Mash quickly grew excited, and Bai Ming spoke up at that moment. "Um... before you say anything inspirational, could you let me have a bite of breakfast first?"
"Ah... I forgot. Senpai, these are the sandwiches and milk I made this morning. Please enjoy!"
As she spoke, Mash turned and went back into Bai Ming's room, bringing out the food she had carried in earlier that morning.
Bai Ming only took the sandwich, leaving the milk for Mash. "You're still growing. The milk is yours."
"Eh—"
Mash hesitated, but seeing Bai Ming's expression, which brooked no refusal, she accepted the milk.
How was she supposed to explain to Bai Ming that her life would be short? She had been diagnosed with an operational limit of around eighteen years old.
"All right, Mash. I know what you're thinking. Things will work themselves out when the time comes. There'll be a way."
Hundred Years' Evil Dragon War
A Certain Someone Will Be Right Back!
The strategy meeting in the command room did not last long.
Restricted by Da Vinci's work efficiency and the lack of time, the Greater Grail's modification progress remained slow. As a result, only Bai Ming could bring Mash along for the first Spiritron Transfer exploration, while Akuta Hinako had no choice but to stay in Chaldea and cram Fujimaru Ritsuka with basic knowledge.
"The first objective is repairing the Singularity. The second is investigating the Holy Grail. The third is collecting a large quantity of Magic Materials for Da Vinci and me."
"That's only a hypothesis, right? The hypothesis that the Singularity is related to the Holy Grail..." Roman said helplessly, rubbing the back of his head. Bai Ming shot him a glare. "Artoria wouldn't lie to me. She said the Grand Order revolved around the Holy Grail, which means our journey from now on will definitely be closely tied to it. When all was said and done, wasn't it King Solomon's fault?"
Roman fell silent.
Bai Ming said, "Anyway, Mash, prepare to deploy to the First Singularity. This time is different from Singularity F. I want you to grow quickly in the First Singularity."
"Yes, Senpai!"
Seeing the two of them, brimming with enthusiasm, about to enter the Spiritron frame, Roman immediately stopped them. "Wait, there's still something very important! You need to establish a summoning circle on a Leyline, so I can send supplies over more easily."
"Are you spouting nonsense? I know we can also use the shield as a medium to summon Servants connected to the area. Mash, let's go."
"Yes! In short, we need to establish a safe place—a building with a roof, a home we can return to—and then reclaim humanity's future from those who destroyed human history. Is that right, Master?"
"Dependable Mash. Let's go!"
Mash nodded and entered the Spiritron frame directly.
"Ah—when it was work time, he went straight from calling her Senpai to calling her Master. Is this the legendary practice of using job titles at work?!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had been studying nearby, finally could not hold back and blurted out a complaint. To her surprise, Akuta Hinako immediately smacked her on the head with a dark expression. "Don't get distracted while studying! You're the worst student I've ever taught!"
Although Mash wanted to complain too, the Spiritron frame's excellent soundproofing prevented her complaint from getting out.
Soon, as a wave of dizziness and weightlessness hit them, Bai Ming and Mash successfully completed their Spiritron Transfer.
◇A.D. 1431
Mash looked delightedly at the vast, boundless grasslands. Born in Chaldea, she had never truly experienced an outdoor view like this before.
"Master, we transferred successfully! This time, with the Spiritron frame, we arrived without a hitch!"
"Yeah, yeah..." Bai Ming replied to the exuberant Mash, then looked at the little white four-legged beast with a bow tied around its neck. Mash cried out in surprise, "Ah! Fou came with us!"
"So its name is Fou now, huh?"
Fou, who was more humanlike than Merlin, nodded. Mash was utterly stunned. "Eh—Senpai... ahem, Master, did you know Fou before this?"
"Call me Master or Senpai, whichever you like. In the legends of King Arthur, the cat demon born from a pig demon is this guy—though Merlin probably made that nonsense up afterward. Fou's real name is Cath Palug."
Fou nodded, then shook his head. "Fouu—"
"Either way, I'm calling you Fou." Bai Ming grabbed Fou and placed him on his shoulder. When Mash heard Bai Ming say she could call him Master or Senpai however she wanted, she immediately blushed and refused. "No! I can't! They need to be separate. Master and Senpai are both very important to me. They hold different meanings."
"All right, but no matter what, we don't have time to chat anymore—" Bai Ming pointed off into the distance. "The year is 1431. It's a ceasefire period in the Hundred Years' War, but the war has not stopped everywhere. That would be a French reconnaissance unit..."
"I'll go communicate with them!"
The part where she should have explained things had been taken by the Master she admired, so Mash felt she could only take on the role of diplomat. After all, no matter how she looked at it, her Senpai did not seem like someone who would communicate properly with others. "Excuse me—"
Mash reflexively blurted out English, then immediately realized something was wrong. She should have greeted them in French!
Sure enough, the reconnaissance soldiers immediately began shouting, surrounding Mash and Bai Ming with weapons in hand. "Enemies! Enemy attack!"
"Eh—Senpai, I..."
"They've made their move, Mash. We'll talk after we beat them!"
Bai Ming crossed his arms. "Let me see what you can do in battle."
"Yes!"
Kind-hearted Mash did not want to use her shield blade to kill the soldiers. Instead, she laboriously swung the face of her shield at them. But because it was only her second real battle, the French soldiers immediately fled toward the fortress in the distance.
Meanwhile, Bai Ming stood off to the side, watching Mash fight with all her might.
"Ah—although Servants and Demi-Servants are vastly different from ordinary people, this is still the first time I've experienced it so directly—" Mash complained excitedly. "But I'm sorry, Master. I let them get away."
Bai Ming merely rubbed Fou's head and sighed. "I thought only Lancelot had problems with family education. I didn't expect Roman to have problems with family education too."
"What does this have to do with me—" Roman, who had connected the communications early but had been off to the side scrolling through Magical☆Merli, could not help protesting after hearing Bai Ming. "No matter what I did, I couldn't have let Mash leave Chaldea to see the outside world!"
"Come on, Mash. Asking the locals is the best way. This time, use French properly."
"Come to think of it, did Senpai know French when you were Duke Joslyn?"
"No. My main theater of conquest was all across Britain. I rarely went to beat up France."
Bai Ming said, "So, Mash, I'll leave the talking to you!"
"Yes!"
Mash followed Bai Ming toward the fortress where the soldiers had fled, brimming with enthusiasm. "This time, I'll communicate with them properly in French! If language fails, then I also know a little martial arts!"
Roman wanted to say something after hearing Mash's voice, but ultimately gave up.
Bai Ming thought, Even if I rarely beat up France, I did beat up that purple-clad Frenchman Lancelot hard. I wonder why the final Servant template didn't have a special attack against Lancelot. Could it be because I didn't beat Lancelot to death?
After some conversation, Mash easily gained the soldiers' trust and learned that Jeanne had been burned at the stake, then become a witch who had burned Charles VII to death with flames.
"The English army has already retreated, and the French soldiers have nowhere to run. They can only hold fast to their homeland—a truly tearful tale. So, where is your commander, Gilles de Rais?"
"Save the lamenting. There are magical energy fluctuations coming from the distance! According to my readings, they're skeletal soldiers infused with a small amount of magical energy—"
"The material collection battle begins. Ask Da Vinci how many skeletons she wants."
"Sure, sure~ Bai Ming, bring back however many you can, and I'll take them all~"
A rather unreliable voice came through. Bai Ming stretched his limbs. "Mash, stay here and keep learning about the situation from these soldiers. I'll be right back!"
With that, Bai Ming snatched the reins from a French soldier, vaulted onto the horse, and charged toward the skeletal soldiers. Mash pointed at herself, then at the soldiers.
Who was the soldier? Who was the Servant? Who was the Master?
Senpai Is Actually a Berserker, Right?
A group of skeletal soldiers was scattered by Bai Ming charging through them alone on horseback. Wherever he passed, bones crumbled on the spot, after which Bai Ming swept them all into his system storage. Once the French soldiers recovered, they quickly organized themselves and charged at the skeletal soldiers.
After several charges, the skeletal soldiers had been completely wiped out. Every last bone had been collected by Bai Ming.
The lead soldier exclaimed, "You can actually fight those things!"
Although Bai Ming could not understand what the French soldier was saying, he saw the man's admiring, yearning expression and gave him a thumbs-up.
Mash's expression turned subtle as she explained in French, "Senpai says they were merely insignificant rabble, nothing worth mentioning. Can you confirm that Saint Jeanne has been resurrected?"
The soldier answered, "Although her hair color and skin color are different, she is undoubtedly the Saint we once knew. When we heard she had been captured by England and sentenced to be burned at the stake, we were furious beyond measure. But she was resurrected, and she made a deal with demons."
Mash translated the French soldier's words for Bai Ming. Bai Ming signaled that he understood, then said, "Look. Subspecies Dragons—Wyverns."
Wyverns, or two-legged dragons, were not uncommon in the Age of Gods in the West. But in fifteenth-century France, they absolutely should not have existed.
"Flying ones really are troublesome to deal with." Bai Ming said, "Mash, tell them to tighten their formation. Before they can breathe fire, I'll knock every last one of them out of the sky. These are all precious materials! Dragon fangs, dragon scales, dragon meat, dragon blood, dragon hide, dragon claws, dragon tendons—though they're only subspecies dragons, they're still ninety-nine percent rare!"
"Eh—Senpai, wait!"
However, Bai Ming did not hear Mash at all. He had already ridden alone toward the flock of Wyverns flying in from the horizon.
Several thunderclaps rang through the clear sky, and the dragons fell from the air like dumplings dropped into a pot. Bai Ming's incomprehensible shouting could be heard in the distance, while every dragon that fell was killed by him and stuffed whole into his system storage.
"Senpai is actually a Berserker, right?"
Mash suddenly felt that if she were not around, Bai Ming might have simply slaughtered his way from France to England. The only reason he was obediently listening to intelligence here was because she had never seen any of this before, and he wanted her to broaden her horizons.
Soon, Bai Ming rode back, and the horse's legs finally gave out. It could not rise again.
"Eh... I was planning to organize everyone to fight the dragons together..."
A blonde, fair-skinned girl clad in silver armor and carrying a spear banner walked over. "I didn't expect to find such a valiant warrior here."
The soldiers immediately erupted into chaos when they saw the blonde, fair-skinned girl. "The witch! Run! The witch has appeared!"
Bai Ming immediately shouted, "Why are you running?! Stop!"
The roar was incredibly effective. Though the fleeing French soldiers could not understand his words, they all stopped immediately. After all, the skeletal soldiers earlier and the dragons just now had both been killed after he shouted like that.
Even Mash, who had been about to say something, jolted and immediately stood at attention.
"There's a very weak Servant reaction—" Roman's voice came through. Bai Ming cut off communications with Roman with a dark expression. The person was already right in front of them, yet this guy was only now giving a reading. It made no difference whether he was there or not.
"My class is Ruler. My True Name is Jeanne." Jeanne examined Bai Ming for a moment, then said, "I am not the same witch they are speaking of."
She had not intended to say this here. But seeing the man's fervent, restless demeanor, she feared that the moment she asked to speak privately, he would cut her down on the spot. With that in mind, Jeanne said it outright.
"Soldiers, I am Jeanne. I did indeed die in the flames of execution a few days ago, but some time ago, I was summoned once more and returned to our homeland. I do not know what this Dragon Witch you speak of is—"
Jeanne's voice was bright and resonant as she began addressing the French soldiers.
Bai Ming remained silent throughout—he could not understand French, so he could only play mute and rely on Mash to speak for him.
At this moment, Mash suddenly felt that she was still somewhat useful.
Jeanne frankly explained much of her own situation. The soldiers' unrest and fear faded away, and after Jeanne calmed them down and made the appropriate arrangements, she looked at Mash and Bai Ming again. "Now, could I speak with you privately?"
"What should we do, Senpai? Miss Jeanne wants to speak with us alone."
"You decide, Mash." Bai Ming spread his hands. "I know where the problem with this Singularity lies, so whether we help or not is fine. But for you, this is only your second time speaking with people outside Chaldea. Don't leave regrets on your journey."
"I understand, Senpai!"
Mash then spoke with Jeanne in French. She learned that Jeanne was incomplete as a Servant and did not know many things she should have known about herself. Mash also told Jeanne some things about Chaldea.
Jeanne felt her troubles were not particularly important, and even showed a little embarrassed shyness. "As I am now, I can't even trust myself. No matter how I think about it, the person controlling those dragons should be 'me'—another Jeanne, right?"
After speaking with Jeanne a little longer, Mash returned to Bai Ming's side.
"Fou~? Fouu..."
"Yes, Fou. You're right."
Watching the person and beast converse flawlessly off to the side, Mash thought, Ah—Senpai clearly doesn't know French, but he seems to know Fou language? I wonder what Fou and Senpai are discussing.
"Senpai, Miss Jeanne intends to head toward Orléans, reclaim the city, and eliminate the other Jeanne..."
"Then let's go. You want to help this amnesiac Saint, don't you, Mash? Besides, Miss Jeanne and I speculate that the other Miss Jeanne—Jeanne Alter—may share the same class as Miss Jeanne. She may also be a Ruler..."
"For now, let's assume your deduction is true—" Bai Ming said. "Since we've decided, we should search for scattered Servants on the way to Orléans. What's the first city?"
Mash went to ask Jeanne, then conveyed the answer to Bai Ming. "La Charité."
"Then we'll travel through the night. If possible, we can resolve fifty percent of the problem in La Charité."
Bai Ming gave the order, and the three of them set off toward La Charité.
In the End, Vortigern Was Punched to Death by These Fists of Mine!
La Charité was being destroyed at that moment, though survivors remained.
Several Wyverns were reduced to nothing under Bai Ming's lightning and collected into his system storage.
"Looks like we've encountered some interesting people."
The speaker was a valiant white-haired man with several azure runes in his hand. Beside him stood a white-haired woman in a mask, a purple-haired nun holding a cross and dressed in clothing unbecoming of a clergyman, and an entity of indeterminate gender wearing a white haori.
Behind those four stood a nearly white-haired woman who looked exactly like Jeanne. Unlike Jeanne, however, this woman was covered in black and gray armor.
Before you continue