"Bonjour! I am Marie Antoinette and next to me is my travelling companion, Amadeus." Marie said and Amadeus waved at her with a friendly smile.
The two unknown Servants walk up to Ritsuko and greet them. Before she looks at the loud battle happening across the plain in the forest.
"Wait, Marie! That Queen of France?" Romani blurted out in surprise as his exhaustion seemed to have vanished.
"Hmn? Who is that?" Marie looks around for the origin of the voice but sees none among Ritsuko's group.
"That is the Acting Director or Chaldea, Doctor Romani. My name is Mash Kyrielight, a Demi-Servant and next to me is my Master, Ritsuko Fujimaru senpai." Mash went on and introduced everyone including Siegfried that had recently joined.
"Oh, nice to meet everyone. Then let me introduce myself better, I am indeed the Queen Marie Antoinette, Servant Rider without a Master. But just call me Marie." Marie walked up to Mash and shook her hand.
"I am Mozart Amadeus Wolfgang, a humble composer and musician, Servant Caster also without a Master." Amadeus made a gentlemanly bow and introduced himself.
"Mhm. We both were following you because we are trying to muster up a resistance against the tyranny of the Dragon Witch as my responsibility as a Queen." Marie said with a sad expression while Amadeus said he was simply tagging along and accompanying Marie.
"That is great then. We are the members of the Security Organization, Chaldea that enter Singularities in order to restore the deviated history. We are trying to gather Servants in order to defeat the Dragon Witch and we have recruited Jeanne D'Arc and now Siegfried to our cause."
Listening to what Ritsuko said, Marie immediately brightened up and grabbed her hands even tighter to her chest.
"Truly wonderful! God had not forsake France. Viva la France!" She cheered happily.
Without wasting time, Marie and Amadeus forged a contract with Ritsuko and the group managed to secure three Servants in total. A great success!
———
With Adam.
After his warhammer crushed Berserker into pulp and his innard basically turned into cooked mash by his lightning blasts. Then it would actually die.
Of the three Servants, Berserker is the most annoying. The Berserk Archer that Archer identifies as Atlanta is easy enough to kill by Cu and the help from Archer. Berserk Rider or Saint Martha is odd because she isn't fighting with her best and holding back. The Berserk Berserker is by far the most difficult because he keeps trying to steal Adam's weapon only to be denied with powerful Warp Lightning electrocution if he tries.
When Berserker's started to fade, his helmet fell off and Saber immediately gasped. She seems to know the Berserk, calling him Sir Lancelot. But Adam's focus is on Martha that gave up fighting when she is the last one standing.
"It's a relief." Martha sighed while Adam was staring down at her with his warhammer ready if she tried to do anything strange.
"Why are a Saint like you fighting for the other me?" Jeanne asked with a look of betrayal.
Martha looked shocked by Jeanne's words but only regret painted on her face.
"I didn't do it because I wanted to. I tried to resist just like Archer and Saber did. But she put Madness into us, clouding our mind with our hatred and controlling us with Command Seals. I am just lucky to have evaded her stricter control unlike Archer, who is no different than a Berserker at that point." Martha looked at the spot where Atlanta died.
Cu and Archer also gathered around Martha and looked at her with pity and more anger at Dark Jeanne on top of what they already had before.
"I understood. Then your wish is to be defeated in our hand then, to put an end to Dark Jeanne's control on you." Adam asked emotionlessly which shocked Jeanne but she also realised that this is the best way to resolve Martha's predicament.
Martha nodded, then made her resolve and said, "Before you kill me, let me give you what information I could."
"While Fafnir is indeed dangerous. But with the Dragonslayer, Fafnir isn't a trouble. But the castle where Dragon Witch made her stronghold is the territory of Caster, that place is now swarmed with his disgusting familiars and he is also conducting a ritual underneath the castle while using thousands of innocent people the wyvern captures for his demonic rituals."
"Demonic ritual, you say?" Adam asked, as his casualness vanished and replaced with a different him and everyone can feel the tense pressure start to emanate from him.
Adam immediately places his hand on the fearful Martha's head, affected by the pressure he released.
"Think of this as your penitence for the evil deed you had caused. Since you are a Servant, this shouldn't permanently damage your soul." Adam said with an unapologetic tone as his visors turned bright as his powerful psychic power was made visible, glowing from his eyes.
There is a brief, terrible and gut wrenching scream of pain from Martha before her physical vessel shattered and exploded into golden particles, sending her soul back to the Throne of Heroes while Adam ripped out the necessary memories, as gently as he could from her soul.
"Master! What have you done!" Jeanne shouted angrily at him with disbelief in her eyes.
In Adam's hand is an orb of light which he placed on the forehead of his helmet and absorbed by him while he ignored the scream directed at him.
The other Servants also stared at him with mixed reactions. Most are negative, especially Archer who knows what Adam just did and that caused such a painful reaction from Martha.
Adam scanned his eyes over the Servants that collectively frowned upon his action. His eyes then landed on Archer in particular.
Just like Servants can receive tidbits of their Master's memories through dream cycle, Adam too gets memories from his Servants. He is very well aware of what Archer is, a Counter Guardian. He knows of his method. Thus, Adam is confused. Why would Archer of all people also frown upon his action?
Although, in reality. Adam does not care about the opinion of others. Back at the Imperium, there are many who also frown upon the Psykers, the Inquisition that worked closely with Grey Knights to deal with the demonic encroachment. Him, at the focal point of both, received his fair share of hate and opinions. Not to mention the envies of many on the position and power he held.
Adam measured up his stare to everyone and asked,
"Are you questioning my approach?" He said with a voice devoid of emotions.
"Yes." Archer said firmly.
"I see, do the three of you feel the same too?" He asked again but at the three that didn't answer.
"Of course. Martha isn't even an enemy. She is forced to obey. How could you treat her so cruelly?" Jeanne said and the other two nodded along, sharing the same thought.
To their surprise, Adam suddenly laughed. But his laugh is filled with ridicule and disdain.
"I wonder how you all are even qualified to be chosen as the safety mechanism to safeguard humanity." He said as his laugh stopped. "You all are too emotionally driven, idealistic. Those will only get in the way of our job. A blade does not question, they only cut."
"In Martha's mind is a crucial piece of information to resolving this Singularity and our job is to resolve this Singularity with whatever means necessary. Even if I have to sacrifice all the people on this land to do it. The future of Humanity is at stake and the suffering of a mere dead person does not outweigh our task." Adam undauntedly said to the Servants before he dismissed his weapon and walked past them.
"This shall be a warning to you and those that want to question my method. Lest I cut you down as an enemy." He said as he left the Servants behind to contemplate his words.
———
On the walk back to the town, Adam wondered if his words were too harsh. After all, his mindset was born and raised from the harshness of his previous universe where one mistake caused by his inability to perform what required of him can cause millions and billions to die, the worlds being slaughtered and purged.
In the bitter ten millennia he fought for the future of the Imperium. Countless innocent people died simply because they were necessary.
The biggest example is the prosecution of Psyker. They are captured and kidnapped from their family simply because they are that great of a threat.
Once there was a noble, a planetary governor that hid his child who was born a Psyker. The result was the child's mind being taken over by the Daemon and opening a Warp Rift that jump started a Chaos Incursion with hordes of Daemon overrunning the world in a matter of days and the whole system before the Imperium could even dispatch any countermeasure which resulted with the loss of three systems and few of the worlds are major manufactorum that manufacture arms for sector, causing severe shortages of logistics and many more as the problem snowballed simply because of one person being blinded by his emotion.
These so-called Heroic Spirits never experienced conflict of such magnitude, hence their softness. They cannot comprehend the cold hard truth of what's necessary, simply because they couldn't put aside their emotions, dignity and pride. They do not see themselves as the necessary weapon to safeguard the Humanity they are made to protect.
Adam made a tired sighed at his thoughts and wished he was leading his Grey Knights or at least a Guardsmen instead of these Servants. At least they know what their purpose is.
———
Minutes later, Adam and the Servants returned to the town. But Ritsuko and the others noticed the heavy atmosphere hanging around them, especially the Servants.
"I guess everything went fine?" Ritsuko tried to ask but Adam didn't reveal much other than stating their success.
"The enemy Servants of Archer, Rider and Berserker had been defeated." Adam replied curtly before he proceeded into the town with Alina and Sif following swiftly behind him.
After Adam and his companions vanished into the town, Ritsuko and the others turn to the returned Servants and ask,
"Did anything happen during the battle?"
"Yeah, you guys look kinda cold with Adam just now." Romani joined in.
Archer looks at Cu and then Saber and Jeanne, not knowing who should tell them what happened. Eventually, Archer took up the task and talked. He recalled everything from the moment Berserker was defeated to the part where Adam lectured them and left.
Everyone was silent after hearing what had happened.
"If only I had a way to observe from his perspective instead of just Ritsuko through her Mystic Code." Romani sighed that such a thing had happened.
But when they all think about it, there is truth in what Adam said. Just that they are unwilling to acknowledge it. To throw away everything that makes them human and devote only to fulfilling their purpose as a weapon.
Assassin was the one that said it when he suddenly appeared. He, who is an assassin, shared the same ideology as Adam. His purpose is only as a tool to dispose of those who oppose or pervert the teaching of his God.
"If you had seen what Lord Mage had experienced in his life, none of you would question his choice. I wouldn't divulge my Master's secret. However, what I could say is he once made a mistake. One that haunts his eternal life." Hassan said to them and then turned to Archer.
"As a Servant that serves the same Master, I would expect you to have seen his life and understand what's going on in his mind." Hassan said with a hint of disappointment and then dematerialized, returning to his duty of silent vigil.
What Hassan said did answer the previous question in everyone's mind. However, it raises more and especially the curiosity about Adam and his life prior to ending up in Chaldea. But none of them are willing to force Archer to spill out Adam's secret without his permission after listening to Hassan's words.
They all entered the town to rest after the battle and discuss their next action now that they had recruited Siegfried and two other Servants, Marie and Amadeus.
———
In the town, the Chaldean is welcomed especially with Siegfried who had defended them.
The town mayor immediately prepared a home for their hero to rest and even offer what little food they have as gratitude but the Chaldean politely refused the food considering the people are willing to starve to offer the gift.
But after looking around, they fail to locate Adam and his group and without Mystic Code like Ritsuko, Romani also cannot trace his location. However, thankfully. Archer can still feel his Master Servant bond although he discovered Adam was not inside the town.
So, they asked the Mayor if they had seen where Adam had been only to be told Adam had left on the opposite side of the town, heading into the forest behind it.
"Calm down, Ritsuko. I doubt Adam is the kind to leave just like that. Perhaps he had something to do?" Romani tried to calm Ritsuko down who thought Adam left because of a disagreement.
"Maybe he is out searching food for Sif?" Archer speculated.
After all, while Adam's companions, Alina and Sif are summoned through an unknown method of Adam. They both are living breathing creatures, not false one created a vessel through Mana like the Servants. They both need sustenance, especially Sif who is a big eater and Archer knew because he had been feeding her as the person in charge of the cafeteria and the kitchen duty.
Hoping what Archer speculated is true, they settled down in the home prepared by the mayor and rest.
A while later. The Chaldean who is anxiously waiting as time trickles off but Adam hasn't returned. They suddenly heard a commotion outside of the home.
When they went out to investigate, they saw a big pile of wild games placed in the centre of the town with two familiar people in silver armour and a giant wolf.
"Is there anyone that can prepare these meats?"
Adam can be seen conversing with the mayor who looks shocked at the pile of animals, all with signs of big bite and claw marks. Obviously indicating they were hunted by Sif.
"There is a butcher and hunter I can get in a moment, Sir." The mayor replied excitedly, knowing they are having a feast or else Adam wouldn't hunt this much wild game.
"Good. You will see it done." Adam nods and then continues, "Aside from that, find the necessary ware to fit and cook all these meat along with any ingredients you can find to cook a meal out of them."
"Yes, sir." The mayor saluted and then ran as fast as he could to get everything done quickly while also spreading the good news to his people.
When Adam turn around and look at the Chaldean,
"Good. I was about to call for you. It isn't necessary now." He said while looking at Archer before he pointed at the pile of animal carcasses. "Cook something with this and feed everyone. They will need the energy to evacuate from this town tomorrow." Adam said before he left and entered another home which the mayor offered to him and retired for the day in preparation for tomorrow.
—————
AN: So, I would like to clarify about Jeanne's misunderstanding of Adam in previous chapters.
She mistakes Adam as God's messenger or representative, something. However, her misunderstanding was clarified later in conversation that I didn't include between her and the other Servants.
Also, everyone now knows Adam is not a person from the world because Cu was telling others.
So, why does no one look surprised?
Because whenever cases like Adam happened in Fate Verse where Zelretch got a Kaleidoscope, everyone in Moonlit World's natural assumption is Zelretch's doing. Especially when it aligned with Zelretch's modus operandi, which is to protect the Moonlit World.
The Chaldean natural hypothesis is that Zelretch sent Adam in to help resolve the Singularity, added with how Adam introduced himself a Mercenary which is often associated with problem solvers.
Yes, I know that all this confusion and lack of information can be fixed if I write the dialogue properly. But it's hard to write dialogue. Even harder when juggling several characters where I have to know their personality etc.
I tried my best. 🥺