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

Credits: Oguro Ryuya

"Then let's do as you wish, Lord Alaric. I hope we will meet again someday—" Seeing that Alaric had proactively suggested taking Serenity back, Cursed Arm Hassan had no further requests. He laughed freely.

"There will be such a day, Mr. Cursed Arm."

"We will meet again."

Alaric smiled and said, "But for now, I'll need you all to move quickly. Time waits for no one, you know!"

"Sir Alaric, are we parting ways now?" Mashu asked curiously.

"More or less," Alaric replied. "We'll have to split into two groups. As for where we meet again—let's make it at King Ozymandias' place. You've already witnessed the harshness of this Singularity, and the task he entrusted to me is now complete."

"That King Ozymandias? I wanted to visit him before, but that woman who chirps like a bird drove me away," Sanzang mentioned with a dejected look upon hearing Ozymandias' name.

It seemed being driven away was an experience she couldn't forget.

"Driven away?"

Alaric inhaled sharply when he heard this. That chirping woman—it must have been Ms. Nitocris, right?

A month ago, Alaric had just killed Ozymandias once. If Sanzang had gone to the Holy City at that time, she must have encountered Nitocris, who was consumed by guilt and anger.

Even though Sanzang didn't know anything about it, it was no surprise that she hadn't been welcomed. Being driven away was entirely normal.

Alaric blinked and chose not to explain, skipping over Sanzang's complaint as if nothing had happened.

"Originally, I planned to split everyone into two groups for the mission, but now it seems I've been split off on my own. So, I'll leave the rest to you all. We'll meet again in the desert."

Without lingering to exchange pleasantries with Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others, Alaric, adhering to the principle that time is money, quickly turned and left.

...

Once separated from Fujimaru and the group, Alaric set off alone, heading out of the mountains.

Transforming into a streak of crimson lightning, he cut across the entire mountain range at a speed rivaling Arash's mountain-splitting arrow! At such a pace, Alaric would soon leave the mountains and head toward the fortress in the wilderness. But before departing, there was one thing he needed to confirm.

"Miss Da Vinci, how are you doing now?"

At this point, Alaric's desire for the True Aether, crafted by Da Vinci and Paracelsus, grew stronger by the minute.

After navigating the area for nearly an hour, Alaric finally found the village hidden deep in the valley.

As soon as he entered the village, he ran into a familiar child.

"Hey, Rushd, how's the village doing?"

It was none other than Rushd, the child Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu had saved during the battle at Holy Selection.

"Big brother! The village is doing great! Everyone has food to eat and is resting well!" Rushd nodded energetically.

Seeing the well-behaved Rushd, Alaric ruffled his hair and said with a smile, "Then live well and grow up strong. Don't end up like me, leaving nothing behind."

"Huh? Big brother, why do you say that? Everyone will remember you! Even the adults in the village talk about you!" Rushd said with a bright smile, swaying his head in rhythm with Alaric's.

"…"

Hearing Rushd's innocent words, Alaric's smile deepened. "Then I'll count on you, Rushd. Please remember me, even if only for a year, okay?"

In the face of death—especially an unnoticed, silent death—Alaric couldn't help but feel fear.

The resetting of the world would erase all traces of his existence. The only proof that Alaric had ever lived would be the memories of the Chaldea team.

As for locals like Rushd, they would return to the original timeline. Any memory of the events in this Singularity would vanish, making it impossible for them to remember someone like Alaric.

Yet, in the face of Rushd's innocent reassurance, Alaric smiled and responded, "Let's both do our best, Rushd. Let's live well."

"Okay!"

Rushd's small face was firmly held by Alaric's hand, and he nodded vigorously.

Afterward, Alaric parted ways with Rushd and headed straight for the magical workshop where Da Vinci and Paracelsus were.

"Miss Da Vinci, Mr. Paracelsus—how's the crafting of the True Aether coming along?" Alaric asked as he entered the workshop.

The workshop, a simple structure converted from the mountain people's homes, was filled with instruments Da Vinci had dismantled from the Pterygoid Sphinx.

Seeing Alaric storm in and immediately ask about progress, Da Vinci put down her work.

"Hmm? It'll still take some time. Even though this genius Da Vinci solved the material issues, crafting True Aether isn't something that can be rushed, Sir Alaric," Da Vinci said, stretching her shoulders. Noticing that Alaric had returned alone, she asked, "Did Fujimaru and the others not come back with you?"

Alaric, sensing the strange magical energy flowing through the workshop, noticed that the very essence of magic in the air seemed to be changing, heading in an incomprehensible direction.

"Is this the magic of the Age of Gods?"

Simply breathing it in made his body feel invigorated, and his dragon core throbbed with excitement.

Suppressing the excitement in his body, Alaric replied, "Fujimaru and the others went into the mountains with Hassan to meet the First Hassan. They're recruiting a powerful ally for us."

Alaric added, "Oh, by the way, Miss Da Vinci—because I defeated Mordred, the Lion King's movements will accelerate. We don't have much time left."

"?"

Da Vinci paused, a look of surprise forming on her face. It was as if several big question marks had appeared over her head.

"Wait, you defeated one of the Knights of the Round Table just like that? That's way too efficient! Even I'm shocked," Da Vinci said. "The First Hassan—that's the legendary assassin, right? But if a Hassan went to meet him personally, wouldn't he be… executed?"

It was clear that Da Vinci understood the legends surrounding the First Hassan. Without needing an explanation, she quickly grasped the gravity of the situation.

"That's the resolve needed to protect this land, Da Vinci. Cursed Hassan doesn't fear death. So, how quickly can you produce the True Aether? Do you need a Holy Grail?" Alaric asked, raising his hand to summon the golden cup. Overflowing with dense magical energy, it distorted the air and created strange phenomena.

"That would be ideal! But won't losing the Holy Grail weaken your combat ability significantly?" Da Vinci asked as she took the Grail. "We need your strength right now. If something goes wrong, it'll be a problem."

"It's fine. Even with just my magic, I can fight. As long as I don't encounter Sir Gawain or the King, I can handle it," Alaric replied confidently.

Hearing Alaric's assurance, Da Vinci said no more. She understood how important the True Aether was to him. His desire for it was plain to see.

To seek strength at such a critical moment in the war, Alaric's intent was clear: to enhance his power.

"With the Holy Grail, we can produce about ten units of True Aether. You could use it to enhance your Noble Phantasm two or three times," Da Vinci calculated. Originally, the Aether produced using Paracelsus' techniques and magical equipment had been labeled as "pseudo" Aether. Despite being close to genuine, it could not fully match the true thing.

"That's more than enough."

Alaric's expression remained unchanged upon hearing Da Vinci's answer. Even if he could only use it once, that would be sufficient.

Victory rested on a single strike.