Chapter 33

"Finally, they entered the city," said Jeanne Alter, keeping her calm. She looked towards the gate of Orleans, where at least one of them was.

"What? Oh, my Jeanne, I've already said that idiot Rémy is nothing but incompetent. He's not fit to stand by our side. I'll take care of this myself," said Gilles angrily. He knew he couldn't rely on that failure. Rémy hadn't fulfilled his obligations in the past, so why would he be capable of it now?

"Calm down. From what I can see, the wyverns aren't attacking. This must be Rémy's doing, my last command seal. I no longer have control over him," explained Jeanne Alter. With her flag in hand, she started walking towards the castle's exit. She was determined to fight against the intruders, and this time she planned to leave them dead.

"My dear Jeanne, you don't need to waste your precious time on these worms. Let me go. I will bring each of their heads to your beautiful and glorious hands," said Gilles hopefully. He wanted to soil his own hands, not Jeanne Alter's. She shouldn't involve herself with those filthy worms.

"Get out of my way, Gilles. I will kill them myself. I'm tired of relying on other servants. If I want something, I'll achieve it on my own," asserted Jeanne Alter, annoyed. She pushed Gilles aside and continued forward towards the exit. Gilles could only watch her back.

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"He's really helping us. Not a single wyvern attacked us," Fujimaru expressed gratitude. He realized that the wyverns hadn't moved to attack them.

"Yes, Master. He truly helped us. Thanks to him, we're getting closer to the castle where Jeanne is," Mash said beside Fujimaru. She wondered how long it would have taken if they had to fight their way to the castle where Jeanne Alter was.

"He helped us? Who did he help? He attacked us first! Who attacks and then helps? I still feel like it's a trap, but how could you plebeian minds understand," complained Elizabeth. She couldn't believe Rémy. She felt he was plotting something and was only pretending to be good after being a villain.

"Unfortunately, I share the same thought as her. But you can't say my Master's brain is bad. It's yours that is defective," Kiyohime agreed as well. However, she wasn't satisfied with how Elizabeth referred to her Master.

"Something is approaching! It's Fafnir!" exclaimed Dr. Roman, who was having coffee. He choked upon seeing a great energy drawing near and recognized who it belonged to. "He's not alone! Jeanne is riding on him. Get ready for battle!"

A large shadow descended from the skies as Fafnir flapped its wings. Jeanne Alter looked coldly at Fujimaru's group.

"He's not here... But I know he was the one who stopped the wyverns. No one other than him and myself can do that, at least as far as I know," said Jeanne Alter, looking around but not seeing any sign of Rémy. Did he help Fujimaru's group and then disappear? Jeanne Alter wasn't sure.

"I will deal with these quickly and then attend to him. Hm?" Jeanne Alter sensed the presence of another servant. She recognized the energy.

"You can go ahead. I'll stay here to stop him. Or rather, defeat him. The Holy Grail isn't with her, but with Gilles," Rémy said, standing on a house and addressing Fujimaru's group. He wielded his spear, deciding to fight with just that.

"Master, I will always be by your side, no matter what choice you make. I will fight alongside you until the end and beyond, for eternity," declared Kiyohime, holding her master's hand so tightly that she nearly fainted.

With their determination strengthened by the feelings of their companions, Fujimaru squeezed Kiyohime's hand, conveying trust and gratitude. "I choose to believe in him. I hope my choice doesn't put anyone at risk," he affirmed with conviction, aware of the possible consequences.

Mash intervened, holding Fujimaru's other hand. "Senpai, don't blame yourself if something happens. We chose to follow you of our own free will, no one forced us. We're ready to face the consequences of our choices," she said, reinforcing the group's support for their master.

These words moved Fujimaru, who nodded gratefully and ran with his group towards the castle. Elizabeth, even though frustrated with everyone's apparent naivety around her, decided to accompany them, calling them idiots in her mind.

Fafnir tried to prevent Siegfried's approach, but the hero didn't hesitate and advanced with his sword, forcing the dragon to dodge. Meanwhile, Rémy didn't stay still and began running across the rooftops, leaping from one to another, getting closer and closer to Jeanne Alter, who was riding on Fafnir's back.

"You take care of your mortal enemy. I'll handle the other one," exclaimed Jeanne Alter, jumping from Fafnir to a house on the ground and landing ready to fight against Rémy. The French knight wasted no time and attacked Jeanne Alter with his spear, but she skillfully defended herself with her flag, and flames erupted at the site of their clash.

Meanwhile, the confrontation between Siegfried and Fafnir was about to begin. The dragon roared with all its fury, flapping its powerful wings in preparation to face the enemy who had defeated it once before. Siegfried firmly gripped his sword, focusing all his strength in his legs and leaping towards Fafnir.

From the flames surrounding Rémy and Jeanne Alter emerged a fiery figure that crashed onto the roof of the house before swiftly rising, avoiding major damage to the neighboring buildings. Jeanne Alter narrowly dodged a kick from Rémy that grazed her head and retaliated with a kick towards her opponent's abdomen.

Rémy struggled to defend himself, feeling the impact of Jeanne Alter's strength in his arms. "That kick was truly powerful," he acknowledged, taking a step back to recover. He then attacked again with his spear, while Jeanne Alter didn't lag behind, using her flag and flames in an attempt to burn Rémy, but his spear provided effective protection against the fire.

The two fighters exchanged a series of blows, their weapons clashing in an intense and balanced duel, with neither of them gaining an advantage. At an opportune moment, Rémy attempted a sweep to catch Jeanne Alter off guard, but she was alert and jumped, responding with a counterattack using her flag. In the heat of battle, Rémy saw a golden opportunity and trapped her flag under his armpit, pointing his spear directly at Jeanne Alter's chest.

However, Jeanne Alter managed to dodge at the last moment, avoiding the fatal blow. Holding Rémy's spear, she became the target of a kick, but the cunning Rémy reacted swiftly, striking her head with his own. Taken by surprise and momentarily disoriented, she saw the flames around her intensify. Rémy felt his skin burn from the fire around him and distanced himself from Jeanne Alter, maintaining a safe distance.

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