A Dimensional Journey Begins with the Dragon Clan

Chapter 1229. Church

"...Yes. You are right. I am not in perfect condition right now. Since Shirou does not have the magic power to materialize me, it will be difficult to return to the state of spirit or to recover magic power."

"…It's really surprising. I didn't expect it to be so bad, but what's even more surprising is that you would actually tell me so honestly. I was still thinking about how to find out your weakness."

"Although it is not my intention to let the enemy see my weakness, I cannot hide it from you. So there is no point in hiding my current situation. In this case, it would be better to tell you so that Shirou can better understand the current situation."

"That's absolutely right. It's very stylish too... ah~ Really, this is getting more and more a pity. If I were Saber's Master, this war would be as good as won!"

Toosaka clenched her fists in regret.

"Hmm. Toosaka, are you saying that I'm unworthy?"

"What else, you rookie!"

Wow. Emiya Shirou was extremely shocked.

He hadn't expected Toosaka to be so nonchalant about attacking others.

"What's wrong? Do you have any questions?" Toosaka Rin continued speaking without any awareness.

The image of a model student that he had established in school was now crumbling in Shirou Emiya's heart.

He now believes what his good friend Yicheng says.

As expected of Kazunari, Toosaka is truly as merciless as a devil.

"Okay. Now that everything is cleared up, it's about time to go, right?"

at this time.

Toosaka suddenly said something inexplicable.

"? Go? Where to?"

"It's what I just said, this game you're involved in... to meet someone who knows a lot about the Holy Grail War. Emiya-san, don't you want to know why the Holy Grail War exists?"

"! Of course. But where is that? It's already this late, if the place is too far away..."

"Don't worry, it's just in the next city. If we hurry, we can be back before dawn. Besides, tomorrow is Sunday, so it's okay to stay up late!"

"No, that's not the question!"

It was just because a lot of things happened today and he was very tired, so he actually wanted to take a rest and then sort out some things.

"What, you're not going?... Well, since Emiya-san said so, forget it. What about Saber?"

For some reason, Toosaka went to ask Saber for advice.

"Wait a minute, this has nothing to do with Saber. Don't force me!"

“Oh, you already have the awareness of being a Master. Don’t you want me to talk to Saber?”

“That’s not the case! But if what you said, Toosaka, is true, then wasn’t Saber a hero in the past? If that’s the case, she probably wouldn’t understand anything if she was called out in this era. So────”

"Shirou, that's not the case. Since Servants belong to the human world, they can adapt to any era. So I know the things of this era very well."

"Huh? You knew? Really?"

"Of course. After all, this isn't the first time I've been summoned in this era."

"Varied……"

"No way, the probability is so low!?" Toosaka was also shocked.

...In other words, what Saber said was something truly astonishing.

"Shirou, I agree with her. Your knowledge as a Master is still too poor. As a Servant who has made a contract with you, I will be troubled if Shirou does not become stronger."

Saber looked at Emiya Shirou calmly. It was not for Saber herself, but out of concern for Emiya Shirou's safety. It was just such a gentle look.

"...I understand. I'll go, okay? And then, where exactly is that place, Toosaka? It should be a place we can return to, right?"

"Of course. The place we are going to is Kotomine Church in the next city. That's where the fake priest who is overseeing this war lives." Toosaka showed an evil smile.

That was an expression that was playing with the clueless Emiya Shirou happily.

"..."

It's prejudice though.

But Emiya Shirou always felt that there must be something wrong with this guy's personality...

  ······

Walking on the streets late at night.

It was past one in the morning and there was no one around outside.

The lights in every house have been turned off, and now only the street lights are left to illuminate this sleeping city.

"Um, Toosaka. I want to ask you a small question. Do you want to walk to the next city?"

"Yeah? Because the trains and buses have stopped running. What's the big deal? It's nice to take a walk under the night sky once in a while."

"I see. Let me ask you again, do you know how long it takes to get to the next city?"

"Hmm~ It will probably take about an hour to walk there. If it's too late, we can just call a taxi when we get back."

"I don't have that kind of extra money. What I want to say is that it's not a good idea for girls to go out at night. You should know that the security situation has been bad recently. I can't take responsibility if anything happens."

"Don't worry, no matter who they are, they won't cause us any trouble. It seems that Emiya-san has forgotten that Saber over there is incredibly strong!"

"what……"

That's right.

No matter if they are bandits or something else, Saber can surely drive them away if she takes action.

"Rin. What did Shirou want to say just now? I can't understand."

"Huh? Nothing much. Should we say he had a big misunderstanding or he's just a complete idiot? Anyway, it means that if we run into a pervert, Emiya-san will stand up for us."

"How can that be possible? Shirou is my Master. Wouldn't that reverse the positions?"

"I don't think he thought that far ahead, did he? He didn't seem to care whether the target was a magician or a Servant. I really want to open his head and take a good look~"

"..."

It was unknown when Toosaka and Saber became close enough to talk to each other.

Speaking of Saber, when she was about to leave the house, she planned to leave just like that, but after Emiya Shirou stopped her, she remained silent.

She refused to take off her armor no matter what, so I had no choice but to let her put on a raincoat, and then she became more and more speechless.

Now, she followed me with the rustling sound of her raincoat, and only spoke to Toosaka.

"Eh? Where are you going, Emiya-san? That's the wrong way, right?"

"It would be nice if we could get on the bridge. In that case, this is a shortcut."

Because it would feel very awkward for Shirou Emiya to walk side by side with the two of them, he entered the path early.

The two followed without saying anything.

Walked to the park by the river.

  After crossing that bridge, you can go to the new capital in the next city, but──────

"So there is such a road. Oh, right? The bridge can be reached from the park, so we should just walk to the park, right?"

Toosaka looked up at the bridge and said this briskly.

Is it because of the site effect of the park at night?

Looking up at the bridge, the profile of Toosaka is even more beautiful and charming than what I saw at school.

"Okay, let's go. We're not here to have fun."

Emiya Shirou urged Tousaka, who was still in the park, to go up the stairs. Once you get to the sidewalk next to the bridge, the road to Shinto is straight.

There was no one on the footpath bridge.

This is understandable, after all, there are not many people walking around even in the morning.

To get to the next city, people usually take buses or trams, so this pedestrian bridge is rarely used.

Because no matter what, the distance is too long, and it doesn't seem to be very solid, so it's not surprising that it will collapse at any time.

Statements like these make people feel uneasy.

The location is impeccable, but it is not listed as a dating spot. This is probably the reason.

"…What an idiot. What am I thinking about?"

Saber followed him wordlessly, and Toosaka stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

He tried not to care about the two men and just quickened his pace in order to cross the bridge as soon as possible.

  ······

After crossing the bridge, Toosaka took them to the outskirts of the city.

When talking about Shinto Emiya Shirou's mind only emerges the image of the ever-developing commercial street in front of the station, but once you get away from the station, the old streets are still preserved.

The suburbs are the most classic among them.

A gently extending slope and a high ground facing the sea.

The further up the slope you go, the fewer buildings there are.

A Western-style cemetery built on the slope of the hill came into view.

"That's the church up there. Emiya-san must have been there at least once, right?"

"No, not really. But I do know that it used to be an orphanage."

"I see. Today is your first time here. You'd better be on your guard. The priest there is not so easy to deal with."

Toosaka went up the ramp first.

Looking up, you can see something like a cross on top of the high ground.

Church of the Heights.

I had never even been close to the House of God, but I never expected that I would make the journey to this place for such a purpose.

  ······

"Wow! This place is really impressive."

The church gives people an extraordinary sense of luxury.

  Are the Highlands almost all church land?

Once they reached the top of the ramp, a vast square was waiting for them.

The church built inside is obviously not very big, but it stands like a mountain, giving visitors a sense of oppression.

"Shirou, I'll stay here." Saber suddenly stopped and did not move forward.

“Huh? Why? We’ve already come here, there’s no reason to leave Saber here alone, right?” Emiya Shirou was a little confused.

"I'm not here for the church. I'm only here to protect Shirou. Since Shirou's destination is the church, he probably won't go any further. Therefore, I'll stay here and wait for you to come back."

Saber said it simply.

It seems that there is no way to persuade her, so let's just respect her wishes.

"I see. Let's go over there then."

"Yes. Please remain alert at all times, Master, no matter who the target is."

  ······

A spacious and solemn chapel.

Since there are so many chairs, it probably means that there are a lot of people visiting during the day.

Being entrusted with such a church, one can imagine that the priest here is a man of high moral character and prestige.

"Tousaka. What kind of person is the priest here?"

"It's hard to explain what kind of person he is. Even though I've known him for ten years, I still haven't gotten to grips with his personality."

"You've known each other for ten years? That's quite a long time. Could it be that you're relatives or something?"

"He's not a relative, he's my guardian. By the way, he's my fellow disciple and second master, right?"

"Eh... When you say fellow disciple, do you mean a fellow disciple who is a magician?!"

"That's right. Why is that so surprising?"

"Because he's not a priest!? A priest actually knows magic, isn't this against the commandments?!"

Yes, magicians and the church are incompatible.

The large-scale organization that magicians belong to is called the Magic Association. Behind a major religion, if you live by the rules, you will never have the chance to come into contact with this church in your lifetime. It is temporarily called the Holy Church.

  These two seemingly similar things are linked together in form, but as long as there is an opportunity,

They are killing each other all the time, and have such a dangerous relationship.

The Church hates heresy.

Their goal of completely eliminating those who are not human includes those who use magic.

To the Church, miracles are something that only chosen saints can learn.

Any miracles performed by anyone other than this are heretical.

Even those who belong to the church are no exception.

The higher one's position in the church, the more forbidden it is to be polluted by magic.

It goes without saying that the believers of such a church who were delivered to him would

  The greater the blessing from the gods, the less likely you are to be involved in magic────

"...Wait. By the way, is the priest here a member of the church?"

"Yes. After all, he was sent here to supervise the Holy Grail War. He is a genuine agent. However, I doubt whether he has received the blessing of God."

Click, click, with these footsteps, Tōsaka walked towards the altar.

It was a bit unreasonable to disturb them when the priest was clearly not here, and it was already so late.

It's not like they're in the chapel. If you want to visit, you'll probably have to go to a private room inside.

"...I see. Then, what was the priest's name? I seemed to hear you say Kotomine or something like that."

Emiya Shirou asked as he followed Tōsaka's steps.

Toosaka stopped in front of the altar and turned back with an embarrassed expression.

"His name is Kotomine Kirei. He is my father's disciple. We have been in this relationship for more than ten years. However, if possible, I don't want to know him at all."

"I feel the same way. I don't want to have a disciple who doesn't respect his teacher."

Click, footsteps suddenly sounded in front.

As if he had noticed them coming, the man slowly appeared from behind the altar.

"I wanted to say that you didn't reply to my repeated calls. I didn't expect you to bring such a strange guest. Hmm, is he the seventh person, Rin?"

"That's right. Although he is a magus, he is a complete layman at heart. I just can't stand it. I remember that it is a rule that those who become masters must be handed over here. Although it is a rule you set without my permission, I will abide by it this time."

"That's good. I see. Then I have to thank this young man."

The priest named Kotomine slowly shifted his gaze towards Emiya Shirou.