Magician in Type-Moon

Page 581

He also used phrases like "longer ago" and "more suitable" to suggest that he was not guessing, but rather calibrating based on some clue.

"...Have you already deduced so much?"

The red-haired magician forced a smile.

Chapter 617 Confirmed (4k)

A brief silence stretched between the two, and the sound of the light veins flowing through the artificial starry sky seemed to be clearly audible.

Matou Ike broke this delicate balance; his tone was calm but carried an undeniable sense of confirmation.

"There's something I need to confirm."

After giving his opening remarks, Matou Ike asked Hartres again.

This was not an abrupt change of topic, but rather a way of bringing the conversation back to one of the core purposes of his trip—to confirm the current status of the plan.

"Your technique has entered the automatic phase, right?"

The question pinpointed a crucial point in Hartress's ambitious plan.

Automatic phase – This means that once the technique is initiated, its operation no longer depends on the practitioner's continuous control or life support, and it has the "inertia" to complete independently.

“That’s right. At this stage, even if I die, the spell will continue to operate.”

Hartley readily admitted it, a hint of relief even appearing on his face.

The smile carried a calmness that came after risking everything and going all in.

He affirmed the autonomy of the procedure, while also downplaying his own vulnerability—death could no longer stop the plan from proceeding.

"Hehe, you may know that this technique has exhausted my savings."

He let out a low laugh, but there was little joy in it; instead, it carried a hint of self-mockery and weariness after a resolute decision.

"After all, I had to bring the servant here. I made her activate her Noble Phantasm several times, and now she has nothing left."

As he spoke, his gaze naturally turned to the silver briefcase that had been standing silently in the room.

That gaze wasn't just a casual glance; it carried a complex emotion, perhaps a sense of gratitude for the resources invested, or perhaps a certain... anticipation for what was inside the box?

Matou Ike keenly caught Hartres's gaze, and his eyes also focused on the tightly closed silver box.

The question followed immediately, getting straight to the heart of the matter:

"Was the briefcase originally filled with the magician you were supposed to seal away, and the holder of the Mystic Eye that you've been storing?"

His speculation was both extremely specific and audacious. "The designated magicians of the seal"—those special beings hunted and imprisoned by the Clock Tower for possessing forbidden knowledge or abilities;

"Stored Mystic Eye Holders" - Individuals who possess precious or even dangerous Mystic Eyes, which are collected or "stored" by Hartless in some way.

The Magic Eye itself generates magic.

Because the Magic Eye is like an external magic circuit to magicians, it is treated as a valuable item regardless of its function.

Hartles burned those magic eyes as fuel to sustain his followers and grand magic.

Both of these types of people are resources containing enormous "value" and potential "fuel".

Matou Ike directly connects the contents of the briefcase to the resource consumption of Hatteres' massive spell, implying that the briefcase once contained one of the "fuels" that drove all of this.

"oops."

Hartres raised an eyebrow and uttered a short exclamation in response to the precise identification.

The light from the artificial starry sky flowed silently, reflecting the invisible blade between the two. Matou Ike's gaze swept over the silent silver briefcase, a long-forgotten piece of information flashing through her mind.

During the Fourth Holy Grail War, someone used more than a dozen Mystic Eyes to observe the war.

The fact that so many greedy "eyes" were lurking in the shadows of that horrific ritual in Fuyuki suggests a certain flow and concentration of Mystic Eye resources.

The suitcase originally contained more than a dozen demonic eyes—

No, it was the heads of the Eye of the Demon. Hartles threw those Eye of the Demon into the furnace, which opened the path to the Spirit Tomb Albion and allowed the great magic of the Creator God Iskandar to be established.

The truth is far colder and more chilling than the simple words "magic eye." That box contained once vibrant lives, magicians who possessed precious vision but were treated as mere "containers."

Their heads—the core organs that house the Demon Eyes—were used by Hartres as pure "fuel" and "keys" to be thrown into the "furnace" that activated the massive spell.

It was this terrifying price, forged from life and supernatural abilities, that forcibly tore open the path to the deepest part of the Spirit Tomb Albion, laying the foundation for the grand magic that created the false god Iskandar.

This cruelty is the cold reality that allowed the plan to go ahead.

However, Matou Ike did not delve into his cruel acts, and continued:

Matou Ike's gaze shifted from the suitcase back to Heartles. He didn't choose to question or condemn the bloodshed at this moment, as if it were an established fact that didn't need further discussion.

His goal was clearer—to complete the final "confirmation" before the countdown ended.

He raised his finger and pointed to a non-existent clock, his voice calm and clear:

"There's less than an hour left. I also want to confirm if my thinking is correct, is that okay?"

Time was of the essence; he needed permission, an opportunity to verify his final reasoning.

"Please."

Hartres urged.

The red-haired magician nodded slightly, his demeanor composed, even carrying a hint of intrigued anticipation. He was like an audience member waiting for the answer to be revealed, encouraging the other party to give the final answer.

“I initially reasoned that the current Dr. Hartres is not Dr. Hartres, but rather Hartres’s disciple, Kuro, who disappeared ten years ago.”

Matouike directly quoted the core hypothesis proposed by El-Melloi II in the Grand Order.

That was a speculation made by El-Melloi II during the Grand Order.

The meeting began to develop based on that conjecture in the middle, but it was overturned by Ashira.

Ashira indicated that they had not killed Hartres, but rather their disciple, Kuro.

He pointed out the source of this speculation, its dominant role in the meeting, and the key point that led to its eventual disproving by Ashra—

The victim was his disciple Kuro, not Hartres himself. This sets the premise for his subsequent reasoning.

"I see. You said it was like this at the beginning, does that mean there's another theory now?"

Hartres keenly caught the key transition word "at the beginning" in Matouchi's words, and his eyebrow on one side seemed to subtly rise a little more, his interest intensifying.

"Yes. I've always felt that this statement is wrong."

Matouike admitted it.

He affirmed Hartres's assessment and frankly expressed his fundamental skepticism about the "identity replacement" hypothesis.

"If Kuro has taken the place, Hartres's behind-the-scenes maneuvering in many cases is far too clever."

he analyzed.

As a disciple, even with his exceptional talent, Kuro faces unimaginable difficulty in perfectly imitating, inheriting, and executing the vast, complex plan of Hartless, the Minister of Modern Magic Science, which involves balancing multiple forces.

The subtlety and shrewdness of those actions required a deep understanding and mastery of the clock tower's operation, the principles of magic, and the weaknesses of human nature.

"After analyzing this technique, I have to admit that it is truly the work of the Minister of Science of Modern Magic."

Matou Ike's gaze swept over the flowing light veins, the complex magic circles, and the symbolic objects around him.

The grand magic technique used to create the gods before us, with its exquisite design, vast scale, and bold use of rules, demonstrates the wisdom and profound knowledge of a top magician and an authority in charge of the Department of Modern Magic Science.

“A disciple who has only taken a few years of formal courses could not possibly complete this technique.”

He gave his conclusion decisively. The completeness of this technique is itself the most powerful rebuttal to the "Kuro substitution theory".

"Given your style, you should have already confirmed Kuro's background, right?"

Hartres did not directly refute, but instead tossed the ball back, as if guiding Matouchi to demonstrate the depth of his investigation.

"You mean Kuro Adashino, right? Of course, I also confirmed that part with Hishiri Adashino."

Matou Ike immediately caught on and directly pointed out Kuro's hidden true identity—Kayano Kurou.

He also stated that he had verified this with the most direct source of information, Ryori Adano.

"Indeed, the Adashino family is somewhat special among magicians, but the level of their techniques is not high enough to be compared with the head of the department."

He acknowledged the special nature of the Hana family, but then immediately distanced himself from them.

While the techniques passed down by the Adashino family have their unique aspects, their level, breadth, and depth still fall far short of those of Hartless, who heads the Department of Modern Magic Science and stands at the pinnacle of magic research at the Clock Tower.

The family's secrets are insufficient to support this miraculous feat.

This is probably the most surprising fact regarding the Grand Order decision.

Kano Kuro.

Hartres's disciple is actually the older brother of Adano Hisauri.

Matou Ike temporarily set aside the mystery of Adashino Kuro's past and began to speak again:

“Dr. Hartress, I also met Dr. Glott, the doctor who saved you before.”

The name—Dr. Grote—was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool. Matou Ike's tone was calm, yet it precisely pierced a long-buried past that concerned the trajectory of Hartres's life.

Upon hearing Matou Ike's words, Hartres' response was a moment slow.

The previously composed and seemingly all-encompassing expression froze for an extremely brief moment.

The red-haired magician's eyes seemed to flicker slightly, though it was fleeting. This momentary hesitation clearly revealed how the name touched his heart.

This was the first tiny crack to appear in his emotional defenses.

"...It's amazing that you were able to find out about that kind of thing."

Hartres's voice remained steady, but the meaning behind it was much more complex.

It was a mixture of surprise, a hint of barely perceptible emotion, and perhaps a reassessment of the depth of the Matouike intelligence network.

"My friend told me the news." Matou Ike didn't elaborate on the source of the information, only pointing out that it wasn't done by an individual.

"The phrase 'Dedicate your life to the most brilliant things' is said to have been told to you by him."

He repeated that crucial proverb, a saying that, like a seed of destiny, may have already been deeply planted in Hartres's heart, influencing the choices he made throughout his life.

"Yes, that's exactly it."

Hartley readily admitted that he did not shy away from the words that shaped the foundation of his beliefs.