["Oh?"]

  [Mick extended his hand to the side, his fingertips forming a seal that enveloped the entire room.]

  [It wasn't a symbol commonly used by European magi but a mantra rooted in Eastern Tantric Buddhism.]

  [Reines: "What exactly are you trying to do?"]

  ["At the very least, we need to set up a barrier. It wouldn't be surprising if someone was eavesdropping."]

  [Mick gave an exaggerated bow and said, "As you can see, my magic is a unique branch of Tantric Buddhism. Because of my impoverished background, it's a mix of various practices."]

  ["Now that I've revealed my origins, can you trust me a little more?"]

  [Reines: "...So, you want to discuss something that no one else should hear?"]

  [Mick: "Haha, that's exactly it."]

  [His smile was painfully fake.]

  [Then, Mick quietly revealed the purpose of his visit.]

  [He admitted to being a spy, sent by a powerful figure from a certain faction to infiltrate this social gathering and investigate.]

  [Now that his identity was exposed, he sought to colborate with Reines.]

  [The goal of this cooperation? To destroy the Iselma family.]

  Tohsaka Rin: "A spy? Even that profession shows up now?"

  Iskandar: "This is just a minor squabble, but they've managed to make it so convoluted."

  Kayneth: "As I've said before, the battles between magus families are exceedingly brutal."

  Caules: "If he has a grudge against Izeluma, could he be the murderer?"

  Darnic: "It's not that simple. The real question hasn't even been asked yet."

  [Reines: "Are you confessing to being the murderer?"]

  ["No, this is just a coincidence. I never imagined the Golden Princess would meet her end like that."]

  [Mick feigned a look of regret and said, "However, once a coincidence occurs, it's treated as inevitable. The Golden Princess's death is now a fact. Moving forward, we can only act with this in mind."]

  [Reines: "What is your true objective?"]

  [Mick: "Objective? Didn't I already mention it?"]

  [Reines: "You, as part of the Jigmarie faction, are supposed to remain neutral. Whether Valualeta's democratic rule weakens or not should be of no concern to you."]

  ["Hahaha, you're sharp. I can't fool you."]

  [Mick cleared his throat and admitted, "Actually, I'm after a cursed artifact imbued with the blood of a certain fantastical creature..."]

  [Cursed artifacts—sometimes referred to as cursed bodies—are items imbued with magical catalysts.]

  [They are created using powerful spells as their core, which define their form. In the modern era, as mysteries decline, the quality of spells avaible to magi has also diminished.]

  [High-quality spells can fetch astronomical prices, and their possession is often tied to the authority of a faction.]

  [For instance, Trimmau's creation relied on the Marrow of the Moon Spirit Fluid as its central spell.]

  Caules: "He's talking about Siegfried's Blood Linden Leaf, isn't he?"

  Darnic: "That seems likely."

  Sisigou: "When Siegfried slew the dragon Fafnir and bathed in its blood, the Leaf stuck to his back, leaving a fatal weak point."

  Waver: "I see. The Leaf, imbued with Fafnir's blood, is not only a holy relic but also a rare, high-quality cursed artifact."

  Tohsaka Tokiomi: "So, the Leaf comes up again. It seems this case is closely tied to it."

  ["I refuse."]

  [Reines interrupted him decisively.]

  [Mick: "Hey, hey, wouldn't it be better to listen to the rest before turning me down?"]

  [Reines: "Because I can already tell you're about to say, 'You know too much.'"]

  Kayneth: "It seems Reines has finally learned her lesson."

  So-ui: "Every mistake is a lesson learned. I just tripped myself recently."

  ["Haha, so cautious."]

  [Mick smiled bitterly. "Well, I won't force you. Besides, I doubt you'll expose my identity."]

  [Reines: "Hmph. Because doing so would make us look like the murderers."]

  [At this point, they were suspects in a murder case. Ciming, 'A spy suddenly came to us and confessed,' would sound utterly ridiculous.]

  ["Goodbye."]

  [The dark-skinned man turned to leave, his demeanor suggesting he expected a different answer the next time they met.]

  [After the unwelcome visitor departed, Reines instructed Trimmau to guard the door and colpsed into an exhausted sleep.]

  [So much had happened, and she was utterly drained.]

  [As expected, these kinds of things were best left to her brother to handle.]

  Illya: "That guy's attitude is so infuriating."

  Tohsaka Rin: "It's like he thinks he's already won."

  Emiya Kiritsugu: "You need to be extra cautious with spies like him. If you're not careful, they'll sell you out without a second thought."

  Darnic: "Indeed."

  [After an indeterminate amount of time, Reines stretched and finally woke up.]

  [The rest had done her good, helping her organize her previously scattered thoughts.]

  [She immediately recalled a potential clue and took Gray to the back door of the Moon Tower, the same entrance they had used that morning.]

  [The two women carefully inspected the ground, parting the grass in search of evidence while ensuring they didn't step on any potential clues.]

  ["Found it."]

  [Reines quickly located what she was looking for—footprints that didn't belong to them.]

  [Very few people used the back door. Since they had come here at the Golden Princess's instruction, these footprints could very well belong to the murderer.]

  [Trimmau analyzed the area and confirmed that there were more than ten distinct sets of footprints, including those of the Golden Princess.]

  [Reines then asked Trimmau to begin tracking.]

  [Pattern recognition and analysis were Trimmau's specialties. However, because the method of tracking footprints seemed so basic, Reines had almost overlooked it entirely.]

  [Then again, the murderer might have made the same mistake.]

  Waver: "That's true. When magi focus on concealing their magic, they often overlook simpler details."

  Illya: "This Mercury Maid is amazing. It feels like there's nothing she can't do."

  So-ui: "Well, it's a testament to how skillfully Reines has refined it into something this advanced."

  Kayneth: "..."

  Quietly, Kayneth resolved to upgrade his own Volumen Hydrargyrum starting tomorrow.

  [Trimmau transformed into a liquid form and began moving deeper into the forest. Reines and Gray followed closely behind.]

  [However, as they ventured further, Reines noticed that the area was quickly becoming shrouded in thick fog.]

  [While fog wasn't unusual near a keside, Reines had a strong sense that something was amiss.]

  [When she attempted to call out to Trimmau, she realized that the connection between them had been severed. Trimmau was gone.]

  [To make matters worse, Gray, who had been right behind her, had also vanished.]

  [Reines: "A barrier?"]

  Illya: "This feels like a typical movie plot."

  Kayneth: "I just praised her, and now she's fallen into another trap so soon."

  Waver: "She was too hasty. The problem should've been obvious earlier."

  Sisigou: "To sever the connection between her and Trimmau, this barrier must be far more sophisticated than a standard illusion."

  Tohsaka Tokiomi: "But who could set up such a rge-scale barrier in the forest? The Izeluma family, perhaps?"

  [As Reines tried to think of a way to escape, she heard the sound of something cutting through the air behind her, followed by a strong gust of wind passing over her head.]

  ["Miss Reines!"]

  [A familiar voice rang out—it was Gray.]

  [Gray rushed out from behind Reines, her scythe in hand, and charged into the fog to engage a figure.]

  [Reines had nearly been attacked just moments before, but Gray had intervened in time to save her.]

  [After recovering from the shock, Reines looked at Gray's scythe with curiosity.]

  [This was her first time seeing Add in his transformed state, and she couldn't help but feel intrigued.]

  [The enemy lurking in the dense fog slowly revealed itself. It was an automaton with unnaturally elongated arms.]

  [Its five fingers had been repced by razor-sharp bdes. Its legs were grotesquely twisted, with its joints reversed, and its upper body bent so far forward that it seemed as though it could lick the ground.]

  [No matter how she looked at it, the thing seemed utterly bizarre.]

  [Reines: "It's an automaton!"]

  [Add: "Hahaha, now this is a worthy opponent. I never get bored when you're around these things."]

  Waver: "So, it's an automaton. That means whoever set up this barrier anticipated something like this."

  Kayneth: "Aozaki Touko. There's no one else capable of crafting something this bizarre yet so agile. It has to be her handiwork."

  Emiya Kiritsugu: "This thing is extremely dangerous. It's not just fast; it also moves almost silently. If that girl Gray hadn't acted just now, Reines would likely have been killed."

  Tohsaka Tokiomi: "The work of a master puppeteer. The fact that a single automaton has this much power speaks volumes."

  Modred: "Tch, I could slice this thing to ribbons with ease."

  Sisigou: "For most magi, though, this automaton is already a serious threat."

  Illya: "Is this really the work of that big sister? It actually looks kind of interesting."

  Tohsaka Rin: "Interesting? How can you find something like this interesting?"