I am a Peerless Hero without equal! (WC/Currently in FGO Part 1)

Ritsuka woke up to the sound of busyness. As he opened his eyes to stare at the blank wooden ceiling above him, the teen found the vibrations of over half a dozen humans echoing all around him. He was surrounded by the voices of people scrambling to get ready for work in the morning.

He got up into a sitting position, rubbing bits of sleep out of his eyes as the voices and echoes of a busy family removed what little desire for rest he had left. Ritsuka opened his eyes to find the room mostly empty, the wind quietly howling through the window. In the corner of this floor stacked atop each other were folded-up rolls of bedsheets and blankets. Out the windows, the teen spotted very little light. The sky was still dim as if someone had opened the blinders by just a fraction.

The sun hasn't even risen yet and these people are already up?

He replicated what the others did, placing his folded-up blanket by others, slipping into his shoes, and walking downstairs. There, he found some of the younger kids chowing down on leftover cabbage stew from last night. The fireplace was already roaring, and the metal pot hung above it was bubbling as Mary scooped up more of last night's meal into bowls that she gave to waiting children.

"Good morning Senpai," Mash said as she hopped over with two bowls of soup in her hands. Mash wore her armor rather than the sleepwear from last night. "The kids are thankful the Chittering didn't come last night it seems."

The girl handed Ritsuka a bowl of soup.

"Thank you, Mash," Ritsuka replied as he took the bowl. Still, the kids are thankful the Chittering didn't come? Perhaps it's not a simple bogeyman then.

He could feel the heat of the soup emanating from the bowl into his fingers. It helped chase away the frigidness of the morning, as well as chasing away thoughts of the Chittering.

Sitting by the table, the two were an island of calm in an ocean of chaos as more and more of the childrens left for work, wearing their rags for clothing, all except William, who just sat in the corner and read from a thick book of at least 200 pages. Strange, considering there's not a single book anywhere in this house. Perhaps a gift?

As the first spoonful of the soup reached Ritsuka's tongue, he found it even more bland compared to last night. It was as if he was drinking hot water with cabbage chunks floating in it.

Such a bland dish made Ritsuka seriously crave a burrito. After Archer introduced him to one, the flavorful rice, spicy sauce, crunchy exterior, and texture of the lettuce made the teen develop a taste for Mexican food.

He sighed and pretended he was eating a 'liquid' burrito as he forced down the cabbage soup.

Mary sat in front of Ritsuka, beside Mash as every other kid aside from William left for work.

"Does… William work later?" Mash asked in curiosity, quietly so William wouldn't hear it.

"He doesn't work." Hues of disdain colored Mary's voice, "He's me sister's lad, given to me after she went and died traipsin' off to the Congo. Foolish woman, she was."

Mary had a dark look on her face, one that quickly disappeared like the smoke rising from a campfire. She smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. She probed, "Enough about me—what're you lot plannin' on doin'?"

The tragedy must've happened a while ago for Mary to appear relatively untouched.

"We'll be trying to find our companions. Arriving here in London, we got separated." Ritsuka stated, "I was hoping you could suggest a place where I can maybe hear of their whereabouts?"

Mary thought about it for a moment, before shaking her head, "Sorry, but I can't think of anywhere off the top of me head."

"Then, do you know of a tavern? A bar where people drink?"

Mary smiled and chuckled almost mockingly as if Ritsuka's question was about whether the sky was blue or not. Such a reaction caused Ritsuka to feel almost annoyed.

"There's taverns all over the place" Mary then added, "all there for folk to drown their sorrows."

Ritsuka had to blink twice to register the absurdity of what Mary just said. Even after over a day here in London, it's still jarring to see how miserable everyone was. At least, those in the lower class. Even if they're happy, these people live objectively miserable lives from having to work ten hours minimum a day just to get by to using alcohol as a coping mechanism. It made Ritsuka feel sad for them.

But this was a Singularity. Any change he tried to introduce would be erased after the Singularity was resolved. In a way, he was essentially interacting with memories. Such powerlessness in the face of a brutal reality caused Ritsuka to feel sick.

He wants to help. To make a difference. To do something that would give him meaning. To step out of Kuku's shadow. To be useful.

"Thank you, Mary," Ritsuka said as he quickly finished with his bowl of soup.

As the duo stood by the doorway, about to leave, Ritsuka turned around and performed a 90-degree bow— a sign of respect in his culture. It was an action Mash replicated with a bit of uncertainty and rigidness. An understandable reaction since she was raised in Chaldea.

"Thank you, Mary. You've helped me a great deal and I will always be grateful."

"Thank you, Mary," Mash repeated.

"Oh, you're makin' me blush! You're all welcome, just don't go forgettin' me, alright?" Mary's smile reached her eyes this time, the skin around her cheeks showing the faintest wrinkles.

With that, Ritsuka left the house, traversing a narrow passage between multiple boxes stacked almost as tall as he was. The moment he stepped out of those boxes, the teen was hit with the pungent odor of feces and sewage. He grimaced, breathing through his mouth, covering his nose, and turning back to see Mash doing the same thing.

Now out in the streets, Ritsuka found it relatively empty of people. Quiet too, for not even birds could live in a city as polluted as London, only rats and other vermins. There weren't any children playing around, all went to work to support their families.

Ritsuka tried to ignore the deathly silence and recalled the paths he had taken yesterday when he followed Mary. The teen found the London slums a labyrinth of tunnels and passageways that one can easily get lost in.

That woman at the police station was right about how London eats people. So many dark alleyways one can disappear into, it's no wonder some are never seen again.

In fact, he likely would've gotten lost, devoured in whole by the slums, if it weren't for the looming smoke stacks that rose above the townhouses like faraway pillars, their black silhouettes clawed at the blanket of everpresent thick clouds above. They served as reference points, allowing Ritsuka to know where he was heading. Alongside this were the hammering sounds, the industry's voice, and the factories' echoes bellow out from the industrial district like the wind from a storm.

Ritsuka moved away from those smokestacks toward the richer sections of London. As he did, the roads grew noticeably better. At first, the holes in the cobblestone roads disappeared; in their place stood pavements that hinted at being maintained. The trash was also becoming rarer, and alongside this, the odor of sewage and feces grew weaker and weaker, replaced with the faint smell of flowers, as if Ritsuka were strolling through a garden in full bloom rather than the London streets.

Quickly, a horse-drawn cart went past the duo. The smell of the horse caused Ritsuka to gag.

Victorian Londoners rarely bathed, Ritsuka reminded himself. They didn't believe in bathing, and they covered up the smell with perfumes.

"Senpai, I think that's a tavern," Mash said. She pointed at a three-story townhouse with the metal tracing of a mug covering the second floor like a poster. Underneath that metal tracing read out 'Old Tabard'.

"Let's go, Mash."

As Ritsuka approached, he took in the sight of this tavern. It was placed in the corner of an intersection. Its walls were scorched black with soot and dirt, to the point where you could barely see the red bricks that used to make up this building. The windows on it were no more than simple metal frames draped with stained cloth with numerous holes in them. Shards of shattered glass littered the space beside its walls, glittering against the dirty street like sand.

Taking in a deep breath, Ritsuka entered through the opened doorway to find total darkness save for a tiny spot of illumination on the ceiling. Very quickly, more details came into focus as his eyes adapted to the darkness.

It was relatively empty. Tables and chairs were mostly devoid of people, save for a few drunkards lying passed out.

The floors creaked as another man walked out from behind several large caskets full of beer.

"Would you like to order some beer or wine?" The man was dressed much better than those passed out. He must be the owner of this tavern.

"We're here to ask for some information, actually." Ritsuka said. The man flashed a look of annoyance.

"Sorry, we're closed right now."

"Wha—? I just need to ask some questions! My companions are missing and I was hoping—"

"To get information from those passed out? Go loiter somewhere else if you're not going to order drinks."

After being kicked out, Ritsuka leaned on the side of a building, Mash stood ramrod straight beside him. "It seems we'll need to wait until everyone's done with work."

"Senpai, I think if we want to collect information we can buy a newspaper from a newsboy. The industrial revolution is in full swing and thus, so are the printers."

"You're right Mash," Mash beamed, only to weaken as Ritsuka continued, "But we don't have any of the currency." The teen frowned as he took out the container for those emergency rations. "We could trade this…"

Or we can steal it. Ritsuka spoke of that option within the confines of his mind, never out loud. He rubbed against the sides of his forehead as an idea began to form.

Taverns.

Taverns are where the poor go to drown out their misery. Alcohol is the drug of the underclass. Coffee helped start the Age of Enlightenment, serving as fuel for Enlightened Thinking. Coffee is the drug of the upper class.

"We can go to a cafe."

"A cafe? But Senpai…" Mash trailed off as she thought about it. Taking her only a few seconds to recognize how this plan might work, "A cafe would work. Cafes were seen as the gathering places for intellectuals. Gossip would be aplenty. It could work! Potentially much better than a tavern!"

Thus, the teen headed towards the even richer portion of London. Once more, using the towering smokestacks that pierced the eternal blanket of clouds above, it didn't take long before the duo found themselves being flooded with an even stronger scent.

The streets were impeccably clean, and the air was filled with pleasant scents. The buildings were decorated with pointed arches above windows, stained glass windows, and intricate stone carvings lining the edges of the numerous townhouses. Compared to the slums, they were beautiful.

And Big Ben's chimes echoed much more noticeably now the two were closer to that famous landmark.

This was the upper-class portion of London.

It didn't take too long for Ritsuka to find a cafe. They were mostly like cafes in the modern day, except for those aristocrats sitting in the courtyard in their dresses, tuxedos, and top hats, sipping on elaborately decorated china cups. The rich aroma of coffee drifted from the place like smoke from a fire. It reminded Ritsuka of those movie theaters, where they intentionally make the popcorn smell really nice to entice you to buy them.

Looking at the cafe, the contrast between those who have and those who don't has never been starker. Even in Rome, whether it's because of the culture or the generosity of Emperor Nero, even the poorest slums smelled much nicer than the slums of London. For one, Nero employed carts to move the feces outside the city.

The duo stayed on the periphery of the courtyard, right outside its waist-high fences. They tried to look busy— examining the emergency food ration container as if it were an interesting trinket— such that no one would kick them out.

"...I tell you, Lady Whitmore is beside herself. Lord Whitmore has seen twice this week on Regent Street, walking arm-in-arm with that insufferable opera singer. What's his name again? A foreign name—Davin?"

"You don't think…?"

"Oh, I think it's very much the case. Doesn't seem Lord Whitmore is a Lord of his Lady anymore~."

Ritsuka moved somewhere else, he took a deep breath to try and douse the burning embarrassment of eavesdropping on an affair. Mash was elsewhere, standing on another part of the cafe's periphery.

"There's a party hosted by Ashford on Thursday. Curious, considering their recent financial troubles. One would wonder where they found such funds. Gah, they're such peacocks."

It really was a sea of gossip. Nobles, the upper crust of society gossiping with each other about all the happenings around the court.

"She declined the dance? Imagine, a lady turning down the Duke. Either she's hopelessly foolish or far more cunning than she appears."

"Lord Harcourt's favorite mistress was struck down with the Whore Pox, but just today a servant witnessed her coming back, as good as new."

"Have you heard? Charles Frederick Worth has postponed his next show. Postponed! Apparently, he's stumbled upon some 'new inspiration.' Well, dear, for his sake, I do hope it's worth it—imagine the shame if it isn't."

"My cousin, the police chief, said how there's a strange decline of the Westscot gang activities. I'm sure it'll return to normal, as it always has."

"Lady Thorne claims she never drinks port. Funny, I watched her finish two glasses just last night. Something must've caught her eye."

It was difficult to separate what was useful from what was not. So much gossip, all wrapped up in a dozen and more layers of separation, stuff like 'my cousin said…', 'my brother told me…', my niece announced…'. It made their truth dubious.

Ritsuka found a terrible irony. These people, the most powerful men and women in London, resembled more closely with high schoolers. They truly were like high schoolers, with how much they gossiped and were concerned about the secrets of other aristocrats. Where Mary and her family lived each day concerned with how to get by, these men and women who lord over those peasants were more concerned with such frivolous, trivial matters as 'what dresses another lady wore to a house party'.

He supposed it was simply human nature. When all your needs are met you concern yourself with less important things.

Ritsuka only left when some of the waiters began giving him the stink eye. It wasn't something he could ignore like when other passersby gave him a look of disdain for simply being Japanese. The teen didn't want the police involved again, not like last time.

"Okay, so what have we learned?" Ritsuka asked as the duo walked.

"I… wasn't able to hear much, I'm sorry Senpai." Mash was apologetic, "However, I did hear that Queen Victoria hasn't been seen out much lately. She hasn't been holding court for the past month either."

Ritsuka cupped his chin, "That meant something was occupying all of her attention. Something that's important enough to divert a ruler away from the matters of her kingdom." He smirked, "The Holy Grail must be in her hands then."

"It could be circumstantial evidence, Senpai," Mash warned.

A look of thoughtfulness passed over Ritsuka's face, "You're right. It could, but it's our best lead."

He stared up at the cloudy sky and pondered their next move. His stomach was not hungry at all with the emergency rations filling him. Neither was Mash's.

"What did you overhear, Senpai?" Mash asked.

Big Ben's hourly chimes echoed once more. Its volume was comparable to someone softly talking.

"... Honestly not much either. I overheard a lot of things, but it's difficult to discern actually useful information from simple court gossip."

Mash looked disappointed. Seeing her like this prompted Ritsuka to try and cheer her up, "I did hear someone being miraculously cured of her illness! Maybe that's the work of a Servant?"

It seemed to work as Mash no longer appeared wilted, her mood improving.

"We managed to get some leads with this excursion. Now just how do we capitalize on it?" Ritsuka's mind became fixated on getting into Buckingham Palace. Queen Victoria's residence would obviously be where the Holy Grail sustaining this strange Singularity rests. But since it's the Queen's residence, it'll also be the most heavily defended place in all of London.

He's not an Assassin who can sneak in, nor is he like Kuku who can bust through the front door without a single care in the world.

Ritsuka really needs his Servants. But a tiny voice inside him wanted to do this alone. To infiltrate Buckingham Palace. To prove he's not just some decoration powerless without his Servants.

The Last Master of Mankind lifted his head to stare up at the cloudy sky. This was perhaps the strangest weather he'd ever seen, a blanket of clouds hung overhead ever since he came to this Singularity, with not a single speck of blue found anywhere on that canvas of white and grey.

Such strange weather made tracking time hard as a sundial can't be used if there's no shadow. A survival skill he learned from Doctor Romani was made useless.

"So, what now, Senpai?"

"It's getting late. We'll head to a tavern and afterward return to Mary's residence. After that, we'll continue to plan our next moves."