"Sit down, don't be shy, pick any spot you like. This is just a community church; in the mornings, no one usually comes for service."
The stained-glass windows poured honey-colored morning light across the wooden pews. Uesugi Koshitsu brushed flour from his apron as he walked further inside. Clearly, after years of part-time work here, he knew the church like the back of his hand—even the regular patterns of visitors coming to worship. He called out for them to sit down as casually as if they were in his own living room.
Gen Rishou followed closely behind, his gaze sweeping over Shirou for a moment before settling on the unfamiliar, light-gold-haired girl. He couldn't help but wonder:
Such a young girl, wandering around outside with a man—how could her family be so unconcerned? And besides, Shirou didn't seem to have any Western relatives.
"Alright, let's each explain our situation," Uesugi said, seeing them take their seats. He stood before the altar, taking off his apron. The moment he did, his image transformed—shedding the ramen shop master's air and taking on the stern dignity of a priest conducting Mass.
Gen Rishou nodded slightly. That was more like it.
Before being adopted by Tachibana Masamune, he had often imagined his real father's sudden appearance—always a man with broad shoulders, a mature temperament, and strong, chiseled features. A priest would be acceptable… but a ramen shop owner or comedian? Absolutely not.
"Shirou, you don't need to report—you're obviously involved already… Rishou, I hear the family decided to join the Holy Grail War?"
"That's right. I'm the Master representing my family… father."
Gen Rishou raised his head as he spoke, showing the crimson Command Spells on the back of his right hand. The stained-glass light danced on his shoulder, highlighting his stern profile like a blade about to be drawn.
"I see…"
Uesugi murmured, a complicated look in his eyes.
The title of "Emperor" seemed glorious, but it was also a shackle. As head of the family, the Emperor must not only lead in peacetime but step forward in times of crisis.
And his son, Gen Rishou, seemed born for the role—handsome, composed, responsible, far more suited than he himself had been as the former Shadow Emperor who'd run away.
Father? Shirou blinked when he heard Rishou call Uesugi that. Wait—Rishou wasn't from the Genji line? So, he was Uesugi's son? So, Master Uesugi, you really were just… a family heir out experiencing life?
"Well, what a coincidence!" Charlotte raised her small hand high, showing her own crimson Command Spells in the sunlight.
"I'm a Master in the Holy Grail War too! That makes us rivals! Old man, bear witness—dare to face me one-on-one?"
Shirou rubbed his forehead. This magician-type Rider wanted to duel Saber-class Watanabe no Tsuna in a straight fight? Did she not understand local fame bonuses?
Rishou merely glanced at her without reply. If it were a member of the Fierce Ghost faction, he might strike immediately, but against a child… he had some dignity.
Uesugi crossed his arms, shaking his head with a teasing tone. "Little girl, you should go home and play house. The Holy Grail War isn't a game—when real danger comes, you'll be too scared to move."
Unfortunately, that jab hit Charlotte's sore spot—the bitter memory of last night's fight was still fresh.
She leapt up angrily. "Shouldn't you be the one going home? In a real fight, you might throw out your back or keel over from a heart attack!"
Uesugi replied calmly, "Girl, those are minor ailments. You clearly haven't seen my medical reports listing 'full organ failure' over the years."
He didn't bother with more banter. Even old and frail, he was still the Shadow Emperor—a man who could wield two rolling pins and still play the sword saint. Even Rishou could only bow his head before him.
Charlotte sat puffing her cheeks like an angry pufferfish. Uesugi ignored her, turning back to Rishou.
"By the way, how did you know I was here at the church? And…"
"I heard from the heads of the Fūma and Inuyama families," Rishou answered smoothly.
He paused, meeting Uesugi's gaze, anticipating the unasked question—how he confirmed their blood relation.
"As for confirming it—you've been going to the same hospital for check-ups, and our family has contacts there. I used your blood sample from this morning to run a paternity test."
Uesugi froze, then burst into hearty laughter, deeply moved.
Finally! His "recognition process" had gone smoothly! Modern science was wonderful—with DNA proof, their bond was undeniable.
He instinctively reached for a cigarette, but smoking was banned indoors. In truth, before Aga hinted he might have descendants, he had never imagined any living blood relatives. His faith had been, in part, a substitute for a family he couldn't find.
"Good! Good! Shirou, did you hear that? Learn from Rishou! Science and proof! Now you hurry up and get a test too—so you can call me father!"
"…Got it," Shirou said dryly. Well, fine—better to end this quickly.
He cleared his throat. "So, Master Uesugi, where did you hear about the Holy Grail War?"
"Oh, early this morning, before you arrived, a group dressed as clergy came by. The leader claimed they were from the Holy Church and tried to recruit me in the name of faith… ha! Do they think I'm so easy to fool?"
"Really?"
Shirou glanced at Charlotte, who grinned triumphantly. "See? I told you the Church wouldn't pass up a place like this!"
"I can't let that slide," Uesugi said, lifting an old Bible. His rough fingers traced the yellowed pages as if touching history itself.
"This church isn't 'run-down.' It's vintage—a style you won't find anywhere else in the district."
Shirou thought, in a modern city like Tokyo, this place was indeed unique—like a corner forgotten by time.
He grew serious. "Since the Holy Church is here, they must be interested in the Grail War. But this time isn't some official tournament. Our investigation suggests the organizers are cultivating something dangerous."
"You didn't have to refuse them outright—you could've used them to investigate the people behind this war."
"Oh?" Uesugi's brows furrowed. "What did you find?"
"Something dangerous."
Shirou explained last night's encounter with the Shadow Servants, the mirror world, and the growing black monsters.
Rishou was shocked. "Shadow Servants? Mass-produced and controlled?!"
That was alarming—even without true Servant skills or Noble Phantasms, they'd be formidable soldiers, certain to attract the interest of worldly powers.
"Exactly. And Shadow Servants are just the surface problem," Shirou said gravely.
"The real issue is that the Grail War runs on the underground leyline. Now the leyline is twisted, and a mirror world has appeared. The trouble is, we can't find an entrance—so we can't see what's growing inside."
"Indeed…" Rishou nodded. In Tokyo, with millions of people, any drastic move would have to consider the civilian impact.
He turned to Uesugi. "Father, you don't participate in the Grail War, so you might not understand some terms. Actually—"
"No, I understand," Uesugi said with a strange expression, setting the Bible down. "The leyline… they actually dared tamper with it…"
He knew well from a now-burned family chronicle that in mythology, Tsukuyomi ruled the Yoru no Shokuhara (Feast of the Night)—a land without light, the realm of the dead, also known as Nibelungen.
This special Nibelungen was the mirror city opposite Takamagahara, and in modern times, it had become the mirror world of Tokyo.
The so-called dragon vein, or leyline, was a massive underground alchemical array that had maintained the Yoru no Shokuhara since ancient times.
(End of Chapter)
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