Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

[Kai gestured with his chin, and the Second Prince lay down beside him.]

After being ravaged by the flood, the Second Prince's already pale complexion became even more ashen.

"Even for me, carrying two people while swimming would be exhausting, so you should thank me. After I managed to swim out, I discovered that the tunnel led to a cave behind us, but perhaps due to the impact of the flash flood, the cave collapsed immediately after we left."

Kai shook his head and said, "He's even more exhausted than you. Sigh, but since he's completely unconscious, he doesn't seem to have drunk much water."

Grey went over to check on him and, after confirming that the Second was alright, breathed a sigh of relief.

Rin Tohsaka: "Thanks to Sir Kai, they both seem to be alright. But Sir Kai is actually a skilled swimmer?"

Artoria: "Yes, Keishan is the best swimmer among them."

Rebellious Knight: "It's like a fish that has turned into a human."

"Are you relieved now? Here, take it."

[Kai returns Grey's large scythe to her.]

[Grey: "Thank you. Um, where is Mr. Belsac?"]

[Kay: "That older man, she swam into another tunnel all by herself."]

[Grey: "Then, what about the Skeleton King?"]

Kai: "I don't know about that. But your worries are unnecessary; she's not the kind of person who can be dealt with by water."

Weber: "He's really kind. He almost died at the hands of the other party before."

Shizi Jieli: "However, the situation is not good now. Although we don't know where it was washed to, it must be in the nearby mountains and forests. The villagers have started searching the mountains again."

Kenneth: "Once the two sides face off, she might not be able to bring herself to do it."

Weber: "Yes, but they won't let her off the hook."

Grey relaxed and began to examine her surroundings. She saw only trees all around, with a faint mist rising from them.

[Grey: "Is this on a mountain? It looks like we're probably on the other side of the swamp."]

[Kay: "Oh, that underground space really leads to quite a few places."]

As Gray relaxed, she couldn't help but recall the Black Lance from before, and a tremor ran through her involuntarily.

[Seriously, I almost died from the Holy Lance.]

Just then, a large hand pressed down on Grey's head and began to rub it.

[Grey: "Ah, please stop! Your hair will get messed up!"]

[Kay: "Haha! You and that guy really don't seem alike... Hmm, Gareth and you should get along well, right? Sigh, even though she's related by blood too."]

Artoria: "..."

Watching the interactions in the video, she couldn't help but recall the time she spent training with Kai when she was a child.

【"Well..."】

A soft groan was heard, and the Second Prince, who was lying on the ground, finally woke up.

Coming to his senses, he first took off his soaked suit jacket, then anxiously took out a cigar box from his pocket.

"Well, you're a heavy smoker."

Carefully wiping away the water droplets, the young man opened the cigar box. It remained dry, without any water seepage. He wondered if this was due to a tight seal or some kind of magic.

The Second Prince lit a cigar, paused for a moment, and then said, "So that's how it is. We were swept away—no, swam to the vicinity of the swamp?"

[Kay: "You have to thank me for that."]

"No matter what, as long as we're alive, there's hope. Leaving is one option too."

The Second Prince gathered his thoughts and analyzed, "I still don't believe this is the past. So, do you think there's a simple, easily understood outside world outside this village? Or is there perhaps no outside world outside this village? This speculation is like something out of a picture book. Most importantly, this time, the decision wasn't made by me."

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "It seems he has realized exactly what their situation is."

Shiki Jieli: "Unable to leave the village, they can only continue according to the script."

Rin Tohsaka: "It feels like I'm being manipulated like a puppet, which is really annoying."

The Second Prince turned his gaze to Grey and asked, "Grey, what are your thoughts?"

[Grey: "Huh?"]

[Second Generation: "I asked the same question before, after all, this is your case."]

【"..."】

Grey fell into deep thought.

[Yes, this case was the catalyst for her leaving the village, and also the truth she had to confront.]

[Grey: "My words didn't move her before. However, if the teacher agrees, I'd like to face her again."]

[El-Melloi II: "Then, as your teacher, I can only assist you. Refusing a student's request for lodging would bring shame upon the name of El-Melloi."]

[Grey: "Yes!"]

[Second Generation: "Besides, you're not the only one who hasn't moved her. If I hadn't made you say those unnecessary things, the Skeleton King wouldn't have attempted to activate his Noble Phantasm."]

"Although the reason is unknown, the Skeleton King understands the meaning of recurrence. If so, she won't act the same way as in the first round, will she? Her reaction is most likely the key."

[Grey: "The key?"]

[Second Generation: "I'm not sure either, but I definitely felt something was off. The problem was that I tried to describe that feeling in words, but I didn't expect her to react that way. I'm ashamed of my poor performance... even though I felt I was just a little short of winning her over."]

Waver: "Indeed, the biggest mistake was that we didn't expect the Skeleton King to know Tsbia and immediately understand their current situation."

Lion's Robbery: "Knowing that he might be fake, did he go crazy all at once?"

Waver: "The other side, we've all overlooked an important issue: are the Skeleton King, Belsak, and those villagers real or fake?"

Kenneth: "Based on what we know, this isn't a time reversal. After all, the success of those two kids proves that this is a constructed world, but the specifics are still unclear. If that's the case, the people inside are probably fake. But, it doesn't feel like it..."

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "The Mummy King has unleashed the Holy Lance; it doesn't seem fake."

Rin Tohsaka: "Damn it! I'm getting more and more confused!"

"Excuse me, but I've been wondering about that area since the beginning. Is there something strange about it?"

[Kay pointed to a path not far away that resembled a trail frequented by wild animals; there were even human footprints there.]

Grey stepped forward to examine them, and based on her experience, she concluded, "Yes, these are indeed human footprints."

[Second Generation: "But this place is near a swamp, and according to the rules, the villagers shouldn't approach this area."]

[Grey: "Teacher, let's follow the footprints."]

[Second Generation: "Alright then."]

[From the outside world, watching this scene, Tsbia slowly explained, as if giving a lecture: "If you've exploited coincidence once, the next coincidence will naturally follow suit. Because it deviates from its original path, some counterforce will occur before the probabilities converge."]

"Ah, this isn't some cliché like 'fortune and misfortune are intertwined,' but rather a situation where extreme events can easily occur after force is applied to the pendulum before the swing naturally subsides."

[Flatter: Uh, you mean cause and effect? ​​That's a very important concept in the East, right? For example, if you save a white crane in the morning, the crane will come to repay the favor in the evening, giving you in-game items!]

[Sfin: "Flatter, this isn't a teacher giving a lesson."]

[Flatter: "No, doggy, you'll ask questions if you have something to ask! Whether to put butter or jam on bread is important, isn't it? It's crucial!"]

"That just doesn't make sense!"

[Sphen ignored the idiot and analyzed in his mind: "Would it be fine to go to the vicinity of the swamp from underground? Or does that mean it's outside the barrier..."]

They encountered that barrier and ended up accidentally entering this space. In contrast...

"Look."

[Zibbia pointed to the crystal ball and said, "Look at how your interference has changed the vortex. See what they will find in the end."]

Lion Jie Li: "Does this guy mean that development has gotten out of control?"

Kenneth: "No wonder he reacted so strongly before. These two guys really messed with him. Now it's up to Webber to figure out how to break this deadlock."

[The scene shifts back to the Second Prince. They followed the footprints for about ten minutes before finally discovering a small house hidden in the shade of a tree.]

[Kai: "Ha, it's amazing there are still houses in a place like this."]

The Second Prince quietly touched the outer wall and said, "It seems it was reinforced with magic or something. Our discovery here might have been inevitable."

The group cautiously opened the wooden door and carefully stepped inside.

Looking around, the outer room contained only ordinary tables and chairs, nothing special.

The group entered the inner room of the small house, and the scene inside left them speechless.

The entire wall was covered with notes and photos, each tied together with a different colored string, creating a pattern resembling magic.

[Kai: "Hey, what's this?"]

[Second Generation: "This is an affinity diagram, often used in police dramas. It's a tool for organizing thoughts by taking notes and photos of vague ideas, complex cases, etc., and visualizing the connections between them."]

The Second Prince's gaze swept across the entire image, finally settling on one particular spot among the notes.

[Grey: "Teacher, what's wrong?"]

[Second Generation: "...It's nothing."]

Chapter 254 Clues, Chaos