The train continued forward.
Meanwhile, in the dining car, Fang Zheng was still animatedly telling everyone about the previous Holy Grail War. Of course, in "this" world, it wasn’t the fourth Holy Grail War, but for Fang Zheng, it naturally didn’t matter.
"However, just when SABER and LANCER were about to settle the score, a figure standing valiantly on a chariot suddenly flew across the sky accompanied by thunder, and landed in front of the two. This burly chariot owner sternly declared, ’My name is Conqueror King Iskandar, participating in this Holy Grail War and acquiring the RIDER class!"
At this point, Fang Zheng stretched out his hand, picked up the cup beside him, and took a sip of water. Just then, a voice came through.
"Such foolishness."
Upon hearing this voice, everyone turned towards the source and found Olga Marie somehow standing there, not far away. Judging by her demeanor, she had clearly been listening to Fang Zheng’s story all along.
"I’ve heard that the Servants in the Holy Grail War have to hide their identities. Broadcasting it so openly, aren’t they afraid of having their weaknesses exposed?"
"Hahaha, Weber said the same thing at the time. When he heard his Servant reveal his name, he curled up beside Iskandar, almost crying."
Fang Zheng chuckled along as well.
"But honestly, this thinking is only the idea of ordinary people. Although discovering the true name might reveal issues, so what? With a Servant like Iskandar, even if he reveals his name, what weakness could you use against him? If I remember correctly, he died from illness...? You can’t expect him as a Servant to have trouble adapting to the environment, right?"
"This......"
Faced with Fang Zheng’s questioning, Olga Marie couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
"Alright, that’s enough for now. To know what happens next, tune in next time."
At this, Fang Zheng clapped the Wake Wood, which made the girls who were enjoying the story quite unhappy.
"Huh? Little Hong, keep going. Who won that battle in the end?"
"We’ll talk about it when the car starts again; there’s no rush. For now, let’s go for a walk outside."
While speaking, Fang Zheng glanced out the window, and only then did everyone realize the train had stopped, and the once tightly shut doors were now open. The fresh, icy breeze blew into the car, bringing a sense of chilly delight.
"Let’s go, let’s get off and have a walk."
After sitting on the train all day, everyone was somewhat fatigued, and they got off the train with Fang Zheng to stretch their legs. The nearby wilderness seemed deserted and remote. However, to Fang Zheng’s disappointment, there weren’t any vendors around selling local goods.
Back when I took the train to school, there were often vendors selling food or local specialties through the train windows... But...
Hmm, thinking about it, it seems the United Kingdom doesn’t really have any specialties.
However, just when Fang Zheng was lost in thought...
"Ah—————!!"
A sharp scream suddenly pierced the tranquility of the surroundings.
"What happened?"
"What’s going on?"
Upon hearing the scream, Ryougi Shiki, Fujino, and the others were surprised and quickly rushed towards the carriage. Meanwhile, Fang Zheng had already rushed into the car and arrived at the door of the room from where the scream came, then... she just stood there.
In the room, a corpse lay on the ground without a head, making it impossible to identify who it was. But from the slender body, it was evident that it should be a woman.
"What’s going on?"
"What happened, Little Hong?"
At this moment, Lord El-Melloi II, Ryougi Shiki, and the others had hurried over.
"Don’t come over."
Fang Zheng gestured for Ryougi Shiki, Fujino, and Shizune to stay back, and at this moment, Lord El-Melloi II also arrived at the door with his two apprentices, gasping upon seeing the corpse on the floor.
"This is..."
Fang Zheng glanced around, then walked up to Olga Marie and patted her shoulder.
"Are you alright?"
"I... I..."
Only after hearing Fang Zheng’s voice, Olga Marie seemed to snap out of it, hoarsely speaking in a low voice.
"I got a bit carsick, so when the train stopped, I went to the forest to get some fresh air, then went to the lounge for some tea... When I came back, I found Trisha, Trisha just..."
While speaking, Olga Marie stretched out her trembling hand, desperately shaking the headless corpse despite the blood on the floor.
"...Trisha? Trisha! This must be a joke! Why? Why did this happen?!"
Her cries echoed in the silent carriage, and for a moment, no one spoke.
"Aren’t you always so condescending? Whenever I can’t answer a question, you smile and use the pointer to smack my palms, don’t you? Why are you sleeping here?! Get up and scold me like usual!!"
At this moment, Ryougi Shiki and Fujino also walked over. Seeing this scene, they couldn’t help but hold their breath, silenced for a moment.
"......"
Fang Zheng didn’t say much, just lightly patting her back. However, at this moment, Olga Marie suddenly turned her head and glared at those behind her.
"The murderer must be you all! You’re the ones who killed Trisha, aren’t you? What a joke! Bring Trisha back to me! Give her back to me!!"
With that, Olga Marie attempted to rush forward, but the next moment, her legs gave way, and she collapsed into the arms of Miss Red Ponytail.
"Mmm... mmm..."
Clutching Miss Red Ponytail’s clothes tightly, Olga Marie cried out in pain, while Fang Zheng gently patted her back, stroked her hair, and calmed her down. A moment later, Olga Marie gradually stopped speaking and closed her eyes, falling into a slumber.
"Phew..."
Only then did Fang Zheng breathe a sigh of relief and glance at Lord El-Melloi II not far away.
"To be honest, I’m not really looking to recruit you now. It seems wherever you go, someone dies."
"What are you saying?"
Lord El-Melloi II was disgruntled at this.
"You’re speaking as though I’m a plague."
"Am I wrong? Have you forgotten the incident at Severance City?"
"That... that was just an accident! Besides, it was only that one time, wasn’t it?"
"Um... master..."
However, at that moment, Gray timidly spoke up from behind him.
"There was also the incident at the Ernest Family... and Marbury Workshop... both... um..."
"........."
Upon hearing his apprentice, Lord El-Melloi II’s face turned ashen.
"Apologies."
Just then, an old man in a black coat stepped forward.
"May I conduct a post mortem?"
As he said this, he looked towards the others and the train conductor who had arrived subsequently.
"Although I’m not an expert, I’m quite familiar with this type of body and might uncover something. What do you think, Mr. Conductor?"
"Please proceed as you wish."
The conductor seemed unfazed by the occurrences, as if he was already accustomed to such situations.
"However, we still need to clean the room and considering the departure time; we hope you can finish within an hour."
"Feel free to play your detective games."
Fang Zheng lifted Olga Marie, heading towards the door.
"We’ll head back first, keeping this child with us until she wakes."
Returning to the room, Fang Zheng laid Olga Marie on a bed, covered her with a quilt, while the others sat nearby with complicated expressions, unsure of what to say as they looked at the young girl’s sleeping face.
"I think... those people’s reactions are way too calm."
Shizune grumbled discontentedly.
"A person died, after all, yet the conductor didn’t even show a hint of concern, acting as if the room contained not a person but an overturned dish!"
"Perhaps it’s because such things are commonplace here. After all, it’s a Magic Eye Collecting Train, and there might be people who kill other competitors just to snatch a magic eye... Isn’t this often the case in novels too?"
At this, Fang Zheng gave a light snort.
"Besides, those guys aren’t really human to begin with."
"But speaking of which, I really didn’t expect a murder would occur."
Right now, Ryougi Shiki’s eyes were glowing, clearly showing her eagerness to find out who the culprit was.
"Shizune, can your Future Sight see anything?"
"Sorry... I didn’t see anything just now because I only met that lady once..."
Shizune shook her head. Her Future Sight is a predictive sight, which needs sufficient information to activate. However, she had only briefly met the woman named Trisha at the station last night and hadn’t seen her today at all, so naturally, it wouldn’t activate.
"Isn’t the Prophecy Spell working either?"
"My Prophecy System spells can only affect myself and a few people around me..."
Due to starting her studies in Prophecy Spells, Shizune also acquired a similar "early prediction" ability like Fang Zheng, but her Prophet Mage "traits" are still weak, only manifesting a vague sense of "good" or "bad" in people related to her.
"Hmm..."
Just then, the silver-haired girl lying on the bed began to wake up, and upon seeing the unfamiliar ceiling above, she paused for a moment, then hurriedly sat up to look around.
"Hey, you’re awake, how are you feeling?"
As he spoke, Fang Zheng handed over a cup of water.
"Have some water. It might make you feel better..."
"..."
Olga Marie took the water cup but didn’t drink, instead looking at the four with confusion.
"What do you mean by this?"
"Hmm? Just because you fainted, so we brought you here to rest. We can’t very well leave you lying in the place where the murder occurred."
"Hm."
Hearing Fang Zheng’s response, Olga Marie gave a light snort.
"It’s only this level. I was prepared for it, after all, this is the Magic Eye Collecting Train... It’s not surprising this kind of thing happens..."
Though she tried to appear calm, her slightly trembling hands and red eyes weren’t very convincing.
"Such an unlovable brat."
Seeing this, Ryougi Shiki muttered.
"What’s this got to do with you?"
Olga Marie naturally refused to show weakness.
"Your World Tree of a Thousand Realms and our Clock Tower are enemy factions, right? In that case, you also have a motive for murder. Don’t think you can fool me just like that!"
"Strictly speaking, our enemy is the Mage’s Association."
Fang Zheng corrected her with a cheerful smile.
"The Clock Tower is just a part of it, and we need to know who our friends are and who our enemies are."
"What do you mean by that?"
Hearing this, Olga Marie frowned, looking at Fang Zheng.
"Do you think our Animusphere family would betray the Clock Tower and join your World Tree of a Thousand Realms?"
"I’ll personally discuss that with your father later."
Fang Zheng waved his hand dismissively.
"But for now, you’d better focus on your own safety. The person who got killed... Trisha? Was your attendant, right? Since she was murdered here, they might be coming for you too. It’s best to stay alert."
"No need for you to remind me, I am a magician, after all!"
"Alright, alright."
Seeing Olga Marie’s angry demeanor, Fang Zheng cheerfully patted her head.
"I know you’re formidable, but for now... just relax for a while."
With that, Fang Zheng once again took out the Wake Wood.
"Well then, since we’re idle... I’ll continue the story."
Very quickly, Fang Zheng began narrating the previous tale, and although Olga Marie initially listened carelessly, gradually, her attention was captivated by the story of the Holy Grail War. However...
"And now, RIDER is heading for Fuyuki Bridge, preparing for the final showdown with Goldie..."
"Boom!!"
Just as Fang Zheng said this, suddenly a dull thunderous sound interrupted her narration. Upon hearing the sound, everyone froze, and Olga Marie quickly stood up.
"What happened? What’s going on?"
"Hmm... seems like something intriguing is happening..."
Fang Zheng looked upwards at the carriage ceiling, then revealed a meaningful smile. Soon after, rapid footsteps echoed from outside the door.
"I’m going out to take a look."
Perhaps sensing something amiss, Olga Marie could no longer sit still, hastily pushing the door open. The others were curious and followed out, soon seeing Gray and Coles hurriedly carrying Lord El-Melloi II from the other side of the corridor as they came running over.
"Wait, what’s happening?!"
Seeing this scene, Olga Marie rushed forward.
"Were you attacked?"
"Sorry, please step aside!"
However, the two had no time or mood to answer Olga Marie’s question. They just carried Lord El-Melloi II quickly past Fang Zheng and the rest, entering the rear compartment where their own guest room was located. Fang Zheng, having nothing better to do, followed with three girls, and Olga Marie followed in closely.
"Whoa, this is really bad."
Seeing Lord El-Melloi II lying on the bed, Fang Zheng whistled, noticing that Gray had torn open his back, which had been thoroughly charred—burnt meat smell was even discernible. At this moment, Lord El-Melloi II’s complexion was pale, his breathing rapid, seeming as if death were drawing near.
Coles swiftly took out a strange item, placed it alongside himself, and pressed onto Lord El-Melloi II’s back.
"What’s this..."
"An application of the Baghdad Battery, but still under research... It aims to enhance his self-healing ability through tweaking bodily currents, while striving to invigorate his vitality... But I’m not sure it will work..."
"Was it the murderer?"
This inquiry came from Olga Marie standing nearby, but Gray shook her head.
"I don’t know."
"What do you mean?"
"We were indeed attacked, but it was due to private matters; it’s impossible to determine if the assailant targeting Miss Trisha is from the same group."
At this, Gray seemed to remember something; she hastily lifted her head to look at Fang Zheng.
"Miss Red Ponytail, you seem acquainted with... my master, could you please save him?"
"Hmm..."
Observing Gray before him, Fang Zheng smiled gently.
"Saving him... of course, but I have one condition."
"What’s the condition?"
"After I’ve saved him, you must tell me why you have this SABER face. I’m quite curious about it."
"This..."
Hearing this, Gray hesitated for a moment and then nodded firmly.
"No problem!"

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