Sprawled on the front-most pew, I held the gaze of the priest that had interrupted my fight with an, admittedly cool, heroic spirit. He'd once again began reading his holy book with little regard for what I did, and from then, it had been a sort of silent competition.
No doubt one of those power plays where the one who spoke first lost. I cared very little for that. No, the only reason I'd been silent so far was because I was too busy studying the Church we were in. From appearances it was normal, luxurious, but nothing you wouldn't expect from a Church close to the district that housed the elite of the city.
White, spotless walls, and rosewood furniture, even the pews and the podium for the mass were made of that expensive, high-class wood. Unlike the one other Church I'd been to, this one didn't have enameled glass windows, but plain see-through ones. There were confessional booths on either end across from the lectern behind which Kirei stood with eyes closed, and breathing levelled.
Yes, indeed, nothing was out of the ordinary.
Yet, I could just feel it. The place reeked. It was ominous, and the mystery was foul… corrupt. This seemingly holy place bore all the markings of a great ritual, and something more. The air felt awkwardly stagnant, and a disgusting taste welled on the tip of my tongue.
Maybe that was why Nobunaga chose to stay outside. Or, maybe she was busy setting explosives around the place. I was more inclined to believe the latter possibility.
"Have you come seeking asylum?" Kirei finally broke the silence. "Excuse the invasion of privacy, but I noted you lack command seals."
I stared at the back of my palm.
"And that your servant is not so… agreeable, if the words she left me are anything to go by."
My servant was EXTREMELY agreeable. It was like I was talking to myself… minus the occasional cruelty and the schizo episodes.
"The House of the Lord is always open to those seeking-"
I held up a hand, and counted on my fingers.
"My past encounters with your lot have been… let's see… A Grand Wizard from the Klan, an arsonist mass-murderer, a crazy lady with an obsession for slicing apart people… a bonafide pervert with BIBLICAL levels of lust."
These people were as bad, if not worse, than the magi they persecuted as monsters. Their justification for that was as flimsy as my reasoning for most of the trouble I got myself into.
"I will not say that I am without sin as well." Kirei said after a moment of silence. "But I do try. Do you hold that against me?"
His words were reasonable. He was off-putting. He felt fake. The way his words drawled at times, and the times he put on a smile that was clearly practiced to hell.
I narrowed my eyes, and leaned on my knees, craning my neck. "You know I can tell that smile's fake right~?"
"You would know, wouldn't you?"
What?
That was pure slander. I'd rather die than be one of those 'smiling on the outside' lot. My whole shtick was being unapologetically true to myself. There was nothing to those words. They still were unreasonably annoying to hear.
"Maybe not now, but sometime in the past?" This time, Kirei Kotomine smiled truly, "An absent parent? No. I think not. A dismissive parent. You wanted their approval, didn't you? Desperately. Is that why you're so full of venom for those you do not approve of? So 'desperate' to out-do even yourself and be so flamboyant? Because you don't want to be left alone, and yet you do not want to give another the chance to dismiss you again?"
I pursed my lips, putting a hand to my chin.
This psycho-analysis he'd dropped out of nowhere was clearly meant to provoke me. Honestly, this was probably true at some point in my life as well. Maybe, it was even now. But he'd gotten one thing wrong.
"That's why you push away. But, hold them so closely-"
"Look, mate. I know all of this-"
When I raised my head to meet his gaze, he'd crossed the distance between us. An out-stretched hand came chopping down for my head. It tore through the air and… met… my forearm. I blocked his strike. Easily. Of course I did.
"One strike for tonight." I looked down at my phone. "And you clearly didn't see me fight that Enforcer, did you~?"
He tried to move back. Keyword being, tried. I kicked him in the family jewels hard enough that he flew back, crashing into the lectern that broke under his weight and momentum combined.
"Somehow, there's still people that think they can pull a fast one."
"Apologies, I couldn't restrain… myself." He pushed out with a tight face.
"Apology not accepted~"
"Henry Smith. That is who you are."
I nodded.
"I was notified of your arrival, and that I was to maneuver the other masters towards fulfilling your designation as overseer."
That meant… woah. All the other masters, and their servants would be incentivized to come after me. That was awesome. I welcomed it with open arms. How could I not? It was an opportunity to have my very own Shibuya incident… minus all the civilian casualties, of course.
With a hum, I jumped to my feet. "When?"
He shook his head from side to side. "I will not."
"Why?"
"I am a servant of the Lord. That is all the reason I need."
I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, stepping up to him. He still sat there, and watched in silence as I pointed two fingers at his face.
"At some point, like you just said, I'd have spared cause it'd be fun. Recently though, I've been tying up loose ends."
The air flashed crimson and trembled as Red formed atop my fingertips.
Just then, the doors of the Church were kicked open. I turned around to spot a familiar face walking down the aisle. His eyes shimmered the same as my spell, and he ran a hand through his golden hair.
Okay, this was clearly fucking plot armour.
Who even was this shitty priest?
I waved my hand, "Sup, fossil~."
"Silence, mangy upstart." He answered with a scoff. "That mongrel serves as entertainment for this King. Risk my wrath at your peril."
"RiSK mY WraTH aT YouR PeRIL. Do you even hear yourself~?" I snorted.
A sword flew past my head, burying itself in the wall.
For a moment, it felt as if I'd received several lobotomies at once. My brain short-circuited completely. My nose bled. The world-… My world came to a sudden halt. I didn't even get time to feel any pain. I only realized what had happened when it finished, and warm blood dripped from my nose and lips… even my eyes had veins burst and bled.
The best part, he'd never attacked me.
No, even he raised a curious brow when I suddenly blanked out.
Yet when the episode ended, I couldn't help the grin that stretched my lips.
"What a magnanimous king." I held up my hands and shook my head, "Can't even handle a joke."
His brow twitched. His expression tightened. I was pretty sure I saw a vein pop out on his forehead. This guy was fun. He was pretty strong too. But, he kind of messed up this time… No, both of us had messed up.
But, I gained more.
The moment the doors had burst open, I'd lowered my aviators.
I SAW the golden rift ripple into the air. I SAW what came through. I saw where it came from. Most importantly, I saw HOW it happened.
A pure mystery.
So dense and ancient and aged that my mind buckled under it immediately. Then, repaired itself, and broke again. Again, and again, and again, and again. Until the sudden influx subsided. By the end, I was left breathing haggardly, and my heart was drumming against my chest.
I thanked my lucky stars that I'd decided back when I was facing the Dead Apostle to link my regeneration to information stored in my blood, separate from my will and conscious.
For, surely, I would have died in that moment.
But, I lived. I saw. I understood.
The stranger glared at me as I smiled through bloody teeth.
"What did you just do?"
"Nothing~"
I squirmed and stepped away from the priest.
"You know what? Fine~ I'll concede. You can keep him for now."
As I stepped past him, I offered a quiet thank you. One that left him staring at me in confusion and disbelief. For a moment, I suspected he too knew what had just transpired between but simply refused to believe the possibility.
When I finally exited the Church, my servant was nowhere to be found.
"Oh well… She'll turn up at home eventually."
Satisfied with what I had acquired, I decided to head home for the day.
-
Hope you enjoyed.
You can find 5 chapters ahead at patre0n.com/Bleap
Should be at least eight by Sunday.