Luo Zhen had never felt much rejection toward the existence of Joan of Arc〔Alter〕.
Though the two of them had been enemies locked in a fight to the death during the First Singularity and had fought one another, and though Joan of Arc〔Alter〕 had committed such cruel acts, ravaging all of France and killing countless people, Luo Zhen had never felt disgust toward her for being that way.
Perhaps, before Joan of Arc〔Alter〕's true identity was revealed, Luo Zhen had regarded her as someone who could never coexist with them. But after learning that Joan of Arc〔Alter〕 was merely a counterfeit created by Gilles de Rais, and that even her hatred, life, and existence itself were like a mirage—brief and ephemeral—Luo Zhen had been left with nothing but acceptance for her.
As the saying went, every pitiable person had something hateful about them.
But the hateful parts of Joan of Arc〔Alter〕 had been fabricated by someone else.
Compared with Joan of Arc〔Alter〕, even Mashu's circumstances could be considered fortunate.
At least Mashu had grown up healthily in Chaldea, and her existence had value and meaning of its own. Even if she ultimately withered away, she would meet a natural end and be able to leave without a single regret. Joan of Arc〔Alter〕, on the other hand, had never had any opportunity to grow, nor did she possess any value or meaning as an existence. Not only had her identity been borrowed, her life had been borrowed, her hatred had been borrowed—even her very existence had been borrowed. She was merely an existence Gilles de Rais had created to satisfy a momentary desire for revenge.
It could be said that Joan of Arc〔Alter〕's birth had been nothing but a tragic wish. No one had expected her, and no one ever would.