I, Matou Sakura, Third of the Flame-Chasers!

She did not dare rest. If the other party needed her, she had to rush over immediately.

Unlike Beowulf, who feared Matou Sakura, Jeanne was far more natural. Right now, her mind was filled with the corpse in the church.

She wanted to ask what had happened to that corpse and what was going on with that nun, but seeing Matou Sakura with her eyes closed as though asleep, she rationally chose not to disturb her.

Her reasoning was simple: it was better not to disturb someone who was sleeping.

If she woke her up, the person who had been disturbed would definitely be angry.

That was Jeanne's way of thinking.

As a Heroic Spirit, Jeanne did not need rest. Though she could choose to sleep, she instead quietly watched Matou Sakura, whose eyes were closed.

Was it an illusion?

Matou Sakura somehow felt like just a child.

Despite having an adult's figure.

And this pure white robe felt strange.

It clearly had the texture of clothing, yet she felt as though it had been woven from light.

Her outstretched hand had already

quietly touched a corner of the robe.

It did not have the feel of fabric, yet it clearly possessed a real texture. But when she stroked it, that texture did not feel real at all. Still, it gave off a warm feeling.

Maybe it was not just the clothes?

Even Lord Sakura's scent seemed warm.

Her delicate nose twitched slightly as she took a deep breath of that faint, elegant fragrance.

It really was warm, giving her the feeling of returning to the past and sleeping atop a haystack that had been dried in the sun.

She suddenly felt a little sleepy.

Jeanne gently rubbed her eyes. The inexplicable drowsiness made her shift closer to Matou Sakura, and in the end, her body slowly fell over as she nestled entirely into Matou Sakura's embrace.

Beowulf, who had been watching from the side, widened his eyes. The words "utter disbelief" seemed to be written in those eyes.

The tightly shut doors of the church quietly opened, and Shurouga Ritsuka, having already dealt with the corpse, immediately saw the scene on the roof not far away.

Seeing Jeanne lying atop that great Demon Lord, she widened her eyes in shock.

Was there something wrong with her eyes?

Where had this strange-looking woman come from?

And she was even lying on that great Demon Lord.

Shurouga Ritsuka felt that handling the corpse had exhausted her too much, causing her brain to malfunction and making her see hallucinations.

Yes! That had to be it!

She was not like her own idiot Sister, who had regarded the other party as a god just because she had healed her eyes!

If the great Demon Lord had not been so powerful, she would never have wanted to deal with corpses or clean the roof!

She was exhausted to death!

Muttering to herself, she turned and walked back into the church.

She had to get some proper rest and stop seeing hallucinations!

Meanwhile, Matou Sakura slowly opened her eyes and looked at the idiot lying on top of her, hugging her and using her as a body pillow.

The corner of her mouth twitched slightly, but she did not make a sound or tell her to leave.

This girl was a child like Griseo, though she was clearly much older than Griseo.

Was this Gaia and Alaya's doing?

She thought of the Jeanne who had practically thrown herself at her in another timeline.

With Gaia and Alaya's abilities, tampering with Jeanne's mind would not be difficult.

Forget it. She closed her eyes again, and her consciousness sank into the deep darkness, where all was silent.

The next morning, Jeanne woke from a warm bed. Still groggy, she instinctively climbed out of bed and began feeling around in the air with both arms.

Huh?

What was she doing?

Her mind abruptly cleared, and everything before her came into view.

This was a room?

She blinked blankly as memories of last night slowly resurfaced.

Her fair, pretty face turned red in an instant, then went pale just as quickly, like a Peking opera face change.

How could she have done something like that?!

If Lord Sakura hated her, then wouldn't she be finished?! And since she had woken up in this room, did that mean she had already been disliked?! Meanwhile, Matou Sakura calmly sipped the coffee brewed by Zhou Laiwei Jia, Zhou Lailu Jia's Sister, while looking at the two illusory figures before her.

It didn't taste as good as Klein's brew.

Neither the big ones nor the small ones could compare.

Still, it was passable.

Setting down her cup, she leisurely said, "Well? Do you agree to my terms?"

She was not asking for much. She wanted the Holy Grail—ten percent, after all—and she would also deal with All the World's Evils in the process. She wanted the Third Magic as well, which was within Gaia and Alaya's tolerance. She wanted the Fifth Magic too. Another Magician was nothing but trouble for Gaia and Alaya, so having her handle it without asking for additional compensation was a good thing.

That made ten percent from the Holy Grail plus forty percent from the two Magics, fifty percent in total. He still lacked five percent.

Finally, she wanted a Beast. Not even a whole one—half would do. She was leaving them the other half, after all.

That way, she would not take the other Magics. Her debt to the system would be cleared, and she would have helped them deal with All the World's Evils, two uncontrollable Magicians, and half a Beast. How wonderful!

Treaty

One Holy Grail, the Third Magic, the Fifth Magic, and half a Beast.

As long as they gave up those things, she would conveniently clear away the troublesome All the World's Evils, two future Magicians beyond their control, and leave a Beast severely weakened.

On the surface, it seemed like a great deal, one they had no reason to refuse.

But... as if!

The Holy Grail itself was indeed no great loss. Without it, there would be no Holy Grail War, and thus no All the World's Evils.

That was certainly a good thing for them. But everything had two sides. The Holy Grail and All the World's Evils were indeed troublesome, but if they existed, there had to be a reason. Besides, dealing with the Holy Grail and All the World's Evils was something that could be handled simply by sending a powerful Heroic Spirit!

As for the two future Magicians—

The Third Magic aside, that thing truly was troublesome.

But the Fifth Magic was different.

Aozaki Akiko, who was destined to become the wielder of the Fifth Magic, was a guardian chosen by the Root!

Though she was beyond their control, Aozaki Touko was not like the others who went around causing destruction everywhere!

They could rest completely assured.

And as for the Beast...

What fucking use was it if one Beast was severely weakened? It was not as though there was only one!

Alaya!

Therefore, these terms that seemed impossible to refuse offered Gaia and Alaya absolutely no benefit at all. There was no need to agree whatsoever!

"What? You think it is a bad deal?"

Matou Sakura revealed a kind, amiable smile. That smile was so sweet, yet to Gaia and Alaya, it was as though they had been targeted by a venomous snake. A bone-piercing chill crept into their hearts.

Even their illusory forms trembled, as if they might shatter in the next instant.

"No! We just want to discuss it a little more!"

Alaya reacted quickly. She wanted to steady the other party. Looking at the light radiating from her opponent's body, it was clearly a light filled with hope, yet all it brought Alaya was endless terror.

Why had the existence of a mere Matou Sakura become so terrifying?! She and Gaia had checked—this was Matou Sakura, the Matou Sakura whose countless branching paths mostly ended in tragedy!

But who could have imagined that this existence, which should have met a tragic end, would suddenly change at a turning point in fate? Not only had she broken free from fate, she had gained tremendous power—and that terrifying light!

Thinking back to the enormous form the other party had taken before, that vast body and horrifying power had filled both Alaya and Gaia with deep fear!

And now, they could both feel that Matou Sakura was even stronger than before. There seemed to be no limit to her power!

"Oh?"

Matou Sakura tilted her head slightly. In Gaia and Alaya's eyes, that adorable gesture was their final warning.

"So, how much longer do you need to think?"

She had little patience left. If Gaia and Alaya had not been willing to come down and discuss this with her, she would not even have wanted to waste her time here.

Though she was no longer as desperate as she had been in the beginning, she still did not want to waste time on pointless matters.

With this time, she could have Aozaki Touko seize Kuzuki Alice, then use Kuzuki Alice, Aozaki Touko, and her relatives at the Aozaki Ancestral Home as threats to stimulate the awakening of the Fifth Magic. Then she could beat Aozaki Akiko half to death, obtain the Fifth Magic, and use it to repay her debt to the system.

Wouldn't that be better than wasting time here?

"Alaya and I agree!"

Seeing that the other party seemed to be losing patience, Gaia made the decision outright!

Agreeing to this would cost them dearly, but it was still better than refusing and potentially losing all five Magics.

Although the First Magic and Fourth Magic had already been lost, they did exist, and they were vital cornerstones of the world's operation. If both the First and Fourth Magics disappeared, things would truly become disastrous.

At that point, neither the Holy Grail nor the Beast would matter anymore!

"Very good!"

Matou Sakura smiled faintly. The light radiating from her body vanished in an instant, and her smile now looked so gentle, as though everything she had done before had merely been an illusion.

But Gaia and Alaya became even more afraid of Matou Sakura.

Waaah, this person was really terrifying!!!

Once everything had settled, Jeanne opened the door and found Matou Sakura playing with a small black sphere.

Gaia and Alaya had already left.

"Have Lady Gaia and Lady Alaya already gone?"

Though she had not seen them, her powerful intuition silently told her something.

"That's right."

Matou Sakura was in a very good mood at the moment, smiling even as she answered Jeanne.

"Oh, right."

Suddenly remembering something, she smiled at the foolish-looking Jeanne before her and said, "You can go back now."

"Huh?"

Jeanne looked completely bewildered. Why was she suddenly being sent away?

Wait, it seemed the path back to the Hall of Heroes had opened.

In other words, she could return now.

"Is Lord Sakura sending me away?"

Jeanne's obvious grievance showed on her face, making her look utterly pitiful.

She did not want to leave. She still wanted to change Lord Sakura. The light shining from Lord Sakura made her believe that she could become this world's hope, bringing light and hope to everyone just as the God Jeanne believed in had done!

"Are you thinking that I should help this world like God?"

It slightly altered the meaning of Jeanne's thoughts, but there was no real difference.

That idiot was thinking exactly that.