["This situation was already problematic from the start."]
[Sisigou asked, "That little girl's Mystic Code… what exactly is it?"]
[El-Melloi II replied curtly, "Is this something I absolutely must explain?"]
["The Black Dog clearly fears her Mystic Code. That could be an important clue for defeating it," Sisigou pointed out.]
[With Gray's silent approval, El-Melloi II gave the answer.]
["That is King Arthur's Holy Lance—Rhongomyniad."]
"Bang!"
Upon hearing the name, Mordred suddenly stood up, her eyes blazing with shock.
"So that's why… That's why I hate that box called Add so much—it's that lance!"
Sisigou subconsciously glanced at Mordred, remembering the legend of her being defeated by King Arthur's Holy Lance during the final battle.
"Ah, yes," Mordred muttered through clenched teeth, her irritation evident. "It's that damned lance."
Sisigou: "…"
He didn't dare comment. If the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad was a "damned lance," then what could other weapons even hope to compare to?
Artoria: "The Holy Lance… I didn't expect it."
Artoria frowned slightly, her expression complex.
No wonder Gray's appearance struck her as familiar. But how had Rhongomyniad taken its current form? And how had it ended up in this young girl's hands?
The resemblance between Gray and Artoria was undeniable. It was far too conspicuous to be dismissed as mere coincidence.
"This girl named Gray… there's definitely a deeper secret behind her existence," Artoria thought quietly.
[Sisigou asked hesitantly, "The Holy Lance? You're saying that scythe is—?"]
["That's just a sealing form," El-Melloi II explained. "Add and the scythe are ceremonial constructs meant to contain the true Holy Lance."]
[Add retorted indignantly, "Hey! Show some respect when you talk about me!"]
[El-Melloi II ignored it and continued, "Gray was born into a certain clan from Blackmore Cemetery in Wales, one that deliberately gave birth to a child resembling King Arthur. That child… is her."]
"A certain clan…" Artoria's voice faltered, her thoughts racing.
Her suspicions solidified into certainty. A clan attempting to replicate her own existence? But why? What was their goal in creating someone like her?
"Could it be… Morgan?" Artoria muttered.
She couldn't help but think of her estranged sister. Morgan had meddled with her legacy before, and Mordred was living proof of such schemes.
"Mother," Mordred muttered under her breath, conflicted as she thought of Morgan. "This… is your doing again, isn't it?"
[Sisigou asked skeptically, "Wait, wasn't King Arthur a man?"]
[El-Melloi II answered flatly, "No. King Arthur was, in appearance, a young woman of Gray's age. I witnessed her as a Heroic Spirit during the Holy Grail War. There's no doubt about it."]
["The Holy Grail War," Gray murmured, recalling what she had heard just days prior.]
[A magical ritual in which seven Heroic Spirits battle one another for the almighty wish-granting vessel.]
[Sisigou chuckled. "So you've participated in one. Seems the rumors about you are true."]
[El-Melloi II corrected him, "I was merely a bystander."]
["But now I understand," Sisigou said, his tone shifting to seriousness.]
["In Britain, when we speak of storms accompanied by the howls of the dead and lightning, there's only one answer: the Wild Hunt, led by none other than King Arthur."]
[El-Melloi II nodded. "Indeed. In folklore, when souls unable to ascend to heaven or descend to hell become spirits or fae, King Arthur becomes the ruler of these restless beings."]
["The legend of King Arthur's death in Avalon," El-Melloi II continued, "became the foundation for stories of a mythic underworld journey."]
["Wait!" Sisigou exclaimed suddenly. "I see it now! I understand everything. This hypothesis… it can be proven!"]
[The video abruptly paused.]
[A question appeared on the screen: "Who was the murderer in the Marbury Workshop incident?"]
[The system prompted: "Start answering!"]
Tohsaka Rin: "Wait, what exactly did he understand?"
Iskandar: "Uh… I don't understand anything yet."
Kotomine Shirou: "The answer must involve the Black Dog or the fae."
Gordes: "The murderer is that guy Wills."
["Incorrect," the system replied. Gordes was deducted 1 Saint Quartz.]
Caules: "Why did you even think it was Wills? He's the client!"
Gordes: "I assumed he was just pretending to be clueless."
Darnic: "That's plausible. Wills does seem like the prime suspect in the video."
Caules: "But he was exonerated earlier."
Roche: "In that case, the only other possibility is Sisigou."
Sisigou: "Hey, come on! Even if that's me in another world, I wouldn't have the guts or the means to do something like that."
Darnic: "Wait a moment…"
Darnic: "The murderer is the fae in the workshop!"
Caules: "Yes, that makes sense!"
["Incorrect," the system replied again, deducting 1 Saint Quartz from Darnic.]
Darnic: "What? Even that wasn't right?"
Caules: "Then could it really be Sisigou?"
Sisigou: "..Uhh"
He didn't know what to say in rebuttal.
Mordred: "It's obviously Sisigou!"
Sisigou: "…"
["Incorrect," the system replied once more, deducting 1 Saint Quartz from Mordred.]
Mordred: "What? How is it not him?!"
Tohsaka Rin: "Then who else could it be? It can't be that woman from the Department of Policies, right?"
Kayneth: "No, the Department of Policies is stringent in their personnel selection. It's unlikely."
Waver: "Damn, the time is running out. Who's the culprit?"
Chihiro: "Stupid, have you forgotten there is another person?
Tohsaka Rin: "There's another person? Who is it?"
Chihiro: "The murderer is Trevor."
[The system chimed: "Correct! Chihiro is rewarded with 5 Saint Quartz."]
Tohsaka Rin: "The murderer was the creator of the Marburry Workshop?"
Tohsaka Rin: "But… wasn't he already dead?"
Kotomine Shirou: "Who says death disqualifies someone from being the murderer?"
Darnic: "Trevor… the creator. Of course."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "It's a simple answer, but we were all led astray."
Emiya Kiritsugu: "Under time constraints, it becomes harder to think clearly. That's the trap."
Waver: "So that's the difficulty of this question."
[The video resumed.]
[With the answer in mind, El-Melloi II led the group into the workshop basement for further investigation.]
[He proposed holding another séance, summoning everyone to the workshop to participate.]
[The séance was conducted by El-Melloi II, Wills, Sisigou, and Reines, while Gray and Hishiri Adashino observed.]
["Ready," Wills said hesitantly. "But…"]
["It's just a change of location," Sisigou said. "I still doubt it will work."]
["It doesn't need to summon anyone specific," El-Melloi II clarified. "This is a ritual spell, not a séance."]
[Reines interjected, "But my body isn't in a state for performing rituals."]
["Just stand still," El-Melloi II instructed. "Trimmau, support her."]
[Trimmau, the mercury maid under Reines' command, complied.]
[Reines pouted slightly, clearly dissatisfied but compliant.]
[El-Melloi II began the incantation: "We gather here to ignite the beacon of fire."]
["May those on the other side traverse the white veil and heed this beacon."]
["A hammer that shatters illusions, a boat that crosses the ocean, a ladder that spans the chasm."]
["O you who are blessed, O child of fertile earth, O eternal flame, reveal the truth and summon the guest beyond the veil!"]
[The room was engulfed in flames, with a fiery glow reflecting in Reines' Mystic Eyes.]
[A magic circle formed, and the fae from earlier was summoned into the space.]
["Who are you!" Wills exclaimed, startled by the manifestation.]
[El-Melloi II: "As I thought."]
["I didn't expect you to use such magic," the fae remarked, its tone eerily calm.]
[Wills exclaimed, "You can speak properly now!"]
[El-Melloi II: "Wills' Mystic Eyes and Reines' complement each other. That's why this worked."]
[Reines: "So you used me as a catalyst?" she asked, frowning.]
["Just as a focal point. You're not being controlled," El-Melloi II reassured.]
[Reines pouted indignantly. "Hmph!"]
***
For every 500 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 45+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.