"You didn't kill her, did you?"
Lord El-Melloi II stared seriously at the young man in front of him, who was casually biting into an apple. After witnessing that attack—like the roar of an angry god—it was hard to imagine anyone could have survived.
"She was your enemy. She denied you. That means you must be the one to deny her," Cyd shrugged. "Until you solve the mystery on your own, I'll just make sure no one interferes with you."
"Th… thank you," Lord El-Melloi II hesitated for a moment before turning his head away.
"Got to protect an old man's pride, after all," Cyd chuckled.
"I'd rather not hear that from you," Lord El-Melloi II raised his voice slightly.
"Um… Master," Gray, who had been standing quietly to the side, finally spoke up. "The one who attacked us earlier, she was…"
"Hephaestion. That's what she called herself," Lord El-Melloi II rubbed his forehead. Just being connected to that king again was enough to make him revert into the helpless, worried youth once known as Waver.
But thankfully, another hero was sitting before him.
As the subject of a king, he couldn't afford to disgrace himself in front of another hero.
"But it's strange… no, it's unreasonable. Why…" Lord El-Melloi II closed his eyes. "Why don't I recognize her?"
"Master?" Gray tilted her head in confusion.
"It's fine. He trusts his own loyalty to that king. Because of that, he can see through the truth of this 'Hephaestion,'" Cyd smirked. "So… did you forget?"
"Impossible. That was the place I longed to return to, even in my dreams. I would never forget anything about it," Lord El-Melloi II lowered his hand. "I watched over that place. I remember every face clearly."
"Then… is she lying?"
"No. It's not that… Wait!" Lord El-Melloi II's eyes widened. "Her appearance… compared to that towering figure over two meters tall, she's definitely smaller. Black hair, golden and silver eyes… Iskandar? No… she's false."
"Oh? You already figured it out?" Cyd clapped his hands in mock surprise. "I haven't even noticed yet."
"Don't mess with me. Don't you have the Blessing of Wisdom?" Lord El-Melloi II rolled his eyes. "No need to go that far just to spare my pride."
"No, no. My so-called 'wisdom' just collects surrounding information and analyzes it. Right now, I have too few puzzle pieces. Even if I can deny her, my reasoning is based on intuition—something that won't convince anyone. But you're different," Cyd pointed at Lord El-Melloi II's heart. "You've been holding a piece of the puzzle that belongs only to you. You can prove it. I can't."
"So, as a mere mortal, I've surpassed a hero like you? That's something worth celebrating," Lord El-Melloi II leaned back on the sofa, his previously tense expression finally relaxing a little.
Perhaps it was the bond between him and the king he trusted that surpassed even the wisdom of a hero.
"Then, do you know who the real culprit is?"
"No clue."
"You… don't get ahead of yourself just because of one small victory," Cyd sighed in frustration. "You've only unraveled the edge of the vortex."
"I know, but—"
BANG—!
Before Lord El-Melloi II could finish speaking, the Mystic Eye Train, which had been running smoothly until now, suddenly jolted. Caught off guard, he was thrown forward by inertia and smacked straight into the table.
"Hiss…" Lord El-Melloi II clutched his knee, his face twisting in pain.
"Master, are you alright?!" Gray, rubbing her reddened nose, hurriedly stood up.
"I'm fine! But that's not the issue right now!" Lord El-Melloi II yanked open the curtain. His expression grew grim as he looked outside. "I was so focused on deducing the mystery that I completely overlooked it. This is bad!"
"Not that you could've done anything even if you had noticed," Cyd remarked dryly.
The Mystic Eye Train… had stopped.
"Uh… yeah, good point," Lord El-Melloi II sighed. "We should go ask the conductor what's going on."
Just then, a detached voice echoed through every room in the train.
"Attention. This train is about to enter the Forest of Einnashe. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please ensure your safety."
"…Huh?!"
Both Olga-Marie, who had been pretending to be asleep in her bed, and Lord El-Melloi II shouted in unison.
"What is that?" Cyd tilted his head. There weren't many things that could surprise both Olga-Marie and Lord El-Melloi II. So what exactly was this Forest of Einnashe?
"Tch, looks like the culprit went all out," Lord El-Melloi II muttered anxiously, pressing his hand against the window. "The Mystic Eye Train would never willingly do something this reckless. For it to forcibly change direction while running on a leyline… Don't tell me the culprit altered the surrounding leyline itself!"
Gray, completely lost, looked around in confusion before hesitantly raising her hand. "Um… I'll go check outside."
"Denied!" Lord El-Melloi II rubbed his temples. "This is a Dead Apostle's territory. Going out without proper preparation is no different from suicide."
SLAP—!
Something smacked against the train window. But Lord El-Melloi II ignored it, too preoccupied with figuring out how to get the train moving again.
"Master… M-Master…" Gray's voice trembled as she pointed at where his hand rested on the glass. "T-the… hand…"
"Huh? Hand?" Lord El-Melloi II blinked and looked at his hand—
A bloody hand was pressed against the window, perfectly aligned with his own.
Even through the glass, he could feel its cold, clammy presence. The only warmth in this frozen world was—
—Wait, what the hell was he thinking?!
"Wa… ver…"
The blood-soaked hand clenched into a fist. Through the blizzard, a figure slowly rose.
SPLAT—
Before Lord El-Melloi II could react, his vision was swallowed by crimson.
Some time later, a white-haired man sat wrapped in a blanket, cradling a steaming cup of coffee. He let out a relieved chuckle.
"Man, I thought I was done for. But meeting you here, Waver, makes it all worth it~"
His playful tone made Olga-Marie frown. Unreliable. That was her immediate impression of this man.
"Why are you here, Melvin?" Lord El-Melloi II groaned, rubbing his forehead as if trying to stave off an oncoming headache.
Cyd raised an eyebrow. From what he remembered, there was only one person who could make Lord El-Melloi II look this exasperated—Reines.
"Because we're best friends~" Melvin grinned. "When I heard you got tangled up with the Mystic Eye Train, I dropped everything and came running."
Lord El-Melloi II sighed deeply. The man in front of him—still spitting blood—was probably the person he could rely on the most… and also the one he could rely on least.
Asking Melvin for help was like selling your soul to the devil. The devil might betray the world for you, but the price you'd pay would be equivalent exchange.
And yet, he always found himself turning to Melvin.
Whether it was borrowing money for the Holy Grail War, or funding the purchase of the El-Melloi Classroom… If it involved finances, Melvin was like a god who could make the impossible happen.
And all he ever asked in return was an interesting story.
"You… How did you even get an invitation to board?" Lord El-Melloi II asked tiredly.
"Oh, that? A little trickery here and there," Melvin shrugged. "I even hijacked a helicopter to make it here in time. Though this weird forest kind of ruined that plan."
"That… sounds exactly like you," Lord El-Melloi II muttered.
Before they could continue, Cyd tapped the window. "Shouldn't we be figuring out how to deal with the Forest of Einnashe first?"