Or, why don’t you find another savior?

"Shiomi..."

Seeing the other party's reaction, the Second was sure that Shiomi had basically grasped the situation of the village, which was why he was waiting for his arrival here.

He glanced at Belsak who was beside Shiomi.

This old man is the gravekeeper of Blackmoor Village, and he is also the person that the Second came to visit in this mountain village.

The reason was simple, he wanted to participate in the Fifth Holy Grail War, but his talent as a magician was really limited. Having witnessed the cruelty of the Holy Grail War II, he wanted to prepare some helpers for himself.

The gravekeeper of Blackmoore Village is good at magic related to spirits, which is why the second generation wants to ask for the gravekeeper's help.

The servant itself is a spirit of a higher level, so there should be some disadvantage in terms of compatibility when facing the gravekeeper.

"Did you come here alone?" asked Xijian.

"Lenice was held back by two girls from your family." The Second shook his collar, "It was you who did it, wasn't it?"

Xijian raised his eyebrows high, "I can't help it. It was me who betrayed your whereabouts to Lannis. If I don't make some compensation, I won't be able to sleep at night."

"Anyway, it's a great help." said the Second.

Although Sakura and Kallen alone might not be able to delay Lanis, the most crucial thing is that the Second came to this village this time to act together with Shiomi.

With such a powerful fighting force, Lanis, who did not want her "toy" to be destroyed, completely gave up the plan of following the Second to find out the truth.

"By the way, how are you? Isn't your wife here?" asked the Second Emperor.

About seven years ago, when Xi was handling affairs at the Clock Tower, he discovered that Berserker had not retreated, but had made a contract again after the Holy Grail War so that he could continue to appear in the world in the form of a demon.

This made the Second even more aware of his own weakness. If it were him, even if he wanted the King of Conquerors to continue to manifest, his own magic power would not be able to be maintained in situations other than the Holy Grail War.

"She's visiting the village," Shiomi said to the Second, "but she and I have taken over the hunter's cabin outside, so you'll have to spend the night in the church."

The Second looked at Belsac at this time, "If things go well, of course you can leave tomorrow."

"You must be the monarch, El-Melloi II, whom Mr. Shiomi mentioned, who came to see me for something." Belsak asked.

"Yes." The Second admitted generously.

"Mr. Shiomi has already given me some simple explanations about what you are looking for me for," Belsac also said frankly, "but before discussing that matter, there are still some things to deal with first. It won't be too late to consider it after the matter is over."

The unexpected response left the Second unable to react.

But Belsak had already left, apparently to make some preparations, leaving only Shiomi and Second at the entrance of the village.

So Shiomi acted as a guide and led the Second into the village.

"What on earth are you planning?"

On the way, the Second asked.

Before planning to go to Blackmoor Village, the Second did his best to conduct a fairly detailed investigation of the situation in the village.

The second king already knew about the belief in King Arthur in the village. In addition, he also knew that the village seemed to be carrying out a ritual related to King Arthur.

That alone is actually not bad.

The Second Emperor did not want to interfere with the beliefs and customs of an unfamiliar region; he just came to ask for favors.

But the problem is that the person who came with Shiomi can't be said to be staying out of the matter.

Morgan, the witch of Britain.

During the second generation's investigation, it was discovered that the entire village's original belief in King Arthur and related beliefs was all related to the shadow of the King Arthur legend - the witch Morgan.

"Lord El-Melloi II, what do you think of a belief that has lasted for thousands of years without any clear signs?" Shiomi asked in return.

The Second pinched his chin, and his professional habit made him try to answer the question, "Faith was originally established after the advent of miracles, and it was born with something related to it. But with the retreat of the Age of Gods, mysteries are also hidden in a more secretive world than before. In this case, if a belief has no record of manifestation since its establishment, after a thousand years, it will inevitably fade to the point where only a few people who know the whole thing care about it."

"That's absolutely right." Shiomi nodded. "The same is true for this village. They have been carrying on this mission for thousands of years without any clear direction or sign. It should have completely weathered away with time and disappeared. But something changed this trajectory."

"The Fourth Holy Grail War..."

The second generation reacted quickly and thought of the answer almost immediately.

This is no wonder. As a participant of the Fourth Holy Grail War, he had the opportunity to meet the legendary Heroic Spirits face to face, so it is impossible for him not to have any impression.

In particular, King Arthur also appeared as a Servant.

"Because of the appearance of Altria Pendragon, a tradition that has been carried out in this village has finally undergone a miraculous change." Shiomi looked at the church that was gradually enlarging in his field of vision, "Now, the people here are secretly but orderly promoting the ceremony."

"What exactly is that ceremony about?" As the Second had insufficient information and he had just arrived at the village, he could only ask directly to Shiomi who had arrived earlier.

"Resurrect King Arthur." Shiomi lowered her voice to avoid being heard by the villagers passing by.

The Second stopped outside the church gate and asked, "What..."

"You also think this is problematic, right?" Shiomi sighed with a wry smile, "So she decided to end it all."

It is self-evident who the "she" that Shiomi is referring to is.

"The person involved started it himself, and then decided to end it himself." The Second Emperor's face was serious. "It makes sense, but it makes people feel that the past thousand years have been a bit of a waste of time."

"We can only ask her." Xi Jian pretended to be humorous to hide the fact that he knew the inside story.

Because that's not the case at all.

"Since you told me this, you must have made the corresponding preparations in less than a day." The Second followed Shiomi into the church.

Shiomi nodded, "The gravekeepers and even the Holy Church have tacitly approved our next move."

Chapter 12: The Underground Church

It was the morning of the third day since Shiomi and Ash arrived in Blackmoore Village.

The two met with the Second in the church chapel.

"It seems that you are not going to object?" Jian asked with a smile.

The corner of the second generation's eye twitched. He looked at the two kind people as if he was facing a ferocious devil.

"Of course I could object by saying I don't want to disturb the local people's traditions." The Second sighed deeply, "In that case, I would probably find myself waking up in my home in London after I finish my words of objection."

"That's great, you're so sensible." Shiomi leaned against the chair in the chapel. "After all, it's a bit troublesome to send you back. If you can at least acquiesce, that'll be enough."

The Second sat up and looked at the two of them. "So, are we leaving now? Just the two of you should be enough to solve the problem here."

"That's not the case." At this time, Sister Ilumia's voice sounded from behind the door. She slowly opened the door, walked out of the chapel, and stood under the Black Madonna statue on the altar. "The Holy Church is responsible for keeping the church closed during this period to prevent the villagers from discovering and coming out to interfere. After all, even if you are a magician, you can't just massacre a large number of local villagers. This will make you wanted by the Magic Association and the Holy Church, right?"

Xi Jian smiled and nodded to admit that it was true. As the designated executor of the seal, he knew very well how much trouble he would get into if he violated the rules of hiding the mystery.

Unless the person who caused the trouble was actually a troublemaker, that’s another story.

"In addition, there is another person who needs to go with us." Ash added, "Blackmoore's gravekeeper is not just someone who guards the tomb... He is also someone who has guarded King Arthur's tomb for generations."

As she finished her words, the door of the church was pushed open by a hooded girl.

"Well, Mr. Belsac asked me to come here." Gray asked timidly.

Sister Ilumia put on her usual face again, "The people waiting for you are already here, Gray. Did you get questioned by the villagers on the way here?"

"No, I haven't." Gray shook her head.

Everyone in the village still greeted and talked to her with respect as always.

But Gray didn't really understand why Mr. Belsac asked her to come to the church. He just told her that it was very important and that she must bring Yade along.

After seeing Jian, Gray's uneasy heart was immediately relieved. She vaguely guessed that what happened next was related to herself, and secretly decided to trust this lady.

"That's good, close the door and come over." Ilumia said, "There are merchants entering the village today, and the villagers won't pay attention to this place. If you are ready, you can set off."

Having said that, Ilumia just told Gray to close the door of the chapel, which made Gray very confused.

"Then leave it to me."

Shiomi said this and walked towards another side door opposite the door that Ilumia came out of.

Everyone could see that he had determined the route here in advance, and the Second was following closely behind.

At this time, Ash reached out his hand to Gray.

"Grey."

"Yes."

Gray reacted and hurriedly helped Morgan catch up with the two people in front, just like she did yesterday.

They walked through the side door, turned around the back corridor, and came to the storage room where wine and bread were kept. These things were the church's sacramental reserves.

Shiomi moved one of the shelves with familiarity and lifted the carpet underneath. He pressed a certain spot on the exposed floor, and the entire floor bulged out and moved to one side.

What appeared before everyone was the empty space under the floor and the steps without bricks and stones.

"There is actually such a secret passage under the church." The Second World pondered, "I really can't underestimate your social skills. You actually got this information so quickly."

Shiomi took the lead and walked forward. "Different methods should be used to communicate with different people. When facing the Holy Church, it is better to explain the purpose as directly as possible, as well as the common interests of both parties, especially the interests of the church, so as to obtain the other party's assistance more quickly."

"Even if you say so..." The Second Emperor shook his head, still admiring him in his heart.

The earth walls on both sides of this underground passage were not compacted, as if they had been dug out naturally and left there without care. Therefore, the damp touch of the soil aggravated the feeling of crampedness and oppression when walking in it.

“It’s a little uncomfortable.”

As Jian was speaking from behind, the originally stuffy air suddenly began to flow, as if there was wind blowing on the bodies of several people. The air no longer had a musty smell, but a very fresh smell.

With just a few simple words, without even the need for activation or chanting, this air-displacing magic was completed.

"Air alone is not enough."

Shiomi snapped his fingers, and four fluorescent dots floated around everyone, illuminating the underground passage.

The second emperor felt bitter.

Because if he were to perform this second-rate magic, it would also require a chant.

If it was just the latter, it would be fine, as they were from different dimensions. But as both were modern magicians, Shiomi couldn't see it that way.

But soon he had no time to care about this self-centered anger.

Under the illuminated feet, there are clear traces of being trampled countless times.

Looking at these pilgrims' footprints left over the years, Gray couldn't help but exclaim:

"Is this the main body of the church? Or was the church established to cover up the existence of this place?"

Her heart was pounding.

This is the true face of the village, but Gray has lived here for fifteen years and knows nothing about it.

"Don't be afraid, Gray." Ash's cold voice echoed in the tunnel. "From here on is nothing but the abyss of death. If you are afraid in your heart, hold my hand. I will be your support."

The voice was calm and gentle, but it had an invisible majesty that went straight into people's hearts.

Gray suddenly realized that the woman holding her hand was not just a lady, but more like... a queen?

"In the past, many places in the world were considered to be the underworld." Perhaps to ease the atmosphere, the Second explained, "Some places are called the underworld, some are called the underworld, and some are called Yomi Hirasaka or the Kingdom of Shadows. No matter what it is called, the world of the dead and the real world are adjacent. As long as you want to go, you can go there."

Shiomi let out a long, noncommittal groan.

"I can't say anything about other worlds of the dead, but the Kingdom of Shadows is more like the Kingdom of the Dead than the Underworld. It's covered with dark clouds all year round, there's no distinction between day and night, and there's no other life, except—"

Chapter 13 The Real Cemetery

"Apart from?"

The Second questioned Shiomi's words, which came to an abrupt halt.

And Shiomi also realized that he had said too much, and just smiled and shook his head, "Nothing, there is nothing there. Whether it is the living or the dead..."

"It's as if I had seen it with my own eyes." The Second Emperor commented casually.

He still remembered the two red spears that Shiomi held, which were obviously the Deaththorn Spears in Celtic legends.

But for Shiomi to have these things, they must have been found in an unknown place.

The Second thinks that perhaps this is why Shiomi has a completely different view of the Kingdom of Shadows.

After all, it was just a disagreement that could not even be considered an academic dispute, and the Second had no intention of arguing with Shiomi here over something that was casually said.

"But then again, the concentration of spirits is really not simple." Xi Jian has changed the subject, "Not only that, the selfish desires of these spirits are too obvious... the kind of selfish desire to ravage everything."

At the end, Shiomi added one more sentence.

Gray, who was holding Ash's hand, looked at his back in surprise.