Cyd sighed and gently tapped Jeanne on the head as she mumbled, "It's not my fault I need sleep," and, "Oh, I'm not complaining, Laeticia."
"Oh! Um… What were you saying just now?" Jeanne turned away, a bit embarrassed.
"You should go back to sleep," Cyd suggested earnestly.
"I'm fully rested!" Jeanne protested, shaking her fists.
"We're gathering intel during the day and operating at night. If you suddenly fall asleep, it'll be a big problem for me," Cyd pointed out, spreading his hands.
"I won't!" Jeanne's face turned red.
"And by the way... what are you doing?" Cyd's eyebrows twitched as he grabbed Mordred's head, who was trying to step on his shadow.
"Ouch! I was just curious if Medusa is really hiding in your shadow!" Mordred whined, clutching her head.
Cyd's strength was no joke, and Mordred felt like her skull might crack under his grip.
"Sorry, she's still a child!" Kairi hurried forward, pressing Mordred's head down.
"Who are you calling a child?!" Mordred kicked Kairi's knee.
Kairi grimaced, slowly bending over to clutch his knee. "This pain is worse than an arrow to the knee," he muttered.
"Hmph," Mordred snorted, showing no intention of helping her Master. "You should know about the mages around here being wiped out, right?" Cyd patted Kairi's shoulder.
"Well, yeah, the support staff is gone," Kairi rubbed his knee and couldn't help but glance at Cyd's shadow, understanding the significance of the massive shadow on that ancient stone slab.
A monster from the Age of Gods lurked beside this pure white hero. Kairi felt like Cyd's shadow was watching him.
"My Master asked you to stop staring," Atalanta, dressed in a hoodie and jeans, spoke coldly.
Kairi twitched and looked away.
"So, what should we do now?" Kairi awkwardly changed the topic.
"Follow the Lord's guidance—"
Jeanne's words were cut off as Cyd covered her mouth.
"Let's just wander around."
"Huh? Shouldn't we at least check the bodies of those mages?" Kairi was surprised. When Cyd rushed here this morning, he thought Cyd wanted a swift resolution.
"What's the point?" Cyd flipped through a newspaper, pointing to a pixelated photo. "They're probably all chopped up beyond recognition."
"Then how do we find this Assassin?" Kairi scratched his head.
"That's why you're here," Cyd patted Kairi's shoulder. "This Assassin must be hunting mages for some reason, probably low on mana. But with no mages left in the city, a powerful mage suddenly showing up would—"
"Naturally get attacked," Kairi finished the sentence. He was the bait!
"Don't worry, Master. A mere Assassin is nothing. I'll cut them down in a few strikes," Mordred confidently patted Kairi's back.
"That's reassuring," Kairi laughed bitterly. "So, instead of searching for a missing Assassin, we should just relax, right?"
"We could find the Black Faction's Assassin by following the Lord's guidance," Jeanne suggested earnestly.
"As a Ruler, you can locate the Assassin, or at least use my compass," Cyd flicked Jeanne's forehead. "Be more practical."
"Why say that! The Lord is so great…" Jeanne and Laeticia couldn't help but complain, feeling their faith was belittled.
"The gods are great," Cyd shrugged. "They bring bountiful harvests, safe returns for fishermen, and blessings for families."
"But don't forget, the Olympian gods also brought disaster," Jeanne narrowed her eyes. "Their recklessness was appalling."
"At least they exist. You've never even seen your Lord," Cyd shrugged. "And if you did, you wouldn't understand a word he says."
"I can hear the Lord's voice!" Jeanne insisted, standing on tiptoe to avoid being looked down upon by Cyd.
"And what did he say?" Cyd pressed Jeanne's head down.
"Um…" Jeanne stammered.
"Maybe he said read the bible," Cyd teased, rubbing Jeanne's head.
"I… I can't read…" Jeanne muttered after a while.
"Doesn't the Holy Grail grant you knowledge?"
"…No."
After an awkward pause, Jeanne touched her face, embarrassed. "Sorry, Jeanne doesn't want to talk to you right now."
She's completely shut down…
"Oh, so you're Jeanne's vessel?" Cyd asked, rubbing his chin.
"Yes, I'm Laeticia. Nice to meet you," Laeticia bowed politely, recognizing the legendary Greek hero before her.
"Good, you don't have that clueless village girl vibe," Cyd patted Laeticia's shoulder. "Getting dragged into such dangerous events must be confusing. Don't worry, just nod and I'll kick Jeanne out of your body right away."
"No it's fine I volunteered," Laeticia smiled wryly and shook her head. "And Jeanne says please don't joke about that."
"Ahem, so… how do we proceed?" Kairi cleared his throat.
Laeticia instinctively hid behind Cyd upon seeing Kairi.
Mordred pointed at Kairi, laughing heartily, one hand clutching her stomach.
"Sorry, I know you're not a bad person," Laeticia said, peeking out from behind Cyd.
"Well, it's not the first time," Kairi sighed, glancing at the laughing Mordred. He wanted to smack her, but the pain from her previous bites made him think twice.
"Anyway, to show how careless you are, just wander around without a care," Cyd said, spreading his hands. "Laeticia and I will follow you."
"And me?" Mordred asked, pointing to herself.
"Go have fun," Cyd said, slipping Kairi's wallet to Mordred.
"I…" Mordred hesitated.
"Go on, Assassin won't attack during the day. If they do, the Rulers will intervene," Kairi shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "If it gets bad, I'll use a Command Seal to summon you."
"Got it make sure to call me!" Mordred clutched the wallet.
"Atalanta, can you search for any traces of the Assassin's movements?" Cyd asked Atalanta.
"Understood," Atalanta nodded.
"One more thing," Cyd placed a hand on Atalanta's shoulder. His serious expression made Atalanta equally serious. "Can I touch your ears?"
"I'll bite you if you try!"