Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "There are more and more mysteries surrounding this village."

"Yad?"

Midway through, Grey calls out to Ad again.

For some reason, Yad hasn't been as lively as he used to be these past few days.

【"Um?"】

A muffled, shrill voice slowly rose: "Eeeeeee, so sleepy..."

[Grey: "...Go to sleep."]

Although I don't know exactly what's wrong with it, this careless attitude actually makes me feel at ease.

[Yad: "I will!"]

Kenneth: "Something's not right with the Holy Lance either."

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "It seems this is destined to be an unsettling journey."

Snowflakes began to fall gently from the sky, and the group quickened their pace, soon arriving at the village.

Having witnessed the vastness of the city, Grey felt the village was much smaller than she remembered.

As the group entered the village, they immediately sensed something was amiss.

The entire village was completely deserted.

The Second King raised an eyebrow and led the group first to the cemetery, then to Grey's house, but both Belsac and Grey's mother were nowhere to be found.

The room only had a thin layer of dust, indicating that they hadn't been gone long, probably no more than a few days.

The group then went to the church, and as was customary, first paid their respects to the Black-faced Our Lady, then searched the area, eventually discovering a basement inside the church.

[Priest Fernand and Sister Illumia were nowhere to be seen in the basement, but the teacups and biscuit plate on the table showed signs of having been shared.]

The Second Prince lightly touched the teacup; it was already cold.

Rin Tohsaka: "What a coincidence! How come they just happened to be back from the village after the incident?"

Weber: "Indeed, the coincidence is frightening."

Emiya Kiritsugu: "Perhaps it's not a coincidence."

Weber: "That's even more frightening."

Lion Jie Li: "Yes, it's like my actions were inexplicably manipulated by someone."

"Being able to leisurely enjoy black tea before disappearing suggests it wasn't a sudden incident."

The Second Prince stroked his chin and asked, "Sphinx, how's the taste?"

Sphinx sniffed and said, "There's absolutely no human presence, just the smell of magic everywhere."

[Second Generation: "Hmm, the flow of magic is definitely off. Although magic tends to concentrate on mountains, the magic here feels more alien to me than dense."]

[Flatter: "Indeed, how should I put it... it should be flowing, but instead it's just drawing circles in place."]

[Sphinx: "Isn't that a spiral?"]

[Flatter: "No, no, it's definitely a circle, going around in circles in the same place, like an infinite loop. Yes, the one everyone got hooked on in the Super Plumber game!"]

[Sphinx: "It's not good to jump to conclusions. Besides, not all scents flow together. What's needed here is a correct understanding of the whole; it's wrong for you, Flat, to try and grasp the essence so quickly!"]

[Flatter: "If it's the essence, what does it matter! Even Japanese animation always says there's only one truth!"]

[Sphinx: "As the teacher often says, only when the other party and the technique are functioning correctly can you get the right answer by directly addressing the essence. Because if you don't make a mistake yourself and just substitute other things into it, you might not be without any oversights. In such cases, you should observe both the whole and the parts to confirm."]

The two began arguing, and the Second Prince watched them, his eyes filled with a mixture of helplessness and relief.

Kenneth: "The magic is constructed as a constantly circulating circle? This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing."

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "Stop guessing. We can't understand it just by listening to that kid's description in the video, without experiencing it ourselves."

Kenneth: "That's true."

"That's enough for now. There are too few clues. At this stage, even if you keep piling up hypotheses, it will only make things more confusing."

[Stopped by the Second Prince's intervention, the two ceased their efforts.]

[Second Generation: "A mass disappearance case? It's just like 'Leave No One Behind'!"]

【"..."】

Having finally mustered the courage to return to the village, Gray was thrown into turmoil by what she saw upon her return.

The Second Prince lit a cigar and said, "Let's split up."

[Grey: "Splitting into two groups?"]

[Second Generation: "Yes. Since all the villagers have disappeared, we might suffer the same fate if we act together. It would be better to keep in touch regularly using magic while acting separately."]

"Sphinx, Flat, could you please investigate the magical elements in the surrounding area?"

[Sfin: "Oh! Am I with Flatt?"]

[Second King: "If Flatter goes alone, the investigation results will all be based on his mood at the time and some inexplicable jokes. Even outside of here, the only person who can keep up with him is you."]

[Flatter: "I'll get shy with such high praise, Professor!"]

【"shut up."】

"Ouch!!! Wait, wait a minute, Professor!"

The Second Prince used his "enhanced" bear claw technique to lift Flat's body, leaving him to float and struggle in mid-air like a chick.

Conqueror King: "Hahaha, kid, so you do have some tricks up your sleeve."

Webber: "Ahem, although I'm not good at close combat, I should learn some self-defense skills just to be safe."

Conqueror King: "Hmm, but you still need to train your weak body properly."

After disciplining the troublesome student, both sides went their separate ways.

Flat and Sven found there was nothing worth searching in the village, so they headed straight into the forest north of the village, intending to check out the swamp.

[Sphinx: "The strange things in this village obviously started there. The teachers should avoid breaking taboos to be on the safe side, but is it necessary for us to do the same?"]

[Flatter: "Wow, this village is really interesting! Everything is a mess!"]

[Sphinx: "Indeed, there is too little arable land around, far too little to sustain the village. Since it cannot be self-sufficient, it must have relied on neighboring settlements for food transport from the past. But if so, this village must have something worthwhile that would make those settlements do so. The village does not appear to be wealthy economically, so it must be due to the power of faith."]

[Flatter: "You mean Blackmore Cemetery and that Blackface Madonna statue? It's not impossible, but wouldn't that make it more well-known to the general public?"]

[Sphinx: "I'm just saying there's a possibility. If it were a teacher, the thought process would be much more detailed. No, it would probably delve into a depths that someone like me can't reach."]

The two continued forward through the bushes, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings. A moment later, Sven frowned.

"Strange, every piece of land smells different, and like the Clock Tower, it possesses a dense magic. However, the magic here is particularly distorted; it's thick and rich, but it immediately disappears when I try to smell it, like a bed sheet that's pitch black yet has just been washed."

[Flatter: "Sfin, your explanation is still the same old thing, very simple and easy to understand! It's like a tutorial level in a famous first-person shooter!"]

Chapter 235 - The Atlas Contract

Suddenly, as if he had noticed something, Sphinx raised his chin and interrupted, "Over there, can you see it?"

"Yes, of course I can tell."

Flatter squinted and walked over, his palm suddenly approaching the ground, but not quite touching it, remaining a few centimeters off the ground as he passed.

"A barrier, wow, it's such an ancient design! You rarely see such ancient barriers even inside the Clock Tower these days."

[Sfin: "The job is yours to take over."]

[Flatter: "Alright, alright, let's begin the intervention!"]

[Flatter rotated his fingers, forming a complex and intricate pattern.]

This was merely a hobby of his, not something he needed to perform the spell.

A few seconds later, a path leading to the forest appeared before them, as if it had always been there.

[Flatter: "This is a barrier that affects cognitive types. Observation complete. Game over. Let's go."]

[Sphinx: "Now the rule against going to the swamp is clear."]

It's not that it would be troublesome for someone to go to the swamp; it's that the swamp is inaccessible in the first place.

[Flatter: "Ah, so it's because it would be troublesome if someone discovered they couldn't reach the swamp, so they made a rule forbidding them from going? I see, that makes sense!"]

Rin Tohsaka: "This swamp is definitely hiding something."

Webber: "But the defense seems too lax; the barrier was broken so easily."

Kiritsugu Emiya: "No, this first layer is probably just a false impression to make people relax, or it may just be a simple warning."

Weber: "In other words, there might be something very dangerous inside."

The two continued down the path, but every so often, Flat, who was leading the way, would stop.

"Oh, there's more."

[Sphinx: "The security is really tight. Flat, judging from the smell, I think the guy approaching is a puppet, isn't he?"]

[Flatter: "Yes, it's an offensive barrier that automatically retaliates if accidentally touched! Because the first barrier was breached, the other side intends to kill the intruder."]

[Flatter struck again, swiftly beginning to dismantle the barrier.]