Miracle Summoner

At this moment, Rozen finally understood.

He understood why the Jeanne d'Arc that Artoria [Alter] described was completely different from the one in his memory.

It wasn't because someone was impersonating Jeanne d'Arc.

In fact, the girl before him was indeed Jeanne d'Arc.

At least in appearance, the two were identical.

However, the Jeanne d'Arc before him was clad entirely in pitch-black attire, her hair was an ominous shade of ash gray, and her eyes, unlike the serene blue of the Saint, gleamed with a noble yet perilous platinum hue. The pure and holy expression that should have adorned her face was replaced by somberness and aggression.

Rozen recognized her.

She was Jeanne d'Arc, and yet not Jeanne d'Arc.

How should he address her?

"Jeanne [Alter]…"

In the first Singularity of France, the root of the distortion, the Holy Grail, was held by this dark saint herself. She had commanded an army of wyverns, ravaging all of France.

Yes.

The figure standing here was not the saintly Jeanne d'Arc but Jeanne [Alter], who had once been Rozen's enemy in the first Singularity.

"It's you…?!"

Jeanne [Alter] widened her eyes, just as startled, but then her expression darkened.

Her demeanor was as if she were facing the person she least wanted to encounter in her life.

Seeing Jeanne [Alter], the group was equally astonished.

"Why… why are you here?"

Roman was flustered.

"Weren't you supposed to have disappeared…?"

Olga Marie exclaimed in disbelief.

"This…"

Even Mash was dumbfounded.

Rozen understood their reactions perfectly.

This was because the Jeanne [Alter] before them was fundamentally different from Artoria [Alter].

Artoria [Alter] was a reversed version of King Arthur, but she was still King Arthur—merely blackened. She was undoubtedly the same person and not someone else.

Jeanne [Alter], on the other hand, was different.

She was not the dark side of Saint Jeanne d'Arc, nor was she her reversed version. The saintly Jeanne had no dark side from the beginning, and it was impossible for her to have a reversed form. Even if she were polluted by the black mud of the Holy Grail, Jeanne would not fall.

Thus, Jeanne [Alter] was nothing more than a creation born from the wish of the French Marshal Gilles de Rais to the Holy Grail after Jeanne's death, existing purely as an avenger. She was a pseudo-servant manufactured through the power of the Holy Grail, standing in opposition to the original Jeanne d'Arc.

Because of this, as a being born solely from personal wishes and fantasies, Jeanne [Alter] could never be truly recognized as a legitimate entity. Although she wielded great power, her existence lacked any inherent legitimacy. After the first Singularity was resolved, she should have disappeared completely, with no possibility of reappearing.

Ordinary servants are avatars of Heroic Spirits recorded in the Throne of Heroes, with their main bodies existing beyond the world. Even if their avatars are destroyed, they can be summoned again. However, Jeanne [Alter] was a pseudo-servant created by the Holy Grail, without a main body or record in the Throne of Heroes. Once destroyed, she should vanish forever, with no chance of survival.

So how had Jeanne [Alter] appeared in this Singularity?

"Tch!"

Seeing everyone's astonished and confused expressions, Jeanne [Alter] clicked her tongue with evident displeasure, her tone hostile.

"Don't look at me like that. I don't know why either. Perhaps that meddlesome God thinks I haven't been punished enough and sent me back to this burning land to make me endure another execution by fire."

Jeanne [Alter] spoke with a mixture of sarcasm and self-mockery.

Clearly, she herself had no idea why she, who should have vanished completely, had been summoned again and appeared in this Singularity.

Rozen, however, had his suspicions.

Likewise, after analyzing Jeanne [Alter]'s magical and life force signatures, the Chaldea team also had some theories.

"I suppose that under normal circumstances, Jeanne [Alter] would indeed be completely erased and unable to reappear."

Da Vinci, the omnipotent genius and Chaldea's top technician, voiced her conjecture.

"But this is a Singularity, a distortion where normal laws of the world don't fully apply. Moreover, all the Holy Grails in the Singularities were created by the same person, making them identical in essence. Jeanne [Alter] was created by the Holy Grail in the first Singularity and carried a fragment of it within her. When she perished, the Holy Grail emerged from her. This Holy Grail was originally formed from the crystal of the Holy Grail in the Fuyuki Singularity, completed by Lev Lainur Flauros. Artoria [Alter] once absorbed this Holy Grail into her body. Since Artoria [Alter] was summoned in this Singularity, Jeanne [Alter], being so closely tied to the Holy Grail, was also drawn from the records of this Singularity's Holy Grail, becoming an anomaly within an anomaly."

Da Vinci eloquently explained her hypothesis.

"In other words, this is a once-in-a-lifetime miracle born of multiple coincidences—a Bug within the Bug of the Singularity."

Da Vinci's theory aligned closely with Rozen's own thoughts.

At this moment, Artoria [Alter] lifted her gaze.

"So that's how it is?" Artoria [Alter] glanced at Jeanne [Alter] with a haughty expression and remarked, "In other words, thanks to me, you've gained a second chance at life?"

Artoria [Alter] spoke with a hint of condescension.

But Jeanne [Alter] was far from grateful; instead, her face was filled with mockery.

"Don't tell me you expect me to thank you, you cold-blooded woman?" Jeanne [Alter] sneered. "Well then, thank you so much for meddling."

"You're welcome, artillery girl." Artoria [Alter] shot back without missing a beat. "After all, I'm a king. I've even saved lions in the wild before. Though compared to you, lions are much more adorable. Still, I suppose bringing you back to raise isn't entirely out of the question."

"Raise me? Are you out of your mind? You can't even take care of yourself!" Jeanne [Alter] retorted with sharper sarcasm. "Don't think I don't know. When those Mountain People under your care were feasting, you claimed servants don't need food to save supplies. But you were secretly drooling in the corner. You were obviously starving, so what were you even pretending for?"

At those words, Artoria [Alter] fell silent.

And then…

"Decision made, Master."

Artoria [Alter] declared expressionlessly.

"Let's kill her."

With that, Artoria [Alter] actually raised her holy sword.

"W-Wait!"

Mash panicked on the spot and hurriedly stepped forward to stop her.

The scene quickly devolved into chaos.

Rozen looked on, utterly speechless, caught between laughter and tears.