Emiya Shirou doesn't want to work overtime

Looking in the direction of the sound, in front of Shirou Emiya stood a priest with short brown hair, brown eyes, a dark purple long coat over his robes, and a cross necklace on his chest. He looked incredibly devout and composed.

He was holding an extremely thick book in his hand as he slowly stepped forward.

His reassuring voice temporarily calmed Shirou Emiya's somewhat flustered mind.

It seems that the man in front of me is the priest of this church.

Although the voice sounded somewhat familiar, it was not the priest named Kotomine Shiro that he knew.

This made Emiya Shirou breathe a sigh of relief. If it really was Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, he might have been at a loss.

"Excuse me, are you Father Kotomine?"

Emiya Shirou still asked cautiously. For some reason, even though he was just a priest, he felt a faint sense of crisis from him.

There was a faint sense of crisis, as if if someone got close, I would be knocked to the ground without any chance of resistance.

Father Kotomine nodded, confirming Shirou Emiya's question.

"Young man, if you have something to say, go into the church. The cold wind outside will not show you any mercy."

The priest's words were like the March wind, offering care to Shirou Emiya.

Emiya Shirou nodded and followed Father Kotomine deeper into the church.

The church here is very similar to the one he had previously met in Sighisoara, where Shiro Kotomine was, with only some subtle differences.

Both the layout and the objects are basically the same.

The only difference that Shirou Emiya noticed was that Shirou Kotomine's church was extremely bright, with candles illuminating all the darkness even at night.

The church here was incredibly dark even during the day. If Shirou Emiya hadn't had better eyesight than most people, he would have had a hard time taking in his surroundings.

Soon, the priest in front of Shirou Emiya stopped.

"Magician, please state your purpose."

The priest slowly turned around and looked at Shirou Emiya with his burning eyes, as if he could see right through him.

"Father Kotomine, you—"

Emiya Shirou wasn't too surprised, since the blond-haired youth had already told him yesterday that he hadn't been hiding his magical energy fluctuations.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of magic can tell that they are a magician.

Therefore, as one of the organizations in the magic world, Shirou Emiya was not very surprised that the priest who shared the same surname as Shirou Kotomine knew that he was a magician.

Shirou Emiya was pondering and hesitating about how to ask that question.

"Father, are you familiar with the Holy Grail War?"

"Oh--?"

Father Kotomine seemed to have heard something interesting. A slight smile appeared on his lips, and his eyes changed. He closed the book in front of him and carefully examined Emiya Shirou.

He knew Emiya Shirou; it was impossible that he hadn't spent time paying attention to the man he was fighting.

Kirei Kotomine naturally knew that the man had saved a child from the fire and raised him.

Kirei Kotomine knew that the man wouldn't live much longer, and he had no reason to fight him anymore, so he let it go.

After that man died, Kirei Kotomine basically stopped paying attention to the children he had adopted.

Although he stopped paying attention, Kirei Kotomine was aware of Shirou Emiya's existence.

Unexpectedly, Shirou Emiya, who had previously barely emitted any magical energy, now radiated magical energy like a sun bursting with dazzling light.

It seemed to be announcing its existence to the entire city of Fuyuki.

Kirei Kotomine doesn't even need to leave his home to feel the magical aura emanating from Shirou Emiya.

After all, Shirou Emiya didn't have much magical power, not so much as to be surprising. At most, it was surprising that someone who wasn't from a family of mages could possess so much magical power.

His magic was only at the level of a normal magician. It was impossible for him to have such a distinct presence.

Even if Kirei Kotomine wanted to ignore it, he couldn't, and would even subconsciously look towards Shirou Emiya's position.

Both Emiya Shirou's sudden surge in magical power and the strange presence of his magical power aroused Kirei Kotomine's interest.

Of course, what pleased him most was that Shirou Emiya actually asked about the Holy Grail War.

"The Holy Grail War? Are you asking about just the Holy Grail War, or the Holy Grail War that happened nine years ago?"

Kirei Kotomine, with an almost imperceptible smile in the dim light, asked Shirou Emiya a question.

"!"

"Was there a Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City nine years ago?"

Emiya Shirou's pupils suddenly contracted. He had considered that since his world and that world were parallel worlds, then this world also had the Holy Grail War.

What Shirou Emiya didn't expect was that a Holy Grail War had also taken place in Fuyuki City nine years ago.

After all, due to the parallel universe, Shirou Emiya naturally believed that the Holy Grail War should take place in Romania.

"?"

Now it was Kirei Kotomine's turn to look puzzled.

Did Shirou Emiya come to the Church of Christ simply because he heard the words "Holy Grail War"?

Chapter 295 The Truth About the Flames

What happened in that Holy Grail War nine years ago?

Emiya Shirou's expression also became extremely serious. He had a feeling that the great fire nine years ago might be related to the Holy Grail War.

Although the official reports stated it was a gas explosion, it caused such a large area of ​​ruins and flames that devoured countless lives.

That disaster, in which only he survived, seemed to be more complex than it appeared.

Having experienced so much, Shirou Emiya had a vague feeling that such a disaster might not have been caused by nature.

Shirou Emiya had a deep understanding of the fighting power of those Heroic Spirits. Although he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, he knew that such a town had been destroyed.

If a Holy Grail War had occurred nine years ago, the destruction and disaster might have been caused by the Noble Phantasms of Heroic Spirits.

"Young man, your adoptive father is Emiya Kiritsugu, isn't he?"

Without answering Shirou Emiya's question, Kirei Kotomine placed the book he was holding on the podium beside him, turned his back, and spoke slowly.

"Yes, but what does this have to do with the Holy Grail War you mentioned...?"

Shirou Emiya suddenly froze. Nine years ago, during the Holy Grail War, amidst the fire, Kiritsugu Emiya appeared in the ruins without any injuries.

With just a little thought after being guided, Shirou Emiya knew what the priest wanted to express.

"You must have guessed it already, Kiritsugu Emiya. He was a participant in the Holy Grail War nine years ago, and also the victor of the final Holy Grail War."

"impossible!"

The moment Kirei Kotomine finished speaking, Shirou Emiya's expression quickly became agitated, and he began to refute her.

"Oh why?"

Kirei Kotomine didn't immediately refute Shirou Emiya, but instead wanted to hear just how much he understood about the Holy Grail War.

Previously, it was because I didn't know the extent of Shirou Emiya's knowledge about the Holy Grail War that I accidentally revealed some things.

Although these things were not a secret to Kirei Kotomine.

"The Holy Grail is an omnipotent wish-granting machine. If Kiritsugu had obtained the Holy Grail, that great fire would not have happened!"

Emiya Shirou had unwavering faith in Kiritsugu.

Moreover, Shirou Emiya had used the Holy Grail before. At the last moment, he saw all the dead residents come back to life before he walked towards the door and left that parallel world.

"But the truth is not what you think. As the arbiter of the Holy Grail War, I can tell you very clearly that Kiritsugu Emiya, that man, he took the Holy Grail and was indeed the victor of the Holy Grail War nine years ago."

Kirei Kotomine's eyes revealed a hint of nostalgia, but it quickly vanished.

Emiya Shirou clutched his head, somewhat bewildered. If Kirei Kotomine hadn't lied, then Kiritsugu was the victor of the Holy Grail War nine years ago.

So he made his wish to the Holy Grail, just like he had made himself, but alas, but alas.

A sea of ​​fire, ruins, and the man who turned over the ruins.

Emiya Shirou pieced together fragmented memories in his mind, trying to figure out why he had gone to that hellish place.

"Father Kotomine, do you know what wish Kiritsugu made?"

While Shirou Emiya was not paying attention, Kirei Kotomine smiled slightly, turned around, and walked up to Shirou Emiya.

He spoke to Shirou Emiya in his magnetic and infectious language.

"I am merely an adjudicator, and the first Master to be eliminated in the Holy Grail War nine years ago. I do not know the truth about the great fire back then."

A devilish voice rang out in a low voice in front of Shirou Emiya.

"If you want to know the truth about the fire nine years ago, why don't you go and find it yourself?"

As if entrusting a heavy responsibility, Kirei Kotomine placed his hand on Shirou Emiya's shoulder.

"But I know almost nothing about the Holy Grail War from nine years ago."

Emiya Shirou did not doubt what Kirei Kotomine said, although it felt very strange and he could not seem to feel any affection for him. Moreover, he felt a sense of repulsion the moment he touched him.

But Kirei Kotomine telling me these things is genuine; I'm just a magician who knows nothing, and he's willing to tell me things I shouldn't know.

Shirou Emiya will still be grateful.

Kirei Kotomine slowly lowered his body and pressed his lips to Shirou Emiya's ear, speaking in an extremely soft voice.

"The Tohsaka family and the Matou family participated in the last Holy Grail War."

Emiya Shirou's pupils contracted rapidly; he could hardly believe what Kirei Kotomine had told him.

But after Kirei Kotomine finished speaking softly, he ignored Shirou Emiya's shocked expression and slowly walked towards the church entrance.

Their steps never faltered.

"Father Kotomine, where are you going?"

Seeing that Kirei Kotomine showed no intention of lingering, Shirou Emiya couldn't help but ask.