Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

[Grey: "Master, when are you...?"]

[Second Generation: "I woke up about a few hours ago. I spoke with some villagers, and this place seems very similar to the past when I met you."]

[It seems the timing is correct; they woke up at the same time.]

[Grey: "Where are Flat and Sphinx?"]

"I don't know, we couldn't find anyone using magic detection."

The Second Prince, his face grim, said, "I knew I shouldn't have brought them along!"

"That's not true."

Grey comforted her, "Those two aren't people who can be easily defeated. Even if we can't contact them for now, they'll probably cause trouble and make things even more complicated."

[Second Generation: "...That makes sense."]

Rin Tohsaka: "This doesn't sound like a compliment."

Weber: "But the description is very accurate."

Lion Jie Li: "Hahaha, although it's caused a bit of a commotion, we might really have to rely on them to break the deadlock."

After a moment of silence, Grey asked, "Is this the world of the past?"

"It's hard to say."

The Second Emperor frowned and said, "It appears to the eye and feels to the skin, but we cannot hastily conclude that this is the world of the past. That would be far too presumptuous."

[Grey: "Can't magic even do something like that?"]

[Second Generation: "Well, in conclusion, it's not entirely impossible. I've heard that the legendary Fifth Magic, or even grand magic that reaches the realm of magic, could potentially cause this phenomenon."]

[Grey: "...Then, perhaps the Atlas Institute can do it?"]

[Second Generation: "No, it's not that simple. Leaving aside sending back the casters, sending back the others who didn't cooperate in the magic would be very difficult. The Atlas Institute alone couldn't establish that kind of technology."]

[Grey: "Would it be the same if we worked with Hartress?"]

"That would be even more absurd."

The Second Prince shook his head and said, "Even if it's theoretically possible, even if Barthezello, who oversees the Department of Law and Politics, were to gather all the members of the aristocracy, it wouldn't be feasible. The scale of that kind of grand magic is simply too vast. Let alone the world of magic, it would first require the full cooperation of the public sphere. Even if Hartres possessed mystical abilities and fully cooperated with the Atlas Academy, it wouldn't be an easy feat."

[Grey: "I see."]

[Second King: "By the way, we're at a point in time after I sent Reines back to London. Because I saw her off very early that morning."]

Chapter 238: Uncovering the Truth Behind 'Grey's' Death

[Grey: "Teacher, you're sending Miss Reines home because of my looks?"]

"Yes, as I mentioned before, I confirm that your appearance matches that of past heroes, and that this village contains artifacts related to King Arthur, although I wasn't able to ask for details at the time."

The Second Prince said in a low voice, "I should have asked, but something happened that left me no time to attend to it."

Grey nodded; she knew the Second was referring to the fact that "she" would die in the church tomorrow.

She didn't know who the 'Grey' who died was because she hadn't seen the body.

[Second King: "Will you die in the church tomorrow? Even in retrospect, it's absurd."]

Grey could hear the anger in the Second's voice.

[Because this time, who knows if it will be like that time, where it's 'her' who dies, instead of Grey.]

"Who was it, and why did they do such a thing?"

The more the Second Prince thought about it, the more confused he became. He forced himself to calm down and couldn't help but recall Tsbia's words from before.

"Pursue the fictional mysteries you are meant to unravel."

"Was that what you meant?"

The Second Prince shook his head helplessly and said, "Boring..."

[Grey: "Is this a challenge? A challenge from the Dean of the Atlas Academy?"]

[The other party wanted them to solve the case of the murder of the gravedigger 'Grey'.]

"Very likely."

The Second Prince nodded and said, "In other words, without solving that mystery, we cannot leave this place that resembles the past. Hmm, let's temporarily define this world as the Second Cycle."

[Grey: "Yes, I think so too."]

[Second Generation: "Alright, I'll accept the challenge. We have to solve that mystery anyway."]

Conqueror King: "This feels like I'm playing a video game."

Feng Xi: "In gaming terms, it should be called the second playthrough."

Shiki Jieli: "Ha, traveling back in time to solve cases that were left unsolved back then, this is getting more and more interesting."

Kiritsugu Emiya: "It's not that simple. The Dean of the Atlas Institute is probably doing this for more than just getting them to investigate the truth."

Weber: "Indeed, there must be other purposes as well."

Afterwards, the Second Queen and Grey sorted through the events of the past few days from her memories.

[Day 1: In the morning, King Edward II and Reines depart from LD and arrive at the village at dusk. They meet with Belsac, visit the church, and stay overnight at the cottage.]

[Day 2: In the morning, Grey introduces them to the village and cemetery. Around noon, they meet Tsbia at the windmill hut, and later have a conversation with Belsak until dusk.]

[Day 3: He sent Reines back to London early in the morning. At noon, Grey accepted his invitation to leave the village, so he talked with Belsack until dusk.]

[Day 4: In the morning, someone discovers the fake Grey's body in the church. Then, under Belsack's cover, he and Grey escape the village and return to LD.]

[Although some scattered dialogues and characters encountered are missing, this is the general outline.]

The next step is to think about what to do.

Rin Tohsaka: "It was a very simple itinerary; it was almost entirely about persuading that old man."

Weber: "After all, that's the purpose of coming to this village."

Grey first suggested going to check out the swamp, but the Second King rejected the idea.

[There are definitely magical defense mechanisms set up in the swamp; it will be difficult for him to deal with them given his skills.]

Grey then suggested going to find Tsbia, but he wasn't in the cabin at all.

[The second generation hadn't seen the other person in the previous two days either, so it's unclear whether they were never actually there, or if this second round involved special measures.]

Ultimately, the Second King decided to investigate the church.

[Since today is the day vendors come to the village, most villagers have gathered at the village square on the outskirts, making it the best opportunity to conduct an investigation.]

Lion's Robbery Jie Li: "After all this time, the target has indeed returned to that church."

Ilya: "That makes sense. That's how it always goes in novels."

The two arrived at the church, only to find it deserted.

The Second Prince carefully inspected all the items but found nothing wrong.

The only thing that wasn't inspected was the black-faced Madonna statue.

[Second King: "I didn't have the energy to ask before, but I'm curious. It seems this church is managed by Priest Fernand, but has it always been like this?"]

[Grey: "Yes, Priest Fernand was sent here a few years ago. Sister Ilumia has been here even shorter, only arriving in the village last year."]

[Second King: "Hmm, is this why Priest Fernand and Sister Illumia treat you differently from the villagers who view you with such reverence?"]

[Grey: "Yes."]

Kenneth: "Hmm?"

He had previously guessed that Fernand was from this village, but he was wrong.

As it turns out, this guy definitely has a problem.

As a priest sent from outside the Holy Church, how could he not know the name of El-Melloi? This guy was really just pretending before, and his acting was superb.

[Second Generation: "Does this mean that the Black-Faced Our Lady wasn't prepared by the church, but rather that the Black-Faced Our Lady existed first, and the church was later built around her? Is this a common pattern of local special religions compromising with the central government...? No, since the Atlas Institute has already appeared, it's impossible for only the Holy Church to exist as a separate organization?"]

Filled with doubt, the Second Emperor carefully examined the statue of the Black-faced Madonna.

[At first, observe the whole thing from a distance, then examine it in detail with a magnifying glass. Also, take out the reagents from your pocket, gently brush away any dust, and check for color changes one by one, etc.]

"It does seem to be the influence of some kind of magic... but the icon itself isn't the source. If I had to pinpoint a location, it's closer to a transit point."

[Then the Second Virgin took out an amethyst chain and used a detection spell to go directly to the back of the statue of the Black-faced Madonna.]

He squeezed into the narrow crevice, pointing the chain in his hand at a stone brick floor, but no matter how much the Second Prince pushed or tapped it, nothing changed.

The Second Prince quickly realized that he had been confused.

[The direction points down here, but the entrance might not necessarily be here.]

[Then, as the Second King began to mentally construct a floor plan of the church, the amethyst involuntarily twisted, pointing in another direction.]

The two opened the door beside them, went down the stairs, and entered the food storage room.

"This basement is located directly beneath the sanctuary we just saw."

The Second Prince looked at the ceiling, then squatted down and groped around on the floor for a while. Then, as if he had found something, he pressed it down forcefully.

[With a click of a mechanism, the floor tilted open, revealing a staircase made of mud blocks before the two.]