After waking up and washing off the cold sweat in the bathroom, Roy's expression was still somewhat dazed. The fatigue feedback from his body left him feeling a bit weak; the dream and reality were interconnected, and the experiences he had in the prison tower also reflected in his physical state in the real world.
He raised his hand to try and channel his magical power. Seventeen thin, light blue circuits briefly flashed with fluorescence, and several streams of magical energy began to flow through the circuits in his body.
He started attempting to refine and mobilize the magical energy.
"So this is a magic circuit... The feeling of magical energy flowing through the veins is quite wonderful; it's really not bad."
As he practiced channeling the magical energy and familiarizing himself with his current physical state, Roy nodded in approval.
Although he had just opened his magic circuits and was still a bit unaccustomed to his body's condition, the sensation of magical energy flowing within him felt surprisingly novel.
Watching Roy successfully manipulate his magical energy, the Count sitting in the chair also received a corresponding supply. Feeling the magical energy filling his body, the weakness from the prolonged lack of magical supply gradually dissipated.
Although his inherent skill, Self-Replenishment, allowed him to supply magical energy independently when separated from his Master, that limited supply could barely sustain his most basic activities. He might manage in small-scale fights, but it was far from enough for battles involving Noble Phantasms or against other Servants.
Now that Roy had opened his magic circuits, as a contracted Servant, he could most clearly perceive the changes taking place.
In his mind, he couldn't help but marvel, "This is a considerable supply of magical energy; it seems my Master's magic circuits have a remarkably high conversion rate of magical power to life force. Although the number of magic circuits isn't particularly outstanding, their quality is excellent. With such a magical supply, combined with my Self-Replenishment, I can really unleash my full potential in the upcoming battles."
After feeling the recently awakened magic circuits, Roy was not only familiarizing himself with his body but also contemplating his next steps.
Now that the most critical issue of magical supply had been resolved, time was not on his side, and he had to consider how to proceed with the impending war.
Before he could gather his thoughts, a sudden knock on the door startled him. He glanced at the Count in the corner of the room, signaling him to hide. The Count nodded in understanding and slowly transformed into particles of light, dissipating from sight.
"Is anyone there?" A deep male voice came from outside.
"Coming."
Feigning a lazy demeanor as if he had just woken up, he stretched, tucked his pistol from his pocket into his waistband, and quietly approached the door, opening it cautiously.
"Hello, are you the seventh Master of the Holy Grail War, Mr. Roy?"
"Ah?"
When he opened the door, a young man with short brown hair and brown eyes appeared before him, dressed in black religious garb and wearing a golden cross necklace on his chest. His expressionless face and hollow gaze resembled that of a walking corpse.
Roy recognized him immediately.
Father Mapo Tofu, Kotomine Kirei.
A backstabber from the moonlit world, high on the danger scale.
Upon seeing him at the door, Roy instinctively shivered, feeling somewhat speechless.
How did this guy arrive so quickly? Isn't there still some time before the Holy Grail War officially begins? The church's efficiency is too high.
Swallowing hard, Roy took a deep breath and nodded at him, "I am Roy. May I ask who you are?"
"Ah, my name is Kotomine Kirei. I am a priest from the church in Fuyuki City and also a staff member for this Holy Grail War. Could I take a moment of your time?" Upon hearing Roy's acknowledgment, Kotomine Kirei nodded and began introducing himself.
Bad luck, the Holy Church has found him so quickly...
But he's the seventh Master?
Although he's a Master, he's not a legitimate Master of the Holy Grail War.
Avenger is not one of the traditional seven classes, and in this Fourth Holy Grail War, the top three Servants have already been confirmed, while Berserker is confirmed to be in the hands of the Matou family. Given his appearance, he must have seen the other six Masters or obtained their information. This means that the only Servant not yet received by the Church in this war is... the Caster class.
So, is Kirei treating him as if he were Caster's master?
Thinking of this, Roy couldn't help but feel a bit excited. He had originally worried that the exposure of his identity as an Avenger would lead to ostracization from the legitimate seven classes, and they would team up to take him down first.
If Kirei considers him as the Caster's master, then he's managed to blend into the legitimate seven classes.
What an unexpected gain!
"Hmm? Is there a problem?"
Noticing Roy's dazed expression, Kotomine Kirei frowned slightly and spoke.
"Uh… no, it's nothing."
He needs to act like a normal person, maintain his composure, and not raise any suspicion.
"I just don't understand why the staff from the church in Fuyuki City would come to me. I'm usually very law-abiding and never do anything to be ashamed of. I occasionally go to the church to pray, so there shouldn't be any need to send a priest to make me feel ashamed, right?"
Roy mentally reassured himself that he had concealed enough information on his end. Since the advantage was with him, he could not let Kirei see through him. At this point, Kirei hadn't been corrupted by Gilgamesh yet; as long as he remained steady, there shouldn't be any danger.
As long as he doesn't give anything away, the advantage is his.
Although Kirei found Roy's behavior puzzling, he didn't press further. He only wanted to complete the task assigned by the church and didn't care about anything else. He then clarified.
"No, I'm not here to bring Mr. Roy to repentance. I came today because of the Holy Grail War."
"The Holy Grail War? What's that?"
So he really is just an ordinary person...
Seeing Roy's confusion, Kirei didn't get angry but simply pointed to the hand wearing the gloves and said, "I think you must have noticed the Command Seals appearing on your hand."
"Command Seals? Are you talking about this?"
Roy feigned a puzzled expression, removing his glove to reveal the fully manifested Command Seals.
"Yes, that's the Command Seals."
"So this thing is called a Command Seal? I thought it was some prank drawn by a mischievous child while I was asleep on the bus; no wonder it can't be wiped off no matter how hard I try."
"No, this is not simple graffiti; it is a mark of being chosen by the Holy Grail. Those who possess this mark will participate in a great magical ritual here."
"A magical ritual? A magic show?"
Roy looked at Kirei with a puzzled expression.
"…"
"Someone will explain the Command Seals to you, and my task is to take you to meet the person who can answer your questions."
"Mr. Roy, please come with me to the church, where someone will provide you with the answers."
As he spoke, Kirei extended his hand in an inviting gesture, urging Roy to follow him.
"…"
Although he felt somewhat reluctant, Roy had no reason to refuse. His current persona was just an ordinary person who had accidentally stumbled into this situation. They must have investigated his circumstances long ago.
Moreover, there was still some time before the Holy Grail War officially began. While the list of Masters had been determined, the Servants, except for the Count, should not have been summoned yet. Taking action against him at this time would not be in accordance with the rules, so their bringing him along should genuinely just be for him to familiarize himself with the process of the Holy Grail War, as a form of courtesy toward an ordinary person, making it quite safe.
If worse comes to worst, if they truly plan to ambush him before the Holy Grail War begins, he would have no choice but to use the Command Seals to summon the Count and fight back.
He was currently in a disadvantaged position and had no right to refuse the church's request.
With this in mind, Roy sighed slightly and said to Kirei, "Please wait a moment, Father. I'll go change my clothes and be right back."
"Alright, Mr. Roy, our car is waiting for you downstairs."
After Kirei finished speaking with a neutral expression, he turned and left.
...
After confirming that Kirei had left, the Count, hidden in the room, returned to his normal state and sat back down in his usual chair, turning to Roy and asking.
"How was it, Master? Are you going to follow him? Although I didn't sense any malice from that priest, his soul gives off an unsettling aura."
"An unsettling aura?" Roy looked at him curiously.
"What exactly does it feel like?"
"I can't quite describe it. The feeling is similar to the emptiness emitted by the corpses in Prison Tower, making it hard to imagine a normal human would have such a presence. In short, it's very ominous. Master, I think following him could be dangerous. Do you still want to go?"
"Of course, we have to go. This is a great opportunity to connect with the Church. We have no reason not to."
Roy nodded in response to the Count's concerns.
The Count didn't understand Kotomine Kirei and wasn't surprised by his evaluation, but he did have some understanding of Kotomine Kirei . He could indeed become very dangerous, but that would be later. For now, he wouldn't do anything out of line.
However, he still explained to the Count, "In Fuyuki City, where the Church has eyes everywhere, it's impossible to hide the fact that I've become a Master from them. I was still worrying about how to deal with this matter."
"I didn't expect them to make a mistake this time and not realize we are intruders in the Holy Grail War. Instead, they mistakenly took us for the seventh pair of Masters, Caster, which helped us avoid attracting the hatred of the other Servants due to our identity. What we need to do now is solidify this identity."
"They are in the light while we are in the dark, so the advantage is ours."
Reflecting on Kotomine Kirei's words and pondering the plot of the Fourth Holy Grail War, Roy didn't dwell on it for too long, and a simple plan began to take shape.
"So I plan to visit the Fuyuki City Church with him to solidify our identities as participants. The rest we can discuss later."
Although it was dangerous, he had to go.
"Do you need me to accompany you?" The Count suggested. "If I'm with you, it should be much safer."
"No need. Exposing ourselves in someone else's territory would be too risky. The Holy Grail War hasn't started yet; even if they kill me, it would be futile, and the Grail would simply choose another participant." Roy rejected the offer.
"For them, I'm clearly easier to control than other magus whose depths they don't know. They won't do anything to me. Also, we can't guarantee that the Church doesn't have a bounded field that can sense a Servant's spiritual form, so you absolutely cannot come along, Count."
"So you plan to venture in alone?"
"Yeah, there's no other choice. This option is the only way to maximize our interests."
"I see..."
After hearing this, the Count pondered for a moment, looked at him intently, and then nodded, seemingly agreeing with his reasoning.
"Since that's the case, I have no reason to continue to dissuade you."
"Be careful. If you encounter danger, don't hesitate to use the Command Seals. Call my name, and I will come immediately. Remember, don't risk your life, understood?"
Although the plan was somewhat risky, it was undeniable that it was indeed the best course of action.
Moreover, since the Master had made such a decision, he had even less reason to refuse.
"Don't worry, Count. If I run into danger, I'll definitely summon you and then escape quickly." Roy patted his chest to reassure the Count before opening the door and leaving.
"I really can't do anything about you."
"Then take care, Master."
Watching Roy leave, the Count slightly lowered the brim of his hat, and his dark green figure gradually vanished from the room.