Chapter 723

Tohsaka Rin: "How is that possible? How can a person live without a heart?"

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Heartless said his heart was taken by a fairy. If it's a fairy, it's indeed possible to have such magical power."

Kayneth: "Did his loss of a heart happen before he joined the Mage's Association?"

Kayneth: "Heartless... what exactly is this man's past?"

【Waver recalls Heartless saying that his situation is a fairy's curse. And Atrum found that this is a phenomenon stemming from the traits of a changeling.】

【A changeling, huh? It seems only he himself and the fairy who abducted him know where Heartless came from.】

【Gray: "Master, do fairies really exist?"】

【Waver: "Although there are things called Phantasmal Species and things similar to a magus's familiar, fairies in the true sense are a mystery whose full picture we have yet to grasp."】

【"In a sense, it might be a deeper mystery than Age of Gods magic. After all, even King Arthur's holy sword is said to have been given to her by the Lady of the Lake."】

【Grot continues: "However, that period only lasted about three weeks."】

【Waver: "Three weeks?"】

【Grot: "Yes, he disappeared about three weeks later. Huh? Why did I forget that before?"】

【Waver: "You said he disappeared? What is going on?"】

【Grot: "Hmm, it was on a crisp winter morning; he suddenly vanished without a trace. The hospital bed sheets were neatly remade; he disappeared so thoroughly that I even doubted if what I saw was a hallucination."】

【"Yes, the timing matches."】

【Waver says, chin in hand: "The records also say Heartless started operating in the Zhong Ta a few months after that time. Most likely, Lord Norwich, who heard the rumors of his 'spirit-away,' or someone very close to him, secretly aided Heartless."】

【Gray: "Lord Norwich?"】

【Waver: "I've said before, Heartless is Lord Norwich's adopted son. Lord Norwich is what everyone calls a 'Daddy Long Legs' in the Zhong Ta; being his adopted son is actually a quite advantageous identity."】

【Gray: "Master said he is basically Kayano Hishiri's foster brother, right?"】

【Waver: "Exactly. Including the Department of Law, Lord Norwich's adopted children are in various organizations of the Zhong Ta."】

Shishigou Kairi: "This can also be considered a form of diversified investment. It's just that Lord Norwich put it right out in the open."

Kayneth: "The benefit of doing this is that you can quickly expand your connections. Norwich really has a way."

【Waver: "Please think carefully, did any strange events occur during his hospitalization?"】

【"Strange events?"】

【Grot's expression suddenly becomes vacant, and his gaze begins to wander.】

【Seeing Grot like this, Waver's heart can't help but tighten.】

【Previously, Grot subconsciously said—"Why did I forget before?" This means the Zhong Ta should have performed some kind of memory processing on him at the time.】

【If Waver were skilled in this type of magic, he could directly dig out this memory processed by the Zhong Ta from the depths of the other person's mind, but unfortunately, he is not skilled in this path.】

【Now he can only gamble on Grot's own strength; if he can't remember, then this clue is broken.】

Tohsaka Rin: "Why would the Zhong Ta process his memory?"

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "It should be for the confidentiality of magic; they don't want information about magic to be spread out."

Caules: "We finally found an important clue, and now another mess has come up."

【Time passes second by second, and soon after—】

【"... That's right."】

【Grot suddenly whispers: "Yes, that's right, at that time... my eyes... couldn't see..."】

【Waver: "Eyes? Are you talking about Heartless's eyes?"】

【"No, my eyes."】

【Grot shakes his head: "At that time, I suddenly contracted a strange illness; the scenery in front of me would disappear periodically. It wasn't pitch black; it was purely the loss of the sensation of being able to see itself. Although it only lasted for a short ten minutes, I was very afraid that I might have some brain lesion."】

【"Because I had just fallen out with my father at that time, I was very busy, so I didn't go to another hospital for an examination and just let it go."】

【"However, after he touched my back with concern, my vision returned to normal."】

【"I turned around in surprise and found him smiling very happily. Ah, that was the first time I saw him smile. Since then, I have never had that symptom again."】

【"After that, we started talking often. Our tastes in reading were very compatible; when I recommended classic science fiction works to him, he would eagerly finish them quickly and exchange thoughts with me. We often discussed Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics and the works of Heinlein after he married his second wife; when we came to our senses, we had already been chatting enthusiastically for nearly an hour."】

【"Ah, although that was a dream from decades ago, it reminded me of my desire to become an astronaut in the past."】

Caules: "Could this also be Heartless's doing, experimenting with some kind of magic?"

Waver: "Possible, or the curse on him affected those around him."

Kayneth: "Affecting vision, making scenery disappear... I've never heard of such a situation..."

【Grot: "How is it? I tried to recall everything I could think of."】

【"... Thank you, this information is very helpful."】

【Waver bows to thank him: "You must be very tired, I am very sorry."】

【"It's nothing. Having the opportunity to chat with you after such a long time feels very pleasant."】

【Grot asks: "Um, is he living happily?"】

【"Although it's strange for me, who forgot him for many years, to say this, he was a gentle young man; even though he himself should have been in more pain, he was always concerned about me."】

【"I once jokingly asked him: 'If you are willing, would you like to be my assistant?' Hmm, if he had agreed, would my life have changed a little?"】

【Waver: "Regarding his life, I cannot judge. However, he seems to have a group of students who cherish what he said—'Dedicate your life to the most brilliant thing.'"】

【"Really?"】

【Grot smiles: "Oh, I said that to him—he said he had nothing to do, and I told him, then go find the thing that is brilliant in your heart. Moreover, humans should dedicate themselves to the brilliant things they find."】

【"I see, students, huh? He took in students? Hmm, that's really gratifying. Oh my, so there really are things worth being happy about when you get old."】

Tohsaka Rin: "I feel like this physician is talking about someone completely different from Heartless."

Caules: "The Heartless of his youth and the Heartless of now are really two completely different people."

Shishigou Kairi: "This is how time changes a person."

【When Waver leaves the clinic with Gray, the sky has already gradually darkened.】

【"Just a little bit more... even if I haven't reached the truth, I can probably reach somewhere close to it. This final strike to break through the opening feels so distant..."】

【Recalling what Grot told him, Waver always feels like he's about to grasp something, but he can't; for a moment, he feels agitated, and his hand unconsciously reaches into his pocket, touching the gold coin inside.】

【"Stater coin..."】

【Waver takes out the gold coin and mutters while looking at the pattern on it.】

【Gray: "Master talked about that kind of gold coin in Sra too. Have you investigated it before?"】

【"I've wanted to get my hands on one for a long time, but I couldn't afford it..."】

【Waver smiles bitterly: "Let's not talk about that. Various Stater coins are popular in the cultural sphere around Greece, among which Iskandar's gold coins are particularly popular. It can even be said in terms of monetary economy that Iskandar connected the East and the West. That great king is also an object of faith in the regions he conquered."】

【"Wait a minute, faith... I see, is it faith? It's faith!"】

【Gray: "???"】

【Waver: "Currency is the oldest faith that has continued to the modern era. The antiquity and thickness of that faith can be understood without explanation in class. After all, modern society is founded on the faith in the value of currency."】