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"You can think of it that way, however you like."

"The red-haired lady told me that those words were her private matter."

"So why don't you accept this explanation?"

"Because Miss Redhead is a very suspicious person, Colonel U.S."

"Nonsense!" the colonel exclaimed.

"This is not nonsense."

"You have no reason to doubt her."

"Kenneth was killed because of the Holy Grail War waged by Danic. As his fiancée, isn't that enough reason to suspect her?"

The dining car suddenly fell silent.

Webber stopped hiding and playing the fool. He sat up straight. Yes, this was one of the reasons he had been avoiding getting involved. He had recognized the red-haired lady on the ship.

Her name isn't Aisora, it's Sora!

Sora Nazele Sophialie! Daughter of Rufreus Nazele Ulfitus, Lord of the Clock Tower's Spirit Summoning Department. Fiancée of Kenneth, former Lord of the Mineral Department.

Shirou nodded gently.

“You see,” he said, “we know more than you think. If Miss Redhead is innocent, why would she change her name and hide that fact? Why did she tell me she didn’t know Reines, who took her fiancé’s place?”

The colonel cleared his throat.

"Perhaps you've made a mistake somewhere?"

"Even so, why lie to me?"

The American colonel shrugged.

"You should ask her yourself. I can only tell you that you are wrong."

Shirou raised his voice to call for someone. A waiter walked in from a door in the distance.

"Go and invite that red-haired English lady to come here."

"Okay, sir."

The waiter left. The four men sat silently. The colonel's face was like a piece of plaster, stiff, expressionless, and lifeless.

The waiter has returned.

"That lady will be here shortly, sir."

"Thank you."

A minute or two later, the redhead walked into the food cart.

Chapter 1263 Shirou and the Red-Haired Girl's True Names

The red-haired lady defiantly tilted her head back, her red hair curling like waves, and the curve of her high nose reminiscent of a ship's prow sculpture bravely cutting through the waves on a turbulent sea. For a moment, she was as beautiful as a proud goddess.

She glanced at the American colonel, then turned to Shirou and said, "You want to see me?"

"Well, I just want to ask you, ma'am, why did you lie to us this morning?"

"Lying to you? I don't understand what you mean."

“You concealed your identity, Miss Sora. You were the fiancée of the late Instructor Kenneth. You went with him to the Subspecies Holy Grail War, but you were the only one who survived. You attended Kenneth’s funeral, but you told me you didn’t know Monarch Reines.”

Sora was startled and hesitated for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.

“Yes,” she said, “you’re right, I lied.”

"Oh, you admit it."

“Of course I admit it, now that you’ve found out.” Sora forced a smile, like a noble aristocrat who, even in dire straits, maintained the dignity and elegance befitting her status.

“At least you’re willing to talk frankly now, Miss Sora.”

“I’ve never liked beating around the bush.” Sora sat down next to the U.S. colonel.

"Yes, that's certainly true. Now, miss, may I ask you why you lied?"

"Isn't my reason obvious, Mr. Shirou?"

“That is certainly true for me, Miss Sora.”

In a quiet, steady, yet somewhat stiff voice, she said, “Kenneth is dead. He was wounded while saving me and, in the end, chose to let me leave so he could face the enemy alone. And I survived alone, bearing the shame. Sir, do you know what it means for a woman to have her fiancé die in aristocratic circles? Especially since her husband was a world-renowned genius, while she was just a third-rate magician who hadn’t even inherited a magic crest.”

“Ms. Sora, you are now very outstanding, which must be due to your hard work. I imagine the former Lord El-Melloi would be pleased to see this…” Waver couldn’t help but say.

Sora interrupted Webber directly:

"No! What happens to Kenneth is none of my business anymore. It was a political marriage to begin with. I've already suffered enough because of him, and I owe him nothing now!"

At this moment, the red-haired lady seemed to have undergone some kind of spiritual sublimation, or as if she had put down a heavy burden, revealing a bright smile.

"Right now, I just want to live a happier life, hide my life, and love and live like an ordinary person, that's all!"

However, someone inappropriately shattered the peak of Miss Redhead's life, coldly remarking:

“I don’t think this reason makes sense. If you have no responsibility, you can tell me privately and ask me to keep it a secret.”

“Oh, responsibility, it’s not about responsibility, it’s about reputation. So far, my life has been going well. I won’t risk losing my job to do anything.”

"I must boldly remind you, Miss Sora, that I am now the referee here."

She shrugged.

"For example, you can help me with other passengers' identity issues."

"What does it mean?"

"Miss, you must be quite familiar with Reines, right? Why is someone from the Einzbern family with her? Can you explain this to us?"

"This has nothing to do with the case."

"No, Einzbern has a grudge against Danic, and Miss Reines also has a grudge against Danic. Perhaps you have let go of Instructor Kenneth, but Reines is probably not that simple. Let Danic go. She is not even ten years old yet, but she has endured a life that is many times more tragic than yours. She should hate Danic to the core."

"Magicians never talk about feelings!"

"Oh, but that monarch actually came forward to admit that the handkerchief was hers in order to protect your identity."

"No! I don't know! I didn't have much contact with that child. I left London after the funeral."

"You still won't tell me your secret, miss?"

Shirou's voice was gentle, yet persuasive.

"Even if Kenneth sacrificed himself for you? You know nothing about his heir?"

She said softly:

"I can't, I can't."

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, she burst into tears, burying her face in her outstretched arms, heartbroken as if her heart were breaking. Clearly, her feelings for Kenneth weren't as simple as they seemed; perhaps she truly had no feelings for her fiancé, but she accepted her fate.

Moreover, when a man sacrifices his life to protect her, what woman can truly be so heartless as to forget him so easily?

The colonel jumped up and stood beside her looking terrifying.

"Me! And all of you!"

He stopped, turned around, and glared fiercely at Shirou.

“I’m going to smash you to pieces, you despicable monkey!” he said.

“Sir,” Mr. Frederick protested.

The U.S. colonel turned to the redhead and said softly and awkwardly:

"Sora, don't cry... I..."

She jumped up.

"It's alright. I'm fine. You don't need me anymore, Mr. Shirou, right? If you need me, you can come find me. Sigh...! How foolish, how foolish I was! I thought I had grown up a bit."

She hurried out of the dining car. Before following her, the U.S. colonel turned back, looked at Shirou, and called out:

“Miss Sora has absolutely nothing to do with this case, do you hear me? If you still want to cause trouble for her, then come find me!”

He strode out.

“I love watching an American express his anger so bluntly,” Shirou said. “Even when they’re angry, they’re hilarious. The more emotional they are, the more out of control they become.”

However, Mr. Frederick was not interested in the impulsive reaction of the Americans. He admired his friend Shiro immensely.

“My dear, you’re amazing!” he exclaimed. “Another miraculous guess. Absolutely astonishing.”

“It’s unbelievable how you came up with these ideas,” Weber said admiringly.

"Oh, this time it's not something to be praised. This isn't a guess; in fact, the teacher knew her identity from the beginning. I guessed it from his attitude."

"You're not kidding, are you?" Mr. Frederick said skeptically. How could Weber have anything to do with El-Melloi?

"Alright, at least we now know that Miss Sora and Miss Monarch have a close relationship."

"Another lie. Why would she do that?"

"Perhaps it's to make amends and to be loyal to his friends, so he's causing us some trouble in solving the case."

“Merlin’s beard!” Mr. Frederick couldn’t help but swear again, shouting loudly. “Could it be… that everyone on this train is lying?”

“Hmm,” Shirou said, “we’ll figure it out right away.”

Chapter 1264 Shirou and Macchiato Zorgne

“Now, nothing can surprise me anymore,” Mr. Frederick said. “Nothing! I wouldn’t be surprised even if everyone in the car was confirmed to have had dealings with Kenneth.”

“That’s a very insightful point,” Shirou said. “Do you want to get to know that Italian you’ve suspected? And hear him and how he defends himself?”

"Would you like to see another brilliant deduction?"

"Yes."

"This is truly a very bizarre case."

"No, the case itself is quite natural, well, everything is unexpectedly logical."

Mr. Frederick waved his arms in disappointment and said:

"If this is what you call natural, my friend, then please."

At this point, Shirou asked the waiter in the dining car to call Antonio over.

A red-haired Italian walked in, looking rather unhappy, like a wild animal caught in a trap.

“I just saw a lady running out of here crying. Oh, gentlemen, that’s really not manly of you. If this weren’t a case, I would have punched you already! Okay, what do you want me to say?” He sat down and said.

"I have nothing to say, nothing at all, did you hear that? You're wasting your time."

He slammed his hand on the table.

“No need for that. You still have a lot to tell us,” Shirou said firmly. “How about we start by talking about your identity? So many people on this train are hiding their real names. What are they trying to do?”

"Oh?" He glanced at Shirou uneasily, all his confidence and composure vanishing in an instant.

"I already know your identity. I wonder if you'd be willing to tell me yourself."

"What you're saying sounds just like the police's tricks for interrogating people."

Shirou calmly said:

"So let's talk about your identity. You are actually British, and your name is not Antonio, which is a common name like Xiao Ming. It is Bram. Bram Nazele Sofialy. We did speak with your younger sister just now, and we seem to have offended her. Please forgive us."

His gaze met that of the Italian. No, it should be the Englishman, Bram, who calmed down, like a punctured balloon.

"Since you already know, why are you asking me?"

Why did you lie this morning?

"I just happened to be on vacation and didn't intend to be too flashy!" Bram said casually.

"In fact, you have been deliberately keeping this from us."

"That's right, I just happened to be passing by when Dannick was killed, it was so satisfying. He killed Kenneth, my classmate, my future brother-in-law. It made my sister very sad."

Whoever the murderer is, I feel I should do something for him, at least not harm him. I am a loyal gentleman, loyal to my friends, loyal to my family, and loyal to my class.

"Don't you think you should do your best to ensure a fair resolution to this case?"

"I believe this case has been resolved fairly and rigorously."