Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

The enormous conference hall of the Palace of Versailles instantly fell into dead silence.

All the council members watched the pink-haired "maiden" with trepidation.

Among those present, only this unreliable fellow would dare act so boldly.

Anyone else would have been scared half to death already.

"No, Your Majesty!"

Astolfo instinctively turned off the screen, hopping back a few steps. "Some strange intuition tells me you'll become... abnormal after watching this video!"

"Hmm? What are you talking about?"

The Dark Maiden looked at him with the expression one reserves for mentally challenged children, full of mockery. "Heh, what joke is this? A mere video could shake me?"

This attitude instantly made the council members tremble slightly, each feeling a fatal sense of masochistic excitement.

Classic "Jeanne-style mockery"!

Astolfo scratched his head and couldn't help muttering: "But my intuition is always right!"

Though prone to losing rationality, unable to keep any secrets, and forgetting important things...

He had gained powerful [Intuition], almost akin to prophecy.

Never failed!

"Astolfo, project that video onto the big screen for me now!"

Jeanne's golden eyes brimmed with disdain.

Not a single word of this pink-haired "girl's" unreliable claims was to be believed.

"Well, I'm warning you in advance—don't blame me if there's a problem!"

Astolfo solemnly declared again.

Better clarify responsibility first. If Jeanne ended up trampling him underfoot, that wouldn't be fun.

Hmm, imagining that scene... actually seemed kind of great???

The projection began.

On the enormous screen, lines of automatically translated text appeared—

[Chronicle of the Nameless Heroic Spirit!]

[Your name may be forgotten by history, but your deeds will echo through eternity!]

The paladins and council members all wore expressions of disdain.

If someone had truly accomplished great deeds, how could they remain nameless?

"Alaya?"

Jeanne murmured the name from her throne.

One of the two Counter Forces, specializing in screwing over humanity—was this real or fake?

The video started playing.

Under a leaden gray sky, a golden-haired girl and villagers were under attack by familiar enemies.

A council member couldn't help exclaiming: "Damn it, those are the invading forces from England during the Hundred Years' War!"

"Could this be a scheme by England's king?"

The council members immediately began whispering among themselves.

By the time Jeanne appeared in the Hundred Years' War, France was on the verge of annihilation.

The ultimate humiliation!

Every council member present was a staunch defender of France, and none would tolerate any insult to their invincible nation in any form.

The video continued.

The British invaders sneered as they sought to kill the young saintess.

Then, a nameless man cloaked in crimson descended, effortlessly sweeping through the battlefield and rescuing her.

And then—

This nameless man declared—

["Proclaim that you have received divine guidance, and rally all of France to fight!"]

["When a lie is believed by the entire world, you might as well call yourself a god!"]

["Come, let us shoulder the will of all the fallen and deceive the world together—turning you into the true messenger of the Lord!"]

A group of councilmen instantly rose to their feet, their faces flushing crimson with fury.

"Blasphemy! This is heresy!"

"Your Majesty, I demand we spare no expense in uncovering the creator of this video!"

"There is every reason to suspect this is the work of the British—a plot to overthrow all of France!"

...

Their outrage was inevitable.

Because these words from the Nameless Heroic Spirit were clearly a denial of the Lord's existence!

The audacious claim that the Lord did not exist at all, portraying Jeanne d'Arc—originally a saint of the Catholic Church—as a deceiver who misled the people!

Most importantly,

The video production was of exceptionally high quality, surpassing 99% of films, undoubtedly made with a massive investment.

A mere few-minute-long video likely cost at least tens of millions of euros to produce!

Perhaps even hundreds of millions!

Who else would be willing to invest so heavily just to slander France and defame the Holy Maiden Jeanne d'Arc?

That's right—only the nation across the channel—

Britain!

Amidst the public outrage,

One of the Twelve Paladins, Roland, stepped forward and declared loudly, "Your Majesty, this is a British conspiracy, clearly a retaliation for the Lancelot incident!"

Before watching the video,

This meeting had been convened to discuss how to handle Lancelot.

Originally a Frenchman, Lancelot had been swayed by King Arthur's charisma and voluntarily joined the Knights of the Round Table.

He became the renowned "Knight of the Lake," tasked with purchasing grain from France and transporting it to Britain.

This in itself was not an issue.

The problem was that he had an affair with Queen Guinevere, which was exposed by Agravain and Mordred. The aftermath led to the deaths of Agravain, Gaheris, and Gareth, marking one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the Round Table.

Subsequently, Lancelot forcibly abducted Guinevere and fled Britain, returning to his homeland of France.

In the Age of Heroic Spirits, the Knights of the Round Table harbored endless hostility toward him.

However, under the guidance of the two leaders, Artoria and Jeanne d'Arc, the two nations began seeking cooperation and mutual benefit.

The first step toward reconciliation occurred just yesterday when King Arthur publicly forgave Lancelot for his betrayal.

At the press conference, the two shook hands and made peace, becoming headline news worldwide.

Just when everyone thought the matter was settled, no one could have imagined the release of such a slanderous video targeting the Holy Maiden and France.

And it had spread across the entire world!

In every nation, it sparked intense discussions.

Duke Lawrence, the Speaker of the Assembly, suppressed his fury and said, "Your Majesty, we must uncover the mastermind behind this and punish everyone involved, demonstrating France's dignity to the world!"

All eyes burned with intensity as they focused on her.

Given the Holy Maiden's renowned dominance and unyielding nature, she would undoubtedly take action to expose the conspirators and deliver the cruelest punishment.

Yet, strangely enough,

The great Holy Maiden of France, her golden eyes fixed intently on the Nameless Heroic Spirit in the video,

Seemed completely oblivious to their words.

Duke Lawrence quietly reminded her, "Your Majesty, how should we punish the creators of this video, as well as the actor who dared to slander you by portraying the Nameless Heroic Spirit?"

"Oh? How do you propose we punish him?"

The Dark Holy Maiden asked indifferently.

Her expression was eerily calm, showing none of the expected fury.

Instead,

There was a hint of familiar mockery?

Duke Lawrence answered without hesitation, "At the very least, a century of imprisonment! If the death penalty hadn't been abolished, he should be burned at the stake as a heretic who blasphemed the divine."

"Yes, send this so-called Nameless Heroic Spirit to the stake!"

"Capture him! Sentence him to the harshest punishment!"

The other councilors roared in fury.

The assembly hall erupted in collective outrage.

"How amusing," she murmured.

Jeanne d'Arc suddenly let out a soft laugh, surveying the impassioned assembly of councilors. "How strikingly similar this scene is to that moment from back then!"

The crowd instantly sensed something amiss, all staring at her dumbfounded.

What does Her Majesty mean by this?

Could it be that everything in the video truly happened?

No, no, that's absolutely impossible!

How could there really be someone willing to remain nameless, silently saving the Maiden Jeanne d'Arc?

The confident Speaker's pupils instantly contracted, an ominous premonition rising in his heart.

The next moment.

On Jeanne d'Arc's flawless face, her golden eyes blazed with fire as her voice resounded through the entire parliamentary hall: "Roar, my fury!"

Boom~

Flames erupted around her, unleashing boundless wrath!

***

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