[Epilogue?]
(???'s POV)
Japan Year ???
A couple could be seen in a hermit long with a dark-haired boy on top of a pink-haired maiden; both were half naked.
From this short description, you might be wondering if they were sharing some intimate time with each other, but the reality was far from that.
This is because the boy was holding a dagger with both hands.
"I… am sorry…" With a trembling voice, the boy spoke as he lifted the dagger in the air. In his heart, he was praying for all the natural forces to somehow stop him from doing what he was about to do, but no one came to stop him.
The woman below, on the other hand, was calm. A small smile could be seen on her face, emitting her love for the boy. Even though she was about to meet her end for no reason, if it was something that her lover chose, she would gladly take thousands of daggers.
"I am sorry…" The boy said those words for the last time with tears in his eyes and brought down the dagger, ending another tragic story.
(AN: Can you guess the woman?)
---
(Titus's POV)
Cling! Cling! Cling!
The resonant clash of blades reverberated throughout my mansion's backyard. On one hand, Shirou charged aggressively with his two iconic blades, exclaiming, "Kheh! Hiyah!"
Clang!
Shirou swung his blades in a cross pattern, but I easily dodged the attack with my metal shield. However, I didn't wait for another second and swiped my sword at Shirou's neck, a move he barely dodged.
"Oi, oi, Titus! Are you seriously trying to kill me?" Shirou smirked as he leaped a couple of steps back. "Heh," I responded with a smirk and raised my shield.
Shirou first rested his body for a couple of seconds before assuming a pose for the final strike. "Give your best to dodge this!" With those words, Shirou charged with lightning speed towards me. Before I knew it, he was already in front of me. It was obvious that I wouldn't be able to block his attack with my shield, but who said that I couldn't use my skills.
[You used Skill: Force Slow C]
With that notification, Shirou's movements became dull, so much so that it seemed like time had stopped for him. In that moment, I swung my sword across Shirou's twin blades, disarming him.
"What the hell was that?!" After the time lapse of the skill, Shirou inquired. For him, I probably would have moved with lightning speed, impossible for a normal human being.
"Hehe, didn't I tell you that I have surprises for you?" I laughed.
"Sigh! Then this is your win…." Shirou sighed and admitted his defeat. With that said, my other skill also ended.
[Temporary Skill of Imperial Privilege A: Roman Soldier has ended.]
That's right, I was using my newly acquired skill, [Imperial Privilege], this whole time. For the past couple of days, I have been testing my skills for quite a while. And I must say, both [Imperial Privilege A] and [Force Slow C] are broken skills. Imperial Privilege is versatile if you ignore the cooldown time. I could acquire any skill I could think of. I could also acquire ordinary skills like Riding or Swordsmanship that I had no knowledge of. The reason I chose [Roman Soldier] instead of [Swordsmanship] was because the former could be used for both defense and offense, while the latter could only be used for mostly offense.
"Well, it's a good thing you are enjoying some fighting, or you would be spending all your time in your office," Shirou commented.
"H-hey, are you saying that I should touch some grass?"
"I didn't say that," Shirou rolled his eyes. "So why are you so depressed these days?"
Hearing that unexpected question, I was taken aback a little. At first, I thought if I should tell him my case but denied. A non-virgin like him would never understand me. It was then that an idea popped up in my head.
---
"This is just a kiss, okay? Just a kiss! No other funny business…! Ugh, I can't believe I am actually doing this in such a way…" Rin cried, throwing tantrums.
"Yes, it will be just a kiss and nothing else," I smiled and reassured her. I had no intention of holding or touching her elsewhere to begin with. There was once a boy who tried to harass her, but her one kick nearly sent the boy to heaven. I didn't want my bones to have the same effects. Besides, Rin was already kind enough to accept my shameless request. I didn't want to take more advantage here.
"You know… I wouldn't mind… if you try to… you know…" Rin muttered something with a bright pink face while rubbing her thighs together. I had no idea what she was muttering about, and I was sure to face a tsundere answer if I were to inquire about it, so I ignored her.
"Then..." Rin faced me and closed her eyes. 'What the… was she this beautiful?' I was taken aback as if I was looking at a different Rin. She didn't look anything like a money-hungry brute but a kind and soft maiden. I didn't know when and why I started caressing her cheek. Without wasting any time, I closed the distance to kiss her.
But then…
BUZZ*
In the next blink, I found Nero right in my embrace, covered in blood. It was a scene of her final moments. It was the moment Nero, my lover and my first wife, died in my hands, and I wasn't able to protect her.
"…us…"
Why did she have to die like this?
"…tus.."
Why couldn't I have my happiness?
"Titus!"
At that moment, I heard someone calling my name and I snapped.
"What…" I was confused as I was now in my office… and yes, I was trying to kiss Rin. I looked at Rin who looked concerned, "Rin, UGH!"
I immediately clenched my stomach as I was about to throw up but somehow held back. After taking a couple of long breaths, I calmed myself.
"Here, drink some water…" Rin brought me a glass of water that I drank to cool down my digestive system.
After that, silence took over the room with Rin and me sitting on the sofa not saying anything.
"You were pale and not breathing…" Rin broke the silence, "It is that bad, huh…"
"Yeah…"
It was the reason I persuaded Rin to kiss me. Actually, I just found out that I had severe PTSD after losing Nero. If I ever got close to any woman, I would hallucinate Nero's dying moment and then feel nauseous. I would go pale or begin to vomit. And worst of all, my 'thing' isn't also working anymore. I got an ED.
"Do you still love… that woman Nero?" Rin asked with a downed tone, to which I nodded in affirmation. Rin was the only person I had shared my full story with Nero Claudius. I told her how I went back in time, got closer to Nero, married her, had bed her, and then lost her.
"I tried to forget and move on but… I just couldn't." I didn't want to be stuck with one tragedy. Since this is Nasuverse we are talking about, I was sure it was bound to happen. So I wanted to move on, but I couldn't just forget Nero and start a new relationship. What was worse, my thing wasn't moving. No matter how hard I tried, my dragon remained in its slumber. I wasn't trying to sleep around with women; it was just depressing as a man.
"I am sorry…" Rin apologized, even though it wasn't her fault. I tried to clear her misunderstanding, but it would just drag this meaningless conversation. In the end, she left the room without saying any words.
"Sigh… I shouldn't have asked her…" I considered Rin my best friend, yet I asked such a shameless thing.
"Whatever. Nothing I could do now." For the time being, I decided to put the matter of Rin and my PTSD aside and opened my system window.
There are two types of missions in the system: [Main Mission] and [Requested Mission]. The main mission was a quest that I completed in Nero's timeline. On the other hand, I had no idea about the latter.
According to the system, Requested Missions would be granted based on my desire. Since I didn't receive any main mission for the month, I decided to try the Requested Mission.
"So how do I proceed with the Requested Mission?" I asked my system.
[For a Requested Mission, the host only has to explain a scenario like a timeline or a place, and the system will choose a suitable mission if available. Furthermore, you may only be able to earn LCs or Skills but no EXPs.]
So no level up, huh. It didn't matter. I just wanted to test this system and how the mechanics work. What's more, I wouldn't mind earning some skills and LCs.
"Let's see… Then how about London since I am familiar with this place? Also, not too old London. Probably 1800s?"
[The system has obtained the required information for the Requested Mission.]
[Processing…]
[The system has detected a mission.]
[Requested Mission: The Rhymes of London Lake (Imaginary Dreamshift)
Destination: London, 1888 AD.
Quest: Save 'Jack the Ripper'
Status: 0%
Attempts: 5
Time limit: 5 days
Restrictions: Everything except Passive Skills and Character's skill shall be sealed.
Rewards: 50,000 LCs, Skills, Luck stat boost.]
I jumped from excitement the moment I read the description.
"Ooo! I will be facing the infamous Jack the Ripper!" Jack the Ripper was a notorious unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. His killings usually involved prostitutes working in slums. Whoever this person was, he has haunted London police to this day.
As a history nerd, I was also interested in him, so I knew every little detail about his case through documentaries and personal investigations. And because of this, this mission should be pretty easy to cover. However, there are some other factors to consider.
First of all, this is Jack the Ripper we are talking about. Who is this person? Since his real identity has always been a mystery. His gender, age, face, nothing about him was known. Some say that he was a doctor, some say that he was a college professor, or some even say that he was a butcher from the way he performed those grotesque surgeries on his victims. But this is all just speculations.
In Nasuverse, there are two Jack the Rippers. One is well known as a petite child with silver hair and questionable clothing, as you might have seen in Fate Apocrypha. All I knew was that she was some kind of persona or spirit of Jack the Ripper's legend rather than the actual deal. The other is a berserker class servant from Fate Strange Fake. He would be what you call a real deal, but since he was a berserker and never manifested in true form, I had no idea how he looked like.
Lastly, what the heck is "Save Jack the Ripper" about? Is this mission asking me to save the infamous killer? If so, then how? He was a damn professional serial killer, and with my magecraft and skills sealed, how am I supposed to even get close to him?
"Now that I think about it, this mission gave me five attempts. Does it have anything to do with Jack the Ripper's infamous 'Canonical five'?"
The Canonical five were a series of murders between August 31 and November 9, 1888, often considered the most likely to be linked. The murders were never solved, and the legends surrounding these crimes became a combination of historical research, folklore, and pseudohistory, capturing the public's imagination to the present day.
"I knew all the names of all the victims along with their locations. I think it would be easy. Yes, that should work."
Another thing to notice is that this mission was going to be an Imaginary Dreamshift. It means that whatever I do in that reality won't affect the current timeline. The time limit was also five days, but I wouldn't need that much preparation. I got up and immediately went to a box of documents. It contained information related to all the servants I could think of. I then went through Jack the Ripper's information, but since most of it was the same as my previous life, I decided to start the mission.
I lay on my sofa and pressed the initiate button.
[The Dreamshift has begun.]
I saw a compass-like object with a needle rolling counterclockwise. I had already forgotten about this thing since it had been like 10 years. With that, I was enveloped in darkness.
---
(Titus's (Charles) POV)
When I opened my eyes, I found myself sitting on a chair. Judging by the appearance of the room, it seemed like some kind of police or detective office. There were some old English stationeries and a large map of London with red markings over the Whitechapel area.
I got up from my chair and approached a mirror in the room.
"Oh no…" I couldn't help but frown as I observed my reflection. It seemed like I had aged 30 years more. My hairline had receded, and my belly and limbs had swollen. All in all, my body was in total disarray. Though I also sported a mustache and a short beard, which looked good.
Without thinking much, I opened my status.
[[Status]]
Name: Titus Dusklock (Temporary Name: Charles Octavian Hill)
Age: 41
Elements: Light (Special)
Level: 19 (Locked)
…
Parameters:
STR: 23
MAG: -
END: 16
AGI: 18
LUC: 98
…
HP: 125
MP: -
…
Passive Skills: (Imperial Manager A), (Golden Rule D), (Speaker C: Temp), (Good Foster A: Temp)
Active Skills (Disabled)
…
Magecraft (Disabled)
---
[Charles Octavian Hill is a fictional character created in this reality.
Charles is a wealthy aristocrat with vast lands inherited through his family. He has also served in parliament but retired after three consecutive marriage failures. He then worked as a college professor and guidance counselor but decided to become a detective after hearing about recent murders in London.]
"So that's why he has a Speaker skill, but I think the other skills don't match his other profession. Whatever, I should get going."
The time was 12:15 a.m. on Friday, August 31, 1888. It was the exact date of the first victim's death in the Canonical five, Mary Ann Nichols. Her body was found at 3:40 a.m., so I didn't have much time. Although my office was near Whitechapel, it would still take some time to reach the location.
I quickly put on my coat and hat, and then looked in the mirror. "Hey mate, cheers! Ahem, wrong English accent," I coughed. "Good evening, my good sir~. Yes, this should work."
With that, I grabbed my umbrella and left my office, gazing at the cloudy sky. It wasn't because of rain; this was air pollution. If I remembered correctly, this era marked the peak of the industrial revolution.
Anyway, I started moving toward the murder location, feeling both scared and excited to encounter the infamous Jack the Ripper.
===
Volume 2 starts from this chapter. This will be sort of side story but will affect later on and then I will go to Caster's storyline. For Lancer's story, I have chosen Cú Chulainn (the Irish Lore). Sorry, my Indians fans, Mahabharat is little complex and deep but I will be adding another Indian servant later.
If you like to read in advance or support me then please give a visit:
https://www.patr eon.com/J_Titan