I'm Shenji, what are you doing?

"Because I'm special."

This sentence shows Arturia's attitude. She wants to have a showdown with Joan of Arc, tell her about her special nature and mission, and enlist her help.

This is not an impulse, but an answer that comes after thinking.

If it were another ruler, Arturia would not necessarily use such an unabashed and straightforward approach. She would approach the subject carefully, judge it bit by bit, and then decide whether to say it or not, to say it all or only part of it. The King of Knights may not be smart enough, but after all, she has been the king of a country. As long as she can stay calm, she will have the required intelligence and caution.

The reason why she chose this method was simply because she was Joan of Arc, Queen Scathach, and someone whom Arturia herself recognized as having a similar personality and spirit. With this major premise, Arturia can get the answer just by putting herself into the role of the ruler.

Mentioning Gilles de Rais also contains an element of testing, testing what choice Joan of Arc would make in this situation. Arturia was very satisfied with the answer given by Joan of Arc, so she directly said that she was "special".

"Special?" Joan of Arc looked confused and a little wary at the same time. Could my abnormality have something to do with her?

"That's right. Let's put it this way, I - Gu~~~~~~~~~~~"

Before the second half of the sentence was uttered, the two of them suddenly heard a strange noise. Although the sound was not loud, it could not escape the ears of the servants.

"Well, well, I am a bit special too. I have to eat like ordinary people, otherwise I will feel hungry."

Joan lowered her head in embarrassment and explained in a low voice that the "gurgling" came from her stomach. Although she had dinner at the church and was very full, running for dozens of kilometers in the middle of the night and exploring with holy water had exhausted the energy gained from food and needed to be replenished.

"I understand, I understand." Arturia nodded repeatedly, "An empty stomach is the enemy. Only when you are full can you have the strength to fight."

At first, Joan thought it was a consolation to avoid embarrassment, but when she saw Arturia's serious expression, she felt that it was more than a consolation.

"You really think so?"

"Of course, my stomach protested earlier than yours. If I hadn't sensed your breath, I would have gone back to replenish supplies."

The great King of Knights never joked when it came to eating.

"I live not far from here. If you don't mind, come with me to have something to eat? Lingxia's cooking is delicious."

"This..." Joan hesitated for a while, and finally the referee's reserve was overcome by the body's instinct, "I'm sorry to bother you."

"Then let's go now. If you have anything to say, we can talk on the way."

Arturia said as she stepped forward, only to see Jeanne still standing there, motionless.

"What’s wrong with you?"

"Um." When Arturia asked, Jeanne's face turned even redder, "I not only need to eat but also sleep. Now I'm tired and hungry, and I can't walk any more - could you please carry me on your back? "

In fact, you can still take action by consuming a lot of magic power, but you have to endure this desperate feeling of hunger and fatigue all the time, and it will get worse and worse. If she continued, Jeanne was certain that she would lose consciousness, so she had no choice but to shamelessly ask the knight king in front of her - her retention skill "Revelation" told her that Artoria could be trusted.

Revelation: Level A.

A skill equivalent to "intuition". "Intuition" is the sixth sense in combat, but "revelation" applies to everything related to achieving a goal (such as choosing the most suitable path during a journey). Since it is (in my opinion) groundless, I cannot explain it to others properly.

Gee, the similarity is really speechless.

Joan of Arc trusted her so much, and Arturia would not let down this trust. She smiled and said: "It's okay, but I have a better way - ask first, there are no surveillance magic or familiars around. Something."

"No." Jeanne shook her head. Ruler's exaggerated perception ability is enough to make all surveillance mysterious and invisible. Since you have agreed to the invitation, you cannot let Arturia's stronghold be exposed for your own reasons. This is also fair.

"That's good."

With a call, the white horse appeared.

"This is my partner, Dong Stallion. Dong, this is my friend, Jeanne. Can you let her rest on your back for a while?"

Don Stallion put his head in front of Jeanne and touched Jeanne's cheek with his nose.

"Thank you, Dong."

This display of intimacy made Jeanne smile innocently, and also made Arturia feel a little surprised.

BMW is psychic, but BMW is also proud. Although it would not refuse Arturia's orders, it would never approach strangers. One time, Bedivere, a new member of the Knights of the Round Table, rashly brushed Dong Stallion's back, but was kicked out by the latter.

Maybe I regard Joan of Arc as my relative. Arturia thought so, helped Jeanne onto the horse, and walked ahead to lead the way.

"Joan of Arc, if you find anyone watching you, you must tell me."

"Um."

"The place I live in is a very stable small village. I don't want them to get involved in the Holy Grail War."

"Um……"

"besides--"

Artoria's words were interrupted by the feeling of being touched on the shoulder, it was Dong Stallion's chin.

"What's wrong, Dong?"

Turning around, he saw Jeanne lying on Dong's back, holding his neck with both hands, his eyes closed tightly, and his breathing steady.

"He actually fell asleep." Arturia didn't know what expression to put on.

She looked at Jeanne's sleeping face quietly. After her blue eyes were covered by her eyelids, her face was no different from her girlhood.

"Looking at it this way, they really look like sisters."

Dong Stallion shook his head and agreed. If not, it would not be so close to Joan.

◇◇◇

Sighisoara, a secret stronghold hidden by natural barriers and magic.

Semiramis was in high spirits and declared proudly: "This is the garden I miss. The 'Hanging Gardens of Babylon'. How about it, master?"

"That's great. Please integrate into my request." Shirou's eyes lit up, as if he had seen something he had dreamed of.

What was built in front of him was an unimaginably huge building. It consists of regularly arranged green floating islands, marble floors, and pillars. All kinds of plants are entangled everywhere, making the chaos of ugliness and gorgeous beauty merge into one.

It was more like a fortress than a garden. It is more reminiscent of a huge flying weapon than a fortress. That's never a mistake. This sky garden is a true floating fortress.

"Of course. As soon as Rider and Archer return, let the garden be activated. Even Black's group of servants will probably be frightened."

Hearing Shirou's praise, Semiramis became even more happy and laughed loudly.

"Before that, would you like to visit my courtyard first? My master."

"It's what I asked for."

"I want to remind you that in the courtyard, the poison I create will be maximized, so you must be prepared."

Shirou was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "You're not worried about me, are you?"

"You -" Semiramis said angrily, "You go to hell, now, immediately - the wine of the Arrogant King!"

PS: Mushroom has given an explanation for the problem of Fgo followers having memories. I won’t go into details. The general meaning is that because it is a singular point, it is special, so it has memory - look, Chaldea is so awesome!

PS2: In the FZ animation, the emperor's horse flew up, but not in the novel. It was always running on the ground.