Shirou stood by the window of the room, his gaze piercing through the glass toward the scattered lights of the quiet night in the distance.
The soft, rhythmic sound of water reached his ears, like some tranquil melody. It came from the bathroom—Erii was taking a bath.
Shirou had turned off the main lights outside, so the warm yellow glow from the bathroom shone more vividly through the frosted glass, casting her shadow on the hallway wall. That deep red silhouette swayed gently with the sound of water, like a living shadow painting.
The phone screen lit up as Shirou tapped it with his finger. His eyes scanned the screen, and his brows knitted slightly.
"So, the Holy Church really is coming… Are they going to claim they'll oversee the Holy Grail and supervise the war?"
"Huh? How did you know that?"
The reply from Charlotte came suddenly, catching him off guard. Shirou froze for a moment, then realized—so the little brat was still awake, secretly peeking at his messages.
"You must have guessed it too. Once news of the Holy Grail War spreads, the Church will notice immediately. Historically, legends of pursuing the Grail were always tied to the influence of Christianity."
"They claim that 'holy relics'—not the catalysts for summoning Heroic Spirits, but in the religious sense—things like the remains of saints, blood, the nails from Christ's crucifixion, the thirty silver coins Judas received—should all be under Church custody."
"And the 'Holy Grail' would also fall under that category. So the Church won't just ignore the Grail War."
Shirou's brow rose. "So they're going to claim the Holy Grail belongs to them? That's a stretch."
"No, it's just a slogan to give them a legitimate reason to interfere. The Church condemns necromancy and death-manipulation as heresy. But as you've seen, the Grail War is basically summoning beings similar to the 'Heroic Spirits' from Norse mythology."
Charlotte's next message came with a hint of uncertainty:
"My guess is, since this is their first time hearing of the Grail War, they'll probably just send people to observe and monitor. Until the final moment—when the Grail's true nature is revealed—the Church won't act rashly… probably?"
"I hope it goes the way you say. Don't forget what we ran into today. Even if the Church won't help, they'd better not make things worse."
Shirou's mind jumped instantly to the black shadow that might be "All the Evils of This World." With something that dangerous, the Grail War's risk level had risen by several tiers. The Church's involvement might make things even more complicated. He might have to pay them a visit.
He couldn't imagine what kind of disaster Odin was courting by hosting the Grail War while cultivating such a thing… Human Evil? Beast?
When he mentioned this, Charlotte's reply came brimming with frustration—he could almost see her puffed cheeks through the screen.
"That thing—looked like a black shadow, but also like black mud—what is it?! The first time I saw it, it scared me half to death! And let me tell you, I wasn't afraid, okay…"
"But could that dark stuff be some runaway experiment the people behind the Grail War created? Or maybe the monster eats a lot, and they're using the Grail War as a way to lure people in just to feed it… the 'Grail'?"
Maybe it was because it was so late, but staying up past midnight had made her more excitable. The girl's imagination was running wild as she speculated about Heroic Spirit phenomena, spirit descent techniques, and the Grail's mechanisms. By pure chance, she came up with a shocking guess—"Black Mud = Holy Grail."
Shirou drew in a sharp breath, stunned by her ability to stumble into the truth. Slapping his thigh, he followed her line of thought:
"Exactly! I've been thinking the same thing. If we keep going down this path, we might catch the culprit behind all this before anyone wastes time bleeding each other dry over a filthy cup full of black sludge."
"You really thought the same as me?" Charlotte sounded unconvinced, and he could imagine her pouting. "You're not just trying to rope me into being your teammate, are you?"
"What else? You planning to rely on your pseudo-Servant power to be our combat ace?"
What a joke. After last night in the Mirror World, Shirou would rather take Erii into a fight than put this mage-type Rider on the front line.
Charlotte fell silent for a moment, then huffed, "Hmph! Don't underestimate me! I'm a prodigy from the Clock Tower!"
—
By the time they finished talking, only a few hours remained until Tokyo's sunrise. In that bright morning light, the sun's gentle rays bathed the church's entrance, as though gilding the old building in gold.
Uesugi Koshiyuki, wearing an apron smelling of soy-braised eggs and roasted pork, began cleaning the small prayer room early in the morning. He had recently reopened his shop, returning to being the talkative "Master Koshiyuki" the Tokyo University students knew.
But right now, he wasn't Master Koshiyuki—he was working as a part-time pastor at the community church, or rather, a volunteer.
This work had gone on for a long time.
His mother, Charlotte Chen, was a devout nun of the French Catholic Church who devoted her life to God. Koshiyuki had inherited her faith, coming to the church whenever he could to volunteer and pray for forgiveness for his sins.
Sometimes, he'd spend entire afternoons there, watching the sun set, as if back in his childhood at the small church in Lyon. He could hear people discussing Sister Charlotte…
He knew his mother's only act of betraying her vows was giving birth to him.
Their love began unexpectedly—his mother, still a novice nun, lost to his father in a go match during a cultural exchange, and fell in love. His father, the previous Kage-Ō (Shadow Emperor) of the Sōgihachi clan, eloped with her to France.
It was a mistake born from a young girl's heart. She was meant to serve God for life, but marriage and children would end that path. His father urged her to end the pregnancy, hating his own bloodline after tragedies involving his mother and uncle.
But she refused, determined to give birth to Koshiyuki.
Then the Sōgihachi ninja came to take them away. His father threatened to take his own life to keep the clan from touching them, knowing life in that clan's breeding-obsessed environment would be hell for her.
She hid the pregnancy and joined the French Catholic Church as a lifelong nun. Koshiyuki was born and raised there.
Though he couldn't openly acknowledge her as his mother, he visited often, praying like the other children and calling her "Sister Charlotte," knowing she was his alone.
That ended the day his bloodline awakened, his kotodama (word-spirit) destroyed three city blocks, and the clan came to make him their "Emperor" overseas.
He left, thinking he'd return in a few years. He never did.
"…Sigh."
Koshiyuki's sweeping slowed, lost in the past, until hurried footsteps broke his thoughts.
Five people entered—four well-built, blonde, blue-eyed foreign nuns, led by a spry old priest. Their arrival shattered the church's peace, tension filling the air.
"Hmm? Where are you from? Here for a Catholic exchange?"
In all his years volunteering, Koshiyuki had never seen foreign nuns or priests sent here. His hands tightened on the broom, muscles tensing.
They were no ordinary visitors.
"We've finally found you, former Kage-Ō of the Sōgihachi clan—Uesugi Koshiyuki."
The old man laughed heartily, but his words made Koshiyuki's face harden.
"You know me? What do you want?"
"Nothing much. We're simply interested in you." The priest's tone was calm, almost casual.
They advanced.
Sensing danger, Koshiyuki lifted his broom and dustpan into a dual stance like a master swordsman.
He truly was one—licensed in the Nitō Ichi-ryū style, and with his imperial strength, he could turn any long weapon into a battlefield reaper.
With a light sweep of the broom, the aroma of braised pork wafted through the air.
"Show some respect to the master!"
One nun frowned at the smell, then noticed Koshiyuki's broom tip aimed at the priest. From his sleeve, he flicked a hidden short blunt sword—it cut through the air with a deadly whistle, more than capable of piercing concrete.
Bang!
It was shattered mid-flight by something else—a bronze coin, flicked from the priest's fingers.
These weren't ordinary coins, but high-value casino tokens from the last century, now deadly projectiles.
"Forgive the girls—their first mission makes them impulsive. If they offended you, I'll apologize on their behalf."
The old priest's frail, kindly look gave no hint he could fire coins like bullets.
Koshiyuki glanced at the hole in the prayer room wall, expressionless. "Damaging public church property… you'll pay for that."
"Of course." The priest's tone carried faint disdain, as if such expenses meant nothing.
"Now tell me who you are." Koshiyuki set down the broom and dustpan, dusting off his apron. "So I know how to treat you. No ramen at this hour—only these fists."
"Haha. You may call me Demio Cervantes. As for who we are… have you heard of the Holy Church?"
(End of Chapter)
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