KyokaSuigetsu
patreon
Chapter 16: Teaching the Mapo Priest
🕑 Added 2025-05-06 12:07:32 +0000 UTC"No, I can’t wait this long. A whole year—am I supposed to spend every day staring at Kirei Kotomine, Sakura, and the others, squeezing tiny bits of value out of these characters? Sure, it’s possible, but that’s just boring. Besides, I’ve already taken control of the Holy Grail, so there’s nothing to worry about. I need to accelerate the Holy Grail War. At the latest, it has to start within a month. System, is there a way?" Takashi Kuroda asked.
"Host… wouldn’t a year of preparation be ideal? You could develop steadily during that time," the System replied.
"I feel like something’s watching me. If I’m not mistaken, as a transmigrator who’s already interacted with this world, Alaya and Gaia must have noticed me by now. If I stay here too long, something will go wrong sooner or later. The Type-Moon world is great, don’t get me wrong—it’s comfortable for early-stage development in a small circle. But the problem is, there are way too many big shots here. If I make too much noise, I’ll inevitably get dragged into their schemes. I don’t want to deal with those cunning old bastards just yet." Takashi Kuroda shook his head.
"System, I remember the description of the Dimensional Home in the System Store mentioned that it has the ability to connect to different worlds. That means I won’t be limited to just the Type-Moon world, right?" Takashi Kuroda said.
"That’s correct… Once the host completes this world’s main quest, you’ll receive an interdimensional travel reward. At that point, you’ll be able to journey to other worlds for training and resources," the System answered.
"Just as I thought. In that case, speeding up the Holy Grail War is definitely the right move. So, System, do you have a method or not?" Takashi Kuroda pressed.
"Host, you’ve already taken control of the Greater Grail. Whether the Holy Grail War begins or not depends entirely on whether there’s enough magical energy to summon it. Right now, all you need to do is manipulate the ley lines and force the Greater Grail to absorb their energy. If you do that, the Holy Grail War can begin as early as a month from now," the System explained.
"Good. Once I’m done with the Mapo Priest, I’ll head to Ryuudou Temple."
While Takashi Kuroda and the System were conversing, he was actually leading Kirei Kotomine around in search of a restaurant. After being verbally defeated by Takashi and accepting his power of decay, Kirei had submitted wholeheartedly. Still, he was curious—Takashi had mentioned bringing him to find the first thing that could bring him true contentment.
But as Kirei looked around, he realized they were in a food district. Could it be that the thing Takashi spoke of was related to eating? In his over twenty years of life, Kirei had never experienced true pleasure from food. He had no cravings, no sense of satisfaction from eating. Even so, he no longer doubted Takashi’s words—but he was still curious, even hopeful.
"Ah, we’re here, Kirei. One of the things you’ve been searching for is inside this restaurant." Suddenly, Takashi stopped and smiled, pointing at the sign above the establishment.
"Red Pavilion·Taishan…?" Kirei looked up at the name of the Chinese restaurant. It didn’t seem special at all. But since Lord DIO had brought him here, he memorized the name.
Yes, even now, Takashi Kuroda had not removed his mask or revealed his true name to Kirei. It wasn’t that he feared betrayal—rather, he was being cautious. In a world with magecraft and True Magic, stealing someone’s memories wasn’t difficult.
"Lord DIO… is this plate of food what you were referring to?" Kirei stared at the steaming, blood-red dish of tofu in front of him and unconsciously swallowed. The dish looked like something out of hell—the crimson sauce mixed with white tofu resembled molten lava boiling skeletal remains.
"Mapo tofu. A famous Sichuan dish in Chinese cuisine. Perfectly normal food. Except…"
"Except…?" Kirei asked curiously.
"Except for those who can’t handle spice, it’s slightly hot." Takashi grinned before scooping a spoonful of his own identical plate and slurping it down.
"Delicious."
(Though internally, he thought: "This just tastes like pure capsaicin extract. The spiciness overpowers everything else—overseas Sichuan food really can’t compare to the authentic stuff. Well, at least the heat is decent.")
Takashi was the type who had grown up eating spicy food, so this was nothing to him.
He took another spoonful, savoring it slowly. Seeing that Takashi was eating without issue, Kirei hesitantly scooped a bite for himself.
"!!!"
The moment he bit down, the spiciness exploded in his mouth, spreading through his entire body. Kirei trembled as the burning sensation seared into his very soul. Clearly, he was not someone who could handle spice—his sensitivity to pain from heat was far greater than an average person’s.
And yet…
He immediately took a second bite.
The pain intensified. His mouth was on fire, sweat pouring down his face as he panted heavily. A normal person would have stopped to gulp down water, but Kirei’s instincts drove him to take a third spoonful.
His face flushed red, his body drenched in sweat—but he didn’t stop. Spoon after spoon, he devoured the entire plate, finishing only half a minute after Takashi.
"Well, Kirei? How was it?" Takashi smiled.
"My deepest gratitude." Kirei’s lips were slightly swollen, but there was no resentment in his voice. Because for the first time, he had felt it—that familiar sense of contentment, returning to him as he ate. Despite the agony, he had been happy.
"So do you understand now, Kirei? What is it that truly brings you peace?" Takashi narrowed his eyes. "This is the fifth time you’ve felt this way. You should know the answer by now."
"Could it be… pain?" Kirei was no fool. After five instances, he had recognized the pattern.
"Pain. Misery. Despair. Things others see as poison, things they flee from—to you, they are sweetness itself. You don’t just revel in your own suffering. You delight in the suffering of others. Do you remember your wife’s death, Kirei Kotomine?"
"I do."
"How did it feel?"
"It was… painful."
"Was it because she died?"
"...No."
"It was because you couldn’t savor her death, wasn’t it?"
"......"
"That’s why I sought you out, Kirei Kotomine. This is who you are. You’ve spent your life shackled by doctrine, but now… you’re free."
"Free…" Kirei nodded slowly. Yes, he had abandoned his faith, sold his soul.
"However, Kirei—there’s one thing you must remember. You may indulge in the misery, pain, and despair of others… but you must never chase after them." Takashi’s tone suddenly shifted.
"What do you mean?" Kirei frowned, not fully grasping the statement.
"It’s the same as those who lust after money. People enjoy wealth, the pleasures it brings. But some become so greedy that they obsessively pursue it, resorting to any means necessary. In the end, they become slaves to money, losing sight of why they wanted it in the first place. They forget that the joy was in the experience, not the accumulation." Takashi met Kirei’s gaze. "You are the same."
