C538

Valcea City.

Shirou had planned to let A-11072 drive the truck ahead, while he stayed back to investigate the odd church in Vasha City. But the owner had a sudden change of heart.

Returning the rental fee to him, the owner flat-out refused to rent the truck to them.

"Sorry, but I can't lease you the truck. As far as the church sees it, that'd be aiding your escape. I-I can't risk getting on the bad side of the deputy leader," the store owner stammered, visibly unnerved.

It was obvious he was terrified of this so-called deputy leader.

To be honest, the church in Valcea City gave Shirou the creeps. It even led him to suspect that some sort of cult was taking root in the area.

"Look, have you been pulled into some sort of cult?" Shirou questioned. "You could go to the authorities with this. I can't imagine the local cops would just look the other way."

The owner nervously shook his head. "No, no— the deputy leader would put a curse on me!"

"What's the deal with this 'curse' from the deputy leader?"

The owner looked petrified as he stammered, "I—I can't go into details. You'll lose your mind, start acting all weird…"

The owner hastily chased him and A-11072 out the door.

A-11072 looked baffled, but Shirou's brow furrowed in thought.

"What's wrong, Mr. Assassin?" A-11072 turned to face him.

Shirou glanced back at A-11072, shook his head, and muttered, "No, it's nothing."

The situation in the city is definitely strange, and given what the owner had said...

It's pretty clear that something supernatural is at play.

And considering that the Holy Grail War was taking place in Romania, it's highly probable that the unexplained phenomena were caused by a Servant.

But if that was the case, why hadn't his Evil Flower detected something?

Shirou's brow furrowed in deep thought.

To make matters weirder, after the owner had kicked them out, they became the center of attention. People on the streets couldn't help but stare.

It was then that Shirou noticed something he'd missed before.

Some people had a pair of bells fastened to their belts. As they walked, these bells emitted a soft "jingle-jangle" sound.

Interestingly, the middle-aged man who had tried to convert them earlier also had these bells.

"Jingle-jangle—"

A series of bells chimed as a young girl jogged up to them. Flashing a smile, she asked, "Hey there, first time in Valcea City?"

Shirou stopped A-11072 and returned the smile, replying, "I appreciate the offer, but we've already been invited to join a local church."

"Ah, gotcha," the girl grinned. "Well, enjoy your time in Valcea City. Bless this beautiful world."

After offering a quick prayer, she turned and walked away.

A-11072 gave Shirou a puzzled look and asked, "Mr. Assassin, why'd you stop me just now?"

"You were about to say we should get out of here, weren't you?"

A-11072 nodded. "Yes, what's wrong with that? This place gives me the creeps. Let's leave, Mr. Assassin!"

"No can do," Shirou shook his head. "This town's too close to our base. We need to figure out what's going on here, or it might come back to bite us."

"I see," A-11072 nodded, adding, "Alright then. I'll head back first, don't want to slow you down."

Shirou clapped a hand on A-11072's shoulder and smiled. "If you head back now, that's when you'd really be slowing me down."

"Huh?"

A look of confusion crossed A-11072's face, but Shirou didn't elaborate. Instead, he led A-11072 toward the town square.

That street preacher they'd bumped into earlier had mentioned a church event there, and Shirou wasn't about to let that tidbit slip his mind.

And it was hard to miss the throng of locals also making their way to the square.

When they arrived, a sizable crowd had already gathered.

People sat huddled in corners, chattering amongst themselves before breaking into spontaneous praises of the world.

At that moment, a middle-aged man turned his gaze to Shirou and said, "Bless this beautiful world. You folks look new here; first time in the city?"

"Bless this beautiful world. Yes, we came specifically from Trifas for this church event," Shirou answered.

A-11072 looked perplexed, throwing a puzzled glance at him. But he subtly gestured behind his back, wagging his index finger in a signal for silence.

Although A-11072 was confused, he obediently took a seat and remained quiet.

"Aha, visitors from Trifas!" The middle-aged man's voice was tinged with excitement. "Has the leadership finally set up a branch church there?"

"Yes, they've even built a chapel. Many of us are drawn to it. Ah... bless this beautiful world," Shirou said, clasping his hands together in a gesture of prayer.

"Bless this beautiful world," the middle-aged man repeated, also folding his hands in prayer.

Shirou narrowed his eyes, a telltale sign he was deep in thought.

If Merlin were to see this gesture, he'd probably get an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach—again.

"Speaking of which," Shirou began, his tone tinged with nostalgia. "Our church in Trifas is pretty modest compared to what you've got here in Vâlcea. When are we gonna have something this grand back home?"

"Don't worry, it won't take long," the middle-aged man patted his chest and said, "Vâlcea has come a long way in just a month. You guys will catch up in no time."

Once again, Shirou narrowed his eyes in contemplation. Could this rapid development mean that a Servant—or some other supernatural entity—had established the church here just a month ago?

"By the way, friend. I heard that there was a damned outsider who caused trouble in our church, delaying its spread to Trifas City. Is this true?" Shirou asked.

"Of course it's true!" the middle-aged man replied, his face clouding with anger. "That woman would show up and cause trouble every time we gathered. It's infuriating! But good news—our deputy leader finally caught her, and she'll be facing judgment soon!"

"Really?" Shirou raised an eyebrow, scanned the area, and then asked, "So where's this deputy leader? Haven't seen him around."

"You don't know who the deputy leader is?" The man's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Shirou smiled and said, "The one spreading the faith in Trifas is the leader herself. Bless this beautiful world, she's an incredible woman—graceful and holy. All praises to her."

"I see," the middle-aged man responded, his suspicions melting away. He then broke into a smile and said, "Well, the deputy leader is standing right beside you."

"Ah?" Shirou was startled.

"The deputy leader is you. It's me. It's all of us who are faithful," the man explained. "Ah, bless this beautiful world."

Shirou's expression tightened.

Just then, a bearded priest took the stage.

The middle-aged man glanced at the bearded priest then turned to Shirou, "Looks like we're getting started. Sorry, but I can't talk anymore."

Shirou nodded and subtly distanced himself from the middle-aged man.

Surveying the animated crowd around him, he leaned over and whispered to A-11072, "When they shout, we shout. Got it?"

A-11072 nodded quickly.

Just then, the bearded priest took center stage, arms extended as if embracing the world, and declared, "Friends, let us unite in praising this beautiful world."

"Bless the beautiful world!"

"Bless the beautiful world!"

The crowd's collective chant filled the air.

Shirou joined in, his eyes sweeping over everyone present like a hawk, and his eyebrows furrowing involuntarily.

Among those filling the square and chanting with zeal were not just ordinary citizens. He spotted business tycoons, law enforcement officers, military personnel, clergy from the local cathedral, and even local politicians.

Shirou recognized many of these faces—they were high-profile individuals whose photos adorned billboards and newsfeeds across the city.

No wonder the store owner said that reporting it would be useless—the politicians of the city themselves were involved in this gathering.

And now, these gathered followers, regardless of their social standing, all looked zealously enraptured as if possessed.

Shirou's brow furrowed even deeper.

"I'm overjoyed to see each and every one of you here today under this clear, blue sky. Ah... Bless this beautiful world!"

The bearded priest led another chant, and the crowd eagerly joined in.

Shirou could understand why the store owner was so annoyed. Even the most poetic words could grate on the nerves if endlessly repeated.