Chapter 55: Gilles de Rais
"Who's there?!"
Martha immediately stepped in front of Ethan, taking a defensive stance.
"Rider, long time no see. I didn't expect you to side with them."
The man looked at Martha from afar, sizing her up from head to toe.
"I see, your Saint Graph has changed. Looks like the Holy Grail here can no longer bind you."
"And to think they dared to force Mad Enhancement on me, that woman truly is insane."
Martha frowned.
"That was merely a method to help you see the truth. But even if I say that, you wouldn't believe me, would you?"
The man stepped fully out of the darkness.
"You've traveled such a long way to get here—you must be exhausted, no? I wonder if the performance just now was to your liking?"
A man in a cloak, wearing a mysterious smile, bowed to Ethan and the others.
"Performance? What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Two young maidens fighting against evil, their hearts ignited with the light of hope. That light lifts them up, helping them overcome hardships. But just when they think dawn is breaking, they realize that so-called hope… was nothing more than the devil's whisper."
The man's smile gradually twisted into madness.
"What is hope, what is despair? If God is witnessing all of this, what would He think?! Would it be wrath?! Or would He deliver judgment?!!!"
On the split-screen of the livestream, Gilles de Rais's signature deranged expression appeared once more.
[Oh sheet, it's Simp Tentacle!!!]
[Ohhhhhhh, Gilles is here! Are we about to get a scene where Mashu-chan and Martha-chan are tied up by tentacles?! I'm hyped!!!!]
[Let me join!!!!! (Lalatina panting.gif)]
[...]
[Ugh, Darkness-kun, you just gave me a BONK. Just imagining you joining in makes it impossible for me to get hard.]
[My eyes! Darkness-kun, why?!]
[Tentacle bro, do you still remember Ryuunosuke by the Fuyuki River?]
[That perverted expression… there's no doubt, this is Gilles de Simp.]
[Simp bro is up to his antics again. This time, he even killed a cute girl Servant.]
[Nah, not surprised. This is France, after all. And with Jeanne here, there's no way Nasuverse's number one Simp wouldn't show up.]
[Bro is spouting nonsense again, but anyone who holds that book is bound to go crazy.]
...
[System: 'The Real Ryuunosuke' has sent 10 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: Brother! Brother, it's me! It's me, Ryuunosuke!!!]
[System: 'The Real Zouken' has sent 10 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: Hmm, I believe we can form a wonderful friendship. A friendship of tentacles and worms.]
…
While Ethan was still tense, contemplating his next move—
Whoosh—!!!
A figure shot straight toward Gilles de Rais.
Thud!!!
Before he could react, a spear had pierced clean through his body.
"You dare! You dare kill Kiyohime!!!"
Elizabeth screamed in fury.
"Haha, yes, that's it."
Even with a spear impaled through him, Gilles de Rais continued to smile.
"Your friend was killed, and from the depths of your heart, you feel rage. So you took it out on the one responsible—me. But even if you execute me, your friend will not return."
"This unwillingness, this pain, this confusion… what will they eventually turn you into?!"
Suddenly, Gilles de Rais's grotesque body swelled, something beneath his cloak writhing violently.
"Get away from him now!!!"
Ethan immediately shouted at Elizabeth.
"—Huh?!"
Before she could react, a massive swarm of Sea Demons burst from beneath Gilles de Rais's cloak, baring their fangs as they lunged straight at Elizabeth!
The sudden attack sent everyone into shock.
So many Sea Demons…
"True Name, Lord Chaldeas!!"
A silver shield blocked the path in front of everyone, stopping all the monsters charging toward them.
It was Mash!
Ethan turned his head and saw Mash gripping her shield tightly with both hands before pushing forward with all her might!
"Haa!!!"
Light radiated from the shield, spreading outward and knocking back all the Sea Demons clinging to it. They were sent crashing into the walls, shattering into pools of blood.
"Damn it… Did he escape?"
Ethan looked ahead, but the figure of Gilles de Rais was nowhere to be seen.
Yet, his voice echoed from deep within the corridor.
"Jeanne wishes to welcome you warmly. If you don't mind, please come to the grand hall. Jeanne and I will be waiting for you there."
"Master, what do we do now?"
Mash immediately turned to Ethan.
"Should we retreat and come up with another plan?"
Tactically speaking, this infiltration had failed.
The safest option was to retreat and find another way.
But if they turned back now, Jeanne Alter would have time to use the Holy Grail to summon more Servants.
By then, they wouldn't just be facing Fafnir—they might have to deal with even more enemy Servants.
Even if Jeanne Alter couldn't summon Artoria Alter, it wasn't impossible for her to summon Cu Chulainn Alter.
"No, we move forward."
Ethan made the decision immediately.
"Understood! I'll lead the way!"
Mash raised her shield in front of her, stepping forward cautiously.
Martha followed closely behind, ready to support Mash at any moment.
Ethan, meanwhile, looked at Elizabeth, who was still sitting on the ground. He sighed before saying:
"We're about to face the Dragon Witch. Do you still want to continue?"
"Of course! That stalker has to pay!"
Elizabeth picked up her cursed spear from the ground, her eyes burning with fury as she followed the group.
Just as Gilles de Rais had said, Kiyohime's death had changed something within her.
Now, Ethan was worried she might act recklessly because of it.
Elizabeth had been summoned by the Counter Force as a Servant. Though their goal was the same—to correct this Singularity—she wasn't someone who would take orders from Ethan.
If possible, Ethan wanted Elizabeth to survive until the end.
Part of it was because he didn't want to weaken his forces. Another part was that, even though they had only been traveling together for a short time, Ethan had grown somewhat fond of her.
And besides—
For some reason, the livestream audience was starting to like her…
[Ayo, could it be that Dragon Girl is going to blacken?]
[Blackened Dragon Girl? Oh, I get it—it's Carmilla, isn't it?!]
[The despair of watching your best friend die right in front of you… Caster really knows how to get inside people's heads. Honestly, I feel bad for Eli-chan.]
[Technically, she's also an Anti-Hero. It's just that right now, she's still in her 14-year-old pre-crime phase.]
[Marshal must pay for his sins! Support Eli-chan!!!]
…
Just imagining the livestream chat flooding with demands for Elizabeth's return if she died in battle made Ethan sigh.
The problem was, just like Kiyohime, Elizabeth wasn't the type of Servant with a Will to Protect Humanity.
If she disappeared here, there might be no way to summon her again.
Oh well, one step at a time.
Ethan followed Mash, heading deeper into the castle.
Under the dim candlelight, the group quickly arrived at the grand hall.
This place was nothing like the outside. Hundreds of candles illuminated the hall, making it as bright as daylight.
The setting resembled a reception area fit for the Pope, and on the throne where the Pope would have once sat, a white-blond-haired saintly figure was seated.
She smiled arrogantly at Ethan and the others before speaking:
"Welcome to my castle, you pathetic little rats."