Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

After they had walked quite a distance from the Secret Corpse Dissection Bureau, the Second Prince finally took something out of his coat pocket.

[This is what he just found from Kalger's body. It's a very thin, small piece of metal with markings resembling writing on its surface, seemingly letters and numbers.]

[Second King: "During last night's battle, Karl created a metal cage. He probably used the same magic to create a metal plate with a message inside his body when he was near death, because magic is most effective inside oneself."]

"This string of text was most likely meant for me. A magician who can't even perform a proper séance, yet can turn corpses over and over—I'm probably the only one who can do that."

[Grey: "But, could this be..."]

[Second Generation: "Yes, this is the address."]

Rin Tohsaka: "You still don't trust that fox woman?"

Weber: "It's better to be cautious at this point."

Koles: "But since it's the address Kalger left before he died, it seems there must be some clues hidden in it. After all, this guy has been preparing for two months."

Weber: "Hopefully, the clues are still there, and that they're useful."

[Grey: "Then, shouldn't we inform Ms. Hishiri about this?"]

[Second Generation: "The Department of Law and Politics may not be trustworthy. Besides, even if this is a message for me, I don't know what its purpose was."]

"To put it bluntly, we might run into not only Hartres, but also Faker. Since we can't ignore that risk, we can't bring Flat and Sven along."

[Grey: "I thought the teacher had resigned herself to dragging the students down with her."]

[Second Generation: "How could that be? Although sometimes facing a death crisis is unavoidable, that's always about the outcome. Of course, I'll avoid situations that can be avoided."]

[Grey: "But, will the teacher take me with her?"]

The Second Prince sighed, "If you weren't here, I might have died."

Hearing this, Yad laughed first: "Hehehe, it doesn't feel bad to be relied upon!"

[Grey: "...Yeah, not bad."]

Her answer caused Yad to fall silent for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Yes, that's right! Not bad! Of course not bad! Hehehe, you've learned how to talk back so sweetly, you crybaby Grey!"

The Conqueror King: "Hahaha, kid, this won't do. How can you always rely on your apprentice for protection?"

Webber: "You're trying to persuade me to build muscle again."

The Conqueror King: "Kid, your body is too weak. Training will really do you good."

Weber: "Uh...we'll see."

The Conqueror King: "Honestly, I need to find a way to keep a proper eye on you."

Chapter 334 Hartres's Purpose

Meanwhile, in the modern magic department's city center—the Zura Library.

"Hmm... I guess I couldn't get through."

Reines put down the phone and shook her head helplessly.

[Flatter: "Haven't you been able to contact the professor yet?"]

Reines: "I'm sorry."

[The Bureau of Uncovered Remains is, after all, a secret organization; its defenses are probably limited to cutting off signals.]

[Or perhaps, the Second Prince is currently unable to answer the phone, so he has turned it off.]

There's nothing they can do but take care of it themselves.

[Having to process the pile of documents from beginning to end while also being careful not to let others find out is such a hassle.]

"...As expected, there are omissions."

After finishing the task, Reines frowned as she looked at the outcome of the plan.

[Hartles really did things too cleanly. If they hadn't met Aozaki Touko, they probably wouldn't even have known that the other student was a survivor of the labyrinth.]

Kenneth: "Why would Hartley erase all of his disciple's information? Is it to cover up some secret?"

Weber: "Very likely, and this secret is also related to Albion."

Seeing this, I'm increasingly convinced that Hartres' disciples are no pushovers.

It's true that people from the same family stick together.

[Reines: "After obtaining so much information, we've added several more investigative methods. In modern society, where things are recorded accurately, erasing human traces is extremely difficult, even in the world of magicians. Now that we know the number of disciples and their subsequent fates, there are various clues we can follow."]

[Sphinx: "They are a team of five. One person's whereabouts are unknown, two are unaffiliated magicians, and two of them have entered the Secret Corpse Dissection Bureau?"]

[Reines: "That's it. About a decade or so ago, the survivor team became Hartles's apprentices. Locating that period, you can find discrepancies in the Modern Magic Department's ledgers. I initially thought that money was unrecorded funds belonging to Lord Norwich, but if that were the case, the old man would have been even more blatant in spending money everywhere."]

[Sfin: "Could that be Albion's smuggling profits?"]

Reines: "Hmm, I hope to further investigate the timing, the flow of the cursed body, and the money from this aspect. Regardless of the detailed theoretical integration, Flatt, your intuition is quite accurate, isn't it? Let me look forward to your performance with Sphinx, who is adept at handling numbers."

[Flatter: "I see! I understand! So, doggy, let's use Easter eggs for the fusion this week!"]

At this moment, Sphen stared blankly at the skylight.

[Flatter: "Hmm? What's wrong, doggy?"]

"...I had a strange smell outside just now."

Sphen sniffed and frowned, saying, "Am I overthinking it?"

Meanwhile, in the shadows of the street outside.

[Aozaki Touko caught a mechanical mayfly and said, "Oops, that was close. I should have been completely silent and odorless. Hmm, this means he wasn't smelling anything, right? Seriously, those students are so hard to deal with. I really want to complain to them and tell them not to make my life so pleasant."]

"Although by conventional practice we should retreat temporarily at this point, this is indeed the beginning. The Grand Order decision is not far off. Although I feel bad for El-Melloi II, let me investigate a little longer."

Kenneth: "Aozaki Touko! This woman was secretly following us!"

Shiki Jie Li: "It seems she's also very curious about this case."

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II and Grey had also arrived at their location on the metal plate.

This is near Belces Park, a relatively sparsely populated area.

The two walked quickly, and suddenly realized that there were fewer and fewer people around them, just like yesterday.

[Grey: "Teacher."]

[Second Generation: "Hmm, it's some kind of barrier. But no magic is actually at work; it's a modern magical barrier that merely appeals to human psychology. I see. No wonder you were the previous Minister of Modern Magic Science. Although it's essentially the same as the barrier I set up in Druid Street, the technique is quite refined."]

His words confirm that Hartres was indeed the one who set up the barrier.

A few minutes later, deep within a maze of paths, they found an old wooden cabin—the address Kalger had left behind.

Pushing open the door, the interior was unremarkable, but a striking staircase stood out on the floor.

[King James II and Grey exchanged a glance, then cautiously walked downstairs, greeted by a strong aroma of alcohol.]

[There's a wine cellar down here.]

Rin Tohsaka: "Isn't this the place where Heartless hid at the beginning?"

Weber: "Hmm, almost certainly."

Kenneth: "Hmph, Karg actually knows where Hartres is hiding. It seems their connection has never been broken."

Lion's Robbery: "Or perhaps, Karl was also on guard against Hartres, but unfortunately he couldn't stop him in the end."

The stairs were very long, and it took the two of them quite a while to reach the bottom.

Grey cautiously led the way, pushing open the door and quickly slipping inside, only to find it empty.

Here are several empty wine barrels and a lab bench covered with experimental equipment.

"It seems this is Hartres's workshop..."

The Second Prince lit a cigar, the flame illuminating a complex shape made of numerous sheets of paper and thin strings hanging on the deep wall.

【“Friendly Image…”】

Grey recognized the familiar-looking thing at a glance.

[Second Generation: "He did it on purpose. Because he had enough time to dispose of these things before we found out... It means he deliberately left them here, as if to say to me, 'If you can solve it, then try.'"]

[Or: "Once you untie it, you're finished."]

Weber: "Hartles knew I was coming, which proves he was fully aware of Karl's actions."

Shiki Jie Li: "He really is a dangerous man."

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "This amicable painting he left behind is probably a challenge, or perhaps—"

Kenneth: "...a nail that can be driven into the heart of the opponent."

After all, the final showdown is about to begin.

"Since he left such a clear message, deciphering it shouldn't be too difficult."

The Second Prince seemed completely unconcerned, and immediately pulled out a notebook and pen from his pocket to begin his analysis.

After a moment, he uttered a thoughtful remark.

"These are all the sealing techniques listed here..."