Fate: Question And Answer System of Traversing Heroic Spirits

Tohsaka Rin: "So, the murderer has been committing crimes for a long time?"

Illya: "Wait, the case is solved? Then why is there another victim now?"

Emiya Kiritsugu: "It's quite simple. It could be a coincidence, a copycat, or maybe the case was 'solved' just to throw people off."

Chihiro: "Stuff like this happens a lot in the mundane world. It's even more common among magicians."

[Mario then mentioned that, a few days ago, a woman from the Astronomy Department came by asking about the same information.]

[Luvia quickly understood the situation and handed over a check.]

[Mario, upon receiving the check, revealed the woman's name: Trisha.]

Kayneth: "What? Trisha already looked into this case?"

Darnic: "This case might be more complicated than we originally thought."

[On the Mystic Eye Collection Train, Gray heard a knock at the window. She walked over to check, only to see a bloody hand pressed against the glass, startling her.]

[The owner of the bloody hand soon revealed himself—it was Melvin.]

[This guy had actually managed to catch up to the Mystic Eye Collection Train.]

[Apparently, Melvin had been chasing after them in a helicopter since last night. He finally caught up but ended up blindly following the train into the Child of Einnashe, only to get knocked down by a tree branch.]

[Even in such a dangerous place, this guy still had the energy to joke. After coughing up blood, he asked Gray to open the barrier to let him inside.]

[After tidying himself up, Melvin saw El-Melloi II 'shaggard face and immediately flew into a rage.]

[This was Melvin's logic: "Only I get to bully my friend. No one else can!"]

"Melvin, that guy..."

Seeing Melvin chasing after them despite the danger, Waver felt a mix of helplessness and warmth.

Recalling his earlier days with Melvin, Waver couldn't help but chuckle.

They had been classmates. Back then, Waver couldn't stand Melvin's constant flaunting of wealth in class and ended up beating him up.

Later, when Waver needed funds to join the Holy Grail War, he shamelessly asked Melvin for a loan. Melvin had lent him the money without much hesitation.

From then on, the two became closer.

In the video, their relationship seemed even stronger, likely because they had endured hardships together in Babylon.

Still, Waver couldn't help but wonder: "How is this guy even weaker than me in the future? Vomiting blood at the slightest thing?"

Unbeknownst to him, Melvin's tendency to cough up blood was just a natural condition, something Waver hadn't seen before.

[After a brief rest, Rodin brought Karabo and Yvette over to find Gray and the others, asking for their help in restarting the train to escape the Child of Einashe.]

[Karabo, who was from the Holy Church, had some knowledge about the Child of Einashe. He explained that as long as they located the main Leylines and set up a few markers along it, the train could start running again.]

[They had already sought help from other magicians, but everyone refused because of the three recent deaths—even Hishiri had declined.]

[Seeing her master's deteriorating condition, Gray agreed without hesitation.]

[Melvin took out his violin and used his tuning magic to buff everyone with enhancements.]

[Since bringing too many people would be a hindrance, only Karabo, Yvette, Gray, and Melvin ventured out.]

[Yvette activated her Mystic eye, a synthetic eye resembling olivine to guide their way.]

[This artificial magic eye, a creation of her family, combined the powers of eight different magic eyes. Over several generations, their bodies had been modified to adapt to it. Yvette's own genius brought this project to fruition.]

[Currently, Yvette was using the Compass Eye, which had a natural ability to locate directions.]

[With Yvette leading, Karabo searched for the Leylines. Before long, they found the first node, a massive dead tree, much larger than the others in the forest.]

[Karabo took out a special Black Key and inserted it into the ground at several points around the tree, marking it as a road sign.]

[As they moved toward the next node, Yvette suddenly warned Gray that someone dangerous was watching them.]

[Gray immediately realized who it was and decided to stay behind to buy time for the others to retreat.]

[Once the other three had passed, the person stepped out of hiding. It was Hephaestion.]

[There was no need for words. The moment their eyes met, the fight began.]

Waver: "Hephaestion has appeared. Is this really the work of the one behind the scenes?"

Emiya Kiritsugu: "It feels like a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain."

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "If that's the case, something terrible might happen to El-Melloi II."

[After Karabo and the others separated from Gray, the forest turned hostile and attacked them wildly not long after.]

[Karabo explained that the road sign they had just placed marked them as intruders.]

[Yvette quickly switched her Mystic Eye to its ruby form, releasing flames to carve a path for the group.]

[They soon located the second site, a massive rock and set up another marker.]

[The three ran for what felt like an eternity through the forest. After sliding down a sudden landslide, they finally reached the core of the spirit vein and activated it.]

[Thanks to their efforts, the train finally restarted.]

[Meanwhile, Olga Marie returned to her room.]

[Once she calmed herself, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, though she couldn't pinpoint what.]

[As the train jolted back to life, she stumbled and fell forward. Her hand unexpectedly brushed against a spell coordinate hidden in mid-air.]

[This coordinate, which only responded to her unique magic crest, had gone unnoticed by everyone else.]

[Olga Marie immediately recognized it as the imaginary number space left by Trisha. She quickly input the password to open it, only to be greeted by a scene that nearly stopped her heart.]

[From the space fell Theresa's missing head.]

[Olga Marie collapsed in shock, and as her eyes darted around, she noticed a white snake under the bed.]

[It was the familiar of Hishiri. That woman had been spying on her all along.]

[The barrier at the door shattered abruptly, and Hishiri entered with a smile, making no attempt to conceal herself.]

Tohsaka Rin: "I knew that woman wasn't trustworthy. Looks like I was right."

Waver: "No, while the people in the Department of Policies can be insufferable, they're all rigorously vetted."

Kayneth: "Exactly. That woman wouldn't resort to such measures."

Caules: "Aren't we ignoring the real issue here? Why is Trisha head in that Space?!"

Darnic: "Isn't it obvious? We were wrong before."

Darnic: "That woman foresaw her own death and prepared accordingly."

Caules: "But now that we know the future, shouldn't we try to prevent it?"

Chihiro: "People who rely too heavily on the future allow fate to dictate their lives."

Emiya Kiritsugu: "She likely believed that the future was immutable. She accepted her death as inevitable."

Fiore: "That's... so tragic."

Chihiro: "But fate can be altered. Artoria is living proof of that."

Artoria: "???"

Chihiro: "Don't you remember your parallel selves?"

Artoria: "Ah, yes. Fate does have many branches. But she chose to surrender to hers."

Tohsaka Sakura: "Imaginary Number Space... is this related to imaginary magic?"

Kayneth: "Yes, it's part of the imaginary number theory you'll study in the future."

Kayneth: "Tohsaka Tokiomi, why not reconsider my proposal? Allow Sakura to join my household. I can secure an excellent teacher for her."

Kayneth: "As you've seen, while the imaginary attribute is rare, the Clock Tower has many magicians proficient in it. She would receive the finest education here."

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "I'll think it over."

[With their mission completed, Karabo and the others returned to the train, utterly exhausted and gasping for breath.]

[Soon, the Mystic Eye Collection Train was moving again, but Gray had not yet returned.]

[She was still engaged in her battle with Hephaestion.]

[Determined to protect her master, Gray resolved to hold Hephaestion back.]

[However, an avalanche suddenly occurred.]

[The Child of Einnashe, having lost its nodes, began to collapse into chaos.]

[In the midst of it all, Gray and Hephaestion found themselves trapped in a cave.]

[For a moment, the fighting ceased.]

[Gray: "Why did you save me?"]

[Hephaestion: "You're a warrior. If you're going to die, it should be on the battlefield."]

[Gray: "The next time we meet, I'll kill you."]

[Hephaestion: "Try if you can."]

[Hephaestion had already deduced Gray's identity and sensed that she was much like himself.]

[Both were shadows of a king.]

Iskandar: "Hahaha, well said! A warrior's death belongs on the battlefield."

Waver: "You're the one who drilled that into her head."

Chihiro: "There's no need to teach it. She learned through observation and imitation."

Iskandar: "Hah! True enough."

"Gray, I'll find a way to save you. You're not just my shadow."

The words came softly from Artoria, as if spoken only to herself.

[Meanwhile, in El-Melloi II's dream, he found himself back in his old classroom, facing a vision of Kayneth, who had already passed away.]

[Kayneth: "Waver Velvet, why did you insist on joining the Fifth Holy Grail War and stealing my catalyst? What are you trying to prove?"]

[El-Melloi II: "...I just wanted to see him again."]

[Kayneth: "Foolish! Even if a Servant returns, they won't remember you."]

[El-Melloi II: "Even so, I still want to prove that it wasn't my power, but his. He's the hero who deserved victory."]

[Kayneth: "And you still believe that? The catalyst is gone, and Hephaestion doesn't acknowledge you as Iskandar's vassal. Even now, you'll continue to fight?"]

[El-Melloi II: "Of course."]

***

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