Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King's Personal Knight

"True Ether, huh? This absolutely must not be revealed to Msiss Da Vinci. It's still a secret!"

Alaric raised a finger to his lips, refusing once again to answer Da Vinci's question about the purpose of True Ether. "This is the one thing I won't tell anyone. After all, it's personal."

Despite Alaric revealing so much about himself earlier, his unwillingness to disclose the purpose of True Ether made Da Vinci decide not to press the issue further. Instead, she shifted the discussion to the Lion King.

What Alaric had said during the day—that the Lion King could not be defeated—had piqued Da Vinci's curiosity. At the time, however, she had been too preoccupied with analyzing Alaric's situation to delve into it. Now, with more time on her hands, she brought it up.

"The King... you can tell just by looking at her Spirit Origin how vast the gap is. As a divine being, she radiates divine energy all over her body. Just the aura emanating from her is enough to stop ordinary people from approaching.

Even though Mash knows her true name, can she wield Galahad's power perfectly?"

Alaric flicked his finger, sending a crimson arc of electricity streaking through the night like a red meteor before vanishing into the distant mountains.

Without waiting for Da Vinci's reply, Alaric continued, "It's not just Mash. Even Fujimaru Ritsuka—while I admire Fujimaru's qualities as a Master—it's still not enough at this point.

Not only can you guys not defeat the Lion King, but you can't even beat Sir Gawain. If Sir Lancelot hadn't withdrawn early during that skirmish today—"

"It would have been up to you to defeat Lancelot, wouldn't it?" Da Vinci interjected, as though she had reached her conclusion. "You're resolved to personally slay the Knights of the Round Table. Can I assume you've already made up your mind?"

She turned her gaze toward Alaric, her beautiful eyes reflecting his figure as a faint fragrance disappeared into the night breeze.

"No, I cannot defeat Sir Lancelot. My swordsmanship was entirely taught by him. I can't break through his moves," Alaric sighed, marveling at Lancelot's unparalleled skill with a sword.

"All I can do is hold him back. Beyond that, it's up to you.

For now, though, it's better—only Mordred, Sir Tristan, Sir Gawain, and Sir Agravain remain of the Round Table Knights."

"If they launched an all-out assault, it would be over, just like when we went after King Richard the Lionheart."

Alaric recalled the battle against the Lionheart King when all the Round Table Knights had deployed. Had it not been for the Holy City nearing full capacity, the Tower at the End about to open, and the showdown with King Ozymandias approaching, Tristan and Mordred might have already come for them. Gawain, however, was harder to predict. The Holy City needed his defense now more than ever.

"Was it you who defeated King Richard the Lionheart?"

Da Vinci's curiosity flared. She was always fascinated by the events within this Singularity, and now that Alaric had finally opened up, she wasn't about to miss her chance to gather more knowledge.

"Of course! We crushed the Lionheart King!" Alaric replied with a confident smile, leaving out the part where he had nearly been killed.

As the night passed, Alaric and Da Vinci's long conversation finally drew to a close. Da Vinci gained a wealth of information about Singularity from Alaric, while Alaric acquired valuable magical knowledge from Da Vinci, including techniques like Projection Magecraft.

After Da Vinci left, Alaric stretched atop a large boulder. A sleepless night was no big deal to him. With a body as resilient as a Phantasmal Species, he could endure days and nights of continuous combat.

When Alaric returned to the village, he found Hassan of the Cursed Arm, Arash, and Fujimaru Ritsuka gathered together, seemingly discussing something.

"Hey, everyone, what's the topic of discussion?" Alaric greeted them casually. As Fujimaru and the others turned toward him, he noticed a member of the Mountain People standing before Hassan of the Cursed Arm.

'That's…'

Alaric immediately recognized the young man's attire—it belonged to the watchmen stationed at the mountain's observation posts. "Which village was attacked?"

"Lord Alaric, it's the western village," Hassan of the Cursed Arm replied gravely. "Judging by the raised red dragon banners, it was Mordred of the Round Table. Have you decided how we'll proceed?"

Alaric stroked his chin, his gaze sweeping over Fujimaru and the others before landing on Arash. "Is it up to Brother Arash, then?"

"Yes. Fujimaru and the others already agreed to my suggestion, and we were just about to call you!" Arash said with a smile.

"Oh, it's that one, huh!" Alaric clapped his hands, as though he had already guessed Arash's plan, leaving Fujimaru and the others even more confused.

"What exactly is Mr. Arash talking about?" Mash asked curiously.

"A very interesting one-way flight," Alaric said cryptically. "By the way, where's Miss Da Vinci?"

"Da Vinci returned to the workshop to help Paracelsus make True Ether," Mash explained. "She said: 'Since Sir Alaric is going, there's no need for me to go. He'll help you.'"

Before Alaric could respond, Arash and Hassan of the Cursed Arm impatiently interrupted, leading the group up the mountain. Soon, a few scattered houses came into view.

"That damaged house up there has a clay-repaired base on the roof. If you look closely, there's a handle on it," Arash pointed out.

Mash climbed up to inspect it and exclaimed, "Ah, there is! And there's even a hole big enough for your feet."

Bedivere, mimicking the pose, said awkwardly, "You grab the handle and fit your feet into the holes. It's… an almost crawling position."

"Arash's super express flight works like this: a one-way ticket at 300 kilometers an hour!" Alaric grinned as he helped Arash secure a massive arrow and rope.

At this, Mash, Bedivere, and Fujimaru finally realized how terrifying the plan was.

"Wait—surely not?" Bedivere looked horrified.

Mash forced a smile. "It seems… this isn't a joke, is it?"

Arash, however, was deadly serious. "Idiot! This isn't a joke! This is a matter of life and death—a tale to boast about over a good drink! We tie the massive arrow to the base, and in one go, shoot it at 300 kilometers an hour. The arrow will carry the base and fly about 20 kilometers. Simple!"

Fujimaru couldn't hold back and turned to Alaric. "Is this guy an idiot?!"

Arash ignored her, retorting, "You're the idiot! Be serious, or you'll bite your tongue!"

With that, Arash drew his bow, the string creaking under tension.

Seeing this, Fujimaru, Mash, and Bedivere quickly crouched and grabbed the handle.

Still incredulous, Mash muttered, "This can't possibly work!"

Then, Romani's exasperated voice came through: ["Well, they are Servants, after all. Servant Noble Phantasms don't follow the laws of physics. Shooting an arrow tens of kilometers is just a warm-up for Arash."]

"Oh! Brother, you sure know what to say! I've already picked the perfect landing spot!" Arash grinned.

And then—

Boom!

The sound of a cannon firing erupted, white shockwaves exploding outward as the deafening roar echoed through the mountains.