Chapter 118 The priest cannot be trusted! Hell difficulty is activated!
The next morning, Sighisoara.
The heavy church doors creaked open with a dull groan, and Arthur, with Mordred in spirit form, entered the hilltop church before nine o'clock.
As soon as he entered, his gaze locked onto a figure standing in the nave.
It was a young priest, dressed in standard clerical attire, with hair as pale as old bone shards, and a mature smile on his clean face that belied his age.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Shirou Kotomine, the Overseer and Master for this Holy Grail War. Please guide me."
Kotomine.
The moment he heard that surname, an alarm immediately blared in Arthur's mind.
Not only a member of the Holy Church, but also that surname.
Even though they were in different timelines, his vigilance towards this young priest in front of him had quietly built a high wall.
"Since your side took the initiative to contact the Clock Tower, I presume my introduction can be skipped."
Shirou Kotomine wore an impeccable, philosophical smile and nodded earnestly.
"As you said, I have already communicated with Director Locke in advance, and I hope the Holy Church can cooperate happily with the Celestial Department this time."
Arthur nodded slightly, unceremoniously sitting down on a long bench, his words and actions not concealing his aloofness from the Holy Church.
"Enough small talk, where's your information?"
Shirou Kotomine did not answer immediately, his gaze subtly sweeping over the empty seat beside Arthur as he asked.
"Are you not planning to let your accompanying Servant appear?"
A cold glint flashed in Arthur's eyes, and he transmitted a message telepathically.
'Put on your helmet, materialize, and then greet this priest with your killing intent.'
"Hey, that's not a bad idea!"
Ethereal blue light particles rose and converged out of thin air. The next second, Mordred, clad in full-coverage heavy armor, appeared with a crash!
Invisible killing intent swept through the entire nave like a breaking dam, and the air seemed to freeze solid.
Shirou Kotomine, who bore the brunt of it, his face suddenly changed, stumbled back two steps, raised his hand to cover his eyes, his expression contorted in pain from the shock.
At the same time, a sweet and dangerous fragrance, mixed with danger, wafted into Arthur's nose.
A beautiful woman in an opulent gown, with a lazy and decadent demeanor, appeared out of thin air beside Shirou Kotomine, smiling enchantingly, yet beautiful like a poisonous flower.
"Stop."
Two sharp voices rang out simultaneously, forcibly cutting off the tense standoff, and the gunpowder-filled atmosphere suddenly eased.
Arthur wore an impeccable, polite smile, spreading his hands insincerely.
"My apologies, my Servant has an excessive independent will and isn't very obedient."
"Not at all, my side also overreacted."
Shirou Kotomine lightly patted his chest, a lingering expression of trepidation on his face, forcing out an awkward smile.
"Then, I will continue to report the current situation."
The other party took a stack of files from his pocket and handed them to Arthur, continuing.
"The Yggdmillennia have summoned all seven Servants, and currently only Assassin has not yet gathered in Trifas."
"Our side has also completed the summoning of seven Servants, including some high-performance aces."
Arthur quickly flipped through the files, which only contained basic parameters of both allied and enemy Servants, with the more crucial information on Noble Phantasms and unique skills left blank.
"You haven't managed to ascertain their True Names?"
Shirou Kotomine shook his head helplessly: "Unfortunately, not yet. However, with the battlefield chosen within Romania, at least one can be identified."
"The Prince of Wallachia, Vlad III."
Arthur said the name for him, his eyes darkening slightly.
In the Holy Grail War, only three factors influence a Servant's combat power: land, fame, and Master's magical energy.
On the land where his legend is most widely spread, enjoying the highest fame bonus, supplemented by the vast magical energy accumulated by the Yggdmillennia over many years.
As a Servant manifested, Vlad III's strength would undoubtedly be elevated to its most terrifying state.
With this thought, Arthur's gaze returned to the data. The equally prominent Lancer and Rider on his side made his eyebrows slightly raise.
Indeed, the Clock Tower's millennium-old foundation was not a castle in the air.
Even if the Yggdmillennia had the advantage of terrain, they always had ways to select monsters from countless heroic legends that could contend.
Before long, Arthur closed the files, stood up, and beckoned to Mordred, who was patiently waiting nearby.
"I have understood the information. Contact me if new developments arise. I'll be leaving now."
Shirou Kotomine's expression stiffened, and he quickly asked.
"Mr. Arthur, are you not planning to participate in the joint operation?"
Arthur smiled indifferently: "I'm sorry, I'm not interested in playing house. In Trifas, I will act alone."
Upon hearing his words, Semiramis's eyes curved upwards, with a clear hint of displeasure in her tone.
"The enemy has already formed. If you act on your own, you will only cause trouble for us."
"Moreover, you are but one person. Do you truly have a way to gather intelligence throughout Trifas?"
Arthur waved his hand without looking back, his tone as still as an ancient well.
"The Clock Tower branch will regularly provide me with intelligence, and I will maintain a minimum level of contact with you using familiars. That should be enough, right?"
Shirou Kotomine looked troubled: "Even if you say so…"
"Actually, I just received another piece of intelligence. The Ruler class has also been summoned."
Arthur's steps paused as he turned to leave, and he tilted his head to look at the priest whose smile hadn't faded.
"Ruler? The referee of the Holy Grail War? What does that have to do with us?"
Shirou Kotomine calmly shook his head: "That's true, but the spiritual energy readings show Ruler's movements are very strange. He only arrived in Romania this morning."
Arthur frowned slightly: "All fourteen Servants have manifested, and a great war is imminent, yet this referee is arriving so late?"
Shirou Kotomine smiled subtly, raising a hand to point towards the guest quarters behind the church.
"That is precisely what concerns me. I plan to discuss this with the other Masters at the upcoming meeting. What are your thoughts?"
Arthur looked at Shirou Kotomine with a half-smile, his internal evaluation of this young priest having dropped to freezing point.
"No need. I have no interest in a derelict referee either. Farewell."
…
On the way out of the hilltop church, Arthur transmitted a question to Mordred, who was once again in spirit form.
'What do you think of that priest?'
Mordred was silent for a moment, her tone hesitant.
"The priest? I thought Master would be more interested in that venomous woman with a hidden knife in her smile."
"Hmm… if you ask me, that guy is definitely hiding some crucial information."
Arthur nodded in agreement.
Shirou Kotomine, if you peeled away that layer of gentle and philosophical demeanor, was empty inside.
He couldn't perceive any emotional fluctuations from the other party, like a —
A martyr without joy or sorrow.
'Be prepared, Mordred. In the worst-case scenario, your enemies will be the other thirteen Servants.'
"Leave it to me, Master! I, Mordred, am destined to be the strongest knight, surpassing my father!"
"But, Master… can you buy me a new set of clothes first?"
Just as Arthur was about to speak, a faint magical energy pulse gently vibrated in his arms —
This was an encrypted communication from the Clock Tower.
He moved into the shadows, casually pulling out a crystal. Starlight spilled forth, converging into text.
"Ruler's whereabouts confirmed. Additionally, the Yggdmillennia have been observed making unusual movements."