For Father Kotomine Risei, the supervisor of the Fourth Holy Grail War, tonight was truly an exhausting night.
Although this was his second time as the supervisor of the Holy Grail War, he never expected that someone would cause such a troublesome disturbance.
Because the scale of the problem is so huge, not only the Holy Church, but even the Magic Association is secretly operating. Now is no time to argue about spheres of influence or who is responsible. Working together to minimize the impact of the incident is the top priority.
Regarding the strange things happening in the Miyuan River, the media was temporarily covered up by saying that the chemical reaction of industrial wastewater caused toxic gases. The radio cars patrolling the streets were calling on residents living along the river to go to the emergency room immediately if they found symptoms, because the toxicity of the gas could cause hallucinations.
Of course, all hospitals that accept night treatment now have magicians or agents with suggestion and brainwashing skills on standby. This should be able to eliminate most of the eyewitness testimonies, but it is out of reach, and rumors and whispers cannot be completely erased.
In order to conceal the truth, Father Risei mobilized almost all agents active in western Japan, including his own son Kotomine Kirei, and even used the secular power of the Holy See to which the Holy Church belonged to exert pressure from top to bottom to prevent nosy reporters from digging deeper into the matter.
It was late at night when the endless phone calls finally came to an end and Father Risei could finally take a breath. But he immediately remembered that someone was waiting for him in the chapel, so he sighed and got up from his chair to continue his work as an overseer.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting, I have a lot of work to do tonight."
Risei's tone did not conceal his exhaustion, and a fake laugh echoed from the dimly lit seats of believers.
"There's nothing we can do about it. After all, the situation is serious."
Then there was the slight metallic sound of a wheelchair's wheels turning, and a sitting figure emerged from the darkness.
The figure who looked so haggard that he looked like a completely different person and couldn't even stand or walk was actually the once famous child prodigy Kenneth El-Melloi.
How many people who knew this man's past glory would have thought that he would fall into such a state? However, from the willpower left in his eyes, the obsession still showed the extreme personality of the former genius magician.
Although the damage to Kenneth's body was almost incurable, he still used the connections of the Emeroy family to get in touch with an excellent puppeteer living in Japan. In exchange for a huge reward, he was able to at least barely retain his body functions and temporarily gain the ability to move freely within the range of the wheelchair. His originally numb lower body was gradually regaining consciousness, and if all went well, he would be able to get rid of the wheelchair soon.
"Okay, Mr. Priest. What do you think of my expression? It's about the reward for defeating Caster."
Kenneth's tone was in contrast to the attentive smile on his face, and even contained a hint of intimidation. A drug addict who was craving for drugs might be like him.
Li Zheng looked closely at the former magician, who did not try to hide the delusional expression on his face.
This situation was not what Risei had expected, but an agreement was an agreement. Not to mention the alliance that Risei had made with Tokiomi behind the scenes, even for the sake of the face of the Holy Church, he could only act according to reason.
"Indeed, Lancer participated in the battle against Caster and performed quite bravely. This has been confirmed by the reports of several monitors."
"Then I am indeed qualified to receive a Command Spell, right?"
"But—" Father Risei changed the subject, "Lancer's results were not satisfactory. He did not use the barrier to buy time like Rider did, nor did he treat Saber's injuries like Assassin did, nor did he destroy the sea demon in the end like Saber did. So I judge—"
"Please wait a moment."
Kenneth interrupted Rizheng excitedly. The twisted expression and obsession on his face surprised Rizheng, who had been cultivating his Qi for sixty years.
"Father Risei, I remember that you promised before that 'we will work together to defeat Caster, and everyone who contributes will be given a Command Seal'; Lancer participated in the subjugation operation and fought with all his might. Do you want to break your promise, Father Risei?"
Li Zheng leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes and thought about it, and finally compromised.
"It was my fault for not setting the rules strictly enough. According to the rules, Lancer's Master can get the reward."
"That is to say—"
"I'm talking about Lancer's Master—"
This time it was Kenneth's turn to be interrupted. Father Li Zheng frowned and glanced at Kenneth with suspicion.
"Mr. Kenneth Archibald, in your current condition, can you still be considered a Master?"
Kenneth's eyes revealed a dark look of hatred for a moment, but he immediately returned to the reserved demeanor of a gentleman.
"The contract regarding Lancer was made between me and my fiancée Sora as a joint undertaking."
"But now, isn't Miss Sora in charge of both the supply of mana and the management of the Command Spells?"
Kenneth's already forced smile almost faltered after being touched in a sore spot by Li Zheng, and the last bit of kindness he had in him disappeared completely.
"For strategic reasons, I will temporarily hand over the Command Seals to Sora. However, the leadership of the contract with Lancer is still in my hands. If you have any doubts, you can confirm it directly with Lancer. And most importantly, when declaring my identity as the Master to the Church, it should be registered under my personal name."
Father Risei sighed. Even if he continued to pursue this point, nothing would change. For Risei, the most headache-inducing thing was that an unexpected situation would cause him to have to distribute the Command Seals to Masters other than Tokiomi. Even if he didn't give the additional Command Seals to Kenneth now, the Command Seals would eventually be handed over to his fiancée, and getting involved in the internal strife of the Archibald camp would not benefit Risei at all.
"--Well, I recognize your qualifications. Come, Mr. Kenneth, please stretch out your hand."
"Drink the cup and your sins will be forgiven. This is the blood I shed for everyone. This is the blood of the contract."
Li Zheng used a skilled technique to perform a secret spell on Kenneth's outstretched hand, transferring one of the spells stored on his right wrist. There was no pain during the process, and it was completed within a few minutes.
"Then please continue to fight for glory as a Master."
"That's natural."
Kenneth nodded with a smile on his face, then took out the pistol hidden in the seat of the wheelchair and aimed it at Father Risei who was facing away from him.
The dry sound of gunfire broke the silence of the Temple of God.
Kenneth didn't even glance at the old priest's fallen body, but looked at the stigmata pattern carved again on the back of his right hand with fascination.
Now there was only one... Compared with other competitors who kept their Command Seals unused, he was already at a great disadvantage. He absolutely could not sit idly by and watch the Masters of Saber, Rider, and Assassin obtain new Command Seals.
Although assassinating the supervisor would cause some controversy, in this Holy Grail War, there were other magicians besides Kenneth who liked to use small props such as pistols. The first person to become a suspect would be the dirty rat raised by Einzbern.
Kayneth couldn't help but smile, completely immersed in the satisfaction of regaining his Master qualification. He didn't feel guilty at all for his actions that had just embarrassed Lord El-Melloi.
The creaking sound of the wheelchair gradually faded away and disappeared into the silent night.
Two figures, one tall and one short, walked silently into the church filled with the smell of blood.
The shorter one sneered with disdain: "You've always looked down on technology, but in the end you still have to rely on the power of technology. How ironic."
The taller one walked up to the dying Father Risei and spoke in a calm tone.
"Don't sigh, Shinji. Isn't it because you wanted him to do this that you waited until now? Move faster. If the Command Spell is not transferred in time, it will completely lose its effectiveness and become a useless corpse spot."
"Here I come, Master." The shorter one hung his head and trotted along.
These two people are of course Shinji and Scathach. After the battle of Mion River ended, the two came to the church without stopping. After confirming that Kenneth and Father Risei were there, the two hid outside the door and watched until gunshots were heard. Everything was the same as the plot described in "FateZero".
No, it must be the same. If it is not the same, Shinji will have a headache.
Every Master of the Command Spell wants it, and Shinji is no exception. It's not that he wants to do anything with it to Scathach, because he doesn't have the will or the ability to do so in his current body, but he just wants to increase his trump card.
The great magician Matou Zouken spent sixty years and painstakingly created each magic crystal, which contained powerful power. It could not only bind servants, but also strengthen servants and even himself with the power contained in the Command Spells.
With these Command Seals, Shinji can ignore his own magic power reserves and fire Noble Phantasms continuously, whether it is Scathach's or his own. At critical moments, Shinji can even fight in full gear.
The only pity is that as each Command Spell is used, one less is needed, and it cannot be used without restraint and recklessly.
No, no, it is already very good to be able to obtain so many Command Spells. One should not be too greedy. One should not be too greedy. One should not be too greedy.
After repeating this silently three times to calm his mind, Shinji undressed and exposed his upper body.
"Please help me with the transplant."
Scathach nodded, pulled open Risei's sleeve with one hand, and drew runes in the air with the other hand, preparing to perform the separation ritual.
At this moment, her brows suddenly frowned, and the carving of the runes was interrupted.
Shinji asked quickly: "What's wrong?"
"The Command Seals on his hands are protected by powerful magic... ... I am currently unable to break through the magical protection and remove them in such a short time."
"The 'Word' of the Church?"
Hearing Scathach's words, Shinji immediately thought of one of the church's secrets, which is essentially a kind of magic, but the Holy Church does not recognize it.
It is not difficult to understand that additional Command Seals were added with "Holy Words". The Supervisor controls a force that is enough to influence the outcome of a battle. There may be unscrupulous magi coveting this power, so it is normal to impose protective measures on it.
However, this normality is an obstacle for Shinji.
"Take the body back and slowly crack it? Or cut off the hand?" Scathach's solution was direct and effective.
Shinji hesitated for a few seconds and chose the latter.
Shinji did what he said. He lifted Risei's arm with one hand, took out his "divine bow and sword" with the other, and was about to swing it down.
Just before the blade fell, Shinji's eyes focused and he saw a strange trace of blood.
This was a line of text written in blood, which was previously blocked by the right hand, so Shinji and Justissa did not notice it.
"jn424!"
Shinji retracted his sword and recited this line of meaningless words, trying hard to recall the settings of his previous life and the magic knowledge of this life.
There is a use for the "holy words", similar to the modern combination lock, reciting this "holy words" can unlock the protection and carry out the transplant. Then this code should be the clue pointing to the "password".
Risei loved his child deeply and placed all his hopes on Kirei. His last hope before his death must be that his son would inherit his will and wishes. This secret code must have been written for Kotomine Kirei to see!
The first thing Kirei and Risei have in common is the church. If I remember correctly, the code mentioned in the novel is also related to a certain church classic.
jn...
jn...
John, got it, the Gospel of John!
Shinji's eyes lit up: "Master, I need the Gospel of John. It must be here."
The next second, Scathach turned into a spirit and disappeared, passed through the wall, and went to search in Risei's living room. She soon returned with an old hardcover book, which was a New Testament.
Shinji twitched his lips: "Uh, Master, what I want is the Gospel of John, not the Bible."
Scathach threw the book directly at Shinji's face: "Stupid, the Gospel of John is part of the New Testament."
"Oh, oh..." Shinji rubbed his red and swollen cheeks awkwardly, took the book and flipped through it quickly.
"424... Page 4, line 24... Wrong."
"Page 42, line 4... that's not right either!"
"If it's not the number of pages, then it must be the number of chapters? Chapter 4, Section 24... Got it."
"Godissprit, andhisworshipersmustworshipinspiritandintruth!"
(God is a spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.)
As if in response to these words, all the Command Seals on Li Zheng’s icy right hand began to emit a faint light again.
Accompanied by a stinging pain, the light of the Command Seal transferred to Shinji's hand one stroke at a time.
The holy words attached to Risei's right hand not only protect, but also transfer.
That is the trust that a father places in his son.
Father Risei believed that his son would be the first to discover his body, so he wrote in blood the symbols that only the clergy could understand. The duty of the supervisor is to keep the Command Spells and protect the Holy Grail War to proceed under normal circumstances. He believed until his death that his son was a saint who could inherit this important responsibility.
It’s a pity that this trust is destined to be unattainable, regardless of Shinji’s intrusion or not.
Shinji looked at Risei, whose eyes were open in death, and placed the Bible next to his hand.
"It is better to give these Command Seals to me than to your son, because you never saw your son's true nature until your death. Rest in peace, Father Risei, may you be happy in the Lord's presence."
After saying that, Shinji reached out and closed Risei's eyes with his right hand, which had a new Command Seal attached to it.
Under the dim light, the red lines looked like blood, emitting an eerie glow.