Fate/Magus Path

9 Matou

Night.

Suburbs of Fuyuki City.

"Master, you really are something! Just a trip to the church, and you've managed to package yourself as a believer." The Count couldn't help but laugh when he saw Roy returning with a black Bible in hand and a shiny silver cross around his neck.

At the same time, he thought to himself that this Master was certainly full of surprises.

With his keen eye, he could tell that these two items were not just any random trinkets; they carried a faint blessing. The black-covered Bible was an authentic item consecrated by the Church, and the cross was a special artifact soaked in holy water, capable of warding off evil. The incantations inscribed on it were sufficient to deal with the lowest-tier undead.

Although they couldn't be considered particularly precious treasures, they weren't something that could be casually gifted. The fact that the priest of the Fuyuki Church had so easily given them to an ordinary person he had just met surprised him.

Garnering such goodwill from the Church upon their first meeting, this Master of his truly had a knack for unexpected accomplishments.

"I didn't expect that old priest to be so enthusiastic, perhaps it's more accurate to say devout. I just casually mentioned wanting to get closer, and he ended up stuffing these gifts into my hands as he left. He even invited me to try taking up the role of a priest at the Fuyuki Church after the Holy Grail War."

"Well, congratulations then, Master. Being accepted by the Church could be a way out for you. However, you need to be cautious; those priests aren't to be underestimated compared to magus."

Seeing the Count's puzzled expression, Roy added with a bitter smile, "I haven't betrayed anyone, you have to believe me."

"Ha, I would certainly believe you, Master. If you were truly to betray me, you could just use a command spell to control me to kill myself without needing to take this risk by coming back," The Count sitting beside Roy casually flipped through the Bible while speaking, "The Church's folks claim to work in the name of the Lord. Although it seems righteous, they are just as corrupt as the Mage's Association, so you should be careful when dealing with them."

"I know that." Roy agreed with the Count's perspective. "That priest, Kirei, might seem decent, but he's ultimately someone who has broken the rules and is aligned with the other competitors. He's certainly not someone worthy of trust."

Reflecting on the words of Kirei, Roy recalled the dealings he had with Tokiomi Tohsaka and could guess that Tokiomi had already gathered all the information about him.

However, he didn't mind this leak of information; in fact, he was grateful to the Church for helping him create confusion. He had only become a magus just yesterday, while the Church's information was based on his status not long ago.

Through his conversations with Kirei, he could confirm that in the intelligence they collected, he still appeared as an ordinary person incapable of even supplying magical energy, which did not raise any suspicions.

This misinformation could actually help him conceal his true identity and provide him with more room for maneuvering.

Even when the Holy Grail War began, they would likely categorize him as an outsider without competitive threat. While it was not impossible for them to eliminate him first, as long as he remained hidden enough, no one would willingly expose themselves just to eliminate someone like him.

No one would be foolish enough to reveal their position and strength for a team lacking any winning capability.

Thus, as long as he could stay hidden, his safety factor was actually quite high.