Chapter 547

[Editor's note: This chapter has been edited to remove content that breaks our content rules.]

Tiamat had been insisting for a while now that there was somewhere she wanted to go.

Whatever could hold her attention like that had even Shirou curious.

Then they climbed the slope.

“Wait, this is…”

An elegant, lavish church stood quietly atop the hill, awaiting them.

“The children’s home where Shirou lived when he was little was here, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, so that’s what this is about.”

Shirou relaxed. “Mother, this used to be a children’s home, yes, but it closed several years ago. The whole operation moved somewhere else…”

“Mm-hmm. It’s open for business,” Tiamat said.

“How is that possible?!”

Shirou’s eyes widened in surprise.

The orphanage, which should have closed after the Fourth Holy Grail War, was operating as usual.

Children’s lively voices drifted over the very wall he had climbed eight years ago.

Shirou checked the date again.

It really was 2002. Eight years had passed since that ritual.

Feeling dazed, he let Tiamat take his hand and lead him into the orphanage.

Half an hour later—

“Hee-hee. Here comes Mother!”

“You won’t catch me… Whoa!”

“Heh-heh. That’s what you get for underestimating Mother. Now you know how good I am!”

“Tia definitely cheated!”

Inside the children’s home beside the church, the goddess of creation was playing tag with the children.

Shirou watched the scene, at a loss for words, while a female staff member spoke to him.

“I see. So you used to live here, Mr. Amamiya?

“I’m sorry… All the records from eight years ago were destroyed, so if you wanted to look something up, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to help.”

“No, that’s all right. I understand.”

Of course Shirou knew. He had destroyed those records himself—as part