"Enemy eliminated. Mission complete, Master."
Artoria (Saber) stepped forward first, reporting the battle results to Adam.
He flashed her a big thumbs-up.
"Nice work, Saber Liya. Though it was a bit too flashy. Next time you don't have to crank it up that high."
Artoria (Saber) pursed her lips awkwardly and glanced back at the crater they'd left behind. Her cheeks flushed pink.
"Ugh~ I didn't expect our combined Noble Phantasm to hit that hard. Sorry, Master."
The trio's united strike had caught Adam off guard, but honestly it was no big deal—no humans around to worry about.
"Yeah, it's fine. That attack actually scored me a ton of points."
Adam glanced at his still-climbing emotion-value counter.
Right then Artoria (Lily) bounced over, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Master Master How'd I do?"
"Did my strength improve? Am I one step closer to becoming a proper king?"
Adam smiled and ruffled her hair.
"Of course you did, Lily. You're always getting stronger."
Artoria (Lily) squinted happily, leaning into the warmth of his hand.
Beside them, Artoria (Lancer) had already dismissed her mount, Dun Stallion. She stood there, her divine, ice-cold eyes locked on Adam's smile. Something inside her finally snapped. She strode forward, cutting off the headpats on Lily.
"Master, there's something I need to discuss with you. Could you come with me for a moment?"
Artoria (Lancer) kept a perfectly straight face and reached for his hand, clearly ready to drag him off somewhere private.
Artoria (Saber) and Artoria (Lily) tilted their heads, curious what urgent matter required pulling Adam aside…
But Artoria (Caster), with her Fairy Eyes, had already seen everything.
She overheard Lancer's absolutely shameless inner monologue and her eyes flew wide. Her mouth twitched as she stared at the stone-faced Artoria (Lancer).
"Hm? What's up, Lancer Liya?" Adam asked. He didn't have Fairy Eyes, so he had no idea what was going on. He only saw Caster's serious expression and couldn't figure out what Lancer wanted.
"You'll understand once we're alone, Master."
Artoria (Lancer) gave him a meaningful glance.
That look was all it took—Adam instantly got the message.
Mash and Artoria (Caster), who both understood exactly what was happening, wore matching "this is awkward" faces.
They watched Artoria (Lancer) grow more impatient by the second. She even resummoned Dun Stallion, ready to haul Adam onto the horse and ride off to some secluded spot for activities the rest of them were extremely jealous of.
Artoria (Caster) panicked and stepped forward fast.
"Wait!"
Artoria (Lancer) shot her a clearly annoyed look.
"Do you need something, Caster me~?"
"Uh…"
Artoria (Caster) scrambled for an excuse, eyes darting as she brainstormed.
"We should head back quickly. We were in the middle of that meal with the other Artorias, remember? If we take too long they'll get worried when they notice we're gone."
"Ah, we have to go back already? But I still wanted to spend more time with Master—"
Artoria (Caster) slapped a hand over Lily's mouth before she could finish.
Artoria (Saber) hesitated, cheeks turning pink.
"Actually… I think we can put the other stuff on hold for now, since…"
She sneaked a glance at Adam, then quickly looked away, too shy to finish the sentence. The meaning was crystal clear—she wanted to stay with him a little longer too.
Mash jumped in to back Caster up.
"I agree with Miss Caster. And it's not just about you three…"
"Senpai hasn't reported back to Chaldea yet since arriving in this Singularity. Once you return you can let everyone know what's happening. Otherwise the others will worry."
"So you should all head back first—especially you, Lancer King."
Before the Artorias could reply, the other Mash suddenly remembered something and stepped forward.
"Master, I recall that earlier in the Fuyuki Singularity, Senpai already had Miss Elle—"
Her words were cut off when the first Mash clapped a hand over her mouth.
Mash had been about to mention how Adam had already sent Lancer Elle through her Chaldea livestream to update everyone. There was no real rush to return. But Mash was too desperate to "save" her senpai to worry about logic.
Looks like Mash had learned how to bend the truth.
"Yeah, exactly! So let's head back quickly. Chaldea will be worried about Master otherwise."
Artoria (Caster) latched onto Mash's more convincing excuse and piled on.
Artoria (Saber) and Artoria (Lily) looked reluctant, but they still cared about the bigger picture and agreed to return first.
Artoria (Lancer), still seated on her horse, stared silently at Caster and Mash. Her divine gaze pierced straight through them. Even without Fairy Eyes, she could tell exactly why they were stalling her.
Caster refused to back down under Lancer's glare and kept blocking the escape attempt.
Mash flinched at first, but then she thought of her senpai and straightened up, eyes determined.
The stare-down between Caster, Mash, and Lancer crackled with invisible sparks.
Artoria (Lancer) gave them a scornful little smile. Too naïve. Their rushed excuses were full of holes.
"If it's only to report that Master is safe, then wouldn't it be enough for just one—"
She was in the middle of exposing them when Adam tugged her hand, pulling her closer.
Lancer leaned in, puzzled.
Adam whispered something in her ear.
Her face stayed coldly expressionless, but her pupils shrank sharply for a second as if she'd heard something earth-shattering. A faint blush crept across her cheeks, turning her into a blazing block of ice.
After listening, she dismissed Dun Stallion and suddenly changed her mind.
"If Mash and Caster me both say so, then we should head back right away."
Mash blinked, curious, and shot Adam a glance, wondering what on earth her senpai had said.
Whatever it was, her goal had been achieved—she'd protected her senpai. The thought made her quietly happy inside.
Artoria (Caster), however, couldn't share the joy. She had heard every word Adam whispered and replayed it in her head, lips pressed tight with envy. She wished she had been the one he'd said that to.
She never expected her plan to backfire so spectacularly and let Lancer snatch the final prize.
The four Artorias lined up, said their goodbyes to Adam one by one, and he tapped the command seal to send them back to Chaldea.
Everyone except Mash missed the weird vibe between Adam and Artoria (Lancer). Lancer's poker face was simply too strong. But Ritsuka Fujimaru sensed something and walked over, the air suddenly thick with vinegar.
"Did something happen between you and that mounted King Arthur? It felt kind of… intimate."
"Does it?" Adam feigned confusion—he had promised Lancer he'd keep it secret.
"Really? Nothing at all?"
"That King Arthur on the horse had such an amazing figure and that goddess-like aura. I'm a girl too, but even I had trouble keeping certain thoughts under control."
Ritsuka's ridiculous comment made Adam glance at her, speechless. He could tell she was joking… probably.
"Of course not." He put on a righteous expression as if the idea was impossible.
"Really? That's good~" Ritsuka smiled, satisfied with the answer she wanted.
(What Adam had almost said was "I'm not like you—I managed to hold back." Which would have confirmed that Lancer really had tried to tempt him.)
Even though he had understood her meaningful look, Adam still had other things to handle in this Singularity, so he had firmly turned her down. Seeing how disappointed she looked, he had at least given the starving Lancer a little something else as compensation.
Meanwhile, Mozart had been standing off to the side the whole time, staring into space with a strange look on his face.
Ever since the others had gasped at the Artorias' radiant attack, he had been frozen, deep in thought.
He wasn't just stunned by the power—though that was part of it. More importantly, he was staring at the nearly ten-kilometer crater they had left behind and wondering one thing:
What the hell are we even doing here?
Mozart turned to Adam, voice full of agitation and confusion.
"We've been walking all this way to recruit more allies, right?"
"What were we recruiting them for again?"
"To defeat Jeanne Alter, wasn't it?"
"Are you sure we still need to look for more teammates?"
"Those Servants you just summoned could erase a hundred Jeanne Alters without breaking a sweat!!!"
"Do we really still need to go find anyone else?"
The group finally snapped out of it when they heard Mozart.
Siegfried looked at Adam, equally puzzled.
"Yeah, Adam. Why not just have those four Servants take out Jeanne Alter?"
"Why are we still recruiting a team to fight her together?"
"..." Adam stayed quiet for a few seconds, rapidly thinking.
Then he straightened up and looked at everyone with a dead-serious face.
The group instantly paid full attention.
"Of course it's necessary. I admit the Servants I just summoned are pretty strong."
"But! But!"
"Jeanne Alter is actually way stronger than you think!"
"What?!" Everyone gasped.
Adam's expression grew even graver, eyes deadly serious.
"Once Jeanne Alter activates her Noble Phantasm, giant spikes shoot up from the ground everywhere. They can even pierce King Arthur's Avalon—impossible to dodge!"
"On top of that, she can instantly summon million-degree flames and control exactly where they appear. Just like her Noble Phantasm, it's completely unavoidable."
"The Servants I summoned couldn't beat her. They'd be instant-killed before their Noble Phantasms even finished charging!"
"That's why I still need to recruit more allies!"
"The more teammates we have, the better our chances!"
Adam's words carried a strange persuasive power. Paired with his solemn face and unshakable tone, everyone bought it completely.
Siegfried and Mozart swallowed hard.
"R-really?"
"Is Jeanne Alter that terrifying?"
When Adam saw they still had doubts, Ritsuka jumped in before he could answer.
"Adam would never be wrong. I probably didn't mention this earlier, but Adam comes from another world. In his world he's already cleared every Singularity—including this Orleans one."
"So he knows exactly what's going to happen here!!!"
"Everything he said about Jeanne Alter's power is one hundred percent true."
Ritsuka looked at the group with total conviction.
Adam blinked at her, then nodded.
"Yeah… exactly."
The rest of the group, who had still been a little skeptical, instantly believed him once they heard he was from another world and had already beaten every Singularity.
"So that's how you can summon so many Servants and have such insane abilities," Mozart muttered, staring at Adam.
"Mhm." Adam nodded.
"But how did Jeanne Alter get that strong?" Siegfried asked, cold sweat breaking out as he remembered Adam's description. He was grateful she hadn't shown up personally during the earlier fight, or he wouldn't be standing here now.
"Uh…"
Adam quickly recalled the Singularity's lore, but before he could speak—
Jeanne's eyes suddenly widened.
"Is it… because of the Holy Grail inside her?!"
"Ah?" Adam blinked at her, then nodded. "Ah~ yes, exactly. It's the Holy Grail inside her."
"So that's why. An abnormality like the Holy Grail should never exist." Siegfried, ever the righteous one, cursed the Grail in her heart and believed every word.
"I never imagined Jeanne Alter was that terrifying!"
"So when she let us escape last time, was that just an act? She wanted us to drop our guard, underestimate her, and misjudge her strength in the final battle so she could wipe us all out at once?"
"Ah?" Adam blinked at Marie, then nodded. "Ah, yes, exactly. You're really sharp, Marie."
Marie beamed at the praise.
"Hehe, it's nothing. Good thing you warned us ahead of time, Adam. We almost fell for her trap thinking she was weak."
"The dark copy based on me actually has better strategy than the original?" Jeanne muttered quietly to herself.
The group's imaginations ran wild, inflating Jeanne Alter's power to ridiculous heights.
Adam just watched silently as they kept exaggerating.
"Jeanne Alter's real strength could probably erase all of France from the map in a single strike!"
Ritsuka rested her chin on her hands, looking deadly serious and completely convinced by her own theory.
"But Senpai, why hasn't she done it yet?" Mash asked, puzzled.
Everyone turned curious eyes to Ritsuka. Just as Adam expected, he didn't even need to speak.
Sure enough, Ritsuka kept the same thoughtful pose.
"You still don't get it, Mash! Jeanne Alter wants every single person in France to suffer her rage!"
"A quick death wouldn't satisfy her. She wants them all drowning in the terror of her flames!"
"Think about it—dying instantly isn't scary. But knowing your death is coming and having to live with that dread every day? That's true torture!"
"What?!" The group cried out in horror at how cruel Jeanne Alter was.
Adam facepalmed off to the side. He had never expected his little white lie to snowball this hard. Their version of Jeanne Alter had already surpassed anything he'd originally described.
The discussion kept going. Adam quietly stepped back and let them continue.
Mash watched her senpai for a moment, then took his place in the conversation, fully supporting whatever crazy plan he had.
Adam opened his emotion-value panel to check how much he'd gained.
The explosive gains had slowed, but even so—
Emotion Value: 100,450
He had finally broken the six-figure mark.
One massive haul!
While he was celebrating, a Berserker-like roar suddenly ripped through the air.
"Marie!!!"
The group, still deep in their Jeanne Alter debate, hadn't noticed anyone approaching until the shout. They all turned toward the sound—
But saw no one.
"An Assassin?"
Before they could figure it out, a blue slash more than a meter long appeared above Marie's head.
The guillotine-colored strike came straight down, aimed right at her neck.
***
If you want to read up to 25 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)