Kayneth: "Touko Travel? So you had contact with that woman in the future?"
Waver: "Teacher, complaining to me won't change anything."
Tohsaka Rin: "Teleportation magic like this actually exists, but it doesn't seem like the experience is pleasant."
[Seeing the real Caules appear, the fake one dropped the act.]
["Ah, so something gave me away. I thought I disguised myself perfectly."]
["Your only mistake," El-Melloi II stated coldly, "was healing me."]
[The fake Caules paused. "I see. If I had let you die, it would've been inconvenient. I guess I overdid it."]
[Gray: "So, the switch happened before we boarded the train?"]
["No, it was earlier than that."]
[The fake Caules spoke proudly. "My investigation into him was flawless. There wasn't the slightest inconsistency."]
["And she must've been the one feeding you information."]
[El-Melloi II turned to Yvette.]
[Yvette hesitated, then admitted, "Well, he promised to let me study the Mystic Eye I wanted…"]
Illya: "Oh my goodness, there's a traitor among us!"
Waver: "I thought she might've been controlled, but to think..."
Emiya Kiritsugu: "This is what happens when greed becomes the driving force."
Darnic: "Typical of Clock Tower magi. Even among students, the moment profit is involved, friendships are discarded without hesitation."
Kayneth: "Hmph, don't act so righteous. We're all the same in the end."
Kotomine Shirou: "How pitiful."
[El-Melloi II: "After piecing everything together, I secretly approached Miss Hishiri and asked her to cooperate with me for this performance."]
[The fake Caules smirked. "I see, you were buying time for this moment."]
[El-Melloi II: "Now, tell us who you really are."]
[The fake Caules chuckled. "Oh? Haven't you already figured it out?"]
["Yes."]
[El-Melloi II spoke with conviction. "Nice to formally meet you, former Director of the Modern Magecraft Department, Heartless."]
[The fake Caules's form shimmered, and he transformed into a tall, thin man with long red hair.]
Kayneth: "Heartless... So it really was him."
Tohsaka Rin: "This guy? He doesn't look dangerous at all."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Villains don't advertise their identities on their faces."
"Heartless..."
Darnic paused, searching his memory. It seemed this particular magician hadn't appeared in his world due to differences in its timeline's development.
[El-Melloi II: "You're the only one who could easily open the Modern Magecraft Department's safe and provide support to Yvette."]
[Heartless smiled. "Correct. I've been wanting to meet you properly for some time now."]
[El-Melloi II: "But your purpose here isn't so simple."]
[Heartless tilted his head. "Oh?"]
[El-Melloi II continued. "Your transformation technique is eerily similar to that of Gurdoa Davenant, and one of his benefactors coincidentally invested in the Marbury Workshop."]
[Gurdoa had been a criminal in a prior case handled by El-Melloi II, known for his mastery of transformation.]
["You intend to use the power of the Leylines to accomplish a specific goal."]
["It's as though you've been acting like an examiner for an unprepared student, leaving behind breadcrumbs to guide me."]
[Heartless smirked. "So, what about the motive for my actions?"]
["This case is just an afterimage. Your true goal has already been achieved."]
[El-Melloi II's tone became firm. "You're here because of the Holy Grail War."]
[Heartless's smile didn't falter. There was no sign of surprise on his face.]
["You've been missing for years, investigating the Holy Grail alongside Lord Marisbury. Together, you discovered a method."]
["If two Leylines are placed in proximity, distortions will inevitably arise. Through this distortion, a new Holy Grail can be forged."]
[El-Melloi II: "But this alone wouldn't create a Holy Grail. Further refinement would be necessary."]
["The key condition is to connect this Leylines to the one beneath Fuyuki City in Japan."]
["And, of course, to forge the Grail, you'd need someone who once participated as a Master—someone like me."]
["These were the stage props you needed. From the moment you summoned a Servant, your crime was complete."]
Kayneth: "So this man actually forged a Holy Grail... remarkable."
Kayneth: "Heartless is nothing short of a genius."
Darnic: "This method is revolutionary, something even we, the older generation of magi, never considered."
Emiya Kiritsugu: "By forging a Holy Grail, it becomes possible to summon Servants outside of the traditional Grail War framework."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "How long has this man been researching the Grail? To think he's achieved such results."
[Heartless: "I've always been fascinated by the Holy Grail War. It's a fairy tale, even among magi, a dream that can never be fully realized. That's what makes it so maddeningly compelling."]
["So killing Trisha was merely a byproduct of your plan."]
[El-Melloi II spoke gravely: "You eliminated her Precognition Mystic Eye, which could have exposed your identity. If you were lucky, you could also claim her Mystic Eye for yourself."]
[Heartless: "Exactly, along with Karabo's Mystic Eye."]
["But you didn't anticipate that she would foresee her own death, prepare a backup plan, and hide her head."]
[El-Melloi II's tone deepened. "It was her foresight that allowed me to uncover the truth."]
[Heartless smirked. "Indeed, how touching."]
["Everything is clear now," El-Melloi II continued. "It was you who orchestrated this train's detour into the Child of Einnashe."]
[Leandra interjected: "No, more accurately, you summoned that creature into existence."]
[Heartless: "Correct. It was a whim."]
[Rodin explained: "When a passenger's actions are judged as hostile toward the Mystic Eye Collection Train, they forfeit their right to participate in the auction."]
["Oh dear, is that really what happened?"]
[This was why El-Melloi II had chosen this precise moment to solve the case, but Heartless remained unfazed.]
[El-Melloi II's eyes sharpened as he realized Heartless's next move.]
["Hishiri, stop him!"]
[Hishiri leapt into action but was a moment too late.]
["I command you in the name of the Command Spell—come to my side."]
[Heartless swiftly raised his hand, using a Command Spell to summon Hephaestion, who had been lying in wait.]
[The instant Hephaestion materialized, she executed Hishiri with a single strike.]
Darnic: "This is the power of a Heroic Spirit. It's like a complete suppression of magi, an attack from a higher dimension."
Chihiro: "Don't underestimate the potential of humanity, fool."
Darnic: "Oh? Are you talking about yourself?"
Chihiro: "There are many examples beyond just me."
Examples were Shirou, Tomoe, Soichiro, and even Kotomine Kirei as examples of humans who had fought against Heroic Spirits and even defeated them.
Shiki, Kirschtaria Wodime as well as Gudako, whose chaotic power allowed her to tear Heroic Spirits apart with her bare hands.
[Hephaestion: "What took so long?"]
[Heartless replied calmly: "I lingered because I was curious to see how far El-Melloi II's deductions would go."]
[Olga Marie was visibly confused. "What is this?"]
[Gray responded quietly. "This is a Heroic Spirit."]
[El-Melloi II fixed his gaze on Hephaestion. "I've been wondering who you really are."]
[Hephaestion raised an eyebrow. "I already told you—I'm Hephaestion."]
["I'm asking about your class."]
[El-Melloi II explained, "You revealed your true name, but you never disclosed your class. That's something that's been bothering me."]
["A false Holy Grail, a false Master, and a false Command Spell. Under normal circumstances, such a farce would never work."]
[Gray's expression tightened. "So this means…"]
[El-Melloi II nodded. "Yes, this implies a unique class, something like a false Heroic Spirit. A special designation not part of the traditional seven Servants."]
[Heartless smiled. "Indeed. I named this new class Faker."]
Jeanne: "Faker? So this man invented the class himself?"
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "How terrifying. He's even more dangerous than I imagined."
Waver: "A Servant summoned under false pretenses… So their class is also false."
Kayneth: "It's not a fake title. It's a class that represents the very concept of falsity."
[Hephaestion smirked. "And who do you think I am?"]
[El-Melloi II answered without hesitation: "You're Iskandar's substitute, aren't you?"]
[Reines looked shocked. "Wait, how is that even possible?"]
[Heartless's grin widened. "And why would it be impossible?"]
[Reines argued, "Because my brother always described Iskandar as a towering red-haired giant over two meters tall!"]
[El-Melloi II countered, "That's true, but in historical records, the King of Conquerors was described differently. He was said to be a short man with black hair and eyes that shimmered gold and silver, one as dark as the night, the other as bright as the sky."]
[He continued, "When viewed this way, Hephaestion perfectly matches the description, aside from her gender."]
Caules: "That's… a huge discrepancy from the image we know."
Iskandar: "Not really. That's a description of me as a child."
***
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