Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

The Second Prince's hand pointed directly at the apothecary, Maio Brichisan Kleiners.

"No, no, how could it be me..."

[Maio slumped onto the floor, trying to get away from the teacher, while shaking his head.]

Ilya: "This guy is really good at pretending."

Rin Tohsaka: "If I hadn't known the answer, I would never have imagined that he was the murderer."

Caules: "You can't tell just by looking at the performance."

Fiore: "It's true what they say, you can know a person's face but not their heart."

The Second Prince said coldly, "Do you want me to explain in more detail?"

"Flat!"

【"yes!"】

[Flatter eagerly produced a set of clothes and a handbag—the Golden Princess's attire and travel bag.]

"Just as the teacher said, the item is hidden near that fountain!"

[Second: "Several legends about Siegfried also mention that the spring was the place where he washed away dragon blood and faced death, which also has a magical significance."]

"That's right, it's not difficult at all; I think it's true most of the time."

"But I only just became certain that you are the murderer. After all, the only people Regina and the Silver Princess would protect are you and Mr. Islo."

"The problem isn't with Mr. Islo, but with Trimmau. Perhaps Aozaki Touko and Lord Balyeleta could shut Trimmau down, and maybe Atram Gariasta could too."

Atram: "Maybe it's unnecessary."

[Second King: "However, your abilities are too specialized in weaving and medicine. Leaving aside defeating Trimmau, to stop her from operating, we need to see through her internal magical structure."]

"By the way, my disciple Flat is skilled in this type of magic, but it's more difficult than expected; it's certainly not a magic trick I can perform."

"As for you, although it was a coincidence, your thorough investigation of Trimmau at the social gathering worked."

"Although in that sense, it was my stepsister who made a mistake at that social gathering."

Reines: "I'm very nervous on enemy territory."

[Second King: "Furthermore, getting blood on Trimmau's hands went too far; it wasn't necessary to go that far."]

"From Reines's perspective, she'd be forced into a predicament in this tower anyway. This gives me room to consider that the perpetrators of the Golden Princess case and the Karina case might be different people."

Lion Jie Li: "I see. Now that I think about it, this kid is indeed the most suspicious."

Rin Tohsaka: "To be honest, I didn't even realize that Princess Shirogane and the others were protecting Mio."

Cowles: "That's why solving crimes requires professionals."

[Islow: "So, it really is..."]

【"..."】

This time, Mio didn't continue to deny it. He slumped down and laughed, his earlier trembling abruptly ceasing.

"Because...why not?"

The emptiness echoed throughout the hall.

["I...I've known her for a long time. Even though we've known each other for so long, even though I'm the one who knows her best, I didn't know her like that..."]

"So, I want to at least collect some traces of her... of what happened before she died."

Before Leni led Grey and Trimmau to trace the footprints, Maio was also trying to find out who killed the Golden Princess.

[Or perhaps he lacked the will to find the murderer, and merely, as he said now, wanted to collect a trace of her lingering scent before her death.]

When he met Karina at the fountain, she was most likely prepared to flee from Byron.

"I was very surprised when I questioned her. Because Karina said she was the Golden Princess."

"Although I can't believe it right now, do you understand the joy I felt then? Because, because, even though Tiadera died, the Golden Princess didn't die! That beauty wasn't diminished at all!"

"However, she said she wanted to escape, to escape from Lord Bailon, and to take Princess Silver and Regina out of this Twin Towers."

[She said, "So, Mai, Mai, you come and help too."]

"How could I possibly allow such a thing to happen!"

To Karina, Maio was likely a reliable childhood friend. She probably revealed the secret because she believed he would be willing to help her even if the truth were exposed.

However, her thoughts and Mio's are not necessarily the same; rather, they point to completely opposite ideas...

"Even if she's dead, she should regain that beauty! Even if I have to kill her, I must keep her alive! The research on the Silver Princess must continue!"

"Because I...we have already seen the end."

"Having tasted the fruit, I should move forward! As a magician, I must do that!"

A moment of silence fell over the scene.

Ilya: "W-What kind of reason is that?!"

Lion Jie Li: "It's truly pathetic that the person you trust the most is the least trustworthy."

Leticia: "Magician, isn't there a normal person among you?"

Feng Xi: "This is a matter of values. Because we grew up in different environments, don't expect to understand magicians with the values ​​of an ordinary person."

Rin Tohsaka: "...Is the root really that important?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "The root is the dream of every magician."

Feng Xi: "People have gone mad, so it's even more impossible to get to the root of the problem."

"...What you said is absolutely correct from a magician's perspective."

The Second Prince said in a deep voice, "You're willing to sacrifice your childhood sweetheart to achieve your wish; as a magician, that's only natural."

[Mao: "Since, since, that's how it is..."]

[Second Generation: "But if that's the case, why don't you beg her to die?"]

【“!!!”】

The surrounding magicians widened their eyes, as if they didn't understand what the young prince was talking about.

Toosaka Rin: “???”

Ilya: "What is he saying?!"

[Mao: "What did you say...?"]

[Second Generation: "Before you were willing to kill your childhood sweetheart to keep her, why didn't you beg her to die for you? Why didn't you plead with her, saying that to fulfill my willful desire to witness ultimate beauty once again, I should dissect you to my heart's content?"]

"Since you say it's an unattainable dream, why not cheerfully and proudly ask the Silver Princess and Regina to be living sacrifices?"

"No, no, no, how could you be so ridiculous..."

[The Second Prince's words made Maio look like he was about to foam at the mouth at any moment, his mouth opening and closing incessantly.]

[Second Generation: "What kind of ridiculous suggestion is this? Is this all there is to it?"]

"It was not merely out of personal desire, without divine will or the support of a great cause, that I intended to conquer all nations of the world; it was not a delusion to see the endless sea with my own eyes, to completely strip many military strategists and great rulers of their honor and pride, and to make them equal to myself."

"If even this level of delusion is unbelievable, how can you expect to achieve your dreams?"

"Whether or not one is a magician, the ego is absolute for a person. No matter what good or bad an act may be, we can never know whether we have truly saved or harmed others."

"However, whether it's a misidentification or a misunderstanding, since you say it's the way of life you chose, then hold your head high."

"Since you're fighting for yourself, at least try to inspire others with your self-righteousness."

"Wrong. From the very beginning, before getting involved in this ridiculous manhunt, you should have proudly declared that I killed Karina to prevent her from escaping."

"Your actions are utterly despicable."

The sanctions had been imposed, and everyone seemed to hear the sound of a guillotine blade falling.

[Maio stood frozen in place, unable to recover for a long time.]

Lion's Robbery Jie Li: "Oh ha, those are truly sharp words."

Kiritsugu Emiya: "Yes, no matter how high-sounding his words are, it doesn't change the fact that he killed someone."

Kenneth: "It would be better to just tell Karina to commit suicide."

Leticia: "I can't understand it, I really can't understand the way you magicians think."

【"call..."】

The Second Prince, smoking his cigar listlessly, slowly turned his gaze to the Silver Princess and her servant beside him.

Why are you protecting him?

【"..."】

Princess Silver's expression remained hidden behind her veil, but this time she finally spoke.

"...Actually, if Maio hadn't killed Karina, we should have met up with her that night and escaped."

[Second Generation: "That's clearly the case, so why?"]

[Princess Silver: "You should know, right? You only know the reason, Regina."]