Chapter Ninety: A Trustworthy Friend

"Spirit fragment..."

Roland weighed the contracted spirit in his hand, already removed from its shell. Beautiful as a jewel, yet chipped. He silently pondered the guidance offered by the Key of Ten Thousand Spirits.

(The materials used to create this spirit were of poor quality, leaving the finished product flawed. Exercise caution when forming a contract.)

The only condition the Key of Ten Thousand Spirits cared about when forging a spirit was whether it met the required standards. It was otherwise remarkably lenient. Neither life nor death, nor even the annihilation of the soul itself, affected the spirit's formation.

Roland had once dimly suspected that what the Key of Ten Thousand Spirits extracted was not merely an ability or a rank, but the very existence and value of something along the worldline.

Then what, exactly, did "poor-quality materials" mean?

"On that worldline, the most valuable part of this character was already taken by the people of the original work, leaving only the dregs known as the character itself, and then the passing Key of Ten Thousand Spirits stripped even that bare and, seeing the poor material, casually fashioned it into a spirit fragment?"

The spirit fragment in Roland's hand was not like those in traditional mobile games, where one must gather all the pieces to synthesize a complete spirit. This was its most complete form from the outset; "fragment" was merely a description.

So rather than calling it a spirit fragment, it would be more accurate to call it an incomplete spirit. It still had a rating, but because it was incomplete, it was not considered a true spirit.

That incompleteness lay in the lack of abilities, and even influence. Whether it could bestow beneficial powers or harmful ones was part of a spirit's value. What abilities an incomplete spirit might possess depended entirely on what useful remnants still remained within that residue.

In the judgment of the Key of Ten Thousand Spirits, such fragments were of exceedingly low value. From the standpoint of cost, a complete spirit having only produced such a trifle meant Roland had clearly lost out.

But from the standpoint of future development, Roland only felt he had been favored.

He steadied himself and looked over the spirit fragment's description.

— Spirit Fragment [Enrico Pucci] (Uncontracted)

Manifestation: When you fall into trouble, you will unconsciously count prime numbers until you calm down.

Influence: Under Enrico Pucci's influence, you will regard the cause you believe in as supreme justice, and no matter what you do, you will always believe you are saving others. Whenever you encounter someone who can be converted, you cannot help but spread the gospel in your heart, yearning to gain new believers.

Granted Abilities:

Gate to Heaven: You witnessed and personally took part in a supreme ritual, and can always make timely alterations to and understanding of the ritual by which true happiness is attained.

Embers of the Soul: In its original form, this was a key capable of touching the next realm, but now it has vanished entirely, leaving only extinguished embers.

Unknown: [Damaged]

Usage Requirement: A devout priest capable of restraining his own desires and treating divine law as everything.

Digestive Requirement: While remaining faithful to God, you must possess someone to whom you are willing to give everything of your own accord. That person's place in your heart must exceed that of God, and the law he guides you toward must be more exalted in your heart than anything else.

"This thing couldn't possibly be from the worldline of Eyes of Heaven, could it?"

Roland examined the abilities above with care, and his mouth twitched.

The most valuable parts of this spirit's abilities, its Stand and fate-related aspects, were gone, leaving only pure knowledge. Yet despite that, the cost, the influence, not a single bit of it was missing. No wonder the Key of Ten Thousand Spirits regarded it as a worthless mutilated remnant.

Judging from the description, this Father Pucci's Stand in life should have been C-Moon. From that perspective, it really was worthy of a blue-ranked spirit.

Unfortunately, even if it were complete, Roland still could not contract it in the normal way.

Blue-ranked spirits already placed specific requirements on their contractors, such as bloodline and race. Pucci's spirit, among all blue-ranked spirits, was particularly demanding.

It imposed triple requirements on temperament, condition, and profession. And the digestion requirement was oddly specific as well: while maintaining devotion, one had to possess such will. A person fitting those conditions was not exactly common across the myriad worlds.

"One of the necessary factors, a trustworthy friend? So that's what that meant..."

Roland gave a light laugh, glanced toward the chapel, and vanished from where he stood before the cleanup staff arrived.

—

At dawn, the deserted chapel doors slowly opened, letting in the cold morning air.

Kotomine Risei pressed the hem of his robe and turned his gaze toward the silent figure beneath the nave.

Kotomine Kirei was in the middle of his prayers.

Although his faith in Roland surpassed everything else, he had not abandoned his identity as a believer, nor his piety.

When he heard the door open, he instinctively turned, looking at Kotomine Risei with a sorrowful expression.

"Father? Has the cleanup been handled?"

At such times in the past, his father's appearance at the chapel would not have been strange. But last night, a massive explosion had occurred at the Tohsaka residence, the most prominent house in Fuyuki City. It was impossible for that not to cause panic.

As the current administrator of the Holy Church, Kotomine Risei was buried under countless affairs.

"Not yet, but we've for the moment passed it off as a gas explosion. Later we'll use suggestion to calm some of the people who witnessed the scene, and with the official announcement, we should be able to contain it."

Mentioning this, Risei also felt a headache coming on.

The Matou family had suffered a disaster only the day before, and immediately afterward the Tohsaka house had followed. If anything else went wrong now, it would become truly troublesome. Fortunately, neither incident had caused any casualties; otherwise, covering things up would have been much more difficult.

"Let's not speak of that. Kirei, I was waiting for you."

Risei looked at the child who so resembled himself, and his previously stern gaze softened again. "I already know about Tokiomi's matter. Though it is heartbreaking, there was nothing to be done."

The Tohsaka family had maintained dealings with the Church for many years, and Risei and Tohsaka Tokiomi had long been close friends across generations. He had even gone so far as to help him cheat.

Yet no sooner had one Servant withdrawn than his old friend met an untimely death.

At the mention of this, Kirei covered his face, and his voice began to tremble.

"It's all my fault. In order not to expose the alliance, the teacher told me to wait in the workshop while he alone went to face the enemy. I never expected Matou Kariya to be intent on death; he deliberately sent Berserker away first, then in the duel, by some unknown means, dragged the teacher down with him."

Risei let out a sigh and comforted Kirei.

"It's all right. This isn't your fault. You did everything you could. After all, your Servant was only Assassin. You already did enough. I believe that if Tokiomi has consciousness in heaven, he too will feel comforted."

"Such a thing can only be said to mean that God did not favor the Tohsaka family."

As he said this, Risei's expression lost the steadiness and peace it had held before, becoming solemn and grave.

"Come to think of it, Kirei, have you made a contract with Archer?"

"Yes. Though the teacher is dead, the Tohsaka faction has not yet lost. I do not have any wish I want to fulfill, but at the very least, I must not let the teacher's efforts go to waste. The others still do not know that the teacher is dead. So long as Archer continues to fight, whether or not we obtain the Grail, the Tohsaka name will not be tarnished."

"Kirei..."

Risei's expression turned moved, and he looked at Kirei with deep satisfaction. Then, no longer hesitating, he said, "Though I can understand your resolve, please also understand a father's concern. How many Command Spells do you have left now?"

Kirei extended his hand, showing the Command Spells intact upon it.

"Not enough..."

But Risei merely shook his head casually. Then he rolled up his sleeve, revealing an arm filled with red marks.

"These are the Command Spells left by the previous Master. It is still too much for you alone to sustain Archer's magical supply."

Risei had hidden this so deeply that not even Kirei had been told. This overseer was, in truth, the greatest cheater in the Holy Grail War. After all, he was essentially using the Church's credibility as his guarantee.

The value of Command Spells as mere crystallized magical power hardly needed to be said. With so many of them, the balance could be broken. Even Saber would become a puppet in the hands of her Master.

If one were even more extravagant and used them as nothing more than a source of magical energy, then with the quantity Risei possessed, once empowered, even forcing Kirei into hand-to-hand combat with a Servant would not frighten him.

If Risei's previous actions, whether arranging for his son to ally with Tokiomi Tohsaka or using his authority as overseer to provide the Tohsaka family with all the help he could, had mostly been exploiting loopholes in the rules, then privately transferring Command Spells was unquestionably an abuse of power.

If not for Tokiomi's death stirring unease in Risei's heart, he would never normally have done such a thing.

But by now he no longer cared so much. He had once wondered whether having a son late in life had made him too indulgent, but Kirei's own purity and piety had proven the point.

"You need not worry. Whether or not it is exposed, after this Holy Grail War ends, you will be the successor to the Fuyuki Church. I am already very tired, so please forgive my selfishness, Kirei."

Risei spoke gently. Though their conversations normally lacked intimacy because they were both believers, the father's affection for his son was in no way false.

"I know that there is still distress and confusion in your heart. Whether it concerns your wife or Karen, none of that was your fault. No matter what you become, I will always love you."

Risei extended his hand toward Kirei, and the Command Spells on it began to glow red. Once the transfer was complete, the old man waved tiredly.

"I'll go rest now. Kirei, I'll leave things to you from here."

"Thank you, Father."

Kirei bowed deeply to his father, hiding the smile he could barely suppress.

After Risei's figure vanished, a curious voice sounded abruptly.

"Did you get what you wanted?"

"Of course not, Lord Roland."

Kirei turned to look at Roland, who lounged with one arm over the back of a pew, his face utterly indifferent and bored.

"Aren't you curious why I don't dispose of my father?"

"Because he's too indulgent," Roland said coolly. "Even if you really ambushed him, he would be surprised and in pain, but he would never blame you. He's a stubborn father, and the image he has of you is already fixed."

"Even if you truly erred, he would only blame himself for not having raised you properly. For someone who seeks pleasure from pain, encountering such a scene would be nothing short of despair."

At this, Roland wore an amused smile. "Besides, compared with the pleasure of stabbing your teacher in the back, what is that worth?"

"So let's continue to live quietly together, as ordinary father and son."

Kirei lifted his sleeve and pointed the Command Spells in his hand toward Roland. Just as he was about to begin the transfer, Roland moved like a wraith and caught his wrist, stopping him.

"There is no need. To harvest new pleasure from that troublesome Heroic King, you need these things more than I do."

Through a series of forceful takings, Roland already had nine Command Spells. In that regard, his demand was truly not high.

"But... Lord Roland, there is not much I can do for you..."

Kirei understood the limits of his own abilities. His role as an Executor seemed impressive in the hidden world, but to Roland it was of no consequence whatsoever. And yet Roland had still become his friend with complete indifference. For that, Kirei felt he must repay him in some way.

"Kirei, there is something I will ask you again."

Roland smiled warmly. "Do you believe in gravity?"

Under Kirei's gaze, he slowly opened his hand. A chipped jewel, as though summoned by some unseen calling, began to rotate of its own accord. In the end, it pointed toward Kirei.

"I want to give you this. If you do not want it, I will not force you. But are not the meetings between people themselves also the work of gravity?"

"I do not know what sort of person you think I am, but I regard you as a trustworthy friend. If you truly intend to come to my world, then take it. Still, whether you succeed or fail, you will never be able to return to an ordinary fate again."

Kirei trembled as he dropped to one knee. His pupils gleamed with feverish light, and then, under Roland's meaningful gaze, he answered with action.

"Wherever you go, I will follow to the end."

Yet, to Kirei's surprise, the instant his fingertip touched the chipped jewel, it melted away at once, becoming a streak of light that in a flash merged into his body.

In the next instant, sleepless darkness and budding happiness descended together, stealing Kirei's consciousness.

When he awoke again, Roland was gone from the chapel.

But Kirei was not surprised. He merely looked upon the world with the pure gaze of a newborn child. At that moment, his worry and emptiness had vanished, leaving only fervor.

"Lord Roland, once I have grown skilled, I will surely awaken you."

His voice carried a solemn gravity and a heavy, unyielding resolve.

"After all, man is destined to go to heaven!"