Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

[Zig: "I understand, please do so as soon as possible."]

Karna: "Yes, of course. Wizard of the Thousand Worlds, come with me."

Karna led them to a house on the outskirts, and then to the basement.

Upon entering, Fiore and her companions were taken aback, for they saw five men and women sitting around a round table, muttering nonsensical words.

"Listen carefully, compared to Western magic, Eastern magic emphasizes gentleness—"

"I visited the legendary Ivan the Terrible Library, which should help me understand the changes that magicians in the ELS region have undergone—"

"My brother, you've obtained the Holy Grail, so why hasn't your wish been fulfilled?"

"My brother, of course, because we didn't obtain the Holy Grail."

"Ah, I want to work, I want to work, anything is fine, I have to work—"

The sight sent chills down the spines of Fiore and her companions. What kind of bizarre cult ritual was this, or perhaps a human sacrifice?

Waver: "These are! The Masters of the Red Team!"

Lion Jie Li: "Luckily I was careful, otherwise I would be sitting inside now."

Lion's Robbery Jie Li: "But Father, you actually brought them to the Sky Garden. Are they hostages?"

Amakusa Shiro: "I'm just protecting them. After all, there's no safer place than the Sky Garden, isn't there?"

Lion Jie Li: "Hmph, do you even believe that yourself?"

Kenneth: "Saving one's Master is indeed what a Servant should do."

Look at Karna, and then look at yourself—what an obvious contrast.

I'm talking about you, Shakespeare, who's been hanging out with Amakusa Shiro from the very beginning.

Lion's Demise: "Father, where are they? Don't tell me you still took them to the Sky Garden."

If that's the case, then the ashes of these people probably can't be found anymore.

Amakusa Shiro: "Don't worry, since the Sky Garden has been chosen as the battlefield, it's no longer safe here. I certainly won't put them in danger."

Amakusa Shiro: "They're still in the church's basement. You can go and rescue them; that would be a great achievement."

Lion Robber Jie Li: "Hmph."

[Koles: "Hey, hey, these guys wouldn't happen to be...!"]

Karna: "That's right, these are the original Masters of our Red Faction."

[Fiore: "Are they still alive?"]

Karna: "Yes, the Assassins poisoned them to impair their thinking abilities in order to make them transfer the Command Seals peacefully, so I think it should be treatable."

[Coules: "So, Lancer, Red, what do you want us to do?"]

"If possible, I hope you can help these five people."

Karna said solemnly, "Although they are involved in the Holy Grail War, they are already in a state of defeat. We cannot let them stay here indefinitely."

[Coules: "This doesn't do us any good."]

That's what they say, but there are actually many benefits.

Most importantly, these are the elites of the Mage's Association. Saving them can provide Yggdrasil with leverage in negotiations with the Mage's Association.

Koles: "It's a pity. If we could really save them, the pressure on our World Tree would be reduced a bit."

Fiore: "If I gain it, I'm lucky; if I lose it, it's fate. Don't worry about it too much."

Feng Xi: "You can even read classical Chinese from China?"

Fiore: "Uncle Danic had me study Eastern culture specifically to deal with you."

Karna: "Perhaps so, but I can only ask you to be accommodating."

[Fiore: "Red Lancer, if we save them, what are you willing to do? I think as a hero who gave, you can't possibly be unprepared for anything in return."]

Karna: "That's true, but unfortunately, I have nothing to give you."

[Fiore: "So, what do you think of your gun?"]

Weber: "Hey, hey, that's too greedy. You're basically asking them to surrender."

Fiore: "That's how bargaining works; I have to maximize my interests as much as possible."

Kenneth: "Indeed, it would be great if we could just take down the Red Team's strongest fighter like this. Unfortunately, Karna doesn't seem to be giving up."

Karna shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, giving you the gun would be tantamount to handing the victory over to you, so I can't do that. Because I swore an oath to fight Siegfried, the Black Saber, with all my might."

[The plausible reason left Fiore speechless.]

[Koles, however, had a sudden inspiration and pointed at Siegfried, saying, "Red Lancer, since you said you swore to fight Siegfried with all your might, could you let us go if you can't defeat this guy within three minutes?"]

Karna: "Hmm..."

[Coles: "Because that's how things are right now. Siegfried can only exist in this world for three minutes, and he's given those precious three minutes to you. So, in this situation where you can't win, don't you think it's the same as your defeat?"]

Karna: "...Indeed, there's no honor in taking more than three minutes to defeat a warrior who gives his all in three minutes. I understand."

[Zig: "Wait a minute, Lancer (Red), don't you think I'll try to drag this out for more than three minutes?"]

Karna calmly replied, "That's fine. My vow to fight with all my might is different from your strategy of not using your full strength and only aiming for a draw. In fact, under these circumstances, the one who's most problematic is the one who couldn't finish you off in three minutes."

Rin Tohsaka: "Was this considered being tricked?"

Karna: "No, it makes perfect sense. If you can't defeat your opponent when they are at their strongest, then even if you win, it's meaningless."

Chapter 296 - Afu, Who Doesn't Play by the Rules

Karna: "Are you going to choose to run away?"

[Zig: "...Before that, I want to ask you something: why did you save them?"]

Karna: "Is it strange that I want to save them?"

[Zig: "Not surprising, but—why?"]

Karna: "They were my masters, and that's enough. I couldn't protect them. Despite being their servant, I failed to complete that task. Even though they've escaped the Holy Grail War, I still want to save their lives. I myself feel that this wish is a bit presumptuous, arrogant..."

The three were stunned. Where exactly was this arrogance?

Weber: "You know, there's a limit to how humble you can be."

Karna: "Is that so?"

Karna: "Even so, this is the only way I can live. And surprisingly, this way of life... is quite enjoyable."

[Koles: "I understand, but the two of us can't take these five down here."]

Karna: "There's a room that can teleport you to the surface. Even I can send you back using magic."

[Koles: "Wait a minute, anyone could do this, right?"]

Karna nodded in agreement.

[Koles looked at Fiore and said, "...Sister, this is the end."]

【"..."】

Fiore nodded slightly and said, "Yes, we must contact Uncle Gold and protect and manage them properly, so we need to return to the surface."

Chiron is dead; she is out of the Holy Grail War.

[Koles: "Hmm? Only my sister is going back. I'm staying here."]

Fiore: "Huh?"

[Coles: "Didn't I say I wanted to become the Yggdrasil? So I must witness the final outcome of this war."]

Fiore: "But..."

[Koles: "Red Lancer, could you please take us to the teleportation room? We need to get these masters with us."]

Karna: "Understood."

Karna carried three people, while Sieg and Correspondent took care of the remaining two. The strange quartet moved forward and soon arrived at the place Karna had mentioned.

"Koles, please, you have to come back alive."

"Yes, I know. I will do everything in my power to get back alive."

The door slammed shut, and Fiore felt a surge of magical energy around her. She instinctively closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she found herself on a small hill.

Fiore immediately contacted Gold and asked him to send a vehicle to pick her up.

Shiki Jie Li: "I didn't expect you to choose to stay."

Gold: "After all, the Black side is also a participant, and it's important that someone witnesses the end."

Ken: "Mmm..."

Fiore: "You idiot, what if you die! What's the point of me giving you the mark then!"

Gold: "It's alright, sister. We were already mentally prepared when we chose to go up to the Sky Garden."

Fiore: "Idiot, this just makes me look like a useless older sister. I went up there and came back without doing anything."

Gold: "Alas, in a battle like this, you're lucky to survive."