It was an incredibly familiar sensation.
To be more precise, it was a feeling almost identical to the magical energy emanating from Prélati's true form on the day of Jeanne's execution by fire.
However, it was difficult for ordinary people to notice such a thing; only Ian, who had personally experienced that oppression, could react immediately.
Could it be—
Has Prélati really appeared?
Thinking of this, Ian couldn't help but feel a little worried.
At the same time.
Atalante, who had gained extraordinary perception due to her Archer class, sensed this change in Ian's emotions.
"What's wrong, Master?" she asked, her golden eyes looking at him with concern.
"Is there something wrong with Caster? But I remember you two shouldn't have met, right?" she added, tilting her head slightly.
"..." Realizing that if this continued, Atalante would notice something was wrong.
Ian shrugged, then said directly:
"It's nothing."
"It's just that since we haven't actually met, I'm a little curious," Ian explained, trying to sound casual.
"..." Although she felt that Ian's attitude seemed a bit strange, Atalante didn't ask further.
Because at this moment, she had something she had to say immediately.
The cat girl's face flushed slightly, and she whispered to the man beside her, who had excited her many times.
"Then——"
"Can you take your hand away now? If Caster finds out later... it will be impossible to explain," she said softly, her golden eyes darting towards the Black Jeanne.
"Let me say this first, it's not that I dislike Master doing this... I'm just worried about being discovered," she added quickly, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of red.
"...That last explanation doesn't make any sense at all, does it?" Ian pointed out with a wry smile.
"I was just afraid Master would misunderstand my meaning..." the cat girl said, her face red. "And I also don't want to cause Master any trouble."
"Yeah, you're right." Ian finally gave the elastic area a gentle squeeze, then released his hand.
His attention was now completely focused on the Caster who had yet to show their face.
The man really wanted to know what kind of Servant could have magical energy fluctuations almost identical to Prélati's.
So much so that he couldn't even distinguish the difference between them.
The figure walking from afar gradually approached, until their true face was revealed before Ian and Atalante.
However—
The development of things once again exceeded Ian's expectations.
The one who came before him was not the mad girl François Prelati, but a genuine man.
He was tall and exuded a sense of power all over his body, appearing quite robust.
But what was slightly out of place with this robustness was the face that was lost in fanatical faith.
Ian had seen countless people with this kind of expression in Domremy.
It was just that back then, this situation occurred because France was repeatedly defeated in the war, and people had to continue living through this kind of hope.
As for why this man before him had become like this...
That was unknown.
But there was one thing Ian could be sure of.
That was that the man before him must have experienced something that touched the depths of his soul, otherwise it would have been absolutely impossible for him to become like this.
"Atalante," Ian asked without changing his expression.
"What's wrong?" the little cat girl also lowered her voice.
"That Caster, what's his name?" Ian inquired, his gaze fixed on the approaching figure.
"..." "Eh?" Hearing Ian ask this, Atalante fell into thought.
But in the end, she shook her head.
"If Master wants to know that... I don't think I actually know his name." Atalante admitted, her golden eyes looking at Ian apologetically.
"What?" Ian was a little surprised by this answer.
"You were summoned by Master earlier than me... how could you not know his name?" Ian asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
"This... isn't that strange, is it?" Atalante explained cautiously, feeling a little embarrassed by her lack of knowledge.
"I didn't know Master's name at first either, did I?" she pointed out.
"..." Realizing that this topic was pointless—not knowing was not knowing.
Ian quickly ended it.
"You're right," Ian conceded.
"However——"
"What's he here for?" Ian asked, his gaze shifting back to the approaching Caster.
"Hmm..." Atalante looked towards the Black Jeanne, who was still setting up the summoning circle not far away, and gave her own speculation.
"I think, maybe he came because he sensed that Master needed his help?" she suggested, tilting her head slightly.
"..." Facts proved that Atalante's intuition was indeed very accurate.
The Caster walked straight towards the Black Jeanne, just as she had predicted.
After arriving in front of the Dragon Witch, the tall man bowed deeply, then expressed his arrival in an extremely respectful tone.
"Master... you have returned," he said, his voice filled with reverence.
Probably having heard a familiar voice, the Black Jeanne temporarily stopped her actions of drawing the summoning circle and instead looked up at the Caster who had spoken these words.
Then, a look of joy appeared on her face, as if she had seen a kindred spirit.
"Oh, it's you, Gilles de Rais." The Black Jeanne greeted him with a hint of familiarity.
Gilles de Rais?
Ian quickly "searched" his mind for information about this name.
But in the end—
He only confirmed one thing.
That was that whether in his past life in France or in his experiences in reality, he had never heard this name once.
Although he couldn't rule out the possibility of his own ignorance, Ian always felt that something was wrong.
He could feel that this Caster before him brought him a subtle sense of incongruity, but for a moment he couldn't figure out why.
"Yes, Master," the Caster, called Gilles de Rais, replied to the Black Jeanne with utmost respect.
"I sensed that you seemed to need my help."
"So——"
"I came to your side as soon as possible," Gilles de Rais explained, his eyes filled with unwavering loyalty.
"But this person is..." Gilles de Rais' gaze shifted towards Ian standing beside him.
It was the first time Ian had seen him.
Of course, it was also the first time he had seen Ian.
But before Ian could even say anything himself, the Black Jeanne had already introduced him as if they were an old married couple.
"If you're asking about him——"
"His name is Ian, and he's a Servant who has formed a contract with me," the Black Jeanne declared, her arm casually draped over Ian's shoulder.
"..." Gilles de Rais' expression became a little strange for a moment, but it quickly returned to normal.
He seemed to have noticed something, but he didn't say it.
There was no other way.
Ian could only temporarily pretend to be a Servant according to the Black Jeanne's words—after all, he could indeed do such a thing.
—Memory Projection ability activated—
The Sword of Revolving Victory (Excalibur Galatine) appeared in his hand.
"So, a Saber, huh?" Gilles de Rais nodded meaningfully.
"Welcome to Master's command," he said, his gaze lingering on Ian for a moment.
Saying these words, Gilles de Rais extended his hand towards Ian.
Although he always felt that this Caster was quite strange in all sorts of ways.
But in order not to make the scene too awkward, Ian still shook his hand.
And at this moment—
The Black Jeanne looked at the summoning circle that she had drawn all by herself and wiped her forehead.
"Heh——"
"I really do have talent in this area."
"It's time to let those weaklings know what they're facing."
The Dragon Witch held the Holy Grail and began to chant some words.
In just this instant, Ian felt an incredibly powerful surge of magical energy.
Blue light that pierced the sky began to flash in the summoning circle, then gathered into humanoid forms one by one.
The first to walk out was a knight holding a fancy longsword.
"Wow——"
"I never thought I'd be able to come to France three hundred years ago."
The knight looked at the surrounding scenery, then took off his hat and bowed to the Black Jeanne.
"Master, Saber Chevalier d'Eon, as the Knight of the White Lily, offers you my highest gratitude," he announced with a flourish.
Just as Chevalier d'Eon finished introducing himself, another voice came from the summoning circle.
It was the second Servant to appear here.
"So this is France, huh?"
"Heh... it's even better than my country."
A mature man wearing a black cloak said this.
"However——" The man sniffed the air slightly.
"Although the appearance is very different, there's also the smell of blood here."
"Master——"
"I am Vlad III, also known as Dracula, and currently, I am a Lancer."
"If you plan to make this place flow with blood... I will be very happy to help you."
The appearance of Servants did not stop there.
After Vlad III finished his self-introduction, another beam of light in the summoning circle slowly gathered and took shape.
This time, the one who came before everyone was a very heavily dressed young man.
He exuded an extremely strong killing intent all over his body.
No.
To be precise, it should be the external manifestation accumulated from doing something for a long time—just like the etiquette unique to nobles.
"...Chevalier d'Eon," the young man looked at the first knight who came out and said coldly.
"I never thought I would see you again in this era."
"However——"
"Since we have come in accordance with the summoning."
"Then let's put this matter aside for now."
The young man looked at the Black Jeanne and bowed slightly.
"My name is Charles-Henri Sanson, my class is Assassin."
"But if possible——"
"Please try to send me to fight head-on as much as possible."
After this humble and polite self-introduction ended, the last beam of light in the summoning circle also revealed its true form.
A knight wearing ancient British attire appeared before everyone.
"A summoning that transcends eras, is it?"
"I never thought such a thing would happen... I thought I would disappear like this."
"But since I've come here——" The British knight drew his thick blade and pointed it towards the sky.
"In the name of the Knights of the Round Table."
"Saber Lancelot hereby swears allegiance to you!"
"..." After Lancelot said this, he seemed to have noticed something.
His gaze fell on Ian, and his eyes looked a little doubtful.
"You..." the knight murmured.
"What's with that reaction?" the Black Jeanne looked at Lancelot, whom she had just summoned using the Holy Grail.
"Do you think something is wrong?" she asked, her red eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"..." Lancelot hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
"It's nothing."
"I just suddenly remembered a powerful old friend."
Although this answer felt quite strange, the Black Jeanne didn't delve into it further.
Because she didn't care about what these people's past was like.
As long as they could be used by her now, that was enough.
The Dragon Witch's gaze swept over everyone present, and then she began to list her Servants.
"Saber Ian."
"Archer Atalante."
"Caster Gilles de Rais."
"Saber Chevalier d'Eon."
"Lancer Vlad III."
"Assassin Charles-Henri Sanson."
"Saber Lancelot."
"Hahahaha!" The Dragon Witch laughed arrogantly.
"Good, very good!"
"With you all——it won't be difficult to destroy this land beneath our feet!"
"..."
"..." Ian noticed that when the Black Jeanne said this, the expressions of Chevalier d'Eon and Charles-Henri Sanson had obvious changes.
He realized that these two, who were from France, might not be as supportive of the Black Jeanne's actions as Atalante was.
And contrary to them, Gilles de Rais was the most loyal one.
After the Dragon Witch expressed her desire to destroy the country, he immediately cheered and even applauded.
This kind of performance, as if he had some hatred for France, instantly formed a very sharp contrast with the others.
And speaking of which—
From the moment he appeared, Ian always felt an indescribable sense of incongruity surrounding him.
The more the man thought about it, the stranger it became.
"What's wrong with you again?" Atalante's worried voice rang in the man's ear.
"If there's a problem, can you just tell me directly?"
"Otherwise... I'll be very worried!" she added, her golden eyes looking at him with concern.
"..." Knowing that Atalante was already a completely tamed pet.
Ian thought for a moment and decided to reveal some information to her.
"It's not that there's a problem."
"It's just that I simply feel like he's not quite right," Ian said, his gaze fixed on Gilles de Rais.
"Not quite right?" A hint of doubt appeared in the cat girl's tone.
"What do you mean by 'not quite right'?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
"It's hard to say clearly right now," Ian frowned slightly. "I just have this feeling."
"..." Originally wanting to please Ian and then receive his praise.
Hearing these words, Atalante immediately had the thought of helping.
A bold idea formed in her mind.
The cat girl stammered:
"Then——"
"Since that's the case..."
"Should we..."
"Ask Master tonight when the three of us are doing it?" Atalante suggested, her cheeks flushing slightly as she looked at Ian with anticipation.