(23) New Journey

A few weeks have passed since then, nothing much happened other than the Medusa and Emiya settling in. Da Vinci was still in the process of trying to mass-produced the Saint Quartz. Unfortunately, even for her, it would take years for it to be mass-produced like candies. This is due to the lack of technology and the properties of the saint quartz itself...

Speaking of Da Vinci, in these two weeks, she did annoy Alexander due to her pesky behavior of wanting to experiment on the Grail. He did not bother with her as he directly throws the grail on her lap and went back to training. He visits her workshop here in there to make sure she didn't do anything stupid.

As for his training with Scáthach, this month is considered a good harvest as not only he could use his Clairvoyance actively in battle, he could also now last longer without having excruciating headaches afterward.

His progress skyrocketed due to this. He can now fight Scáthach on a stalemate which greatly surprised his shishou. This, however, did now save him from more training, it's the opposite, in fact, she only increases his training more compare to the others.

Speaking of her other students, Emiya and Ritsuka join her training mostly due to boredom, and that Emiya finds fighting Scáthach very challenging while Ritsuka mostly joins because of Mash.

As for her female pupils, Mash and Tamamo also made great progress. They now could handle their own fighting Scáthach. Mash still mostly relied on her shield for battle while Tamamo began to diverge from magecraft and started learning Martial Arts. Weirdly enough, she has a talent for it.

Although they mostly could fight on their own, they still did not last longer for more than ten minutes, though. But it was a big improvement as compared to the past, they would not last long for more than a minute.

It is a different manner if they were on a team as even Scáthach will have problems dealing with them.

With the progress they made this month, they were now ready to tackle their first singularity...

"Shishou, are you sure you're not coming with us?" Ritsuka asked.

They were now all in the command room as they began to prepare for the singularity.

Scáthach, only shook her head, "I will join you in the next singularity, for now, I will observe your progress through the monitor in Chaldea. Don't disappoint me, my idiotic students..."

"Hai!" Mash and Ritsuka said in unison while Tamamo and Alexander just nod.

"So, Doctor, any clues to what kind of place we're heading?" Emiya, who stands near Ritsuka asked Romani who is busy typing something on the keyboard.

(Image of the Command room.)

"I was about to discuss that, just give me a sec. I'm preparing the rayshift..."

A few seconds passed by:

"Done," He shifts his eyes away from the monitor as he turns to face Alexander and the others who are waiting patiently.

"So, from the data we collected, the location is in France, Orléans in 1431 AD. The geographical is mostly plains, hills, forests, and mountain ranges. We are planning on rayshifting you guys to a forest that is a few kilometers away from civilization."

"Huh? But why?" Mash asked.

"It's probably because of the lack of information. If we rayshift at a human settlement, we will be vulnerable to attacks. From what heard, in the year 1431, France is in a state of war. If we appear out of nowhere, they may take this sign as an invasion from foreign countries and they will sit back and watch all of this happen, they will send soldiers to deal with us which will be troublesome. That's why it's wiser to rayshift that is somewhat far away." Emiya answered.

"That's the gist of it. It's beneficial for us as we could also gather more information without the locals knowing of our existence so we could plan our next course of action."

"I see. I'm impressed doctor, I didn't know you could think like that..."

"Haha... You overpraised me, Fujimaru. I didn't think much too deeply compare to Emiya-kun."

"Anyway, when do begin?" Alexander said.

"Ah, right, I asked Da Vinci to prepared the coffins-"

"It's done!"

"Speak of the devil..." Alexander muttered.

Everyone looks at the source of the voice as Da Vinci gracefully enters the room while holding her magic staff. They stare at her with blank faces as they saw such antics from Da Vinci hundreds of times at this point.

"Fufu, such boring reactions. Anyway, I'm done preparing the four coffins. We can start the rayshift any time."

"That's the cue, alright everyone, prepare yourself."

With Romani and Da Vinci's guidance; Mash, Ritsuka, Alexander, and Tamamo entered their respective coffins wearing Chaldea's combat uniform...

"Fou! Fou!"

Fou, who is been missing for a while suddenly appears out of nowhere and runs up to Mash.

"Fou?! where have you been? I have been looking for you everywhere..." Mash was delighted. She left her coffin as she began hugging the little guy. After their small reunion, the little creature jumps to her shoulder and began licking her cheeks.

"It's been a while seen I saw that cutie, I thought something bad has happened to him," Tamamo followed Mash as she pats the little guy on the head.

"Well, it's good that he is okay, but... will he also join you entering the singularity?"

"Fou!"

"It seems like it, Doctor." Ritsuka joined.

"Alrighty then. Mash, hold on to him tightly when we began the rayshift to make sure he stays with you."

"Hai, Doctor."

After the small interruption, they then return to their respective coffin. Soon, green crystal clear liquid began to fill their coffins.

"Rayshift Preparation complete. Destination set to France, Orléans in 1431 A.D.

Unsummon Program, Start. Commence Spiritron Conversion.

Alexander Lampros, Mash Kyrielight, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and Tamamo-no-Mae cleared all stages of Rayshift."

"Everything is ready doctor,"

"Here too."

Soon, the staff reported their respective part as Romani nodded.

"Good. First Grand Order, commencing operation!"

************************

In human proper history, Orléans is a city on the banks of the Loire River in north-central France, and it's the capital of the Centre-Val de Loire region. The city was known for its history as the famous figure of Joan of Arc/Jeanne D'arc as she famously saved the city from English siege in 1429.

This was properly written in history. However, due to a phenomenon known as the holy grail, this part of history diverges from proper human history becoming a singularity.

The cause of all this? well, it was due to one man...

In a castle, somewhere in the middle of a destructed city, a woman grinned evilly. Her eyes show complete madness within them as she holds a golden cup between her hands. The woman who is consumed by her hatred eyed her companion who is clearly in a similar state as she was.

"Is the preparation ready?" She asked.

"Of course," The man said with sparkles in his eyes.

The woman ignores the looked he is giving her. As she proceeds to use to grail in her hand.

"Heed my words, My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny. If the heed the grails call, and obey my will and reason, then answer me.

I hereby swear that I shall defeat all evil in the world. But let thy eyes be clouded with the fog of turmoil and chaos. Thou art trapped in a cage of madness, and I the summoner who hold thy chains.

Seventh heaven clad in the great power! Come forth from the circle of binding, guardian of the scales!" (-F/GO)

Soon, seven blinding lights lighten the whole castle. The mad woman's companion was delighted as he saw more than five heroic spirits answer her call...

"I am grateful for answering my call, my fellow servants. From now on, I will be your master." The madwoman said.

The servants, however, did not respond to her words. The woman already expected such a lack of response. So she continues, "You know why I summoned you, yes? Destruction and slaughter, those are your orders."

The servants moved from their stationary position as they disappear one by one until the only ones left were the woman and her psychopathic companion.

"Gilles," She called out the man's name, "Bring him to me."

"Of course, Jeanne." Like a fanatic that he is, Gilles gladly follows her orders as he disappeared from her view to only appear with an old man in his arms.

"I trust that you did not harm him?" Jeanne coldly asked as she eyes the old man who is shivering out of fear.

"No, of course not. I did as you order and did not lay a single finger on him... But I may ask, have you considered what kind of punishment you will do to him?"

"Don't ask such a foolish question, Gilles. If you asked another stupid question, I will kill you."

Despite Jeanne's spiteful words, Gilles seems unmoved by the harshness of her words as he only shrugged it off with a creepy smile.

"His future will only have one inevitable fate, and it's to die by hands. What I do to him will be a matter so trivial that it does not need further thoughts..."

"W-what is going on? Who are you, people? What are you going to do with me?"

Although the old man is shivering, a condescending tone still lingers in his voice as he tried to question Jeanne and Gilles. His question was left unanswered as Jeanne only looked at him with disgust.

"Oh, Bishop Pierre Cauchon. It has been a while, hasn't it? Your disgusting face has not left my mind since the moment you order my death."

"I-it can't be! you- you are supposed to be dead!" The bishop shouted in shock.

"Oh? am I not?" She asked sarcastically, "It would seem my hatred for France brought me back to life... It's hilarious, isn't Gilles?"

"Yes, it was indeed."

"This is not possible! That face, it's you! Y-you really are Jeanne d'Arc?!"

"The one and only, your grace."

"But how?! I thought- I thought I order for your death three days ago! Ah! yes, this must be a dream. Yes! this is just a nightmare."

"Oh, dear. This is not good. He's trying to flee from reality. This won't do at all. We must snap him out of this."

Gilles began flipping the ominous book his holding as black tentacles began to emerge from the ground where the bishop is standing. It began to wrap around the bishop's body and began to tighten.

"Ah! W-what is this! let me go!"

"Don't kill him, Gilles."

"Ah, my apologies."

With a flick of his fingers, the tentacles loosen their grasp.

"What will you do, your grace? the woman who you burned was now standing in front of you? Should you not grip your crucifix and offer up a prayer to God?

Should you not mock me? Scorn me? Abuse me? throw rocks at me? and tell everyone that the wicked Jeanne d'Arc is here!"

"Spa-"

"Spa?"

"Spare me! Please s-spare me! I'll do anything, just spare me!"

The bishop's pride and ego were ultimately abandoned in the face of death. His fat face was now covered with tears as he begged for mercy.

Looking at the pathetic face of the one who caused her suffering was now begging in front of her. Jeanne could not help but laugh loudly as she enjoyed the face of the Bishop which is in despair.

"Could you believe this, Gilles? the once high and mighty Bishop Pierre Cauchon is now kneeling in front of a country girl."

"Indeed, Jeanne. It's a pathetic sight to behold."

"But, your grace. Mercy is only given to those who are God's favored children. Someone like you who forsaken God, and clings to his life by begging a witch, does not deserve such mercy."

"Do you understand what I'm trying to say, your grace? you just give a testimony that you are now one of the heretics you despise so much."

"And what does the church does to Heretics, your grace?"

After saying all those words, she grins evilly as she watched the bishop realized the meaning behind her words. He cried once again, this time, much louder than before.

"N-no! no, no, no. Please, spare me!"

"I'm afraid I ran out of Salvation for today. So Gilles, if you please."

"Of course, my dear... Now, for all the suffering you cause to Jeanne, burn you disgusting pest."

Imitating the burning of witches, Gilles burns the Bishop starting from his feet till his whole body is now consumed by flames. What made the whole thing worse is that Jeanne used her flame from her Noble Phantasm to burn the Bishop which is much more fierce than a normal flame. It only takes less than a minute before his whole body turned to ashes as they are scattered away by the wind.

Even though Jeanne got her revenge by killing the man who has wrong her, she was still not satisfied. She wanted destruction, chaos, and suffering in the country she was born in. She believes if God does exist, he will punish her for it. That's why she will destroy the whole country of France. The same country she saved...

"Gilles, do what you must do and create havoc as you can... Leave, I wanted to be alone for now."

"It shall be done..." He said as he slowly disappeared and enter his spirit form, leaving Jeanne alone with her thoughts.

"It won't be long before this country will be burned to the ground. That is a sight I will enjoy to the fullest..."