Night lingered as dawn remained hidden. His palm traced the patterns on the girlâs back while pleading sobs reached his ears, yet the young man only pressed closer, intently searching for the rules governing the Command Spell system.
Then came the conclusionâit was impossible.
He couldnât seize the Command Spells on Jeanne dâArcâs back.
If this were an ordinary Holy Grail system, Sakatsuki, who possessed the Third Magic, would naturally hold the highest authority, able to take whatever he desired. But this Holy Grail War had deviated from the norm. Jeanne dâArc, summoned as the representative of the Holy Grail itself, was like an administrator with a special ID cardâeven Sakatsuki found it difficult to interfere.
Deliberately ignoring the softness pressing against the base of his thigh, Sakatsuki looked down at the captured saint, his gaze growing increasingly dangerous.
If he couldnât obtain the Command Spells, then... should he just kill her?
No. Killing a Ruler would instantly max out his hostility level with the Holy Grail. Whether the Blue faction would be exposed was another matter, but the Red and Black camps would never let him off.
Then, sealing her away?
But he wasnât here in his true form. Sealing a saint with Magic Resistance EX would require more magical energy than he could afford. Even if he tapped into the Red factionâs homunculus system, Assassinâs capabilities werenât enough to trap Jeanne dâArc in imaginary number space.
"Tch... what a troublesome Ruler."
Though he muttered the complaint, truth be told, the current situation left Sakatsuki at a loss.
He couldnât kill her, nor could he pull off a confinement playâso what was he supposed to do?
Staying locked in this stalemate wasnât an option. He couldnât just guard Jeanne forever, but the moment she recovered her magical energy, sheâd be the one chasing him down with her holy banner.
Not to mention... back home, there was a lawful-good glutton with a ahoge staring at him with eerie intensity.
At that thought, Sakatsuki made up his mind. His hand withdrew from Jeanneâs back as he prepared to stand.
"Wait!" Jeanne cried out, her voice quickly shrinking into a whisper as she curled into a tiny ball, unable to hide the tremor in her voice. "Donât look..."
This body wasnât just hersâit also belonged to Laeticia. Even if Sakatsukiâs misunderstanding had led to her current predicament, the girlâs innocence shouldnât be tainted.
Though the Assassin version of Sakatsuki lacked emotions, he wasnât devoid of a lower half. With his business concluded, he looked down at the saint, now curled up, arms bound behind her back, stripped bare like a little white lamb. His Adamâs apple bobbed involuntarily.
Damn, who could resist this?!
Fortunately, Sakatsuki was well aware of Jeanneâs uniqueness. He shook his head, tossing all indecent thoughts to the wind, then curled his fingers and lightly tapped her shoulder, releasing the Third Magicâs restraints.
Her forcibly dematerialized attire returned, and Jeanne, who had been desperately trying to cover herself, finally relaxed, collapsing limply into the chair. Tears welled in her eyes as she panted, her face flushed and burning, her mind hazy from the blood rushing to her head due to her awkward position. She didnât even notice her hands had been freed.
But a certain wicked man had no intention of letting her rest. Sakatsuki thought for a moment before suddenly kneeling again, gripping her long, snow-white legs.
It must be said that Jeanne dâArcâs outfit was quite considerate of human desires. Lifting the skirt revealed only a thin layer of black stockings, with delicate skin exposed above the kneesâboth sexy and alluring.
"I could play with these legs for a year." Unconsciously, Sakatsuki muttered the famous line of a certain "Second Master."
Everyone laughs at the Second Master, yet everyone becomes the Second Master.
"Ah! Y-you, what are you doing?!" Jeanne instinctively tensed up, covering her chest with her hands. Unfortunately, her earlier struggles had already drained her strength, and even without restraints, she couldnât stop Sakatsukiâs actions now. All she could do was angrily insist, "I told you itâs a misunderstanding! I mean no harm!"
To still think it was her own fault after being taken advantage of to this extentâjust how naive was this saint?
"I already know," Sakatsuki replied without looking up, his Third Magic rapidly analyzing her body and spiritual attire. "If you donât want me to strip you again, shut up."
"?!?!" The village girl Jeanne immediately covered her mouth, terrified that the young man might turn into a beast and "eat" both her and Laeticia right then and there.
Fortunately, this time, the young man didnât do anything too outrageous. From Jeanneâs perspective, he just stared at her legs for a while... before standing up and walking back to the kitchen.
"Have you eaten? Iâll make you some noodles."
"Huh? Oh, thank you." Jeanne reflexively responded before realizing what had just happened and staring at Sakatsuki in disbelief.
That was it? Not even an apology?!
She had been... been... treated like this!
But recalling the young manâs dead-fish expression the entire timeâperfectly embodying the saying, "With no women in mind, the sword swings divine"âJeanne puffed her cheeks, threw a couple of frustrated punches in his direction, and then slumped onto the table, weakly consoling herself.
"At least... he didnât see... um, everything... right?"
Back when she was captured in her previous life, an English noble had attempted to assault her in prison, forcing her to switch back to menâs clothingâand the lecherous look in that nobleâs eyes still sent shivers down her spine.
When it came to a maidenâs chastity, any explanations or misunderstandings had to take a backseat.
But if, at that moment, a kind soul were to offer food to her starving self...
Nothing else would matter!
Seeing the bowl of noddles Sakatsuki placed before her, Jeanne, who had been starving for hours, was practically drooling.
It wasnât the pasta she was familiar with, but perhaps due to her empty stomach, the aroma of this dish was far more intense than any cuisine she had ever encountered.
"Hand-pulled noodles with fried sauce. Since you probably donât like spicy food, I used sweet bean paste and minced garlic."
Out of instinct as a top-tier chef, Sakatsuki wanted to explain further, but the moment the noodles hit the table, the previously half-dead Ruler suddenly revived, stabbing the noodles with her spoon-fork and shoveling them into her mouth. In the blink of an eye, she had devoured the entire bowl and, with tears in her eyes, begged for another serving.
"Take it easy, no need to rush."
Handing her a bowl of warm broth, Sakatsuki gestured for her to drink. For some reason, as he looked at the pitiful girl before him, he felt an odd sense of déjà vu.
The steaming broth warmed her stomach, instantly easing the tension as Jeanne dâArc narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, letting out a contented burp. Realizing what sheâd done, she blushed crimson and covered her mouth.
"Sorry! I-I didnât mean to..."
"Donât worry about it. A satisfied customer is the best encouragement for me." Sakatsuki smiled warmly, handing her another bowl of noodles. "Here, please enjoy."
Unable to kill her or bury her, and with another Ruler supervising at home, Sakatsuki had only one approach left with Jeanne dâArc.
Do everything possible to befriend her.
Currently, Sakatsuki didnât know what Jeanneâs âRevelationâ was, but when it came to boosting favorability through food, he was an old hand at this game.
Hadnât King Arthur, Alice, Illya, Miyu, Gudako, and even Nero... no, even Gilgamesh and Iskandar all fallen before his masterful culinary skills (or so he exaggerated)?
"Eat up, eat up..." Watching the holy maiden Jeanne completely abandon her interrogation in favor of devouring the food, Sakatsukiâs smile grew increasingly smug.
The way to a personâs heart is through their stomach. Just as Sakatsuki predicted, after eating her fill, Jeanne said nothing more. She just sulked for a while before drowsiness overtook her. After warning him "Donât leave before noon," she commandeered the room the old man had arranged for Sakatsuki, lying down for some long-overdue sleep.
"Eat, sleep, repeat - truly befitting of you, the French country girl. Easier to handle than a girlfriend..."
Not angered by the saintâs petty revenge, Sakatsuki simply muttered this before blatantly ignoring her demand and leaving the house.
Heâd obtained the data and needed to send it to Reika and the others quickly.