Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

After reassuring Gray, Reines continued, "There's another visitor, someone my brother met last time."

Reines gestured in a direction, and there appeared Aozaki Touko, leaning against the half-collapsed wall.

Kenneth: "Phew... See? I told you it was nothing."

Rin Tohsaka: "Then why did you breathe a sigh of relief?"

The Second Prince was taken aback at first, then bowed and said, "It seems I must thank you."

"Things just naturally turned out this way. Although I didn't expect to encounter the World Record Scroll."

Aozaki Touko shrugged and said, "I owed you something in Izeluma, so we're even now. Now, I hope you'll return what I lent you."

"You mean this?"

[The Second Prince took out a cigarette case, which Aozaki Touko had given him for safekeeping when they were at the Twin Towers.]

Aozaki Touko lit a cigarette, and Niseko waited quietly until she finished before asking, "What happened?"

"Yes, it's in the basement of the old school building."

[Aozaki Touko immediately recounted what had happened.]

"What do you plan to do?"

【"I..."】

The Second Prince shook his head helplessly and said, "I don't know. I no longer know what to do..."

Fiore: "It seems that a series of major messages have left the Second Prince somewhat bewildered."

Kenneth: "Maybe this was Hartracey's doing too."

Shiki Jieli: "It is very possible that they will plan everything and expose it all in one day, causing the Second Prince to collapse under the pressure of so many shocks, thus defeating their greatest enemy."

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "If that's the case, then this man is terrifying. He completely calculated the timing of the Second Prince's actions."

Second Generation: "Sigh..."

[Aozaki Touko: "That's a really disappointing answer. What did you see?"]

The second generation then told the other party what they had discovered.

[Aozaki Touko: "I see. Some things were a bit unexpected. The sealing technique for Emiya? Hmm, I've heard of it."]

"So, your deduction is incomplete. Specifically, Dr. Hartrace intends to do something with the summoned Iskandar—that's the missing piece in your reasoning."

[Second Generation: "Yes..."]

[Aozaki Touko: "Have you lost interest in tracking Hartles?"]

[Second Generation: "..."]

[Aozaki Touko: "I'll tell you something too. You'd better keep an eye out for the corpses that appear at the Secret Corpse Dissection Bureau."]

[Second Generation: "..."]

[Aozaki Touko: "Goodbye, my lord."]

Rin Tohsaka: "No way, the second prince is really devastated!"

Weber: "Probably not yet, I should be able to recover after a short rest."

Shiki Jieli: "After all, that's El-Melloi II, a very strong man."

A day passed quickly, and Sla had begun reconstruction, but the Second King locked himself in his office and refused to come out.

Tomorrow is the start of the Grand Order decision.

The students, seeing the Second Prince in such a state, all came to offer their condolences, but were turned away by Reines and the others.

Grey went in to see him and found the Second Prince sitting on the sofa, looking as if he had suddenly aged decades.

"...I found the original Whydunit before I even arrived at that workshop."

The Second Prince murmured, "So that's why Hartleley wanted to conduct this case secretly."

[Grey: "Huh? But even if we say we'll keep it a secret—"]

[Second Generation: "This means keeping it a secret until the deaths of his disciples and the Zura attack. Although they made their move high-profile on the Mystic Eyes train, that was probably the only exception. Ah, he probably really intended to kill us back then."]

"Aside from that case, whether it's the disappearances of other disciples, his past involvement in the underground auction in Izeluma, or his statement on the Mystic Eyes train that he had monitored the Fourth Holy Grail War, Dr. Heartless's actions have been extremely quiet."

"I once thought it was a magician's instinct to conceal the mysterious, but even so, after summoning such a powerful Servant, he's been far too quiet."

[Grey: "What happened?"]

[The Second Hokage: "This means that what he's trying to do will have such a significant impact on the magical world. So significant that if it were to become known, the entire Clock Tower faction would intervene to stop him. Otherwise, most things could simply be resolved by his Servants. Because in the modern world, almost no one is a match for a Heroic Spirit."]

[Grey: "On the other hand, if it were the Clock Tower, would there be a way to stop the Servants?"]

[Second King: "Then the situation will change, madam."]

"For example, Faker is a magician from the Age of Gods. She uses her methods to control the Noble Phantasm that Iskandar once rode with ease. If we add the condition that she can use her Noble Phantasm infinitely, even if the magicians of the Clock Tower team up, it would be very difficult for them to stop her."

[Grey: "Should we add conditions?"]

[Second Generation: "Because the magical power sufficient to activate a Noble Phantasm cannot be supplied indefinitely."]

"Furthermore, if the rules of the Holy Grail War are followed, the Servants also have the weakness of their Masters. Fighting the Clock Tower while protecting their Masters should be extremely difficult."

"A surprise attack might succeed once or twice, but that's about it."

"As a mage of the Age of Gods, she may be superior in the realm of mystery, but once she is forced into a defensive position, she has many methods at her disposal. These methods could perhaps be described as human malice."

"However, Hartrace made his move here."

"He probably judged that even if something happened to the Modern Magic Department, the Clock Tower wouldn't make a move. In fact, other departments should have already been spying on this matter, but there's no sign of them coming to investigate yet. However, since a Noble Phantasm has been used, the matter has a much greater significance."

"In short, Albion, the Tomb of the Spirits, is their ultimate destination. Even if they play their trump card and attract the attention of the Clock Tower, it won't be a problem. Once they cross the mining city, even the Clock Tower will be out of their reach."

Kenneth: "To think that this would provoke such opposition from the entire Clock Tower... Hartress, what exactly is this guy trying to do?"

Koles: "It was supposed to be a secret operation, but before—"

Fiore: "This means the plan is nearing its end, and he no longer needs to hide."

Webber: "The answer to all the questions will probably be in the Grand Prix decision the next day."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

The visitor was Elder Sir Charles; he had come to report on the situation.

[Sura's reconstruction is progressing smoothly. Lord Norwich has accepted the offer and is willing to provide assistance. A barrier has been erected at the underground cave, and trusted confidants have been assigned to guard it.]

[At the same time, Shardan also brought a letter, which he had received this morning, specifically addressed to the Second King.]

Grey was startled when she saw the sender's name on the envelope.

[It's Atram Gariasta!]

Rin Tohsaka: "What? Atram's letter! Wasn't he dead?"

Koles: "He probably had someone send it to him before he died."

Shizi Jieli: "At this time, such a letter suddenly appears. Could it be that the other party has discovered some clues but did not have time to tell the Second Prince?"

Fiore: "Probably not. Atram doesn't seem to have been involved in Hartres's affair."

Weber: "Then, I'm afraid it's related to the Fifth Holy Grail War."

After Charles II left, he opened the envelope; inside was a CD containing recordings.

[Luckily, the Second Prince has a computer here, otherwise I really wouldn't know how to watch it.]

The disc contains the last trace of Atram's influence.

Chapter 340 Luvia's Visit

"Hey, has this started recording?"

Atram adjusted the screen, sat back down, and gave a self-deprecating smile. He shrugged and said, "Well, that's good... Well, when you see this video, unfortunately, it means I lost the Fifth Holy Grail War. Hahaha, how pathetic. I declared I wouldn't repeat Lord El-Melloi's mistakes, and yet I was defeated."

[Judging from his tone, he wasn't joking; it seems he had been mentally prepared for his death for a long time.]

"Ah, of course I'll give it my all until the very end, after all, the amount I've already invested is considerable. Yes, you said it before. It's best not to underestimate the Holy Grail War. I'm gradually understanding what that means, and I'm prepared to turn the tide. From now on, I intend to enter the battle with more thorough preparation... However, things have indeed become somewhat difficult. First, I need to finalize the contract between myself and that untrustworthy Servant... I've said too much."

"Regardless of whether I am defeated, I will arrange for all notices, including this letter, to be delivered to the necessary recipients. This is my natural duty. Even after my death, I must ensure the proper handling of any mistakes made; this is the duty of a nobleman."

"I had a fairly pleasant battle with you in Izeluma. As a nobleman, I should certainly thank you."

"I hope you'll accept this small token of gratitude. Regardless of other monarchs, it should be of some help to you, the weakest monarch in the world."

[On the screen, a maid hands over the envelope that the Second Prince had just opened.]

"Oh, right. If I win but this letter ends up in your hands, be prepared. I'll do everything in my power to destroy it."

[His final act of bravado was so typical of him.]

Lion Jie Li: "That arrogant fellow does have a certain dashing air about him."

Kenneth: "When he says a servant is untrustworthy, does it mean he has a bad compatibility with his servant, or that the servant simply has a bad reputation?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "Anyway, it's a clue."

Koles: "We shouldn't be focusing on what the gift is right now. Why is everyone suddenly paying attention to Atram's Servant status?"

Weber: "That's true. It looks like the gift was on the envelope. Is it some kind of curse?"