Chapter 123
"Promise me first!" Joan of Arc's voice was filled with fear; she realized that her rebirth was bound to change something. Boudica felt the same way, and so did Ismara.
This unfamiliarity terrified her instinctively, and she felt she had to grasp at anything she could.
Hebe was her other half, the closest person she could find. After signing the contract, the two could even be considered blood relatives.
"I don't want to talk to you about this right now." Hebe pulled hard, causing Joan of Arc to kneel down.
This posture was so humble that Hebe was stunned for a moment, and then immediately knelt down on one knee as well.
The two girls embraced each other, their flaxen and golden hair intertwined, their cheeks rubbing against each other.
In a different place and at a different time, this pose would have inspired beautiful daydreams, but Joan of Arc of Arc felt an endless emptiness within her, and she longed for an answer.
"Jeanne," Hebe said softly, "You should be able to see parts of the future to some extent, shouldn't you?"
In Hebe's previous life, Joan of Arc was considered to have been blessed by angels, received revelation, and was able to see the future of herself and even the kingdom.
Of course, many things have been proven false in her past life. For example, some scholars believe that Joan of Arc's revelations were likely just delusions and hallucinations arising from her obsessive prayers...
But here, in the Lostbelt, the so-called revelation is probably something that can actually be obtained.
Hebe felt that soft, warm body tremble slightly.
The girl felt somewhat helpless; knowing fragments of the future wasn't something that had to be kept secret.
But compared to Hebe's composure, Joan of Arc was even more shocked and nameless at this moment.
'She knows, Ishtar knows!'
Joan of Arc's breathing quickened, and she tentatively whispered in her heart, "Ishtar? Can you hear me?"
She waited anxiously, fearing that the Pure Water Spirit's smiling voice would resound in her heart.
Fortunately, no, and when she came to her senses, she found that Hebe had already pulled her up from the ground.
"Let's go back to the previous question." Hebe glanced enviously at the incredibly cushioned flesh in front of Jeanne. "No two drops of water are exactly alike, Jeanne, let alone us. All we can do is try our best to find common ground while respecting our differences, after all, we still have the same enemy to face..."
"You begged me just now, so I'm begging you now." Hebe sighed, taking Jeanne's hand and rubbing it in his palm. "For our sake, please don't dwell on these issues anymore, okay?"
"OK..."
Joan of Arc felt her voice was a little dry and trembling.
She could only hear some indistinct sighs, but even without hearing Hebe's inner thoughts, she could foresee the future: What if their common enemy disappeared? What if their current goals were achieved? What if all the external forces used to suppress them ceased to exist? Then the day when they would become complete adversaries would be just around the corner.
No, perhaps Ishtar always wanted to escape... Joan of Arc sighed silently.
But she quickly reaffirmed her conviction: no one but her knew what the future held, so only she could save Ishtar.
Joan of Arc needed Ishtar by her side to have the courage to raise the banner and step into the endless darkness.
"Ishtar, you must stay... stay for me."
Hebe nodded, offering no further comment on the abrupt remark.
191 Someone is cheating, I won't say who.
Hebe was led by Joan of Arc to a makeshift tent.
This was a simple marching tent covered with tarpaulins and protected from the wind on all sides. Inside, it was filled with various maps outlining directions, many forms recording special symbols, and dozens of slips of paper with place names written on them.
Hebe immediately realized that Joan of Arc wanted to discuss battle plans with her.
The problem is that she knows nothing about actual large-scale military operations.
Hebe was about to say that she was powerless and that she should find someone else to help.
Before she could speak, she saw Joan of Arc roll a map in front of her and then begin to describe the upcoming arrangements to her in extremely concise language.
The steps are detailed, meticulous, and comprehensive, yet presented in a simple and easy-to-understand way.
Hebe was certain that even someone completely unfamiliar with the subject could roughly understand the state of the battlefield from Joan of Arc's description.
And most importantly, all of this was accomplished by Joan of Arc of Arc alone in just a few days of her spare time.
Why does this take an extra twenty hours?
Hebe discovered that many of Joan of Arc's arrangements included allowances of several tens of minutes to several hours.
Then, all that reserved time is spent on something.
"Because we need to save lives," Joan of Arc replied. "This timeframe was calculated after careful planning, allowing us ample time for rescue operations, a measured evacuation, and even..."
"It even includes training time."
Hebe sat at the table, muttering to herself.
She realized she had underestimated the Domremy.
Now she understood why Joan of Arc had suddenly dragged her into the military tent and presented her with data to explain the military arrangements.
Because Hebe had just disagreed with Joan of Arc's views and provoked her with Boudica's death.
—Yes, if you want to save everyone but can't come up with a better plan, then how can you have the right to criticize me?
Now Joan of Arc gave her an answer.
—I promise, because I really can do it.
If we compare the fourteen defeated legions along the route to a typhoon, then Joan of Arc is now a guerrilla force darting back and forth in the chaotic typhoon.
Instead of returning to the North, she set off from Orleans and headed northwest to confront the fleeing Nero's Janissary Legion. After decisively defeating them, she immediately turned and crossed the sea, avoiding the pincer attack from the two legions on the left and right, and calmly retreated back to Orleans.
She did not linger in the Orleans region for long. Ten hours later, she marched south, piercing the heart of three defeated legions like a sharp knife, gathering refugees from two islands, and taking away more than half of the strategic resources.
After that, she spent five hours reorganizing the three islands and nearly six thousand able-bodied refugees, combining them with five thousand northern troops.
On the sea, they decisively defeated the Sixth and Ninth Legions in a head-on confrontation.
—This is not the remnants of the Royal Guard, but a true elite force with a full complement of Tuners.
Although they lacked Grand Harmonizer like Nero to oversee them, the Sixth and Ninth Legions were clearly more well-trained than Nero's Janissaries in terms of actual combat strength. However, they were still defeated in a head-on confrontation by Joan of Arc's more than 10,000 men fifteen minutes later.
Why?
Because when Joan of Arc raised that banner high, all the soldiers under her command were able to distribute their wounds equally throughout the entire army.
Within the entire army, the one who bore the greatest pressure was Joan of Arc of Arc, who was always at the forefront and invincible.
As long as Joan of Arc did not fall, the soldiers in the army would not suffer fatal wounds;
As long as the soldiers in the army do not die, Joan of Arc will not truly fall no matter how severe her wounds are!
Ys's elite legions swept across the high seas undefeated, for their bodies of brass and white stone made them virtually impervious to the curses and swords of the barbarians.
This time, however, the situation was reversed. Neither slashing, trampling, nor raining arrows could inflict any fatal wounds on Joan of Arc of Arc's soldiers.
As the spearhead at the forefront of the army, Joan of Arc was able to pierce through them repeatedly.
If it were a case of generals fighting generals and Issu's side losing, it would be rare but understandable; but if a general fought against soldiers and still couldn't achieve any effective results... it seems that apart from a miracle of fate, there are no more adjectives to describe it.
This was the result of Joan of Arc's two-day, one-night forced march.
They won every battle without a single casualty.
This is the real reason why Hebe fell silent.
Even when Arthur led his army in the past, under the protection of his invincible authority, he could not ensure that his soldiers suffered no casualties.
When a hero in the Daylight rank enters the battle line, they can easily cause thousands or even tens of thousands of casualties. Therefore, the Knights of the Round Table must hold back the opposing Daylight heroes most of the time.
Joan of Joan of Arc's forces had only a few apprentices of the Enlightenment rank, and not a single hero of the Day rank.
They actually managed to defeat the Golem Knights' legion and achieve a score of 0 to 10,000?
Throughout history, which of the great generals could achieve this?!
Whether you cheated or not, you know the answer in your heart.
Hebe frowned.
She admitted that she knew nothing about military affairs, but that was a form of self-deprecation.
Because most of the time she only needs to be in charge of logistics or deal with the most important people.
But this is no longer a grand achievement that a Daytime Principality could accomplish... To put it bluntly, Joan of Arc could right now storm Ys City, capture Remus alive, and then tear Mozart and Elizabeth, those two Tuners, to pieces.
Hebe stared coldly at Joan of Arc's retreating figure, then looked around the tent.
She noticed that a quarter of the pure white Fleur-de-lis Banner had been stained black, as if it had been scorched by flames.
"The flag..." Hebe's thoughts flowed like a lightning bolt.
She felt her spirituality being uplifted.
Before setting sail, Hebe had asked Royal Sister to describe in detail the twilight known as the "Burning Witch".
The Burning Witch also wields a flag spear that appears to have been scorched by flames and turned to ash.
Even at the twilight stage, mere imitation can bring power.
Either Jeanne in front of us is the future Burning Witch, or she is the Burning Witch reborn!
After eliminating irrelevant possibilities, the most likely answer is often found.
Hebe tends to think it's a combination of both, that is, the Jeanne in front of her is not only the future Burning Witch, but may also contain some of the memories of the future Burning Witch.
That's why Joan of Arc was so eager to sign the contract; that's why she seized every opportunity to head north; that's why she cared so much about all the sacrifices that happened before her eyes... Ultimately, it was because she thought she had the key to changing her fate.
If this explanation works, then everything makes sense...
Hebe looked at Joan of Arc meaningfully, and Joan of Arc, as if she had a premonition, turned around and smiled at Hebe.
"It seems I've finally convinced Ishtar ..." Joan of Arc of Arc felt a surge of relief. She only caught the last part of Hebe's words and assumed that Hebe was approving of her actions.
However, before Joan of Arc could even rejoice for a few seconds, Hebe's subtly mocking thoughts rang out once more.
[But how long can she last? Destroying her own achievements, depleting her own spirituality, burning through her own lifespan... how foolish, truly befitting a village girl.]
192 I also deeply hate
Village girl...
Joan of Arc pursed her lips.
A strange feeling welled up inside me, though it wasn't exactly shame or indignation.
After all, she was originally a village girl.
She subconsciously touched her cheek, thankfully it wasn't too hot.
As Joan of Arc explained her next steps to Hebe, she listened carefully to Hebe's thoughts.
The reason why twilight lasts so long is because it is interdependent with their achievements. As long as their achievements endure, twilight can continue; conversely, as their achievements are forgotten by the world, twilight will also fall and perish.
"What courage, what spirit, what a kind heart..."
Hebe's hands, resting on her knees, tightened unconsciously. She appeared to be listening attentively, but her heart was already ice-cold.
She knew she was being a bit hasty, but Joan of Arc's audacity... or rather, her "compassion for humanity" to the point of sacrificing her own achievements to protect ordinary people, exceeded her expectations.
Joan of Arc was truly wasted on her talents by staying under Scar Father.
Hebe thought she would be more suited to serve under the May Archon of Messiah or the June Archon of Pearl.
But how could she stop Joan of Arc from continuing? Hebe frowned; she couldn't think of a solution.
It had always been others who stopped Hebe from burning herself, but now that it was suddenly her turn to stop others, she was somewhat at a loss.
"This country bumpkin..." Hebe sighed inwardly, slightly annoyed.
Even she herself didn't realize that when she kept calling Joan of Arc of Arc "country girl," the depths of her eyes were no longer entirely calm.
Hebe still didn't appreciate Joan of Arc's approach of burning herself to save everything.
But beneath the surface of discontent lies a profound sense of affirmation.
Ironically, it's true.
When Hebe thought Joan of Arc was just spouting empty rhetoric and preaching her own theory of "perfect good," she was displeased, but deep down she remained calm.
—What's so surprising about that? She's just a Holy Mother who talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk.
I've seen it all, it's always been like this.