It's normal for an evil god to raise an Abyss.

"Spy? Is it targeting you who are in the church?"

Tōsaka Tokiomi's voice became more serious. If someone noticed what was going on between them, it would be very likely that the situation would deviate further from the plan.

"Please don't worry. I have killed the spy and he won't leak any secrets."

Kotomine Kirei covered up the lie, and even Kirei himself was surprised that he could lie to his master so calmly.

"Why didn't you use a Servant?"

"I think it's just a trivial matter, and there's no need for the Servant to take action."

"........."

After a short silence, Tōsaka Tokiomi reminded with a slightly dissatisfied tone:

"You are indeed an excellent agent, and I know you are very confident in your abilities, but given the increasingly complicated situation, your actions seem a bit rash."

"Yes, I will be more careful in the future."

Kotomine Kirei agreed seriously.

But this was just another lie of his. In the future, he might step onto the battlefield several times more to fight against that man - Emiya Kiritsugu.

Chapter 17 What is Pleasure?

Only after the communicator fell completely silent did Kotomine Kirei leave the church's basement and return to his room.

As soon as he entered his room, Kotomine Kirei felt a sense of disharmony as if he had come to an unfamiliar room.

Of course, the furnishings and lighting in the room have not changed at all. The source of this feeling must be the man sitting on the bench as if no one is around.

This man who had occupied someone else's room for no reason was a person that surprised Kotomine Kirei. He frowned in surprise.

"Archer?!"

With golden hair and scarlet eyes, this uninvited guest is none other than Toshisaka Tokiomi's Servant, the Hero King Gilgamesh. However, he is not wearing the golden armor that he had seen before, but a more modern style jacket and leather pants.

Archer showed no embarrassment at all about entering someone else's room. Instead, he casually took out a glass of red wine from the closet, poured it into the glass, and took a sip elegantly.

“Although the number is small, your collection is more advanced than Tokiomi’s. You are such an unworthy disciple.”

"........."

Kotomine Kirei looked at the wine bottles lined up on the table, and thought that Archer must have tasted all the wines in his collection.

Kotomine Kirei did have a habit of buying fine wine and storing it, but up to now, he had never taken it out to taste it once. Even when entertaining guests, he never thought of taking out these good wines, so Kotomine Kirei naturally did not have a very good face for Archer's behavior.

"What are you doing here?"

Facing Kotomine Kirei's almost unwelcome inquiry, Archer simply held up his wine glass and looked at Kirei with a meaningful look.

"Oh, it seems that I am not the only one who is bored."

"boring?"

Although it was a rhetorical question, Kotomine Kirei was very clear that the other party knew about his unauthorized actions.

“Could it be that you are also tired of just following Tokiomi’s boring orders?”

"Are you dissatisfied with the contract by now, Gilgamesh?"

Kotomine Kirei asked back in an almost tit-for-tat manner. Although the other party was the legendary King of Heroes, Kirei did not feel afraid. Servant was subordinate to Master, and he himself was Tokiomi's disciple, so the status of the two was equal.

Sensing Kirei's unfriendly attitude, Archer simply snorted, not seeming to care too much.

"Tokiomi, he is such a boring man. He only talks about reaching the almighty wish-granting machine [Root Whirlpool]. It is simply a wish that is not interesting at all."

"Teacher Tokiomi is the most typical representative of magicians. In this era, there are almost no people who pursue magic as purely as he does. What other guys pursue are just the edges of the world's glitz. Everything else is a wish that can be achieved in the [Inside] world."

"Oh, isn't this good? They are all things I like~"

"You are nothing more than a king who reigns supreme over these mundane creatures, Gilgamesh."

In response to Kotomine Kirei's comments, Archer simply smiled without commenting and drank the wine in the glass.

"So, what about you? Qi Li, what wish do you hope to fulfill with the Holy Grail?"

"..."

When asked this question, Kotomine Kirei hesitated for the first time. This was also the question that had been bothering him for a long time.

"I... don't have any special wishes."

Listening to Kotomine Kirei's vague answer, Archer's pupils seemed to transmit a weird light.

"Oh, how is that possible? The Holy Grail will only summon those who have a wish."

"........."

Looking at Kotomine Kirei's solemn and conflicted expression, Archer couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"In that case, isn't it enough to simply pursue pleasure without pursuing ideals or wishes?"

"asshole!"

Almost subconsciously, Qi Li denied it angrily.

"As a servant of God, I am asked to pursue pleasure? How can I do such a sinful and depraved thing?!"

"Oh? Sinful? Depraved? Why do you think so?"

Archer feels more and more interesting.

"It is certainly wrong to gain pleasure through crime, but humans can also gain pleasure by doing good things. How can it be said that pleasure is a sin?"

"This……"

Kotomine Kirei remained speechless. He had a vague feeling that there was something indifferent and uneasy hidden in his heart.

Archer stared at Kotomine Kirei, as if savoring something, and then laughed triumphantly.

"Hahaha, Kotomine Kirei, I've suddenly developed some interest in you~"

"……What do you mean?"

"Don't be nervous, I'm just talking casually. Pleasure is fundamentally a part of the soul. It's not the difference between having it or not having it, but the difference between being aware of it or not. Qi Li, you just haven't discovered what's deep in your soul yet."

"As a Servant, you are educating me?"

"This is not just any education, but the experience of a king who has enjoyed the luxuries and pleasures of the entire world. Just listen carefully."

Kirei was analyzing every word Archer said in his heart. For some reason, Archer's arrogant words touched his nerves.

"Begin by experiencing my way of entertainment. While investigating other Masters, investigate their purpose of obtaining the Holy Grail. This should not deviate from your mission."

Archer stood up and prepared to leave.

"Oh, by the way, I will come back to taste your fine wines in the future. It would be a shame if your collection was just stored in a warehouse and allowed to perish."

Just like when he came, Archer's departure was also quick and decisive.

The room finally quieted down, and Kotomine Kirei was able to calm down and review the previous conversation.

Looking back, Kotomine Kirei really didn't know why he participated in the Holy Grail War, or rather, he had not yet realized that perhaps deep in his heart, he also had a wish that could only be realized by relying on the "miracle" of the Holy Grail.

But he didn't think it was what Archer meant by "pleasure".

Perhaps Emiya Kiritsugu could answer this real answer, but the two people's positions are absolutely different, and communication can only be through weapons rather than words. But even so, Kotomine Kirei wants to fight with Emiya Kiritsugu and wants to know the "answer".

Chapter 18 The Evening Bells Quietly Arrive

Unlike the secret joyful class on the other side, on the street in Fuyuki on the other side, several beautiful girls were strolling around openly, naturally attracting the attention of passers-by.

"Sister Xue, how about this set?" Abigail "pulled" Sakura Matou, who had changed her clothes, out of the locker room.

"Hmm..." It seemed that getting along with Abigail and the changes in the surrounding environment had changed Sakura Matou. Although she was still introverted, at least her eyes were not as empty and lifeless as before.

At this moment, Sakura Matou has changed into a white dress and a straw hat decorated with violets on her head.

"Xue...Sister, how are you?" Matou Sakura pressed down the brim of her hat, her face slightly red, and she asked in a soft voice as if she was very embarrassed.

"Well! It looks very good!" Xueyue gave a thumbs up without hesitation.

"Would this be too conspicuous..." Sakura Matou was a little unconfident.

"No problem, Xiaoying, this dress suits you very well. Come and pay the bill, and help us pack it." Xueyue took a picture of the dress neatly.

"Okay, sir, you have good taste." The clerk moved quickly and gave just the right amount of flattery.

Xueyue suddenly felt her right hand was empty and turned her head to look.

"Oh, Megas, shut up, that's the last senbei!"

However, Xueyue didn't stop it, and Bubble swallowed the senbei.

"You... um..."

"Do you want an ice cream cone?" Paopao took out an ice cream cone and shook it in front of Xueyue.

"...Yes, why not!" Xueyue took the ice cream cone and licked it hard, as if to make up for the resentment of losing the senbei.

"You two have some too~" Bubble took out two more ice cream cones and handed them to Abigail and Sakura Matou.

"Thank you Sister Megas!"

It must be said that Abigail is getting more and more used to calling Bubble "sister" now.

"Thank you... Sister Megas." Matou Sakura also imitated her and called out.

"Here, these are the ingredients for tonight. Here they are for you."

"Oh, ok…Megs, what are you looking at?"

Xueyue noticed that Bubble seemed to be looking in a certain direction, a little absent-minded.

"It's nothing serious, just some interesting things. I'm going to go over and confirm them. You guys go back first." After saying this, Bubble left on his own.

"Well, then you should be careful." Although Xueyue thought that nothing could threaten Bubble, she still replied out of habit.

-------------------------------------

Bubble went around a street corner. Unlike the bustling main street, this was a relatively quiet side street connected to some small alleys. At one of the corners, an old man in sackcloth was leaning against the wall to take a rest.

There is nothing strange about this. There are always a few unemployed people, old or young, waiting for charity from passers-by on the streets in order to have enough food to eat.

But this old man is slightly different from the beggars. Rather than coming to "make a living", it would be more accurate to say that he is waiting for something.

As if he had clearly defined his goal, Bubble walked straight towards the old man, held the paper bag in his right hand, and took out a long loaf of bread from it.

"Can you eat it?"

The old man lowered his head slightly, and the shadow cast by the slightly shabby hood just covered his face. Hearing Bubble's question, a deep response came from under the hood.

"Thank you."

He simply said thank you, took the bread that Bubble handed to him with a slight bend, and put it into his sleeve.

"Are you here for her, or for me?" Bubble said in a flat tone.

"No, there are foreign creatures besides you who have bared their fangs." The old man replied.

"Heh, that's quite a threat. Even you responded to the call and came."

“…………” The old man uttered a few words in a low voice.

"I'm not interested. But Xiaoxue won't just sit there and do nothing when the time comes."

Bubble turned and left indifferently.

"You guys should do the work of restraining yourself, let's go~"

Bubble's figure gradually faded away.

It was like the sound of a distant bell, and the old man leaning against the wall disappeared.

-------------------------------------

"I didn't expect that even he would show up. This Holy Grail War will probably get out of control soon." Xueyue began to have a headache.

"Anyway, he's not coming for us~" Bubble didn't care.