homes?" Jeanne asked, genuinely confused.

If that other Jeanne was supposed to be her, why would she act like this? She could never even imagine doing something so horrible. None of it made any sense.

"We can't really know her reason until we meet her," Mash said.

"Maybe it has something to do with your history, Jeanne," Olga's voice suddenly came through Fujimaru's bracelet.

"My history? You mean that!?"

"Yes, when you were burned to death. Maybe she's seeking revenge, wanting to make everyone pay," Da Vinci added.

Jeanne fell silent upon hearing that. Being burned alive... She remembered it all too clearly. The sensation of her flesh burning, the excruciating pain—it was something she could never forget.

But for the Lord, she had to be patient. She believed there must have been a reason for it, that her Lord would ultimately do something good with it all.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Olga's voice crackled through again.

"Something is coming, Fujimaru, Mash! We see a signal approaching your location!"

"Is it the enemy?" Fujimaru asked.

"We're not sure, but for now, go meet them outside the village to avoid putting the people here in danger."

Nodding, the three of them quickly ran outside the village to meet whoever was approaching.

Once they arrived outside, it didn't take long for them to spot what was coming.

"A wyvern! Master, stay back!" Mash moved forward, raising her shield protectively.

Mash and Jeanne stood ready, prepared to face the wyvern.

Fujimaru stayed behind, ready to support them if necessary.

"Strange, usually wyverns don't come alone," Jeanne murmured.

But as the wyvern landed, none of them expected to see who was riding it.

"Fujimaru-niisan, Mash-neechan!" Ritsu waved cheerfully at the two of them.

Meanwhile, Jeanne focused on the figure sitting behind the little girl, her eyes widening.

She saw another version of herself seated behind Ritsu, her arms wrapped around the child.

"Ritsu!? What are you doing here??" Mash quickly approached the wyvern.

Jeanne Alter and Ritsu jumped down from the wyvern, landing beside her.

"Fou!" Fou leaped down from Ritsu's head and ran over to Mash.

"Hehe, surprised I'm here too!" Ritsu said excitedly to them.