Jeanne used her strong will to forcibly stop her body, which was being controlled by magical power.
No matter what, Jeanne absolutely could not raise a hand against Roy.
Of course, part of the reason was that she had consumed a considerable amount of Command Seal magic during her previous fight with Okita.
The two of them just stood there, facing each other with only a barrier between them.
Roy stared intently at Jeanne—in truth, it was the white Jeanne dressed in the skin of the black Jeanne.
Jeanne bit her lip tightly, her eyes evasive, as if she were avoiding his gaze.
Yet, bound by the effect of the Command Seal, although she had stopped herself from attacking, she couldn't leave Roy's presence. She could only sit there, uneasy, enduring his stare.
Roy's gaze was so scorching, it felt like being burned by the sun, making her want to escape every moment.
"...Don't you have anything to say to me?"
Roy looked at Jeanne, who kept avoiding his gaze, and his expression gradually showed dissatisfaction.
"Could it be that, to you, I'm just such an insignificant person?"
"No, it's not like that!"
Jeanne instinctively denied it with all her strength.
But once she came to her senses, a deep bitterness appeared on her face.
"It's just… I'm sorry…"
She knew that Roy had recognized her long ago.
The way he spoke and acted in the dream last time had made that perfectly clear.
The reason her identity had been exposed was surely due to that night they first met. Out of guilt, her behaviour had been far too abnormal. That subconscious "sorry" before fleeing was likely the very trigger.
She hadn't planned to hide it anyway. Since she had been found out, she would respond head-on.
But at this point, there wasn't much more she could say.
In the end, what happened back then had already happened. She had broken the promise she made to Roy and left him of her own accord. Only Roy himself knew how deeply he had been affected by that.
Now, she was merely a Servant. In the end, she would return to the Throne of Heroes.
At this point, even if she made any more promises, they would inevitably go unfulfilled. It would only reopen a wound that had barely begun to heal.
All she could say was, "I'm sorry."
"...Roy, I won't go against you of my own will, but I can't make it up to you either. The sin of breaking our promise will remain in my heart. It's only natural if you hate me. Perhaps it should be you who lands the final blow. If that can bring you some comfort…"
Jeanne let out a heavy sigh and slowly closed her complicated eyes.
It had been her who unilaterally declared that she would always stay by his side.
And it was also her who unilaterally broke that promise and left him.
It was understandable for Roy to hate her.
After all, she had already seen what Roy had become. She knew he was doing well now, that he had people who cared about him. That was enough. Her wish for descending into the world this time had already been fulfilled. If she could use this body to atone for her sins, and if that could bring Roy any happiness, perhaps the guilt in her heart could be eased a little.
With every word she said.
Roy's expression grew darker.
No way to make up for it? Final blow? What a joke! What nonsense was this woman talking about?
"You think what I wanted from you was revenge?"
"Wasn't it?"
Jeanne opened her eyes slightly, confused.
She had always known the deep malice Roy held in his heart. His life had been filled with the malice of humanity from the very beginning, so it was only natural that he harbored malice in return. When she left on her own back then, he must have come to hate her—so letting him kill her to vent his rage was fine.
Her eyes met Roy's directly.
In his gaze burned a fierce flame of anger.
But aside from that anger, there was also an indescribable emotion. In that emotion were longing, nostalgia, hope… and many other feelings—far too complex.
Jeanne couldn't understand.
She didn't know what Roy wanted.
Then what do you want? Jeanne wanted to ask him.
Whatever she had, she would give to Roy.
But just then—
"...You two—Lancer, I know you've been hiding something from me, but I never thought you'd secretly get involved with that traitor and even flirt with him right in front of me!"
Uemon's voice exploded from the side, filled with rage.
Goddamn it!
Uemon nearly started cursing.
Lancer clearly knew how much he hated that homunculus, and yet she still got involved with him. At some point, they even started acting like a quarrelling couple, and now they dared flirt right in front of him!
Uemon was utterly furious.
"By the power of the Second Command Seal, Lancer—kill him for me!"
He didn't even hesitate, raising his hand and activating the second Command Seal.
The holy mark's glow appeared on the back of his hand.
Jeanne's expression changed dramatically. The power of the first Command Seal had been partially consumed; she could barely resist. But if the second Command Seal was added on top of that, her Lancer-class magic resistance definitely wouldn't be enough!
"Roy…!"
"No problem!"
Roy was extremely displeased at having his reunion with Jeanne interrupted. A wicked smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"I've been waiting for you, Uemon!"
His gaze passed through Jeanne and fell on Uemon's right hand.
The runes of Clairvoyance activated—his eyes instantly saw the Command Seal hidden beneath the bandages.
Mystic Eyes—activate!
Roy spoke, his voice brimming with madness.
"By the name of the Command Seal—I order you, Lancer, to help me seize the Lesser Grail!"
Buzz!
The second Command Seal on Uemon's hand vanished.
That Command Seal turned into pure magical energy and bound Jeanne.
Receiving the order, Jeanne froze for a moment—before she could even react, her body automatically turned and charged toward the battlefield between Blackened Saber and Okita. She teamed up with Okita to strike at the corrupted Saber, her twin spears sweeping repeatedly at the darkened King Arthur.
"Tch!"
Blackened Saber's expression darkened.
Facing Okita alone had been troublesome, but still manageable. However, once Jeanne joined the battle, everything changed. Even she couldn't help but feel the pressure.
"Damn it…!"
The moment Roy's Mystic Eyes landed on him, Uemon knew things had gone south.
As the creator of those Mystic Eyes, no one knew their power better than he did. In all of human history, there had never been another pair like them—Mystic Eyes capable of controlling all sorcery. An unprecedented, custom-made pair!
By the time his overheated brain cooled down, it was already too late.
The moment he used the second Command Seal, Roy had already hijacked its authority and used his Command Seal to issue his command to his Lancer!
Roy glanced at Uemon, murderous intent boiling in his heart. He wanted nothing more than to cut him into a thousand pieces.
But now was not the time.
"Archer—move in!"
He used a communication rune to shout to another Master-Servant pair not present on the scene.
Immediately, as if in response to his call, an arrow screamed in from the distant cityscape, crossing several kilometers in an instant like a missile, barreling toward the battlefield.
The target—none other than the Blackened Saber!
***
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