As they continued forward, Mash asked Morpheus, "You also figured out she was Jack the Ripper?"
"Yeah, I did. It'd be pretty ridiculous if I hadn't, considering the location and era match perfectly. But what I didn't expect was that she's a Servant, not an actual human."
Morpheus said this while inwardly grumbling.
Thankfully, he had paid attention to some murder cases in the Nasuverse, so he knew these details. In the Toaruverse, though he was aware of Jack the Ripper, there were never any records of her using sulfuric acid to kill. That detail only existed in the Nasuverse.
At first, Morpheus thought it was just some exaggerated mythologizing of the killer, distorted through endless retellings. But now, it seemed otherwise, as this Jack the Ripper was completely different from what he'd imagined.
"As expected of this place... even Jack the Ripper is a girl... and a loli, no less..."
"Hm? What did you say, Morpheus-senpai?" Mash asked, puzzled.
"I'm just complaining. Why did I think it'd be a male Servant, only to find they're all female?" Morpheus let out a chuckle. "Take this Jack the Ripper, for example. She feels unique. She's not a typical Servant... more like an aggregate of grudges."
Mash blinked. "An aggregate of grudges?"
Not just Mash, but Fujimaru Ritsuka and Jeanne Alter also leaned in, eager to hear what Morpheus had discovered.
"It's just a gut feeling for now, but considering how Michael's power dealt such massive damage to her, she's definitely some kind of malevolent spirit." Morpheus reflected on his fight with her. "She feels like a wraith, similar to a vengeful ghost, but also different. Her presence is... complex."
"Complex how?" Roman asked.
"Yeah, complex how? Is this Servant a ghost like me?" Olga Marie chimed in.
Morpheus shook his head. "It's different. She feels like a fusion of many ghosts, but if that were the case, her existence shouldn't be so stable. You'd expect something like mental fragmentation, but she has a singular, stable consciousness."
Roman, with his "peerless intellect," immediately offered a simpler description. "So, you're saying she's like a unique entity formed from many souls but with only one consciousness?"
"Exactly. I mentioned she feels like an aggregate of grudges. If you think about it that way, it makes sense. Grudges are hatred, curses, human malice... but that malice itself lacks self-awareness."
Morpheus said with a slight smile. "So curses, as a form of magecraft, are essentially the manipulation of that malice."
"Let's put that aside for now. Explain more about this 'aggregate of grudges' idea regarding Jack the Ripper."
"It's simple. A mass of grudges without self-awareness comes together, forming pure malice. Due to the circumstances of its creation, this extreme malice develops its own unique consciousness, like that of a ghost.
"From this, I can make a deduction. For such a singular consciousness to form, the individual grudges that merged likely didn't have strong self-awareness... or any at all. Their experiences were likely similar, and the targets of their hatred were the same. Only in such near-identical conditions could an aggregate of grudges with a single consciousness form."
"Wait, so Jack the Ripper's traits could tell us what she is? Maybe even what experiences created the Jack the Ripper we see now?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked, noticing Morpheus nod in confirmation.
With his affirmation, Fujimaru grew even more excited. In this foggy city, she felt like her inner detective was awakening. She looked at Morpheus's clothes with a hint of envy.
As expected, his outfit was the most fitting for this place!
But she quickly shook off that envy and focused on solving the mystery.
"Hm, from what I know, Jack the Ripper's victims were almost all women, many of them prostitutes, indicating a deep hatred for them. I initially thought Jack was a man, perhaps a zealot who believed these women violated some doctrine. But seeing it's a little girl...
"The most unusual detail here is a child hating adults, specifically women. That narrows down what we need to consider. It all points to one thing: mothers!
"And since the hatred is only toward mothers, we can rule out fathers. This suggests one thing: the tragedy and pain these grudges stem from happened before any contact with fathers. So, the only possibility is they had no fathers, or they died at birth, unable to meet them!"
Fujimaru pushed up imaginary glasses and squinted.
"There's only one truth: Jack the Ripper is an aggregate of the grudges of abandoned infants, hating their mothers. And since prostitution often leads to abortions, the fact that most victims were prostitutes supports this!"
Morpheus clapped, his eyes full of admiration as he smiled at Fujimaru. "If you were transported to 18th or 19th-century London, you could definitely make it as a private detective!"
Her deduction wasn't particularly groundbreaking, but it was impressive... better than many detectives Morpheus had seen. With enough information, Fujimaru might have uncovered Jack the Ripper's secrets even faster.
This way, the case wouldn't have remained unsolved.
But Jack the Ripper, an aggregate of grudges, had died and become a Heroic Spirit, making Morpheus narrow his eyes.
"It seems the one who dealt with Jack the Ripper back then was likely a magus. Ordinary humans couldn't handle such an entity.
"But that's not surprising. This is London, after all... the Mage's Association is strong here. There's even the corpse of a certain dragon, allowing London's magi to rapidly expand their influence, leading to the Clock Tower."
A new idea suddenly struck Morpheus.
"Right, this is London! The Clock Tower is here. Could I sneak into the Clock Tower and see what treasures they're hiding?"
Though Morpheus had no interest in studying at the Clock Tower, he knew its location just outside London, concealed by a special Bounded Field.
He didn't like the Clock Tower's crowd, but they likely hid many rare books. If he took this chance to read them, he could uncover numerous secrets. Best of all, once the Singularity was repaired, no one would remember his actions.
A slight smirk curled Morpheus's lips.
"This is perfect. Coming to London was a great idea!"
He turned to Fujimaru and the others. "Alright, I'll split off from you. Stick with Jeanne Alter and be careful not to get ambushed!"
"Where are you going?" Fujimaru asked quickly. She knew Morpheus was strong enough to handle issues swiftly, but that wasn't her concern. "Can you leave some action for us? I think practical experience is useful."
Seeing her say this, Morpheus burst out laughing, patting her shoulder. "This time, it's up to you guys. Good luck! As for me, I'm heading somewhere else. I won't be stepping in for a while, got it?"
Fujimaru looked at Morpheus, puzzled, unsure of his plans.
Glancing at the communicator, Morpheus leaned in and whispered, "You know about the Clock Tower, right?"
Fujimaru nodded.
"There are probably lots of secrets in the Clock Tower, but I usually avoid drawing attention from those old geezers, and I don't want to cause a fuss, so I never bothered searching it. But now I'm in London, and after we fix the Singularity, history will reset. No one will remember us. So why not take a look inside the Clock Tower?"
Fujimaru's eyes widened, and she gave Morpheus a thumbs-up.
But noticing the communicator's hologram, she retracted her thumb and said loudly, "Got it, Morpheus. You go do your thing. Leave resolving this crisis to us!"
Her heart raced with excitement.
"As expected of Morpheus, the guy who ran wild in divine-era Greece, now planning to raid the Clock Tower! No wonder he didn't want to say it out loud. With the Director's temper, she'd never approve. The Clock Tower folks' memories will reset, but the Director's won't. She'd probably hold a grudge forever."
So, under Mash's puzzled gaze, Fujimaru bid Morpheus farewell and turned to Jeanne Alter. "Stick with us for now."
"Fine, I'll tag along. His strength is more than enough... nobody here could hurt him."
Seeing Jeanne Alter agree so easily, Fujimaru sighed in relief and led the two girls forward.
Not far along, after dealing with another batch of automatons, they returned to the main street. There, they saw the armored figure from before.
She smiled at them. "I saw everything. Since you took out those things, you're at least not my enemies."
Her expression showed approval. "And your skills aren't bad. You don't even have the full picture yet, and you're still this capable. Not bad. I don't dislike idiots like you."
Fujimaru raised an eyebrow. "Who're you calling idiots?"
"Huh?!" The armored woman looked confused, unsure why Fujimaru seemed annoyed.
Mash quickly stepped in. "You're right, we're definitely not your enemies! So, could you talk with us and share some information? Like, what's going on in this foggy city?"
"Sure, I'll tell you." The armored woman nodded. "But first, let me confirm... you're a Demi-Servant, right?"
"Yes, I'm Mash Kyrielight, a Demi-Servant."
"And you must be a Servant." She looked at Jeanne Alter, who nodded. "Correct. I'm Jeanne Alter."
Finally, she turned to Fujimaru. "And you?"
"I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka." Fujimaru introduced herself.
"Mash Kyrielight, Fujimaru Ritsuka, and a Servant, Jeanne Alter. That's a peculiar name... is there a White Jeanne too?" The armored woman shook her head. "Whatever, it's none of my business."
Then she introduced herself. "I'm Mordred, a Heroic Spirit and a Knight of the Round Table, here to save Londinium, the city beloved by my Father, from this crisis."
...
Walking toward the city's outskirts, after dismantling a pile of automatons, Morpheus suddenly grinned.
"Mordred, huh? A life born through magecraft, using her sister's bloodline as a foundation. Ha!" Thanks to the formula he'd placed on Jeanne Alter, he overheard their conversation, shaking his head in amusement.
"I've got to say, Nasuverse's history is wild. Legends became reality, so of course King Arthur exists, and naturally, so do the Knights of the Round Table...
"If I had summoned Artoria, this meeting would've been hilarious. Too bad I have no connection to Artoria... summoning her would be a stretch."
He mused as he continued toward the city gates.
Rapid footsteps echoed from the alleys on both sides... automatons, numerous and dense.
But as they emerged, several air blades appeared around Morpheus. They swept out at incredible speed, and in an instant, the dozens of automatons were sliced into pieces!
***
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