"..."
Ian looked at the utterly serious expression on the cat girl Atalante's face in his arms and immediately realized that she wasn't joking.
This was the solution she had come up with!
The man remained silent for a moment, then asked,
"Atalante, is this what you think is the way to solve the problem?" Ian asked, his voice gentle but tinged with concern.
"..." A look of disappointment flashed across Atalante's eyes, but it quickly turned resolute again.
She nodded.
"Yes."
"I... really think this can solve the problem," Atalante affirmed, her golden eyes looking at Ian with determination.
"After all——" The little cat girl looked at the Master before her, her voice trembling slightly.
"As long as everything returns to the way it was... then it can all end, right?"
"You have a future that you need to protect," Atalante continued, her gaze unwavering.
"This clean and decisive solution is the best choice," she concluded, her voice filled with conviction.
"..." Despite their extremely impure physical relationship.
This was actually the biggest obstacle—making a decision as decisive as Atalante's wasn't an easy thing to do.
But it also raised a question.
"Atalante, this might solve the problem, but——" Ian looked at the little cat girl in his arms who had proactively made such a request, feeling a pang of heartache.
"You will disappear too, right?"
"Even if I disappear... that's only natural," Atalante replied again, her voice calm and accepting.
"I wasn't supposed to exist here in the first place."
"Being able to have such wonderful memories is already something to be extremely grateful for, so what else is there to regret?" Atalante said, a gentle smile gracing her lips.
Just as the cat girl finished speaking.
The Black Jeanne, who was hugging Ian's waist, let out a murmur in her sleep.
"I like... this feeling so much."
"It's sticky and very warm," the Black Jeanne mumbled, her face nuzzling against Ian's side.
Although she didn't say it directly, both Atalante and Ian realized what the Black Jeanne was dreaming about.
"Let's end it here," Atalante said, tilting her head slightly and smiling gently.
"Rather than me."
"Perhaps you should consider how to solve Master's problem would be better," she suggested, her golden eyes looking at Ian with understanding.
"Good night~" Atalante, just like the Black Jeanne, hugged Ian's waist.
Although the feeling of being embraced from both the front and back was indeed wonderful.
But the man's mind was now filled with Atalante's suggestion.
She was right.
This... might really be the best way to repair the Singularity.
The same day, a little earlier.
In the forest several dozen miles away from the Demon King's Castle, Orléans.
Following the guidance of the Command Seals on Saint Jeanne d'Arc's hand, a group of people arrived at this place.
As they got closer and closer to their final destination, everyone's attitude gradually became serious.
A bonfire was lit.
People from different eras sat around it, discussing their next plan.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart spoke first:
"Although I don't really want to make everyone panic... but I personally think——"
"The upcoming battle will probably be much more difficult than we imagined," Mozart said, his expression thoughtful.
"Why do you say that?" Marie Antoinette looked at the Servant who claimed to be a great musician, her eyes showing a hint of doubt.
"We haven't encountered any problems along the way, have we?"
"That's precisely why we need to be careful," Mozart replied to Marie's question. "The calmer the prelude of a piece of music, the more likely there will be a passionate climax afterward."
"I think this point——" The great musician's gaze swept over everyone present.
"I probably don't need to elaborate too much."
"Hehehe." Kiyohime covered her mouth with her fan and sneered. "If we really encounter any problems, we can just burn our way through, right?"
"After all, the other side is the wicked Dragon Witch."
"We... don't need to act as partners of justice, do we?" Kiyohime added, her red eyes gleaming with a hint of malice.
"Kiyohime is right," Saint Jeanne d'Arc, holding a white flag, responded to her words.
"But no matter what——"
"Everyone, please be careful."
"Necessary night watch must be maintained, and there absolutely cannot be any slackening."
After saying these words, Jeanne looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka beside her and asked with a smile,
"Ritsuka, what do you think?"
"I'll follow your lead," Fujimaru Ritsuka replied. "Your combat experience is much richer than mine... I believe in your judgment!"
The two Masters from different eras reached a consensus at this moment.
The same day, later in the night.
Mordred, who was on night watch, was looking at the sword in her hand by the light of the bonfire, her expression somewhat blank.
It wasn't an ordinary sword, but her Noble Phantasm—Clarent.
This was the weapon given to her by her birth mother, Morgan le Fay.
It was a silver sword of kings that could grant its wielder the right to inherit all of Camelot.
But what Mordred cared about at this moment wasn't its inherent meaning.
But the words Morgan had said with deep affection before handing over the sword.
"You must be as brave as your father."
"He... is the hero of all of Camelot."
As the daughter most favored by Morgan, Mordred knew that her mother rarely praised anyone.
After all, she was the King of Camelot.
A king was destined to be arrogant and naturally couldn't casually write praises for just anyone.
But now——
The father who had been praised to the heavens by her mother had run off with a strange woman she had only met a few times.
No matter how she thought about it, this didn't make sense!
Just as Mordred was feeling distressed by this contrast, a hand patted her shoulder.
"Mo-chan~" This voice was all too familiar to Mordred.
She turned around and saw Gareth with a smile.
"Eh?!" The mischievous girl was very surprised.
"Sister Gareth, haven't you gone to rest yet?"
"I was planning to rest~" Gareth sat down beside Mordred, reached out her hands, and warmed them by the fire.
"But seeing that Mo-chan looked very bored... I came over to keep you company!"
As the youngest daughter, Mordred wasn't only loved by Morgan.
Her older brothers and sisters who had already become members of the Round Table were also very caring towards her—and Gareth was naturally one of them.
Even now as a Servant, she hoped to give her younger sister a little more care.
Mordred naturally understood this.
She said very happily,
"Sister Gareth, you're so kind!"
"Your words make me very happy," Gareth accepted the praise from her sister without any hesitation.
However—
Gareth's cheerfulness only lasted for a moment.
She quickly took her sister's hand and said with considerable worry,
"By the way... did Father really leave with another woman?"
"And he left willingly?" Gareth asked, her brow furrowed in concern.
Gareth hadn't directly met Ian in this era.
But the two sisters had already shared information—she quickly understood what her father had been doing in this time period called a "Singularity."
"..." Hearing these words, Mordred hugged her knees, her expression, illuminated by the firelight, looked very conflicted.
"Sister Gareth."
"I saw it with my own eyes."
"Father really got on another woman's dragon and left." Mordred said, her voice filled with a mix of disbelief and sadness.
"This..." Gareth believed that her sister wouldn't lie.
And she had no reason to lie at all.
However—
Having participated in the battle against Vortigern, Gareth's perception of her father was actually very similar to Mordred's.
That was, they both thought of him as a hero.
So in a situation like this, her first reaction was also similar to her sister's—she couldn't believe it at all.
"Father... how could he do such a thing?" Gareth wondered aloud, her green eyes filled with confusion.
"Yeah..." Just as the two sisters were feeling incredibly conflicted for the same reason, another figure appeared before them.
It was Saint Jeanne d'Arc.
Worried about everyone's safety, she hadn't slept deeply—so she was quickly awakened by Gareth and Mordred's conversation.
She looked at the two by the bonfire and said in an extremely gentle tone:
"You two seem to be discussing something."
"Can I join in too?" Jeanne asked, her blue eyes looking at them with kindness.
Because she had previously mistaken Jeanne for Artoria, Mordred was already a bit embarrassed towards her.
Hearing the request, she naturally nodded her head busyly.
Not to mention Gareth.
Jeanne was her Master, and as a Servant, she naturally wouldn't refuse such a request.
"Master, please sit down," Gareth offered, gesturing to the space beside them.
Having obtained the consent of the two, Jeanne then sat down.
She looked at them and went straight to the point:
"So——"
"What were you two just talking about?"
Gareth and Mordred exchanged a glance and both nodded.
Mordred, as the younger sister, directly confessed the topic they had just been discussing.
"Miss Jeanne."
"We... were wondering why my Master would leave with another Jeanne." Mordred said, her voice tinged with confusion.
Although she wasn't Mordred's Master.
But having understood each other during this period of time, Jeanne still knew quite a bit about her.
Similar to her situation with Gareth.
Mordred was a Servant summoned by Ian.
Besides——
Unlike Gareth and Mordred who were kept in the dark.
Jeanne had a secret code left by her older brother, Ian.
She knew that he hadn't suddenly left with that Dragon Witch—but was doing something that he couldn't let her know for the time being, that was all.
Therefore——
When she heard Mordred's words, Jeanne naturally wanted to help explain.
Of course.
She still remembered the instructions from her older brother—that she must never reveal the relationship between the two of them.
Although she didn't know why she had to do this.
But Jeanne never doubted her brother's instructions—he was even willing to give his life for her, so what reason was there to doubt him?
But speaking of which...
The fact that her older brother was still alive was truly a miracle!
"If you're worried about him——" The Saint's gaze swept over the two people before her, full of gentleness.
"I think there's no need to be."
"Eh?" Hearing a completely different answer—and it came from her own Master.
Gareth felt a glimmer of hope.
She busyly asked,
"Master, what do you mean by that?"
"Hmm..." Jeanne pondered for a moment before giving her explanation.
"Think about it."
"Along the way... although we encountered many cities destroyed by the other 'me', almost no one was injured."
"Don't you think——"
"This might have something to do with him?" Jeanne suggested, her blue eyes looking at them with a knowing gaze.
"This!" Mordred was very excited, her hopes ignited by Jeanne's words.
"Miss Jeanne, are you saying... Master is secretly helping us?"
"That's pretty much what I mean," Jeanne smiled slightly. "After all, only this reason can explain it."
Hearing this, Mordred became happy.
But she quickly became somewhat depressed, as if she had thought of something sad.
"But——"
"He clearly stopped me from going to kill that Dragon Witch back then, right?"
"Does that count as helping us too?" Mordred asked, her expression doubtful.
"But he didn't try to attack us after that, did he?" Jeanne continued to explain patiently.
"From this point of view... he at least wasn't willing to attack, was he?"
"And——"
"He didn't force you to leave with him either." Jeanne pointed out, her voice gentle.
Jeanne's explanation was actually just her own speculation.
But.
For Mordred at this moment, what she needed was precisely such speculation.
Because she also didn't believe that her father would do such a thing.
"That's right!" Mordred returned to her usual cheerful self.
"There's no way Master would do that! He... is a hero!"
Just as the excited mischievous girl was about to say something more, she noticed Gareth beside her staring intently at Jeanne.
The knight from Britain looked at the Saint's face, her expression becoming increasingly puzzled.
Although she was no longer afraid of other people's gazes, seeing Gareth looking at her like this, Jeanne still felt a little uneasy.
"Gareth, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Gareth scratched her head.
"I just suddenly felt... that you and the old King look... and even Mother look a bit alike!" Gareth said, her green eyes filled with confusion.
Jeanne felt that these words sounded a bit familiar.
She recalled for a moment and confirmed the source—Mordred had also said something similar.
The Saint asked tentatively,
"The 'alike' you're talking about, is it Artoria?"
"Eh!" Gareth nodded. "Master, how did you know?"
"Because Mordred also said something similar." Jeanne's gaze swept over the two sisters before her.
"Speaking of which——"
"What is your relationship with Mordred?"
"And you also seemed very concerned about the him who left?" Jeanne asked, her blue eyes looking at them with curiosity.
Mordred suddenly realized that the situation was a bit off, but it was too late to stop Gareth from speaking.
Gareth, who hadn't been instructed by Ian, directly replied,
"We're sisters."
"As for the reason for our concern... it's because he is the father of both me and Mordred!" Gareth declared, her green eyes shining with affection for her father.
"What?!" Hearing these words, Jeanne's language system directly malfunctioned, almost waking up the other Servants who were resting.
Her pupils trembled as if there had been an earthquake.
"You... are his daughters?" Jeanne asked, her voice filled with utter shock and disbelief.
Knowing that the secret was out, Mordred could only nod in acknowledgment.
"Yes."
"We... are both his daughters."
"..." Jeanne froze there.
She never dreamed that she would suddenly learn such a truth.
Her older brother actually already had two daughters?
Where did this mistress come from?!
(T/N: Actually she is the senior wife)