Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

Chapter 331: Let the Second Prince Be a Spy?

[Olga Marie: "Old Mr. Rufreus, you weren't really planning on putting on this farce for so long, were you?"]

"Of course... Since you understand the situation, what I'm about to say is very simple."

Rufreus stated bluntly: "I, in the name of Lord Euryphus... oppose the redevelopment of the Albion tomb."

As expected, the Second Prince still feigned ignorance and asked, "May I ask for the reason?"

[Rufreus: "Because it's dangerous...isn't that reason enough?"]

[Second Generation: "No, that's enough. As a monarch, one must consider the stability of the magical world. This is even more true for someone like me, a junior."]

Olga Marie: "The astrophysics department shares the same view."

Weber: "Really, not surprising at all."

Shiki Jieli: "But is it only because of the danger?"

Fiore: "Who knows?"

At this moment, Rufreus suddenly changed his mind, saying, "But what if we can guarantee the success of the redevelopment plan?"

The Second Prince raised an eyebrow: "What does this mean?"

[Rufreus: "The kid from Transberio would only make a proposal if he had some consideration... otherwise, he wouldn't have deliberately come up with a plan in this situation..."]

The Second Prince agreed, saying, "Yes, it's best to assume he has some countermeasures in mind."

"Oh, of course I would do that."

[Rufreus's voice was low and hoarse: "And then...you seem to be so close to Transberio that he would specifically invite you to parties...so, isn't it possible that you...finded out Transberio's plans...?"]

【"..."】

The Second Prince's expression darkened; the reflected light made it difficult for him to see the eyes hidden behind his glasses.

However, the terrifying meaning behind those words sent chills down even spines on Grey's spine, who was listening in.

Isn't this basically asking the second prince to act as his spy?

To actually have a monarch act as a spy for you—should we call that confidence or arrogance?

Weber: "!!!"

Rin Tohsaka: "This old man... is a bit too arrogant!"

Fiore: "Is this an attempt to force someone to comply?"

Cowles: "It feels like they're just taking advantage of their age."

Kenneth: "..."

What could he say in this situation?

How ruthless! Teacher, to send your heir to be a spy for you, to send a monarch to be your spy—this is truly—

It seems best not to get too close to my teacher and father-in-law in the future.

The Second Prince did not get angry, but remained silent for a moment before asking, "Is there any benefit to be gained?"

Rufreus paused, then said, "Oh, so mature that you're asking for something in return?"

The Second King said calmly, "No, I'm not referring to me. I'm referring to the benefits that aristocracy gains by not redeveloping Albion."

[One sentence was enough to freeze the old man's face completely.]

"...Don't talk like that, young man, you're such a precocious child."

[Second King: "Forgive my rudeness. However, since I'm asked to inquire with Transberio, this kind of information is indispensable. Surely they're not naive enough to believe someone who comes empty-handed?"]

Rufreus: "...I understand. Let's discard the previous suggestion."

Lion Robber: "Hahaha, impressive!"

Rin Tohsaka: "Um, what happened? How was it resolved in just two sentences?"

Feng Xi: "In the end, it's about advancing as a retreat and using the issue of trust to force the other party to give up. Euphoria can't really force a monarch to be his spy."

Toosaka Rin: “???”

Feng Xi: "To put it simply, what the Second Prince means is that I can be your spy, but then I'll be one of your own, so you should give me something in return. I don't want much, just tell me what benefits your aristocratic faction will gain from opposing the redevelopment plan."

Rin Tohsaka: "Benefits!"

Feng Xi: "Hey, you don't actually think they oppose the Spirit Tomb redevelopment plan because of such a ridiculous reason as danger, do you?"

Feng Xi: "These people are all driven by self-interest. The only reason they oppose is that they can gain more profit from opposing than from supporting. This is their biggest secret right now, and it must never be known to the democrats."

Feng Xi: "Eulifus wanted the Second Emperor to be his spy, so the Second Emperor asked Eulifus to give some indication first, since trust is mutual. Unfortunately, Eulifus clearly couldn't do that."

Feng Xi: "Since we can't even maintain basic trust, let's not even talk about espionage."

Rin Tohsaka: "So, it's that complicated!"

Feng Xi: "What else did you think?"

Weber: "That's why I dislike getting involved in political struggles; they're too much trouble."

[Second Generation: "I'm very sorry I couldn't meet your expectations."]

[Rufreus: "No, I understand... I see. That's why El-Melloi didn't disappear directly from the Clock Tower. Thinking back... you and that Heartres guy... have some similarities."]

[Second Generation: "Was the modern magic department of Dr. Hartrace's era considered aristocratic?"]

["No...he didn't join any faction. If you had to say...he was neutral...but he didn't fawn over Meastia either..."]

Rufreus said in a deep voice, "The Grand Order decision is in three days... Remember that well..."

[After speaking, he raised his index finger, and a gemstone was imbued with a peculiar color. The old man's figure vanished in an instant.]

Rin Tohsaka: "She really left decisively."

Feng Xi: "Since we've already talked things out, there's no need to be hypocritical."

Cowles: "It was less of a negotiation and more of an ultimatum."

Shiki Jieli: "That girl from the Animusfia family is just here to make an appearance."

Olga Marie exchanged a few words with Grey, then vanished without a trace with a flick of her finger.

The next moment, a large number of pedestrians inexplicably returned to the road, and the entire street became incredibly noisy.

Indeed, no monarchical family should be underestimated.

The Second explained, “Neither Mr. Rufreus nor Olga Marie are physical entities. They merely slightly shifted the coordinates of this street, creating a simulated field invisible to others. Thus, those existing within this shifted field do not need to be physical entities. Leaving aside myself, this kind of magic should be child's play for Mr. Rufreus and Olga Marie.”

Rin Tohsaka: "I see. I thought it was some kind of space magic."

Feng Xi: "You think too highly of them."

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "Space magic isn't something you can just use casually."

[Yvette: "By the way, was the counterattack just now your idea, teacher?"]

[The Second King: "No, just as you might think, it was Reines's idea. She said that if the other side suddenly contacts us, there's a high chance they'll ask us to gather information from Transberio. We must seize this opportunity to find out what benefits the aristocracy or Euryphus are getting from it. That message is indispensable in case El-Melloi wants to switch sides to democracy, and Lord Euryphus will likely make some adjustments after understanding this implication."]

"In Mr. Rufreus's eyes, he should have preferred that I, with my ambiguous stance and difficult to deal with, simply join the democratic movement and then be eliminated, but he probably didn't think it was worth revealing his trump cards for this matter."

[Grey: "Is that how it is?"]

[Second Generation: "Hmph. To be honest, I can't keep up with that kind of exchange. Putting aside magic, politics isn't my forte."]

Weber: "So Reines had already guessed and devised a countermeasure all along?"

Kenneth: "Hmm, Reines did a good job."

Sora: "It seems that Reines is better at politics than you, Webber."

Weber: "Yes..."

[The Second King: "Yvette, you can head back here."]

Yvette: "Huh! We've only talked about half of it, haven't we? Perhaps it's time to take my lovely mistress somewhere fun!"

[Second Generation: "Go back."]

Yvette pouted, somewhat disgruntled, and said, "I understand. But you have to tell me the details later, okay?"

After Yvette left, Grey asked, "Teacher, what happened?"

[Second King: "As we just discussed, that possibility also exists for aristocratic monarchs."]

[Grey: "So, the fact that the monarch was an accomplice of Hartres—"]

[Second King: "Yes. We haven't fully ascertained the reasons why Lord Euryphus—Old Master Rufreus—refused to redevelop Albion. Of course, the superficial reasons he just mentioned could very well be everything, but that doesn't rule out the possibility that Hartres was involved."]

"And this is especially true of Olga Marie. Regardless of whether she herself had contact with Hatres, her father, Maris Billi, the current monarch of the Astronomical Society, had originally commissioned Hatres to investigate the Holy Grail War."

He said the meeting would be held in three days.

[Grey: "The Grand Order decision will be held on February 2nd..."]

Weber: "February 2nd! Finally, we have a precise date."

Kenneth: "This is indeed an important message."

This not only confirmed the date of the Grand Order decision, but also the timeframe for the start of the fifth round.