I was walking through the fog-shrouded streets of London with Okita and Cu Chulainn.
"To get separated alone during a Rayshift... that guy really has no luck," Cu Chulainn remarked.
"No, his skills are solid, so he won't go down that easily. Don't worry. Even if Telepathy doesn't work, I can check if he's alive or dead through our Mana Path.
He's still alive right now."
Cu Chulainn and I exchanged words as we moved.
Does alcohol affect Rayshifting? I wondered.
As we continued walking, I spotted blood on the ground.
"Master, please step back behind me."
Okita and Cu Chulainn immediately went on high alert.
Walking a bit further, a sea of blood came into view.
"What the fuck?"
And there, in the middle of that pool of blood, I found Guardian. His face was pale, and he was desperately clutching his throat with his hands to stop the bleeding.
"Whoa, shit!!"
I dashed toward Guardian.
Okita's face turned white with shock, while Cu Chulainn ran over while tracing Runes in the air.
I activated the emergency recovery function of my Mystic Code.
Between my healing magecraft and Cu Chulainn's recovery Runes, we began treating Guardian.
The wounds closed rapidly. I wasn't sure about internal injuries, but I managed to stop the bleeding.
"Let's just get into any nearby house for now. This damn fog is making my head spin. There's bound to be an empty house around here. Okita, go find one."
"Yes!"
With that, Okita spiritualized and vanished.
"This fog isn't normal. A regular person would probably drop dead in this. Something's wrong. Communication with Chaldea is down, Telepathy isn't working, and above all, I can't see properly beyond a one-meter radius.
There isn't a single person around. This makes no sense."
I kept racking my brain.
I strained my head to find a way out of this shitty situation.
Damn, Fuyuki was easy mode compared to this.
"Hey, kid. Something's coming. Get ready."
"Are you kidding me? An Assassin is coming out in the open?"
In front of me, an Assassin wielding twin knives was staring right at us.
"You son of a bitch, you're dead."
I tried to link with Cu Chulainn via Telepathy.
'Listen up, you bastard.'
But as expected, Cu Chulainn didn't respond.
The problem seemed to be this fog.
Actually, I was certain of it.
"Hey, did you turn that idiot over there into mincemeat?"
"Yes, we made him like that."
"We? Is it Jack the Ripper?"
"Jack the Ripper?"
Cu Chulainn probably wouldn't know. He's a psycho who lived in London.
"Yeah, I know him as a guy who only hunts women and children. A total nutcase."
"I'd like to catch him, but that kid looks like a girl about your age?"
"Right. From what I know, the Heroic Spirit 'Jack the Ripper' is supposed to be even younger."
"What? Even younger?"
"Yeah, exactly. Something's off. Someone messed with the Saint Graph. It's been altered. Either she took this Singularity's Holy Grail, or someone else did and used it to warp Jack the Ripper's Saint Graph."
"Talk about bad taste."
"Could it be as bad as Medb? If Medb shows up later and she has the Holy Grail, she might summon you and modify you. Something like 'Invincible Cu Chulainn.'"
"...That's creepy, so let's stop talking about it."
We spoke while remaining in a standoff with the Assassin.
"How do you know so much about us?"
"I did some research. By the way, how old are you?"
"I am sixteen."
"Oh, so you're my big sister. Big sister, why did that man who turned into mincemeat earlier end up like that?"
"I made him that way. That mister was strange. He just stood there still until we held our knives and slit his throat."
"Aha, thank you for letting me know, big sister."
I poured magical energy into my Mystic Code.
Then, I fired a Gandr shot at the Assassin.
"Die!!"
The Assassin swiftly dodged my Gandr.
Then, she concealed herself within the fog.
Cu Chulainn shouted at me.
"Kid! You should've fired the Gandr after using Telepathy! Why'd you just shoot? The enemy got away!"
"Telepathy isn't working! I tried testing it on you by saying, 'Listen up, you bastard,' but I didn't get a response!"
"Ah... then it can't be helped. Wait, kid, what did you just say?"
"Ah... I'm busted."
Cu Chulainn stared at me with a dead-serious expression.
Ah, shit. I was so focused on the Assassin that I let slip something I shouldn't have.
"Kid, we'll talk later."
Now I was in danger of getting beaten up not just by Cas-Cu, but by Lancer Cu Chulainn as well. Ah... this isn't good.
The situation is serious enough that he might not hit me now, but I'm screwed either way. Whether it's now or later, it's all the same.
Just then, Okita arrived.
"Master, there is a house with the lights off about 100 meters straight ahead. It is currently empty, so we should take cover there for now."
"Right, got it."
Guardian had passed out for a moment. It made sense; surviving after having your throat slit was a miracle in itself.
"Does he have a Geas or something..."
"A Geas?" Cu Chulainn asked.
"It's similar to how you go crazy if you eat a hot dog. If you look at Guardian, there were several times where he couldn't help but want to hit me, but the fact that he didn't was strange. It's not like Guardian has a 'strong but kind' personality. Even so, this is weird."
"Hmm."
Cu Chulainn tried to think for a moment, but Okita spoke up.
"We must hide first, Master."
"Yeah, sorry. I know."
We quickly headed to the house Okita mentioned.
I carried Guardian on my back. I did it because I figured Cu Chulainn needed his hands free.
And I just realized this bastard must weigh at least 80kg. Carrying him with a 15-year-old's body is exhausting.
As soon as we reached the house, I laid Guardian on the sofa.
Then, communication with Chaldea finally started working.
However, the noise was severe.
"Damascus, can you hear me?"
The Director's voice came through.
"Yes, Director. But the noise is too heavy, so it's hard to listen. Can we communicate via text?"
"Do that, Damascus."
The voice transmission ended with the Director's words.
A moment later, a text from the Director arrived.
The content said that because vital checks weren't working properly, it was hard for Chaldea to confirm my current status.
Therefore, I was ordered to report the situation every two hours.
I reported my situation and Guardian's condition, and I also passed along the theory that Guardian might be under a Geas.
"The current time is 12:00."
Guardian almost died within ten minutes of arriving here.
First, I had to deal with this shitty fog.
The fact that Telepathy didn't work, the narrowed vision, and the feeling that my self-restraint was slipping inside the fog.
Normally, I would have been running my mouth to leak information, but... wait, I remember the conversation I had with Jack the Ripper?
"My head hurts. I need to rest for a bit. I'll sleep for just an hour. Racking my brain in this situation won't give me any answers anyway. Wake me up when it's time."
"Yes."
"Got it."
From the Servants' perspective, they might be disappointed that I'm doing nothing while Guardian, who has been with us the longest, is hovering between life and death, but it can't be helped.
I need to ask Merlin.
Why I remember Jack the Ripper, and why I didn't collapse when I know that fog is supposed to be poisonous. I need to figure out the situation after asking those things.
I lay down on a bed upstairs and closed my eyes.
------------------------------------
"Merlin, you saw the whole situation, right?"
"Yeah, it's quite serious."
Merlin seemed to be thinking with a grave expression.
Is it because of Guardian? Or because of the Hero Creation he cast on me? Either way, my current state was serious. I knew that even his expression and emotions were fake, but I decided not to nitpick right now.
I'm the one receiving help, so there's no point in getting on his bad side.
"I came because I have questions. From what I know, if you encounter 'Jack the Ripper' as an enemy, most of your memories of her are supposed to be erased. But I remember. And since I'm a civilian, the poison in the fog should be fatal to me, yet I'm breathing and perfectly fine. Thinking back, one thing comes to mind... Hero Creation. Is that what's changing me?"
"Correct. Because of Hero Creation, you are developing a special constitution. A slight immunity to poison and the ability to absorb external magical energy—those two are because of Hero Creation. However, I'm not sure about the Assassin either."
If those words were true, then Jack the Ripper's Saint Graph might have been altered.
If so, then who on earth did it?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't find an answer.
"Merlin, if you were the enemy, why would you have altered Jack the Ripper's Saint Graph?"
I questioned Merlin. Since he's been watching everything for so long, he should have some kind of answer.
"How should I know? What I see is limited. Just because I have Clairvoyance doesn't mean I can mindlessly see everything. If I could see everything at once, remember it all, and judge it perfectly, I wouldn't be human anymore. Though, I am a Half-Incubus."
That was true. Even Merlin couldn't see everything.
"Fine. Putting that aside, I think Jack the Ripper might have the Holy Grail. What do you think, Merlin?"
"I think it's a possibility. Ah! Could it be that Jack the Ripper isn't erasing information because her stats have increased due to the Grail's influence, so she no longer needs to hide her identity?"
"Is that it?"
"I'm not certain, but I think it's possible."
"Okay, thanks. Thanks to you, I can at least form one hypothesis."
"Don't mention it. If there's something else you don't know, drop by again."
"Got it."
With that, I left the dream.
"Now... how will my new hero navigate this world? My new Lord."
I didn't truly understand what Merlin's Hero Creation was yet.
Downstairs, Okita spoke to Cu Chulainn.
"Master... Guardian has been with us the longest out of all of us, and yet Master's reaction to him being in such a state was more subdued than I expected."
Cu Chulainn thought deeply before speaking.
"Hmm... judging by the kid's behavior so far, he should've thrown a fit... but maybe he's just not showing it. In the last Singularity, he only showed his true feelings after returning to Chaldea.
Maybe it's the same this time.
It's not like he's heartless, so if he's not reacting, there's no other reason... Or maybe it just hasn't sunk in yet.
He thinks Guardian is stronger than you'd imagine. That guy, Guardian, has never failed to make some pathetic joke regardless of the situation.
You know that better than anyone, don't you, Okita Souji?"
"...That... is true."
While they were talking, an alarm began to ring.
It had been over an hour since the Master went to sleep.
"Time's up. I'll go up and wake him."
"No, no need for that."
I woke up and walked out.
It seemed Cu Chulainn was planning to wake me up since the time was up. Hmm...
"Cu Chulainn, do you remember Jack the Ripper?"
"Yeah, I remember. That face, the fighting style, the way she talks, her age, her appearance—I remember it all."
"The Jack the Ripper I know is a child around 13 years old... wait... that's only a two-year difference from me? Anyway, at that age, her trait is that once she disappears after a battle, her appearance and fighting style are erased from memory. But that trait isn't applying this time. Thinking about it, she might have the Holy Grail. It's just a hypothesis. Just a thought.
Her age has been inflated by about three years, and she referred to herself as 'we' before switching to 'I' in the middle. We should assume she's still changing. That's what I'm thinking, what about you guys?"
Cu Chulainn replied nonchalantly.
"Kid, we'll know for sure once we have a proper fight. There's no point in worrying about it now when there's no answer, right? Tell me when you have an answer. I hate thinking about that stuff.
I prefer just clashing and knocking them down. Simple but certain. Don't ask me about things like that; it just gives me a headache."
Well, Cu Chulainn's main weapon is physical combat.
And I didn't think I'd get much of an answer from Okita either. Her combat experience in her previous life was limited, so I didn't expect a profound answer.
"Okita, never mind this. Come to think of it, this is a problem I should be worrying about. It was a mistake to leave it to you guys. Just rest for now while I rack my brain."
"Um... then may I ask one question, Master?"
"Uh... what is it?"
"Master, you just said that the Heroic Spirit Jack the Ripper should originally be 13 years old, and that there was only a two-year age difference between you... Does that mean...
Master, are you still only 15 years old?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Because your judgments have been mostly correct so far, I thought you just had a young face and were actually much older."
Ah... that's because my soul is over 20 years old. Hahaha.
"Yeah, I'm 15. Besides, this is my hometown. London. Though I've never actually been here before."
"Ah... so damn loud. What is it? My head feels like it's splitting?"
Guardian, who had just woken up, spoke.
This idiot really doesn't die easily, does he?
I worried for nothing. Now I only need to worry about myself.
Specifically, this Hero Creation. I can't confirm how it will turn out. I'll have to think about that along with how to catch Jack the Ripper.
______________________________________
"My Lord, I'll be waiting for you to grow."
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