Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

"Your name is Hartress, yet you have to experience the pain of a ruptured heart. Don't you think that makes no sense?"

Rin Tohsaka: "Another dimension?"

Kenneth: "There's an alternate dimension within him; no wonder he's hiding this ability."

Kenneth: "If those old monsters in the association find out, he'll probably be dragged onto the operating table immediately, and even Norwich won't be able to save him."

Koles: "A ruptured heart... It's hard to imagine how painful that must be, but he didn't show any signs of distress on the Magic Eye Train."

Fiore: "I'm afraid Hartres is already used to it."

[Second Generation: "I believe that doctors lose their vision not because they lose their eyesight, but because their field of vision is usurped."]

[Grey: "Turning over?"]

"That's the kind of demonic eye. No, should I say it's become that kind of demonic eye?"

[The Second Prince smiled wryly: "Ah, I made a fatal oversight on the Magic Eye Train—Grey, do you remember what Theresa said on the train?"]

[Grey: "I remember, she seemed to see it through futuristic vision..."]

[Second Generation: "That's right, she saw that a Rainbow-level Mystic Eye would be exhibited at the auction."]

"Yes, but in the end, that demonic eye didn't appear."

Grey asked curiously, "But I remember you said, Master, that Miss Theresa's future vision is just a prediction of the future? It's just focusing on the future that is most likely to happen."

[Second Generation: "I thought the same thing, which is why I fell for it..."]

"Hartles, it must seem ridiculous to you. As I mentioned earlier, in that case, I discovered that you preserve the heads of those who possess the Mystic Eyes."

Hartles: "So what?"

[Second Generation: "The head is the key."]

"At the time, because you preserved the head of the Mystic Eye holder, I thought you were trying to get the holder to reveal the information obtained through the Mystic Eye. However, there was no need for that; it didn't require such a complicated process. You had a more direct method."

"Although it's a bit simple, I'll temporarily name your Mystic Eye the Usurping Mystic Eye. You possess that ability—an eye that can even usurp the vision of the Rainbow Mystic Eye simply by being nearby. The beast's gaze suddenly shifting to us just now was due to your Mystic Eye, wasn't it? You usurped the beast's vision."

"That's why Theresa predicted the Rainbow Eye would be exhibited at the auction. After all, predictive eyes that rely on the subconscious to interpret the future are prone to misinterpretations. Since it's not based on rational theory, it's difficult to distinguish between the original holder of the Rainbow Eye and the holder who can usurp its vision."

"...Oh dear, there's no hiding anything from you."

After hearing the Second Prince's reasoning, Hartres finally gave a wry smile.

[Second Generation: "Did you stop using the Mystic Eye at the end of the Mystic Eye Train because of a control issue?"]

Hartres: "That's right, this Mystic Eye isn't easy to control enough for casual use in battle. Even if you did use it, it might actually disrupt the flow of the battle and put Faker at a disadvantage. Besides, in that situation, I didn't have to win."

Rin Tohsaka: "So, what Miss Theresa saw was actually Hartres's Mystic Eyes!"

Koles: "Could this be the real reason she was killed?"

Shishikage Kairi: "However, the power of this Demon Eye... is hard to comment on."

Weber: "The magic eye that steals vision... It's not really useful, but if you find the right way to use it, it can be just as effective as a video."

Feng Xi: "So this means there are no useless people in the magic eye, only useless people?"

Second Prince: "Well, we can't be so absolute about that."

Second Generation: "To be able to usurp the vision of that kind of monster, this Demon Eye must be of a pretty high level."

"We have ten minutes left, let's get back to our original topic."

[The Second Prince calculated the time and said, "Actually, during the Grand Order decision, Aozaki Touko also saw through it. Kuro's ability to discover the crack in Albion was probably the result of the Adashino family's Mystic Eyes being synchronized with the eyes of the deceased dragon."]

"That's right. Your Mystic Eyes of Usurpation and these Synchro Mystic Eyes, although altered due to the disappearance of the spirits, are essentially the same ability. I came to this conclusion after infiltrating Albion."

"Reines reasoned in the Grand Order Decision that the current you is actually your former disciple, Crow, in disguise. This statement is not entirely wrong, but it is not entirely accurate either."

【"..."】

Hartres remained silent, but a smile returned to his face.

Rin Tohsaka: "Wait a minute, not wrong but not correct either? What does that mean?"

Weber: "(As expected...)"

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "Could it be that Hartres didn't die and was secretly switching identities with Kuro... But that doesn't make sense; it doesn't match the answer."

Koles: "Isn't this a contradiction? Hartres's Mystic Eye and Kuro's Mystic Eye are basically the same type. Doesn't that mean Hartres is Kuro?"

Fiore: "The answer that Hartles is Kuro in disguise is neither wrong nor correct. So, where is the mistake?"

"The real answer is, Hartres, you are Kuro!"

[The Second Prince dropped a bombshell.]

"I heard that about thirty years ago, Hartres, who was rescued by that doctor, was covered in wounds and had lost his memory. What if that was Kuro, who was betrayed by his comrades and wounded ten years ago?"

Everyone in the group: “???”

They weren't stupid; they immediately understood what the Second Prince meant, but—

This inference is a bit too... bold, isn't it?

[Second Generation: "That's right, the order is reversed."]

[“The problem is that Kuro has a means of traveling between Albion and the surface world. And according to Asira’s confession, the betrayal occurred in Albion—so Kuro discovered another rift before he died. However, he tried to escape to the surface but failed.”]

"That's right, he went in the opposite direction."

"He probably entered the Fairy Realm through the rift leading to the Hollow of Nothingness. I don't know what actually happened there. The mysteries caused by fairies remain uncharted territory for magicians. However, there are some things I do know. For example, sometimes spirit disappearances transcend time and region, like Urashima Taro in Far Eastern fairy tales, but your situation is the opposite of his."

"This sounds a bit absurd, which is why I didn't tell Reines. After all, revealing such information during the Grand Order decision would only result in being laughed off. However, this place is different. Standing here are two magicians."

"By the way, I should add that it might not have been Kuro who discovered the rift leading to the Fairy Realm."

"Since you were once Kuro, you should be able to find this kind of rift on your own using the same ability. Since you've crossed a rift before, finding it shouldn't be difficult."

"That's right. Although the betrayal was Ashira's decision, you knew about it and kept it going, even secretly encouraging it, didn't you?"

["Because you're afraid that if you intervene, you might not even exist anymore. Therefore, you dare not make any changes..."]

"No, you took action, but you were afraid to make significant changes, and the results were unsatisfactory."

"In the end, it was you who sent the dying Kuro into the Fairy Realm."

"That's right. Kuro, who was devoured by that beast ten years ago, is actually Kuro Adashino. He was transported to thirty years ago through the spirit realm. All the strange events you experienced during this spirit realm are beyond my comprehension."

"At what point did you remember everything? Was it when you called yourself Hartres? Or when you met Kuro, who was your past self? Could it have been when you were betrayed by your comrades and Kuro almost died? No, that last one shouldn't be right, otherwise my reasoning wouldn't hold."

Chapter 369 The Descent of the God Iskandar

Koles: "Hey, time travel and all that... you must be joking, right?"

Lion Jie Li: "But in this way, everything makes sense."

Shishikatsu Kairi: "Is the formula 'Kuro Adashino = Kuro = Hartres'?"

Rin Tohsaka: "Time travel? This is too far-fetched."

Tokiomi Tohsaka: "I should say, it's amazing that the Fairy Realm can allow people to travel back in time."

Weber: "Hartles's cry could fill a novel."

Hartress sighed, "...It's amazing you were able to find out the truth."

[Second Generation: "Time travel is the realm of magic. Although it's beyond our magical capabilities, it's not entirely unrealistic as a mystery."]

"Among the five great magics, there exists magic with this effect. Most importantly, I witnessed a reaction of reason in Gray's homeland."

[Grey: "Isn't that just a replay of the past?"]

[The Second King: "That's right, it's just a reenactment. However, I also saw a possibility in it. Because in that reenactment I found your thesis, which, besides the spell to bring back the god Iskandar, also showed traces of several other studies. Unfortunately, I only realized that significance after entering this labyrinth."]

【"I see."】

Hartres chuckled, “However, I abandoned that research long ago. Traveling through time by observing a reverse summoning—what should be called a spirit particle transfer—is theoretically possible. However, to maintain a stable state during time travel, it would require at least the full assistance of the Atlas Institute, as well as the secret techniques of the Clock Tower's prestigious lineage, renowned for its monarchs. Heh heh, even that condition alone makes it impossible.”

"Considering the astronomical costs of establishing new facilities and conducting experiments, only winning the Holy Grail War offers a chance. Moreover, even after doing so much, the number of humans with the ability to travel through time should be very limited."

(Feng Xi: What you've described, someone in another world actually did, thus causing a catastrophe that destroyed human history. Ah, the old director deserves to die!)

[Second Generation: "To be honest, I thought I was incapable of escaping the criticisms I was being subjected to."]

Hartles: "So, you know who my accomplice is now, right?"

[Video paused.]

[Question: Who exactly was Hartres' accomplice?]

[Start answering!]

Waver: "It is Lord Baruyeleta, Inolai."

[Ding! Waver answered correctly, reward: 3 Saint Quartz.]

Rin Tohsaka: "Wow! You're so fast!"

Weber: "Because I already figured out the answer to this question."

Koles: "Why Enola? I always thought it was Margot Daniel?"

Weber: "This is just a very simple process of elimination."

[Question time is over, video continues.]