The shroud is a cloth wrapped with the remains of a saint. Because it is stained with the concept of the saint, it is endowed with various magical powers and is a natural concept ritual. The characteristics of the shroud vary depending on the saint's deeds and ideas during his lifetime.
Some can block magic power and hide magic circuits, some can defend against physical pain and magic recoil (the holy shroud that Mapo gave to Shirou in the HF line), and some can increase the effect against magic power and exert an effect similar to the "Mystic Eye Kill" (the holy shroud that Tsukishime and Shiki used to cover their eyes when they couldn't suppress their Mystic Eyes), and Magdalene's holy shroud has the special effect of restraining men.
Of course, Kallen is a woman, so normally it would not work. The reason why it worked was because the Holy Shroud was not targeting Kallen, but the aura on Kallen, the power of the devil - maybe this devil was a man, or maybe the faith condensed in the Holy Shroud could restrain the devil, and soon Kallen returned to normal - except for the bloodshot eyes that stared at Shinji.
"Tell me, Matou Shinji, how did you meet Kotomine Kirei? And how did you know me?"
"Mr. Matou, Kotomine Kirei is the heretic that Kallen has been tracking, and he has an irreconcilable hatred for her. If you have any information, please tell us, and we will pay you an equal reward."
It was Hier who made the supplement, explaining the reason for Karen's rampage and expressing his attitude towards information exchange. In addition, he was able to stop Karen's rampage in time, making him worthy of being the only conscience of the "Burial Agency".
There is no normal person in the "Burial Agency". The closer you sit to the front, the more abnormal you are, and you cannot integrate into normal human society. Therefore, general social activities are handled by Xiyeer and the old priest who is the incarnation of the "Rat King", Meilian's left-hand familiar. The old priest sits in the agency headquarters and handles administrative work, while Xiyeer is in charge of external affairs, sometimes acting as a spy, sometimes incarnating as a messenger, just like now.
This proposal was exactly what Shinji wanted to hear. He held his chin, deliberately thought for a few seconds, and nodded: "Okay, no reward is needed, just a normal exchange of information will do."
"The negotiation is successful." Xier certainly had no objection, and the madness in Karen's eyes also faded a little.
"Why do I know Kotomine Kirei? It's very simple. My last name is Matou, and I'm from Fuyuki City. Kotomine Kirei's father, Kotomine Risei, is a priest of the Fuyuki Church and a supervisor of a magic ceremony in Fuyuki City assigned by the church. The Matou family, where I am, is one of the organizers of the ceremony. I have had contact with Father Risei with my family, and I have also met Kotomine Kirei several times. I also heard Miss Kallen's name by chance during one of those contacts. But it was a long time ago, and I can't remember who said it. It was either Father Risei or Kotomine Kirei. And Miss Kallen's appearance seems..."
"No, I'm nothing like that heretic!"
Kallen gnashed her teeth and stopped Shinji from speaking. Her appearance was inherited from her mother, but she was Kirei's biological daughter after all, so she inherited some aspects of Kirei, such as her usual expressionless face and her demeanor during battle.
"I have investigated everything you said. In 1994, during the ceremony called the Holy Grail War, Kotomine Risho died unexpectedly. Kotomine Kirei left Fuyuki after handling the funeral and returned to Japan a long time later. What I want to know is whether he has returned to Fuyuki City in the past ten years, and whether you have seen him anywhere else."
"No. As far as I know, he has never returned to Fuyuki. The church that Father Risei was in charge of is now in charge of another priest. He did not show up when his teacher in magic, Tousaka Tokiomi, died. I only just found out that he had returned to Japan. To be honest, I'm a little curious, why didn't he go back? Father Risei lived in Fuyuki for decades. It was also the place where Kotomine Kirei grew up and where his father was buried. Doesn't he have any attachment to it at all?"
Except for the last question, which was asked to bring up the topic, all the others were true. After all, Kotomine Kirei was the mastermind behind the Fifth Holy Grail War, and even if his fate had been changed, Shinji would still be curious.
"Nostalgia? How could a demon like him have any nostalgia?"
Kallen's face was full of sarcasm. Perhaps she would only show her emotional fluctuations when talking about Kotomine Kirei.
"If he had any attachment, how could he treat his mother like that? If he had any attachment, how could he commit such a heinous act?"
"Wait, a demon?" Shinji knew the main point was coming, and pretended to be shocked. "That's not right. In my memory, although he always looked serious and didn't like to laugh, he was not difficult to get along with. Many believers said he was a saint. How could such a person be a demon? What happened?"
"That was his disguise! You were all fooled! He—"
Even in her rage, Kallen still retained her rationality. She turned her head to look at Xiel, and only continued her story after getting the latter's consent.
Everything started in 1994, when Tokiomi drove Kotomine Kirei away in order to form an alliance with Einzbern. For some unknown reason, Gilgamesh did not awaken Kirei's essence and let him leave Japan on a plane.
Kirei's destination was Italy. According to custom, he had to send his father's relics back to the headquarters of the Holy Church, and he himself stayed at the church's headquarters.
After that, Kirei worked in the Eighth Secret for a while, just like before he went undercover in the Magic Association (as an excuse to worship Toshiomi Tōsaka as his teacher), and then transferred back to being an agent, and then transferred to another department. No matter what job he did, it would not last long.
Many people feel sorry for him. If a clergyman with a distinguished family background (San Ignazio Seminary) and strict self-discipline could have focused on one path, he would have become a high-ranking figure in the Church long ago, and even the position of the supreme leader, the Pope, would not have been impossible.
Some people also think that he doesn't care about his position, but only uses various methods to cultivate himself, which is the method used by the legendary saints. When he completes his cultivation and settles down, he will surely soar to the sky.
Be it regret or expectation, no matter which one it is, it expresses the optimism of the church towards Kirei. After Kirei went through all the departments of the Holy Church except the "Burial Agency", they even took the initiative to recommend him to the superficial Holy See for further study.
Tragedy occurred at this time. Kirei, who was training as a quasi-saint in the Holy See, suddenly went mad one night and destroyed everything. Although he was quickly subdued by the Knights stationed nearby, he still caused considerable casualties.
Afterwards, the Knights conducted various inspections and interrogations on Kirei, but found nothing abnormal. Kirei had no other aura, and that night he suddenly couldn't control his destructive impulses, and in the end they could only conclude that he was possessed by a demon and out of control.
In view of his past record and achievements, the Vatican commuted his death sentence and substituted it with life imprisonment, where he could atone for his sins through ascetic prayer.
The place of atonement is the Cistercian monastery, which is the monastery where Karen is.
PS: The setting about Kallen in the previous chapter is the original setting of Mushroom, supplemented by FHA in the sequel of FSN. The magical change starts from here. Remember, this is the beginning of taking the blame.