[Himeko: "We deeply regret this story… But things aren't that simple, right?"]
[Gallagher nodded: "Hmph… Obviously, someone has inherited the name of [Watchmaker] and continues to carry out activities against the Family in secret, up until now."]
["The Watchmaker is an organization?" Stelle asked.]
["It can be understood that way. However, only one person should have inherited the Watchmaker title. Unfortunately, after so many years, I still don't know who that person is, or even whether it's a person… or Mikhail's ghost wandering in the dream."]
["So do you understand now? Why I'm willing to tell you all so much… Because that girl's death must be related to the Watchmaker's legacy. And at the end of the heavy fog… both you and I can get the answers we want."]
[As he spoke, Gallagher suddenly received a message. It seemed something had happened at the film studio. Before leaving, he looked at the Clockie statue not far away and sighed with emotion: "How ironic. The stowaways now being shut out by Penacony—what difference do they have from the dream chasers who were revered as pioneers several Amber Eras ago?"]
——
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.
"Mr. Gallagher actually knew the Watchmaker… Then he should have heard something about the Watchmaker's legacy, right? Could the so-called 'legacy' just be something from this current Watchmaker?"
Stark was somewhat puzzled. From Gallagher's tone, he seemed very familiar with the previous Watchmaker. But since the current Watchmaker decided to let someone inherit his legacy, it meant the title "Watchmaker" was preparing to exit Penacony's stage, right?
It gave the feeling of "an adventurer senior on the verge of death preparing to find someone to inherit his luxurious equipment and combat skills."
Fern shifted her gaze from the Celestial Screen to the elf girl nearby: "Lady Frieren, I think it's not just inheriting the Watchmaker's legacy… It's that simple. So many factions fighting over the legacy is essentially a screening process. I'm afraid that what will be inherited won't just be the legacy, but also some kind of curse… or memory."
"Curse?" Frieren was slightly stunned.
Fern nodded: "Is Mikhail the first-generation Watchmaker, or the most outstanding one among the generations? If it's passed down generation by generation, how do you ensure that no generation of Watchmaker will ever think of defecting to the Family? That they won't submit?"
"So, I believe that within the Watchmaker's legacy, there must exist some kind of curse or memory. It is through these things that every generation of Watchmaker can walk unerringly on the predetermined path."
——
[This journey had verified quite a few of Himeko's guesses. Himeko had Stelle send a text message to Welt. After briefly reporting the progress, Welt also gave several important conclusions.]
[First, he and Acheron both agreed that the Family might be concealing extremely important information. Second, Acheron was on the side of their Astral Express.]
[...]
["Are your companions worried about you?"]
[Inside the Dewlight Pavilion, Acheron cast a puzzled look at Welt.]
["Just normal contact. They seem to have made some discoveries on their side. Let's hurry up and head back."]
[The two continued forward. Acheron only sighed at how smooth this journey was—it was simply unlike a heavily guarded Family residence. Welt also sensed something was wrong. Such a magnificent mansion didn't even have a single butler. He suspected it was due to a sudden event creating a vacancy.]
[Suddenly, Acheron slightly drew her blade. In an instant, her presence became nearly imperceptible.]
["[White] (aura concealment)… I slightly erased the aura around me. This way it's harder to be noticed. The Astral Express being here can still be explained by the Family's authorization, but my appearance here… is not reasonable."]
["I see. A very interesting technique."]
[The two arrived at the hall that Aventurine had visited before and discovered two sets of footprints on the second floor.]
["Can Welt tell whose footprints these are?"]
["Hm… The pattern of this texture is unique and quite flamboyant. From the size, it should be men's shoes." Welt analyzed seriously. "I guess… it's most likely that emissary from the Interastral Peace Corporation, Mr. Aventurine."]
[Acheron pondered: "Aventurine… Then who is the other one?"]
["The two sets of footprints are not one in front of the other. From their nearly parallel state, the companion should not be his subordinate… The Company desires to reclaim Penacony. It's within expectation for them to appear here."]
——
Monogatari Series.
"Mr. Welt's observational skills are really sharp… He feels very suited to be a detective."
On the roof of the cram school building, Araragi Koyomi leaned against the railing, looking up at Welt's serious reasoning. "In a normal detective novel, someone like him would be suited as the protagonist, Miss Himeko as the detective assistant, and Acheron as the muscle."
"Your words truly belittle Welt." Oshino Shinobu, sitting on the railing beside him, suddenly spoke. "Why can't the detective and the muscle be the same person? Although there are many people with mysterious backgrounds on the train, if we rank them by how bizarre they are, this Welt should rank near the top."
Araragi Koyomi walked to the girl's side and shook a can of chilled cola in front of her: "Whoa, I didn't expect you to like him quite a bit."
"Like him? Not quite." Oshino Shinobu snatched the cola from his hand, popped the tab with a "pssh," and tilted her head back to take a gulp. Carbonated bubbles burst with crackling sounds between her lips and teeth. "…The stories on him are probably more numerous than the bubbles in this cola. He's the kind of man you can tell at a glance has experienced life-and-death situations."
"However, I'm going to deduct one point from my rating of him now."
"Huh? Why?"
"This Dewlight Pavilion doesn't have a single person, not even a ghost. Anyone with eyes can see this is a trap, right? Bringing Acheron straight in—is he unaware of this, or does he simply not care?"
Oshino Shinobu spread her hands: "But no matter what, this is too reckless. That kid called Sunday has eight hundred schemes all over him, all used to deal with others. However, I'm curious whether his [Harmony] ability can work on Acheron and Welt. If he dares to use it… then there'll be a good show to watch."
——
[The two continued forward and discovered that many Memokes had been artificially arranged inside the mansion to stand guard. The guards here had all been transferred away.]
[They arrived at the deepest room. On the bookshelf, Welt found a letter from Robin.]
[The letter stated: Robin had noticed abnormalities in her voice very early and began investigating. Based on the results, she realized one thing: Penacony's [Harmony] was not pure. A trace of noise mixed within had interfered with the song of [Harmony] as well.]