The Foolish Villain / A Grimoire?

"Some areas have been completely reduced to ruins, East End is almost entirely wiped out, and it's probably only a matter of time before this city is also reduced to ruins. And all of this is because of that fog, that unusually thick fog filled with extremely dense magic, which we will temporarily call the Demon Fog."

"It's somewhat similar to something that happened in the 20th century, but the timeline here isn't right yet. Could it be that the event occurred prematurely, creating a Singularity?" Romani said through the communicator. "I also investigated the events of the 20th century. I thought it only involved one city, but it turns out to be quite troublesome."

"It's not just the Demon Fog that's troublesome; you've probably already encountered and fought against it. Besides the Demon Fog, London is filled with all sorts of other threats. People are taking advantage of the Demon Fog's duration to commit crimes: automatons created with Magecraft, artificial life forms that can kill, unidentified machines, and a serial killer whom the newspapers call Jack the Ripper!"

Jekyll said a lot, leaving Mash Kyrielight stunned, and Mephistopheles, who was at the Clock Tower at the time, also heard a lot of useful information.

Chapter 171 The Foolish Villain

Jekyll then went on to explain the current situation, Mephistopheles, relying on his connection with Black Jeanne, overheard everything she said.

"Hmm, so that means London is now isolated and helpless. The fog has sealed this place off, and we can't get out. That makes sense, after all, I'm not someone who can come and go as I please."

"Moreover, with the fog, someone deliberately killed people in such an extreme environment. It wasn't just Jack the Ripper; there must have been other guys involved. For example, those puppets were obviously man-made and couldn't have been created by someone like Jack the Ripper."

"Speaking of which, so far I've only encountered Mordred and Jack the Ripper as Servants. Are there any other Servants in this era?"

"What surprised me was that the London government was still functioning, even though it was practically paralyzed. It was still able to play a role... However, being unable to go out and being blocked by fog really limited the government's ability to function."

"Hmm... or perhaps it should be said that it completely limits the role of humans here. Unless one can remain unaffected by the fog, no one will be willing to go out."

"As for the current time, three days have passed since we were trapped by the fog and unable to go out. If this continues, many people will likely face choices about how to find food, whether to resort to cannibalism, and so on..."

"But this has nothing to do with me. Anyway, once we deal with the person behind it all, history can be restored to normal, and these tragedies will naturally be erased."

Mephistopheles continued flipping through the books in the Sea of Books while thinking. He wasn't in a hurry at all. He could leave the main work to Mash Kyrielight, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and Black Jeanne, who had successfully built a summoning circle in Jekyll's house and formed an alliance with Jekyll and Mordred.

With their current strength, these three should be able to avoid any danger if they act together, unless they encounter some kind of superhuman being.

While Ritsuka Fujimaru was constantly resolving this crisis and searching for the enemy, he could also quietly read a book until he completed the mission and returned.

"Wow, I have to say, it was a perfect trip. Seeing so many books about Magecraft is just amazing!"

Mephistopheles happily continued reading his book, even making himself a cup of rich, fragrant milk. With the earthenware pot Hestia had given him, his milk was virtually the Infinite —truly the freedom to drink milk.

"Frankenstein?" Mash Kyrielight listened to Jekyll's request, her mind filled with questions. As someone who loved reading because she was confined to Chaldea, she also had a name in her mind: Frankenstein.

"I know that. Isn't it that android from the earliest science fiction novels?" Ritsuka Fujimaru asked in a low voice.

"The Swiss scholar Victor Frankenstein is a friend of Jekyll. The group had been cooperating on the matter of the Demon Fog, but we lost contact with him this morning. However, I am not very clear about what happened, since it was Jekyll made the contact. He said it was his intelligence network."

"His assistants were everywhere in the city, and they frequently communicated with Jekyll via radio."

"At least until yesterday, Mr. Victor was safe and sound."

Mordred said.

Romani, who had been in contact with everyone, was also somewhat surprised.

"Victor Frankenstein, I thought he was a fictional character, but it turns out he's a descendant..."

Mash Kyrielight hesitated before saying, "Although I'm not entirely sure, according to Mr. Jekyll, the Magecraft was the prototype for the character in that novel was this scholar's grandfather."

Mash Kyrielight shook her head at this point. "Reality is truly strange. The scientists in novels are actually based on Magecraft..."

Ritsuka Fujimaru asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong?"

"Because science and Magecraft should be diametrically opposed technologies," Mash Kyrielight said. "Chaldea is, after all, an extreme example. Thinking about it this way, from a global and historical perspective..."

Romani interrupted him, "But there are always exceptions. In some eras, science and Magecraft were almost synonymous. For example, alchemy is the origin of chemistry, and many scientists, chemists, and scholars were actually Magecraft."

"And don't forget, I don't see any conflict between Mephistopheles's True Magic and science..."

Throughout the conversation, Black Jeanne didn't interrupt. She didn't understand much anyway; all she knew were the common sense things the Root had given her when she was summoned.

If she's going to speak, it's usually because Mephistopheles has something to say.

Black Jeanne spoke up, "Mephistopheles said that in some aspects science is a kind of True Magic, or rather, science is True Magic. True Magic and science are equal and there is no conflict between them. So there's no need to compare True Magic with your Magecraft."

"That's what he said?!" Romani exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, that's what he said. I heard him say something about how modern Western True Magic, in addition to learning True Magic, also have to study relativity and such. Although I don't understand what he meant, it seemed to be some kind of scientific terminology?"

Everyone was stunned, especially Mash Kyrielight and Ritsuka Fujimaru, since both of them knew what relativity really meant.

Black Jeanne Alter continued, "Mephistopheles was still muttering, saying that... someone he knew who was very skilled in True Magic had established the world's most powerful scientific force, and even created a heaven of science based on it, giving birth to angels of science..."

Ritsuka Fujimaru's eyes lit up, Mash Kyrielight looked puzzled, and Mordred was completely bewildered, having no idea what was going on.

As for Romani, Leonardo da Vinci, and Olga Marie on the other end of the communicator, they were all stunned.

Olga Marie had dreamt that Mephistopheles's past was spent in another magical world, where even Magecraft as she knew it didn't exist. So she knew that what he was saying now belonged to that world.

But at this moment, what she was hearing still seemed unbelievable to her.

"It created a heavenly kingdom belonging to science, and then gave birth to angels belonging to science?!" Romani was utterly shocked. This statement undoubtedly meant that science had its own god, its own divine kingdom, and even angels existing within that divine kingdom!

"This... this is tantamount to man-made gods, and even gods belonging to science?!" Romani couldn't understand. The rise of science and the retreat of gods were all interconnected. Mystery faded, gods hid, and science developed—this was the history he knew.

But now Mephistopheles suddenly says that science can also create its own angels and its own heaven, which is simply unbelievable!

This is even more exaggerated and bizarre than the story they just mentioned about a modern Western True Magic studying relativity!

Just as everyone was eager to hear what Mephistopheles had to say next, Black Jeanne Alter said, "He's not saying anything more. He said he wants to continue reading and that we should get back to work..."

At this moment, the others finally realized what had happened, and Romani asked, "Where did Mephistopheles go?"

Olga Marie immediately asked, "Yes, he suddenly said he had something to do and left. Where did he go?"

Mash Kyrielight shook her head, indicating that she didn't know. Ritsuka Fujimaru shut her mouth. It just didn't feel right to say something like "He went to raid the Clock Tower" to someone like Olga Marie, who was full of Magecraft and the honor of her great family.

Black Jeanne Alter shook her head, indicating that she didn't know either.

Therefore, Olga Marie could only analyze the situation based on what the other party had just said.

"Black Jeanne just said Mephistopheles wanted to continue reading. Does that mean Mephistopheles has already gone to the London Library? After all, they have a huge collection there..."

Below, Romani and Leonardo da Vinci exchanged a glance, and Leonardo da Vinci said in a low voice, "Don't you think that Mephistopheles might have gone to the Clock Tower?"

Romani pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "I think the books he's talking about now might be in the Clock Tower's Sea of Books. Although going to the Singularity is about saving the world, he's still quite willing to increase his knowledge in the process. This time, the location is London, which is an opportunity for him to infiltrate the Clock Tower!"

"Anyway, once the mission of salvation is accomplished, the erroneous history will be corrected. At that point, the fact that he infiltrated the Clock Tower will no longer exist in its Root, but those memories will somehow remain." Leonardo da Vinci said, giving a thumbs up. "As expected of him, I admire him more and more."

"I have a feeling that Mephistopheles will dig up all the secrets that the Clock Tower kept before 1888, even the hidden dark history... The future of the Clock Tower is probably going to be very tragic. If they provoke Mephistopheles might use this dark history to threaten them."

"Tormenting someone with their dark past every day is far more effective than simply attacking them directly."

Mephistopheles was engrossed in his book when suddenly his attention was drawn to Black Jeanne; a name that had once piqued his interest had appeared.

"Morpheus? A demon?" Mephistopheles shared his vision with Black Jeanne in surprise, wanting to see what kind of guy called himself Morpheus.

Then he saw a guy who looked like a clown, with purple hair, a tight leather jacket, a hat on his head with a chest in front, and, most shockingly, a brainless guy.

What this guy did after he got out was very simple. Outside Frankenstein's house, before Mash Kyrielight and Ritsuka Fujimaru could even interrogate him, he had already confessed everything.

"That's right, I killed Frankenstein. My name is Morpheus, and I'm a demon. As for why I killed him, it's because he got in the way of our plans."

The above passage is information that was revealed to her by the other party in less than a minute after they met, without even needing Ritsuka Fujimaru to ask.

Then he started rambling incoherently again, spouting nonsense, and was instantly sent back to the Throne of Heroes by the people present.

Seeing Morpheus like this, Mephistopheles sighed heavily and covered his face.

"So, what am I even expecting? Morpheus, the great demon who can manipulate people so easily? Forget it, this is the world of Type-Moon, impossible..."

After Mash Kyrielight and the others entered Doctor Frankenstein's residence, Mephistopheles was once again certain of one thing: this Servant named Morpheus was indeed not very bright.

Because Doctor Frankenstein, who had disrupted their plans, had carelessly left behind information that was extremely dangerous to them.

That was the doctor's last words, saying that Demon Fog Project was led by three people: P, B, and M.

Besides them, there was even a little girl who stayed behind, but this little girl didn't talk much and seemed to lack reason.

The girl's identity once again stirred Mephistopheles's emotions.

"Wow, this is the Frankenstein from the novels! A girl, and a little girl at that... No wonder it's the Type-Moon World!"

However, the group had managed to obtain some information, and after returning to Jekyll's house, they began to speculate about the meaning of the letters PBM.

Mephistopheles also stopped reading and pondered the meaning of the three letters.

"PBM represents three people, most likely distinguished by their names, for example, the first letter. Does M refer to Morpheus? It's unlikely. If it really is Morpheus, that would be incredibly idiotic."

"Perhaps we can analyze this by looking at some historical figures I know. It's entirely possible that PBM was summoned and is a Servant connected to London..."

While Mephistopheles was pondering, the others weren't idle either; they had found another collaborator with Jekyll, the little brat known as Andersen.

After working with Andersen to defeat another Servant, the group was then sent by Jekyll to solve another problem.

Scotland Yard has been attacked by Servants!

So, the group of people who rushed over encountered a mysterious man.

It was a man holding a flask, with long hair and quite thin. This man once again puzzled Mephistopheles, or rather, frustrated him.

Because this guy has a brain that's pretty much the same as Morpheus '.

The moment he appeared, before any interrogation, his secret was already exposed.

"I am one of the leaders of Demon Fog Project. You can call me Paracelsus, the P among the three PBM members!"

Looking at the images transmitted by Black Jeanne, Mephistopheles began to wonder if he was overthinking things. Maybe that brainless Morpheus really was the M in PBM?!

Why do these villains always seem to reveal everything they're going to do?! Are they out of their minds?!

Then, after saying all that, this guy said he was there because Scotland Yard had important items, and then he started talking nonsense again.

Faced with this inhuman creature, the group acted swiftly, and in just a few seconds, they sent this self-proclaimed P back to the Throne of Heroes.

Chapter 172 Magic Book?

After defeating Paracelsus, who called himself P, Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others returned to Jekyll's house with Doctor Frankenstein's heirloom android loli.

After examining Fran, the android, Jekyll offered his analysis. "This child, Fran, is an android. Her body is not composed of spirits; she is not a Heroic Spirit. She lives in this era, or rather, she is an android."

Then, he stroked his chin. "Is there an error in the novel's account? No, we can't say that yet."

Then, he continued to touch Fran, exploring her. Jekyll showed great interest in a homunculus, not the kind of interest a man has in a woman, but purely out of curiosity about something new.

Fran expressed her dissatisfaction, but she couldn't speak, leaving Jekyll completely bewildered.

Mordred then said, "She seems unhappy about you touching her under the guise of an investigation. Apologize, Jekyll."

This accusation caused Jekyll's expression to change, and he quickly said, "Oh? Oh, I'm so sorry! How could I have done such a thing? This is not the behavior of Britain gentleman!"

"...Ugh..." Fran continued to make strange noises.

Seeing Jekyll's puzzled expression, Mash Kyrielight said, "'Good that you understand,' that 'e' sound just now probably meant that."

Mordred nodded. "Yes."

Ritsuka Fujimaru nodded in agreement. "That's right, that's exactly what I mean."

Jekyll looked puzzled. "How did you understand what she was trying to say?" Then, a possibility occurred to him. "Could it be because of the same sex? Ah, no, nothing!"

At this point, Mordred said, "This is a one-time exception, or I'll kill you."

Jekyll didn't show any anger at the threat. "Understood. I'm sorry, I won't say anything more. Oh, by the way, my intelligence network has received other intelligence."

"Strange things have appeared in Soho District, and they're even said to be invading homes and attacking residents."

Jekyll's expression turned serious as he recounted this.

Upon hearing that something was attacking the people inside, everyone became serious.

Romani chimed in at this point. "It's been confirmed. The androids, automatons, and Chaos Mechanical Soldier —these guys so far—"

Jekyll added, "Based on my intelligence network and the swordsmen's patrols, they shouldn't have ever broken into the house. The thing that broke in and attacked the citizens seems to be a book about the size of a human body."

"I'll call it the Demon Book for now, and I hope you can deal with it. Although it's not clear whether it's related to the Demon Fog Project, there have already been victims in Soho District."

"We hope you can help us. Are you willing to take on this task?"

Just as Ritsuka Fujimaru, as the leader, was about to speak, Black Jeanne Alter spoke first.

"Mephistopheles said he'd take the task and that we should continue investigating other things."

"He's going to make a move?" Ritsuka Fujimaru asked in surprise. "I thought he was planning to stay until the end of this mission."

This piqued Jekyll's curiosity. "Your companion is very powerful? How many people are on his side?"