Chapter 286: ·Death of the Priest

"Ah, so that's it? Does that formula connect here? He is not concerned with flesh, spirit, or soul, but rather the preservation and deterioration of these factors."

Lord El-Melloi II waved his fingers while looking at the affinity diagram, and the number dials changed continuously.

Not long after, the transformation stopped, and Lord El-Melloi II seemed to have found some conclusion and froze for a few seconds.

Gray: "Teacher, what happened?"

"I have mostly found the answer. However, this..."

After the silence, Lord El-Melloi II turned his head and asked: "Trimmau, how many minutes until sunrise?"

Trimmau: "If sunrise is defined as the sun completely rising, I estimate there are thirty-seven to forty-three minutes."

"Leave here immediately!"

Lord El-Melloi II let Trimmau Matsuwanko Matsuwanko Take back the number dials floating in the air and turned to leave here.

Gray followed him in a panic and asked: "What's going on? Teacher?"

Lord El-Melloi II: "Sorry, there is no time to explain in detail now, we must hurry to the swamp and talk while running on the road."

Rin Tohsaka: "Did he solve this affinity diagram? What exactly did he discover?"

Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia: "Don't know, the screen was too fast, couldn't see clearly at all."

Waver: "Is it the swamp again? What secret is hidden in that swamp?"

"Hey hey, I think you will collapse first like this, right?"

Kay looked at Lord El-Melloi II's pale face and said jokingly, but just as he walked out of the small house, his expression stiffened.

"Oh my, this is dangerous."

Gray: "What are you referring to, Sir Kay?"

Kay: "Sigh, although I thought they would come looking, I didn't expect it to be so fast."

At this time, Gray also heard it; on the other Reverse Reverse Reverse Reverse Side of the forest, which was the direction of the village on the other Reverse Reverse Reverse Reverse Side of the swamp, noisy human voices were approaching here.

Kay: "It looks like the villagers think the situation is wrong and have started searching the mountain. Haha, going to the swamp via this route will cause a direct conflict with them. Unless you run away, otherwise you will kill each other with people you know; make up your mind while you still can."

Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia: "Another hurdle that must be faced."

Kayneth: "Hmph, I hope this girl won't be soft-hearted, otherwise she will definitely regret it."

On the other Reverse Reverse Reverse Reverse Side, on the hillside, Fernand was climbing up the hillside with difficulty against the mountain wall.

He was also washed away by the flood before, and luckily climbed out of another cave, successfully surviving, and then received a voice transmission from Irumia, who was also safe and sound.

"Actually telling people to rush to the swamp immediately, I almost drowned... phew, how much manual labor does Sister Irumia intend to force me to do..."

Fernand climbed up the hillside sweating profusely and complained while panting.

At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded.

"You are safe and sound, Priest Fernand."

A figure appeared from under the shade of the trees; it was Bersac.

Rin Tohsaka: "How to say, such a big flood, but everyone is fine, it feels outrageous."

Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia: "Yes, I thought even if this fat priest could survive, he would be saved by that nun; who would have thought he escaped on his own."

Illya: "But it's because he's too fat, which allowed him to float on the water surface, right?"

"B-Bersac! W-What do you intend to do to me?"

Seeing the person who suddenly appeared, Fernand was directly startled.

Bersac shook his head and said: "I have no intention of harming you, I just have something I want to ask you."

Fernand: "... s a gravekeeper of Blackmoore?"

"Perhaps."

Bersac said seriously: "I have felt suspicious since before; you and Sister Irumia often chat with Gray; the nun is mostly to monitor Gray, but you are truly concerned. Can you tell me your position?"

Fernand cleared his throat and said: "Um, um, from the perspective of the Holy Church, King Arthur is of course a heretic. That kind of existence is too deeply integrated with local customs and beliefs to be regarded as belonging to the same religion as us. However, that kind of thing has nothing to do with that girl in essence, right?"

Bersac: "You say it's irrelevant?"

"How could it be relevant!"

Fernand became emotionally agitated: "In the final analysis, forcing the customs of the past onto people of the future, forcing them to sacrifice, if this is not considered a mistake, then what is? It's just that I am not qualified to say such things."

Bersac: "Why?"

Fernand: "... ecause ten years ago, it was I who reported to the Holy Church that Gray's appearance had suddenly changed."

"..."

Hearing this, Bersac was speechless.

Fernand: "At that time, I didn't think things were so serious; seeing a girl's appearance gradually change did indeed frighten me, but after the change, it wasn't too far from her original impression; I at most treated this as something that might happen during the developmental period. But the villagers began to believe in her with obsession, especially that mother, which made me feel that I must report to the church. So for the sake of caution, I wrote about this in the regular contact report. Speaking of what I have done, at most it's only this. As a result, not long after, the church sent Sister Irumia over."

"She is a true member of the Holy Church, a young talent who has been trained in the Order of Holy Knights and has obtained the ability sufficient to expel mages and non-humans, unlike me, a monitor in a poor village who was forcibly selected just because I had a bit of talent. She told me many times that if a existence that harms the church is about to be born, plucking out the buds of disaster is also the Lord's teaching. Ah, that must be the correct point of view."

"Strictly speaking, she and I are not even of the same sect. If it were in the past, I would probably be a heretic who would be hunted down by her. So, I am not qualified to say such things. Of course, I am convinced that the action at that time was correct based on my duties. Although I am convinced of this, I have been thinking for these few years whether that can be asserted as a holy duty... why, your expression is strange; did I say something ridiculous?"

Bersac: "No, it's just that everything that happened in that village is not a lie, which makes me very grateful for the things I believe in. At least I think what you saw in the village is the same as me."

Rin Tohsaka: "So that's it, looking at it this way, this fat priest is actually quite good."

Kayneth: "Provided that what he said must be the truth."

Risei Kotomine: "He doesn't need to lie about such things."

Lancelot: "Actually saying my King is a heretic! You guys are the heretics who should be eradicated!"

Feng Xi: "Not to the point of getting angry about such things; for the Holy Church, as long as you don't trust their God, then you are all heretics that should be eradicated."

Fernand: "Which Reverse Reverse Reverse Reverse Side do you intend to support? Do you support us, or do you support the villagers?"

"We have long known that you have contact with the government of this country, because Sister Irumia is very sensitive to this aspect of things. However, you are not a spy for the government, right? The history of the Blackmoore gravekeeper itself should be longer than King Arthur. Then, you won't blindly believe in King Arthur like the villagers. Even if you support us, it doesn't violate your beliefs, right?"

Bersac raised his eyebrows and said: "I seem to understand why the Holy Church chose you as a monitor. In peacetime, no one is more suitable than you to slowly let heretics adapt to the environment."

Fernand: "Is this considered a compliment?"

Bersac: "That's what I meant. As the successor of the gravekeeper, I will protect that girl. If Gray falls into the hands of your Holy Church, the outcome will not be peaceful. Of course, your religion appeals to forgiveness, but the scope of application does not include our world. Forgiveness exists for humans, and there is no need to apply it to non-humans."

Fernand: "Um... you are right, but..."

Bersac folded his arms and leaned against the tree trunk, closed his eyes and said: "I haven't seen anything here, haven't met anyone. Because I'm a bit tired, I decided to rest for a few minutes; maybe someone happened to leave in the middle."

Fernand also understood the opponent's meaning, immediately walked up the hillside, and said while walking: "Although I still have things to say, I appreciate your favor."

Bersac: "Next time we meet, we will have to fight with our lives."

Fernand: "No no no no, spare me."

Waver: "Because of the opponent's attitude, so he let him go?"

Kayneth: "Hmph, I hope it's not letting a tiger return to the mountain."

After Fernand disappeared into the thick fog, Bersac also picked up his axe and set off to climb the hillside.

Ahead leads to the swamp; he has a premonition that everything will likely come to an end there.

"Ah!!!"

Just at this moment, a scream pierced the forest.

Bersac's expression changed, he suddenly pulled his legs and flew forward, soon arriving where the scream came from, and his eyes widened.

I saw Fernand lying on the ground, and bright red blood had already stained his back.

Bersac ran over in a panic to touch his neck, and then his whole body stiffened.

Fernand was dead; he had only left his line of sight for a few minutes, and it had only been a few seconds since he heard the scream and came over, but he was already out of breath.

In just a few minutes, what exactly happened?

Rin Tohsaka: "Hey hey, this development is too..."

Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia: "This has instead become a good deed that led to a bad result."

Waver: "It looks like a fatal blow with one knife; who could have done it?"

Kayneth: "Is it those villagers? No, Bersac rushed over immediately after hearing the scream; those villagers don't have such skills. Then, is it that nun? Did she hear the conversation between the two?"

Bersac checked Fernand's corpse.

It looks like someone stabbed him in the back with a weapon like a short knife? Fernand had not received combat training; no matter who in the village it was, as long as they caught him off guard, they should be able to kill him easily. However, who exactly did it? After all, at such a time, Fernand would naturally also increase his vigilance. The only people he might feel at ease contacting were Sister Irumia, but she should have no reason to kill Fernand.

"Hm? His body, is it dry?"