The person standing inside the magic circle was breathtakingly pure and otherworldly. She didn't have to do anything—just standing there, she felt like a saint: sacred, solemn, and untouchable.
And yet she was clearly a young woman in the prime of her youth.
She had radiant golden hair braided into a plait that fell down her back, and a silver headband across her forehead. Her features were neat and beautiful; her blue eyes were steadfast and brave. Her expression was serious, but there was still a trace of youthful innocence in it.
Her face was unmistakably that of a girl—yet her figure was striking.
She wore a white strapless breastplate with a short white outer jacket, both of which emphasized her slim, shapely lines. A silver-gray chain lay across her chest. Below was a long white skirt, and at her waist and hips rested a deep-blue knight's longsword—holy and heroic at once.
Shichen stared blankly at her—not because he was captivated by her beauty, but because he never expected her to appear here.
"Sh-she's so pretty…" Illya also stared at the girl in a daze, murmuring from Shichen's arms.
Illya had seen plenty of beautiful women—everyone in their home was just as stunning as this girl, if not more so. But this girl's presence was different.
It was the first time Illya had ever felt something like this.
The words holy and beautiful felt like they had taken physical form in her.
"Are you… the one who answered my call?" Sakura asked the Servant she had summoned, voice unsteady.
The girl's face softened into a gentle smile as she looked at Sakura. "Sakura. It's been a long time."
"Huh?" Sakura froze.
Still smiling, the girl reached out and ruffled Sakura's hair—then lifted her gaze to Shichen, as if a thousand years passed in a single glance.
"Shichen… we finally meet."
"Jeanne…" Shichen whispered her name before he even realized he'd said it.
That's right—the girl Sakura had summoned was the famed holy maiden: Jeanne d'Arc.
This wasn't the Grail War from ten years ago—back then, at least Gilles de Rais had appeared, and he had some connection to Jeanne. But Shichen didn't need to guess much now.
Jeanne had called Sakura by name. She had called him by name.
Just like Est and Betty, she seemed to know far more than she should.
"You remember me?" Jeanne's eyes lit up with joy when she heard him say her name, and she stepped closer. "Does that mean… you've recovered?"
"No…" Shichen shook his head.
"I see…" Jeanne's expression fell for a fraction of a second, but she quickly recovered, returning to her warm smile. "That's alright. I already knew. We can start over."
"Jeanne…?" Shichen frowned.
"Sorry." Jeanne leaned down, raised a finger, and pressed it lightly to Shichen's lips. "If you still haven't remembered, then she hasn't explained everything to you yet. I promised her I wouldn't say anything."
Shichen could only stare at her, stunned.
Jeanne laughed softly, genuinely delighted. "Hehe… you're the same as you were back then."
"Um… miss…?" Illya couldn't help speaking up.
"Illya—could you stand up for a moment?" Jeanne asked gently.
"O… okay." Illya didn't know why, but she found herself obeying even though Jeanne's tone was so soft.
Once Illya moved aside with Sakura, Jeanne extended her hand to Shichen.
Shichen reached out and took it.
Jeanne smiled, squeezed his hand, and pulled him up with a single smooth motion. Before Shichen could even process what she was doing, a slender, shapely body had already pressed into his chest.
"We finally… met again." Jeanne's voice trembled with a sob.
Shichen instinctively wrapped his arms around her, a surge of tenderness flooding his chest.
She must have waited for him a long, long time.
…
By evening, the house was lively again—two new members made the atmosphere even noisier.
Heracles didn't join in. He stayed outside in spirit form, detached and silent. Shichen understood—he didn't seem like someone who enjoyed crowds.
He was a Heroic Spirit, a great hero. They didn't need to worry about him.
So everyone's attention naturally went to Jeanne.
Her fame rivaled King Arthur's; everyone was curious. And on top of that… she recognized everyone.
"Iri… long time no see."
"Artoria—Lily too. You two haven't changed."
"Rin—did you miss me?"
"And Sella, and Leysritt…"
Jeanne greeted each of them like a gentle big sister, warm and patient, as though she belonged there.
And the more they watched, the clearer it became: Jeanne carried herself like the lady of the house, naturally taking the lead.
"Jeanne… you know us?" Rin finally couldn't hold it in.
She'd just gotten back from school, and Jeanne had greeted her enthusiastically—so familiar it left her completely lost.
Rin knew of the saint, but the saint shouldn't know her.
"Of course." Jeanne beamed. "We used to be very close—like sisters. It's wonderful to see you again."
"Shichen…" Rin looked at him, utterly confused.
"Don't worry about it," Shichen could only say, trying to smooth things over.
Ever since "she" told him someone was waiting, he'd suspected something like this—Est and Betty had set a precedent.
He'd even guessed a few possibilities.
He just hadn't expected it to be Jeanne.
She was a true saint—boundless compassion, endless tolerance. And yet… the way she looked at him now made it obvious their relationship ran deep.
"Of course I'm going to worry about it if Jeanne knows me…" Rin muttered.
"Then go ahead and worry," Shichen said flatly.
"…"
"Jeanne…" Artoria finally spoke.
"Just call me Jeanne," Jeanne replied warmly.
Artoria's tone sharpened slightly. "Since you know us… do you also know the others?"
"Yes." Jeanne nodded. "All of Shichen's women—I know them. We're sisters, after all."
"…Is that so?" Artoria glanced at Shichen.
"Don't look at me. I don't know either," Shichen said, refusing to voice his suspicion.
"Could it be because you've been time traveling?" Irisviel guessed.
"That shouldn't be it. I don't have a reason to do that anymore." Shichen shook his head.
"No reason?" Jeanne suddenly cut in, urgent. "Then who's with you right now? Who's by your side?"
"Uh… there's Tohru, Chisato, Aqua, Emilia, Mio…" Shichen began listing names.
With every name he said, Rin looked a little more shocked.
So he really had that many partners?
And those names—some sounded like goddesses, some sounded foreign…
"Mio is already here?" Jeanne abruptly interrupted.
"Yeah. We just made up."
"Things changed… How did it end up like this…?" Jeanne murmured under her breath.
"Changed? What changed?" Lily, sitting beside her, caught the words.
"No. It's nothing." Jeanne shook her head, clearly unwilling to explain.
"Oh—there's someone at home I'm not sure you know." Shichen suddenly remembered someone and stood up, heading for the back rooms.
"Shichen—where are you going?" Jeanne's eyes followed him.
"He's probably going to get Frieren," Illya said matter-of-factly.
"Frieren? Who's that?" Jeanne blinked, confused.
"You don't know?" Artoria asked. "Frieren is also one of Shichen's women."
"What? No—that can't be right!" Jeanne's eyes went wide in real shock. "I don't know her!"
"You don't…?"
"Then who is she?"
"Shichen said she was the first person he met."
"?"
…
Shichen walked into Frieren's room. As expected, she was sprawled lazily on her bed, reading manga.
Ever since she'd come here, aside from meals, she basically stayed in her room—completely a shut-in.
Shichen stopped at the bedside and looked down at her.
Frieren didn't react at all. Her eyes stayed glued to the page, not even blinking.
"You noticed I came in, didn't you?" Shichen asked.
"I noticed," Frieren replied flatly.
"And you still didn't react?"
"Why would I? It's not lunch time yet."
"…" Shichen sighed. "Guess what I'm here for."
"To bully me again?" Frieren finally lowered the manga and met his eyes.
"You guessed wrong."
"Huh?" Frieren blinked.
"Come on. I'm taking you to meet someone you'll probably find interesting."
Shichen scooped her up, slung her over his shoulder, and walked out.
Frieren didn't struggle. She tossed her manga back onto the bed and just lay there over his shoulder, motionless.
"Meet who?"
"Someone you'll care about."
"…?"
Shichen carried her into the living room.
Jeanne's gaze landed on Frieren's face—and her expression stiffened in astonishment.
Then she blurted out, unable to help herself:
"Who are you?"
~~~
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