IBHJ Chapter 978

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed, relieved they were on the same page. It was exactly what he'd been thinking.

The Archbishop was the leader of this sanctuary and this connection point. Getting his assistance would be crucial in resolving the problems here and investigating the mystery of the three-eyed people. Moreover, Shirou was deeply troubled by what he'd seen during the festival procession. He was almost certain he'd spotted Altera among the Archbishop's entourage. This worried him greatly.

The mysterious merchant who had traded with Emiya, allowing him and Miyu to escape this connection point, was none other than Koyanskaya. Given Morrigan's history with her and Koyanskaya's nature, getting her help was out of the question. That path was a dead end. From now on, if they wanted to uncover the truth about Gandharan, they were on their own.

Shirou walked down the lonely, cold corridor towards his room, worry gnawing at him. He knew he had to unravel the mysteries of Gandharan; it was possibly the only way to learn more about the Lord of Salvation.

But something was wrong.

Ever since that brief invasion by the Lord of Salvation, he'd felt...off.

He came to an abrupt stop, turning to face the cold, silvery moonlight streaming through a nearby window. His eyes were drawn to his own shadow stretching across the floor.

It was a perfectly normal human shadow, but to his eyes, it was twisting, undergoing some kind of grotesque transformation.

He knew. The Lord of Salvation had planted a seed in his soul.

The seed of absolute evil.

"You are a vessel of evil, and as long as it's a vessel, there will be a capacity limit. Once it exceeds this capacity, what you'll become, even I don't know." Merlin's words echoed in his mind again, and Shirou pursed his lips.

"Merlin... My body might turn into some kind of monster, but my soul will still be me. But before anything terrible happens, I have to give this body back to Artie. I can't let her get tainted."

Shirou wasn't afraid of Koyanskaya, even if she was a Beast. He had a vague sense that within the seed left by the Lord of Salvation, there was an ultimate power of absolute evil, capable of defeating any Beast. But he also knew that if he got tangled up in that power, he'd become some kind of unspeakable evil monster, just like Merlin had warned.

A vessel containing evil will eventually become evil. Maybe that was the inevitable fate of being a vessel. But he refused to believe it.

Suddenly, a hurried figure rushed out from a nearby intersection, bumping into him with a thud. Instead of knocking Shirou down, the figure fell to the ground, clutching her backside and wailing.

"Ouch, that hurts," Kiara whimpered, rubbing her bottom with tears in her eyes.

He held out his hand, "Are you okay?"

She took his hand, pulling herself up with a small wince. "I'm fine."

"Why were you running in the halls? you know it's not safe."

Kiara's eyes darted nervously over her shoulder. "The other me," she whispered, as if afraid of being overheard. "She wants to catch me and... and stuff me back in her belly."

He glanced behind them, seeing nothing but an empty corridor. He turned back to Kiara with a reassuring smile. "Looks like she's just teasing you."

Although Beast III/R had been constantly thwarted, it's worth noting that among the Council members like Sixth Seat, Koyanskaya, and Abigail, the one Shirou understood the least was actually Beast III/R. But there was one thing he did understand: Beast III/R had no intention of stuffing Kiara back into her belly, of pushing Kiara's personality back into her cognition. Otherwise, with her abilities, she could have easily reclaimed Kiara at Romania.

What her intentions and goals were, nobody knew except herself. Even Shirou couldn't guess.

Kiara pouted, "She really scared me. And she said such strange things. It's so annoying."

"Strange things?"

"Like asking if I want to go back into her body. By myself!" Kiara waved her arms, clearly upset. "Can you believe it? Why would I ever want that? It's just... just... awful!" She shuddered. "I really hate it."

He gave her a reassuring smile. "Maybe she just wanted to mess with you. Try not to think about it too much. You should head back to your room and get some rest."

Waving goodbye to Kiara, he turned to leave.

"Even if she's just messing around, there are limits! It's... it's just too much!" she grumbled.

As her words faded, a long hand suddenly appeared on her shoulder. She froze, her face draining of color as she slowly turned her head. The moment she saw those familiar fingers, fear gripped her entire body.

"Waaah!"

Kiara screamed and ran away.

...

Shirou was walking towards his room when he suddenly noticed Demonic Bodhisattva talking to Mordred at his doorway.

"Mordred—!" he frowned sharply, calling out as he hurried over.

"Oh my, the big lion has come. Time to leave." Demonic Bodhisattva smiled and turned to leave.

Mordred stood there with a bewildered look in her eyes, watching her go.

Shirou arrived next to Mordred, crouched down, and reached out to touch her body. Finding nothing amiss, he sighed in relief.

Then, he furrowed his brows as he glanced at Demonic Bodhisattva's retreating figure before turning to Mordred and asking, "What did that woman do to you?"

"She didn't do anything," Mordred shook her head.

"Then what did she say?"

"She... didn't say anything either." Mordred's gaze drifted to a far corner of the ceiling, avoiding his eyes.

This was clearly a sign that Demonic Bodhisattva had implanted something in her mind. He hoped it wasn't anything impure or perverted.

He looked deeply concerned, then turned his head to stare at Demonic Bodhisattva's back, thinking he should find an opportunity to eliminate her.

"Are you worried about me?" Mordred asked.

"Of course I am," he nodded.

"That makes me so happy," she said with a bright smile. Then she asked, "Would Shirou worry about me too?"

The question caught him off guard. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Mordred's smile softened. She gently took his hand from her shoulder and placed it back at his side. "I don't need anyone else to worry about me," she said quietly. "Just take care of yourself, okay?"

Before he could respond, she turned and skipped away.

Watching her retreating figure, a sense of unease crept over him.

"Mordred," he blurted out.

She glanced back. "What is it, Mom?"

He forced a smile. "How about we have a sleepover tonight?"

Normally, Mordred would have jumped at the chance, but this time, she shook her head. "I'm not a little kid anymore," she said, a wistful smile on her face. "I want to sleep alone."

Shirou was surprised. He watched as Mordred turned and walked away down the dimly lit corridor.

What was going on with her?

Was she upset about something?

Or worse, had she somehow figured out the body swap?

He was confused, but her behavior didn't seem to suggest that she knew.

If she had realized he'd tricked her, she'd be chasing him down the hall with a sword right now. How could she be so calm?

"What did that perverted woman say to my Mordred?" he muttered, his jaw clenching. "I swear, I'll deal with her one of these days."

He lay in bed, his mind racing with thoughts of Mordred. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

In the darkness, a hand reached out, gently stroking his forehead, like a mother comforting a child.

"Hey, cut that out," he grumbled, covering his forehead. His tone was annoyed, but there was a hint of embarrassment in it too. "It's weird."

"Mm, mm," the black mud made a dejected sound and retreated back into the shadows.

As his other half, comforting its other half was perfectly normal. And even though it was embarrassing, the black arms did give him a sense of security.

"It's good to have you here with me," he admitted softly.

"Mm, mm," the black mud rippled happily in the shadows.

Shirou smiled at this, but there was a touch of sadness in his heart. The black arms were his greatest comfort, but they were also about to become his greatest threat.