"...Oh oh! I get it, I get it. Then you seem a bit miserable. Such a big matter actually fell on you alone; even I can't help feeling a bit sorry for you."
After listening to Takumi's backstory, Mordred nodded repeatedly, looking at Takumi with sympathy, secretly clicking her tongue in her heart.
If such troublesome things fell on her alone, she would rather rot in the Throne of Heroes than come down.
The life of someone solo-clearing FGO Part 1 is pretty much ruined.jpg.
"But meeting me means you drew the best card! At least in this Singularity, as the Knight of the Round Table saving the British city of Londinium from crisis, I, Mordred, will help you!"
Mordred changed the subject, grinning, and patted Takumi on the back like a good buddy.
Just like encountering Servants before, Mordred also had a fairly high favorability towards Takumi upon first meeting. After chatting, she basically trusted Takumi.
Takumi rubbed his back, which hurt from Mordred's patting, and said helplessly:
"Honestly, I didn't come for pity... but still, thank you, Knight Mordred."
Facing Takumi's thanks, Mordred laughed heartily:
"Hehe, no problem. But it's not appropriate to stand here talking all the time. Let me take you to our base first!"
After speaking, Mordred took the lead, walking in the direction she came from.
Seeing this, Takumi hurriedly followed.
In this level of magical fog, apart from Takumi identifying directions through [Revelation] and magical markers, Mordred's [Intuition] skill was the most convenient.
Plus, Mordred's comprehensive strength was very strong, so under normal circumstances, she was the only one active outside, doing work like gathering intelligence and clearing monsters on the road.
Besides this troublesome magical fog, the London Singularity also had many Helter Skelters (Mechanical Soldiers) and Homunculi wandering in the streets and alleys. These were nothing to Servants, but they were quite fatal to ordinary people.
And these two types of monsters naturally came from the hands of the two Casters on the opposing side.
Helter Skelters were made by Babbage, and Homunculi were made by the alchemy master Paracelsus.
"By the way, who were you fighting just now? I also had the experience of being attacked by an Assassin, but that guy is weird. Every time after fighting, I can't remember who I fought with no matter what."
"It's Jack the Ripper. She has the [Information Erasure] skill, which automatically erases the enemy's known records of her after disengaging from battle."
"Oh! So that's it... Wait, then why didn't you fall for it?"
"Correct, but it's a long story..."
"Then don't say it for now. Let's talk when we get to the base; I don't like listening to this."
"..."
---
"...Ah, really. Saber, did you casually tell your True Name to someone again?"
A man dressed formally and wearing glasses looked distressfully at Mordred, who brought Takumi back.
Obviously, bringing people back to the base was something Mordred had done more than once.
This man who spoke first was named Henry Jekyll. He was the protagonist Henry Jekyll (Hyde) in the 19th-century novel "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", or rather, the character who served as his prototype. His existence was slightly strange, but there was no need to delve into it.
Anyway, in this Singularity, he was just a Magus with some skills—a Magus who could release his dark persona and enter a Berserk state by drinking the elixir he concocted.
"What does it matter? It's not a Holy Grail War here anyway."
"Moreover, hiding my True Name or not makes no sense to me. My legend doesn't have obvious weaknesses like Siegfried."
Hearing Jekyll's words, Mordred said nonchalantly.
"Well said. In a sense, this fellow Mordred feels impeccable. Her strength is simple and crude, difficult to counter. To deal with her, one probably has to surpass her in hard power."
A familiar uncle's voice suddenly reached everyone's ears.
Everyone turned to look in the direction the voice came from.
Only to see an existence completely mismatched with the voice sitting on the sofa, browsing a book very comfortably.
He had short blue hair, height probably less than 1.5 meters, a petite figure, looking completely like a child, but wearing mature clothes with a bow tie at the collar.
He was exactly the one who, although appearing as a child, had a mind that remained...
Cough cough, wrong channel. Anyway, this person who possessed the same voice as a certain Dio was exactly Hans Christian Andersen.
That's right, the Hans Christian Andersen who wrote fairy tales.
"Indeed. I also have to admit that if Sir Mordred's configuration were put into a play, it would probably be quite boring. Mmh mmh, indeed one must start from the personality to create enough drama!"
An uncle wearing an orange-red coat, with hair and beard of the same color, nodded repeatedly, agreeing in a melodious voice.
This uncle, holding a book just like Andersen, was probably known by almost everyone. His name was "Shakespeare," the world's most famous playwright and also an actor, his name resounding throughout the world.
It could only be said that a small Singularity actually gathered two Author-type Servants; fate was indeed indescribably wonderful.
Unfortunately, fame didn't equal strength. The two Author-type Servants had terribly high fame, but in terms of combat power among Heroic Spirits, they were at the bottom.
Probably only in specific situations could they display their due power.
But this brings up "Affinity." This thing could be said to run through the underlying logic of the entire FGO story.
Simply put, to conquer certain existences, the summoned Heroic Spirit isn't necessarily better the stronger they are, but rather highlights a counter-nature that can solve the problem.
The story in Journey to the West also follows the same logic. In the mid-to-late stages, compared to strength, what stood out more was countering.
"Hah? Forget it, I'll take it as you guys praising me."
Listening to the two's evaluation, Mordred was a bit unhappy.
But Takumi was still waiting aside. It wasn't good for her to flare up directly, so she waved her hand very magnanimously.
"However, I didn't return empty-handed this time. Here, this is a Master from a place called Chal...dea? outside. Anyway, he knows a lot of stuff!"
"If nothing else, he can definitely surprise you two guys who have stayed for quite some time but still only half-understand the situation here!"
Mordred stepped aside, smiling slightly showily, revealing Takumi behind her.
Introduced like this, Takumi was slightly embarrassed but still greeted everyone in the room politely.
"Master? Didn't expect this identity, quite conventional in a Holy Grail War, to become a scarce commodity here. Can't help wanting to sigh..."
"However, I don't agree with your statement. Even if he descended here from the unknown 'outside', he just arrived. It's true he might know some intelligence we couldn't detect from our perspective."
"But in terms of understanding the overall status quo of London, how could he know more than us who have investigated for a long time?"
"Do not insult our intelligence, Sir Mordred."
Andersen crossed his hands under his nose, speaking with a serious expression.
Shakespeare beside him nodded repeatedly to show agreement.
And Takumi, watched by everyone present, smiled shyly.