Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

[Before Gray lost consciousness, she seemed to hear such an auditory hallucination.]

Rin Tohsaka: "I didn't expect it to be a flood."

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "This is the power of nature."

Weber: "But what does this have to do with Flat and Sphinx?"

Meanwhile, outside...

"This is really..."

[Tsbia turned to the two boys and asked, "Did you change the parameters for the reproduction just now?"]

"Haha, you've been exposed?"

Flat laughed heartlessly, "Because that village is right next to a swamp, so there would be a water source. The bedrock just happened to be unable to withstand the impact of the battle at that time, causing a flash flood. Such a coincidence shouldn't be surprising. And the terrain also has some unnatural structural features... Uh, anyway, outsiders can interfere with this place that resembles the past, right?"

"...That's absolutely right."

[Zibbia admitted, "However, that requires finding the coordinates and time that LogosReact recognizes. Even if you were an esper capable of interfering with Hacking Atlas Academy technology, it wouldn't be easy to search for and calculate those parameters. Because there aren't any tools here for that purpose; I'm currently only using my own brain to perform the calculations."]

"All the crystal balls here are connected to that stage, but the way they're connected changes every instant. Cause and effect, time, and parameters are interrelated and continue to expand infinitely. To make the kind of intervention you're talking about, you must grasp and correctly access the timing and cause and effect that serve as the trigger; however, that's like searching for a gem in a vast desert."

"How did you do that?"

"By smell."

Sphinx retorted defiantly, "Although you say calculations are necessary, my nose can detect even the cracks in causality. That might not originally be perceived through smell, but my family has been developing this kind of magic, and I am the embodiment of it."

[Tsbia: "So, you mean you're joining forces?"]

[Sphinx: "That's right, I'll find the key points."]

[Flatter: "I'll handle the intervention! Haha, Sphinx's pretty impressive, isn't he! It was Sphinx who told me about the rumor that Sir Kay can dive for days on end!"]

"...You guys are incredible."

[Tsbia murmured, "Frankly, you are all far from being at the level of a color. Let alone the monarch of the Clock Tower, you would find it difficult to even discover my weaknesses."]

"However, when the two of you join forces, things become completely different. It's not a difference in the degree of addition or multiplication, but rather a change in the very mode of existence."

[Flatter: "Because, even if..."]

[Sphinx: "Even against a Grand Puppeteer, we have no intention of losing again."]

That statement was extremely arrogant, yet it was supported by unwavering confidence.

"That's quite a boast."

[Tsbia said calmly, "I see, I misunderstood. I thought the past was the stage, they were the actors, and I considered myself merely a playwright there to witness the dramatic performance. Ah, but of course, it's not uncommon for a theater company to have more than one playwright. Only through mutual learning and refinement can a story be elevated to a level that one person cannot reach alone. I'm ashamed to say that I completely forgot this common sense."]

A certain hue slowly spread across Tsbia's face. He straightened his back and shifted his gaze back to the boys.

"Then let's see who takes the lead in this story, my enemies."

Lion Jie Li: "External interference? These two kids are really something."

Kenneth: "Incredible talent! They managed to do what even the monarch couldn't, and without Tsbia even noticing."

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "Two arrogant boys, but they have the right to be arrogant."

Weber: "Zsbia has admitted they are enemies. Is this a sign that things are getting serious?"

Rin Tohsaka: "What exactly does this guy want to do?"

Inside the church, the groans of the villagers echoed. The stained glass windows, shattered by the earlier tremors, had served as a baptism for these pagans.

Because they had offered a great deal of their life essence to the Skeleton King, many were too weak to move, and could only cower and huddle before the shattered stained glass.

Grandma asked in a trembling voice, "What happened?"

The villagers had never heard their grandmother speak in such a tone before, and a slight sense of panic spread through them.

"What happened, King of the Spirit?"

Grandma stretched out her arms and called out repeatedly at the altar, but received no response.

A villager asked, "Grandma, what's wrong?"

"...I have lost my connection with the King of Spirits."

[Grandma murmured, "After she came into contact with Gray, she seemed to become agitated and was about to activate her Noble Phantasm..."]

"No, it's alright. Despite losing contact, a mere flood can't harm her. It's just that Grey escaped. That's the only thing we absolutely cannot let go of."

The villagers readily agreed, saying, "As long as we catch her, that's all that matters, right?"

[Grandma: "The king only has one-third of his power, so it's understandable that he's hesitant. We must make up for his shortcomings."]

[Grey's mother, Magdalena, with a suspicious glint in her eyes, stepped forward and said with a slight smile, "Leave it to me; I've spent the most time in King Arthur's body."]

Grandma narrowed her eyes, as if gauging Magdalena's words, before finally saying, "I understand. You'll be in charge."

Magdalena: "Thank you."

Grandma: "Search the mountain! I've allowed you to approach the swamp. Judging from the flood, the barrier should have been lifted by now."

"Yes, sir!"

Rin Tohsaka: "Seriously, still not giving up?"

Weber: "How could they possibly give up? They're already obsessed."

Ilya: "She doesn't deserve to be a mother; she actually wants to push her own daughter into a fire pit."

Mrs:"..."

Emiya Kiritsugu: "..."

"Now that we're completely hostile to the Holy Church, we can't afford to waste any more time."

Grandma pulled an ancient, curved dagger from her bosom, saying, "'Erosion,' the only dagger known to neither the Holy Church nor Belsak, the gravedigger of Blackmore, knew of its existence. This is a ceremonial garment bestowed upon us by the Black-Faced Mother, to be secretly passed down until the return of King Arthur..."

Grandma seemed somewhat dazed, lost in a wave of memories.

This village has long been divided into two factions. One is the Blackmore family, magicians who have been transporting souls and guarding the graveyards since BC. The other is a group of people who pray for the resurrection of King Arthur, like the woman who inherited the dagger, who believe in King Arthur and the Black-faced Mother.

Then, at some point, the Church of the Church joined in, with ulterior motives, claiming that the Black-faced Our Lady was the same as the Our Lady in their own religion, and took root there.

They appeared to coexist peacefully, but secretly they were constantly monitoring each other.

Most of the villagers didn't belong to any faction before. Although they are now drawn to the resurrection of King Arthur, some are periodically chosen as gravekeepers, and there are likely also fanatical followers of the Black-faced Mother of God.

Since the mission of the tomb keepers and King Arthur's resurrection are not necessarily contradictory, they must have maintained a certain distance and coexisted until now, considering each other's secrets and inner workings.

Shiki Jieli: "So that's how it is. The gravediggers and the village weren't originally on the same side."

Weber: "A tiny village has actually started playing a three-way standoff."

Emiya Kiritsugu: "It seems that all three sides are hiding some trump cards."

Kenneth: "Golden Blade? I've never heard of such a formal attire before?"

Rin Tohsaka: "In short, it's definitely not a good thing."

Grandma handed the dagger to Magdalene, saying, "This dagger, made to eradicate mistletoe, is said to pierce the gap between flesh, spirit, and soul, not merely the body itself. It is said that our Holy Mother personally wielded this dagger to dissect the internal organs of living sacrifices. According to legend, it can also transform into a sickle or a longsword."

"Once you capture Gray, simply stab her with this sword. This will temporarily detach her lowly spirit and soul from her body. Then, the king's spirit will naturally reside in her body. As for the remaining soul, we can only wait for the Holy Grail War to begin; we must survive until then no matter what."

"Ah, no matter how many heroic spirits there are, as long as their bodies and spirits are gathered here, the king's soul will surely be summoned! We kings cannot lack this level of luck!"

Grandma burst into laughter, Magdalena gazed at the short sword with rapt attention, and the villagers knelt in awe.

Weber: "This thing can actually separate the soul and spirit!"

Kenneth: "It seems that witch has made all the preparations long ago, even preparing something like this."

Wife: "If they really succeed, will their target be Saber's Heroic Spirit?"

Artoria: "..."

The rebellious knight: "A bunch of scum, daring to plot against my father! They all deserve to die!"

Lancelot: "Those who blaspheme the king are unforgivable."

On the other side, the Second Prince, who had been swept out of the cave.

【"Ahem!"】

Grey vomited the water that had accumulated in her stomach, and what came into view was a lush, verdant forest.

Although the sun had not yet risen, a faint glimmer of dawn was already appearing on the horizon.

She seemed to have had a dream, though she couldn't remember the details, but it felt like an ancient dream.

Just then, a blurry face came closer.

"Hey, you're awake?"

Chapter 253 - Changes Out of Control

[Grey: "...Sir Kay."]

[Kay: "Ah, it's good that you know my name, because you drank a lot of water. Based on experience, if breathing stops for too long, cognition will be impaired. According to the knowledge of this era, it's called brain damage or something?"]

As she gradually regained consciousness, Grey hurriedly sat up and exclaimed, "Where is Teacher? Where is Teacher?!"

"Over there."