Chapter 90 A Trustworthy Friend

  "Spirit Fragments..."

  Roland weighed the spirit bond in his hand, which was as beautiful as a gem but had a chip on it, and silently pondered the hint of the Key of All Spirits.

  (The materials used to make this contract spirit are inferior, and the finished product has defects. Please be careful when making a contract.)

  The only condition for the Key of All Spirits to make a contract spirit is to see whether it meets the requirements. It is quite tolerant of other aspects. Whether it is in life or death, or even if the soul is annihilated, it will not affect the formation of the contract spirit itself.

  Roland once vaguely guessed that the Key of All Spirits might not absorb simple abilities or personalities, but its existence and value on the world line itself.

  So what does it mean when the material is so-called inferior?

  "In that world line, the most valuable part of the character has already been taken by the characters in the original novel, leaving only the residue called the character itself, which was then plucked by the passing Key of All Spirits. Even though the material was inferior, it was also made into the fragments of the Contracted Spirit?"

  The fragments of the Contract Spirit in Roland's hand do not require all the fragments to be collected to synthesize a complete Contract Spirit like in traditional mobile games. This is its most complete innate state, and the fragments are just a simple description.

  Therefore, it would be more appropriate to describe this thing as a broken contract spirit rather than a contract spirit fragment, so it still has a rating, but because it is incomplete, it is not regarded as a real contract spirit.

  And this incompleteness lies in the incompleteness of abilities and even influences. Whether it is the ability to bring good or bad, it is the embodiment of the value of the spirit itself. However, what abilities the incomplete spirit can possess depends entirely on what useful things are left in the residue.

  In the judgment of the Key of All Spirits, the value of this kind of fragment is extremely low. Therefore, judging from the cost, Roland lost money no matter how you look at it, as he only extracted such debris from a complete contract spirit.

  But from the perspective of future development, Roland only felt that he was being favored.

  He calmed himself down and looked at the introduction of the Spirit Contract Fragments.

  ——Spirit Fragment [Enrico Pucci] (Uncontracted)

  Characterization: When you are in trouble, you will subconsciously count prime numbers until you calm down.

  Influence: Under the influence of Enrique Pucci, you will regard the cause you believe in as the supreme justice. No matter what you do, you always believe that you are saving others. When you see someone who can be preached, you can't help but spread the gospel in your heart, eager to gain new believers.

  Empowerment:

  Heaven's Gate: You witnessed and participated in a supreme ritual, and can always make appropriate changes and understandings of how to achieve true happiness.

  Embers of the Soul: Originally these were a key to unlocking the realm, but now they have all disappeared, leaving only extinguished embers.

  Unknown: [Broken]

  Requirements for use: A devout priest who can control his desires and regards God's laws as everything.

  Digestion requirements: While remaining pious to God, have someone for whom you are willing to give everything. His position in your heart must be higher than that of God, and the laws that he guides you must be more noble in your heart than anything else.

  "Could this thing be from the world line of the Eye of Heaven?"

  Roland carefully examined the abilities listed above, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

  The most valuable parts of this contracted spirit's ability, namely the substitute and destiny, have disappeared, leaving only pure knowledge. Apart from this, the cost is also considerable. No wonder the Key of All Spirits considers this to be a worthless defect.

  According to the description, the substitute of Father Pucci during his lifetime should be C-MOON. From this perspective, he is worthy of being called the blue spirit.

  It's a pity that even if it was complete, Roland couldn't make a normal contract.

  Blue-level contracted spirits already have specific requirements for the contractors, such as bloodline, race, etc., and Pucci's contracted spirit is also quite demanding among the entire blue level.

  There are three requirements for character, state, and occupation, and the digestion requirements are also very strange. One must possess this kind of will while maintaining piety. There are not many such people in the world.

  "One of the necessary factors is a trustworthy friend? So that's what you mean..."

  Roland chuckled, looked in the direction of the church, and disappeared before the cleanup personnel arrived.

  ——

  In the early morning, the door of the deserted church slowly opened, letting in the cold morning breeze.

  Kotomine Risei was holding down the hem of her robe, her eyes fixed on the silent figure at the foot of the chapel.

  Kotomine Kirei was praying today.

  Although his faith in Roland was above all else, Kotomine Kirei did not give up his identity and devotion as a believer.

  After hearing the door open, he subconsciously turned his head and looked at Kotomine Risei who had a sad face.

  "Father? Have you finished dealing with the aftermath?"

  It was not unusual for his father to come to the church at this time in the past, but the explosion that happened last night in the Tohsaka family, the most prestigious family in Fuyuki City, could not help but cause panic.

  As the current manager of the Holy Church, Kotomine Risei is entangled in various affairs and is unable to extricate herself.

  "Not yet, but let's just use the excuse of a gas explosion to fool them first, and then use hints to appease the guys who witnessed the disaster, and cooperate with the official announcement, and it should be able to calm down."

  Speaking of this matter, Kotomine Risei also felt a bit of a headache.

  The day before yesterday, the Matou family also suffered a disaster, followed by the Tohsaka family. If anything goes wrong again, it will be difficult to deal with. Fortunately, these two incidents did not cause any casualties, otherwise it would be much more troublesome to cover up the past.

  "Let's not talk about this, Kirei. I'm waiting for you."

  Kotomine Risei was looking at this child who looked very much like himself, and his originally serious eyes became gentle again: "I already know everything about Tokiomi. Although it is very sad, there is nothing I can do about it."

  The relationship between the Tōsaka family and the church started many years ago, and Kotomine Risei and Tōsaka Tokiomi were close friends regardless of age difference, and she even helped him cheat for this.

  Unexpectedly, just as one of the servants left the field, my friend unfortunately died.

  When mentioning this, Kotomine Kirei covered his face and his voice began to tremble.

  "It's all my fault. In order to avoid exposing our alliance, the teacher asked me to wait in the workshop while he went to fight alone. I didn't expect that Matou Kariya was determined to die. He deliberately let the berserker leave first, and then in the duel, I don't know what means he used to die together with the teacher."

  Kotomine Risei sighed and comforted Kotomine Kirei.

  "It's okay. This is not your fault. You have tried your best. After all, your Servant is just an assassin. You have done enough. I believe that Tokiomi will feel relieved if he is still alive."

  "For something like this to happen, I can only say that God is not looking after the Tousaka family."

  Having said this, Kotomine Risei's expression was no longer as calm and peaceful as before, and began to become solemn and serious.  

  "By the way, Kirei, have you signed a contract with Archer?"

  "Yes, even though the teacher is dead, the Toosaka camp has not lost yet. I have no wish to fulfill it, but at least I have to make sure that the teacher's efforts are not in vain. Others don't know that the teacher is dead yet. As long as Archer continues to fight, whether he can get the Holy Grail or not, he will not tarnish the name of the Toosaka family."

  "Kirei…"

  Kotomine Risei was showing a look of nostalgia, and looked at Kotomine Kirei with great satisfaction. He no longer hesitated and said, "Although I can understand your determination, please also understand the concerns of a father. How many Command Seals do you have now?"

  Kotomine Kirei stretched out his hand, showing his intact Command Seals.

  "not enough..."

  But Kotomine Risei just shook his head casually, and then he lifted up his sleeves, revealing his arms filled with red marks.

  "These are the Command Seals left by the previous Master. It is still too much for you to maintain Archer's magic supply by yourself."

  Kotomine Risei hid the fact too deeply, and even Kotomine Kirei was not told, that this supervisor was the biggest cheater in the Holy Grail War. After all, this was essentially using the reputation of the church to endorse himself.

  The value of the Command Seals as pure crystals of magical power is naturally self-evident. Such a large number is enough to break the balance. Even Saber will become a puppet in the hands of the Master.

  Even if one were to be a bit more extravagant and use it as a pure source of mana, with the amount that Kotomine Kirei possessed, after being blessed, he would not be afraid even if Kotomine Kirei had to engage in hand-to-hand combat with a Servant.

  If we say that Kotomine Risei's previous actions, whether it was letting his son form an alliance with Tōsaka Tokiomi or using the privileges of an overseer to provide the Tōsaka family with all possible help, were generally considered to be exploiting loopholes in the rules, but privately transferring the Command Seals was undoubtedly an act of exceeding authority.

  If the death of Tōsaka Tokiomi had not aroused the anxiety in Kotomine Risei's heart, he would never have behaved like this.

  But now he no longer cares so much. Although he once doubted whether he was too indulgent to his son because he had a child in his old age, Kotomine Kirei proved this with his nobleness and piety.

  "No need to worry. Regardless of whether you are exposed or not, after the Holy Grail War ends, you will be the successor of the Fuyuki City Church. I am already very tired, so, Kirei, please forgive my selfishness."

  Kotomine Risei said gently, although the conversations between father and son did not seem intimate because they were both believers, the love that Kotomine Risei had for his son was by no means false.

  "I know you are still feeling depressed and confused. Whether it's your wife or Kallen, it's not your fault. No matter what you become, I will always love you deeply."

  Kotomine Risei was reaching out his hand towards Kirei, and the Command Seals on his hand also lit up red. After the transfer was completed, the old man waved tiredly.

  "I'll go and rest first, Kirei. I'll leave the rest to you."

  "Thank you, father."

  Kotomine Kirei bowed deeply to his father to hide the smile that he could hardly suppress on his face.

  After Kotomine Risei figure disappeared, a curious voice suddenly rang out.

  "Are you satisfied?"

  "Of course not, Lord Roland."

  Kotomine Kirei turned his head and looked at Roland, who had his arms resting on the back of the bench with a bored look on his face.

  "Aren't you curious why I didn't kill my own father?"

  "Because this guy dotes on you too much," Roland said indifferently, "Even if you really sneak attack him, he will be surprised and feel pain, but he will not blame you because he is a conservative father and has already determined your image."

  "Even if you do make a mistake, you will only blame yourself for not teaching you well. For those who want to gain pleasure from pain, it is simply despair to encounter such a scene."

  At this point, Roland smiled playfully: "Besides, compared to the pleasure of backstabbing my mentor, what does this mean?"

  "So, let's just get along peacefully like ordinary father and son."

  Kotomine Kirei rolled up his sleeves and pointed the Command Seal in his hand at Roland. Just as he was about to start transferring, Roland, like a ghost, grabbed his hand and stopped his movements.

  "There's no need for that. In order to gain new pleasure from that troublesome Hero King, you need these things more than I do."

  Through a series of robberies, Roland already had nine Command Seals of his own, so his demands in this regard were not high.

  "But... Lord Roland, there's not much I can do for you..."

  Kotomine Kirei is aware of the limits of his abilities. His identity as an agent may seem very outstanding in the other world, but it is not worth mentioning to Roland. Even so, Roland still becomes friends with him without any hesitation. For this, Kotomine Kirei believes that he must repay him no matter what.

  "Kirei, I have something to ask you again."

  Roland smiled gently: "Do you believe in Gravity?"

  Under Kotomine Kirei's gaze, he slowly spread out his hands, and a broken gem began to spin spontaneously as if inspired, and finally pointed at Kotomine Kirei.

  "I want to give this to you. If you don't want it, I won't force you. But isn't the meeting between people also caused by Gravity?"

  "I don't know what kind of person you think I am, but I regard you as a friend you can trust. If you really intend to come to my world, then hold it. However, no matter success or failure, you can never return to an ordinary fate."

  Kotomine Kirei half-knelt down tremblingly, his pupils flashing with a passionate light, and then, in the face of Roland's meaningful gaze, he responded with action.

  "No matter where you go, I will follow you."

  However, contrary to Kotomine Kirei's expectations, when his fingertips touched the broken gem, the gem immediately melted away, turned into a stream of light, and merged into his body in an instant.

  The next moment, sleepless darkness and budding happiness came together and snatched away Kotomine Kirei's consciousness.

  When he woke up again, Roland was no longer in the church.

  But Kotomine Kirei was not surprised. He just looked at the world with the pure eyes of a newborn baby. At this moment, the worries and emptiness in his heart had disappeared, leaving only enthusiasm.

  "Lord Roland, once I am proficient in this, I will definitely make you awaken."

  There was solemnity and heavy determination in his voice.

  "——People will go to heaven eventually!"