Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"So, you raise the banner of faith to complete the salvation of all mankind?"

Samael smiled, gazing intently at the living saint before him, then softened his tone and gave a meaningful look.

"You don't think I was just saying those questions to some kid, do you?"

He actually knew everything!

Amakusa Shiro's expression changed drastically, and his body trembled violently. He felt as if he were naked and had no secrets whatsoever in front of this man and those vertical pupils.

Samael yawned, looking somewhat listless, but his eyes held a knowing look.

Indeed, Natalia wasn't the only one eavesdropping outside the cave; the living saint was also among them.

However, Samael didn't reveal the truth until his teammate was sent away and the two met alone. Only then did he reluctantly become interested and get straight to the point.

Under that seemingly casual yet insightful scrutiny, Amakusa Shiro remained silent for a moment, barely suppressing his turbulent emotions. His golden eyes caught a glimpse of the association commissioner's ambiguous smile, and recalling the resounding rebuttal in the cave, his expression shifted, and he spoke thoughtfully.

"To hear God's will, to act on God's orders, to spread the Lord's salvation and mercy, to relieve mankind's suffering, and to save mankind from the mire of this world—do you think that's wrong?"

"if not?"

Samael rolled his eyes and shook his head with a sneer.

"Saving all of humanity? Ha! For children suffering from famine in Africa, salvation is just a piece of rotten bread; for those brainwashed by extremist groups in the Middle East, salvation means creating more death and terror; bloated politicians hope their corruption will go undetected; and hardworking workers struggle to make ends meet..."

Some are born in Rome, others are born as mules or horses.

The standards and costs for saving each person are fundamentally different, so how can you save everyone?

Wake up! Even your master can't handle this kind of thing, let alone you.

As he spoke, the ancient serpent recalled the witch hunt that had resurfaced even after his intervention, a foolish and reckless frenzy, and shook his head helplessly.

"That's right, the origin of desire is humanity's original sin."

As life unfolds and sins and suffering accumulate, the tainted soul is destined to turn away from the light, and humanity's future will most likely lead to self-destruction.

Therefore, these lost sheep need guidance, need to suppress their animalistic instincts, maintain reason, and refrain from strife, so that they may receive the Lord's mercy and return to the Land of Bliss!

Having witnessed the ugliness of human nature, Amakusa Shiro nodded in agreement, yet his passion remained unchanged.

"So, you want to somehow grant them immortality, erase their desires, and turn them into lambs that only know how to gnaw on grass, obeying your commands as a sheepdog?"

Samael yawned, a mocking glint in his eyes.

"If I can lead humanity to salvation through light, I am willing to become the Lord's hound..."

The living saint of the church, displaying humility and piety, gave a firm answer.

Sorry, there's no shortage of simps, especially men!

The ancient snake sized up Amakusa Shiro, secretly grumbling to himself, before smiling with narrowed eyes.

"Tsk tsk, you really are a noble savior. For the sake of this faith, based on my experience, I can tell you that if you want to eradicate strife, you have two choices: either erase humanity or kill all of humanity. So, what is your answer?"

Amakusa Shiro looked at the man before him carefully and answered solemnly.

"Just as you advised that child, morality can only be used for self-discipline, not to demand sacrifice from others. The same applies to faith. I love a world where everything can receive mercy, where humanity and life should both be blessed and saved. Even if that place is far away, I will still strive for it and find a way to achieve both..."

"Snapped!"

Just as this living saint was expressing his heartfelt thoughts, a pale hand slapped heavily on his shoulder.

In the instant of close contact, Amakusa Shiro felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. From his body to his soul, everything began to freeze and solidify inch by inch. He couldn't even move a finger, like a fish lying on a chopping board, waiting to be slaughtered.

Consciousness seemed to be sucked into the darkness within those vertical pupils, sinking deeper and deeper.

It felt as if it were a fleeting moment, yet also as long as an entire century, until the darkness faded and a ray of ultimate light reappeared. The handsome face that had approached spread out a smile, revealing a hint of satisfaction.

At the same time, his dark eyes opened and closed, revealing a snake-like quality, and his moving lips whispered softly in Amakusa Shiro's ear.

"Congratulations, you've escaped with your life."

"call!"

As the pale fingers withdrew, Amakusa Shiro's stiff body gradually regained sensation. His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath, and cold sweat had unknowingly seeped down his back.

This is...that person!

The living saint of the church felt a jolt in his heart, recalling a legend about witnessing a church expedition more than 600 years ago, and a look of horror flashed across his eyes as he gazed at the figure before him.

"Keep it a secret..."

Samael blinked his left eye, put his index finger to his lips, and playfully reminded him. Amakusa Shiro nodded repeatedly, his fluctuating heart surprisingly filled with a sense of relief at surviving a disaster and an indescribable complexity.

Seeing that this living saint was so compliant, Samael nodded in satisfaction, feeling much more at ease.

In fact, without his intervention, following the course of history, this ambitious living saint would have participated in another Holy Grail War, attempting to achieve the salvation of all mankind through the Third Law of "materialization of the soul".

Its desire is essentially to eliminate conflict, to allow humanity to live in a state of spiritual substance, to dilute their passions and selfish desires, and to ensure that without conflict, humanity can survive peacefully and happily.

However, struggle is also an important step in human development to this point.

Desire and aspirations are what drive the desire for progress. However, Amakusa's vision of a "world without pain or joy—an unchanging and eternal world" has no future or development.

Moreover, Amakusa resolved internal conflicts and harms within "humanity," but as a member of the larger environment, humanity still faces external harms.

On the one hand, even with such advanced technology, there are still unsolvable external problems, such as natural disasters and diseases.

On the other hand, magic and sorcery are not omnipotent, and the materialization of the soul may not guarantee protection from all external harms. For example, there are still problems such as indescribable things from the starry sky and deep sea, wandering stars that prey on civilizations, and alien gods that have taken root in fantasy.

Therefore, whether from the perspective of technology or magic, if humanity stops developing, its means of dealing with potential future problems will be very limited.

To put it extremely, if we follow this naive fantasy and erase human desires, it is tantamount to abandoning the essence of natural selection and denying the possibilities of humanity's future.

Moreover, to bestow charity with the superior attitude of a savior, and to presumptuously tell them what they should and shouldn't do, is utterly arrogant and laughable! Even the gods of the past could not control the will of humanity; instead, they were shaped by human faith!

Life is something that ends, life is a pilgrimage of accumulated suffering, indeed.

But this is by no means a story of death and extinction; humanity is destined to carry its own burdens forward.

As his thoughts wandered, Samael saw scenes from the Argonaut Expedition, the three storms of Mesopotamia, and the War of the Covenant, which seemed to whisper the answers to the world's affairs that he had understood for a thousand years.

"Humans don't need to be saved; they need to save themselves..."

Amakusa Shiro nodded, seemingly understanding, yet not quite.

The ancient snake didn't take this to heart. After all, Amakusa Shirou was an adult who had lived for a long time and had his own value system. Unlike Kiritsugu Emiya, whose thoughts were easily changed, he was already making a rare progress by making the answer and choice he had just made. There was no need to ask for too much.

Anyway, there's plenty of time; some games can always be played at a leisurely pace.

Samael stretched and started walking toward the church, while Amakusa Shiro, somewhat dazed, hurriedly followed.

"I said, it's almost dark, aren't you tired? How long are you going to keep arguing?"

The ancient serpent glanced at the two sides who were caught in a dilemma, then lazily coughed a few times, attracting everyone's attention, and raised its hand to make a suggestion.

“How about our council act as a mediator, and everyone compromises? Those infected at risk of becoming undead, and those who have no attachment to the village, can follow Princess Eltruchi to relocate to the Millennium City.”

As he spoke, Samael turned to look at Black Princess and said with a smile.

“I’ve heard that Millennium City is quite deserted. You probably wouldn’t mind bringing some life to the city. If you’re willing to take in these poor people, the council can provide transportation, handle the transport, and pay for part of the resettlement and supplies.”

That idea sounds good.

After a moment's thought, Eltrauge nodded.

Since Arcueid's wrath, Millennium City has essentially ceased to exist. The addition of so many new faces is a welcome bonus of this trip.

"Then, the church will be responsible for the resettlement and relief of the remaining villagers."

Having persuaded one side, Samael stepped forward to the church representatives and villagers, a broad smile spreading across his face.

Kotomine Ryougi frowned, about to offer some opinions, when his gaze fell upon Amakusa Shiro's slight nod, and he finally nodded in agreement.

However, during the process of relocating personnel, an unexpected change occurred.

A dirty hand was solemnly raised from the infected group, earnestly pleading.

“I…I want to stay and help everyone…”

Upon hearing this, the villagers looked at the thin figure in astonishment, their eyes revealing an undisguised disgust.

Although they knew that Emiya Norikaze and the child were not the main cause of the disaster, as part of the tragedy, they naturally didn't treat the son of a sinner well.

"Are you sure? They don't seem very welcoming to you."

Sama stroked his chin, looked at Kiritsugu Emiya who had stepped forward, and kindly reminded him.

"I want to make up for the mistakes my father made; this is something I must do."

The boy nodded solemnly, his gaze resolute.

"That's fine..."

The ancient snake respected this awareness, then its eyes darted around as if it had thought of something, and it turned to look at a certain place with a bright smile.

“Oh, by the way, since Father Simon has unfortunately died in the line of duty, and the village church is currently vacant, doesn’t the church need to send a new person to take over? I think Father Kotomine would be very suitable. By the way, I would like to trouble you to be the child’s guardian and teach and raise him well.”

Are you kidding me?! You want a living saint from the church to stay on this godforsaken island?

Just as Kotomine Risei was about to refuse, Amakusa Shirou stepped forward and readily agreed to the task.

At this moment, Kotomine Shiro, with his back to his adoptive father, wore a helpless, bitter smile.

There was no other way; if he didn't agree, he would probably be buried alive.

Samael pulled Kiritsugu Emiya along and led him to the living saint of the church, a pleased smile curving his lips.

"Then, I'll be entrusting Kiritsugu to you from now on, 'Shirou'..."

"Your Excellency is Shiro, Kotomine Shiro..."

Father Kotomine took the boy's hand and, hearing the off-key tone, coughed to remind him.

"It doesn't matter, it's all the same."

Samael blinked, then a wicked smile spread across his face as he muttered something meaningful to himself.

"Furthermore, to avoid upsetting Kiritsugu, why don't you sacrifice yourself again and change your surname to Emiya from now on? It's all for the sake of the child!"

"Okay, okay..."

Under the watchful gaze of someone, a living saint of the church nodded with a wry smile, formally acknowledging the identity of "Emiya Shirou," and led his adopted son "Emiya Kiritsugu" towards the church.

It seems we really need to stay on the island with this child for a while, otherwise, he might have to go to heaven prematurely.

Chapter 49 He's not qualified, am I?

With a compromise reached, both sides tacitly backed down.

After assurances and reassurances from the church, the council, and several people from the Thousand-Year City, the fearful villagers gradually calmed down.

Gazing at the lingering smoke and the charred ruins of the village, the painful memories of destroyed homes and lost loved ones flooded back. The villagers felt a deep sorrow, and their farming tools slipped from their hands and fell into the mud without them realizing it.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit tense, Samael simply made a suggestion to Amakusa Shiro.

"Shirou, the village has suffered a misfortune. Why don't you, the newly appointed priest, hold a memorial mass for the victims present?"

Amakusa Shiro was powerless to refute this off-key address, so he could only nod helplessly and begin to carefully prepare for the funeral to comfort the dead and appease the living.

With fear eliminated and malice restrained, the softness and kindness of another side of humanity are also revealed.

The villagers, who had abandoned their farm tools, followed Father Kotomine in small groups, searching through the ruins for the remains of the victims. Together they carried them to the open space in front of the church and tidied their faces, preserving their only dignity in death.

However, in order to prevent the spread of the disease and to alleviate the villagers' concerns, after some discussion, everyone finally decided to adopt cremation as the method of burial.

With the villagers' help, firewood and kerosene were quickly prepared.

As night fell, the church doors were slowly opened under the watchful eyes of the crowd. The newly appointed priest, dressed in a solemn black robe symbolizing death and remembrance, held a Bible and slowly walked toward the square. Meanwhile, Kiritsugu Emiya, also dressed in black, followed behind Shiro Amakusa as his page and godson, bidding farewell to the deceased.

In a solemn and somber atmosphere, a standard Christian memorial service proceeded smoothly.

"The Spirit of the Most High came upon me; He anointed me and chose me to bring good news to the unfortunate. He sent me to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim: The broken and the old, all are called back by the Lord, and with my lightness, all burdens are removed, and rest in my hands."

Those who are grieving should replace dust with a crown of splendor, sorrow with joy, and mourning with praise. In moments of rest, they should not forget to sing, to pray, or to remember the Lord…

The lector, in a compassionate and sermon-like tone, recited chapters from the Book of Isaiah, conveying mourning and prayer, as he passed before each of the unfortunate victims, offering them final anointing and blessings.

After circling around once, Amakusa Shiro picked up the cross pendant, kissed it lightly, and murmured something.

"You came from dust, and you will return to dust..."

Immediately afterwards, the living saint who presided over the memorial mass took the lit torch from Kiritsugu Emiya and burned the firewood and corpses piled up in the square.

As they watched the raging flames and the faces, some familiar and some dear, gradually melted and twisted in the firelight, the villagers gathered around the bonfire could not hide their grief and sobbed softly. Their sorrow was contagious and unrestrained.