Chapter 42

Returning to the church on foot in spiritual form, much like how Gilgamesh had traveled to the banquet of heroes, Lancer arrived there without incident. Only Kirei was in the church, Gilgamesh having gone out to avoid meeting with Lancer and raising her suspicions.

"Master, I have obtained a rough estimate of Berserker and her Master's capabilities."

Kirei continued looking at the altar, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Have you figured out their identity as well?"

"Unfortunately not, I was unable to do so. Although their apparel seemed unique, I was unable to identify them by it. However, they also had a unique sword, a glowing cylinder of light that hummed all the time. It seemed like something that would exist in this era. Would you possibly know something about it, Master?"

Despite being born in the modern era, Kirei had not partaken in most of the entertainment that the modern age offered, with reading being the closest thing he had to a hobby besides watching people suffer. As such, the closest contact he had with Star Wars was merely seeing some posters of it on the streets when it was aired in cinemas.

"Hmmm, a glowing cylinder as a blade? I must say, despite my many travels across the world in the service of the Church, I have yet to see such a mystic code or technology." Kirei paused, searching through his mind for any more hints. When he came up empty, he decided to leave it for later.

"We will have many opportunities to unveil their True Name in the future. Now, what did you learn?"

Lancer recounted everything she knew.

"Berserker possessed excellent physical parameters, with enough power to rival Saber, and an above average agility as well. Her combat prowess was exceptionally high, with enough skill to avoid being pierced while I was on horseback. In addition, even though she was Berserker, her Mad Enhancement skill didn't seem to affect her much, a rarity in her class. She was able to communicate with me normally, and was able to consciously incorporate tactics into our battle."

She paused, thinking about lightning and telekinesis.

"She also had the ability to manifest lightning and move objects through unknown means. She demonstrated proficient use in both abilities, able to use the lightning for both offense and defense, while she could also pull my swings at the last second so they became inaccurate, even when I accounted for it. She did not use her Noble Phantasm, but she is already a formidable enemy without it."

Kirei acknowledged it with a slight nod.

"And her Master?"

"The Einzbern Master supported her satisfactorily in combat by manipulating the local Bounded Field and creating a special one of her own make while we were fighting. The Bounded Field served as a platform to enhance Berserker's speed while making her more unpredictable, and it prevented my exit until I partially unleashed my spear. I wasn't able to completely understand the mechanics behind it, but regardless enough raw power was apparently sufficient to break through it."

Kirei lowered his head in thought.

"Hoh, it seems the Einzbern Master for this war may be more troublesome than the last."

He remembered the pure white hair, the guileless and determined blood-red eyes.

He spoke up again.

"Lancer, that is enough for now. Rest until your mount has regenerated. Until then, stay in this church. Tell me once you have regained your horse."

"As you command."

Lancer vanished from sight, turning back to her spiritual form. Kirei didn't even turn around to face her once, his imposing back the only sight that greeted her throughout the entire conversation.

Back at the Einzbern manor, Illya widened her eyes in shock.

"The priest has a Servant?"

The thread she latched on to her after she had broken through the Bounded Fields traced her all the way back to the church, then cut off the moment she entered the gate. She had been able to direct one thread to wrap around her head piece, and made it so loose as to not let her notice while constantly adjusting the length. When Lancer went into spiritual form, the thread wrapped around her had also turned into ether to ensure that it remained anchored onto her body. After an hour or so of constant concentration to prevent Lancer from discovering the tracker, the thread had been terminated when she entered the vicinity of the church.

Illya considered the implications. Since she had reached where the church was, she assumed that either the Master was based at the church, or the Master was the priest himself. She assumed that Lancer hadn't discovered the thread, or else she most probably would have ditched the tracker somewhere else instead of somewhere with significance like the church, unless her Master had ordered her to leave a false trail there. Regardless, the thread had so little mana, since it really was just a single thread of hair, and she was controlling the length from the manor by unspooling it there, the only moment where she might have sensed it being when she turned into spiritual form, but even then the reaction for the thread to turn into ether was also half-triggered by her dematerialization, and her change of state would have masked the transformation of the thread as well since she had synced the timing.

If the priest was the Master, she would be in for a tough fight. The overseer was known to have many Command Seals for the purpose of controlling other Servants in case of an infraction of the rules, and they were also able to give them to other Masters as rewards, such as for killing a bounty target like a rogue Servant. If the priest had a Servant, he would be able to power his Servant with multiple Command Seals for an advantage that would be difficult to overturn. He could also use the seals as a pseudo Magic Circuits to power himself, giving him an edge in duels between Masters, like how her own Magic Circuits fulfilled the role of Command Seals as well.

While it was possible the Master was simply affiliated with the church, she would hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The red marks of her Magic Circuits covering her skin faded as she cut the connection with the Bounded Fields that she had been repairing and checking at the same time.

"Master, have some anpan."

Illya automatically opened her mouth, Berserker pushed the bread into her mouth slightly, letting her bite off a piece, chewing and enjoying the red bean paste that mushed around her mouth for a bit, before swallowing the soft bread and paste together. Berserker feeding Illya and vice-versa was something that had become common after their torturous outing together into the Einzbern wasteyard, though with Berserker's appetite the latter happened far more.

"Berserker, good job, we're unbeatable when we work together!"

Illya smiled happily, beaming with joy at the success of their second battle when compared with their first. She was frustrated that she hadn't been able to finish them off, but she supposed it proved that her Servant was strong, to be able to fight so many Servants and come out on top. Not that she didn't already know that.

"Master, let's keep working hard, and play hard when the time comes."

"Yep, let's find a day to go into the city for sightseeing!"

Being locked in a castle for most of her life left her with a wanderlust for new sights, and she would love to look around the city and experience the culture that was her father's birthplace.

"Un, let's go there someday Master."