Magician in Type-Moon

Page 7

After sitting down, Matou Ike smiled and greeted the "priest".

The "priest" seemed somewhat surprised. Judging from his subtle expression, he should know of Matou Ike, but he was somewhat surprised that Matou Ike took the initiative to talk to him.

"Hello, Kirei Kotomine."

The priest was not surprised for long before giving his name in response to Matou Ike's greeting. The priest was rather sullen and did not bring up any topics after responding.

Kotomine Kirei, Matou Ike certainly knew that he was Kotomine Kirei, as the Matou family had been collecting information about him since three years ago.

—A religious fanatic ascetic, a battle-hardened agent (a department of the Holy Church, specializing in the extermination of heretics; to obtain the title of "Agent" means to be a first-rate killer).

However, the information that Matou Ike obtained from the spirit summoning magic was that this was a person who participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War and survived. His survival process seemed to be less than honorable, filled with bloodshed and betrayal.

This differs from the information gathered by the Matou family. Those who survived that war must have something different about them, and they just happened to meet here. Matou Ike, with the idea of ​​gathering information, had the exchange of greetings just now.

"Hey, Kirei Kotomine, I know you. You were born in 1967 and started going on pilgrimages to holy sites with your father when you were young. You graduated from Stlgnatius Theological Seminary in Manresa in 1981, skipping two grades. You're a real genius!"

Matou Ike recited Kirei Kotomine's information as if listing dishes, and said it in a slightly exaggerated tone.

However, Kirei Kotomine, sitting opposite him, did not show much change in expression. He was not even as surprised as Matou Ike's greeting, as if this information was not his own experience.

Seeing that Kirei Kotomine remained unmoved, Ike Matou did not restrain herself, but instead became even more audacious:

"If you had continued as you were back then, becoming a cardinal wouldn't have been a problem, right? Why did you join the Church of Christ? Was it because of your father's influence? You even served as an agent for a while. You're not a religious fanatic, are you?"

When faced with Matou Ike's question, Kirei Kotomine remained unresponsive, like a silent ascetic practicing Zen meditation.

"Then why did you come to participate in the Holy Grail War?" Seeing that Kirei Kotomine remained silent, Matou Ike directly asked the core question.

"How do you know?" Upon hearing this, Kirei Kotomine finally reacted and asked Ike Matou.

He realized he had misspoke as soon as he said that, but it wasn't a big deal for him.

Since the day of "breaking up" with his "mentor" Tokiomi Tohsaka is approaching, and as the heir of the Matou family, it wouldn't be difficult for him to draw such a conclusion by simply paying a little attention to the Tohsaka family's movements and considering the recent dates.

"You haven't answered my question yet, Father San?"

Matou Ike seemed not to hear Kotomine Kirei's question and continued to press on relentlessly. His slightly affected smile actually suited his face better than his usual expression.

Kirei Kotomine looked at the smiling young man before him. "Ike Matou," the heir of the Matou family, one of the three great families, a miracle that suddenly appeared during the decline of the Matou family's magic, a genius born with the Mystic Eyes.

He must have been the same type of person as his father and teacher, who early on defined the meaning of their birth and life, and held these as guiding principles they firmly believed in. They never felt lost, and they never stopped moving forward.

No matter what situation they face in life, their will can move in a fixed direction and act with a clear policy. From a magical point of view, they have found their own origin.

For Kirei's father, this origin was a devout faith in God; for Tokiomi Tohsaka, it was the pride of being a nobleman—a self-awareness that was different from that of commoners, possessed only by those who bore privileges and responsibilities.

Judging from his current words and actions, the young man before us is naturally exercising the privilege of genius—"arrogance."

These kinds of people are completely incompatible with Kirei Kotomine. People who can only see the ideal in front of them cannot understand the confusion and pain of having no ideal.

Qi Li didn't want to answer the young man's question. It wasn't that the young man's frivolous words had offended him, nor was he ashamed or angry because he had let something slip. Rather, he knew the principle of "it's better to avoid trouble" and he regretted entering this Chinese restaurant.

"When did you receive your Command Seals and become a Master, Father? It couldn't have been before you joined the Tohsaka family, could it? That's really early. You weren't even in Fuyuki back then, were you? I'm a direct descendant of the Matou family, and I hadn't even received my Command Seals yet. How could the Holy Grail have chosen you so early, Father?"

Seeing that Kirei Kotomine was unwilling to speak, Matou Ike asked several questions in a grumbling tone. Meeting Kirei Kotomine was accidental, and probing too much might backfire.

Based on our brief interaction, this tall and strong man in front of me seems like an ascetic, but I also sense that his heart is quite empty.

It's a complete contradiction.

Why did the Holy Grail choose me?

Kirei Kotomine had asked his teacher, Tokiomi Tohsaka, about this two years ago, but the teacher only gave a vague answer and did not clarify Kirei's doubts.

Today, this person brought up that question again, and memories that should have died resurfaced. Kirei suddenly felt an urge to ask, "I..."

"This is extra spicy Mapo Tofu for both of you, along with rice. Mr. Chi, here's your super-sized sundae. Please enjoy."

Before Qili could finish speaking, she was interrupted by the restaurant staff who delivered the food.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that Matou Ike had already started eating. This man was actually pouring rice directly into the large bowl containing Mapo Tofu, and then spooning his special "Mapo Tofu Rice" into his mouth one spoonful after another. This was something even Kirei wouldn't dare to do.

This Chinese restaurant was recently discovered by Kirei Kotomine. Its unique spicy and stimulating flavor briefly brought this man, who had been considered a "corpse," back to life.

He ate this dish with a bite of tofu followed by a bite of rice, letting the rice soothe the pain caused by the spiciness.

The way the man in front of him ate aroused Kirei's long-dormant competitive spirit. He also poured rice into the large bowl containing Mapo Tofu, made it into a mixed rice dish, and ate it spoonful by spoonful.

No, this man named Matou Ike is cheating. He also has a super cream sundae. While eating "Mapo Tofu Rice", this man is also using his "Chili-Fighting Treasure".

A short while later, Matou Ike finished eating. He looked at Kotomine Kirei, whose face was completely red, and felt something was off, as if his earlier assessment of Kirei's inner emptiness was just an illusion.

After finishing his meal, Matou Ike left without delay, paying the bill as he had important business to attend to.

The real business is to deploy new familiars to monitor the city of Fuyuki. One-fifth of the demon worms used for surveillance have died, so now it's time to replenish them.

The biggest drawback of insect-type familiars is their limited lifespan, but their survival ability and environmental adaptability are still quite strong.

Arriving at the banks of the Mien River, one finds that Japanese rivers typically form V-shaped valleys, and the Mien River is no exception.

Matouchi walked down into the valley, took off his shoes and socks, and threw them on the bank. He rolled up his trouser legs to avoid getting them wet, and then walked into the river step by step until the water reached his calves before stopping.

Standing on the shallows, clumps of demonic worms fell from Matouchi's clothes and drifted downstream with the river.

The Miwa River runs through Fuyuki City and connects to various waterways throughout the city, including the underground sewage system.

This means that the demonic worms drifting from upstream can follow the river and infiltrate every corner of Fuyuki. In this way, Matou Pond's monitoring network can truly cover the entire Fuyuki, making it omnipresent.

Meanwhile, at the Chinese restaurant, after finishing his meal, Kirei got up to leave. During his conversation with the man named Matou Ike, he didn't show any interest in the man, but the man's final question caused Kirei a long-lost sense of distress.

Why did the Holy Grail choose me?

This question, which had been buried deep in his heart for two years, once again occupied his mind.

Although the Holy Grail of Fuyuki was excluded from the relics of the Holy Son by the Church early on, Kirei always had a feeling that the stigmata on the back of his hand might be a revelation from God to the lost sheep.

Kirei Kotomine stopped thinking about it and walked straight out the door, preparing to go to the Tohsaka residence to report to Tokiomi Tohsaka on the latest progress of his magic and to await the next task assignment.

He had barely stepped out of the Chinese restaurant when Kirei Kotomine sensed a familiar fluctuation of magical energy. He immediately headed in that direction to investigate.

It was Matou Pond. The man was standing in the river, and Kirei was watching intently as clumps of magical creatures fell from Matou Pond.

When these creatures came into contact with the water, the magical energy they carried vanished without a trace.

"Knowing I'm nearby, they still act so boldly, displaying an attitude of complete confidence." With this thought in mind, Kirei Kotomine slowly walked towards the riverbank where Matou Pond was located.

The moment Kirei Kotomine approached, Ike Matou knew it, but he didn't stop what he was doing. Instead, he smiled at Kirei and asked:

"Father, is there anything else?"

It was as if what he was doing at that moment was no big deal.

"What are you doing?"

Chapter 6 "Younger Brother" (Please add to your favorites! Please continue reading!)

Kirei Kotomine approached to inquire simply because Matou Ike's actions were too puzzling—"Standing in the middle of the river and throwing clumps of unidentified magical substances into the water, it looks like poisoning to anyone else!"

If Matou Ike really did such a heinous crime, Kirei Kotomine, whether as a priest or as Tokiomi Tohsaka's senior disciple, would have an obligation to stop it from happening.

"You're casting out a familiar, Kirei. May I call you Kirei? It feels a bit strange to keep calling you Father-san, like I'm confessing and atoning for my sins."

Matou Ike answered calmly without stopping what he was doing, as if he didn't know that Kotomine Kirei had come to question him.

Kirei Kotomine did not react to Ike Matou's words, but silently observed the "familiar" that fell into the water from Ike Matou's body. It was a white, semi-transparent maggot-like familiar, and its function could not be determined from its appearance.

Suddenly, Kirei Kotomine sensed a killing intent, a skill he had honed on the battlefield as an "Agent." However, this killing intent did not come from the person in front of him; there was a third party watching them!

"Ah, Kirei, you don't think I'm doing anything like poisoning, do you? These are just familiars used to monitor the city. After all, that thing is coming soon, and if we don't set up some spies, it wouldn't be good if some strange magicians sneaked in, would it?"

As Matou Ike spoke, he drew out his little helper and suddenly fired a shot into the sky.

Kirei Kotomine coldly watched Matou Ike's actions. Just now, when he drew his gun, Kirei almost used Bajiquan to smash it into his head.

Not long after, a crow fell from the sky. It was a familiar, and it was bound with unknown electronic components. It crashed to the ground and shattered.

"You knew someone was watching this place all along?" Kirei Kotomine asked Matou Ike, looking at the bat-crow that had fallen to the ground.

After Matou Ike fired the shot, the sudden killing intent also vanished. Connecting this with the familiar and Matou Ike's words, Kirei suspected that this was a premeditated trap to find the magician who had sneaked into Fuyuki.

"No, it was just a coincidence that I discovered it."

Matou did know that someone was watching this place. Just as he entered the river to release the demon worms, he noticed the crow circling in the sky.

The reason it wasn't shot down immediately was simply because Matou Ike wanted everyone to know that he could monitor the city—it was a warning and a deterrent!

"I will report this matter to the head of the Tohsaka family." The matter referred to here is not only the infiltration of a wild magician, but also the fact that Kirie Ike cast a familiar into Kawachi.

As the owners of the Fuyuki Vein, the Tohsaka family will not tolerate any magician poisoning the waters of Fuyuki.

Even the Matou family, one of the three founding families, could easily break ties with them before the Holy Grail War if they dared to do so.

......

Kiritsugu Emiya pulled the Mystic Severance from the pursuing insect. This dagger is a manifestation of Severance and Union, and is the origin of the Mystic Code of the person named Kiritsugu Emiya.

The magician who was just monitoring Miyawaki was none other than Kiritsugu Emiya.

He arrived in Fuyuki three days ago to scout out the location for the Holy Grail War a year later.

The discovery of Matou Pond was purely coincidental; it just so happened that it was my turn to survey the area near Miwa River today, and then I sensed that undisguised magical fluctuation.

The murderous intent just now also came from Emiya Kiritsugu. After all, Matou Ike's actions were indeed too much like an evil magician trying to achieve certain goals by poisoning the water.

Although he eventually learned that the magician was deploying a familiar for surveillance, Kiritsugu Emiya still couldn't trust the magician's words; he needed to verify them personally...

Put away the Walter WA 200 that was mounted on the rooftop.

This is a sniper rifle whose excessive weight makes its practicality questionable, but it is surprisingly useful for Kiritsugu Emiya, the "Magician Killer".

After preparing his equipment, Kiritsugu Emiya quickly headed downstream of the Miyuki River.

He planned to capture one or two of the familiars released by Matouchi in order to confirm their function and understand Matouchi's true intentions.

......

"Ah, you've arrived, Kirei." The man sitting at the desk put away his pen and paper and stood up to greet the visitor. This was the host's respect for the guest, and it was also a courtesy ingrained in the man's bones.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Kirei Kotomine reported to Tokiomi Tohsaka on recent events, including his chance encounter with Matou Ike and the discovery of the magician who had secretly infiltrated Fuyuki.

"Well, I know what that Matou kid is doing. He started setting up familiars all over Fuyuki a few years ago. But I don't think it will be effective. Managing so many familiars that are so widely distributed and sharing their senses with them is basically impossible."

Upon hearing this, Kirei Kotomine immediately informed Tokiomi Tohsaka about Matou Ike's discovery of the magician smuggling into Fuyuki before him, as well as his own speculations about it.

"You mean, the familiars he deployed might just be used to detect the appearance of magical fluctuations? If that's the case, it's indeed possible to successfully establish a comprehensive monitoring network targeting magicians."