Fate Grand Order: Broadcasting Master Love — Chapter 56

Chapter 56: The Marshal Cries

【Inside New Chaldea, the designated recreation room for the ever-expanding Jeanne d’Arc sisterhood basked in a warm, comfortable glow. Jalter Santa Lily sat curled up on a plush sofa, her short legs swinging back and forth over the edge. She lifted a small hand to scratch her cheek, letting out a soft, theatrical sigh. “Ah, my grown-up self has really let herself go…” she teased, her voice laced with helpless amusement.】

【Jalter whipped her head around, leveling a lethal glare at the child. A flash of deep humiliation and anger ignited in her golden eyes. Her knuckles turned white around the shaft of her flag, the metal base tapping an agitated rhythm against the floorboards. “Do you honestly think that just because you drank some stupid rejuvenation potion and shrank, you aren’t me anymore?” she hissed through gritted teeth. “You’re the one who said it too!”】

【The original Jeanne d’Arc drifted over, a steaming cup of black tea cradled in her hands. She reached out, gently stroking Jalter’s ash-blonde hair. “Alright, alright, let’s not fight,” she murmured. Her voice carried the soothing cadence of a spring breeze, overflowing with the boundless patience of an older sister managing a tantrum.】

【”Hmm, isn’t it better that way?”】

【Leonardo da Vinci leaned casually against the doorframe. She had slipped into the room completely unnoticed, arms crossed over her chest. A mischievous, knowing smile danced in her clear blue eyes.】

【Jalter snapped her attention to the doorway. “…Huh?” Her brows knitted together, the aggressive fire in her gaze replaced by utter bewilderment. The sudden intrusion had completely derailed her train of thought.】

【Da Vinci strolled forward, a finger tapping lightly against her chin. “You’re troubled by all these little elements,” the genius inventor coaxed, her tone light but piercing. “Feeling unloved, lacking charm, believing you aren’t worthy of being a proper Servant. You ultimately concluded that your very existence is a source of chaos, right?”】

【Closing the distance, Da Vinci let her gaze settle on Jalter’s rigid profile. The playful lilt faded from her voice, replaced by a rare, quiet sincerity. “You’ve actually understood it for a long time, haven’t you? Oh, maiden burning with the fire of vengeance.” She tilted her head, a glimmer of genuine approval shining through. “You just need to fully embrace that wicked power. Become an Anti-Hero, or whatever else fits. Only by accepting that nature can we properly summon you as a Servant.”】

【A furious crimson dusted Jalter’s cheeks. She bit down hard on her lower lip, her free hand twisting the dark fabric of her hem. “Hmph,” she grunted, turning her face away to hide her shifting expression. “At this point, what right do I even have—”】

【Fujimaru Ritsuka stepped out from behind Da Vinci, cutting off her self-deprecation.】

【”Welcome to Chaldea.”】

【His voice carried no hesitation, only a genuine, unwavering warmth.】

【Jalter jolted as if the words had physically burned her. She sprang back, leveling a frantic glare at the young Master. Shame and indignation warred in her golden eyes, pushing her voice up several octaves. “Does your brain have zero processing time?! Are you a damn calculator?!”】

【A soft chuckle escaped Da Vinci. She clapped Ritsuka on the shoulder and shot Jalter a playful wink. “When it comes to ignoring the trivial details between Heroic Spirits and Anti-Heroes, our Ritsuka here is a perfect three-star Master.”】

【Spreading her hands, the Caster turned her expectant gaze back to the Avenger. “Alright then. What are your plans now?”】

【Jalter ground her teeth together. She wrenched her face away, her cheeks puffing out in stubborn silence. Ritsuka merely stood his ground. He kept his gaze gently fixed on her, offering no pressure, no demands. Just quiet acceptance.】

【Silence stretched across the room.】

【Neither of them spoke.】

【The quiet ticked by, heavy with unspoken tension.】

【Jalter’s expression twisted into a knot of spectacular frustration. Her brows drew together so fiercely they could have crushed a fly, while the blush on her cheeks deepened into a burning scarlet. She pressed her lips into a razor-thin line, refusing to yield.】

【Ritsuka simply smiled, his clear eyes radiating an impossible, infuriating patience as he watched her struggle.】

【”…I lose.”】

【The admission finally slipped out. Jalter’s tense shoulders slumped in defeat. “With one exception,” she grumbled, her voice thick with lingering reluctance. “I admit that I lost.”】

【She drew in a sharp breath and forced herself to meet Ritsuka’s gaze. A complex, turbulent light swirled in her golden eyes as she stripped away her armor, speaking with a reckless, bleeding honesty.】

【”I admit that I feel I can never compare to that perfect Saintess. I admit that I want to be needed by others…” She swallowed hard. “But at the same time, I also admit that my heart is still overflowing with hatred.”】

【Her fists clenched at her sides, the leather of her gloves groaning under the strain. “I also admit that I am an Avenger,” she continued, her voice turning hoarse with bitter self-mockery. “An existence that will never be rewarded, no matter how many grand achievements I forge, no matter how many pathetic lives I save.”】

【She paused. A fragile, almost imperceptible flicker of hope trembled in her gaze.】

【”And if you still want this cursed power… if you still want this banner of hatred… then I will answer your summons, last Master of humanity.”】

Across the dimensional divide, within a modest civilian home in the Fourth Holy Grail War timeline, Waver Velvet sat cross-legged on the tatami mats. A forgotten cup of black tea had long gone cold in front of him. He stared blankly at the light screen floating in the center of the room, his index finger unconsciously tapping a frantic rhythm against his knee.

“At this point…” Waver muttered, a dawn of absolute realization breaking across his face. “Jalter’s affection meter for Fujimaru Ritsuka has to be completely maxed out, right?”

Deep within the damp, bloodstained confines of a hidden Magecraft Workshop, an unmatched miracle had occurred. Gilles de Rais’s perpetually bulging, manic eyeballs had actually relaxed into a semblance of normalcy. The mad Caster gazed up at Jalter’s figure on the light screen, a smile of pure, tearful salvation trembling on his lips.

“This is wonderful…” he choked out, his voice thick with wet, heavy sobs. “Oh, Saintess… my Jeanne d’Arc…”

He clasped his grimy hands together, pressing his thumbs devoutly against his forehead. Tears carved clean tracks down his face as he offered a trembling prayer to a heaven he had long forsaken.

“Oh, Lord… please grant Jeanne d’Arc happiness… if You truly exist up there…”

A few feet away, Uryuu Ryuunosuke watched his Servant’s mental breakdown with his jaw practically unhinged. The serial killer cowered in the darkest corner of the workshop, his fingers nervously twisting the fabric of his jacket.

“Hey, hey… I’m not hallucinating, am I?” Ryuunosuke whispered, his voice dropping to a terrified, breathy murmur. “Bluebeard-sama actually looks… holy?!”

【Back on the light screen, the broadcast captured Mash Kyrielight’s reaction to the Avenger’s declaration of allegiance. The Demi-Servant gripped the massive rim of her shield, her lavender eyes shining with unshed, happy tears.】

【”Senpai…” she gasped, her voice bubbling over with uncontrollable joy. “You succeeded!”】

【Ritsuka offered a bright, relieved smile and nodded. He turned back to his newly contracted Avenger, gesturing toward the exit with a lighthearted sigh. “Then let’s head back—”】

【”Alright, let’s begin the final battle!”】

【Jalter’s shout shattered the tender atmosphere into a million pieces. She abruptly hoisted her massive flag spear, a terrifying, bloodthirsty fighting spirit reigniting in her golden eyes.】

【”Eh… eh?!” Mash jolted, her emotional tears instantly drying up. Her eyes went wide as saucers, the heavy cross-shield nearly slipping from her grasp as she stammered in utter shock.】

【”Huh? What are you looking so surprised for, Demi-Servant?” Jalter arched a haughty eyebrow. She spun the flag spear expertly in her grip, the razor-sharp tip catching the light with a lethal, icy glint. A familiar, arrogant sneer curled her lips.】

【”Come on. Let’s fight.”】