FATE/IRREGULAR SUMMONS

Chapter 11: Unchanging Norms

In the dead of night, Kirei remained standing in his favorite spot before the altar of his church. He held a rosary to his chest as he recited some prayers in his mind. Soon though, the immense silence was disrupted when he sensed magical energy flowing behind him. He didn't turn around to acknowledge what was happening, but based on the raw purity of this magic, he had a good idea of who was making such a surprise visit.

"Caster…" he whispered.

"How do we do, good arbiter of this barbaric ceremony?" Medea coldly greeted him.

"Have you forgotten? This place is supposed to be inviolable neutral territory. No Servant is allowed to enter this sanctuary."

"Oh, dear. Are you taking me for a fool? I know just as well as you do that the rules have no meaning any longer. Your Servant must have told you about my actions by now."

The corner of Kirei's lip curled in consternation. Medea knew that he had broken the rules as well. It was rather inconvenient for him that he couldn't hide behind them while in her presence. This also meant that she could use that information as a bargaining chip to make some kind of deal with him, or else she could inform the other Masters about his illegal participation.

"Good, good. I'm glad to see we're on the same page now," Medea smiled. "Then I will get to the point. You and I both know that the outcome of this war is decided. With my victory assured, I have come to obtain my prize a little earlier than expected."

"That's impossible. The Holy Grail will not appear until only one Servant remains. You must have been made aware of this during your summoning."

"You're right about that. The Grail did order me to hunt down the other Heroic Spirits and slay them in order to activate its powers. However…"

Her grin grew even more malicious than before.

"That refers to the Greater Grail, doesn't it?"

Kirei inhaled deeply. The tension was almost unbearable for him.

Indeed, there were actually two Holy Grails that everyone was fighting over; the Greater Grail, and the Lesser Grail. One could consider them two halves of a whole that were necessary for activating the Third Magic, allowing for a wish to occur. The Greater Grail was more of an intangible concept than a physical object, which was responsible for choosing the Masters and their Servants. It also acted as a gateway to the Root, an imaginary place where the events of all timelines were recorded, and thus contained an impossibly vast amount of knowledge. Accessing that information was the penultimate goal for a Mage, and this was why they would go to extraordinary lengths to preserve their legacies. If a Mage couldn't achieve this goal themselves, they would rest their hopes on one of their descendants accomplishing it on their behalf.

In contrast, the Lesser Grail was the material form that collected the souls of the defeated six Servants, and then would be used by the surviving seventh one to make the wish on their Master's command. Despite it being called a 'Grail', that was actually a misnomer. It didn't manifest as a chalice, but was actually a human being that had been prepared as the vessel to collect the spirits. They would have a magical construct placed in their body that functioned as their 'heart', and they would be given limited mobility and fighting strength to protect themselves. The Einzberns were responsible for preparing the vessel in each Grail War, and they utilized homunculi that were inferior copies of the very first Lesser Grail, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.

Now, Medea had approached Kirei demanding to know where the current Lesser Grail was. She knew that the overseer would be aware of who was constructed to fulfill the role of a sacrifice. He certainly did know who the Einzberns had created. However, he absolutely refused to tell Medea. His intent was to activate the Lesser Grail himself. Sharing this knowledge with the sorceress would ruin everything he had worked for over the last decade.

He calmly put his hands behind his back and declared, "There is no Grail here."

"Do you want to die?" Medea curtly threatened him.

"Enough with the idle threats. All you are doing is betraying yourself, Princess of Colchis. The truth is, you have no stomach for brutality. If you did, you wouldn't have spared all of those 'coma victims'."

Her expression grew even more stern. Even though she had the advantage in terms of magical power, something about Kirei's lack of consideration for the people she drained made her feel uncomfortable. Maybe she didn't go as far as to kill everyone she targeted, but the idea was to keep them alive long enough to drain as much mana as she could. Was Kirei suggesting that he actually wanted everyone around him to die miserable deaths?

His indifferent attitude spurned her to silently summon some Dragon Tooth Warriors. Kirei didn't move from his spot. The sight of these horrifying creatures was little more than an everyday occurrence for an Executor like himself. He must have killed dozens of rogue Mages who utilized such ghastly familiars, so seeing the dragon-like creatures was nothing special to him. This time though, he wasn't dealing with some ordinary fool possessing delusions of grandeur. This was a Servant – perhaps one of the most powerful sorcerers in all of human history. Kirei couldn't let everything go to waste simply because he was outmatched in this battle.

Suddenly, the roof collapsed over Kirei and Medea with a tremendous crashing sound. Chunks of roofing and concrete crushed some of the skeletal beasts, and the plummeting plumes of smoke blinded Medea for a moment. She looked up once the cacophony settled, and discovered that the priest was missing. She sighed under her breath in annoyance.

"Well, it doesn't matter," she murmured to herself. "The arbiter doesn't have many places to run to. With this chapel under my control, and with Assassin guarding Ryuudou's gate, it will only be a matter of time before he crawls back out of the woodwork."

Kirei's messy hair and priest's stole billowed in the chilly February wind. He showed no signs of fatigue or surprise as he was being carried away from the church. Indeed, it had been Cuchulainn who broke through the roof and retrieved his Master before Medea could do anything to him.

"Tch, what a messy affair this has become," Cuchulainn snorted. He landed on a residential rooftop and set Kirei down. "What happened in there? Why did Caster approach you even though it's against the rules?"

"She knows about you being my Servant," was the vapid response. "She must have observed too much and deduced that I stole you from your original Master."

"Serves you right, then. Goes to show that you're not the only one who has thrown away their honor."

"Spare me your lectures, Lancer. Although Caster's interference is a disruption, that doesn't mean we are at a disadvantage. Her occupying the church is literally a red flag that will prompt the other Masters to take action, and she doesn't have as much mana at her disposal as she did at Ryuudou. For all of her boasting about her victory being assured, I'm certain she will be the first Servant to fall."

"You could have let me destroy her right then and there."

"You need to learn patience. A hawk does not dive for the mouse until the most optimal moment."

"Your roundabout methods are getting seriously boring, y'know?" Cuchulainn glowered.

"How unfortunate," Kirei replied with absolutely no concern. "But your job is to keep me away from the other Masters while observing their movements. We are only in the first phase of the war, so I would like to conserve your strength for the second phase."

"First phase? Second phase?"

"Of course. The beginning phase is nothing more than us eyeing each other out and seeing who flinches first. Once the weakest of the bunch are disposed of, that is when the carnage can commence in earnest."

"Hmph… So, which rotten log are you going to crawl under this time? Since Caster knows about me being your Servant, she won't hesitate to tell everyone else about it."

"Not to worry. I have an ideal place in mind. Bring me to Mt. Endou."

"You're gonna camp out at Ryuudou Temple or something? I can't exactly do that when Assassin is still stationed at the gate."

"No, not that dilapidated place of worship. There is a cavern deep within the bowels of the mountain. The Anti-Servant field plus an additional barrier will ensure my safety for the time being."

"Does anyone else know about it?"

"Only myself and the three primary Mage families know about it. Everyone's attention will be too focused on eliminating Caster for anyone to think about looking for me there. After she is dealt with, there is also the matter of Berserker and his Master. All I can hope for is that the other Servants kill Berserker as many times as they can before you clean up the rest of his lives."

"So Berserker's the one you're most concerned about."

"Well, even if you fail my expectations in the end, I always have a contingency plan."

Cuchulainn narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure of what Kirei was talking about, but the confident tone of his voice suggested that the priest really had all of his priorities straightened out. Without being told, the Lancer took his Master toward Mt. Endou. After a minute of leaping about, he then said, "By the way, I had a little run-in with Archer earlier."

"And how did that go?"

"He said that he fought the eighth Servant at Ryuudou."

"Ah… I almost forgot about that surplus Heroic Spirit. Did you find out who they were?"

"Archer never told me their True Name, but he was certain that they were another Lancer like myself. On top of that, I found out who that Servant's Master is. Her name's Caren Hortensia, a nun who's supposedly visiting from Italy."

Kirei's brow furrowed slightly. "… Hortensia?"

"Yeah. Apparently she had a little sister named Constance, but I think that was just this other Lancer's disguise."

"I see… I see…"

Cuchulainn glanced at the contemplative priest and wondered, "There something wrong?"

"Heh. Nothing to worry about. I was just experiencing a fleeting moment of mirth, that's all."

"What's got a miserable fop like you in a jolly mood all of a sudden? You know something about that woman?"

"Very much so. The Church couldn't have chosen a more fitting candidate to be my executioner. It's like they expect her presence to rattle me at my very core, or something to that effect."

"So who the hell is she?"

"No one for you to worry about. She will be an easy target for me to get rid of. Once we find her, it will be your job to keep her Servant occupied."

Cuchulainn then had a 'moment of mirth' himself as he asked, "So you're saying I should get ready for battle soon?"

"Yes. The chaos that Caster caused at Ryuudou will be a sufficient enough flame for the moths to be drawn toward."

The following morning, Connla prepared breakfast, while everyone else conversed with each other. Bringing three Masters and their Servants together hadn't started out easily, but once they started smoothing out the rough patches between each other, getting to know each other wasn't quite as difficult as anticipated. Artoria and Medusa certainly had the hardest time trusting one another, but they didn't want to just resign to their Masters' wishes and cooperate begrudgingly. Both of them knew that Connla was not strong enough to fight on her own, yet she had been courageous enough to try anyway. Neither Servant wanted her efforts to go to waste, so they found some kind of kinship through her.

Caren was upstairs tending to Bazett, so this gave Shirou and Sakura some time to catch up with each other as well. They sat in the lounge, and Sakura fidgeted her hands together. She had no idea how to initiate the conversation with her friend.

Shirou was nowhere near as anxious as he said, "So this is where you've been the last while."

"Uh… Y-Yes, that's right," she blurted.

"How are you doing? I mean, with Shinji's death. Mitsuzuri and the others have been worried about you."

"Oh. Well, I'm still quite in shock. But at the same time," Sakura murmured as she stared at her lap somberly. "I… I was the one… who put him in such a dangerous situation…"

"You said something about how you passed on your duty as Rider's Master to him. Is that true?"

"Yes. I used two of my Command Spells to give him temporary ownership of Rider. He must have been killed by one of the other Masters because of that."

"So that's why his death was so brutal…" Shirou bit his lip as he thought about the mortifying state that Shinji's body was left in.

"It must be. He died because I was such a coward. I didn't want to fight in the Holy Grail War at all, yet I still had my responsibilities as a Matou. That's why I shoved all of my duties onto my brother's shoulders, even though he wasn't ready for such a burden. I was adopted into the family in order to fulfill Grandfather's wish, and I completely failed."

"Adopted?" he wondered. This was the first time he heard of such a thing. "You mean Shinji isn't your real brother?"

"No. I was born into a different Mage family. In fact, I think you know my sister well enough…"

"Your sister? Who is she?"

Sakura paused and looked away wistfully. She fingered the red ribbon tied in her hair, then whispered, "Tohsaka… Rin."

Shirou blinked, then let out a small gasp. "Tohsaka's… your sister!?"

"We may not look like it, but we're actually twins."

"Unbelievable!"

"It's true. I'm actually the daughter of Tohsaka Tokiomi. But my father sold me to the Matous so that he could raise Rin as the Tohsakas' heir, while I became the Matous' heir to compensate for their dwindling lineage. Shinji would have been the actual heir, but Grandfather was dissatisfied with his inability to wield Magecraft."

"That's insane," he snarled. "How can Mages do that to their own children?"

"That is how things go with Mage lineages. Children born into such families are not treated as human beings, but as vessels to carry on the legacy."

He grew more and more frustrated as he listened to her. He came to realize why his foster father, Emiya Kiritsugu, refused to teach him anything about Magecraft. He knew how devoid of morality real Mages could be, which was why he had become an infamous mercenary known as the Magus Killer. Kiritsugu himself was the fourth in the Emiya family's bloodline, but he either experienced or caused so many tragedies in his life that he staunchly refused to pass on his knowledge to Shirou. Thus, the boy was left completely ignorant of how commonplace it was for children like Sakura to be subjected to the horrors of being part of a Mage family.

"Are you okay, Senpai?" Sakura asked. "Are you mad at me?"

"No, not at all. I was just disgusted…"

"With my father?"

"With Mages in general. It's because of people like them that this whole Holy Grail debacle is causing so many people to suffer."

"I suppose."

"Not only that, Tohsaka is also Archer's Master. Knowing that you would've had to fight your own sister must have been too devastating for you."

"No, I was prepared," Sakura said resolutely. "The Einzberns, Tohsakas and Matous always have first dibs on selecting a Servant. With Rin and I as the heads of our respective families, it was inevitable that we would have to face each other."

"Your father knew this was going to happen, didn't he? That if he failed in the Fourth War, Tohsaka would fight on his behalf in this War, regardless if that meant pitting both of his daughters against each other."

"Yes. It must have been preferable to us fighting each other over headship of the Tohsaka lineage."

"Damn it all," Shirou shuddered. "This is just too much."

"I'm sorry," Sakura murmured sadly. "I really wish you didn't have to find any of this out. In fact, I wish you had never become a Master. Then you wouldn't have been dragged into this cruel game between Mages…"

"It's not your fault. What's done is done. If this is how the Grail Wars really operate, then I need to know what the truth is before actually trying to put an end to it all. I really should thank you for telling me everything, Sakura. Not only can I make better decisions for myself and Saber, but you don't have to carry such a terrible burden alone anymore. From now on, I'm going to do what I can to set everyone free from this vicious cycle."

"Senpai…"

For once, Sakura actually felt happiness. The guy who never gave up trying to leap over that high-jump bar, and the guy whose tenacity inspired her so much that she wound up developing feelings for him, was saying such wonderful things to her. She knew it wasn't a direct confession of love per se, and she certainly wasn't foolish enough to misinterpret his words as such, but the elation she felt could be compared to such a romantic moment. No longer did she have to worry about seeing Shirou as an enemy. They could carry on as friends with nothing like abusive relatives, sacrificial rituals and crooked Mage families setting them apart. She would be a lot happier if they could find a way to get Rin on their side, but for now, Sakura would be content with enjoying this moment with Shirou.

Just then, the door knocked twice. Connla stepped through and announced, "Breakfast is ready."

"Thanks, Lancer," Shirou said.

"Hm? Am I interrupting anything?" she wondered as she glanced at Sakura, who was edging slightly toward her classmate.

"Ah!?" the blushing teenager stopped herself and quickly got to her feet. "No, not at all! Goodness, all of this talking is making me famished."

Shirou raised an eyebrow, wondering why his friend was so flustered. He followed both girls to the dining hall, where the others had already convened to eat.

Rin stood in front of the Emiya residence's front door. She had rung the doorbell several times, and grew increasingly annoyed when she received no response. Five minutes later, she had enough of waiting and curtly threw open the sliding door. With a huff, she stormed through the house and checked in each room to see where Shirou and Artoria were.

"Hey, Emiya!" she called out. "Enough with the hide and seek games! Come out already, or you're going to be in for a nasty surprise!"

The small dojo was the last area she investigated, yet she found no trace of either her classmate or his Servant. Her heart sunk as she wondered, "What's going on here…? Where in the world are you, Emiya?"

"Looks like my hunch was right," Archer's voice echoed in the training hall, and he materialized next to Rin. "Emiya Shirou didn't return here last night. If you ask me, that was the right decision. Despite the security measures designed to keep intruders out, Caster managed to circumvent them and lure him to Ryuudou, all while Saber was asleep. With his situation so compromised, it's no wonder he decided to take shelter elsewhere."

"But where could Emiya run off to? I don't think he'd go to any of his friends' places since he wouldn't want to put any innocent people in danger."

"Yeah. His options are rather limited. Maybe he's staying at a hotel. Or he could be running around homeless, for all we know."

"In this weather!? That's insane!"

"Well whatever the case may be, the fact remains that he is not here."

Rin sighed despondently. Her frustration turned into worry for her classmate's wellbeing. Archer kept his arms folded and glanced away. After he reunited with her last night, he informed her of how his battle against Medea went. He revealed that the unknown eighth Servant had appeared to lend her assistance, and he confirmed her Class Name to be Second Lancer. What he didn't tell Rin was how he attempted to murder Shirou despite her forging an alliance with him to fight Caster together. With Shirou missing in action, there was no one to tell her the truth behind the battle, so Archer told her whatever lies suited his personal agenda. With Rin oblivious to her Servant's treason, she thus never had to use a second Command Spell to force him to leave Shirou alone.

The sullen teenager put her hands on her hips, then declared, "If we can't find Emiya, then there's no choice but to look for Caster ourselves. We have to take her out while she is at her weakest, and that is right now."

"Agreed. Where do you plan on searching first?"

"I don't want to run around blindly like before. That fake priest has to know what's going on. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm at a loss without his help."

"You're going to consult with the arbiter?"

"Right. It's his job to make sure the Holy Grail War proceeds without involving the citizenry. With Caster basically out of her Master's control at this point, he'll need to take measures to protect Fuyuki. This is similar to what happened in the Fourth War. The Caster-class Servant of that conflict caused similar tragedies to this war's Caster, and the previous overseer had to rally the other Masters and Servants to eliminate the Fourth Caster and his Master."

"I see. So you hope Kotomine will do the same thing."

"I don't have much faith in someone who allowed my dad to be killed back then, but I also don't have a choice. Taking into account Emiya's disappearance while balancing our own strengths and weaknesses, I've concluded that the two of us simply aren't enough to deal with Caster's forces."

"All right. It's your call," Archer relented, then shifted back to spirit form. Without another word, Rin left the empty house and headed for the church.

Back in Edelfelt Manor, everyone sat down at the dining table and proceeded to eat the food that Connla prepared. During the meal, Shirou couldn't stop focusing his attention on Connla. Though there was a lot he was only just starting to learn about, there was something that remained elusive to him. He remembered seeing the numerous scars strewn across the child Servant's body back during the battle at Ryuudou. That sight alone nearly made him want to retch in disgust. He recalled himself when he was her age, walking alone through the flames and devastation of the New Fuyuki Fire. Losing everything and everyone around him, along with the despair of being unable to save anyone that day, had utterly broken his spirit that day.

If he had survived such a singular horror, then he didn't want to fathom what Connla had to go through to sustain so many wounds. It was obvious – she had to have been this severely wounded not just once, but multiple times, and when she was younger than she was now. Were her injuries the result of intense training, or something far more sinister? What sort of terrors did she experience in her short life? Were they just as bad as what he witnessed, or perhaps even worse? How did all of this affect Connla's mentality? If Shirou's spirit had been shattered and was slowly repairing itself, what state was her mind in? Was she as utterly broken as he was? Could she even be considered a 'child' at this point?

"Senpai?" Sakura wondered. "You haven't eaten anything yet."

"Oh…" he uttered and took his chopsticks. Everyone else was almost finished their meal, so it looked strange that his meal was still intact.

"Are you all right? I know that we've been telling you a lot, but please don't forget to take care of yourself."

"I know. There just a lot to think about. Don't wait for me. I'll help Lancer with the dishes."

Once the others finished eating, Connla took the leftover dishes and began washing them in the sink. Shirou was left at the table to eat alone, so he was able to stare at her back without arousing curiosity from anyone else. After a long pause, he finally murmured in a firm tone, "… Lancer."

"Hm?"

"I need to talk with you."

Connla stared at him, unsure of why he looked so upset with her. His tone sounded forceful, further bewildering her. She tilted her head and blinked in curiosity, then asked, "About what?"

"Those scars all over your body."

She became anxious and crossed her hands in front of her chest. "Y-You… saw them?"

"During the fight at Ryuudou. Your clothes were so badly burnt that it was impossible for me not to notice them."

"I see… I was hoping to keep them hidden at all times."

"Why do you have so many? What on Earth did you go through to be wounded so horribly?"

She gazed at him for a long moment, then replied matter-of-factly, "Training. What else?"

"Yeah, I get that. Just what exactly was that training?"

"Well… I'm the child of a great hero, so I was expected to live up to such expectations even from a young age."

It was clear to Shirou that Connla was trying to avoid the subject. He became increasingly agitated as he exclaimed, "That's not right! How can someone your age be put through such hardships just to satisfy their parents!?"

"Why are you so upset? I'm a Servant. Regardless of my age, I was raised to be a warrior. I've materialized as a Lancer in order to utilize the full strength I had back when I was alive. Maybe I'm not as strong as Saber or Rider, but I'm not going to use that as an excuse and let my training go to waste."

He suddenly gripped her shoulders and shouted, "How can you be so calm about this!? You're a child! Servant or not, children don't belong on the battlefield! Why are you going so far!?"

Connla's eyes widened, but her lips remained tightly sealed. She hadn't expected him to rant about such a thing, yet she could understand his position. The room fell into silence as he waited for her answer. Then, with an unfaltering tone, she replied, "Because it's natural."

"Natural…?"

"I get why you're so bothered. This age looks down upon the usage of child soldiers, but it wasn't like that in my time. It was common for children around my age to be part of boy-troops that trained to become knights. In order to raise an army of effective soldiers, a nation would see fit to educate the young in the art of war. Such regiments produced desirable results, and the morality wasn't questioned unlike in these modern times. In fact, families would encourage their children to learn how to fight, if at least to defend themselves and their loved ones. The era I hail from was no different."

"Then… you're saying it's because your upbringing conflicts with the standards that I know?"

"Precisely. We Heroic Spirits of yore hearken from ages where societal norms were vastly different compared to what is acceptable today. Take Christopher Columbus for example. He may have been a great pioneer during the Age of Discovery, but he was allowed to pillage, slaughter and enslave the indigenous people of the Americas in the name of his country Spain. What do you think would happen if such a man was summoned as a Heroic Spirit today?"

Shirou's shocked expression told her that he didn't want to think about it.

"There you go," Connla said. "Does that answer your question?"

"Y-Yeah…" he mumbled, not sounding entirely convinced. Even so, he couldn't refute against such a solid argument. He thought about what Sakura said before about how Mage families mistreated their children, and came to wonder something:

Is Lancer's era really that different from our own?

He let go of her shoulders, then asked, "Still, I kind of have trouble accepting a child fighting against Servants. Couldn't you at least make yourself look like an adult? Then maybe I wouldn't have such a problem with it."

"I can't," she shook her head. "I don't know what I would look like as an adult."

"What does that man?"

"Every Servant takes on a form that represents their prime back in their first life. This just happens to be mine."

"You were in your prime as a child… And you don't know how you would have grown up…" Shirou tried to make sense of what she was saying. After a moment, he figured it out and blurted in horror, "Wait a minute! Are you saying…!?"

"Yes," Connla closed her eyes solemnly. "This is who I was when I was killed in battle."

He clenched his teeth, then demanded, "Who was your opponent?"

She looked away from him purposefully. He asked again, "Who was it that killed you?"

"…"

Both of them became quiet. It was evident to him that she would not say a word about her personal history, no matter how hard he pressed her for details. He sighed in resignation and grumbled, "Fine. I think I've got a better idea of what you're like anyway. You're not the kind of Servant who would happily partake in a battle royale like this. Even if you are too reserved about yourself, you're still as honest as can be. You may not be my Servant, but I'm certain I can place my trust in you."

Connla continued to avoid making eye contact with Shirou, though she appeared so sullen that she seemed to be apologizing for being such an inconvenience. He remembered seeing that look in Sakura's eyes whenever she avoided the issue about Shinji physically abusing her. Shirou got up and grumbled, "I'd better take a nap. If I don't, I'll wind up making Sakura worry about me again."

"Good idea," Connla said. "We'll be having a strategy meeting concerning Caster later today, so be ready for it."

"I will. See you later, Lancer."

"Mm."

Early in the afternoon, Rin approached Fuyuki Church in total silence. However hesitant she was about meeting Kirei, she forced herself to swallow her pride and rely on the guy she despised the most for assistance. Her brow twitched in frustration, and she paused in mid-step while wondering if she was making the right decision. Her disgust towards Kirei was much too palpable for her to ignore.

"Why the dubiety, woman?" an unfamiliar man's voice interrupted her.

Rin blinked and looked behind to discover a fellow she had never met before. He had short golden-blonde hair and piercing red eyes. His black and white biker attire certainly made her uncomfortable, but not as much as the look in those shimmering ruby irises. He had his hands in his pockets, and he casually shifted his weight onto one foot as he asked, "Are you perhaps looking for Kotomine?"

"Yeah…" she mumbled. His complacent expression reminded her of Shinji's flimsy attempts at trying to get a date out of her. This man's arrogance wasn't as flagrant as Shinji's, but it certainly was there.

"He's not here," the man plainly told her.

"Then do you know where he is?"

"Who knows. I had some business with him myself, but he had the nerve to bail on me after demanding that I heed his summons. Is this supposed to be his idea of a joke or something? My time is more valuable than what he gives credit for."

"Well… Kirei may not have the best personality, but he's supposed to be dependable…" Rin babbled, then stopped herself. Why was she telling this obviously foreign man her opinions about Kirei? Even more curiously, how did the priest come to know a non-Japanese man in the first place?

"I sense the uncertainty in your voice. There's no need to hide it from me. I am as aware of his questionable character as you are," he assured. "Well, I would be disappointed in him, but first I'd have to be surprised. I suppose there's nothing further for me here, so I will take my leave."

"W-Who are you?" Rin asked.

"That shouldn't be your concern, girl."

With those curt words, the blonde-haired man turned on his foot and strode away. She was left mystified over who he was, yet she couldn't bring herself to press him for more details. Somehow, his demeanor made her uncomfortable enough that she believed she would be in serious danger if she tried to talk to him.

With a guy like that running around, I don't want to take my chances, she thought. I should just go back home for now and get some rest. I'll come here tonight and see if the fake priest comes back by then.