[Ding! The fifth quiz has begun. Please prepare yourselves!]
"Has it started already?"
On the plane to Fuyuki, Chihiro and Artoria exchanged glances as the voice echoed in their minds.
It was February 1st, and Chihiro had assumed the event wouldn't start until the following day.
"Oh? What's wrong?"
Standing nearby, Merlin noticed their reactions and asked with a smile.
Chihiro: "You'll find out soon. For now, let's set up a barrier to keep others from noticing."
Even though they were seated in first class, there were still flight attendants and other passengers around.
"Oh my, this sounds like something interesting."
With a wave of his hand, Merlin conjured a swirling array of petals, forming an isolation barrier around them. His curiosity only grew.
Gray and Gunnar were equally intrigued. They had heard of the Q&A group before, but unfortunately, neither had been selected as participants in the previous rounds.
However, now that they were part of the Fifth Holy Grail War, it seemed they had a chance this time.
At that moment, the group chat became lively.
BB: "Oh? Has the new Q&A started? BB-chan has been waiting for this forever!"
BB: "Such a shame! It'd be even better if I could write the questions myself."
Blonde Rin: "If you were the one making the questions, everyone in the group would be doomed."
BB: "Ugh, that's so mean! Don't make me sound like some terrifying world-ending AI!"
Blonde Rin: "Aren't you?"
Blonde Rin still held a grudge against BB. After all, in the original events, her body had been taken over, leaving her dressed in revealing outfits against her will.
Ginako: "Ahhh, answering questions is so boring! Games are way more fun."
Karna: "Ginako, have you done your training for today?"
Ginako: "Ugh, Karna, stop nagging me like an old lady!"
Karna: "That's because your self-discipline is severely lacking."
Charlemagne: "Hahaha! A new adventure begins! I wonder what kind of story will unfold this time."
Astolfo: "Ah, Charlie only gets excited about things like this."
[Ding! "House Cook" has joined the group chat. "Gray" has joined the group chat. "Gunnar" has joined the group chat. "Bazett" has joined the group chat. "Young Director" has joined the group chat. "Heartless" has joined the group chat. "Lady Crane" has joined the group chat. "Saint Magdalena" has joined the group chat. "Harmless to Humans and Animals" has joined the group chat.]
[Ding! Connecting to the Throne of Heroes...]
[Ding! "Red A" has joined the group chat. "Uncle B" has joined the group chat. "Mother C" has joined the group chat. "Sister R" has joined the group chat. "Grandpa Gatekeeper" has joined the group chat. "Cursed Arm Hassan" has joined the group chat. "Kay" has joined the group chat. "Mari" has joined the group chat. "Faker" has joined the group chat.]
BB: "Welcome, new members! Things are about to get even more interesting."
Tohsaka Rin: "Red A, Uncle B, Mother C, Sister R? Why are they all using code names?"
House Cook: "Huh? What is this?"
Illya: "Shirou, do you hear me?"
House Cook: "So this is what you were talking about... You said you were in your room, so why are you talking to me like this?"
Illya: "Oh, so you're experiencing it firsthand?"
Young Director: "Hey! What is this thing?"
Heartless: "It just appeared out of thin air. There's no trace of magecraft at all. It feels more like some kind of advanced technology."
Waver: "Heartless!"
Heartless: "Waver, is that really you, or—?"
Waver: "Of course it's me, you bastard!"
Both Waver and Kayneth were furious. Despite having foreknowledge of events, they had still failed to catch Heartless and had their relic stolen.
It was undeniable, Heartless was a master of concealment. In the original timeline, he had mostly revealed himself voluntarily, leaving the second generation of magi constantly chasing after him.
But due to the butterfly effects caused by El-Melloi II and Kayneth, Heartless seemed to have altered his plans, avoiding the Sealing Designation that he had originally triggered.
Still, since Iskandar remained with Waver, his original plan was no longer viable.
"Can you figure it out?"
In a luxurious room, Olga Marie questioned Heartless, who was examining the Q&A panel.
Yes, Heartless was currently with Olga Marie.
Due to deviations in the timeline, Waver never took the Mystic Eye Train, and neither did Olga Marie. As a result, they never met.
Instead, Heartless had ended up working alongside Marisbury Animusphere once again.
And right now, they were in Fuyuki City.
Bazett: "Cú Chulainn, is this the thing you were talking about?"
Cú Chulainn: "Yeah, cool, right?"
Bazett: "...It really is something else."
Lady Crane: "Huh? What kind of ridiculous name is that?!"
Tohsaka Rin: "Heh, it suits you perfectly, Golden Drill."
Lady Crane: "What did you say?! Show some respect!"
Tohsaka Rin: "Ha! Now you care about etiquette?"
Lady Crane: "Of course!"
Tohsaka Rin: "You act all high and mighty, constantly looking down on others. Is that your idea of etiquette?"
Lady Crane: "Hah! Can't take a little criticism about your backwater upbringing?"
Tohsaka Rin: "What did you just say?!"
Chihiro: "Ahem, ladies, if you want to argue, maybe take it to private chat?"
He had a feeling they could go on for hours if left unchecked.
Lady Crane: "Hah! And who are you?"
Sakura: "Luvia, this is my fiancé, Chihiro."
Lady Crane: "!!!"
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "????!!!"
Tohsaka Rin: "(ーー゛)"
Chihiro: "(?-?)"
Feeling the gazes around him, Chihiro simply spread his hands in an innocent gesture.
Mother C: "Oh, this is quite interesting. At least it livens up the Throne of Heroes."
Uncle B: "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Red A: "That's one way to put it."
Gawain: "Kay, is that you?"
Kay: "Gawain? So Lancelot and Mordred are here too... Hmph, didn't expect to see you two again. How unpleasant."
Mordred: "Hah! You wanna fight, bastard?!"
Lancelot: "Kay... It has been a long time."
Kay: "I'd rather not see you again."
Mari: "Hey, it's been a while! Why isn't anyone greeting me?"
Mari: "And seriously, this group name is so annoying."
Flower Magician: "Ah, this is much better."
Mordred: "You! Merlin!"
Lancelot: "..."
Gawain: "I refuse to be happy about this."
Kay: "Now you all understand how insufferable Merlin is."
Flower Magician: "Really? I didn't do anything."
Sisigou: "Sigh, looks like the group is about to descend into chaos again."
Hassan of the Hundred Faces: "Cursed Arm? Finally, another Hassan in the group."
Hassan of the Cursed Arm: "Are you… Hundred-Faced Big Sister?"
Cursed Arm Hassan: "Big Sister, where exactly is this place?"
Hassan of the Hundred Faces: "Let me explain it to you."
[Ding! The first question is about to begin!]
[This is a connection question. Please watch the following video and determine the correct relationship.]
[You have 10 minutes to answer. Each correct answer awards 1 Saint Quartz. Each incorrect answer deducts 1 Saint Quartz. Answer all correctly for a bonus of 5 Saint Quartz.]
[The video starts below. Please pay attention.]
[The scene begins in darkness, where a figure is running—it's Shirou Emiya.]
[Behind him, a blue figure relentlessly pursues—it's Cú Chulainn.]
[Cú Chulainn forces Shirou Emiya into a warehouse, where Shirou accidentally activates the summoning circle left behind by Kiritsugu Emiya, successfully summoning Artoria.]
"...What is going on?"
Bazett frowned as she watched the video.
She was Cú Chulainn's Master, meaning that the order to hunt down Shirou Emiya must have come from her. But in the video, Shirou was clearly an ordinary person before summoning Artoria. Why would she give such an order?
Standing beside her, Cú Chulainn also looked confused.
However, their questions were soon answered.
[The scene shifts to a Western-style mansion, where Bazett is meeting Kotomine Kirei. But suddenly, without warning, Kotomine Kirei attacks her. Caught off guard, Bazett is gravely wounded.]
[Then, Kotomine Kirei severs Bazett's left arm, taking her Command Seals. Cú Chulainn arrives too late and is forced to become Kotomine Kirei's Servant. He follows Kirei, leaving Bazett behind to fend for herself.]
"Bastard!"
With a furious punch, Bazett shattered the coffee table in front of her. Beside her, Cú Chulainn's expression darkened with murderous intent.
But neither of them recognized Kotomine Kirei.
Ever since Kirei had, under Chihiro's guidance, embarked on a new culinary path with Mapo Tofu, he had resigned from the Church and rarely spoke in the group. Most of the time, he simply invited acquaintances to sample his latest creations, especially Chihiro.
Without the original storyline's interactions, Bazett had never met Kotomine Kirei, nor had any reason to form an impression of him.
(To be continued.)