Chapter 411: [411] The Flustered Artoria

As the original plot unfolded, two top-tier Servants with maxed-out defense and strength clashed before dawn.

Meanwhile, in a nearby forest, Sakatsuki—the one who had first stirred the conflict—was being pursued by the Black Assassin.

Gunshots echoed incessantly, with occasional bursts of flames and collapsing trees lighting up the forest.

As the Master, Reika could only stand at the forest’s edge, hands clasped to her chest, silently offering blessings for her Servant. Yet, judging by her confident expression, the battle was clearly not at a disadvantage.

—At least, that’s how it appeared to the Black faction’s Masters.

Within the forest, two shadowy figures chased each other. The young man ahead laid down a series of magical formations before suddenly clapping his hands and chanting an incantation.

An invisible barrier instantly formed, filling the entire area with chaotic light and shadows. After completing the disguise, Sakatsuki tilted his head slightly, dodging the thrust of a crimson spear.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind howled, pressed down by slender arms before defiantly rebounding, knocking off the hoods of both black cloaks. Thus, the handsome young man and the stunning golden-haired, green-eyed maiden were revealed, locking eyes. After a moment, Sakatsuki raised his hands in a playful surrender, as if yielding:

"I’ve set up a barrier around us—enough to avoid prying eyes, my King."

The implication was clear: there was no need for Artoria to chase him down with such murderous intent.

"...Oh." Artoria muttered softly, slowly withdrawing her crimson spear.

For some reason, Sakatsuki detected a hint of reluctance in her eyes.

???

Before he could ask, Artoria’s cheeks flushed, and she quickly changed the subject: "So that’s the real Ruler... the Jeanne d’Arc you mentioned?"

Though not entirely clear, a Servant’s vision allowed Artoria to faintly make out the figure of the girl standing in the distance.

"Yes, Jeanne d’Arc, the Maiden of Orleans. A full millennium passed between the end of King Arthur’s legend and the beginning of hers."

"A millennium... huh."

Artoria’s expression faltered. After the Fourth Holy Grail War, she had entered the timeless utopia of Avalon, where the concept of time barely existed. This had left her perception of eras fragmented.

So after me, so many heroes rose and fell like shooting stars... and now, drawn by radiant wishes, they gather in this era, wielding blades for the Masters who summoned them.

Only now did Artoria truly feel the ruthless absurdity of time.

Clap, clap—Sakatsuki snapped his hands, snapping Artoria out of her thoughts. With a casual wave over the forest’s central lake, the still water reflected the distant battlefield.

Ignoring the fierce battle between Karna and Siegfried, Sakatsuki manipulated his magecraft to zoom in, finally locking onto Jeanne’s delicate face.

Her golden hair was tied into a ponytail, and her amethyst eyes gleamed with a resolve eerily similar to someone else’s.

So beautiful. So familiar.

—For the sake of surprise, Sakatsuki had deliberately kept Jeanne’s appearance a secret from Artoria.

"How about it, my king?" Sakatsuki raised his eyes, looking at Artoria who stood frozen in place, his lips curling in a half-smile. "What are your thoughts upon seeing a saint who looks just like you?"

At this moment, he particularly missed the marshal from the Fourth War. It was a pity that Ryuunosuke died early, preventing the marshal from being summoned—otherwise, the reaction from the "ahoge" would have been even more amusing.

Even so, when Artoria clearly saw Jeanne d’Arc’s face, her small mouth slightly parted in shock.

With her ponytail undone, styled into a bun, and wearing sapphire-colored contact lenses—combined with the saint and the holy king’s identical aura—even the Knights of the Round Table would struggle to tell them apart!

Just then, Sakatsuki mischievously crooked his finger, directing the scene toward the undulating peaks on Jeanne’s chest.

Compared to Artoria’s flat plains, the difference was staggering—enough to make one sigh in regret.

No, how shameless!

As if insulted, Artoria flew into a rage. She discarded her crimson demonic spear, and the shining spear of the end hummed as it pointed directly at the throat of her treasonous knight.

At the same time, the "ahoge" on her head shifted as her body transformed—taller, fuller, her clear yet alluring eyes now those of a mature woman, staring coldly at Sakatsuki, her voice like shattering ice.

"My form was merely fixed by the Sword in the Stone. And as for daring to humiliate me like this—it seems you lack proper discipline, Lord Sakatsuki."

Come on, don’t hold back just because I’m delicate... Sakatsuki nearly blurted out, but seeing Artoria’s darkening expression, he swallowed the flirtatious remark.

He had forgotten that the "ahoge" had a mature form this time. And clearly, she cared more than she let on... After all, Jeanne was only a nineteen-year-old girl. Both were village maidens—why did she get to develop so well...

Ahem.

With the holy spear pressed against him, Sakatsuki gulped, his mind a mess, his vision filled with Artoria’s bold attire and her innate saintly aura—an intoxicating mix of chastity and temptation.

At least don’t raise your arm—everything’s about to be exposed... Sakatsuki averted his gaze silently. Meanwhile, Artoria snapped out of her anger, stiffening slightly before lowering the spear with a light cough, feigning nonchalance as she murmured:

"I find it... novel."

"Novel?" Sensing her attempt to change the subject, Sakatsuki played along. "What do you mean?"

"Well, how should I put it...?" Artoria pondered, then offered uncertainly, "It’s like... having a sister?"

Unlike the homunculus Mordred, Jeanne bore an uncanny resemblance to Artoria in both appearance and demeanor. Were it not for knowing she was female, Artoria might have suspected a stray bloodline of Britain’s royalty had found its way to Orléans.

Hearing this comparison, Sakatsuki’s heart skipped a beat, but he kept his composure as he agreed:

"Indeed, it’s like having a sister... Hmm, similar to Mordred."

"Sir Mordred?" Artoria shot him a cold glance. "I have always regarded her as nothing more than a Knight of the Round Table."

My king, what kind of deadbeat-dad line is that? A motherless child is like a weed—and a wildly overgrown one at that.

Sakatsuki’s lips twitched. He was about to properly debate Mordred’s situation with the "ahoge," but in the scrying mirror, Jeanne suddenly seemed to sense something, her violet eyes turning toward the forest with a puzzled gleam.

Suspected?!

Sakatsuki was startled and quickly canceled his scouting magecraft. Artoria also cut short her idle chatter, grabbing her crimson demonic spear as her body shrank from a mature woman back into a girl’s form, wrapping herself in the black cloak Sakatsuki had given her.

The curvier figure was definitely more pleasing to the eye... Sakatsuki couldn’t help but steal a glance at Artoria. Mistaking his look for seeking her opinion, the ahoge-bearing girl nodded seriously without overthinking it:

"Mm, then let’s proceed with the second phase more seriously."

"Understood." Collecting his thoughts, Sakatsuki responded in a low voice, his golden eyes taking on a cerulean hue. "This next part might get a bit rough. Please forgive me, my king."

"Heh..." Though not fully following his train of thought, Artoria’s pride as a warrior made her chuckle lightly. "Of course. Don’t mind me, go ahead, Lord Sakatsuki."

In a flash, Sakatsuki flicked off the safety and fired a mana-infused bullet straight at Artoria’s head. Raising an elegant eyebrow, Artoria gathered the surrounding air onto her crimson spear, making it vibrate violently like a chainsaw as she thrust forward.

SCREEE—!

With an earthshaking roar, the bounded field shattered. Two black-cloaked figures shot skyward, locked in relentless combat as they crashed toward the equally intense battlefield of Servants.