Act Two: The Audience, Extra

Hmm... You're quite the formidable figure yourself, aren't you, Lady Sessyoin? Albeit in a different way from Lady Par.

Oh my. Whatever would make you say that? I am just a humble woman of the cloth.

Don't be so modest. I know a number of monks with Buddhist names like yours, and you're on a completely different level from them.

Be honest: You're actually something of a monk guru, aren't you?

I mean, we already have a goddess from India here. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if you turned out to be an avatar of the Buddha himself!

？！

Teehee. Me, an avatar of the Buddha? Goodness, no. I am me. No more. No less.

...Tell me Lady Kasuga-no-Tsubone, why would you think such a thing?

Well, it's obvious from everything I've seen so far.

You aren't the least bit afraid of those bizarre dolls, you use powers and combat techniques I've never seen before...

Even in my wildest dreams, I never imagined there was anyone in the world who could do the things you can.

Well, I guess there is a shady old monk by the name of Tenkai that's part of the shogun's inner circle.

They say he uses some suspicious techniques himself, but I never paid those rumors much attention because, well, they're suspicious.

So this is my first time actually seeing evil dispelled with the power of the Buddha.

I see... Well, the sect to which I...belong is quite small and rather...unique, so I suppose our techniques must seem ever so unusual to an outsider.

Now that I think about him, Tenkai must have been abducted along with everyone else in Edo Castle.

And to think, he was supposed to keep the shogun safe from strange curses and things like...well, what's happening right now.

Once I've rescued the shogun, I'll have to whisper "Tenkai must be punished... Tenkai must be punished..." in his ear while he's asleep.

A-anyway, having you here really is a big help for us, Kiara.

(Although... How can she have such a powerful Spirit Origin without being a proper Heroic Spirit...?)

(...Then again, there are some Servants, like Assassin Emiya, who can't operate in the open...)

(Maybe she was chosen by the Counter Force for a similar purpose?)

At any rate, I know the enemies on this route have been tough, but that must mean that we're going the right way.

I'm sorry. I'm afraid it's a dead end.

Then, you mean we fought all this way for nothing!? But that route was so hard, I was sure we were on to something!

(Hmm. Just as I thought...)

One cannot walk the path of the Buddha and be free from adversity. I can embrace pain and suffering where needed...

...but our path here is not one of pilgrimage, but of the Ooku hidden away from the sun. We surely have a long way to go yet.

Perhaps for the time being, we should try an easier route? They are sure to have enemies we can more unreservedly enjoy...fighting against.