[FMMIKA] Chapter 248: Jalter's Sadness and Sorrow

In the end, Artorius didn't accept the suggestion, and no matter what Jalter said, it didn't seem to make a difference. This left her feeling both frustrated and angry.

She glared at Artorius indignantly, standing there like an offended child.

As he looked at this familiar face, Artorius couldn't help but feel a twinge of nostalgia.

He often played these teasing games with Mordred or the younger Artoria Species. He would tease them first, and when they got upset, he would console them and say that he did it because he liked them.

When he did, both Mordred and the Artorias would quickly forgive him, showing a mix of affection and annoyance, which always made Artorius feel delighted.

It was a win-win—he satisfied his mischievous tendencies while strengthening family bonds at the same time. Killing two birds with one stone.

However, his relationship with Jalter wasn't as strong, and he could only play this teasing game halfway with her. It left him with a sense of uncertainty.

"Once you know the answer, you can leave." Artorius waved his hand. "Do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't cause any trouble."

"..."

Hearing Artorius say this, Jalter, who had just looked indignant, hesitated and then appeared perplexed.

'If it's not about killing, revenge, or slaughter... what else can I do?'

Even though she was just a 'replacement' for Jeanne, anger and revenge were concepts Gilles had imagined based on Jeanne. However, for Jalter, the newborn artificial Servant, there was nothing beyond those concepts.

In a sense, Artorius had stripped Jalter of the only meaning she had left, turning her into an empty, lost, and purposeless Servant with nothing but a hollow shell.

"..."

"I can do whatever I want... but, I don't really want to do anything..."

After leaving Artorius, Jalter muttered in confusion, wandering aimlessly in the palace, on the streets of Orleans, and even on the outskirts of the city.

The Einzbern maids who had taken control of the palace treated her with respect but kept their distance. However, this was still the best treatment Jalter had received.

Compared to the residents in the city and the farmers outside the palace, the Einzbern maids were humble and polite.

As mentioned earlier, the residents and farmers, upon seeing Jalter, would scream and run away as fast as possible. The more timid ones even fainted instantly.

"Uhh... I..."

Watching this scene, Jalter unconsciously opened her mouth, wanting to say something like "I don't want to kill anyone", "It's all just a misunderstanding", or "You don't have to fear me".

However, in the end, she didn't say anything. There wasn't much she could say.

Even though Artorius had mentioned earlier that she was just a puppet, that didn't mean Jalter could simply shrug it off with a smile and say "Yes, it's all Gilles's fault. I'm not responsible for anything". It wasn't something she could do.

Most people probably couldn't do that.

Most of the ones who can manage to do this are probably just Servants with the alignment of Chaotic Evil, or maybe just pure and carefree idiots like the Artoria Species from Servant Universe.

"..."

So, Jalter's plan to go out and clear her mind completely failed.

She initially had the intention of making Artorius worry by saying—"I'll stay outside and won't come back. Let's see if you'll come to find me."

But being treated like a monster time and time again, with people shouting and screaming at her, she lost her mood entirely. After the fourth incident of this sort, Jalter covered her face and ran away as quickly as she could.

She was angry but had no ground to throw a fit. She felt wronged but had no reason to cry. Everything she did was a result of her own actions.

"You bastard, you bastard, you bastard, you bastard, you bastard, you bastard!"

"What exactly am I?! What am I?!"

Jalter rushed back to the Palace of Orleans as fast as she could, stumbling along the way, muttering while shedding tears.

When Artorius found her again, the one who had once dominated the entire country with violence and fear, prepared to slaughter millions, turning hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of land into ashes, looked like a bullied and aggrieved little girl.

She was hiding in a corner of the palace, crouched down, rubbing her eyes, and sobbing.

"Poor thing..." Sella remarked beside Artorius, one of the Einzbern maids. Full of sympathy, she couldn't help but want to comfort Jalter.

"As a victim, she's also an offender. For those who died and for the suffering France endured, just shedding a few tears is really too cheap."

Artorius calmly responded that way to Sella. Of course, even though he said like that, he still moved forward and approached the black-armored Jalter.

"How are you, Jeanne?"

"..."

After hearing Artorius's voice, Jalter shivered involuntarily, then lifted her head, looking at him with a bewildered, fearful, and resentful gaze.

Almost instinctively, Jalter tried to attack, but Artorius swiftly overpowered her, straddling her in a disheveled state.

"Let me go, you bastard, I'll kill you!"

"Now you understand why I pinned all the guilt on that guy." Ignoring her screams, Artorius only responded calmly, then continued:

"Gilles de Rais, that lunatic, is indeed unforgivable in this matter."

"I don't care about his inhumane, anti-social crimes, because there's nothing to say about that."

"As a French person himself, indiscriminately massacring people of your own country due to dissatisfaction... scum like that doesn't deserve to live, even if he were to be torn apart by a thousand knives."

"What I want to say is just his attitude towards 'you'."

"Do you think he's gentle? Do you think he's good to you? Do you think he's the person closest to you?"

"No, Not at all."

"Remove all those emotions, spirit, and will. Just look at it from a realistic perspective."

"You're just a few months old in real age, aside from those fake memories, your true age is indeed just a few months old."

"To make a newborn baby carry so much pain, anger, revenge, and... sin."

"That's what he gave you. All of this turned you into a cursed monster."

"If this is his emotional attachment to you, maybe it has some meaning. But the key is this emotion isn't even about you. No, you're just a substitute for Jeanne d'Arc. He created you as a substitute to bear his desire for revenge and destruction."

"That's the truth."

With that, Artorius released Jalter and stood up.

"So, Jeanne—no, you're not her, so I will call you Jalter."

"You need to be clear about something."

"Gilles de Rais is your true enemy."

"Whether you want revenge, get angry, fight, or do anything else, you should be heading for him."

"Don't get the direction wrong."