Chapter 13: At Least Help Me Get a Death Sentence
Even though they knew there was likely a greater danger on the back hill than they anticipated, Emiya and Kasumi Miwa resolutely entered.
After all, a Sorcerer's duty is to exorcise Cursed Spirits. Even if they chose to retreat now, another Sorcerer would inevitably come to exorcise it later.
More importantly, not only would the Cursed Spirit grow stronger under the influence of the Cursed Object, but new victims could also appear in the intervening time.
According to Miwa's description to Emiya, the reason Cursed Spirits are attracted to powerful Cursed Objects is because they provide an almost absolute boost to the Cursed Spirits.
Since both Cursed Spirits and Cursed Objects are fundamentally curses, they can merge with the curse on the Cursed Object with virtually no side effects.
That means a Grade 3 Cursed Spirit, upon obtaining a Grade 1 Cursed Object, could completely undergo a transformation in a very short time, elevating its Cursed Energy density to a Grade 1 level.
The only drawback is that the fusion of the curses might cause the Cursed Spirit to lose its original form and sanity.
But would a Cursed Spirit truly care about such things?
"The traces of Residual Curse stop right here and disappear... Where did it go?"
Standing in a clearing within the bamboo grove, Kasumi Miwa was understandably bewildered by the situation.
If it were a special kind of Cursed Spirit, that would be one thing, but how could the residual trace left by a Cursed Object suddenly vanish?
"Are there types of Sorcerers who stand against humanity?" Emiya suddenly asked.
"Eh, why did you suddenly ask that?"
In her tense state, Kasumi Miwa completely forgot to maintain her senior dignity and replied blankly: "There are indeed Curse Users—guys who refuse to follow Jujutsu High's rules and enjoy wantonly toying with the lives of non-Sorcerers, but there hasn't been much news from them for a long time."
One must believe that human attitudes and ideologies are diverse in any environment, so don't expect all Sorcerers to selflessly dedicate themselves to society.
Some people fall into depravity after obtaining the power of a Sorcerer and can no longer control their desires, while others are simply awakened murderers who become Sorcerers.
If it weren't for the fact that hot weapons are only ineffective against Cursed Spirits and not non-Sorcerers, those types of individuals would be even more arrogant.
"I see. There are indeed people like that...
Since the louvered box's lock was pried open, the person who took the Cursed Object clearly had a specific intention from the start, making it unlikely to be an ordinary person
"Also... there's the smell of blood here."
Perhaps due to the substitution and fusion with Archer Emiya, Emiya Shirou's body is often in a poor state, but this has given him senses far surpassing that of a normal human.
He is extremely sensitive to things like this.
"The smell of blood? Is there?"
Kasumi Miwa stood on her tiptoes and sniffed, even trying to stick her butt out, but still only inhaled a nose full of dirt fragrance.
'How did this guy smell that? Is he a bloodhound?!'
"If my feeling is correct, it should be..."
Emiya didn't directly answer Miwa's confusion but followed the source of the smell for several dozen meters.
It was a small open space nestled between the bamboo stalks. Only upon approaching did he see yellow police tape. The smell of blood Emiya had picked up originated from here.
Combined with the fact that five victims were found on the school's back hill, it wasn't hard to guess what this place was.
He didn't know what disaster they had met before they died, but the smell of blood here was very strong—to the point where Kasumi Miwa had to cover her nose.
Fortunately, the bodies had already been handled by Jujutsu High staff, or there might have been various strange smells from microbial decomposition.
"Ah! There are traces of Residual Curse here again. The Cursed Object went that way..."
Miwa instinctively wanted to follow the trace in her vision, but turned to see Emiya choosing the other direction at the fork in the road.
"There's a strong smell on this path; it's likely the direction the culprit went." Emiya explained seriously.
Whether it was a Cursed Spirit, a Curse User, or something else, Emiya was going to catch them.
"In that case, separating temporarily to search for clues is acceptable... but you absolutely must not try to be a hero.
If you encounter any enemy or danger, you should try to meet up with me immediately."
The development of the situation was a bit unexpected, but as a senpai, Kasumi Miwa still felt obligated to look out for him.
Emiya nodded in response, and the two separated to take different paths.
The bamboo forest at night was quieter than expected. The loudest sound echoing within was Emiya's footsteps on the soil.
Compared to the forest last night, the visibility here was much clearer.
But taking both points together meant that not only could he find his target quickly, but the target could also notice his arrival more quickly.
Emiya tried to keep his steps very light but didn't dare to walk too slowly.
The murder happened yesterday. If the culprit was a human other than a Cursed Spirit, they would likely have fled long ago.
However, he couldn't rule out the possibility that the other person was a pure maniacal killer.
Emiya still remembered Kiritsugu telling him that there was a high probability that psychopaths who treated murder as a form of amusement would return to the scene the next day to admire their 'masterpiece.'
Perhaps the black shadow he saw earlier was that person?
After all, Miwa-Senpai didn't know this, but he was painfully aware that he couldn't see Cursed Spirits.
CRACK—
Suddenly, the silence in the bamboo grove was broken by the sound of plant debris being stepped on.
But the sound didn't come from beneath Emiya's feet; it came from... behind him?!
Emiya spun around to look back, his body instinctively entering an extreme state of combat readiness.
Standing behind him was not a horrifyingly shaped evil spirit, nor a Curse User with a sinister smile, but an unremarkable middle-aged man whose face seemed etched with weariness.
But this didn't mean he wasn't a dangerous person. Truly dangerous people never wear it on their sleeves.
His coat was stained with dry blood, which likely belonged to the victims.
He was holding a pistol, raised high, aiming at Emiya's head—which was why Emiya instantly felt danger.
However, the man didn't immediately shoot. Instead, upon seeing Emiya's face, he frowned, gave a dismissive 'Tch,' and lowered the gun.
"What the hell, it's just a kid after all.
The government takes so much money, yet they're still doing this kind of shoddy work... hah."
Now it was Emiya's turn to feel inexplicable confusion.
If the man in front of him was the killer, a person who had killed so many people wouldn't need to be merciful at a moment like this.
But if he wasn't... what about the bloodstains on his clothes?
Just as Emiya was feeling utterly confused, the man suddenly spoke.
"Hey, kid. Do you believe in the existence of God in this world?"
God?
Emiya didn't know why he would ask such a question.
However, according to the theories of the Magecraft World, there truly were beings referred to as gods existing in the ancient Age of Gods. While they weren't omniscient and omnipotent creators, they were very similar to their portrayal in human myths.
Emiya tried to answer him to gain information, but before he could speak, the man answered himself: "I believe there isn't one.
Because if God truly existed, this wretched world wouldn't be this way. But I also hope God exists, because then I could go to hell with peace of mind.
You're not police; you're one of those people from the government who specializes in special incidents, right?
If you take me back, will they execute me immediately?"
These words were somewhat bewildering.
However, the man didn't feel like a heinous killer to Emiya; he seemed more like someone seeking death because he had lost the will to live in the world.
"I don't know. That's not for me to decide." Emiya chose a direct answer.
"I see. That makes things difficult... But if I kill you as well, would that do the trick?"
As his voice fell, the man raised the gun in his hand again.
Emiya had already realized something was wrong the moment the man spoke.
The distance between them was about ten meters—a safe distance for a gunman, ensuring they wouldn't miss. But Emiya's reaction speed was far superior to an ordinary person's; he could definitely complete his action before the man successfully aimed.
The instant the man raised the pistol, Emiya had already crouched down, gathering all his explosive power.
And so—
BANG!
A crisp gunshot echoed over the entire forest, but the bullet undoubtedly missed.
That's because Emiya's body had dashed to less than a meter in front of the man even before he pulled the trigger. Emiya then dropped his body and slammed into the man's aiming arm, causing the bullet to shoot harmlessly toward the sky.
In just two or three quick moves, Emiya pinned the man to the ground, and the pistol clattered to the side.
Compared to a human with Heroic Spirit-level physical strength and combat skill, an ordinary human has absolutely no chance of winning.
However, Emiya didn't feel much joy in his victory, as he noticed the man's hand was initially aimed upward, meaning the bullet was never intended to hit him.
"Why?"
Emiya couldn't fathom a killer who would intentionally allow himself to be caught.
"Cough, cough... No wonder they sent even a kid to carry out the mission. You're strong, indeed.
But if you ask me why... the number of victims they told you about, it was three people, right?"
After being pinned down by Emiya, the man actually seemed more relaxed.
A sneering cold laugh curled his lips as he stated the fact: "But in reality, in the span of one month, the victims at this school were six students."
Six?
This was more than just a simple doubling of a number; it meant three more children lost their lives at their most vibrant age.
And for a family, this was an incredibly heavy blow, potentially becoming the trigger for their complete collapse.
If he could, Emiya truly didn't want to see such things happen, but what was the reason for Jujutsu High to conceal the death toll?
Before Emiya could process this question, he heard the man state the facts in a cold voice.
"The first victim was my daughter, only she didn't die at the hands of the evil Cursed Spirit you speak of.
A month ago, she killed herself at school.
The police said it was due to her own psychological issues, but I investigated for half a month after her death and confirmed five people were chronically bullying her. They were still tormenting and verbally abusing her the day before she passed away.
I regret that I wasn't a good father, because I didn't even notice anything unusual about her until then.
And I'm not even a competent avenger. Of the five who bullied her, I only managed to find a chance to kill two. The remaining three were killed by your so-called Cursed Spirit while they were running away.
It's truly a pity. As an incompetent father, I couldn't even avenge my little Ryo with my own hands...
Kid, if you can't kill me yourself.
At least help me get a death sentence."