The Winter Saintess's full name was Justitia Lizrich von Einzbern.
More than two hundred years ago, she had willingly sacrificed herself as an offering, constructing the Greater Grail and becoming its core.
She had done so to fulfill the wish of saving all humanity.
However, after Shiki's persuasion yesterday, she had abandoned that wish, which might have destroyed the world.
Yet a new direction Shiki had mentioned by chance had allowed the Winter Saintess to see new hope.
Thus, she fully supported Shiki in winning the Holy Grail War and intended to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan with him, making the world better and allowing Earth to be reborn.
"Ah, I only mentioned that plan in passing. Who would want to go through all that trouble again? It's exhausting, but..."
Shiki sighed inwardly.
He had not expected this somewhat unhinged Winter Saintess to appear through Irisviel—and wearing that slightly revealing Heavenly Dress, no less.
At that moment, the Saintess clinging to Shiki's back happily touched this and poked that, as if rediscovering the world, chuckling all the while.
Then she leaned close to his ear and said coquettishly, "Shiki, aren't you happy to see me?"
Happy?
Shiki's lips twitched. How could he possibly be happy?
Besides, Saintess, wasn't your character setting falling apart a little? Where had that cold, holy image gone?
Uh, come to think of it, this Saintess had never really had much to do with holiness from the start.
"Justitia, how did you appear through Irisviel?"
That was what Shiki was curious about. He remembered that the Saintess could not simply come out whenever she wanted. She was supposed to appear only after the Holy Grail was dismantled, triggering its hidden rules and freeing her soul.
"Also, Justitia, get up first. I need to reapply the medicine. My right eye needs to be treated quickly," Shiki added.
Hearing that, the Saintess reluctantly got up and made room, preparing to answer Shiki's questions.
"Shiki~ When you extracted the Holy Grail, a void appeared in the bodies of my successors. I had just awakened and truly didn't want to remain inside the Greater Grail, looking at those disgusting things, so I followed the altar into my successor's body. These successors were all created in my image, so they can accommodate my soul very well without any rejection."
Justitia explained it very clearly, and Shiki understood at once.
As for the disgusting thing she had mentioned, it was the World's Evil that had filled Shiki with suspicion.
During the Third Holy Grail War, part of the Greater Grail's magical energy had been contaminated by Eighth Class Average.
After the Holy Grail War ended, that Average had not returned to the Throne of Heroes, instead continuing to contaminate the Holy Grail System.
This was obviously the Counter Force's doing, intended to prevent the Holy Grail War from succeeding.
Even now, only the core area where the Saintess resided remained uncontaminated. Everywhere else had become Average's contaminated territory.
The Einzbern Family had unexpectedly reproduced the Third Magic in the Saintess, making Justitia half a Magus. An Average driven by the Counter Force was incapable of contaminating the Saintess's territory with his power.
After wiping the blood from his face, Shiki stood up and let the Black Knight, who had been waiting nearby, apply the medicine.
As he treated him, the Black Knight said with mild reproach, "Master, you pushed yourself too hard this time. The damage to your eyeball has worsened. I'm afraid your vision has suffered considerable permanent loss."
The eyeball was already one of the most vital and fragile parts of the human body.
Shiki had only recently awakened, and his physical abilities were still weak. When using the powerful abilities of his Mystic Eyes, his eyeballs endured immense pressure, so injury had been unavoidable.
"Don't worry, Mr. Lancelot. I have my own solution, so you needn't worry. Besides, if I promise someone something, I must do it. That is my principle in life. It is only right to pay a price for it."
The two did not avoid speaking in front of the Saintess, so Justitia naturally heard everything.
With a look of surprise, she moved close to Shiki, squeezed the Black Knight aside, and leaned in front of him to examine his eyes from up close. "Shiki, your eyes are so beautiful. I know some healing magecraft. Do you want to give it a try?"
"Justitia, you're too close."
Shiki spoke helplessly. She really was too close; the two were nearly pressed together, and Shiki could even smell the pleasant scent drifting from her body.
Uh, but speaking of which, did a body created through Soul Materialization under the Third Magic really have a scent?
That became a question.
Shiki came back to his senses and shook his head at the Saintess before him. "Justitia, healing magecraft is useless. Ordinary magecraft is less effective on my eyes than medicine. Mysterious power is disrupted by the Magic Circuits in my eyes, which nullify magecraft."
"Eh? Is that so?"
The Saintess did not quite believe him. She used healing magecraft on Shiki's eyes with both hands, and the glow of magical energy flowed around them. Yet the magecraft that could heal bodily injuries had no effect whatsoever on Shiki's eyes. Instead, the conflict of mysterious powers caused them to bleed again.
The Saintess was at a loss. She took several steps back, watching the Black Knight tend to Shiki's injury while anxiously twisting her fingers together. She apologized softly, "Sorry, Shiki. I was too willful and caused you trouble. I'm sorry."
"..."
Shiki thought, Was there something wrong with this Saintess?
He examined Justitia with his left eye. She looked like a young girl, and no matter how he looked at her, it felt strange.
Moreover, he had only just noticed something. The Saintess was speaking fluent Japanese rather than her original German.
"Justitia, tell me honestly. Did you absorb some kind of knowledge while inside the Holy Grail?" Shiki asked.
The Saintess looked startled, covering her face as she said, "Shiki, you guessed right. In order to communicate with you smoothly, I absorbed quite a bit of the knowledge recorded by the Holy Grail. Don't worry, it was all ordinary knowledge. There wasn't anything strange."
"..."
Wasn't that practically an admission?
He sighed again. This Saintess really was bold. She dared to do anything, even something so reckless. Could knowledge really be absorbed and used so casually?
Shiki said seriously, "Justitia, promise me you won't directly absorb other people's knowledge again. It isn't good for you. That knowledge carries its original owner's values, spirit, and will. If you absorb too much, it will change your nature. I don't want to see that happen."
No wonder the Saintess had changed so much. She now had many more feminine reactions, all influenced by the knowledge she had absorbed from the Holy Grail.
Just as Shiki had said, absorbing knowledge seemed wonderful, but the actual price was often difficult to bear.
Knowledge inevitably carried a person's values. Listening to it or reading it had less of an effect, but directly absorbing it was no different from having someone else's values overwrite your own.
Shiki explained all these potential dangers to the Saintess, then finally warned her, "Justitia, you should sort through everything you absorbed and discard anything that goes against your nature. Only then can you return to being your original self instead of becoming someone else."
The Saintess nodded vigorously, then happily rushed over and hugged Shiki. "I know what to do now. Thank you, Shiki~"
"..."
Shiki had only one thought at that moment: this Saintess was truly troublesome.
The atmosphere within the Great Hollow was somewhat subtle. Shiki only hoped this would all end soon so he could get some proper rest.
Before you continue