Chapter 196: Heroic Spirit Special

[Reines: "Is the Iselma incident the only suspicious one? Do you remember the magus Adashino Hishiri from the Department of Policies?"]

["Ah, I remember."]

[Gray thought to herself: "She mentioned that she was investigating his whereabouts as his adopted sister for personal reasons. The serial murder case involving the Mystic Eye holder seven years ago was also committed by Heartless."]

["Heartless is definitely not the mastermind behind the case."]

[Reines said seriously, "As for the Iselma incident mentioned earlier, he wasn't directly involved in the crime itself. The case from seven years ago can actually be traced back to when Marisbury Animusphere began investigating the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki."]

["This is purely background information. Whether he was involved or not, the chances of similar cases occurring remain very high if substitute figures were to appear. However, his connection to the case is too significant to ignore. That's why he so dramatically called his brother his enemy."]

[Gray: "What's the reason?"]

[Reines: "Because they're very similar, or you could say they're exact opposites."]

["Don't view magic as a mere mystery. Don't allow magic to consume your life. And don't see magic as the ultimate goal."]

["But for my brother, these traits must have been a source of deep anxiety. It's not that he didn't want to follow these principles, but that he simply couldn't."]

["My brother loves magic, but magic doesn't love him."]

[Gray: "But what about the other person?"]

[Reines continued, "That person is the opposite. It's not that he can't do it; it's that he refuses to do it."]

["Magic loves him to such an extent that he became the former dean of the Modern Magecraft Department, yet he doesn't love magic in return. If he did, he wouldn't have idly stood by as the world lost so many exceptional magus."]

["Oh, and the Department of Policies likely shares similar sentiments."]

["If my brother is a destroyer, then what would you call that person?"]

[Reines took a sip of her tea and leaned back against the sofa.]

["Anyway, we've already decided what we're going to do, haven't we?"]

["Even if he's a fool, he's still my brother. If he doesn't stick around a while longer, I won't have anyone left to tease."]

["I'll support him and do him plenty of favors. After all, you came here with this plan in mind, didn't you?"]

[Gray: "Yes… but it's not teasing."]

["Hehehe…"]

[Reines chuckled with a mischievous glint in her eyes.]

[Gray: "Teacher said he hoped I could help him. As his student, it's my responsibility to do my best. To fully realize my potential, I need to face this issue again. That's why I came to ask for your help, Miss Reines."]

["Before I return to that place, please tell me about the first time you met my teacher."]

["Very well."]

[Reines nodded and replied with a touch of nostalgia: "I always figured you'd ask about that someday. Though, honestly, it's more of a hope than a prediction."]

["Then allow me, Reines El-Melloi Archisorte, to recount the story of how you and my brother first met."]

[The video ends here.]

---

Tohsaka Rin: "Ah, is this the end?"

Chihiro: "Otherwise, how long do you want to watch?"

Kayneth: "It seems like this is a preview of the next story."

[The second question is over, and now we start the last question of today.]

[This is a multiple-choice question. Please look at the following four pictures and choose the Heroic Spirit whose Class is Rider.]

[Answer the question in 5 minutes. If you choose the correct answer, you will receive 1 Saint Quartz. If you choose the wrong answer, you will lose 1 Saint Quartz.]

[If you select all correctly, you will receive 5 Saint Quartz.]

Waver: "As expected, it's Rider's turn today."

Caules: "I hope it won't be as chaotic as yesterday."

[A: The picture shows a tall and strong man wearing a three-pronged purple-gold crown and beast-faced chain armor. He exudes an air of arrogance.]

Tohsaka Rin: "This is too obvious."

Waver: "Lu Bu, definitely Lu Bu."

Red Hare: "Ah, Lu Bu! I didn't expect to see him again."

Kayneth: "The peerless warrior from the Three Kingdoms period? I've heard his name before."

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "If it's Lu Bu, his Class should be Rider."

Tohsaka Rin: "Right, Lu Bu among men, Red Hare among horses, that name is known by everyone."

[B: The picture shows a sturdy young man in golden armor, holding a spear. Scars adorn his cheeks.]

Zhang Jue: "Just based on his attire, it's hard to identify him. Nothing stands out."

Sisigou: "This one doesn't seem like a Rider; he looks more like a Lancer."

Kotomine Shirou: "We shouldn't jump to conclusions. This could be misleading."

[C: The picture shows a young girl wearing pink clothes and stepping on a cartoon dragon-shaped nine-section whip.]

Waver: "Have you seen this Heroic Spirit before?"

Kayneth: "Think carefully. It's Elizabeth Bathory."

Waver: "Ah! Now I remember. That Heroic Spirit who somehow keeps picking up the Holy Grail wherever she goes!"

Darnic: "…What?"

Kotomine Shirou: "…What?"

Sisigou: "Picking up the Holy Grail while walking around? That's not how I understand it."

Waver: "That's what I mean. I'll explain it to you later."

Tohsaka Rin: "But why does Elizabeth in this picture look smaller than last time?"

Chihiro: "She's fully transitioned from a loli to a little girl."

Zhang Jue: "And her outfit…"

[He noticed that the white stripes on Elizabeth's clothes formed a Bagua symbol. Coupled with her dragon-themed attire, one couldn't help but question whether this was truly Elizabeth.]

[D: The picture shows a young man wearing a Tang suit with a mushroom-shaped haircut. He has a smiling face and holds a strange black whip.]

Illya: "This guy doesn't look like a warrior, more like a mage."

Waver: "Could he be a Caster?"

Zhang Jue: "A sorcerer holding a whip… could it be him?"

The First Emperor: "Haha! I already know who he is."

Caules: "Oh! Really?"

Sisigou: "It must be easier to recognize someone from your own country."

[The question-answering session begins now.]

"Hey, kid, are you going to pick all the answers again today?"

The First Emperor approached Chihiro with a teasing smile.

"No, I'm only choosing B and D today."

The First Emperor scratched his head. "Two correct answers? Today seems a bit more normal."

"B and D—the two that look the least like Riders."

Artoria frowned. The Heroic Spirits in those two pictures indeed didn't look like Riders at all.

"Haven't you been through enough by now?" Chihiro teased her.

Artoria coughed awkwardly. "Ahem, true enough."

Diarmuid asked, "But what about Lu Bu? Shouldn't he also be a Rider?"

Chihiro replied, "Of course not. Does he look like a Rider to you?"

"Now that you mention it…"

Diarmuid scrutinized the picture and muttered, "Well, he does seem more like a Berserker."

Iskandar leaned toward the First Emperor and asked, "First Emperor, who is that last person? Can't you just tell me?"

The First Emperor replied calmly, "You'll find out soon enough. Why the rush?"

Iskandar sighed. "You're so stingy. It wouldn't hurt to give me a little hint."

Meanwhile, the other group members were deep in thought.

The biggest debate centered on whether Lu Bu was a Rider.

His inclusion seemed too obvious, raising suspicions of it being a trick. But what if it was a reverse bluff by the Q&A system?

Groups argued back and forth, unable to come to a consensus.

[Time's up. The quiz ends.]

[Now let's announce the answers.]

[A: Lu Bu, Class: Berserker.]

[An unmatched general during the Three Kingdoms period, Lu Bu was also infamous for betraying his adoptive fathers and masters. He fits multiple Classes, but the picture shows Lu Bu summoned as a Berserker.]

[Stripped of rationality by madness, Lu Bu becomes uncontrollable in this state. Ironically, this eliminates the unpredictability of his betrayals.]

Sisigou: "I didn't expect the first picture to be such a trap."

Darnic: "Berserker Lu Bu… It's not as simple as it seemed after all."

Astolfo: "How could this happen? Didn't they say he was Rider? Wuwuwu…"

Caules: "I told you to wait until we finished discussing, but you just wouldn't listen."

Chiron: "Sigh. Don't be so impulsive next time."

Astolfo: "o(╥﹏╥)o"

***

T/N: Finally, we're done, at least for now. Look forward to the action starting tomorrow.

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