Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

At this moment, the ancient serpent, having just committed a wicked act, made the sign of the cross on its chest, spoke with a devout expression, and began to walk towards the distant church.

"pray!"

Immediately, Mordred, Jack, and Lingxia, who were lagging behind, stared at each other, looking completely bewildered.

A moment later, inside the church.

A white-haired, blue-eyed, black man with a scar between his eyebrows and eyes, dressed in a black church uniform, opened the door.

"Caleb Frampton?"

Looking at the unexpected church receptionist before him, Samael couldn't help but show surprise.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

The kind and steady elderly Black man nodded slightly and led the visitors into the hall.

Through some subtle questioning, Samael also learned some interesting information from this proxy.

Originally, in response to the somewhat out-of-control Holy Grail War in Tulipas, the Church, which was responsible for mediating, initially planned to send a person of sufficient importance to be stationed there.

However, the saint named "Kotomine Shiro" and his adopted son...

"Emiya Kiritsugu" was busy preaching on the islands of Southeast Asia and treating the local residents suffering from diseases, so he was unable to spare any time.

In recent years, with the revival of the divine age and the frequent occurrence of mysterious events, the church has found itself in a shortage of personnel.

Left with no other choice, the soon-to-retire old man Calleber Frampton was forced to take up his post in Tulipas, dragging his old arms and legs along.

Fortunately, although the church's representative was not particularly capable, he was quite decent in his dealings with people and did a good job in basic surveillance and information gathering.

On the other hand, considering the Church's weakness and the inability to put pressure on the Yggdrasil family, the Clock Tower seems to have changed its initial Master lineup, sending out a group of elites to fight against the other side.

"Do you know the Saint?"

It must be said that the old man is wise and experienced; this is not just empty talk. In just a few simple casual words, this black agent grasped some key information from a few words.

"Kotomine Shiro? Hmm, we have some connection, he's a nice guy..."

Samael nodded and gave a kind comment with a smile.

As long as that kid listens to advice, stays obediently in Southeast Asia, benefits the locals, doesn't interfere in the Holy Grail War in Tulipas, doesn't shout about his ideal of "saving humanity," and hides away to cause trouble, he'll still be a good comrade. The Ancient Serpent wouldn't mind framing him up and giving him a "good guy card."

Of course, if this saint is still not convinced, he doesn't mind teaching his opponent a lesson and letting him know what the wickedness of society is.

The figure who had been wandering around the church for a moment stood in front of the cross, picked up a bottle of newly brewed wine from the table that was prepared for Mass, poured himself a glass, took a sip, and asked casually.

"Romania is under the jurisdiction of Laurentis, right?"

"Uh, yes..."

The elderly Black man thought for a long time before he could recall who the name the man had mentioned belonged to.

A strong candidate for the next French emperor, the cardinal who oversees and manages the cardinals of Italy and the surrounding region, and is also responsible for the administration of the acting governors, who is the superior of his superiors.

So, who is this person? How come he seems to have connections everywhere?

Samael put down his glass, clapped his hands, and smiled as he spoke.

“Write to that kid and tell him that I’ve taken over the affairs of the World Tree and the Magic Association, and tell him to give me Tulifas.”

Upon hearing this, the elderly Black man's expression hardened. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke cautiously.

“I have no right to see His Holiness the Cardinal, you see…”

Just as Calleber Frampton was about to decline, a delicate ornament, arcing gracefully, landed in his palm.

This is a ring made entirely of gold, with twelve gemstones representing different months set around it. At the very center of the ring, surrounded by these gemstones, is the church's symbolic cross. Inside the cross, there appear to be several lines of Latin inscription.

Meanwhile, the raised parts of the characters are stained with an old red mark.

The elderly Black man gently rubbed it with his fingertip, then brought it to his nose to smell it, seemingly lost in thought.

The smell of inkpad.

A signet ring?

A so-called seal ring is a special item that combines the functions of a ring and a personal seal. In many cases, it can be used to leave a signature and proof of identity on a letter.

It seems that Bishop Laurentis and this person are indeed very close, as he even gifted each other his personal signet ring.

"Give this accompanying letter to Laurentis, and he will know what to do."

After giving brief instructions, Samael waved goodbye.

"Okay, Your Excellency."

The elderly Black man nodded solemnly, took a small bow, and respectfully curtsied.

"Then I'll take my leave, Mr. Calleber."

Before leaving, the man who entered the church did not forget to take a whole bottle of wine from the table and put it in his pocket.

After a chaotic meal, a third of the wine on the table was gone...

That wanton and blasphemous act made the old black man's eyes twitch.

My Mass...

However, thanks to the other party's impressive background, the old man ultimately dared not speak out against him and, as if sending away a plague god, quickly got up and asked the uninvited guest to leave the church.

How could Bishop Laurentis associate with such a... heretic...?

After closing the door, the elderly Black man thought for a moment, and finally a seemingly appropriate yet somewhat inappropriate nickname popped into his head, leaving him with a wry smile on his face.

Then, Caleb walked to the glass window, raised his hand and pulled back a corner of the curtain. Through the window, he gazed at the figures in the crowd, and a faint, jewel-like luster quietly appeared in the depths of his deep blue eyes.

The Illusionary Eye, a gift he was born with, a precious gem-level eye.

A sharp blade cutting through the past. To recreate the past in the present.

Its nature is prediction and measurement. The former is simply an extension of human imagination. The latter is a type of superpower that uses one's own actions to fix the spacetime axis.

From the perspective of the measured past, the world appears as transparent and illusory as a bubble.

It was thanks to this unique ability that Caleb was able to secure a place among the agents of the Church and live to this age safely.

Outsider, let me see your past.

The elderly Black man murmured silently to himself, the jewel-like luster in the depths of his eyes growing ever more dazzling, and suddenly, clusters of light rose before his eyes.

The bubbles reflect information called "the past".

But isn't there just too much of the past?

Calleber stared at the countless bubbles crammed together in his field of vision, his face stiffening slightly.

In theory, even a gem-level magic eye capable of peering into the past can only see a tiny fraction of the information about a target due to various limitations.

The amount of information we have now is far beyond what is allowed. Even if you were to remove the entire life experience of a centenarian, it would not amount to even one ten-thousandth of what is here.

Generally speaking, this situation only proves that the person in front of you is either quite long-lived or has a wealth of experience.

Or, both factors may be involved.

In just a moment, Calleber labeled the other side as "dangerous".

However, his professional instincts as an intelligence operative also made him unable to suppress his curiosity. He stared at one of the "bubbles" and delved into it with his consciousness, wanting to find out what it was all about.

However, as his consciousness pierced through the hazy expanse of foam, the elderly Black man inside was deeply shaken.

The sky was covered with dark clouds, and bolts of lightning as thick as buckets streaked and struck through the dark clouds.

Beneath the fleeting flash of lightning, what came into view was a world of boundless ocean.

The raging torrent swept forward, mountains collapsed, vegetation was swallowed up, cities crumbled... Countless cattle, horses, poultry, and human victims floated on the water.

A fully enclosed ship was tossed about in the fierce wind and rain and the raging waves, in danger of capsizing at any moment.

Calleber felt a jolt in his heart, and couldn't help but recall the account in Genesis chapters 6-8 of the Bible. His mind went blank for a moment, and he struggled to speak.

This is……

Boom!

However, before the elderly black man could give an answer, a giant wave, hundreds of meters high, crashed down with a thunderous roar.

Sensing the devastating power of the seawater, Calleber shuddered and quickly withdrew his consciousness.

While peering into the past, the intruding consciousness is naturally affected by the memory bubble, which can easily damage one's mental world.

But after so many years of safe operation, he had never seen such a dangerous memory bubble.

What is this person's background?

However, just as the confused old black man hurriedly pulled himself away from his prying thoughts, he made a mistake in his haste and plunged headlong into the [Memory Bubble] blocking his way.

A strong feeling of weightlessness followed.

"Chirp!"

Accompanied by the howling wind, giant birds with wings that blotted out the sky swept across the sky and swooped down toward the steel fleet gathered on the sea.

The deep-sea serpents, stretching for hundreds of meters, were intertwined and fighting. Under the beams of colorful magical energy, they hissed as they disintegrated and fell into the deep sea.

Like a war beast that moves mountains, it marches towards the pass ahead with the roar of the earth, only to fall to the ground amidst a dense rain of javelins and cursed bullets.

Countless humanoid, luminous beings clad in armor and with wings on their backs gracefully descended...

Seeing a giant bird that seemed to sense something swooping down, Calleber felt like he was being pricked by thorns. He immediately struggled to rise to the surface and escape from this terrifying battlefield.

But the layers upon layers of memory bubbles seem endless, leaving no crack for life.

Having exhausted all his strength, Calleber had barely escaped the wolf's den when he inevitably plunged headlong into another world constructed of memories.

Here, meteorites fall, and pale tides surge and boil.

The sky is burning, the earth is burning.

The giant tree is burning, the world is burning!

Caleb, who had drifted here, felt his tiny consciousness gradually dissipate and dissolve in the intense light.

That's it, now I really have to return to the Lord's embrace.

The elderly Black man, his consciousness fading, let out a silent sigh, awaiting the approach of death.

"How old are you to still be spying?"

Just as Caleb gave up resisting, a gruff scolding echoed in the pale world, and a fair arm reached out from the clouds, causing ripples to spread across the bubbles of memories that had gathered there.

Then, with a flick of his finger, the arm that was swirling downwards seemed to give Calleber's fading consciousness a sharp push, and in a strong sense of weightlessness, he crashed into a reality.

boom!

Beside the church window, an elderly Black man, his consciousness returning, stumbled and fell to the ground, looking at his hands with a bewildered yet relieved expression, his body trembling uncontrollably amidst the intense emotional turmoil.

"I hope this bad habit won't happen again, sir..."

At the same time, a mocking whisper reached his ears, and Calleber, whose pupils had been dilated, gradually focused as if he were coming back to his senses, nodding mechanically repeatedly.

And on that bloodless face, there remained a lingering numbness.

"What's wrong? Why are you so happy all of a sudden?"

Outside the city, Mordred, who was devouring a skewer of grilled meat, noticed her partner's slightly pleased smile and approached him curiously to ask what was wrong.

"It's nothing, I just ran into an old man who was secretly watching me."

Why would he be spying on you for no reason?

"Who knows? Maybe he's after my good looks."

Samael blinked, raised his hand to stroke his cheek, and seemed rather self-admiring.

"Fine, don't tell me then..."

Mordred felt a chill run down her spine and quickly jumped back, putting distance between herself and the liar, before turning to chase after him.

Karna, who was in the lead, asked impatiently.

"Hey, you up ahead, how much longer do we have to go?"

At this moment, Karna, who was leading the way, stopped, turned around, glanced over the heads of the crowd, looked up at the sky, and slowly spoke.

"arrive."

Everyone instinctively followed Karna's gaze and looked up.