Shinji Matou At Your Service

Chapter 22: The Lost Command Spell

As one of the two major mysterious forces with worldwide influence, the Holy Church possesses terrifying power in both the secular and mystical world.

Less than an hour after receiving a call from Justeaze, Father Risei completed the investigation and staged the scene as a fire incident.

A few hours later, the morning newspaper and television stations began reporting a news story: "Early this morning, a residential house in the northwestern part of Fuyuki City caught fire, resulting in the collapse of the building and the death of three people. Citizens are urged to be cautious of fire hazards."

The newspaper arrived just in time for the Matou family breakfast.

Having finished briefing everyone on the tasks at hand, Byakuya finally had a few days of leisure. He sipped his tea and flipped through newspapers.

"A fire, burning down the entire house. It's truly tragic. It seems like Fuyuki City hasn't experienced such a massive fire in many years."

Sakura, displaying her lady-like manners, put down her utensils and wiped her mouth. "Don't worry, Father. Our house will not experience such an incident. My brother and I will use the magecraft taught by Sensei to extinguish the fire."

Byakuya smiled and said, "Sakura, you're truly dependable. We'll leave it to you, then."

Shinji chimed in, "But Sakura, while extinguishing fires is important, fire prevention is even more crucial. Even a small fire can cause damage. Only when a fire doesn't start can there be no loss."

"I understand, big brother." Sakura nodded earnestly. Among the entire Matou family, she admired her older brother, who was a year older than her. She listened carefully to everything he said and pondered over it.

"I'm full." Kariya, sitting opposite his brother, put down his chopsticks and stood up. "I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back before lunch."

Byakuya closed the newspaper and casually asked, "Where are you going?"

"To the scene of the fire," Kariya said as he picked up his coat from the hanger behind him.

Byakuya quickly understood his younger brothers' intentions. "Do you suspect something is amiss with this fire incident?"

"Yeah, every piece of news after the start of the Holy Grail War could be a disguise. Just to be safe, I want to verify it myself." Having summoned his Servant, Kariya was fully focused on.

Shinji interjected, "I don't recommend Uncle going to the scene of the fire."

Kariya paused in his actions. "Why not?"

Shinji calmly set down his utensils and said, "When I heard that news, I had the same thought. Other Masters may also have the same idea. If Uncle goes to the scene, it might attract the attention of other Masters. Moreover, if you return to the mansion, it will catch the attention of various parties."

Byakuya also made a suggestion, "In that case, instead of going to the scene, let's go to the Fuyuki City Fire Department. I have business dealings with them. Kariya, you and I will invite the chief of the department for a cup of tea. It has only been a few hours since the incident, so if it is a staged fire, there should be some loopholes in the procedure. If they don't cooperate, Kariya, you can use magecraft to make them cooperate."

"Good idea." Kariya's eyes lit up. "Let's do that."

Just as Byakuya and Kariya were preparing to leave, Tokiomi Tohsaka received a message from Father Risei.

"Based on the residual traces at the scene, it can be determined that one of the parties involved in the battle was Caster. The unidentified Master didn't lie about that. However, before leaving, that Master deliberately erased their information. The identity of the Servant is unknown, as well as their skill in magecraft. The only thing that can be determined is that this person had set up a large-scale boundary around the area, indicating that they are a skilled and cautious magus."

After listening to Father Risei's analysis, Tokiomi fell silent. After a while, he spoke, not into the communication gem, but to Kirei Kotomine, who stood in front of his desk, "What are your thoughts?"

"At present, the confirmed Masters are you, my teacher, Kariya Matou from the Matou family, Kenneth Archibald, a Level 1 lecturer from the Clock Tower, and Kiritsugu Emiya, the son-in-law of the Einzbern family."

When mentioning the last name, Tokiomi's eyes narrowed down slightly.

He had long heard of this name, but detailed information had only been obtained from Kirei a few days ago.

Kiritsugu Emiya, formerly a killing tool belonging to the Mage's Association, was a notorious magus killer who excelled in using methods that went against the rules of the magus to hunt down other magus.

He planted bombs in public places, shot down airplanes with many passengers, and carried out indiscriminate large-scale terrorist attacks. Although there was no concrete evidence, an analysis of the collected information indicated that it was most likely his doing.

A man like this, however, had become the son-in-law of the Einzbern family, who never interacted with the outside world nine years ago. This also caused a stir within the Mage Association. But the only people who saw through the truth behind this were the eccentric old monster, Zouken Matou, and the head of the Tohsaka family, Tokiomi Tohsaka.

The Einzbern magus, who were highly skilled in alchemy but lacked combat abilities, were the main reason for their failure in the past Holy Grail Wars. To obtain the Holy Grail, they needed outside assistance in combat, and no one was more suitable than a magus killer.

Tokiomi Tohsaka could understand such a choice, but he felt disgusted by Kiritsugu Emiya, who treated magus as a mere tool without any sense of pride as a magus. This disgust piqued Kirei Kotomine's curiosity.

Kirei Kotomine composed himself and continued his analysis, saying, "Kariya Matou has only received magecraft training for one year and cannot set up such a large-scale boundary. Even if Kiritsugu Emiya had this ability, he would not have chosen to notify my father in this manner by evacuating the entire residential area. Lord El-Melloi II is a proud man and wouldn't use such methods."

"Lord" is an exclusive title for several ancient families that dominate the Mage's Association. Kenneth Archibald is the ninth-generation head of the Archibald family, one of those ancient families. He possesses the strength and reputation of befitting his status and is the most powerful magus of the Holy Grail War.

"That leaves us with one of the other two Masters, excluding Caster's Master."

"Just as I thought. It seems that a magus of considerable skill has joined this Holy Grail War." Tokiomi Tohsaka was satisfied with his disciple's performance. "As the overseers of the leylines, every move we make is monitored by other Masters. Therefore, Kirei..."

"Yes, master." Kirei Kotomine respectfully lowered his head.

"I need you to gather as much detailed information as possible about the two Masters."

"Yes, master."

Watching Kirei Kotomine's departing figure Tokiomi Tohsaka, let out a sigh.

"If only your Command Seals hadn't disappeared two years ago."

Kirei Kotomine had obtained the qualification to participate in the war three years ago and was the first among the reserve Masters to be branded with Command Seals. Tokiomi took him as his disciple, hoping to combine the powers of two Masters to secure the Holy Grail.

However, after studying under Tokiomi for a year, Kirei's Command Seals suddenly vanished, a fact that still vexed Tokiomi Tohsaka.

"Perhaps the summoned Servant was too powerful, and that's why the Holy Grail deprived him of the Command Seals." The timely voice of Risei Kotomine was sounded.

Thinking of his Servant, Tokiomi's mood improved.

As long as he had him, the Holy Grail would undoubtedly be his.