Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

[After all, the Second El-Melloi's background was not good, and his style of doing things was very different from that of the nobles. He was indeed not as pleasing to the eye as Reines, who was born and raised in the El-Melloi family.]

Chapter 355 The Unusable Holy Lance

"Miss Animusfia...please come with me."

Rufreus tapped the floor with his cane, then said to Reines, "Reines, the passage to the ancient heart will open in half a day. Rest as much as possible to avoid fainting during the Grand Order decision-making process."

Reines: "Thank you for your concern. It's a rare opportunity, and I'd like to explore the mining city further."

Olga Marie: "Then, see you in the ancient heart."

Reines slowly left the composite workshop, stopping only after she was a distance away. She gently released her grip, revealing a crumpled note.

This was given to her by Olga Marie as she passed by.

Rin Tohsaka: "This old man's attitude is really annoying."

Fiore: "Ha, addressing the heir of the Animusfia family as 'Miss,' while calling the heir of the El-Melloi family by his first name."

Kenneth: "..."

It's worth noting that Reines had explicitly stated beforehand that she would inherit the throne from the Second King, yet the old man deliberately addressed her differently from Olga Marie.

How could an old fox like Rufreus make such a mistake? It was clearly intentional.

This guy is trying to bully people by relying on his status as Mr. Kenneth; it's disgusting.

Although Olga Marie was addressed with the honorific "Miss," her attitude was not much better; she maintained a condescending and commanding demeanor.

This makes him even more detestable than Kenneth was back then.

Kenneth's transformation is likely largely due to the influence of Rufreus.

[On the other side, at the Second Generation Squad's location.]

After crossing the acid river, Furuka suggested that everyone stop and rest, mainly to take care of Yi's health.

Perhaps due to fatigue, Grey fell asleep shortly after sitting down and had a strange dream.

In her dream, she found herself back in Blackmore Cemetery, unable to find her way out no matter how she looked.

"Hey, now's not the time to be thinking about such stupid ideas."

Just as Grey was at a loss, a sarcastic voice reached her ears.

"You must be in a hurry right now, don't let your worries keep you from getting back to sleep. Wake up!"

[Yad? No, that's not right, that voice is!]

A blurry figure appeared in the distance. Despite her disdainful expression, Grey recognized the person immediately.

[Knight of the Round Table, Kay.]

"Staying near fairies is bad; it can trigger impossible frequency distortions, especially in dreams, which are the worst. After all, dreams are the domain of that court magician (Merlin)."

Although she couldn't see his face, Grey only felt that he grinned.

"Because time and space seem to be blurred here...you'll be pulled in—ah, is it because that guy got close? It's inevitable that he'd choose this place as the stage for his dream."

"Sigh, that's why having a younger sister is a problem."

Just then, the cemetery began to shake violently, signifying that the dream was about to end.

"Alright, this is the way back. This isn't a place where you should have gotten lost while you were alive."

[Kay flicked his finger, and a glow appeared in the direction he pointed.]

[Grey instinctively ran over, only to be engulfed by the radiance; uh, instinct.]

"You should at least be prepared, the end is coming soon, but that fate may be very harsh for you—"

Rin Tohsaka: "What is this? A precognitive dream?"

Webber: "Is Knight Kay trying to remind Grey of something?"

Lion's Robbery: "He said that guy is getting close? Who is it?"

Mordred: "Kai has also learned bad habits from Merlin. He doesn't speak directly and clearly."

Koles: "He just mentioned Merlin too. Could it be that the court magician has gotten close?"

Artoria: "Although Merlin is unreliable, if it were him, Lord Kael wouldn't have used the word 'ending'... But when it comes to dreams, I really can't think of anyone else besides Merlin."

"Grey, Grey?"

In the real world, the Second Prince noticed something was wrong with Grey and woke her up.

[Grey, after a long while, finally came to her senses upon waking. She wiped the sweat from her brow and said, "Master... I'm so sorry, I... had a... an incredible dream."]

The Second Prince frowned: "A dream?"

[Grey: "N-nothing."]

[After all, dreaming about Sir Kay is something I'm really not comfortable talking about.]

"No, it's me who always makes you force yourself."

The Second Prince asked seriously, "Yard, are you really alright?"

"Hehehe! Such a worrywart teacher!"

[Yad chuckled, "Well, I'll take care of Gray's health."]

[Second King: "That 'Are you alright?' was also a question for you, Ad."]

[Yad: "...Yeah, I'm fine."]

[Unusually, Yad didn't try to joke around; instead, he closed one eye and answered seriously.]

Grey felt a pang of anxiety at this.

Actually, there was a secret she had never told anyone: the Holy Lance Rungomminiad was no longer usable.

[Back in their hometown, Tsbia had privately told her that because the Thirteen Seals had been released during the battle on the Mystic Eyes Train, the Mystic Code, Yad, was on the verge of destruction. Although it had barely awakened from its dormant state thanks to its automatic repair function, it could no longer withstand another release.]

The Second Prince's words just now clearly indicated that he had already guessed it.

[Even though I didn't tell the Second Prince these words, he knew everything. It seems I can't hide anything at all.]

Rin Tohsaka: "Wait a minute, what does this mean? The Holy Lance can't be used?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "No, it's that the seal, Adri, is on the verge of destruction. If it is released again, the seal will be completely destroyed, and the Holy Lance will be restored to its original state."

Rin Tohsaka: "Doesn't that mean that Ad will die?!"

Weber: "That's right."

Waver: "Moreover, with Gray's strength, I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to control the Holy Lance after it has been restored to its original state."

Koles: "But without using the power of the Holy Lance, I'm afraid I can't defeat Faker."

Lion Jie Li: "It seems all the troubles have come together at once."

[Frucca: "El-Melloi II, how much energy do you have left to maneuver?"]

[Second Generation: "To be honest, I'm starting to have trouble breathing, but I can still move around without any problems."]

Furuka tossed her a medicine packet, saying, "This is similar to altitude sickness caused by magic. If your magic circuits are strong, it won't cause symptoms, but I anticipated this, so you should take the medicine."

【"...Thanks."】

The Second Prince reluctantly swallowed the decoction, his expression immediately turning even more bitter.

This time it's really tough.

Weber: "It looks so painful..."

Kenneth: "You're such a disgrace, you can't even match the resilience of your own disciple in magic circuits."

After resting, the group continued their journey.

Along the way, the group traversed lush, dense forests, icy plains swept by blizzards, lands flowing with lava, and hills flashed by lightning...

This labyrinth encompasses virtually every environment on Earth.

Despite this, Fruga stated that what they have seen so far is less than one percent of Albion's.

Thanks to Graf's map and the coordinated reconnaissance by Luvia and Qingxuan, they successfully avoided many large-scale battles along the way, saving a considerable amount of energy.

[Fruka stated that they are currently on the twenty-seventh level, while they initially entered from the fourth level.]

Instead of progressing downwards layer by layer, they used the hidden entrance opened by Furuga to skip levels.

Shiki Jieli: "This underground labyrinth is truly amazing."

Fiore: "Yes, it's like a little world."

[Fruka: "The Great Magic Circuits have been almost completely exhausted up to the tenth floor. The main mining area now begins around the thirtieth floor, and around the sixtieth floor, skilled teams are willing to risk everything to uncover even more precious indicators of cursed bodies. Our destination this time, the area known as the Ancient Heart, begins at the one hundred and fiftieth floor."]

[Grey: "At this rate, with our walking speed, it seems like we're completely outmatched."]

[Fruka: "That's for sure. When mining near the hundredth floor, several experienced teams will further consolidate their resources and cooperate to undertake long-term challenges. Sometimes they even establish relay points within Albion, forming towns that last for a month to a year. Even with secret techniques and shortcuts, the distance that can be covered in half a day is only so far."]

"Therefore, to reach the ancient heart in the remaining half-day, a completely different route must be taken. This is because the path chosen was chosen precisely because resource extraction was not considered from the outset."

[Fruka glanced at the map and said, "The area near the thirtieth floor has surprisingly not been thoroughly explored. If you hope to discover cursed bodies above a certain level, it would be better to skip the thirtieth floor directly; if you are a newcomer whose abilities are not yet sufficient, it would be much better to repeatedly explore the shallower layers."]

[Qingxuan: "Is this the place Mr. Graf was talking about?"]