Because his gaze had not focused on Kojirou, Kojirou did not notice that Shinji's earlier glance had been assessing him.
However, once Shinji approached the mountain gate, Kojirou sensed something slightly off.
The boy's movements were far too natural.
Every swing of his arms, every step he took—natural, coordinated, without a single unnecessary motion.
The son of a warrior family in this era? He has excellent potential.
Kojirou praised him inwardly, but did not pay it much mind.
At seven o'clock, Shinji finished his superficial task, exchanged pleasantries with some acquaintances at the temple, and left.
Even by the time he departed, Shinji had not caught sight of the hidden target of this visit—Caster. Nor had anyone in the temple taken the initiative to mention that a woman had recently arrived.
Worried that Caster had implanted some suggestion in the temple residents not to speak of her on their own, Shinji did not ask directly so as not to alert the enemy.
Still, Shinji keenly noticed that a side room in the rear courtyard seemed to be giving off a strange aura unlike before. The natural barrier that had originally surrounded the outskirts of Ryuudou Temple was also shrouded in an eerie presence that ordinary people could not perceive.
(Note: Ryuudou Temple was where Fuyuki's spiritual veins converged, making it an ideal location for gathering souls. By merely modifying the natural flow of the spiritual veins, a magus could easily collect Life Force from Fuyuki. To magi, it was land worthy of being called a temple.)
(Also: The mountain where Ryuudou Temple stood possessed a natural barrier—or rather, a spell—that was extremely inconvenient for Masters: it repelled all souls other than natural spirits. It was very unfriendly to Servants. Entering from anywhere other than the main gate would weaken them