"Repeat what you just said about Jeanne D Arc." I demanded.
He took an unconscious step back and I didn't even realize I was nearly in his face. "The Dragon Witch. After she was burned at the stake, they say she was raised from the fires of purgatory itself, wielding the cursed flames as her own. The ones responsible for her death, and even the King himself were all burned in her unholy wrath!"
"…..ridiculous." I muttered after understanding his words. "Jeanne D'Arc going on a murder spree?" Just saying it out loud was absurd.
"I'm just telling you what I heard." The man grunted. "And then the flying beasts appeared. And ya just have to look up to the sky to see that something is wrong."
Right, from his perspective, I supposed they would believe such a rumor just from the fact that Wyverns appeared that coincided with that stupid rumor. Not to mention the Ring of Light is noticeable to everyone so that's not helping matters.
Absolutely no way this was Jeanne. The Jeanne I knew was….beyond reproach. Those Angels I met at the Peace conference were less in my eyes in comparison to her.
I was confident that she would emerge from the Corrupted Grail's Mud of Rin's Grail War untainted if she were exposed.
But, it wouldn't do any good for me to get upset over this. There was obviously something wrong, beyond the obvious of this place being a singularity. I would just have to figure out the details myself.
"Shouldn't there have been a treaty signed between the French and English at this point?" I started pacing back and forth, thinking aloud.
At this point in history, I can't say it has overtly significant. It's obviously important enough that a singularity formed a distortion, but compared to other events in the past, it's not very substantial in weight. The only notable occurrence that had ramifications beyond the borders is the ending of the Hundred Year war through an agreement signed by both the English and French Kings.
"The English King bastard died as well." The man spit out. "Good riddance I say. Only good thing the Witch did was scare off them English armies from the lands. If she didn't start burning down cities too then everything woulda been fine."
"….right." I took a moment to process that bit of information as well.
Just going by the process of events, History is entirely fucked up due to this sequence. The English Armies would return, the next heir would swear vengeance and I wouldn't be surprised if the Church joined in due to their people being burned in revenge.
That's not even considering the fact that there are god damn Wyverns flying around in mass enough that people are calling her 'The Dragon Witch'. How long before the Clock Tower of this time period would get involved?
No wonder this was a point of Singularity in the Timeline.
What a damn mess.
At least everything wasn't literally on fire like Fuyuki.
"You said this Witch was burning down Cities. Can you tell me about that?"
He grunted with a nod. "Heard Orleans was burned down by the Witch and she raised a Castle on the ashes. Lyon too, got a couple youngins from over there and they said that the city was mostly destroyed and burned by the witch. And something about a Knight protecting them or something." He said gruffly. "Nonsense if you ask me. Maybe other places too, but we didn't stay to wait. As soon as those monsters appeared, we packed up and ran."
I looked back towards the remainder of the caravan. Probably a dozen or so carts pulled with horses, oxes or donkeys. A lot of them looked held together only by prayers at merely a glance.
"Where are you all going then? If France is suffering at the hands of this Witch with…Dragons that can fly across the land faster than people can flee. Where will you go to escape her?"
He leaned on his spear. "North." He said simply. "Lots O' people saying that the Witch won't go up North, Eastwards that is. They say that the Duchy of Lorraine is safe from her, that for some reason she can't step foot on the land. We are headed for Nancy, the capital city of the Duchy."
"Why did she leave it untouched?" I furrowed my brow. "If she was burning down most of France, from what you said." It didn't make sense. What was there that would keep this supposed Jeanne D Arc at bay? The Holy Roman Empire? Did they set up there and are pushing back against the 'Dragon Witch' and using some of the Church's secret weapons?
They have plenty of weapons stored away that even I would be fearful of.
"Ah don't know myself." He shrugged, not giving it too much thought it seems. "You're welcome to come along. I'd be a shit man if I didn't offer our saviors a ride. "Side's, I wouldn't turn down the extra help if you wantin to come along. We be almost to the borders of what's safe. Once we get to the nearby Village, we'll gather some more supplies to make the Journey further North. But don't worry, they say the Wyverns don't dare to come close."
[Master?] Raikou's voice entered my head through our Servant link. [Do you wish to follow? It seems we have an immediate destination if you want to find the source of the conflict here. However, there is something unsettling going on.]
[Let's….get our bearings first. After what happened before, the last thing I want to do is rush into anything at the moment.] I sent back through our link.
"I'll gladly take you up on your offer." I held out my hand and he happily shook it. It seems like he really appreciated the extra help after dealing with those Wyverns. "What's the name of the place we're stopping?" Maybe I could inquire about some things there if they got a bunch of other people traveling through like them.
"Err, what was the name?" He scratched his head. "Damn kids said they got some family there and suggested we stop to refill supplies. D-dum, do…."
I stiffened in realization. "Domrémy?" I offered.
"Ah, that's the one!" He smiled happily.
[Master, why did you react that way after hearing that? Does the name mean something to you?] Raikou asked.
I supposed most people wouldn't know, especially the peasants of this era as it only got popularized long after her death.
[It's the place of Jeanne's birth…and where her family should still be living.]
"Well, I wouldn't want to keep everyone." I looked up to the sky. There were a few figures miles away in the distance, by the size this far away, I could guess they were more Wyverns, but they didn't seem to be coming our way. "Let's not wait for more of those monsters to come along."
"I'll make sure the others are ready and we will get goin. Should make it there before nightfall." He nodded in appreciation. "You two can get on my cart, I'll take ya there myself." He walked over, patting a nearby cart full of random items tied to it and a horse that looked rather tired.
I climbed into the back without argument and Raikou soon followed.
Raikou probably sensed my annoyance and discomfort because she pulled me down to lean on her shoulder while she took my hand affectionately.
By the sounds of it either Chaldea was keeping a low profile, or they hadn't arrived in the Singularity yet. I would check out this village and see the situation for myself before planning our next move.
[***]
Thankfully, we didn't have to deal with any more problems for the evening. The several hour ride was long and rough, but we finally arrived at what looked like the village.
It was very different seeing it in this era compared to when I took Jeanne to visit her hometown. They called it a village, but perhaps a town might be appropriate.
Atleast, it was bustling enough that it could be mistaken for one. But there also appeared to be a noticeable amount of refugees and travelers camped up in the area.
Not only that, but there was a large wooden wall erected around the perimeter. The wood itself looked like it had just been cut apart from the nearby forestry. And there were plenty of people being denied entry by some armed guards.
"Shoulda known something like this would've happened." The old man driving the cart let out an annoyed grunt. "Unlikely we getting any help here."
"You should be good from this point regardless, right?" I asked.
"Mmm, without those monsters overhead, we should be fine." He nodded. "We can figure out it from here if you're settling down here."
"Thanks for the ride." I nodded towards him in thanks, stepping off the cart. I held out my hand, helping Raikou off a moment later.
"I should be thanking you, lad." He gave a good natured smile. "We'll hunker down for the night at the least. If ya change your mind, I'd be happy to have ya."
I thanked him again, but this was enough.
Besides, the people with him were keeping a wary distance from us the entire time. Was pretty obvious that they didn't trust us even after saving them.
Oh well, not much you can do. People in this era were very superstitious and ignorant about a lot of things. No fault of their own, but simply the way things were.
Before the crowd could stare, and I was more than aware that we stood out, especially Raikou, I weaved an illusion around us.
"Let us in!"
"You can't keep us out here!"
"I just wanna buy some food, we're starving out here!"
Raikou and I snuck up on the people crowding around the immediate entrance to the Village where there were armed guards holding their weapons tightly, staring at the aggravated people.
"The village is full, we can't take anyone else in." One of them declared.
"Lies!" Someone from the crowd shouted and they started all throwing insults and threats towards the Guards, but no one was brave enough to start anything.
We just sidestepped the ones standing up front and walked into the Village.
It was about the same as we could see from the outside. After walking a few minutes, it was as that Guard said, pretty damn crammed full of people. Plenty of which were just sitting around setting up camp for the foreseeable future. Camping up against the side of buildings, pitching make-shift tents to hide from the elements. Children covered in dirt and grime while their parents are just happy that they're all alive.
Refugees.
Made it really sink in how bad things were around here.
Damn my bleeding heart….
They couldn't see me, but I didn't care to deal with the slew of thanks or gratitude. I began taking out items from within my Ring, foodstuffs that I had extras of, and placed them next to families with children or those looking like they were in need.
This was Jeanne's home, the least I could do was honor her memory by doing something like this.
Raikou didn't say anything, merely smiling and mimicking my actions, going around to place food and water near people who were truly in need right now.
There were way too many people here, we barely helped even a fraction that we merely saw right in front of us, but once the majority of the families in our immediate vicinity had something to fill their bellies, it was enough.
"Let's go Raikou." I whispered towards my Servant.
"Yes, Master!" Raikou grabbed my arm as we made our way further through the streets which was partly laid with stones, partly muddy from a recent rainfall.
I vaguely recalled the direction her house was in from being there before. It was a bit up the hill that the Village was situated along.
"Can you astralize for me?" I whispered again.
"Yes, Master." Raikou followed my orders, disappearing into her Spiritual state.
I dropped my own Illusion after turning onto a street so that people could see my approach. I wanted to gauge my surroundings and possibly interact with some people. Simply appearing in front of them would be a formula for disaster when there's a supposed Witch running around.
I glanced around and the further I went, the more things turned…weird.
People did not hold back their stares and watched me intently. I knew it was sort of getting dark out with the sun setting, but the way they were watching me made me think something else was going on. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few whispering to others and they glanced at me before a few of their number scurried off down between a few houses and disappeared.
More and more seemed to be there, watching me, peeking out of the nearby homes, and just staring blatantly.
And they were not normal peasants. I could see the scars, the calluses on their hands, and the overall demeanor of trained soldiers. Not to mention the barely hidden weapons under their shirts.
I continued walking up the hill and I sensed the people from before slowly following In a group, just out of my peripheral view. I ignored it, pretending that I hadn't noticed their presence as the building in question came into view.
It was nearly identical to every other home nearby, and I wouldn't have been able to pick it out had I not been here in the future.
There was the same tree out front, the same stone decorations that weathered the ages looking much more clean and well kept in comparison to my time, but it was nearly identical.
I walked up and knocked on the door. Barely once or twice and the door was pulled open with a fury and there was a man there, looking right pissed and practically ready for a fight. "What do you want?" He demanded. I could see the faint outline of a dagger under his shirt as well.
"I'm looking for a family that lives here. The father's name should be Jacques, and the mother should be Isabella –"
"Never heard of them." He interrupted me. "Who are you?" His eyes narrowed.
"…..I'm friends with their daughter." I ignored his obvious provocation and continued as I was. "I'm hoping that I can meet –"
"He said they don't live here!" Another voice sounded from behind him and a couple more men walked forward behind the one who answered the door. Their faces were hardened from years of fighting, along with noticeable wounds. One was missing a leg, another an arm. The one who originally answered, well, his pupil was a pale white with a scar running along the length of his head.
"Right then." I took a deep breath. "If I don't receive an answer in the next few breaths, I'm going to assume the worst. Which is not something you want. So please answer my question." I would not hold back if I found out that these people were…. bandits and did something to Jeanne's family.
She may be a Saint, but I sure as hell was not. She could choose to forgive them or not after their last moments on this earth were as excruciating as possible.
"Didn't you hear what I said, boy?" He reached under his shirt, pulling his knife out.
"If that's your answer." I smiled politely then lashed out with my leg, sending him flying into the house from the threshold.
The other two reacted pretty well for mundane humans. However, they were severely outmatched. Before they could draw their blades, I already pushed them back, letting them slide across the ground, joining their friend.
I grabbed one of the knives that were discarded in the heat of the moment and held it to the neck of the closest man. "Let me be clear, If I found out you did anything to the family that lives here, you will beg me for the hell you're doomed to."
"Please stop." I paused, hearing a gentle and warm voice to the side. A woman stood there, in a green and white dress with a brown veil keeping her hair back. "There's been a misunderstanding."
However, those were secondary to her actual looks.
"…..you look just like her." I said softly.
"Madame!" One of the men climbed to his feat, looking ready to attack me. I side eyed him, but my focus was still on the woman.
"Philippe, please stop as well." She looked at the man. "He doesn't mean me any harm." Her words seemed to reach them as they looked hesitant, but didn't immediately jump at me again.
[Master!] Raikou called out in alarm.
[I noticed, Raikou. Just….try to find them and keep watch if you can.] I replied, also noticing the fact that what was most likely a Servant appeared nearby.
"You must be Madame Romee." I ignored the death glares from them and continued to focus on the woman. "Jeanne spoke about you. It's an honor to meet her mother."
"You knew my Jeannette?" She smiled bitterly. "I apologize, I did not catch your name."
"How rude of me." I took a step forward and gently took her hand, placing my lips against the back of it in a gesture of respect. "Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg, at your service, Madame."
She seemed amused by my action. "Isabelle is fine. Come, I have tea brewing, you can tell me why you came all the way here and how you know my daughter."
"Madame, are you sure – "
"If he wished to harm me, he would have done so already." Jeanne's mom interrupted one of the men about to speak.
"….Just to double check, they're here as guests?" I eyed the suspicious men.
She cracked a smile, giggling softly. "They are worried that someone was going to harm me. They are all former comrades of my daughter who retired and came to settle down here."
Oh…that's awkward.
"I apologize for my actions; I assumed the worst." I bowed my head towards them in acknowledgement for my assumption.
They glanced between themselves and there was a noticeable amount of tension that eased up.
"Alright, I guess you have a point about everything." The one named Philippe scratched the back of his head. "You two go out and scatter everyone else, Tell them the Madame is fine."
The other two grumbled and hobbled out the door. I glanced around the corner and noticed just how large the crowd forming outside had become.
I was broken from my musing as the man slapped me on the back. "Apology accepted, boy. Now get over there, the Madame offered you tea and you're not going to spit on her hospitality."
"Philippe, be nice to our guest."
He grumbled but nearly dragged me to the table where she was set up, a warm cup already set out for me.
"Thank you for the tea." I politely expressed my gratitude while taking a sip. Fairly watered down and lacking much of the taste that I'm used to, but there was a certain warmness to it as well. "….if you don't mind me asking, what's going on with…." I glanced at the man hovering nearby, leaning against the wall, staring at me.
"They all seem to think an old woman like me is in need of protection." Isabella chuckled. "Truthfully, I don't think I'm worth all this trouble."
"Madame, any of the men outside would gladly lay down their lives to protect yours. None of us believe those rumors about this Dragon Witch. We all owe your daughter too much to allow even the chance of you getting harmed because of it." Phillipe responded.
"You all are former soldiers that served with Jeanne, weren't you?" I summarized.
He nodded proudly. "After hearin what happened in Orleans, we all gathered her to protect her family. It was the least we could do." He sighed, slumping his shoulders. "Suppose I should give an apology for the treatment too. We've had a cloaked stranger appear the other day, and they nearly slipped inside the Madam's home under our noses. We've been keeping a closer eye on the place for outsiders ever since. Assumed you were involved."
"It was understandable." I waved it off. But hearing about a 'stranger' and knowing there's a Servant nearby, well, two and two wasn't hard to put together. "Madame Isabelle, I apologize if my question comes off crass but….where is everyone else?"
"My husband took our children to his Great Aunt's home further north." She looked down at her tea sadly. "After hearing that Jeannette died then everything that came after…. we couldn't simply leave under the hope that our daughter wasn't truly gone. We decided that he would take the children to safety and then he would come back and we would wait to see if our daughter came home."
Phillipe looked away, obviously not believing she would.
And I knew the truth as well.
And the look on her face, well, she knew she was holding out for a miracle.
"I'm sorry for your loss." I said quietly. "She was an amazing young woman. She called me a friend once, and that's a memory I'll always cherish."
"Thank you, your words were very kind." She smiled warmly, despite the sorrowful topic. "I was always worried that Jeannette was having troubles while fighting, but to hear she had friends makes me very happy."
I don't know how she's holding herself together so well. I've barely been a dad for months at this point, and I would be an uncontrollable mess if I found out that Kunou passed away.
[Master, I found the Servant.] Raikou called out.
[Can you see them? Do you recognize them at all?] I asked back.
[They are covered with a hood over their head, master.] Raikou stated.
I stood up from my seat. "I barged in and brought up some bad memories. Please allow me to offer up something as recompose. You said there was someone suspicious poking around? I'll go grab them right now."
At the very least, I wanted Jeanne's mom to not have to live like this.
I didn't wait for them to answer as I was already flying out the door. As soon as I crossed the threshold, I moved with a burst of Shunpo hopping along the nearby rooftops until I could catch up to Raikou who was on the move.
Apparently, this other Servant noticed something was wrong and was running away. Why they didn't Astralize, I didn't know, but I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
It didn't take long for me to catch up, I could see the figure that Raikou was trailing as they weaved between houses.
They weren't fast, relatively speaking. As far as Servant parameters go, I felt like they were near the lowest end as I was easily gaining on them without pushing too hard.
I eventually jumped off a building and summoned up Mirage, halfheartedly swinging it downwards at them. I merely wanted to disrupt their attempt at fleeing rather than go for a kill. They swung their body around and materialized a weapon into their hand.]
My eyes widened because I recognized it.
A long pole with a point at the end, but it wasn't a spear. It was still furled, but the coloring of it was something I wouldn't forget.
A Banner.
I could get somewhat of a look at her face now, covered by the shroud and hidden under the moonlight.
Blonde hair peeked out from under the hood, and a familiar pair of blue eyes stared back at me.
"Jeanne?"
[***]
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