The establishment of the Time Travelers Alliance began in the first year of Conan

Chapter 387 Breakthrough and Unexpected Help (Last day of double monthly tickets, please vote!)
“Ding ding ding ding——!”

Outside the trophy display room, in the corridor, the sharp edges of needles try to pierce through the fabrics that are as tough as steel.

The blue and white stripes, as the skirt armor swayed and the knight ran, reflected the sunlight filtering through the glass curtain wall, creating a clear blue light like the ocean.

If we disregard the urgency of the situation, the girl's graceful movements would surely attract the attention of many students in the academy.

However, the admiration that might have been there has now been transformed into another emotion by the repeated calls of "suspect" and "crime".

That was the desire to catch the criminal who kidnapped Teacher Artoria and tried to steal the Trophy.

"The suspect is currently located in Corridor 13, East, Section C, Fifth..."

"Bang!" He knocked the student in front of him to the ground with a clean and decisive motion.

Artoria's gaze lingered for a moment on the unconscious student's wrist, where the watch face displayed a communication screen, causing her expression to change slightly once again.

Everything happened too fast, far too fast.

She had no idea why the situation had suddenly turned into her being trapped alone in the academy.

"Time reversed...and then Alice walked out backwards as well..."

With the tip of her sword pressed against the ground, Saber gasped for breath, trying to figure out what had happened.

The root of the problem must lie in time.

But then time should have started to jump around. According to the first student who found them, today should be the "third day".

Her emerald eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment. At this moment, Artoria felt a pang of longing for her Knights of the Round Table.

If I leave it to Gawain or Agguwin to judge and explain, I should be able to easily get rid of this misunderstanding.

Clearly, thanks to the protection of the scabbard, Saber was not affected by the timeline.

【The Distant Ideal Land】Ignores all physical interference and interference from parallel worlds, making it the strongest guardian known in this world.

Furthermore, if Artoria herself were to wield it, just like in the legends, the king who wields the sword sheath would be invincible until eternity.

However, it is clear that the scabbard is the strongest defense, but it cannot bring wisdom.

Just like in the legend, Merlin sighed because the king chose the sword over the scabbard.

Artoria, who only received a glimpse of the sword sheath, was able to successfully avoid being "anesthetized" despite being surrounded by the detectives.

In fact, being able to successfully escape to this relatively secluded corner of the teaching building was already considered very lucky.

"As long as it can be explained clearly..."

Artoria has not given up on explaining to the students who came to hunt her down that she had no intention of stealing the Holy Grail.

"Damn it... we have so few clues right now!"

Saber begins to reminisce—

She tried to find clues about what led to the current situation from what had happened before that turning point.

……

Thirty minutes before the start of "Day Three"—

"Are these detective devices really as powerful as the signs say?"

Although dressed casually, this girl with long, silvery hair, like enamel threads, resembled a princess from a fairy tale who had been banished to the forest by the queen.

The princess walked through the seemingly endless glass forest, which was arranged like a tree, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Looking at the surrounding decorations, the paintings on the walls, and the bulletproof glass exhibits, Irisviel was filled with the joy of seeing new and exciting things.

Yes, although it's called a "trophy room," it wasn't until Kenneth led them through that seemingly ordinary door that the two realized—

On the third floor of the first-year department building, one side of this U-shaped building was entirely used to display "trophies".

After all, for a detective, the most important trophies, besides newspaper clippings, are items with sentimental value, in addition to evidence.

“Saber, look, this says that this football can expand to about the size of a house in an instant.”

Looking at the small soccer ball in front of her, Irisviel was somewhat incredulous.

She read aloud the description written on the metal display board next to her.

"By using an inflated football to propel the truck that had fallen off the cliff perfectly from the bottom of the cliff onto the road on the cliff top."

“Hmm,” Irisviel tapped her lips with her index finger, imagining the scene, “sounds a little dangerous, doesn’t it?”

Then there was a weapon capable of—

"In the train bombing case, was it a sword that shot out from a distance the instant the circuit signal was emitted, cutting off the signal?"

A big question mark appeared above Irisviel's head.

If she remembers correctly, Kiritsugu wrote in his encyclopedia that the speed at which electrical signals travel in a cable should be... the speed of light, right?

Looking at the sword that resembled an antique, Irisviel thought that even at supersonic speed, this sword called "Blade of Decision" might break.

Aside from these unnamed "souvenirs" placed in the most conspicuous spots, the other exhibits with names on them look much more normal.

Most of them were bombs, guns, knives, and some things that looked like confiscated poison.

"APTX-48——"

Irisviel was squatting in front of a smaller booth when Saber interrupted her before she could read the text aloud again.

"Alice, you haven't forgotten why we came here, have you?"

Artoria's gaze swept over the pile of red and white pills, and like catching a playful child, she took Irisviel's hand.

Saber felt somewhat helpless about Alice's sometimes childlike innocence.

“Weber and Rider did send us a message after they left.”

Saber gestured for Irisviel to also look at the watch on her wrist.

Her voice sounded somewhat serious at that moment.

“Alice, we are pressed for time. In addition to filming and recording the route to the Holy Grail and its location, we also need to verify whether Lancer’s Master is lying to us.”

Then Saber hesitated for a moment.

"Alice, are you sure you can tell if the Holy Grail is real?"

“If that’s not possible, we can do as Weber suggested and first look for some information in the school history museum and library…”

In Saber's view, Irisviel had never told her that she had "seen" the Holy Grail.

Only by seeing the Holy Grail can one distinguish its authenticity, right?

Irisviel chuckled at Saber's pointless worry.

She paused, as if thinking about how to explain.

Those sincere, ruby-like eyes met another pair of turquoise-like pupils.

"Speaking of which, Saber, I haven't told you about the Einzbern family yet."

Artoria nodded in agreement.

Although she was indeed summoned from the Einzbern castle, due to Kiritsugu's distrust and wariness of her, she felt more like a wisp of air in the castle at the time.

Irisviel spoke softly, "Saber, the Holy Grail War has actually been held three times already. This time is the fourth."

Artoria was somewhat surprised. "So, does that mean someone succeeded in making a wish in the first three sessions?"

Immediately afterward, she realized what Irisviel meant.

"The Einzberns won last time?!?!"

Seeing the obvious surprise on Saber's face for the first time, Irisviel chuckled.

"Quite the opposite, Saber."

"You know what? After I asked my great-grandfather, I kept feeling that there might be some kind of curse on it!"

Alicefeld paused for a moment, then gave the answer directly: "We failed three times before for various reasons. Last time, although we won the competition, the Holy Grail was destroyed in the end."

"As for the Einzbern family, before Kiritsugu came, they were almost always the first to be eliminated."

Saber understood what Alice meant. "So, that's why the Einzberns remembered what the Holy Grail looked like?"

Irisviel did not answer Saber's question directly.

She quietly turned her head away, then drew out her voice.

"So Saber—what do you think the Holy Grail will look like?"

Before Saber could answer, she seemed to suddenly remember something and excitedly added, "That's right! Saber, you might recognize what it looks like!"

Seeing Saber's confusion, Irisviel explained, "After all, didn't you once send knights to search for the Holy Grail?"

“No, I’m sorry.” Artoria recalled the boy known as the “perfect knight” in her mind. “Alice, I never actually saw what the Holy Grail looked like.”

In fact, according to the legend of King Arthur, King Arthur was one of those who dissuaded the knights from going to find the Holy Grail.

And that's exactly what happened. The perfect knight died without making any wishes, but in the search for the Holy Grail, more than half of the Knights of the Round Table perished.

If the events involving Lancelot and Guinevere brought the Knights of the Round Table to the brink of collapse...

So, the real reason why the number of powerful knights has decreased and why the lords harbor ill intentions may be...

Saber paused, banishing the unpleasant thoughts about the Holy Grail from her mind.

"Although Lord Lancelot has mentioned this, his description... I'm not sure if it can be used to make a judgment."

“Really? Luckily, I know a way to tell if it’s real or fake.” Irisviel nodded, taking Saber’s hand. “Then let’s go see together—”

That's where things started to go wrong.

From that moment on, Irisviel seemed to realize something and became somewhat silent.

Then, just as Weber had witnessed not long ago, time around them began to reverse, and everything moved in the opposite direction—except for Saber herself.

"Alice? What happened?"

The scabbard begins to function in this reversed flow of time.

For Artoria, she was like a reef in the river of time.

But at that time, Saber was unaware of this—the Trophy Room only contained her and Irisviel.

Apart from the dust that was swept back by the reverse airflow, the room, which was always brightly lit under the lights, seemed to have remained unchanged since the birth of the universe.

The hand that had just been taken was put down again. Saber turned around and saw Alice retreating towards the door at an increasingly faster pace.

The slender figures, amidst the glass pillars that stand like tombstones, seem to reflect countless images from countless times and spaces.

"Irisviel—!"

That strange, backward-walking posture made Saber draw her sword immediately.

Then she realized that Alice must have fallen under the control of the enemy.

But it was this subconscious action and misjudgment that caused Saber to miss the opportunity to "leave" with Irisviel.

If Weber's actions were like cautiously waving his "fishtail" against the current in a river that suddenly flows backward, then Weber's actions were like this.

Therefore, Saber, who was already under the protection of the [scabbard], took the action of pushing her own time forward within this reverse time flow.

This means that the difference in the rate of time flow is far more than twice.

Her immediate attempt to catch up with "Irisviel" only made it impossible for her to achieve her goal.

With the arrival of the "third day," Artoria felt as if she were chasing a phantom in a mirror called "the day before yesterday."

The more Saber tried to catch up with Irisviel, the faster she drifted away from her.

Even though they seem to be very close in terms of physical distance, the two are no longer on the same "timeline".

This is just like what was done at the very beginning of the [story timeline]—

In the loop, the inverted timeline does not conflict with the forward timeline in the "case"; time moves forward and backward simultaneously.

Without experiencing the cycles of this universe, it is difficult for the average person to understand such illogical and contradictory matters.

Therefore, when Artoria caught up to the door of the showroom...

The moment it was drawn, the sword in his hand clashed with it—

A student who was in charge of preparing for the "Three-Way Battle" on the "Third Day".

……

As a member of the First Faculty's Disciplinary Committee, Atsuya Aoki has high hopes for going to the [Exhibition Hall] to secure the "trophy." Two days ago, Phantom Thief Kid sent a notice to the [Academy].

Although he didn't know why, he chose to target a "broken cup" this time, but this matter immediately became a hot topic in the school.

Everyone agreed that there must have been something wrong with the answer sheet that was published by various detective agencies.

Every detective, even a trainee detective, undoubtedly possesses a strong spirit of questioning.

Therefore, regardless of whether it is to prove the mistakes of the major firms.

Or, capture Phantom Thief Kid!

Although this is an unprecedented feat, the young are not afraid of tigers.

The showroom has only one corridor leading to the outside, and it is surrounded by large glass curtain walls, leaving nowhere to hide.

Even if Phantom Thief Kid manages to break through the wall, the U-shaped building is by no means an easy place to escape.

Trying to flip through it is absolutely impossible—this is the teaching building for the first-year students, and every floor is full of "detectives".

Slipping away through the entrances and exits is equally difficult, as the second and third grade school districts are located at the western entrance of the school and the eastern main gate, respectively.

It was completely impossible to escape from the north or from the south.

One side is a bridge leading to the seaside park that requires identity checks, while the other side is a large sports field and training facilities.

Net cannons were even set up on the rooftops of various buildings, and helicopters, gliders, and various small aircraft from the Central Service Center were on standby.

The students of the academy, unusually united, communicated with each other, and laid a trap.

If Kidd attacks, he will be utterly defeated!

Then they were stood up.

The reflections of the two rivers meet in the mirror.
The magician came riding the waves from the shore of the day before yesterday.

In the fleeting moment when dawn and dusk shine together,

The knight took the gold that lay dormant beneath the earth.

—Kaito Kid.

Aoki Atsushi sighed as he repeated the contents of Kid's announcement to himself.

After all, even though "the day before yesterday" was still two days away, it was still two days ago, wasn't it?

"Since Kidd didn't come back then, why is he here today—"

What happened next left the "trainee detective" speechless.

He came from the monitoring room!
Just a few minutes ago, the trophy room should have been completely empty!
Moreover, even though most students gave up, believing it was a trick by someone imitating a phantom thief to attract attention.

But, just as if I had been sent to confirm it.

In any case, with the "Three Kingdoms Tournament" about to begin, checking the [trophy] every day remains a routine task.

At this moment, the feeling of the sword blade against my neck, the cold metal against my skin.

As an armed police officer, I can't stand being bullied like this!

With a flick of the wrist, an anesthetic needle shot out like a bullet.

At the same time, the watch face turned towards Artoria's eyes and immediately flashed a white light like a flashbang!

Although the profession of "Armed Detective" was established by the "Matou family" with great effort.

But the first person to truly win people's hearts was the master known as [Kyogoku Makoto]!

Not to mention that Artoria wasn't using her full strength at that moment.

Even if she were to swing her sword with all her might as a Heroic Spirit without using her Noble Phantasm, Atsushi Aoki would still have a one-third chance of escaping with only one arm remaining.

Unfortunately, the enemy he faced was no ordinary person.

For ordinary Heroic Spirits, their offensive capabilities are obviously far greater than their defensive capabilities, but Saber, who wields a sword sheath, is clearly the opposite.

The flash of the camera only made her squint instinctively, but the knight's sword in her hand did indeed move—

The tranquilizer dart from the Detective Watch collided with the blade of the Knight's Sword and then bounced away.

Artoria's intuition told her that it would be extremely dangerous if she were hit by that thing.

"Wait, you might have misunderstood something—"

At this point, she still tried to explain, "I was sent by Kenneth to tour with Irisviel..."

This explanation clearly makes the current situation even more complicated.

"It really is Kidd!" Atsushi Aoki squatted down and reached for the switch on his running shoes.

"This happened 'the day before yesterday'! Give me—"

Before he could finish speaking, what happened next confirmed Aoki's suspicions.

A flash of light appeared on Saber, who was still standing inside the showroom.

Then, a set of protective and aesthetically pleasing skirt armor appeared on her body.

"Wait... I didn't mean any harm, I just..."

Saber didn't know what was wrong either.

Haven't all magic tricks stopped working?!

At the same time, taking advantage of "the moment when dawn and dusk shine together".

Merlin, who was attending a meeting at the Matou residence, silently apologized to the king in his heart.

Anyway, I've played pranks on Wang many times before, so one more time won't make a difference.

"—Kidd's disguise technique!"

Clearly, the explanation won't work.

Upon hearing the student's shout, Saber swiftly stepped out of the room, intending to knock the student unconscious and then find out what had happened.

But it was this act of "stepping out of the room" that led Saber to step into the reversed river of time.

The time on both sides is synchronized.

What followed was—

"She's here!"

……

The sound of a rushing crowd and the orderly commands could be heard from afar.

"Alternate fire, target armored targets, aim for exposed skin!"

"Deploy net-laying guns and traps in corridors three through ten of Zone C!"

Saber charged forward despite the students' obstruction.

The tranquilizer darts, set to travel at a higher speed, collided with the skirt armor.

They even tried to hit "Kidd" from more concealed angles, through reflections from walls or ceilings.

Unfortunately, his talent as the special advisor to the kendo club of Beika Town Detective Academy, the "Invincible King," is still in effect.

Besides brandishing his sword and shouting at a group of students who tried to defeat him.

The arm guards or the hilt of a knight's sword used for parrying would also deflect some of the tranquilizer darts.

A few drowsy figures remained among the crowds searching for her.

"Bam—!"

With silver shoulder armor and elbows, he swiftly knocked down a student who was attempting to rappel down from the window.

Turning around, the raised sword tip immediately severed the remaining rope.

But there were too many students, and one of them even shouted—

"That's what Artoria Pendragon looks like! Kaito Kid has kidnapped her!"

After shouting this sentence, the students seemed to want to show off, and they all tried to charge at him with great enthusiasm.

Artoria glanced out of the corner of her eye at the row of tempered glass curtain walls that had been shattered by a soccer ball.

The shockwave alone shattered an entire row of glass curtain walls.

To be honest, the real reason Saber didn't go for the kill was that she didn't sense any murderous intent or threat from the students in front of her.

Therefore, that attack was the only one I had ever dodged until now.

"Get out of the way! I've used my power-enhancing shoes!"

At that moment, Saber only heard the voice of an older student coming from behind her.

The large group of students in front of them immediately fell down as if hit by artillery fire, like soldiers lying down.

Then--

My hair stood on end, and a chill ran down my spine.

Saber immediately lay down as her intuition prompted her, and her neatly tied blonde hair and even her fairly heavy skirt armor were lifted up by the gust of air.

Then there were the students who attempted a surprise attack by rappelling down the broken glass curtain wall using ropes.

Fortunately, taking advantage of the ball's recent run, Artoria found an opening and broke through.

The students who were indignant actually put less pressure on her than she had initially.

—They've gone mad.

……

Now, looking at the student he had knocked down in this secluded corridor.

As Artoria caught her breath, she began to think about how to…

"--who?!"

To her surprise, the person in front of her was someone she had seen before.

"Teacher Artoria, I'm here to help you!"

Goto Shosuke pulled something that looked like a signal source from his waist.

"I temporarily hacked into the Disciplinary Committee's command system. When I saw you during the rappelling just now, I recognized that you weren't Kid."

The wary look on Artoria's face did not diminish at all.

"Did Kenneth do this? Tell me, where did you hide Irisviel?"

It must be said that, regardless of whether the action was intended to gain favor...

Or perhaps it was out of a desire to prevent people from being falsely accused.

Goto Shosuke immediately made what he considered to be the best judgment at that moment.

“We can exchange watches.”

"There is an unregistered vehicle in the central service area parking lot, and Ms. Irisviel should have gone to the Castle District after leaving the school."

"I will draw away your pursuers, and then find an opportunity to meet up with you."

I watched as the watch, taken off my wrist, was tossed over from the other side of the corridor.

Artoria hesitated for a moment, but still caught it.

However, she still did not take off her watch.

So the girl walked past herself and ran towards the other side of the aisle.

Goto Shosuke's shoulders slumped down.

"Well... no matter what, as a detective, I should help the innocent."

But Goto Shosuke knew very well what was going on.

Or rather, he had a vague premonition—

This might be... this might be the last time he saw this girl.

(End of this chapter)