Disclaimer: FATE does not belong to me, all its history and characters belong to Type-Moon.
Chapter 13, Murder on the Train.
"…Trisha? What are you doing lying there…? Trisha, Trisha!? I-It can't be… G-Get up and scold me like you always do!" Marie begged as she tried to move the decapitated body of her assistant.
"Olga Marie…" Gray whispered.
"Professor..." Shirou said, coming to his side.
"Shirou, Rouge? What are you doing here?" Gray asked.
"Oh, so you didn't just bring women, Professor!" Yvette exclaimed happily.
"We received a job," Rouge replied, ignoring the girl.
"So, you both actually boarded the train," Waver said as he looked at his student, but then looked at the corpse, "it was like this when we arrived. Rin went to tell the conductor."
"It won't be necessary."
On one side of the room, Leandra and Rodin were. They appeared out of nowhere...
"You guys did this to her!? Or, was it you, Karabo!?" Marie addressed the Churchman, "You're one of the Church's magus-killers!"
"It wasn't me," the man denied. "Will you allow me to examine the body? I'm used to seeing corpses."
"Do not even think about it!" Marie raised her hand, and a black sphere formed in her palm, which she shot at Karabo, but he blocked it with one of his black keys.
"Excuse me," with one agile movement, Karabo struck Marie with the hilt of his weapon on her head, knocking her unconscious. He then turned to Shirou, "You know each other, right? I saw you having dinner together last night."
Shirou nodded.
"Take care of her, please."
"You can leave it to me," and then the boy turned to Altrouge, "I'll take her to our room. Can you stay and report what you find out?"
To which Altrouge gave a thumbs up.
Shirou left taking Marie in his arms while she was unconscious.
"They let him carry out the autopsy without any problem," Gray said as he saw the Church agent treating the corpse.
"As a member of the Church, he must be used to dealing with bodies," Altrouge spoke.
"Mage murders are not unusual on this train. The organizers don't care too much, so our safety is our own responsibility," Yvette said.
"I suppose they only intervene if it turns into some kind of full-scale battle that damages the train or endangers the auction," the Princess speculated.
"Exactly! Those who do that lose their right to participate in the auction."
Lord El-Melloi approached the Church agent, "May I ask you something?"
"Forward."
"Since you are part of the Holy Church, don't you hate magi?"
"I think your souls should burn in purgatory. But that doesn't concern us now." A large amount of smoke began to cover the corpse, and Karabo used it to analyze the body, "My black keys are not made to pierce a Lady crying for a friend."
"You seem to attract cases like this, don't you, Lord El-Melloi II?" Adashino said, entering the room.
"As are you," Waver replied.
"I was on the train the whole time, does that mean I don't have an alibi?"
"You know better than anyone that it doesn't work that way with mages."
Adashino smiled, "I breathe easier."
"We were on the train too."
Raising her arm as if in the middle of a class, Yvette said, "I was outside with Mr. Karabo. Several magi could confirm it as well."
"She died in the last hour, bled out when her head was cut off. No signs of a fight, so it must have been instant death," Karabo spoke.
"Why cut off her head?" Adashino asked.
"Her mystic eye can see the future; I verified it myself. Perhaps the assassin cut off her head to steal the mystic eye..." The young Lord theorized, looking around the stateroom, "The head is nowhere to be found. "
"Is it possible to extract the mystical eye from her head?" Karabo asked.
"For the Rail Zeppelin, it wouldn't be a problem," Leandra replied.
"I would like to examine the body," El-Melloi said.
On the other hand…
Shirou had left Marie on one of the beds in the stateroom. He wasn't sure what to do, because if he wanted to investigate, he would have to leave Marie here, but if there was a murderer, it was possible that he would go after her.
Shirou walked towards the door. Maybe he could ask someone else to take care of her. He could ask a member of the train or another magus associated with the Animusphere family, for if he were left idly looking after her, then the assassin would have more leeway.
"Hang on a minute."
Shirou turned around to see Marie waking up.
"You are better?" asked the boy approaching her.
Marie gave a wry laugh as small tears spilled from her eyes, "One of the people who were by my side since I was a child... the person who supported me all these years was killed... There's no way I'm okay!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it that way. I understand what you've been through..."
This angered Marie, and she stood up and slapped the boy, "What do you suppose you understand!? Everyone knows and says they understand what I've been through, but that's a lie! Nobody knows what it's like to carry the weight of the whole family and the astromancy faculty! Trisha… she was the only one who had always been by my side."
Shirou didn't react violently, as he realized how hurt Marie was and thought that perhaps his words weren't the best to explain himself. I understand. She was the pillar of Olga Marie and was the reason she managed to keep her family together. Trisha truly had faith and trust in her, and now that she's gone...
Marie clenched her hands tightly as tears escaped her eyes, filled with sadness and helplessness.
Shirou lowered his gaze upon seeing Olga Marie's expression and wondered: would her expression be similar to the look he had back then? Now that he remembered it, Kiritsugu had a look of pure happiness the day he saved him, and back then, he wondered if he could have that same look if he decided to help other people. Even over the years, that thought remained, and maybe that was why he agreed to help Muramasa so quickly and also why he decided to help Altrouge, despite knowing everything she was dealing with.
However, this thinking had changed slightly over time because while as a child he could have easily given up his life for someone else's, now it was not the same. He carried the hopes of his ancestor, as well as the mission to help Altrouge, and lastly, he had a goal, and even if it was an inherited one, this didn't make it any less worthwhile. His grandfather, a long time ago, had told him some things that stuck in his mind: he was a sword, like a sword, if overloaded, it would splinter and break; on the other hand, a sword without any target was also worthless; so, he should know when to stop, and always be clear about what his goal was, even if he didn't know how to reach it.
Although, that didn't change the fact that he was the type of person who liked to help others whenever he could…
"It's true, I don't know everything you've been through, but I can somewhat understand. After all, what led us to our current situation is the same."
Marie looked at him strangely, "What do you mean?"
"The Holy Grail War, remember?"
Lord Animusphere nodded, "Yes, what does that have to do with what you're saying?"
"Not only my father participated in that war. As you probably already know, I am adopted, and my father adopted me after the Holy Grail War."
"And...?"
"I told you, didn't I? At the end of the war, corruption spread and devoured everything. I lived in the vicinity of where the disaster occurred..."
This surprised the Lady, "That means you…"
Shirou nodded, "I lost my family to that ritual, and just like you, I clung to one person to move forward." And, to himself, he concluded: And, just like you, I will lose that person soon too. Shirou avoided sighing and spoke to her, "The only advice I can give you is to live with twice the strength so that her death was not in vain..." After saying this, Shirou proceeded to leave the room, but…
"Hey, wait!" Marie tried to stop him to no avail, "I told you to wait, didn't I!?"
Shirou stopped before the door, "Do you need anything else?"
Marie got up from the bed, "The Emiya family are mercenaries, right?"
"Well yeah, I guess so."
"In that case, I want to hire you."
"Do you want me to protect you while you're on the train?"
She nodded, "Trisha helped me get here, and if I let it all fall apart just like that, then everything we did would be for nothing. I can't afford to die on this train."
Shirou nodded, "I understand; however, I have one condition."
"Which?"
"I've been sent to investigate anything that seems strange inside the train, so I can't stay and protect you all the time inside this room. If I accept the contract, you must accompany me while I investigate what is happening."
Marie took a breath and recovered a bit of the firmness she had shown before the murder, "Give me a few minutes to get ready, and I'll be ready. We can discuss your pay after the trip is over."
"Okay, I'll wait for you outside."
On the other hand…
"You have a sensitive mystic eye, don't you?" Lord El-Melloi II asked Karabo.
"Why do you think so?" Karabo asked as he watched as the Lord analyzed the body.
"Considering your age, it would be logical for you to come here to sell a Mystic Eye, not buy it. Besides, you offered to examine the body because you thought it would be useful, right?"
"I can't hide anything from you, Lord." Karabo instinctively covered one eye, "My eyes see the past."
"He saw mine a while ago…" Gray commented.
"Although I am not able to see a precise place and time."
"That is to say, that the mystic eye has greater authority than you over your body," the Lord spoke.
Karabo nodded, "It's been dragging me around more than ever lately. I got on the train so I could get rid of it."
"Could you see the culprit?"
The Church member looked out the window, "No, I couldn't see the killer. Maybe it protected itself somehow. I saw the woman sitting in that chair, but I didn't see anything clearly before she lost her mind."
"That means maybe Trisha Fellows didn't see it either."
"What are you talking about?" asked Karabo, surprised.
"Had she realized the danger, she would have taken action," the Lord surmised.
"At the very least, she would have warned Olga Marie," Adashino said.
The Lord waved his hand, "The murderer cannot be traced into the past or future. As if it were invisible in time."
"You can't be sure I'm telling the truth."
Waver turned to him, "No, but I choose to trust a man like you."
"You don't sound like a Lord of the Clock Tower."
"Mystic eyes are a physical feature, not a technique. Therefore, they determine the way of living."
Karabo looked down, "Because we are prisoners of what we see, right?" Closing his eyes, he said, "Because the world we see cannot be shared with anyone."
Waver turned to the window, "Recently, I observed a friend trapped in a dream which showed him his mystic eye."
"Seeing the past means you don't live in the present. I never lived in the present…" Karabo declared to Gray's surprise and sadness.
Hey, Shirou? Altrouge asked through her contract with him.
At that moment, the redhead was in front of his stateroom. Altrouge? Did something happen?
Nothing special, Karabo has a mystic eye that can see into the past, but even with that, he said he couldn't see the killer.
Not even with that!?
Although he may be lying; however, El-Melloi has decided to believe him. On the other hand, did the girl wake up?
Yes, she just woke up.
Okay, see you there. Altrouge turned and proceeded to leave the room.
"Rouge?" Gray asked as she watched the girl walk away.
"The girl woke up, and it's possible that we can get more information from her." Saying this, she left the room.
"Sir..."
Waver nodded, "Come on."
The group went to the room, and when they arrived, they saw Lord Animusphere in front of the stateroom with Shirou. Rin had joined them on the way, saying she couldn't find the driver and getting angry to learn that he had appeared inside the room right after she had left to look for him.
"Excuse me, Lord, do you have a moment?" Waver asked.
"El-Melloi II? What are you looking for?" Marie asked.
"I want to ask you about the murder if you don't mind."
Marie sighed, "We'll have to investigate later," the Lady told Shirou.
"I understand. Besides, the professor is a great detective, so it will be good to know if he has discovered anything," the redhead replied.
After saying this, everyone present entered the stateroom and sat down.
"Are you trying to win our favor with this?"
"I don't mean to," Waver replied, to which Marie looked at him curiously. "Consider that as part of my creed."
"Your creed?"
"When I was young and inexperienced, a colleague told me that inexperience was a military symptom. Glory awaits in the distance..." Waver grabbed an apple, "We fight because we aspire to something we don't have. He told me, we want to or not, we always end up glimpsing our path." For a moment, it seemed that his gaze was directed towards some distant and unreachable place, then he closed his eyes and said with certainty, "I cannot forgive that a young woman who has not found her path ends up throwing her life away."
"Is that what he told you in the Holy Grail War? Was it Iskandar, Professor?" Shirou asked, interested.
"Yes," Waver said, smiling.
"Right… you also participated in the Holy Grail War, right? Marie asked.
Waver nodded.
"But that's stupid, a helper shouldn't have so influenced you!"
"That's not…!" Gray tried to intervene, but the Lord stopped her.
"Humans are bound by what we see. Gray, take care of her. I'll talk to the driver so they can move her to a different stateroom."
"That won't be necessary; I've already hired Emiya to become my bodyguard."
"Now that you mention it, what are you two doing here?" the Lord asked.
Shirou scratched his head, "We received a task with an invitation to the Rail Zeppelin, and for certain reasons, we couldn't refuse it."
"Hmn, they only give out about ten new invitations per year. It must have been hard to get that invitation..."
"I-I guess. You could say that our contact is quite influential."
Altrouge nodded, "Kaleido is quite persuasive when he wants to be."
"K-Kaleido? Do you mean the Wizard Marshal?" Rin asked, surprised.
Altrouge nodded, "Yes, the same one."
Rin quickly turned to the redhead.
"Before you ask me, I have no connection to the Jewel Magician; he hired us through a third party, so I don't even know him."
"Well, that's a bad sign…" El-Melloi said in surprise.
Gray looked at him strangely, "Why, Sir?"
"It's no secret that the Wizard Marshal tends to take an interest in some everyday affairs that turn out to be troublesome in the end. In other words, his meddling probably means that some really troublesome event will happen during the trip." Waver sighed, "You'll need a bigger stateroom anyway. Come, Rin, join me."
"Huh? Again!?" the girl complained.
"It doesn't really matter much. We could still use this room," Altrouge said.
"But there are only two beds..." Gray said.
"Exactly! Olga Marie can sleep in one, and Shirou and I will sleep in the other, just like we do in the bedroom, there's only one bed there."
That statement caused the previous mood to be completely destroyed. It was as if the whole environment had become absurdly heavy.
She really loves to torture me, doesn't she? He thought the redhead to himself.
"As I said, I'm going to negotiate to get you a bigger stateroom," the Lord said again as he hurried out of the room.
"I'm following, Professor," Rin said with cutting coldness.
"In that case, I'll go and investigate the rest of the train," Altrouge said, leaving the room.
"W-Wait, Rouge!" the boy said as he tried to stop her, but it was too late.
He really didn't want to look around because he felt that, if he did, then something horrible would happen.
"Emiya, I can assume that you won't perform such acts while acting as my bodyguard, right?"
"Y-You have my word, Lord. She and I don't have that kind of relationship yet…"
"Yet…?" Gray whispered.
Shirou turned around in fear and saw that Marie wasn't looking at him; she was directing her gaze toward the window. On the other hand, Gray had covered her face with her hood. He knew he had to fix this, but he felt that whatever he said would further mess things up.
"I... I'll go get everyone something to drink."
"Huh? But!" Marie yelled.
Shirou turned before walking out the door, "Relax, Gray is really capable. I trust that she can protect you even better than I would. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Marie sighed, "That Lord and all his students are very weird." Then, she turned her gaze to Gray, seeing how the girl still had her gaze lowered, and knowing that she wouldn't get any information from her in that state, the Lady sighed again and said, "If you're so worried about it, then you should do something."
"Uh…?" Gray exclaimed in surprise.
"If I've learned anything from being a Lord, it would be that no one will wait for you. If you want something, you must act to get it because if you stare from a distance, you'll never get anything."
"I…"
Marie sighed again, "Don't overthink it, just... take it as advice. If you want something, isn't it natural to work for it?"
"I guess so…"
The Lord nodded, "On the other hand, what relationship do you have with Lord El-Melloi?"
Gray smiled, "I think he's a good teacher."
"But you're not a magus, are you?"
She shook her head, "No, but still, it's enough for me to follow the Sir. At least, I think so…"
"Oh really?"
Gray nodded.
"I see. Well, if you follow a weirdo like him, I guess you're just as weird, though, and now that I think about it, it seems the same with the rest of your classmates..."
…
On the other hand, in the Clock Tower…
In Reines's office.
"I see, thanks. Sisigou is in the dean's office in Slur. Don't worry," Reines was chatting over the phone, "and about the card? Use it without reservations, as it will only increase the debt." Reines had to pull the phone away from her ear at the loud noise that came from it before hanging up, "Ahhh, my brother gives me a lot of work..."
…
Back on the train...
Lord El-Melloi II was walking through one of the corridors of the Rail Zeppelin, and suddenly, he met Adashino.
"What are you planning this time?" El-Melloi asked.
"Are you interested in Legislation? Or me?" Adashino replied.
"Don't play dumb. You took the documents from the Codrington house and now you're here. There has to be a reason."
Adashino smiled, "You remember Gurdoa Davenant?"
"Yes, he was a troublesome old man."
"Gurdoa's tutor is the same as Codrington's."
This surprised the young Lord, "Huh? And it has to do with the Rail Zeppelin?"
Adashino turned and spoke into his ear, "Who knows... Besides, finding the answer is your job, isn't it, Detective?" After saying that, she went on her way.
In one of the "warehouses" of London...
Luvia was analyzing with her gems the place where Iskandar's relic had been kept.
"I didn't find a single trace," said the Edelfelt heiress.
"Not with Evocation either," Kairi said, "The thief took the relic very carefully."
"Perhaps the intruder did not destroy the barrier," Luvia spoke.
This puzzled the mercenary, "What do you mean, Miss Hyena?"
"What's with that nickname?" asked the Edelfelt heiress, a little annoyed.
"The Edelfelt are spell scavengers, aren't you?"
Although indignant, Luvia did not protest, "I won't deny that." Then she turned around, "I'd say whoever was responsible had a key to the barrier."
"So, it was someone close."
Luvia smiled, "This is getting interesting."
Back on the train...
It was getting dark; this was the second day of the Rail Zeppelin.
Gray, Lord El-Melloi, and Rin were in the train's last car.
"It's almost the time appointed by the thief," the Lord said as he read the letter sent by the thief, "it is impossible to escape outside."
"What do you mean?" Gray asked.
"This train is partly another dimension," Waver put away the letter, "it's very difficult to get in and out of this one."
"That's why they send out the invitations…" Rin said.
"Exactly. Invitations are keys to this dimension. If we open a door using the invitation via Torc Travel…"
"Sir," Gray woke him up.
"Sorry, getting lost in my thoughts is a bad habit of mine."
Suddenly, the sky was covered with storm clouds.
"The sky clouded over..."
"Something's coming…" Rin spoke.
Red lightning began to descend from the clouds.
"Let's go!" Gray said before climbing the stairs that led to the top of the train.
She was followed by Rin and by the Lord.
Lightning struck the roof of the Rail Zeppelin….
"You really came." In front of the three, wrapped in flashes of lightning bolts, was a hooded figure, and unlike Shirou, they had never seen her without it, "It's foolish to jump headlong into what is a trap, or is it a feat that only the stronger can achieve?" The person speaking to them was the same person they had met that day at the Fargo house, although this time, she took off her hood to reveal her actual appearance, the same woman who had helped Shirou, Faker.
"You are the one who stole the relic from the Sir?"
"I serve whoever stole it," she said, arms folded.
"Give it back to us" Gray was about to transform Add, but the Lord stopped her.
"You are Hephaestio's younger twin sister, aren't you?"
The woman clicked her tongue, "That boy should learn to shut his mouth. I guess you know the rest then... well, it doesn't matter too much." Then she smiled menacingly, "On the other hand, you seem to be: Stingy, eccentric, rude, delicate... Yes, without a doubt, these are the qualities of a sage, but you turn out to be much more annoying than one, am I right?"
This caused some annoyance in Gray, and Rin remained calm on the outside, but she couldn't help being uneasy inside. What she had in front of her was a servant, and if Fuyuki's leylines hadn't weakened, sooner or later, she would have ended up participating in the Holy Grail War and summoning one of them.
"I wanted to see what the magus who served as Iskandar's Master was like; however, it turned out that you are useless."
"He was not my servant. I am a vassal of the King of Conquerors," Waver replied.
"His vassal? You?" Faker said as she narrowed her eyes.
"I followed him because I shared his dream. And his last order was for me to stay alive..."
"That's absurd." Faker drew her short sword. "I only called you out of curiosity. But it wasn't worth it. I've had enough! I've never been so fed up!" Faker pointed her sword at the trio. "So, die!"
Faker charged at all three, and Gray transformed Add into its scythe version. In this way, both clashed weapons.
"You…" Gray exclaimed.
"Remember, being able to fight does not make you a warrior." Faker applied more pressure pushing Gray back with ease, "To be a warrior, you need to surrender, body, will, and soul!"
Faker applied more force, forcing Gray back even further, almost overwhelming her; however, she was forced to jump back as curses were fired at her.
"I can't help you fight melee, but I can cover you," Rin said.
Gray nodded.
"Be careful, she is a Ghost Liner, the embodiment of a historical heroic spirit."
"That warning... It's of little use!" Faker charged magical energy around her entire body and, with a swift movement, swung her sword, and though Gray jumped back to dodge it, she ended up with a slight cut to her leg.
"Huh?" Faker watched in surprise as her magic power disappeared, "That's an interesting trick; did you absorb my magic power?"
Gray raised her guard.
Faker smiled, "Okay, I'll show you something to entertain us."
Faker's eyes glowed with shades of gold and reddish.
"That mystic eye, it is the same one she used in the Fargo family workshop, some kind of petrification eye?" thought the Lord.
Out of her control, Gray turned against the Waver and Rin.
"You call it Mystic Eyes of Compulsion, right?" Faker laughed, "It's perfect for this situation, I revere Dionysus, and the god values madness. I wanted to see a death match between teacher and disciples." But afterward, she showed her annoyance towards the group, "But those glasses render mystic eyes useless..."
Mystic Eyes of Compulsion? That means! Rin prepared to stop her, but Waver's hand stopped her, "Watch."
Gray lunged to cut them both down with her scythe, but at the last moment, she stopped. Add began to glow, and a light emanating from it expanded.
"Hmm... I see. You learned something from our last meeting, didn't you? The scythe purified your magic circuits. Not bad, but I was hoping the three of you would kill each other."
Faker raised her hand to the heavens.
"I won't let you!" Gray yelled as she lunged at the Heroic Spirit.
"Very late!" The bolts struck the gravekeeper, throwing her backward. Fortunately, Waver was able to catch her before she flew away.
The same chariot Shirou rode with Faker came down from the skies, showing itself in front of the trio. It was enveloped in red rays.
"No, no, no! Gray, we can't beat that!" yelled Add.
"I-It can't be, that's it, Gordius Wheel? Iskandar's Noble Phantasm!?" asked the Lord.
The Wyverns rose into the air and began to fly.
"Professor, do you have a way to deflect the rays?"
"Divert them?"
Rin nodded, "If you can deflect the lightning surrounding the chariot, then I can attack her with my jewels before the chariot hits us."
"It will be enough?" Gray asked, "If not, then I can use…"
"Wait, Gray, using it in such an unstable place could put us in danger!" Then, he turned to Rin, "I'll take care of the lightning."
Waver used a knife and cut his hair, and, on the other hand, Rin took three gems between her fingers.
"I am the right hand of Iskandar first, the great conqueror. I am his shadow! And you have no right to call yourself his vassal!"
Using her hair, Waver deflected the rays toward the earth, and when they stopped covering the car, Rin fired her gems. The gems overloaded and exploded, unleashing all their power and maxing out her magecraft; when these were about to hit Faker, a great white light emanated before an explosion was unleashed.
…
A few minutes ago, in one of the Rail Zeppelin carriages…
"We've already searched all the staterooms, and no sign of the killer or anything unusual," Marie said.
"It really must be an experienced magus for us not to be able to track it down even using your means…" Shirou said.
Marie nodded, "If not even two Lords have been able to track down the thief, it can't be just any magus."
"And if the thief didn't use magecraft?" suggested Altrouge.
"No, it can't be. Remember that Karabo couldn't see it with his mystic eye, so if the thief hadn't used magecraft, it could only commit the murder with some trap already set up."
"But the room was intact, so there was no previously set trap," Altrouge said.
"But, maybe you're not entirely wrong," Marie whispered, "That is if you decide to believe Karabo, of course."
"What do you mean, Lord?" Shirou asked.
She crossed her arms in a typical self-important pose, "It couldn't be tracked using common magecraft, but it couldn't be tracked using conventional means either. Is there anything on this train that could produce this phenomenon?"
"A mystic eye... but it would have to be one that can work from a distance and activate the effect at a specific location."
"And so far, we haven't met anyone with a mystic eye with that ability," Altrouge stated.
"Which means it's hiding it," said Marie, "It would be easy if we had the auctioneer and the manager help, but they won't be interested in the murder as long as it doesn't damage the train or the auction."
"But, if our assumptions are true, then…" the redhead whispered.
"So..?" Altrouge asked.
"So, no one entered the room after Trisha was killed, or Karabo would have seen it."
"And...?" Marie asked.
"The head!" Altrouge exclaimed, "If no one entered, the head must be inside the room."
"But that's impossible; we search everywhere," Shirou said.
"If Trisha had seen the attack coming…" Marie whispered.
"Are you talking about her mystic eye?" Altrouge asked.
She nodded, "Trisha had a mystic eye, and simply put, it allowed her to see the future," Marie said, explaining to the redhead, then lowered her gaze. "That's why I was shocked when I found her dead body, of all people… I never believed it was Trisha who could be killed."
"But it makes sense. A mystic eye is like a single-action spell, so there are no preparations and nothing to alert you. If Trisha saw the future, she could only see the effect, and therefore she wouldn't know how to block it," Shirou repeated what he had learned in class.
"And yet, the head is missing, so that means she must have done something," Altrouge spoke.
"If the killer was coming for Trisha, it stands to reason that this wanted her mystic eye. If I had been her, I would have done something to prevent it from getting it," Marie said.
"If she had been standing when her head was cut off, it would have fallen forward and hit the ground, but the head is nowhere to be found," Altrouge spoke.
"A way to hide her head…" Shirou whispered.
At that moment, Marie widened her eyes, "There is a way! If it fell into one of Trisha's imaginary number pockets instead of hitting the ground. In that case, no magus could open it without a password."
"That means the head should still be in the room!" Shirou said.
"Come on!" Marie prepared to run towards the room; however, when she started her run, the train wobbled hard, and the three had to hold on to their chairs to keep from falling, "What was that?"
"Something happened on top of the train..." Altrouge said.
And, before they could do anything, the train shook violently again.
"Again?" Marie asked.
"What's going on?" asked the redhead.
"No idea, but we'd better head to the stateroom," said the Princess.
…
On the railway...
"What happened, Mr. Rodin?" Leandra asked.
"It's hardly credible, but someone tampered with the tracks," the driver replied.
"Where are we headed now?"
Rodin swallowed, "The Predator Forest."
This worried Leandra greatly, "Are you saying…? The number seven of The Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors."
Rodin nodded.
"Stop the train!"
He shook his head, "I already tried, and I can't. Someone is not only tampering with the tracks, but it is also tampering with the train."
Leandra gritted her teeth, "How long? How long until we get to the woods?"
"In a few hours, in the morning of tomorrow."
Leandra turned and spoke to what seemed to be... nothing? "My lady Rozay-en! What shall we do now?"
Even though it seemed to anyone else present that she wasn't talking to anything, she was talking to the manager. To her eyes, a ghostly-looking woman stood before her, and her skin was a mixture of colors, such as light blue, dark blue, and white.
The emanation smiled, "Relax, I have an idea."
"An idea?" Leandra asked curiously.
"Go and find these guests. Bring them to me…"
And so, the emanation showed her what the people she had to look for looked like.
"These two?" asked the auctioneer.
The emanation nodded.
"Shall we inform our passengers of our new destination, my lady?" Rodin asked.
"No, not yet. Not before we speak to our special guests." Rozay-en's emanation, she pointed toward the door, "Now, Leandra, when they all fall asleep, you go and get them."
The auctioneer nodded.
…
Elsewhere on the train...
"Lord…?" Shirou said, seeing how Marie hesitated to open the stateroom door.
She took a breath, "Yes, sorry…" Marie took the key to her old stateroom and opened it.
They went in, and the mess that was in the afternoon had been cleaned up.
"The corpse was lying here…" the Princess said as she pointed to the place, "that means she must have been standing here, and her head must have fallen here."
Marie approached the place indicated by Altrouge and began to examine it, "Let me see."
She placed a hand over the spot, and a golden mark appeared in the air, along with a small opening from a pocket of imaginary numbers.
Shirou smiled, "Could that be...?"
Marie nodded, smiling, "It's a spell set at exactly these coordinates, neither on the floor nor on the ceiling, but right in the air, at the relative coordinates of the train." Suddenly, a mark began to glow on Marie's forehead.
"What's on your forehead is...?"
"My magic crest, it's reacting. This spell is from the Fellows family." Marie raised her arms forward, and a vast magical seal appeared, right in front of her, "I'm going to try to open it using my crest."
The other two nodded.
Suddenly, the opening expanded, and Trisha's head popped out, along with an amulet of a naked man and woman embracing.
Marie took several steps back since, even if she knew this could happen, it was no less shocking, "T-Trisha, really, you..."
"Careful, Lord!" Shirou placed himself in front of Marie protectively, and Altrouge simply looked bored at what was under the bed.
"Hmm!?" exclaimed Marie.
An albino snake came out from under the bed.
Shirou brought out Vorpal, hoping it was some kind of phantasmal species; however, it did not attack them.
"Hmm? Doesn't it attack us?" Shirou asked.
"Must be some kind of familiar," Marie said.
"We've seen it before, remember, Shirou? At Marbury's workshop," Altrouge said.
"Of course, it's the snake from…"
"It's mine." The bedroom door opened, Adashino walked in, and then she smiled, "Sorry if I scared you."
Marie tried to maintain her composure against the Legislation envoy, "You left it to keep watch."
Adashino nodded, "I thought something was missing and that the assassin might return, so I left my familiar to guard the stateroom." Then, she looked at Trisha's head, "The Rail Zeppelin must have the necessary facilities to preserve the head, so if you come with me, Lord Animusphere, we can see to it that it doesn't go bad."
Although flustered, Marie nodded, "Yeah, s-sure." However, she could not pick up the head because her hands were shaking too much.
Seeing this situation, Altrouge took the head like it was nothing to write home about, "Let's go?"
Marie nodded, "Thank you."
"I will not accompany you. I will see you in our stateroom." Shirou looked at where Trisha's head had fallen, then he noticed it, the amulet, "And this is…?" After looking at it, he turned his gaze, "I think it has some spell, but I don't know exactly what kind. Maybe Rin or the professor can tell me." And, having said this, he took the amulet and left the stateroom.
After a walk, Shirou stood in front of one of the phone booths inside the train. His cell phone didn't work inside the Rail, but the phone booths on the train did. Shirou dialed a number and let the phone ring.
"Yes, Luvia?"
"Shero? You're on the Rail Zeppelin right now, aren't you?"
"Yes, how are you, Luvia?"
She smiled, "Well, I've accepted Lady El-Melloi's job, so now I'm investigating the thief of the Professor's relic. How about you?"
"I see. I'm fine, but, you see, I had to accept a job from Lord Animusphere, and I need to ask you a favor."
"Lord Animusphere? A favor? What do you need…?"
"Do you know the Fellows family?"
Luvia nodded, though only Kairi could see her, "Yes, it is a family affiliated with the Animusphere; why?"
"Lord Animusphere's assistant was murdered, at first I thought it was an attempt to steal her mystic eye, but now I'm not so sure, so do you think you can find out if Miss Fellows was inside anything suspicious before she got on the Rail Zeppelin?"
"Hmm, it will be difficult, but I'll see what I can do; however, I want compensation."
"And how can I help you?"
Luvia smiled, "I have a certain matter to investigate in a few months, when summer comes, will you come with me?"
"There's still a long time until summer, but of course…"
"Okay, I'll send you the information later, so call me tomorrow, and I'll tell you what I've found out."
"I understand, and thanks, Luvia. See you in a few days."
"See you later, Shero."
Once he hung up, he headed towards his stateroom, and after a few minutes, Altrouge and Marie entered the room. The latter was carrying a black box, presumably the container for Trisha's head.
He was going to ask if everything had gone well, but suddenly there was a knock on the door.
Shirou went to open the door and was surprised when Gray and Rin walked in carrying an unconscious Waver.
"Step aside, please," Gray said.
"Sorry, this stateroom was closer," Rin explained.
Gray laid the professor face down and ripped off his shirt, on his back, a large burn could be seen.
"It's a bad burn!" Marie said.
"What happened? How did the professor end up like this? Did the killer attack you?"
Gray shook her head, "We faced Hephaestio's sister, who attacked him for personal reasons."
Rin placed one of her jewels over the burn, "I'll take care of this."
"Will he be okay? Will he get better?" Gray asked nervously.
"I'm not an expert in Healing Magecraft, but I'll do my best."
Gray began to tremble as tears began to spill from her eyes, "Sir."
"Incredible... as a disciple of a magus, you should be prepared for this."
This annoyed Shirou a bit; however, he smiled after seeing Marie's action.
"Why don't you use this?" Marie had a small glass container with a greenish cream.
"What's that?" asked the gravekeeper.
"Medicine of the druids," Marie replied.
"Medicine of the druids? A panacea, the omnipotent remedy?" Rin asked.
"Trisha gave it to me just in case, but I don't need it."
"Thank you so much!" Gray said.
Marie lay down on the other bed, "Now, the Animusphere family owes you nothing. Good night!"
Gray went to use it, but Shirou stopped her.
"I think you'd better save that for another time."
"What!? But the Sir!?" Gray yelled worriedly.
"I know, but there is another way to cure him, and if our enemy is really Faker, that can be useful for another time."
"Another way?" Gray asked.
"Faker?" Rin said.
Shirou nodded, "The second time we met, at the Marbury Workshop, she introduced herself as Faker. For the second form to work, I need everyone except Gray to leave the room."
Rin looked at him in disbelief, "Forgive me if I sound skeptical, Shirou-kun, but you're really bad at anything that doesn't have to do with swords."
"I know, but you don't think I've survived all this time without a way to heal myself, or yes, Rin?"
"Ohhh...?" Rin smiled, "So, hiding your mysteries?"
"It was the first thing you taught me, did I learn well, teacher?"
Rin sighed with a smile, "Okay, you win, I'll leave the room."
"Will you use that?" asked the Princess.
Shirou nodded.
"Good." Altrouge went to the other bed in the room, pulled Marie out of it, and carried her away like a sack of potatoes.
"Hey! Let go of me!"
"What will you do, Shirou?" asked the gravekeeper.
"Give me a moment," Shirou stretched out his arms in front of his chest, and floating above them, a golden-colored Divine Construct appeared.
Something stirred inside Gray, "That…?"
Shirou nodded, "It's Avalon. Although it's only a projection, and it's the only divine construct I can properly project," then the boy held it out to the Lord, and it vanished inside him.
Quickly, a beautiful golden light emerged from within Waver, and the burn diminished until it disappeared.
"Done; he should be fine after resting."
Gray had watched the short process in amazement.
"Strange, I can say that I know that feeling somehow, and even so, I'm sure it's the first time I've seen it."
Even stranger for both of them was seeing Add talk seriously.
"By the way, buddy!" The mystic code returned to its usual noisy form.
"Yeah?" Shirou exclaimed.
"How did you plan to return the scabbard to Gray if you've fused with it to the point that there's no difference between you and it!?" Add asked.
"Now that you mention it, it's true. Avalon has been inside of me for the past ten years, to the point where I don't even know if we can part."
"Hihihihi! At this point, you and Avalon are no different!"
"Oh really?" he asked doubtfully, "I guess you're right..."
Then, it was Muramasa who spoke, "Ironic, I thought I would get you a scabbard, and in the end, it was you who became someone else's scabbard."
"Yeah, I guess I can be considered Gray's scabbard."
"Huh!?" the girl exclaimed in surprise.
Taking it more seriously than he should have, Shirou began to mutter, "As a scabbard, I should protect Gray and the persons she wants to protect, right?"
"Shirou?" Gray asked, puzzled.
"Don't think about it too much, and even if you're a scabbard for a Gray, that doesn't mean you're not a sword first, remember!?" his ancestor complained.
Shirou nodded, "I know, Grandpa. Besides, even if I didn't have Avalon, I would have helped Gray anyway. So, there's no need to dwell on it."
Those words made the gravekeeper happy, but she couldn't help but remember what Altrouge said in the afternoon, nor what Marie told her afterward: If you want to get something, you have to do something...
"Are you okay, Gray?" the boy asked when he saw the girl engrossed.
"Oh, y-yes!"
"Well, in that case, I'll tell the others to come inside."
Meanwhile, Gray stayed by the Lord's side. She was there, but part of her was still withdrawn...
Outside the Rail Zeppelin, in a car…
"I can't believe I'm playing detective with you," Luvia said.
"Well, it looks like you were having fun, especially while you were talking on the cell phone." Kairi smiled.
"You can't explore the Modern Magecraft center every day," Luvia replied, "and the previous dean was full of mysteries."
"Kayneth El-Melloi?" asked the mercenary.
"No, he was the Lord of Mineralogy; you did not know?"
"The Clock Tower surpasses me in certain respects. Who was it then?"
Luvia looked out the window, "It wasn't a Lord." Suddenly, her cell phone began to ring, "Excuse me… Lady Reines?"
"Yes, it's me, and it seems my brother was badly injured."
"Shall we continue with the mission?"
Reines nodded in her office, "Yes, do it. Apparently, Lord Animusphere made her family mobilize as well."
"Get out of my way! I just want to talk to Reines El-Melloi Archisorte."
Princess El-Melloi sighed, "Sorry, I have to hang up."
The door was abruptly thrown open. A tall man with gray hair, wearing a black coat, white shirt, and gray pants, entered the room.
"What does this mean, Lady?" the man asked indignantly.
Trimmau turned its arms into clubs, but Reines stopped it.
"Could you clean up the blood you spit up, please?"
Trimmau wiped the blood off the floor that the man had spat on.
"I'm sorry…"
"Melvin Weins, my brother is not here. But I can pass on your message to him."
"I didn't come to see him!" Melvin yelled, "I want to know what Waver is doing on the Rail Zeppelin!?"
"What need is there?"
"As a friend of his, I deserve to be informed of these things," he said before spitting up blood.
"I only found out a couple of days ago," Reines declared.
"And you didn't go with him, Reines?" Melvin asked surprisingly seriously, then put on an extraordinarily excited expression, "Going must be so much fun!"
Amused, Reines shook her hands, "As you can see, I'm busy working."
"In that case, I'll have to go alone."
"Are you going alone!?"
Melvin laughed, "I have to account for Waver's whining." Then he held up her hand, "Look," he said as he held up an invitation to a surprised Reines, "this is the power of the Weins' money."
Back on the Rail Zeppelin…
They had all decided to stay in the same room to avoid being easily attacked. Since Waver had negotiated for a larger stateroom, the room had three beds. Two girls shared the same bed, and Shirou would sleep on the sofa. At this time, everyone had already gone to bed, and yet…
"You cannot sleep?" asked the Princess.
Shirou shook his head, "No, this situation is quite troublesome: Faker, an assassin, and a train full of dangerous magi."
Altrouge smiled, "Well, I expected no less from Kaleido."
Shirou chuckled, "I guess you're right. How's Fou? I noticed him looking pretty weird a few hours ago."
Altrouge saw the "puppy" sleeping on the other sofa, "Yeah, I noticed it too. He was looking out the window for a while. He and I are sensitive to certain things, so I guess he noticed something strange."
"You too? What did you feel?"
She frowned, "The Rail is approaching a very dangerous place, but I doubt they're heading towards it, that would be suicide."
"A very dangerous place? What place?"
"The Predator Forest, remember? I told you about this one before."
Shirou frowned in concern.
"Don't worry. As I said, I don't think we're going inside this one since that would be suicide."
The boy nodded, "I understand. By the way, are you alright?"
"About what?"
He pointed to his neck, and she understood.
"Relax, the impulses haven't made an appearance yet, and besides, it would be troublesome to do so here."
Shirou nodded.
Toc; toc!
"Who will it be at this hour?" the boy asked.
"A person who will bring quite a bit of trouble, that's almost certain. But I don't think she's an enemy."
Shirou opened the door and, on the other side, was the auctioneer.
"Good evening," Leandra said, "sorry to bother you so late at night."
"So, Rita finally wants to see us?" Altrouge asked.
Leandra nodded, "My Lady has requested your presence, would you be so kind as to accompany me?"
"Shall we? You know her better than I..." Shirou asked the Princess.
She nodded, "Yes, let's go. I want to talk to her again, and besides, if she didn't look for us during these two days, something tells me that she's not doing it just because she wants to talk."
Leandra smiled at this statement, "Then, follow me."
Seeing that none of the others had woken up, Shirou, Altrouge, and Fou left the room and followed Leandra.
She led them to the auction room, which was a room with several seats, like a big stage. The center of the room was set up for a large conference, and on the far wall were many vessels for various mystic eyes. On the other hand, the most striking thing in the room was the ghostly-looking woman. Usually, she could not be perceived, but she decided to show herself.
She smiled, "So the rumors are true. Who would have thought that the Princess of the Dead Apostles would become fond of a human... The end of our world really is near, don't you think, Altrouge?"
She nodded, "Looks like you're still on the mend. Did that magus hit you that badly, Rita?"
This seemed to hurt the apostle's pride, but she smirked, "And you, Altrouge? Injured by another mere magus."
The Princess smiled, "It's one thing to be injured in a simple game and quite another to be made to flee your train. Though I know you won't die that easily unless it's at Sumire's hands."
The emanation smiled, "Exactly. I won't accept any other kind of death. The magus merely caught me by surprise, and obviously, she took any precautions to deal with me. I have already recovered, and I have merely decided that there is no need for me to expose myself to further unnecessary danger. Although, of course, I am not satisfied with the outcome of my encounter with that magus."
"I see, that's why you left this emanation here. I imagine you'll go after her in the future."
The manager nodded, "Of course, I'll make her pay for this humiliation."
Altrouge smiled, "Considering the time… Right now, you must be in your castle having your nightly bloodbath, right?"
"That's right. I never thought I'd see you here, Altrouge. I always thought you shared Fina's resentment of me."
She shrugged and waved her hands, dismissing it lightly, "That's your business. I'm not particularly interested in it."
Rita's emanation smiled, "That's good because I need your help right now."
"I figured it; however, you know it won't be free, right?"
She smiled again, "Is there anything in this life that is?"
"So, what's going on?" Shirou asked, seeing that the conversation was going on for too long.
"Someone is manipulating the tracks and the train, and it's changed our course," Leandra replied.
"Please tell me we're not headed where I think we're headed," the redhead begged, on the verge of resignation.
Altrouge smiled, "Well, it seems so."
"To the Predator Forest," Rita answered.
The Princess smiled good-naturedly, "The Seventh Dead Apostle only appears every 50 years, so you really are unlucky that it came out of its slumber just now," then, she sighed as if she felt sorry for her partner, "You've got a big problem because I think even if you come and perform in person, you can't handle it on your own, honey."
Although she seemed annoyed by her hurt pride, the emanation smiled again, "Yes, that's right, but that's why I'm glad to have the help of the Eclipse Princess and her companion."
"And the payment would be? You don't expect us to save your train without payment, do you?"
The emanation shook its head, "Of course not. Let's see... except for the rainbow rank mystic eye, I'll let you choose any mystic eye from this train."
This did not please the Princess, "One or several?" Altrouge asked, "Considering you're not willing to give us the jackpot, several bejeweled rank eyes shouldn't be a problem, right?" she said reluctantly.
"Greedy…" the emanation whispered, then smirked, "I know, how about we do this: If you don't participate in the match against the seventh, and your partner defeats it on his own, I won't only give you the rainbow rank mystic eye, I'll also give you a mystic eye of your choice, although of course, Primate Murder can't participate either, the boy must do it on his own."
"That's…" Altrouge said doubtfully.
Shirou thought about it for a bit, but finally declared, "I will."
This surprised the Princess, "Shirou!? What the hell are you saying!? It's one of the twenty-seven!"
"I know," Shirou spoke confidently, "you've explained to me about this one, and I've also read about the Predator Forest on my own and, precisely because this is the ancestor we're dealing with, I think I have a chance."
"You're sure…?"
Rita smirked, "It really is strange to see the Eclipse Princess caring for a human. Rumors are spreading like wildfire, you know? This can negatively affect your faction, Altrouge. However, if the boy kills the forest, bad rumors will become interesting for the rest of the apostles." Then she smirked, "Wouldn't that be a nice change for you, honey?"
She glared at the fifteenth, "You're just as twisted as ever; you really do what you want."
"Then you accept?" the emanation asked as Leandra handed them a contract.
Altrouge turned to the redhead, "Really, can you do it?"
Shirou nodded, determined, "If I can't face one dead apostle, even if it's one of the twenty-seven, how am I going to be able to help you deal with everything we have to face?"
Altrouge frowned, concerned, "That's true, but…"
"Don't worry; I won't let you sink either."
Hearing those words, she couldn't help but smile, "Well, if you're that confident, I'll leave it up to you."
After Altrouge studied the contract it had been given and discussed some clauses with Rita, which caused it to be slightly modified, the two signed it.
"It's done, if the boy can't handle it, you will, Altrouge, but you won't be able to get the rainbow rank mystic eye."
The Princess nodded, "Considering that tomorrow's auction will be the last one, you will let us choose which other mystic eye to take before it is held, right?"
She nodded, "Of course, indulge yourselves."
Altrouge turned to Shirou, "Go, pick any eye you like. I'll take the rainbow."
"How greedy of you, you'll leave the consolation prize to your partner."
Shirou shook his head, "Such a powerful mystic eye will only bring me trouble since it might overstep my authority, so I prefer one that mates with my Magecraft."
"Then which one will you choose?"
Shirou drew his katana, "What do you think, Grandpa?"
At that moment, Muramasa woke up, "I'm not an expert on mystic eyes, so I'll ask the manager for help if she doesn't mind."
"Hmm, a spirit possessing a sword...? Not at all; what are you looking for?"
"The boy's magecraft style requires him to be able to use his eyes to analyze complicated structures, sometimes difficult to understand, as well as alterations in the environment and himself that exceed the recognition speed of his brain; do you have anything that can help the brat with that?"
Rita's emanation smiled, "Leandra…"
As if she knew her master's thoughts, the auctioneer nodded, "I understand." Leandra went to one of the mystic eye containers and brought it out in front of those present, "This is what you're looking for."
"Which are?" Shirou asked.
"Glam sight: Fairy eyes," replied the auctioneer.
This confused the duo.
"Fairy eyes? What good would it do for the boy to be able to perceive fairies and have a connection to their world?"
Rita shook her head, "Fairy eyes indeed allow you to see these beings; however, for you, the important thing is not that the eyes allow you to see the fairies, but how they do it."
"And that is…?"
"They allow you to easily perceive and adapt to any information that your brain cannot normally process, for example, high-speed movements or things that humans generally could not see, like fairies, among other things. Don't they seem suitable?"
Shirou smiled and nodded.
"Well then, tomorrow morning, you will take it upon yourself to assassinate the Seventh Dead Apostle: Einnashe's Predator Forest; after you do it, we will transfer the eyes to you."
They both nodded and retired to their stateroom...
"This day has been long," Shirou said.
Altrouge nodded, "I hope you are sure of your decision, Shirou. I still don't understand why you did it."
"Well, it seemed like you really wanted those mystic eyes, so I decided to take the chance and get them for you. Did I do something wrong?"
"Idiot! You shouldn't go on suicide missions just on a whim of mine."
"It didn't seem like a simple whim to my eyes…" he said, puzzled, "it really seemed like you wanted them."
Although still annoyed, she smiled gratefully, "Thank you, it means a lot to me."
"Well, you said it: we're in this together, aren't we?"
She nodded, "That's right."
"But, why are you so interested in those eyes?"
Altrouge looked up and down the corridor, "I'll tell you when our journey is over, on this train, the walls have ears."
Shirou nodded, "I understand."
They both went into the stateroom and got ready to rest because tomorrow would be a long day.
Shirou closed his eyes, and after some time, he reappeared in the park where he played as a child. Suddenly, his vision darkened, and someone spoke in his ear.
"Who I am…?"
Instinctively, Shirou couldn't help but smile, and his words produced important reactions in the person covering his eyes.
"We have a lot to talk about, Mana-chan."
Manaka walked away in amazement because she didn't think Shirou would call her that again. At that moment, she was dealing with mixed feelings since, on the one hand, she was happy to hear how he referred to her again, and, on the other hand, she was worried. The fact that he called her that only meant one thing: he had remembered, so her question was: How much?
"I guess so, Shi-kun..."
Author notes:
Hi everyone! I know it's been a while, and I wouldn't be surprised if many thought I had given up on fic. However, that was not the case. What happened was that I suffered a... Translator block? Well, I don't know if that term exists, but that's what happened.
That being said, and largely due to your feedback, I was able to get over it, and, in order not to get stuck again, I opted for a new translation routine: From now on I will translate a maximum of one page a day. In addition to this, I have decided to upload the translation in parts to my P_treon, since that also helps me to motivate myself.
Well, now I will answer the questions you asked me in the last chapter:
Fir3gamer: Thanks for the correction. What happened is that, in Spanish, the same word is used for both, and I didn't realize it.
Wwolko: Yep.
Guest: Their relationship will improve eventually.
HarmonyDST05: No, it's not me, thanks for the warning.
Without more to say, I thank all the readers, the patrons for whom the chapters are ready a week before, and all those who comment on each chapter of the fic, we will not see in the next chapter.