Since receiving the Command Spell and being forced into the Holy Grail War, Tenkei Shiomi had spent the past two years thoroughly investigating every corner of Fuyuki City.
From the state of its ley lines to the Magus Families that had lived there for generations—Tohsaka, Matou, and the Einzbern, with their immovable castle deep in the forest—Shiomi had studied everything within his reach.
The Holy Church, as one of the potential sites for the Grail's descent and with a history of spiritual summoning, naturally demanded extra attention.
But today, the church—already known for its stillness—felt even more desolate than usual. Shiomi could sense something was off.
And it wasn't just the midwinter chill.
After casting a detection spell to survey the area, Shiomi exchanged a nod with Artoria. Only then did they push open the door and step inside, advancing cautiously.
"By the way, during the strategy meeting before we left, you sounded like you knew that man, Kirei Kotomine?" Artoria asked as they walked down the path through the courtyard toward the chapel entrance.
"As a Magus from the Mage's Association, I've been assigned to tasks that required working with the Holy Church," Shiomi replied without hesitation. "Kirei Kotomine was one of the Executors I worked with back then."
Now was no time for evasiveness. Being vague would only create cracks in an already fragile alliance—something that would no doubt benefit Kirei and Gilgamesh.
"I see," Artoria nodded.
The Magus community wasn't particularly large or small, but living in society's shadows and dealing with mystery daily—especially among fellow Easterners—it wasn't unusual to cross paths.
"That said, I don't know him well. It was strictly professional," Shiomi continued. "As far as strength goes, Kirei's among the top Executors."
Artoria looked at him as he pushed open the door. "But compared to you, a Magus who can take on a Servant alone, he's still a step behind, right?"
"...I'm an anomaly," Shiomi said with a faint, helpless smile.
The chapel's interior was exactly the same—unchanged from yesterday, or even two years ago.
"What about you, Saber?" Shiomi asked. "Maybe it's just me, but you seem less conflicted today."
Artoria scanned the chapel carefully, alert for nearby presences. "I have the two of you to thank for that."
She turned to Shiomi. "That magecraft—was it yours, or my sister's doing?"
"What do you think?" Shiomi crouched and checked beneath the altar.
Spotless. Not even a speck of dust.
"It must've been my sister's," Artoria said. She didn't know Morgan well enough to identify the exact type of magecraft, but the fact that even her A-rank Magic Resistance had been bypassed so easily made it clear Morgan was behind it. Most likely, during their last visit to the castle, Morgan had quietly left something behind—something that came in handy later.
Finding nothing unusual in the chapel, they moved into the church's rear section.
Shiomi wasn't too familiar with the church's layout, but he knew that the back housed administrative offices and living quarters for the staff. Rumor had it there was also a sanctum five meters underground—larger than the chapel itself.
He assumed the aboveground space served the public, while the underground sanctum was used for the Church's secret rites.
That, however, was secondary.
As soon as they stepped into the dim corridor of the back offices, the sharp scent of blood hit them.
Neither Shiomi, a seasoned Magus, nor Artoria, a battle-hardened Servant, was the type to flinch at the sight—or smell—of blood.
But this made it clear: things had gone just as badly as Shiomi feared.
They pushed open a half-closed office door and were met with a large pool of blood soaking most of the carpet. In the cold, poorly ventilated winter air, Shiomi's illumination spell revealed that the blood was still visibly wet.
"What is this..." Artoria frowned.
Shiomi crouched down to inspect it. "Judging from the bloodstains and the time of year, the death couldn't have occurred more than five hours ago."
"Is it the Overseer's blood?"
"Most likely. And it looks like the body was moved before they had time to clean up the scene," Shiomi said quietly. "Father Risei Kotomine was once an Executor for the Holy Church. The only one who could have killed him so easily, without raising his guard, would be someone he trusted completely—his own son."
He stood and took a few steps back, with Artoria stepping aside as well.
Shiomi raised his hand. Mana flowed through his Magic Circuits, then quietly dispersed.
A pale blue light spread across the bloodstains. After a moment, particles of light began to rise, gradually forming the shape of a person.
Even as a silhouette, it was unmistakably Risei Kotomine.
The figure first appeared standing, then suddenly froze—and finally collapsed to its knees, falling forward.
The sequence looped, like a video stuck on repeat.
"Magecraft that shows a person's final moments?" Artoria asked. "Is it some form of necromancy?"
"It's not necromancy," Shiomi replied, crossing his arms. "If the body's present, and the conditions are right, it can sometimes even reveal the killer's outline. Though... I doubt that would help much in this case."
Artoria nodded. "Hmm... from the way he collapsed, it's clear he was caught off guard. Someone came up from behind—"
She placed a hand against Shiomi's back to demonstrate. "—stabbed him with a weapon, fatally. He died on the spot."
"Was the demonstration really necessary?" Shiomi grimaced.
Artoria gave a self-assured smile. "Call it a little payback for you and my sister launching that nighttime assault. Next time, attack head-on."
"Pretty sure there won't be a next time."
Shiomi moved past her and began searching the room.
Aside from Holy Church documents, there were only files related to the Holy Grail War. To be safe, Shiomi combed through them carefully, but nothing worth taking stood out.
With Risei Kotomine confirmed dead, the next step was to determine Tokiomi's whereabouts. After that, they could begin tracking down Kirei Kotomine and Gilgamesh.
Shiomi explained this to Artoria, and the two turned to leave the church.