Chapter 16. Reaching the Limit

I Will Eventually Embark on the Path of No Return Called a Hero [Arc2] - 16. Reaching the Limit

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In the forest, Cyd and Jeanne walked one behind the other.

"Hey... I want to transfer all my Command Spells to you."

Jeanne stopped in her tracks.

"Why?" Cyd turned around and looked at Jeanne, puzzled.

"Because... I think you're more suited to be the Ruler," Jeanne said, her tone a bit somber as she recalled the looks from Vlad III and the others.

Compared to her, they trusted Cyd more.

"Did your Lord tell you that?" Cyd raised an eyebrow.

"No, the Lord didn't say that..."

"Because there is no Lord in this world."

"The Lord exists!" Jeanne puffed up her cheeks.

"Even when His follower is lost, even when His follower is burned to death on false charges?" Cyd walked up to Jeanne.

"That was a trial given by the Lord," Jeanne said earnestly, her clear eyes showing no resentment towards the Lord she spoke of.

"That makes the Lord quite cruel," Cyd scoffed, "No help in resolving doubts, no rescue for His follower."

"Ugh..." Jeanne was momentarily at a loss for words. Before becoming a saint, she was just a village girl; what would a village girl know about such things? Yet she was unwilling to let Cyd disparage her faith, so she stubbornly said, "The Lord will guide me."

"I have a compass that points to where my heart desires," Cyd said, taking Hermes' compass out from his pocket.

"What exactly do you want?" Jeanne asked, rare frustration in her voice.

"Well, I just want you to relax," Cyd tossed the compass up and down, "Right now, you're nothing like the village girl, ahem, I mean the saint, who dared to glare at kings."

"I am being serious," Jeanne turned her head away, feeling wronged, "Even if you don't count the Red Faction, the Black Faction's Servants clearly trust you more..."

"The Red Faction is quite welcoming to me too," Cyd rubbed his chin.

Except for that Assassin Semiramis.

"That's why I think the Command Spells should be in your hands," Jeanne felt hurt, wondering why there was such a big difference between them, even though both were Rulers. She was just praying for a few hours, right?

"I don't need them; I have something more effective than Command Spells," Cyd yawned, "As Rulers, we only need to ensure the secrecy of the mysteries. The rest is not our concern, so we basically won't need the Command Spells."

"I... I've already used two," Jeanne weakly raised her hand.

"Next time you use a Command Spell, please get my approval first," Cyd grabbed Jeanne's head, "And don't stray too far from me!"

"O-Okay!"

"Then there's nothing to worry about. Next, let's go find the Black Faction's Assassin," Cyd stretched, "But, an Avatar's body sure is nice; no need for sleep or food."

"About that..." Jeanne weakly raised her hand again, "Due to certain circumstances, I manifested through possession, so..."

"So?" Cyd tilted his head.

"I've reached my limit..."

"Thud—"

Jeanne collapsed weakly to the ground, her armor, made of magical energy, dissipating quickly. The majestic saint disappeared, leaving only a frail high school girl lying on the ground.

After all, she hadn't descended in a Servant's form, so naturally, there were many shortcomings. If she didn't eat, she would get hungry, though she could ignore it, Laeticia's body couldn't; she would faint from hunger. If she didn't sleep, she would get extremely tired, though it was a unique feeling for a Servant, Laeticia's body would force her offline if too tired.

Had she not dawdled, she might have made it to the church attic to sleep soundly. But unfortunately, due to a series of events, she was now too tired! Plus, with a reliable colleague like Cyd, she irresponsibly passed out.

"Hey? You're not joking, are you? Hey!" Cyd clutched his head and wailed.

"Um..." The [Jeanne] lying on the ground lifted her head with a faint smile, "Mr. Cyd, I leave it to you."

Then she fell into a deep sleep...

"Beaten by you. How about you just sleep until the Holy Grail War ends?" Cyd sighed, lifting Jeanne and cradling her in his arms.

"At least tell me where you live..."

…

"Um..."

Sisigou cautiously watched the purple-haired woman in front of him, who kept looking outside the cafe.

"I don't need anything. You decide," the purple-haired woman shook her head.

"Could you please bring us two of these dishes?" Mordred tugged at the waitress, handing over the menu.

"Hey!"

"Can't help it! How could bitter water fill me up?" Mordred drained the coffee on the table in one gulp, then grimaced in disgust, "If I don't eat, don't expect me to fight well!"

"Last night, you were taken out in one hit!" Sisigou pointed at the culprit across the table, "And you had a full stomach before we went!"

"I... I wasn't taken out! I just couldn't move!" Mordred blushed, remembering her earlier boast about showing her true power.

"Ah!!! Damn it! Hey! Magus, let's go outside and settle this!"

Mordred made a motion to roll up her sleeves.

"Hmm?" The purple-haired woman took off her sunglasses and looked at Mordred.

"Ahhhh! She's just joking!" Sisigou jumped up, pressing Mordred's head down.

"Hmm," the purple-haired woman nodded, putting her sunglasses back on.

"Idiot! Did you forget you can't look her in the eye?" Sisigou whispered to Mordred, "Alright! I know you're strong, but the opponent is just too much!"

"Ugh... If only my real body were here, it wouldn't be like this," Mordred muttered in frustration, lying on the table.

"Sorry about that," Sisigou forced a smile.

"It's fine," the purple-haired woman shook her head.

"May I ask your name?" The awkward atmosphere made Sisigou uneasy.

"Medusa," the purple-haired woman said, still looking outside as if searching for something.

"Uh... what?" Sisigou widened his eyes. His first reaction was disbelief—how could a monster from the Age of Gods still be alive? But then he thought about those mystic eyes that could even immobilize a Servant.

Medusa ignored Sisigou and continued looking outside.

"Master, your flirting skills are terrible," Mordred mocked, taking the steak from the waitress.

"You..." Sisigou covered his face in despair, "Haven't you noticed anything strange?"

"Found them!"

Suddenly, Medusa's usually calm tone became excited. She ignored Sisigou and dashed out of the cafe.

"That's..." Sisigou's eyes widened as he saw the conspicuous figure Medusa ran towards: white hair, a black case, and a blonde girl in his arms?

"It's time to go, Saber!" Sisigou stood up, grabbing Mordred by the back of her collar and dragging her out.

"Wait! Just one more bite! One bite! You'll pay for this!"

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