But this could also count as a punishment for me. So, Lady Artorius, please don't worry about me anymore..."
"Projection, begin (Trace On)."
Shirou gripped a greatsword that looked as though it had been carved from obsidian and slammed it down hard against the Ice Coffin.
"Wait... Artorius! What are you doing?! Stop it!" Jeanne shouted in panic.
"You've been talking to yourself and wallowing in self-pity all this time. What are you, the Morning Drama Heroine?"
Shirou scolded her as he smashed apart the outer layer of the Ice Coffin.
"Come to think of it, I've always thought you were the sort of person who got carried away by your own emotions way too easily...
"This is ridiculous! Come out! I'm going to spank you hard enough to make you understand exactly what you did wrong!"
With a powerful swing, he cleaved the Ice Coffin apart and forcibly grabbed the Saintess's clasped, praying wrists.
"...!"
Jeanne's face showed hesitation, but in the end, she stopped praying and allowed the boy to pull her out of the ice.
The two of them fell onto the tatami. For a while, neither made another move.
At last, Jeanne broke the silence.
"You really are... far too reckless... you idiot, Artorius..."
The Saintess lay in the red-haired boy's arms and complained faintly.
As though afraid she would escape again the moment he let his guard down, Shirou held her slender, supple waist tightly.
Although he had said he would beat Jeanne senseless and make her come to her senses, now that the moment had arrived, Shirou's heart softened.
"Jeanne, I need you. Fight alongside me."
"Even if you say that, you're putting me in a difficult position..."
The Saintess fidgeted, an awkward expression on her face.
"Is Metatron more important to you than