Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

"Ten years—no, your grand magic trick that took thirty years to complete has come to an end."

The Second King said sternly, "If you make a request, the El-Melloi faction can oversee you. At least I can guarantee that you will be treated better than by other factions."

"That's so heartwarming."

Hartles smiled faintly, "If it were Lady Inola, she would probably be saying the same things while plotting how to use me in her next scheme. You, however, are speaking out of mere goodwill, which is not a virtue in the Clock Tower."

[Second Generation: "I know perfectly well what's going on."]

"However, it's also infuriating to see someone die so miserably in such a place."

Hartres leaned against Faker's shoulder, his severed forearm pressed against the chest of his suit jacket.

"That's right, the one thing I didn't want you to see, it seems that's what I was thinking..."

"Flip, my heart!"

As the incantation ended, Hartres and his companion vanished without a trace.

[Instant teleportation via a fissure sealed into the body in place of the heart. But, doing that...]

[Second Generation: "He said that even if one is in good condition and uses that mysterious technique, one will still die, right?"]

Hartles chose his own ending.

I wonder what kind of scenery he and Faker will see at the end of this extraordinary life?

"Two minutes left."

The Second Prince breathed a sigh of relief and said, "They'll probably abide by the contract and relinquish the Grand Order decision. They'll act as if nothing happened... but they'll lose so much."

Just then, the scythe in Gray's hand underwent a strange transformation, turning back into a box.

"Yad!"

Caules: "Is this Hartres' choice?"

Shishi Jie Li: "After all, falling into the hands of the Mage Association, his fate will definitely not be good."

Gold: "It feels like this final showdown was really rushed."

Fiore: "That's good. Not every match has to be a fight to the death."

Albion also has day and night; it is night now.

Two figures appeared on a low hill, far from the mining city.

"Is this okay?"

[Faker put down the man he was carrying and let him lean against the rock. The action seemed rough, but it was actually very gentle.]

Hartres slightly opened his eyes; his breathing was so weak it seemed it might stop at any moment.

"So beautiful..."

The lights emanating from the mining city resembled a starry sky turned upside down and fallen onto the earth.

[Perhaps it's because the dome of the mining city lacks stars that this impression is reinforced.]

"Kuro used to love this scenery, but he also longed for the real sky, so he was very happy when he first came to London. Little did he expect that the head of his department would be himself."

"You can wallow in your emotions if you want. The moment you die, I'll disappear too."

Faker also sat down, joining Hartres in gazing at the mining city.

[Hartles: "Yes, the spell on the god Iskandar has been broken, and I am once again your sole Master."]

[Hephaestion: "You are truly the worst master. You dragged your servants around in events that weren't even part of the Holy Grail War, saying 'I will grant your wish,' only to back down at the crucial moment and save someone like me."]

"I thought you would at least avenge yourself, but you've fled to a place like this. How are you going to explain this to me?"

Hartles: "Hahaha, I have nothing to say."

Seeing that Hatrees was about to fall asleep, Hephaestion gave him a quick tap on the forehead to wake him up, then took the flat wine bottle from Hatrees's pocket.

"I told you, I don't hate that helpless look on your face. I want you to show it to me when you're drinking heavily at a banquet. So, drink up. It's a deal, isn't it?"

"Since there's an agreement, there's nothing we can do about it."

Hartres took a sip of his drink, and Faker, satisfied, picked up the flat bottle and downed it in one gulp.

"The only good thing about meeting you, in the end, is the taste of this wine."

"You even hid your relationship with Kuro from me, is it because you can't trust me? And you're putting on such a clumsy act, making it seem like you're two different people."

[Hartles: "Because I truly believe it. Kuro's memories are vivid, but it's like my past life. Hahaha, I'm like a ghost driven by a past life. I can't tell anyone about something so absurd."]

Hephaestion: "Well, so I'm not in a bad mood in your presence. I feel a sense of affirmation about my being a dead."

Hartles: "Yeah, not bad."

Hephaestion: "This too is the end of the world. I shared with you this view of the world's end, a view that even my king has never seen. Though it lasted only a moment before it was shattered, I dreamt of elevating my king to godhood."

"The next time I'm summoned, I probably won't be able to retain these memories. But even if you and I are both spirits that no one will remember, our journey together was meaningful. It was meaningful, Hartres."

Hartles: "...I'm so glad. But there's something different. It's you, the one saying this to me now, who gives meaning. You, who will disappear here, give meaning to me, who will die here. Give meaning to me, who is already dead..."

Faker wanted to say something more, but the sound remained unspoken.

Because Hartlees will never speak again.

She gently closed his eyes with her pale fingers, then held the last of the wine from the flat bottle in her mouth and pressed her lips to Hartles'.

"Goodnight, you who have forgotten your dreams (Hartlees)."

Everything melted into the night mist that shrouded the hills.

The Conqueror: "Ah, it seems you've finally found someone else worth protecting."

Watching Hephaestion in the video, the emperor felt like a father seeing his daughter find a lover.

Weber: "Good night, Professor Hartrace."

Kenneth: "Phew...it's all over now. Of course, there's still some cleanup to do."

Sora: "They'll probably handle it discreetly."

Kenneth: "Of course, it's not something that can be publicized widely. Several monarchs were outmaneuvered by one person."

Kenneth: "This Grand Order decision is a complete farce."

The commotion subsided quickly, with the aristocracy, democrats, and neutrals unanimously deciding to treat the incident as if it had never happened.

[While it's unclear how Aozaki Touko explained things to the neutral faction, the Clock Tower is unusually united on this matter, which is somewhat laughable.]

Afterwards, the noble faction dispatched construction workers and magicians who, within a few days, completely restored Zura from the ruins.

[As expected of the aristocratic faction, their formidable power is truly terrifying.]

Everything returned to normal, and the Second Emperor naturally became busy again. However, this time he had an unfortunate accomplice to his cause.

"Ah—my brother, I'm exhausted! Could you take over the rest of the work for me?"

Reines slumped on her office desk, displaying just how exhausted she was.

The Second Prince, without looking up from browsing through a large number of documents, said, "Oh, I thought my sister would work until she died."

"Oh, what a cold response."

Reines pursed her lips, but could only continue working.

Sigh, I shouldn't have started this; the leisurely tea-drinking life of the past is gone forever.

Chapter 372 The Reward of the God Iskandar

After signing several documents, he handed them to the smiling Hideaki Adashino.

[This is a report she submitted in her capacity as head of the Legal and Political Affairs Department, for the Second Prince to review in detail and sign.]

It's just a formality; though laughable, it's the way things are in the world.

[Second Generation: "Are you satisfied now?"]

[Himeri Adashino: "My dissatisfaction is over... perhaps that was the right answer."]

She told the Second King that the Clock Tower never found Hartle's body.

Although we don't know where he finally moved to, it's understandable that we wouldn't be able to find him if he was inside the Albion Tomb.

However, since he is attempting to revive the magical forms of the Age of Gods, the factions that have already learned of this will likely search frantically for his workshops and legacy.

The Second Prince was completely unconcerned; he didn't believe Hartres would leave those things behind.

Kenneth: "A workshop... but they probably won't leave those things behind."

Weber: "Yes, the last workshop Hartres studied was that underground wine cellar. When I went there, all that was left were the clues Hartres had deliberately left for me."

Webber: "Hartles will leave no legacy."

[Second Generation: "If we find Adashino Kuro, what do you plan to do?"]

[Himeko Adashino: "Even now, I'm not entirely sure myself. Do you find that strange?"]

[Second Generation: "No."]

[Hirori Adashino: "After joining the Legal Affairs Department, I discovered that Hartles's disciple might be my older brother. Since there wasn't much work to assign to newcomers, I happened to be assigned to oversee the Modern Magic Department. While investigating past cases, I quickly discovered that Kuro's disciple seemed to be Kuro Adashino. From my perspective, discovering this was only natural. I also immediately learned that Hartles and my brother disappeared around the same time. Why is that? I want to understand my missing brother..."]

"Yes, it was on the Magic Eye Train that I realized Hartres and his brother might have switched identities. I thought it was only natural to want to understand one's blood relatives."