Chapter 73: The Heroic Spirit Incident
The Chief felt his chest swell, a pain like a seam opening in his heart. The air was shrouded in slanted, downward light; the incandescent lamps were on, but they seemed insignificant beneath the brightness of the morning sun.
What Shirou Emiya was doing now was effortlessly throwing out an olive branch sufficient to overturn the entire situation.
The Caster camp alone could not contend with Faldeus and Francesca. The Chief had reached this conclusion long ago.
But what if he were added to the mix—or if his "extra-curricular faction" were included? Objects that should never have been united were being brought together by him; every one of his actions was creating fissures in the Holy Grail War.
The Chief pursed his lips tightly.
An opportunity like this would not come a second time.
The Chief needed power, so Shirou was willing to give him power; the Chief needed a means, and Shirou provided that means in his stead. Shirou would make up for the Chief's deficiencies, and the Police Department would make up for Shirou's.
As long as the goal of the Chief and his men remained justice.
The young man had proactively handed the banner of rebellion to Clan Calatin and said: The choice is yours.
Never before had anyone done this for Clan Calatin. No one had ever cared about the wishes of the Police Department.
From their weapons, this young man could see colors that the Police Department couldn't even see in themselves. Thus, he had come to reach out and liberate them from the shackles of "false justice" entangled with the masterminds.
To the Chief, this was something that should normally be impossible, yet in this man's eyes, it was a matter of course—after all, while the Chief's idea was to fight Heroic Spirits, Shirou's idea was to confront both Heroic Spirits and the masterminds simultaneously.
"If we don't cooperate, there's nothing for it; I won't do anything to you. It's just that... I hope you won't assist people like Francesca and Faldeus," he added.
How enviable.
So such a form of justice still exists in this world.
The Chief's face was full of fatigue as he let out a sigh.
"...I will ask one last question. How can you be so certain that we will follow your justice?"
Although not explicitly stated, he used these words to express his dissatisfaction at being played in the palm of Shirou's hand, only to end up cooperating obediently.
"? I believe I just mentioned the possibility of non-cooperation. I don't have the kind of confidence to think I can definitely persuade you."
Shirou first corrected the Chief's statement before continuing: "However, there is currently a serious situation in Snowfield capable of causing harm to the world—it's likely a leftover issue from a previous Holy Grail War.
The current situation is roughly like a bomb that has already been placed, but the fuse hasn't been lit yet. We are doing our best to stop it, but it's still very troublesome. I don't want to see anything happen to this city, and I believe that once you hear similar information, you won't stand by and watch either."
The Chief frowned, realizing: "So there is something you know that we do not."
Shirou nodded, his palm opening and closing.
"Do you know about the Black Mud?"
The twenty-eight men looked completely bewildered; only the Chief nodded on their behalf. "Black Mud" referred to the substance Faldeus and Francesca had discovered within the Holy Grail fragments—it was said to be filled with curses against humanity and had been given by Faldeus to someone else to be used as a tool to strengthen Heroic Spirits.
The Chief had a premonition that the words to follow would be enough to make his heart stop. For a moment, his instinct was to play deaf and turn a blind eye, but he also understood that he had to listen.
Because whether he listened or not, these things existed.
Escape was useless. What Clan Calatin had to do was move from a state of not seeing the elephant in the room to being able to see its skin.
"What I am about to tell you is concerning the Fifth Holy Grail War—"
The following was another story.
The "Heroic Spirit Incident" that occurred in Fuyuki.
In this account, the existence of most Heroic Spirits was omitted; Shirou spoke only of those related to the Black Mud. Gilgamesh, Angra Mainyu, and the fact that Heroic Spirits could be blackened by the mud.
It was the first time Shirou had told this to someone outside of the Fifth Holy Grail War.
While Shirou narrated, the Chief said nothing, though his expression shifted several times. Finally, with a dazed look and a hint of obscure irony—though the irony was not aimed at Shirou—the Chief looked at the ground and spoke:
"So, should I say... thank you for saving our lives?"
After uttering just that one sentence, his ability to speak seemed stripped away; even if he opened his mouth, the words would break apart. The Chief tapped his temple repeatedly.
The information Shirou Emiya had provided was a behemoth capable of shattering one's worldview... it wasn't something that could be digested in a few minutes. The weight of nearly ten years of a person's life was laid bare here.
There were many ways to verify the information. Rumors about the mud, rumors about Gilgamesh, and news reports from Fuyuki City years ago—all of these could corroborate one another.
But once verified, from this year to the next... for a very long time, the Chief would have to remember that this had happened in the world. As long as it was a world where the Fifth Holy Grail War had occurred, it meant Snowfield had already avoided a brush with destruction once. Whether it was Gilgamesh's destruction of the world or the birth of Angra Mainyu, it was all the same to them; there wasn't much difference.
The primary reason they were able to avoid this destruction was currently standing right in front of the Caster camp, yet he hadn't mentioned it at all before—not even when they were on the verge of crossing blades.
'Why didn't you just say so!?'
Only someone with a simple mind, like a certain golden-haired individual, could blithely say "Thank you!", shake hands frantically, and then drag Shirou off to wander around. Unfortunately, the Chief was not that kind of person.
The Chief should say something.
But he was completely choked up, only managing to burn the matter into the depths of his heart.
"In the end, I still didn't succeed in becoming an Ally of Justice," Shirou said.
Having already become acquainted with Shirou's personality, the Chief wasn't surprised; he simply avoided the topic.
"I understand the matter regarding the mud. Let's start by talking about the 'unimportant' things first. Afterward, I will discuss the important matters with you properly..."
Although he called them "unimportant things," they were actually the "very important matters" of the Police Department just an hour ago. This signified that the Chief had already accepted Shirou's account. All previous goals were now void in terms of priority, and the Chief felt no lingering attachment to them.
All that remained was a tiny bit of regret.
Just a tiny bit.
The Chief's gaze was frightening; he had just keenly captured a specific piece of information from the narrative:
"Did you just say... you did what to the King of Heroes?"
The young man averted his eyes. "I was just the one responsible for stepping onto the stage. I had help from many others, just like the relationship of trust between you and your officers, Chief."
Chief: "..."
Again: Why didn't you say such an important thing sooner!?
His stomach cramped as if it were churning.
'You mean to say, the person currently standing in front of us—the target we've been monitoring for so long—is a passing witness who has already accomplished our greatest objective once before!?'
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