With the sunlight hitting my face, my eyelids trembled, forcing me to open my eyes. As I woke up, I raised my hand to block the sun's rays that insisted on blinding me.
"Looks like the Rayshift was successful," I commented, stretching and feeling my bones crack.
"Are you alright, Master?" Okita asked, approaching with concern.
"I am," I replied, crossing my arms as I listened to birds chirping in the distance. A gentle breeze passed by, bringing a pleasant freshness.
"Seems like we've been sent to the countryside," Mash said, observing the plains while helping steady Ritsuka, who still looked dizzy from the Rayshift process.
"I think so," I agreed, looking around. Vast, lush green fields stretched before me, dotted with distant hills.
As I was observing the scenery, a small ball of fur jumped onto my shoulders. I turned my head, looking at the little ball of fluff now perched there.
"Hehehe! You really love throwing yourself into things, don't you, Fou?" I chuckled, petting the little fox-like creature that had probably sneaked into Mash's coffin.
"Fou! Fou! Fou!" it chirped, placing its tiny paws on my shoulders and staring at the fields.
That little creature was really something. It had been in Fuyuki and now here in the first Singularity. Maybe that's the advantage of being a beast without proper consciousness, right?
"This creature is so meddlesome," Nobunaga commented, snatching Fou from the air and inspecting it with a grin.
"Fou!" it squealed, kicking Nobunaga's hand and falling to the ground. The warlord merely laughed, placing her hands on her hips, unbothered by the little beast's audacity.
"So, this is France?" Nobunaga took a step forward, scanning the surroundings with her sharp eyes.
"The countryside of France, yes," I replied, feeling the wind blow through my long black hair.
Nobunaga raised her hand, pointing toward the horizon. "What do you say we conquer this country, my retainer?" She turned to me, flashing a mischievous grin.
"Tempting offer, but our job is to save the world. Maybe let's leave that for another time," I replied, trying to stay focused.
"Mwahaha! Sure, maybe we'll unify the whole world while we're at it!" She laughed, placing her hands behind her back and shooting me a playful glance.
She's really an adorable warlord, I thought, stroking my chin.
Meanwhile, Okita, who had remained silent, stepped forward. "If Master wishes, I'll carve a path for you."
"Maybe in the future," I replied, raising my hand to brush away a strand of hair that had fallen over her face.
She blinked at me, slightly confused by the gesture but made no attempt to push my hand away.
"Why do you guys look like final bosses?" Ritsuka, who had finally recovered, asked, staring at us with a bewildered expression.
"It's just your imagination…" I began to say, but my eyes narrowed as I noticed something in the sky.
"Hmm… is something wrong, Altair-senpai?" Ritsuka asked, worried.
Both Fujimaru and Mash followed my gaze and saw a massive ring of light covering the sky. Both girls stood there, mouths agape.
"What the hell is that?" Ritsuka pointed at the sky, her face filled with pure surprise.
"No idea," I replied, staring at the celestial phenomenon.
As if answering our question, the communicator beeped, and Dr. Roman's hologram appeared.
"We're connected… Huh! What's going on over there? Something's wrong…" His voice trailed off as he noticed the sky through the feed. Da Vinci also appeared in the background, leaning in to get a better look. "...That's massive. It looks almost as big as North America. This is probably some kind of magecraft?" Roman said, not entirely convinced.
"Most likely," I nodded, shrugging. It was the only plausible explanation.
"Definitely not a natural phenomenon, that's for sure," Da Vinci pondered. "Without a doubt, it must be connected to the Grail."
"I think so too, but for now, we'll do what we can from here. You two focus on finding the leyline."
"Understood, Dr. Roman," Mash replied.
I sighed. "We better find the leyline," I said, lowering my hand casually. "Ritsuka, do you want to rest a bit?" She still seemed shaken from the Rayshift.
"No, I'm better now," she replied, scratching her head with a sheepish smile. "I just find this silence weird. Shouldn't we be in the middle of the Hundred Years' War?" she asked, looking puzzled.
I let out a soft laugh at her expression. "Despite the name, the Hundred Years' War wasn't a continuous conflict. There were periods of peace between battles. We're probably in one of those intervals," I explained, shrugging with a slight smile.
"Wow! You know a lot about history, Altair-kun."
"I was a good student."
"I can't imagine you sitting in the front row, paying attention to the teacher." Ritsuka crossed her arms, giving me a doubtful look.
"That's exactly how it was," I replied, raising a finger and flicking her forehead gently.
I suppose you could say I was something of a nerd in my previous life. For someone born at the bottom of the social ladder, studying was the only chance to climb.
"But... what year exactly are we in?" She asked, tilting her head slightly."
While she rubbed her head, Mash murmured, "I've confirmed the temporal axis coordinates. We are indeed in France, the year 1431."
"Oh! Not only are we in the Hundred Years' War, but it's also 1431… the year Joan of Arc was burned at the stake." Joan of Arc wasn't just an ordinary woman; she was a French saint canonized by the Catholic Church and considered a national heroine. But before that, she was accused of witchcraft and burned alive.
Some people are truly fools.
"Do you think this is connected to the Singularity?" Ritsuka asked.
"Most likely," I replied, watching Fou hop through the tall grass. I couldn't help but smile—he was ridiculously cute.
Despite the complicated period we were in, the place felt peaceful and beautiful. Mash, for instance, crouched down to play with the grass as if it were her first time seeing something like this.
I turned to Artoria, who had remained silent until now. "Castle," she said, raising Excalibur and pointing toward a distant structure.
"Looks like our destination is in sight," I commented. As I said that, Fou let out a squeak and jumped toward Mash, who quickly scooped him up onto her shoulder.
A simple dirt road stretched out ahead of us.
"A nice walk sounds good," Ritsuka said, sounding cheerful.
•••
"I want to die," Ritsuka groaned, dragging her feet along the road, sweat dripping from her delicate face onto the ground.
Unfortunately, walking for hours wasn't exactly glamorous. While we Servants and Demi-Servants were perfectly fine, Ritsuka, being human, was clearly suffering from the effort.
"You need to improve your physical conditioning," Artoria murmured, giving her Master a cold glance.
"I'm human," Ritsuka replied with a sarcastic smile.
"Senpai, if you want, I can carry you," Mash offered, concerned.
"No, I need to go through this on my own," she replied, smiling with determination. "I'll never be carried like a sack of potatoes with my butt sticking out ever again."
Even though she was the weakest among us, her willpower was truly admirable.
"Altair-kun," she called, making me turn my head. "What was your life like before becoming a Demi-Servant?" Ritsuka asked, clearly trying to make conversation.
"Normal, I'd say," I replied, looking ahead. "I woke up every day in an orphanage, went to school, studied like crazy, came back to the orphanage, and repeated the cycle the next day," I said, shrugging. My life wasn't anything extraordinary, though the memories of the Monkey King were extremely extraordinary.
"Altair-senpai's an orphan?"
"Yeah, my mother left me at the doorstep of an orphanage."
"I'm sorry," Mash murmured, lowering her head.
"Hahaha! Don't be. It's just a part of me, just like the memories of the Monkey King embedded in my mind," I replied, poking my own head.
For some reason, Mash seemed pretty captivated by my words.
"Are you able to access those memories?" Mash, being a Demi-Servant herself, asked with curiosity.
"More or less. They're pretty chaotic, but I can access some parts." The Monkey King's memories were a jumbled mess in my head, letting me access only fragments.
Meanwhile, Okita stepped forward, narrowing her eyes.
Following her gaze into the distance, I spotted a group of soldiers. Each wore simple chainmail, with helmets and blue cloth draped over their torsos.
"Master," Okita murmured, placing her hand on her katana.
"Yeah, I see them."
"What is it?" Ritsuka asked, glancing around. Mash also looked confused.
"Soldiers," Artoria said, with a faint smile.
"A scouting brigade," Nobunaga added, a spark of interest in her eyes.
Mash narrowed her eyes as she spotted them, and a worried expression crossed her face.
"They look so tired…" she commented.
Indeed, the soldiers looked more like they were dragging themselves than marching. Their morale was almost nonexistent. Odd, considering we were supposed to be in a time of relative peace.
"We should ask what's going on," I said, moving closer to Ritsuka. "Sorry, but we'll be speeding up," I warned, grabbing her by the waist and once again positioning her with her butt facing forward.
"Wha—?!" she yelped, blushing as she felt my hands around her. "At least put me on your shoulder." Her voice echoed as I advanced toward the soldiers.
••• ••• •••
Don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me.