Miracle Summoner

"Ugh... ugh..."

Suppressed sobbing echoed like a blade piercing the heart, resounding across the skies of the Mountain City.

In the vast square at the center of town, countless Mountain People, weathered and worn from long journeys, collapsed to the ground. Each one was crying.

Some wept because their bodies were covered in wounds.

Some wept because they had finally reached a safe haven.

Some wept because they had lost loved ones.

Others wept uncontrollably, uncertain of the fate of their companions.

As they lay there, the residents of the Mountain City responded in different ways: some stepped forward to comfort them, offering porridge and food; others knelt in prayer, their expressions devout; still others tended to children, the elderly, women, and the injured.

All of them wore heavy expressions, and the city, which had been filled with celebratory cheer just the day before, now felt unbearably somber.

Rozen, Mash, Hassan of Serenity, Bedivere, and Artoria [Alter] stood silently, watching the scene. Even Jeanne [Alter] had appeared at some point, leaning against a nearby wall, her face filled with displeasure.

Then...

"We've detected residual magical energy—traces of an incredibly powerful force."

Roman's voice came through the communicator on Rozen's wrist.

"It seems that yesterday, a terrifying force was unleashed in the mountain regions, destroying the scattered villages of the Mountain People," Olga Marie added solemnly.

"That's quite an extraordinary magical energy reading. Preliminary estimates put it at around 3,000,000. For reference, the output of a fully unleashed high-grade Noble Phantasm is approximately between 1,000 and 3,000. This destructive force was at least a thousand times more powerful than a high-grade Noble Phantasm," Da Vinci explained, her tone grave.

Hearing this, Artoria [Alter] spoke in a cold voice.

"There's no doubt about it. That was the Lion King's Holy Spear delivering judgment—the Pillar of Purification of Rhongomyniad."

Rozen immediately recalled that light pillar—the one he had glimpsed with [Mind's Eye] upon first arriving in this Singularity and again when they fought the Lion King in the Holy City.

Undoubtedly, that was the power of the Lion King's Noble Phantasm, Rhongomyniad.

The Lion King was not only able to unleash this light during battle but could also project its power from the Holy City across vast distances, obliterating any corner of the land at will.

In the past, the Lion King had used this power to burn villages in the Holy Land to ash, leaving craters resembling impact sites from a meteor strike.

Now, the Lion King had once again unleashed this power, destroying the Mountain People's scattered villages in the mountain regions.

As a result, two Hassan serving Artoria [Alter] had perished, sacrificing themselves to evacuate and save the Mountain People. Ordinary Mountain People, without the protection of a Servant, had to face hunger, fear, and threats from wild beasts and magical creatures in their desperate bid to reach safety. Many bore grievous wounds, and there were significant casualties.

No wonder the atmosphere was so oppressive.

"This place was likely spared thanks to the multiple layers of protections and concealments that Master set up," Bedivere said gravely. "The Lion King couldn't locate this place, so she couldn't unleash her judgment upon it."

"Two Hassans and many Mountain People perished in the process..." Mash's voice trembled with sorrow.

"Did we provoke the wrath of a lion?" Jeanne [Alter] sneered sarcastically.

"Hassan of the Cursed Arm and Hassan of the Hundred-Faces... just like that..." Hassan of Serenity's expression was forlorn, as though she couldn't fathom that her predecessors had perished so suddenly.

Rozen narrowed his eyes.

"So, because we slew two Knights of the Round Table, the Lion King retaliated by unleashing judgment and burning two of our Hassans alive?"

Was this a deliberate act of revenge, or was it a calculated show of force, meant to deal a blow to morale and demonstrate her overwhelming power? Rozen couldn't be sure.

But he did know one thing.

"The Lion King has begun to see us as a threat."

Otherwise, she wouldn't have acted so decisively, unleashing Rhongomyniad the very night after two of her knights had fallen, to destroy the scattered villages of the Mountain People.

If not for the layers of wards and spatial distortion that Rozen had set up around the Mountain City, concealing it completely, the Lion King would undoubtedly have obliterated this place too.

"I won't forget this grudge, Lion King," Artoria [Alter] muttered softly to herself. She then turned to the group.

"There's something we need to discuss."

What was it?

"Should we go rescue the missing Mountain People?"

Artoria [Alter] raised the question.

Indeed, some of the Mountain People had gone missing.

"Without a Servant's protection or warriors to defend them, it's nearly impossible for ordinary humans to cross half the mountain region to reach here," Artoria [Alter] explained.

"The threats of wild beasts and magical creatures have not only inflicted heavy losses on the Mountain People who gathered here but also forced their groups to scatter multiple times. Many have been separated," Roman, Da Vinci, and Olga Marie reported over the communicator.

In other words...

"Many Mountain People have fled to dangerous areas and are now facing dire situations," Hassan of Serenity said, her voice filled with disbelief.

But this was the harsh reality.

"In the Holy Land, the Holy Knights continue to slaughter refugees. In the desert regions, the Sun King's beasts roam unchecked. Those who fled to these places have no chance of survival without aid," Jeanne [Alter] declared in a flat tone.

"And we've confirmed that the borders of the mountain regions are surrounded by Holy Knight forces. It seems the Holy City anticipated this and plans to wipe out the survivors," Bedivere brought more grim news.

"Could it be... Sir Agravain's doing?" Mash reacted, realizing who could orchestrate such a merciless and cunning strategy.

No one else but Agravain.

Agravain must have predicted that the Mountain People would scatter under the threat of wild beasts and magical creatures. As a result, he stationed forces at the borders, prepared to massacre those fleeing toward the Holy Land.

As for those who fled to the desert, they would inevitably fall prey to the Sun King's beasts.

This was annihilation.

In the face of such a reality, Artoria [Alter] posed the question to the group once again:

"Should we save them?"

The group turned to Rozen, seeking his decision.