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Jeanne d'Arc's startled cry rang in my mind. "You said the target is Francesca, but... is she the Francesca I know?"

Yuan Shikai replied seriously, "That's right. She is the mage Francesca from your era, and she was the true mastermind behind your execution by fire!"

Then, I began explaining the truth of what had happened back then and the full course of the incident to Jeanne d'Arc. Although there were no definitive records, a little analysis was enough to arrive at roughly the right answer.

After I finished, I added, "Not only that, Gilles de Rais's fall was also entirely planned and caused by Francesca."

Having said that, I asked Jeanne d'Arc, "So, do you now harbor any hatred toward Francesca?"

Instead, Jeanne d'Arc spoke slowly with a relieved expression. "No. Not only do I not feel the slightest hatred, I actually feel much lighter. The knot that had troubled me all this time has finally been untied."

"So all of this was being secretly manipulated by someone behind the scenes, rather than being caused by the ignorance of the people."

After a brief pause, Jeanne d'Arc continued, "Poor Gilles de Rais. He had once been so upright and kind, yet he was led astray by that villain's schemes and ultimately went down the wrong path. Perhaps I bear some fault in this as well."

I had to admit that Jeanne d'Arc possessed many admirable qualities, but her overly compassionate heart often made her seem a little too saintly.

And because of that, there were always people with ulterior motives who wanted to defile her and rob her of her purity. Francesca happened to be one of them.

If she learned that Jeanne d'Arc was within my soul, she would probably do everything she could to target me. After