Chapter 494: [494] The Saintess and the Catgirl

"Good afternoon~ The sunshine is so warm today—perfect for napping~"

"Wanting to sleep is understandable..." Sakatsuki had barely spoken half his sentence when a surge of consciousness rapidly welled up in his mind, forcibly pushing him back.

His smile fading slightly, the young man looked at the golden-haired saint and said in a flat tone:

"If you want to sleep, you can lie in the blankets or on the sofa—just don’t cling to me."

"Honestly, do I seem like such an improper person?" Jeanne, already accustomed to Sakatsuki’s blunt, knife-like words, feigned displeasure as she walked over and plopped down across from him. Studying his handsome face and deep-set eyes, she couldn’t help but smile again.

"But really, it’s quite strange. After all this time, who would’ve thought you’d end up on the same side as me?"

Truth be told, Jeanne had assumed she’d still be striving to defeat Sakatsuki. But now, it seemed the Lord had blessed them both after all.

As these thoughts crossed her mind, a faint blush spread across the saint’s cheeks. Sakatsuki, too, tilted his head slightly, gazing at Jeanne’s dazzling golden hair and radiant smile under the afternoon sun, before pursing his lips.

"...Yeah."

In the peaceful silence, Sakatsuki picked up the teapot and poured a cup for Jeanne. The girl accepted it with a smile, blowing on it gently before—

Downing it in one go.

Yes—

One gulp.

Even Sakatsuki froze for a moment. Staring at Jeanne, whose face practically screamed "Praise me for being so well-behaved," he couldn’t help but feel this French saint was like a grinning Samoyed—beautiful at a glance, but adorably silly at heart.

"Jeanne... this is tea."

"Hm? What about it?"

Watching the utterly clueless saint, Sakatsuki sighed and briefly explained the traditional way to drink tea. As his explanation deepened, Jeanne’s face gradually turned as red as twilight, her eyes brimming with shyness, almost watery.

"I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!"

Flustered, Jeanne leaped up from her seat, covering her face with her hands as she paced around the room, too embarrassed to even look at Sakatsuki. Only after her internal cooling system worked at full capacity did she regain some composure—just in time to notice the piano lid was left open.

Out of curiosity, and too ashamed to speak to Sakatsuki, she placed her fingers on the keys.

"La~" The piano emitted a pleasant sound. Encouraged by the feedback, Jeanne grew even more excited, childishly placing both hands on the keys and testing the tone of each note, completely unaware that Sakatsuki had quietly stepped behind her.

"Interested in the piano, Jeanne?"

BANG!!!

A cacophony of keys slammed into Sakatsuki’s face. Jeanne whirled around in a panic, about to explain, but recalling her earlier tea-drinking blunder, she opened her mouth—only to give up entirely.

"Waaah—yes, I don’t even know how to play the piano! Go ahead and laugh at me!"

Born and raised a country girl, she’d been waving flags on the frontlines at thirteen, beating up enemies left and right for seven years before being tragically mistaken for a heretic and burned at the stake. Her life had been nothing short of miserable.

—And in all that, there had never been a chance for Jeanne to cultivate refined hobbies or play the part of a cultured young lady.

"..." Sakatsuki had no idea why the girl looked so aggrieved, with tears welling up in her eyes. His fingers twitched slightly as he resisted the urge to pinch Jeanne d’Arc’s cheeks. Instead, he pulled out the piano bench and sat down.

His fingers danced across the black and white keys, weaving a beautiful melody. The pleasant tune filled the room, causing Jeanne’s brimming tears to retreat. She stood by the piano, feeling the resonance between the strings and her chest, staring intently at Sakatsuki’s movements with starry eyes.

"Wow..."

For someone who had grown weary of the clamor of battle—the clashing of weapons and the shouts of men—this peaceful and melodious sound was truly precious.

"To think such sounds can be produced this way... it’s incredible. Seeing this makes me want to try playing too."

"Is that so."

Jeanne happily narrowed her eyes, completely immersed in the music. As her emotions built to a peak, her throat moved slightly.

But before she could vocalize anything, her ’Revelation’ sounded an alarm.

Someone... behind her!

She turned her head sharply. In the same spot, emerald-green hair cascaded down as a beautiful female hunter with animal ears narrowed her eyes, glaring at Jeanne with undisguised hostility.

Stare...

’Atalanta’s’ favorability toward ’Jeanne d’Arc’ dropped by 99 points.

The reason was unclear.

After some thought, Atalanta decided to blame Jeanne herself.

Having completed her daily hunt, Atalanta had followed the sound of the piano here—that had been several minutes ago.

In those few minutes, she had witnessed the saint acting soft, clingy, and utterly shameless, shattering her perception entirely.

That valiant, dignified Ruler who had nearly given her life to protect the world on the battlefield—was this really how she behaved in daily life?!

For Atalanta, a hunter who had grown up without parents, isolated and alone, such displays of dependency must have been unforgivable.

She couldn’t allow any girl to show weakness to others. From childhood, Atalanta had learned that tears and pleas gained nothing—if you wanted your rights, you had to seize them with your own bow and arrows.

...It was unthinkable that she could ever become like this. It felt like a betrayal of everything she had endured as a child.

Under Atalanta’s withering gaze, Jeanne timidly raised her hand. "Um... did I do something wrong?"

Atalanta was already simmering with unnamed anger. Since Jeanne had jumped right into the line of fire, she didn’t hold back:

"As a Ruler, how could you act like this?"

"W-what did I do?"

"Showing weakness and dependence in front of Servants, with no dignity whatsoever... And you even acted so familiarly with Sakatsuki, a Servant of the Black faction!"

Completely unaware that she had revealed her true feelings, Atalanta continued her verbal assault:

"How can we trust you like this? How can we trust the fairness of the Holy Grail War? And what about your dignity as a hero? Are you truly powerless without a man around...?"

Truly worthy of a huntress—every arrow struck Jeanne’s vitals. Just as Jeanne was about to break, Sakatsuki quietly stood up, moved behind Atalanta, and began running his hands over her.

"Listen, even if... we women... shouldn’t... mmm... be so..."

Watching Atalanta’s expression of pure bliss as her speech became fragmented, Jeanne d’Arc’s face gradually twisted into a complicated expression. Her gaze shifted between Atalanta, who was sprawled out like a cat, and Sakatsuki sitting on the sofa providing free lap pillow service, her eyes filled with resentment.

"May I ask, Red Faction’s Archer, how are you feeling right now?"

"V-very... comfortable... mmm..."

After letting out a contented moan, Atalanta’s eyes glazed over as she melted into a liquid-like state, limply collapsing onto Sakatsuki’s lap without moving.

What bad intentions could a cat possibly have.