<The Advent of the Son of God> / A Gathering of "Heretics" ...

The Black Mud has dissipated; the Holy Grail War is over.

Since Solomon's death, Master Marisbury was taken into custody. There are several reasons why he wasn't killed.

Although Marisbury is Magecraft, he has not indiscriminately killed innocent people based on his current performance. Moreover, he is one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower. Even without mentioning his family, his apprentices would be a force to be reckoned with for these rural Magecraft in Fuyuki City if they wanted revenge.

Of course, the main reason is that Shinji Matou and Emiya Shirou are not pure Magecraft. If the problem can be solved without killing people, then it is better to kill as few people as possible.

Not to mention there's something even more important going on now.

"Kyo, are you alright?"

The first to arrive were Emiya Shirou and Shinji Matou. Since they were already in the core battlefield, they naturally saw Fujimaru Kyoya absorbing the Black Mud.

They had experienced firsthand just how evil that Black Mud was; even a little bit caused a strong stinging sensation, let alone Fujimaru Kyoya absorbing it all.

"Don't worry about me, the Holy Grail has been purified now, so there's no problem making a wish."

Including Solomon, who just died, six Servant have returned to the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail has now met the conditions for making a wish, and Fujimaru Kyoya intends to give up this opportunity.

His purpose in participating in the Holy Grail War was to save Tohsaka Rin and reverse Solomon's victory; he didn't have much expectation for the Holy Grail itself.

"Tsk~ The Holy Grail handed over? Although I'm known as Hound of Culann, I'm not about to accept such charity."

Cú Chulainn gave up the opportunity to make a wish, and since he didn't have anything in particular he wanted to do, he figured it was better to withdraw and avoid conflict.

"The Holy Grail War is not a one-time event; there are countless Holy Grail War in countless Parallel World. I am not in a hurry."

Artoria understood the importance of the Holy Grail to her Master. Although the Master Servant had two chances to make a wish, she also knew that there were two Lesser Grail that needed to be saved.

"Anyway, the Holy Grail is still here. We can just try again in sixty years. I'll probably still be alive by then. The Tohsaka's Wish for hundreds of years, so what's another sixty years?"

Tohsaka Rin casually declined the opportunity to make a wish, even though she also wanted to fulfill the Tohsaka's Wish, but she couldn't just stand by and do nothing about her younger sister.

In the past few days Shinji Matou has made his demands very clear. When Rin Tohsaka Rin learned about the inhuman treatment Matou Sakura had endured over the years, she felt extremely guilty for being such a failure as an older sister.

In the end, she gave the opportunity to Shinji Matou. As long as her sister could come back, there would be plenty of opportunities to make it up to her in the future.

"Illya doesn't care about anything."

Illya said she didn't care. She had been in contact with Emiya Shirou these past few days and understood that her father was not happy in his later years. He even went abroad for a period of time to try to pick up someone, but returned empty-handed.

Knowing that her father hadn't given up on her was enough for Illya to be indifferent.

Although as Artificial Human she doesn't have much time left to live, not having to die with regrets is already the best possible ending.

"Such a magnificent battle, the Holy Grail is a fitting reward for you."

Gil's arrogance has become increasingly apparent, but this will not change his mind about relinquishing the Holy Grail. The key to this Holy Grail War lies with Fujimaru Kyoya, and since Fujimaru Kyoya doesn't want it, Gilles won't go up and take what others don't want.

This is probably the despicable life of the Holy Grail.

"Shinji, can I ask you for a favor?"

Emiya Shirou looked at his stepsister, whom he had only met a short time ago. According to the Matou Family's records, these Artificial Human generally didn't live long, so if possible...

"I understand, leave it to me."

Shinji Matou understood what his friend wanted to do, but before making his wish, he still went to Fujimaru Kyoya.

"Thanks."

Shinji Matou looked at this friend with whom he had a falling out. Their first meeting wasn't exactly pleasant, but it was that encounter that changed his life.

Given the previous situation, what difference would it make if Fujimaru Kyoya destroyed the Holy Grail to save his own life?

Although the Black Mud remains unresolved, it has at least bought time. By leveraging the Matou's Wealth and the Tohsaka Family's connections, they can eventually find a way to resolve the calamity posed by the Holy Grail.

Destroying the Holy Grail would be tantamount to killing Matou Sakura. Fujimaru Kyoya didn't choose the easiest way for his friend, and Shinji Matou didn't know how to express his gratitude for this.

"Go quickly, stop dawdling."

Fujimaru Kyoya leaned against the side to rest. He was really exhausted from this battle, but for now, he was just tired. Once Shinji Matou made his wish, the Holy Grail War would end, and he alone would have to bear the All the World's Evil with his human body.

"My wish is to preserve the souls of both Matou Sakura and Illya."

Shinji Matou expressed his wish, Matou Sakura had already ordered a spare body from Touko Aozaki through Aozaki Touko, which was expected.

As for Illya, she is Emiya Shirou's older sister. Since she went through so much trouble to save his younger sister, he was not so petty as to ignore her.

Although Shinji Matou didn't prepare Illya's body, he and Aozaki Touko were still business partners and had a way to contact each other. At worst, she would just try to overcharge him again.

"Is it finally over?"

As Shinji Matou made his wish, and the Servant vanished with the end of the Holy Grail War, Fujimaru Kyoya finally breathed a sigh of relief.

I'm so tired, I should go to sleep.

"A drastic change in the World Line has been detected. The original World Line has begun to shift. The host has a significant impact on this world. <Hero Simulator> is beginning simulation... Please select three starting talents."

Darkness descended once more, yet Fujimaru Kyoya felt utterly at ease. Of the ten orbs of light before him, he casually selected three, not even bothering to examine what talents they represented.

"Stigmata: Proof of being a born saint. You have established a connection with God, and as long as your heart is sincere, God will grant you power."

Revelation: God may occasionally whisper in your ear, guiding you in the right direction.

"Presence Concealment: An ability used to hide one's presence so that enemies cannot detect them. When the enemy does detect them, one can eliminate their presence to continue hiding."

I'm too lazy to watch anymore, let's continue.

"Talent confirmed. Initiating script import for <The Son's Advent>."

Chapter 191 The Gathering of "Heretics" 40/102

You were born.

You were born into a family with devout Christianity faith. Your family was overjoyed at your birth, not only because of the continuation of the family line, but also because you were born with a scar on your left hand.

[Awakening of the "Stigmata" Talent: You are born with the marks of Christ's Passion; as long as your piety remains unchanged, God will grant you power.]

[You can sense your parents' devotion to God, but you cannot comprehend it, even though you were born with Stigmata.]

[You begin to receive education from your parents, and the Bible is the first book you encounter.]

[You possess the mind and soul of an adult; memorizing comes easily to you. You have abilities far exceeding those of your peers, which makes your family even more convinced that you are loved by God.]

[You can feel your parents' expectations, but the more they expect, the more you resent them. You understand the origin of this Stigmata; it's not something given by a god, but rather something of unknown origin.]

Your parents are planning to arrange a marriage for you...

Where is young master Flagg?

"Has the young master disappeared again?"

"Damn it, tonight is my blind date, and I absolutely can't afford to make a mistake!"

Fujimaru Kyoya watched the servants in disarray in the courtyard, he himself soared above the rooftops, admiring the city of Florence from its Firenze.

In 15th-century Florence, some time had passed since the Hundred Years' War between England and France. France, having lost the Virgin Mary, had emerged victorious, gaining not only all of Britain's territory in France but also the confidence of a powerful nation.

As for Italy at this time, it did not inherit much of the martial spirit left by its ancestral Rome, but it did inherit a great deal of the pleasures that belonged to the Rome.

Today, Florence is home to the world's largest and best painters, who serve royalty and nobility, though their status is not particularly high, especially since these men sometimes do blasphemous things.

This is what Fujimaru Kyoya going to do.

In the gloomy, damp room, where the light was poor and there were few lights, a group of cowardly figures huddled together, resembling the scene of some evil religious ritual. They were surrounding a corpse and a person dissecting it.

This was certainly not some evil religious ceremony; it was simply a group of painters gathering together to hone their painting skills.

For painters to depict the human body, they naturally need a thorough understanding of its structure; it's not something that can be accomplished simply by hiring someone to undress and then having the painter draw from that position.

Firstly, most of the painters who came to Florence to apprentice were in a menial position and had no money to hire models. Secondly, it was impossible to observe the lines of human organs and muscles clearly without cutting open the body.

After much thought, the only option left was to "borrow" the deceased's body.

Such behavior is naturally not understood by the secular world, much less recognized by the Church, and is considered blasphemous.

Under such a double blow, a group of painters could only gather together like a group of cult members, secretly dissecting corpses.

Fujimaru Kyoya had no interest in dissecting corpses; he simply wanted to escape the strong religious beliefs in his family. In Fujimaru Kyoya's view, whether it was a legitimate belief or a cult belief, going to extremes was never a good thing.

The painters' "gathering" was already a secret affair; who would have thought that a devout young nobleman would appear in such a place?

[You took your sketchbook and pencil and pretended to sketch a few lines, then began observing the other painters around you. After all, your skills already far surpassed Tang Bohu's, and were even on par with the legendary Martial Champion; there was no need for further improvement.]

I never expected this simulator to actually say a few nice things; this is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence!

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the indescribable blob on his canvas; it was clearly an abstract "aesthetic" that people of this era could not appreciate.

I really don't know if publishing my paintings will earn me the title of the founder of abstract art?

[Your paintings exude an inexplicably powerful "pressure," causing other painters to retreat as if they had seen a ghost, even though this makes the already crowded space even more cramped.]

[You're used to this; how could mediocre people understand the paintings of geniuses? But you're surprised that among this group of mediocre people, there's one person who dares to stand beside you.]

Sure enough, everyone here is a novice artist.

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the person standing next to him. Even though she was dressed in men's clothing and had her hair cut short, her delicate face and frail frame clearly indicated that she was a woman.

So a group of artists pretended not to see it? This kind of guy is either stupid and can't see it, or he's a bad guy trying to take advantage of the situation. But considering the girl's small breasts, the former is more likely.

"A woman shouldn't come to a place like this."

Fujimaru Kyoya lowered his voice and spoke to the girl.

Women did not have a high status in this era, and society was rife with discrimination against women. Although Fujimaru Kyoya did not discriminate against women, he still did not think highly of the girl in front of him.

The girl's skin was very well-maintained, and although her men's clothing was simple, it was exceptionally clean, clearly indicating that she was not an apprentice working in a workshop. This meant that the girl came from a wealthy family.

I don't know what you're talking about.

The Goddess changed, and she wanted to leave Fujimaru Kyoya's side. However, considering that her frail body was not strong enough to navigate through the crowded people, she had no choice but to endure the harassment from the person in front of her.

"You come from a wealthy family, yet you have to come here alone, which means your family doesn't support you."

"..."

Fujimaru Kyoya's words clearly struck a nerve with the girl, leaving her speechless.

"Leave here as soon as possible. If the Church catches you, you might be treated like a witch."

What happens to witches?

This reminded the girl of Joan of Arc, the France Joan of Arc from decades ago. If she hadn't been rehabilitated by France a few years ago, she would probably have been branded a witch.

"Tsk~ That's boring."

Seeing the girl on the verge of tears yet still refusing to leave, Fujimaru Kyoya and decided to leave to go home for his arranged marriage.

After all, a girl who is not supported by her family and frequently attends a gathering that could almost be labeled as "heretic" would have a predictable fate if she were caught.

This is what ruined Fujimaru Kyoya mood.

[As you leave, you notice a wound on the girl's right hand that appears to be pierced by something. You're unsure whether it was from abuse or something else, but the wound looks strangely familiar.]

Scars?

Fujimaru Kyoya glanced at the wound on the girl's right hand, and then at the wound on his own left hand.

They really look alike.

Chapter 192 Future Wife

[You returned home, and began to endure your mother's nagging. You started to wonder if you were sixteen or thirty-two.]

[Listen to your mother's instructions; you know that the person you're meeting today is a distinguished individual, and you must not show any rudeness.]

[You're all dressed up, and your family has made ample preparations for this blind date.]

[You encounter a beautifully dressed young woman with short hair, a rarity in this era. However, paired with her delicate features, it gives her a touch of heroic spirit, but...]

"You..."

"Nice to meet you."

The noble young lady hurriedly interrupted Fujimaru Kyoya, her elegant curtsy befitting a noblewoman.

Was it a coincidence?

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the girl's flat chest and short hair. The gathering place was meant to be a secluded spot, and the lighting was so dim that it was barely enough to illuminate the corpses. He couldn't see the girl's face clearly.