Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

Rin Tohsaka: "How is that possible? How can a person live without a heart?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "Heartless said that his heart was stolen by a fairy. If it was a fairy, it is indeed possible to have such magical power."

Kenneth: "Did he lose his heart before he joined the Magic Association?"

Kenneth: "Hartrace, what is this man's past?"

[The Second Prince recalled that Hartres had said his condition was a curse from the fairies. Atram, however, discovered it stemmed from a phenomenon related to the Replacement Child trait.]

[The replacement, huh? It seems the only ones who know where Hartres came from are probably himself and the fairy who kidnapped him.]

[Grey: "Master, do fairies really exist?"]

[Second Generation: "Although there are so-called fantasy species and things similar to magicians' familiars, the true nature of fairies remains a mystery that we still cannot fully grasp."]

"In a sense, it might be a mystery even deeper than the magic of the Age of Gods. After all, even King Arthur's sword is said to have been given to him by the Lake Fairy."

"However, that period only lasted about three weeks," Grote continued.

[Second Generation: "Three weeks?"]

[Grot: "Yes, he disappeared about three weeks later. Huh? Why did I forget?"]

[Second Generation: "You said he disappeared? What happened?"]

[Glot: "Yes, it was a crisp winter morning when he suddenly vanished without a trace. The sheets on the hospital bed were neatly remade; his disappearance was so complete that I wondered if I was hallucinating."]

"That's right, the timing is right."

The Second Prince, resting his chin on his hand, said, "The records are correct. Hartres began operating at the Clock Tower approximately a few months later. It was most likely Lord Norwich, who heard the rumors of his disappearance, or someone close to him, who secretly aided Hartres."

[Grey: "Lord Norwich?"]

[Second King: "As I've mentioned before, Hartres is Lord Norwich's adopted son. Lord Norwich is known as 'Daddy Long Legs' in the Clock Tower, so being his adopted son is actually quite a prestigious position."]

[Grey: "Our teacher said that he's kind of like Hideki Adashino's sworn brother."]

[Second King: "That's right. Lord Norwich's adopted son is present in various organizations within the Clock Tower, including the Legal Affairs Department."]

Lion's Robbery: "This can also be considered a form of diversified investment. It's just that Lord Norwich has made it public."

Kenneth: "The advantage of doing this is that it allows you to quickly expand your network. Norwich really knows how to do it."

[Second Generation: "Please think carefully back. Did anything strange happen during his hospitalization?"]

"A strange incident?"

Glot's expression suddenly became vacant, and his gaze began to wander.

Seeing Grote like this, the Second Prince's heart couldn't help but tighten.

[Grote subconsciously remarked earlier, "Why did I forget before?" This suggests that the Clock Tower must have processed his memory in some way.]

[If the Second Prince were skilled in this type of magic, he could directly extract this memory, processed by the Clock Tower, from the depths of the other person's mind. Unfortunately, he is not skilled in this.]

Now we can only gamble on Grote's own efforts. If he can't remember, then this lead is essentially dead.

Rin Tohsaka: "Why is the Clock Tower processing his memories?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "It's probably for the sake of the secrecy of magic; they don't want information about magic to get out."

Koles: "We finally found an important clue, but then this unexpected problem arose."

Time passed second by second, and soon after—

"...That's right."

Suddenly, Grote whispered, "Yes, that's right, back then... my eyes... I couldn't see..."

[Second King: "Eyes? You mean Hartres's eyes?"]

"No, it's my eyes."

[Glot shook his head and said, "At that time, I suddenly developed a strange illness where the scenery in front of me would disappear intermittently. It wasn't complete darkness; it was purely the loss of the sensation of seeing itself. Although it only lasted for a short period of ten minutes or so, I was very afraid that I might have some kind of brain damage."]

"Because I had just had a falling out with my father at that time, I was extremely busy and didn't go to other hospitals for a checkup; that was the end of it."

"However, my vision returned to normal after he touched my back with great concern."

"I turned around in surprise and found him smiling broadly. Ah, that was the first time I'd ever seen him smile. I never had those symptoms again."

"After that, we started chatting frequently. We had similar tastes in reading, and when I recommended classic science fiction to him, he would eagerly read it quickly and exchange his thoughts with me. We often discussed Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics and Heinrich Heinrich's works after his marriage to his second wife, and before we knew it, we had been chatting enthusiastically for almost an hour."

"Ah, although it was a dream decades ago, it reminds me of how I used to want to become an astronaut."

Koles: "Could this also be Hartles's doing, experimenting with some kind of magic?"

Weber: "It's possible, or perhaps the curse on him is affecting others."

Kenneth: "Affecting vision, making objects disappear... I've never heard of such a thing before..."

[Grot: "How was it? I tried to recall everything I could remember."]

"...Thank you, this information is very helpful."

The Second Prince bowed his head and thanked him, saying, "You must be very tired. I'm so sorry."

"It's nothing serious. It's been a pleasure talking to you after all this time."

"Is he happy?" asked Glot.

"It sounds strange for me to say this after forgetting him for so many years, but he was a gentle young man. Although he himself should have been in more pain, he always cared about me."

"I once jokingly asked him, 'Would you like to be my assistant if you were willing?' Hmm, if he said yes, would my life change a little?"

[Second Generation: "I cannot judge his life. However, it seems he had a group of disciples who cherished his words—'Dedicate your life to the most brilliant things.'"]

【"Really?"】

[Glot laughed: "Oh dear, I told him that—he said he had nothing to do, and I told him, then go find something brilliant in your heart. And humanity should dedicate itself to the brilliant things it finds."]

"I see. A disciple? He's taken on a disciple? Hmm, that's wonderful. Ah, it turns out there really are things to be happy about as you get older."

Rin Tohsaka: "I feel like what this doctor said isn't about Hartres at all."

Koles: "The young Hartres and the current Hartres are completely different people."

Shiki Jie Li: "That's how time changes a person."

As the Second Prince led Gray away from the clinic, it was already getting dark.

"Just a little bit more... Even if we don't reach the truth, we'll probably get close to it. That final push to open the tunnel feels so far away..."

Recalling what Grote had told him, the Second Prince felt as if he were grasping at something, yet unable to hold onto it. A sense of unease settled over him, and his hand unconsciously slipped into his pocket, touching the gold coins inside.

"Stat Gold Coins..."

The Second Prince took out a gold coin, looked at the pattern on it, and murmured.

[Grey: "The teacher also talked about those gold coins in Sla. Have you investigated them before?"]

"I've wanted to buy one for a long time, but I couldn't afford it..."

The Second King smiled wryly, “Let’s put that aside for now. Various kinds of Stuttgart coins were popular in the cultural sphere surrounding Greece, with Iskandar coins being particularly sought after. In terms of monetary economics, one could even say that the Iskandar connected East and West. That great king was an object of worship in the regions he conquered.”

"Wait a minute, faith... Oh, I see, it's faith? It is faith!"

[Grey: "???"]

[Second Generation: "Money is the oldest belief that continues to this day. Its antiquity and depth are so profound that they don't need classroom explanation. After all, modern society is built upon the belief in the value of money."]

Chapter 346 Become a God of the New Era, Iskandar

[Grey: "So, what's the point of bringing this into the maze?"]

"Bring the gold coins...into the maze..."

[The Second King muttered to himself for a while, then blurted out, "That's it! The labyrinth, Albion is a labyrinth! A labyrinth is a kind of magic, and breaking through a labyrinth is a kind of ritual. So, what Hatteres intends to do to the King is very clear..."]

"Yes, that's right. Since he entered the Albion labyrinth with the shadow of the king, Faker, there's no other possibility."

"Damn it, why didn't I find it until now?"

The Second Emperor repeatedly asked and answered himself.

"Hartleice is the Dean of the Department of Modern Magic, so his most outstanding magic is obvious. The techniques he uses are not extremely specialized; rather, they are like Emiya's techniques, preparing only what is needed from the outside, without any unnecessary redundancy."

"That's right, the second motive, I understand now, I know Hartres's purpose!"

The Second Prince covered his face with one hand and said in a deep voice, "But why? Why was it necessary?"

"No, as a magician, that is indeed a correct answer. However, it's just a correct answer; Aozaki Touko probably would laugh at that."

"That's not what we're after, it shouldn't be. By the way, if Hartres's accomplice was involved in the Grand Order decision, did that accomplice also understand this purpose?"

Rin Tohsaka: "What are you talking about out of the blue?"

Koles: "What exactly did they find on the gold coins? What faith? What labyrinth was a ritual?"

Kenneth: "...No way—"

Kenneth: "No, no, that's ridiculous! How could anyone have such a crazy idea!"

Lion's Robbery Jie Li: "Oh, Your Majesty, have you noticed something?"

Kiritsugu Emiya: "When it comes to faith, one thinks of God. Heartless, could it be..."

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "Do you wish to summon a god?"