Dragon-Slaying Saint Takes Stage

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"I shall bestow you my praise," Gilgamesh sat upon his throne. The lifeless husk of Siduri stood still to his left. 

Mars's breath hitches with each intake. He was not expecting to be training nonstop since Gilgamesh entered. His body was fatigued, and his face was pale, whitening his dark skin. He felt heavy as he rested on his Red Carpet. 

"Although your current state of appearance is disgusting to gaze at, I am thoroughly impressed by your efforts to achieve new heights. Be grateful, for I wouldn't have trained you personally if you hadn't entertained me enough."

Mars's throat was dry, making it hard for him to respond verbally, which would usually anger the King Of Uruk, but he seemed to have mellowed out. Mars shifted his head up and down, giving Gilgamesh an indication he was thankful. The King Of Uruk's lips parted, showing pure white teeth as he grinned.

"Time works a bit differently here. You've packed a few days' training into a single sleep session. Although you're not at the level I want you to be, this will suffice."

"Thanks, I should be going now. I'm sure the others are waiting."

"Hmph! One more thing before you go."

Mars blinked, wondering what Gilgamesh could say to keep him from leaving. 

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Outside of Mars's mind, Jeanne couldn't help but feel uneasy about what was happening. There was nothing wrong with Mars's emotions or anything, at least from what she felt through the bond, but Mars told her that not everything should be taken at face value. In such a short amount of time, she was being taught things from Mars, and quite frankly, she was a tad bit embarrassed about that. 

Shouldn't she be the one teaching him stuff? 

She sighed. After talking about some things, the group decided to split off to cover more ground, with Ritsuka and her team heading to a nearby town while Mars's team stayed with him as he was still in his statue-like state. 

"That battle must've done something for him to act this way," Jeanne theorized as she lay on her hay pile, staring at Mars. She didn't think much about it before, but she was glad he fell from the sky when he did, despite the position they were in after the fact.

"Saint. I can smell…that coming off of you. Have you become tainted by your evil duplicate?" 

"E-Eh? What smell?" 

Jeanne stammered as Atalanta sat on a tree branch. Her eyes looked down at the blonde Saint below, making emerald meet violet. 

"Arousal. You should pray for forgiveness on such a thought!" 

"I'm not truly a Saint if I can't save myself, so I'm a-allowed to think what I want sometimes."

"Excuses. You want to hog him all to yourself. Well, as long as I'm here, that won't happen."

Percival, who was eating an apple, couldn't help but feel pity for his Master. Having more than one spouse wasn't ideal for the Knight, but seeing the growing tension between the Huntress and Saint was hilarious. He'll keep that to himself if it's one thing he knows, it's a woman's wrath, especially when it's two fighting over one man.

"I shall pray for your sanity, Master."

"A-Are you challenging me?"

"Hmph! A Country Girl like you will have better luck at herding the cows. Master doesn't have time for that!"

Jeanne's brows twitched, and a vein popped near her temples. "It sounds to me like you're being possessive of who Master should be with! I-I can't allow you to dictate who he wishes to marry."

"When did this become about marriage?" Percival thought with a deadpan expression. "I am certainly praying Master chooses Jeanne. She's like the female version of my King."

Oh, Percival….

"I…I didn't bring up courtship!"

"It sounds to me that you don't want me to marry Master first! I will be his wife."

"Don't I get a say in such matters?"

""NO!"" 

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""MASTER!""

"If we were in public and they both said that, I would be in so much trouble…"

"MUAHA! Only someone with a speck of my handsomeness would have more than a single wife. It's as clear as the cloudless sky that these two are infatuated with you. Make sure to keep them in check. Quarreling women is something I don't tolerate, and neither should you." 

"Why is everyone…including those reading this, trying to make me some Harem Protag?"

"Well, for one, Mongrel, you are, and two, because it's popular amongst some readers. Now, I shall leave the story until we meet Enkidu again!" 

"Jeanne, Atalanta, sorry for making you two worry about me," Mars apologized as his expression turned despondent. "I was training mentally."

"Yes, it seemed to be the case. I wasn't worried, but the Saintess was."

"And rightfully so!" Jeanne suddenly got in Mars's face. "You should communicate with us before you go and train…in your head next time!"

"Now she's acting like an older sister," Mars thought while holding in the urge to sigh. 

"Right. I'll keep that in mind for next time."

"Oh, right. Master, Ritsuka, and the others went to gather more information, so we're now split to cover more ground," Percival's loose tone added some clarity to the situation. 

Mars gave a thankful nod before he rubbed his chin. The breeze went cold, carrying the smell of sea salt with it, which was odd. They weren't near any body of water. 

"Master! I can feel another presence."

Mars was thankful for Atalanta's skills in the wilderness. She quickly became one of his favorites for such a trait…granted he doesn't have that many servants outside of four. 

If only he knew one would force him to cook millions of Burgers and another that would test his nerves whenever they spoke with "Umu." 

"Yeah, I can smell the sea salt in the air."

"I didn't think you guys would reform so quickly. Perhaps I should've struck when you were quarreling amongst yourselves."

Mars crossed his arms while his three Servants prepared themselves for the intruder. Their voice, despite the words they spilled, wasn't that of someone who was willing to go through with it. It was a sign of hesitation on their part, perhaps for good reason as well. 

The figure appeared from the treeline, carrying a cross-staff, making Jeanne's eyes widen. 

"I am Saint Martha…maybe, the Madness Enchantment is clouding my mind. Despite being capable of rational thought, I am still under its influence until my core is destroyed."

"Saint Martha…yes, you're indeed her."

"She was able to get past my senses?" Atalanta looked a bit downtrodden as she realized that the Saintess was eavesdropping on their…argument. It was a drastic blow to Atalanta's pride, one she'll rectify.

"If you're capable of talking, despite what's been done to you, then you're capable of clearing the madness that is eating at you," Mars's words held a certain amount of encouragement but also facts. Saint Martha's will was nigh indomitable at this point. 

Martha closed her eyes and shook her head. "Perhaps you are right, Golden Child, but I am still your enemy. I was ordered to kill you all except for the Master. For whatever reason, she wants you alive."

Mars hummed. Jalter was a weird case. It reminded him of Saber Alter as well. Perhaps there is a connection. Their appearance was uncanny, with similar shades of lemon-yellow eyes and pale, bleached blonde hair. It also reminded him of Medusa, but her hair remained natural. Perhaps there were layers to these altered versions. 

"I see. But you're not being entirely truthful. I thought lying was seen as unforgivable regarding such beliefs?" 

"I will reprimand you for that remark when I get the chance, but I believe the time for talking is beyond us."

"Despite being outnumbered?" 

"A foolish notion. I may be a Saint, but my fists will show you why I tamed the son of Leviathan!" 

Martha spun her staff. "Tarasque, it's time!" 

"Oh! She's also a Dragon Slayer," Mars finally remembered that last bit of information. Supposedly she defeated Tarasque with a prayer, which may have been false. She could have actually defeated the beast with her bare hands. If that's the case, she would prove a reliable asset to them.

Now, the thing about this was getting her under Mars's command. Perhaps somewhere in the Gate Of Babylon, it houses an item to sever Martha's connection with the Dragon Witch. Still, it would be better to defeat her and then save her by overriding that command when she's about to return to the Throne Of Heroes. 

It wasn't a certified plan, but it still had its merits, and that was Martha and her Dragon. It'll take a bit of effort, but….

"Get ready! We're dealing with a named Dragon. Luckily for us, I may be able to defeat it. All I need is your support!" 

""RIGHT!"" 

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AN: Sorry for not uploading yesterday, but I added 500 or so words for this chapter. I was quite frustrated yesterday and didn't wish to write a half-baked chapter, this one is a bit lacking, in all honesty, but hopefully, I'll feel refreshed for next week or so. As it's the weekend, I'll be uploading on Monday. 

I want to say thanks for the 30+ Power Stones for the week. I'll hopefully have the next chapter for Fate/Blood done either later tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for the support on both stories and those pointing out mistakes.