"Hmm?"
Hearing Ian say this, the Black Jeanne, whose entire attention had been focused on how to kill Mashu, immediately turned her gaze towards him.
A look of calculated success appeared in her golden eyes.
"What did you just say?" she asked, a hint of triumph in her voice.
"..." Although he somewhat knew that she was asking a question she already knew the answer to, Ian still repeated it as she wanted.
"Don't lay a hand on Mashu," Ian said, his voice firm.
"I... will leave here with you," he declared, his gaze unwavering.
The moment she got this answer, the corners of the Black Jeanne's lips curled up slightly.
It was the barely suppressed excitement of getting what she wanted.
"Very good!" she exclaimed, her golden eyes sparkling with delight.
"You said it yourself!" The Black Jeanne grabbed Ian's hand. "Then let's go now!" she urged, pulling him along.
"To complete the Servant contract that belongs to you and me!" she declared, her voice filled with anticipation.
"..." "Wait a moment," Ian said, stopping the extremely excited Black Jeanne. "You... let me finish one thing first," he requested, his gaze softening slightly.
"Finish one thing?" The Dragon Witch looked at the man with a puzzled expression.
"Yes," Ian nodded.
He looked towards Mashu in the distance, who seemed a bit lost and confused by his and the Black Jeanne's sudden closeness.
"At least—" Ian began, his voice gentle.
"Let me say goodbye to her," he requested, his gaze filled with a hint of sadness.
"..." The Black Jeanne's expression darkened in an instant, becoming as cold as the glacial ice in the abyss.
However, in the end, she didn't refuse Ian's request.
"Fine," the Black Jeanne said, holding her flag bearing the dragon's mark.
"Although I am the Dragon Witch, I am not a heartless person," she declared, a hint of pride in her voice.
"You—" she looked at Ian, her golden eyes glinting.
"Go ahead and say your goodbyes to her now," she allowed, her voice laced with a hint of impatience.
Hearing this, Ian temporarily left the Black Jeanne and went straight to Mashu.
"Senpai!" Mashu exclaimed when she saw her beloved return, her violet eyes widening with relief.
But Ian raised a hand to her, gesturing for silence.
"Shhh—" Ian whispered, his gaze serious.
"Mashu, the situation is a bit complicated right now," he explained softly.
"I... have to leave with her for a while," he added, his voice filled with a hint of regret.
"Senpai, you..." Mashu's eyes were filled with disbelief.
She couldn't believe that the man who had been fighting alongside her just a moment ago was now going to leave with someone else?!
Of course, Ian understood what the simple-minded girl was thinking, so he quickly continued to explain:
"Don't worry," he reassured her gently.
"I'm just going to figure some things out... it's not like I'm just leaving for good," he added, his gaze soft.
But Mashu couldn't hear such words anymore.
The only information left in her head was that he was leaving—she couldn't process anything else.
And although Ian was very worried about Mashu's current state,
He could also feel the increasingly heavy killing intent emanating from the Black Jeanne behind him.
There was no time for more explanation—he had to leave quickly.
"Anyway, we'll meet again soon," Ian said, his voice filled with a promise.
Having said this, Ian called Fou over.
"I'm leaving things in your hands for now," he said to the small creature, entrusting Mashu to its care.
Throughout the entire process, the little creature had been staring intently at Ian.
"Fou... Fou Fou. (You... you're not planning to betray Mashu, are you?)" Fou asked, its purple eyes filled with concern.
"Of course not," Ian replied gently, a soft smile on his lips.
Ian placed Fou in Mashu's hands.
He took one last look at Mashu, who was still standing there in a daze, and then walked straight towards the Black Jeanne in the distance.
After watching the two figures disappear from her sight, Mashu finally confirmed that her boyfriend had indeed run off with the woman he had just met.
Clang. The shield fell to the ground.
Mashu collapsed onto the ground—her head was completely empty.
And just at this moment, the small device used to contact Chaldea rang.
Olga Marie's voice came from it.
"Hello hello! Mashu?! Ian?!" she called out, her voice filled with concern.
"Director... it's me," Mashu replied sadly, her eyes wet with tears.
"Senpai, he left with the Jeanne of this era," she reported, her voice trembling.
"Huh?" Olga Marie's surprised voice came again.
"But I just got in contact with Ritsuka and the others—the Jeanne of this era is clearly with them," she said, her tone filled with confusion.
"What?!" Mashu suddenly understood why Ian had to leave.
On the other side.
The Black Jeanne and Ian arrived at an open space.
"Whistle—!" The Dragon Witch let out a whistle.
A dragon appeared in the distance.
A strong gust of wind swept past the two of them as it landed on the ground.
A light shone in the Black Jeanne's eyes—she seemed to think this scene was something worth showing off.
"Did you see that!" she exclaimed, her golden eyes sparkling with pride.
"This is my real Evil Dragon! Every time it appears, it brings a strong wind like this!" she declared, gesturing towards the massive creature.
"You—" The Black Jeanne, who was full of thoughts of showing off, turned her head, but couldn't say anything.
She had originally thought that the man beside her would be somewhat scared and surprised when he saw the Evil Dragon land.
But the reality was exactly the opposite.
Not only did this man not show any panic, but he even appeared calm and collected.
As if everything at this moment was the most ordinary thing for him.
When the person you want to show off to doesn't care at all, the act of showing off loses its meaning.
Realizing this, the Black Jeanne suddenly deflated, and then spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Hey... aren't you at all afraid of the Evil Dragon?" she asked, her golden eyes looking at him with suspicion.
"Afraid?" Ian looked at the Evil Dragon lying in front of him and frowned slightly.
Honestly, he wasn't very scared.
After all, compared to the five giant dragons that appeared in Orleans in his memory, the Evil Dragon summoned by the Black Jeanne before him was too weak in every sense of the word.
However—
The man understood that the Black Jeanne cared a lot about such superficial things, so he directly replied,
"Of course, I'm afraid," Ian said, trying to sound a bit nervous.
"You're lying!" The Black Jeanne glared at him. "You clearly didn't react at all!" she accused, her golden eyes narrowed.
"That's because I was too scared," Ian replied calmly, without any emotion. "So scared that I don't even remember having a reaction."
"Really?" The Black Jeanne looked very suspicious.
"Really," Ian confirmed with a nod.
"You should have said so earlier!" The Black Jeanne's expression changed from gloomy to cheerful in an instant. "I knew you couldn't possibly not be afraid of such an Evil Dragon!" she exclaimed, her golden eyes sparkling with triumph.
"However—" she continued, her voice filled with pride.
"I'm really not afraid!" she declared, even waving the flag in her hand as if to prove she wasn't lying.
"..." Looking at the Black Jeanne's childish behavior, Ian felt a bit like laughing.
Because this scene was just like the Jeanne in his memory coming to him and acting spoiled.
Those were days he missed a bit.
But—
He couldn't laugh.
She wasn't the Jeanne from his memory.
While Ian was still reminiscing, the Black Jeanne suddenly grabbed his hand, then spoke in a rather excited tone:
"Hurry up and get on the dragon!" she urged, her golden eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Huh? Get on the dragon?" Ian asked, a bit confused.
"Yes!" The Black Jeanne stared at Ian. "Otherwise, why do you think I would have summoned the Evil Dragon?" she asked, her golden eyes narrowed.
"..." "What's with that expression? Don't you want to do this?" she asked, her brow furrowed.
"Of course not," Ian replied, shaking his head slightly.
"Then get on the dragon now!" she commanded, her golden eyes flashing with impatience.
Feeling that the Black Jeanne had an inexplicable obsession with this, Ian decided to go along with her wishes.
The two of them got on the dragon one after the other.
"Hold on tight to my waist—" The Black Jeanne said, her voice filled with a hint of warning.
"If you fall off later, you'll turn into mincemeat," she added, her golden eyes glinting.
"I'll do it even if you don't tell me," Ian replied, his arms wrapping around her waist.
"Hmph, I hope so," the Black Jeanne said, a hint of a smile on her lips.
After a brief exchange, the giant dragon summoned by the Black Jeanne once again flapped its powerful wings, creating a fierce wind, and then flew towards the sky.
High in the sky, the Black Jeanne skillfully controlled the Evil Dragon beneath her, her eyes filled with confidence.
And Ian held the girl's slender waist, leaning against her back—although it looked quite intimate, the Black Jeanne didn't seem to mind this level of contact at all.
"How is it—!" The Dragon Witch's voice sounded very excited.
"This feeling high up in the sky is amazing, right? You can't experience this on the ground!" she exclaimed, her golden eyes sparkling.
Although it wasn't the first time he had experienced this feeling of flying high in the sky,
But realizing that the Black Jeanne enjoyed the feeling of showing off, Ian didn't plan to speak against her wishes.
"Indeed," Ian replied, feigning interest.
The man pretended to be very interested and looked around at the scenery of the sky.
"This feeling of soaring in the sky is indeed amazing," he commented, his gaze sweeping across the clouds.
"You... do you usually spend your time like this?" Ian asked, his voice curious.
"Pretty much~" The Black Jeanne's tone was filled with pride. "But I don't do this every day," she clarified.
"It all depends on whether I'm in a good mood that day," she added, her golden eyes glinting.
"Is that so? You're really free," Ian commented, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Of course," the Black Jeanne's eyes sparkled with the light of day.
"If there's anything I want to do... there's absolutely no one in this world who can stop me!" she declared, her voice filled with confidence.
"Oh right—!" The Black Jeanne leaned back, raised her head, and looked at the man holding her waist.
"You haven't mentioned your name yet, have you?" she pointed out, her golden eyes looking at him expectantly.
"Tell me now quickly," she urged, her voice impatient.
"Otherwise, I'll throw you off!" she threatened, her golden eyes flashing with a hint of mischief.
The Black Jeanne was very impatient, and whenever she thought of a question, she immediately wanted to know the answer.
For this reason, she would even resort to some threats.
However, Ian didn't think that his name was something he couldn't mention.
He quickly replied, "Ian Pendragon."
"Ian Pendragon?" The Black Jeanne repeated the name, her brow furrowing slightly, looking somewhat puzzled.
"I feel like I've heard this name somewhere before," she said, her golden eyes narrowed in thought.
"Heard it before?" Ian asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Mmm," the Black Jeanne nodded. "I have a feeling I heard a very similar name somewhere," she confirmed.
"..." After a moment of silence, Ian asked in return; "The name you're trying to say, wouldn't it be Artoria Pendragon?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" The Black Jeanne waved her fingers repeatedly, affirming what Ian had just said.
"It's Artoria Pendragon! The legendary King Arthur!" she exclaimed, her golden eyes wide with realization.
"..." Hearing this, the one who became puzzled was Ian.
What confused him wasn't that his name was connected to Artoria's true name by the Black Jeanne.
He simply felt that she shouldn't know this name.
After all, the era of King Arthur was far removed from the France of this time.
And she, who was shouting "revenge on France," was unlikely to actively spend time understanding such things.
And speaking of which—
Ian realized that both the Black Jeanne and his younger sister Jeanne in his memory shared some resemblance with Artoria.
Was this a coincidence?
Or some kind of inevitable connection?
The man couldn't figure it out for a moment.
He just felt that this situation where someone could learn about a hero they shouldn't know about seemed to have been mentioned by Ophelia once in Chaldea.
It was knowledge closely related to the Holy Grail War.
"Hey!" The Black Jeanne's dissatisfied voice rang in Ian's ears, who had fallen into thought. "I said, why are you always like this?!" she complained, her golden eyes flashing with annoyance.
"You just suddenly go silent while talking... did my words make you feel like you couldn't keep up?" she asked, her voice laced with irritation.
Feeling that the Black Jeanne was a bit angry at his silence—her temper was really too different from his younger sister Jeanne's.
Ian adjusted his emotions and then replied,
"No... I was just thinking about your promise just now," he explained gently.
"My promise just now?" The Black Jeanne immediately reacted when Ian said this.
"Are you referring to my relationship with that Saint Maiden?" she asked, her golden eyes narrowed.
"Yes," Ian nodded without hesitation.
After all, this was one of the reasons why he had decided to go with the Black Jeanne.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" The Black Jeanne looked up at the man behind her. "Are you that concerned about the relationship between me and her?" she asked, her golden eyes looking at him intently.
"Somewhat, yes," Ian admitted, his gaze soft.
"After all—" Ian looked directly at the girl's face, which overlapped with many memories.
"You do remind me of her... that's undeniable," he said gently, his gaze unwavering.
"..." The Black Jeanne was silent for a moment, then muttered to herself.
"This feeling is really annoying... You're clearly talking to me, the Dragon Witch, but your mind is completely on the Saint Maiden," she complained, her golden eyes flashing with irritation.
"It makes me feel like all those words you said just now were lies to me," she added, her voice filled with suspicion.
"Hey!" The Black Jeanne, getting more and more angry, pinched Ian's thigh.
"Do you think I'm some kind of gullible woman you can easily fool?!" she demanded, her golden eyes blazing.
"..." "That's not the case," Ian said with a wry smile.
"You shouldn't think you're stupid enough to not even notice when I'm lying, right?" he asked gently, his gaze soft.
This was a very clever guiding remark—it perfectly matched the Black Jeanne's arrogant mentality.
She quickly fell for it.
"...I guess so," she conceded, her golden eyes softening slightly.
"Looking at you like this, you certainly don't seem like someone who would dare to deceive me," she said, a hint of pride in her voice.
"Don't worry—!" The Black Jeanne grabbed the reins of the Evil Dragon in her hand.
"I'm not the kind of person who doesn't keep their promises," she declared, her golden eyes flashing with determination.
"I will definitely do what I promised you," she confirmed.
"But before that, you have to become my Servant first," she added, her golden eyes looking at him intently.
"..." Ian hesitated for a moment.
"So, what exactly do I need to do to become your Servant—you haven't told me yet, have you?" he asked, his brow furrowed in thought.
"Normally, you just need to sign a contract," the Black Jeanne replied, her golden eyes glinting.
"But your situation is a bit special," she added, her gaze sweeping across the ground below as the Evil Dragon flew.
"You have to—" she began, her golden eyes looking at him intently.
"I have to?" Ian asked, pressing for more information.
"You have to have a relationship with me," the Black Jeanne said, pressing her body against the man's without any sense of shame.
"You—didn't think I brought you to such a high place just because I was bored, did you?" she asked, a cruel smile playing on her lips.