Chapter 438: [438] Kitchen, Restraints, Saintess
"Mm... what a wonderful aroma..."
The scent of food wafted from somewhere, rousing Jeanne d’Arc from unconsciousness. She soon realized she was seated on a chair.
No—she was bound to the chair.
The moment she flexed her arm muscles, she corrected her initial assumption. The drowsiness from waking up vanished as her slender body tensed. Silver light armor materialized over her, and the holy flag tipped with a spearhead appeared in her grasp. A single flick would shatter the magical chains restraining her.
"Alright, that’s enough."
"Mm—?!"
As if responding to a verbal command, Jeanne suddenly felt her wrists go weak. The slowly recovering mana was greedily devoured by the chains, leaving her completely drained.
Turning toward the source of the voice, the morning light forced her to squint. Through the blur, she made out a tall, upright figure and the coldly handsome profile of a young man.
"Good, you’re awake." The man didn’t turn around as he handled the instruments on the table, pouring purified liquid into a vial before finally facing her. His gleaming golden eyes met the startled girl’s gaze.
"Though I already said this last night, it seems I need to reintroduce myself."
Sakatsuki stepped closer to Jeanne, his expression calm. "Hello, Jeanne d’Arc, Ruler of this Holy Grail War."
As he spoke, he brought the vial to her lips, gesturing for her to drink.
"My name is Sakatsuki."
Sakatsuki... Jeanne pressed her lips shut, glaring at the young man with a silent demand to release her.
Secretly, she wasn’t idle either—activating her Ruler privileges, she searched for the Command Spell corresponding to the Servant before her.
As the overseer of this Holy Grail War, she had been granted absolute authority to issue two commands to each Servant. Twenty-eight Command Spells, one pair for each of the fourteen Servants, were etched onto her back like wings, protecting this saintess who represented the Holy Grail system.
Even if he bound her and drained her mana, it wouldn’t matter—activating a Command Spell required only a trace of mana.
But when the search results came back, Jeanne’s amethyst eyes widened in shock. Her lips parted unconsciously, allowing Sakatsuki to pour the liquid into her mouth unnoticed. She could only stare blankly at the young man, who radiated the presence of a Servant.
Within the authority granted to her as Ruler, there was no Command Spell tied to him!
She didn’t question how this was possible—her Revelation had pointed her toward him from the very beginning. The reason she had pursued him all this way wasn’t because of the homunculi, but because of him.
If the young man possessed such an anomaly, it only proved her Revelation wasn’t wrong. He truly was the key factor that would alter the course of this war.
But the way they had met... was far too extreme.
"Cough—!"
The liquid rushed down her throat, catching her off guard. Jeanne coughed violently, while Sakatsuki sighed and wiped the spilled liquid from her lips with a handkerchief, gently patting the saintess’s back.
"Choking on water... I don’t even know what to say to you."
"That’s not the reason!"
Jeanne d’Arc coughed until tears streamed down her face. With her hands bound, she could only let the young man wipe her cheeks, feeling both embarrassed and angry.
"Since you already know I’m the Ruler, you should understand I mean no harm!"
"Of course I know. That’s exactly why I’m tying you up." Tossing aside the projected handkerchief, Sakatsuki stood up and returned to the kitchen. The clatter of pots and pans mingled with his voice. "Before I left with the homunculus, I asked all witnesses to keep it secret. Yet you still found me."
Oh no.
Jeanne’s pretty face fell as she instantly realized why Sakatsuki had bound her.
"So, who was the informant? Saber Siegfried, Rider Astolfo... or that Assassin?"
"I don’t know." As a saint of absolute lawful good, Jeanne would never betray Artoria. She closed her eyes and steeled herself, forcing an explanation. "I just followed my intuition to find you. It has nothing to do with anyone else."
"Intuition?" Heating oil in the pan, Sakatsuki projected various bottles and jars while cooking, simultaneously exposing Jeanne’s poor acting. "You should have realized by now—you don’t have any special privileges over me, like Command Spells."
The aroma wafting from the kitchen made the starving saint, who hadn’t eaten for hours after trekking hundreds of miles, light up with hunger. She unconsciously rubbed her thighs as her empty stomach growled. Yet with iron willpower, she forced her attention back to Sakatsuki’s questioning.
"Exactly... How did you manage that?"
"Simple. Because I’m not a Servant in this Holy Grail War." Sakatsuki spun lies effortlessly. "The Mage’s Association found me long ago. Due to my unique abilities, I can operate freely outside the war’s framework."
"I... see..."
The temptation of food was unusually strong for Jeanne. Her rationality couldn’t process Sakatsuki’s words properly, so she simply accepted them as fact without suspicion.
Wait!
Her skill Revelation triggered a warning. Jeanne shuddered and looked up at Sakatsuki in disbelief.
"What... did you just make me drink?!"
"Nutrients. To replenish your energy after a whole night’s exertion. Converting food into energy is so inefficient." Flipping ingredients with one hand, Sakatsuki admitted casually, "Though I might’ve added a little something extra—like suppressing magical energy or amplifying hunger..."
"Wait, amplifying hunger?" The golden-haired saint widened her beautiful eyes in shock. "And you’re not planning to feed me? Then what are you cooking for?"
"Huh? How strange. Did I ever say I’d feed you?" Sakatsuki turned his head, meeting Jeanne’s indignant gaze with a teasing smile. "Carrying you here was exhausting, prisoner. Can’t I cook something nice for myself?"
"You drugged me like this... and now you’re eating delicious food right in front of me..." Jeanne stared blankly for a long moment, her lips trembling. Ultimately, she couldn’t muster any curses—only a pitiful wail. "How could you do this?!"
Unfortunately, Sakatsuki had already set up a soundproof barrier. The pitiful sight of the disheveled saint would remain unseen by others.
"You can eat too—just name your informant."
"Really? No, I can’t... I absolutely won’t say who it was!" Under the magnified hunger, Jeanne d’Arc’s mental defenses were crumbling, yet she still refused to betray anyone.
Unfortunately, what she didn’t know was that Sakatsuki was already aware of the betrayal by the "ahoge." The reason he kept asking was partly due to his mischievous nature and partly to amplify Jeanne’s guilt, preparing for what was to come.
After adding ingredients to the simmering pot, Sakatsuki removed his gloves, wiped his hands, and approached Jeanne once more.
"W-what are you doing?" Jeanne averted her gaze, but this time, Sakatsuki didn’t give her a chance to escape. He reached out and firmly grasped her soft cheeks.
"What is your purpose here?"
"Mmmph..." Jeanne’s eyes darted nervously. With the handsome young man pressing so close, how could she possibly admit she’d come because of a Revelation concerning him?
"I see." Sakatsuki’s gaze darkened. Jeanne’s evasion confirmed his suspicions. To him, she had clearly noticed his abnormalities and viewed him as the greatest threat in this Holy Grail War—just like Amakusa in the original storyline, someone who needed to be eliminated.
With this fatal misunderstanding taking root, Sakatsuki completely regarded Jeanne as an enemy. His previously wavering emotions instantly stabilized as he released her, his tone turning calm and icy once more.
"Pity. Let’s hope we’re not enemies next time."
Enemies? What did he mean? Had Sakatsuki misunderstood something?
Jeanne opened her mouth to explain, but before she could speak, her words turned into a sharp cry!
The young man pressed against her, his left knee pinning down her struggling legs while his left arm wrapped around her neck, pulling them tightly together. His right palm pressed against her light armor, constructing an intricate magical formula.
In the next moment, Jeanne’s outfit was forcibly dematerialized, revealing her delicate, smooth back.
Weak and powerless, the girl’s cries soon turned into muffled sobs. Ignoring Jeanne’s attempts to curl into herself, Sakatsuki calmly pressed his cold palm against the Command Spell on her back.
As a brilliant white-gold light flared, Jeanne let out a pained moan. The Command Spell on her back gradually began glowing with the same radiance as Sakatsuki’s hand...