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

Credits: Ethan Johnson

Alaric clearly understood that King Hassan would only act when fated to do so, and the fact that he was manifesting alone in Mesopotamia could only be due to the pull of karma.

Alaric first ruled himself out as the reason, so he pondered who else, in his understanding, shared a karmic bond with King Hassan.

There was only one person: the Last Master of Humanity, Ritsuka Fujimaru.

At that moment, Alaric understood the purpose of King Hassan's arrival.

Considering the four goddesses currently active in Mesopotamia, none of them seemed to require the intervention of King Hassan.

To Alaric, aside from the yet-unseen Gorgon, the other three goddesses all seemed to lean toward humanity in their ways—similar to the Lion King, but with different methods of expressing their love for humanity.

Thus, the only matter of destiny that could warrant King Hassan's action was naturally the most formidable primordial goddess of creation: Tiamat.

"King Hassan, is there something you wish to tell me?"

Alaric smiled as he spoke: "Since you've chosen to appear on your own, is it about this underworld? Or is it something concerning me?"

King Hassan would not reveal himself without reason. His aura was so impenetrable that, even if Alaric were to walk right past him, he might not notice.

King Hassan finally spoke after a long silence:

"Thou who hast traversed death's veil and emerged reborn, I offer thee my sincere congratulations. With the thoughts of the king who hath returned in human form, thy future no longer dwells in darkness nor uncertainty."

He continued, "As thou hast surmised, the karma that hath guided me here is bound to that child and their fate. Yet, know this—the bond that binds us remains unbroken.—"

'Huh?'

Hearing this, Alaric was momentarily stunned.

On the day his assassin training ended, King Hassan had personally declared that their ties were severed and banished Alaric.

So why was this karma resurfacing now?

Although puzzled, Alaric chose not to press further. He knew that even if he asked, he would only receive King Hassan's ambiguous, cryptic responses.

It was better not to ask at all.

Alaric smiled and asked instead, "In that case, King Hassan, please tell me of this fate—

How should I deal with the primordial goddess, Tiamat?"

King Hassan was no ordinary person; he was an assassin who followed the will of destiny directly.

Alaric's connection to Tiamat was something that could not escape King Hassan's sharp gaze—both its cause and its karma had been seen through.

"As one who hath lived long, I find myself unable to offer thee further aid—"

King Hassan fixed his piercing gaze on Alaric, as though trying to tear through his flesh and pull out the very depths of his soul.

"To thee, a warning is the most precious gift I can bestow—heed my words well.

This is my sole admonition:

To those who are filled with hatred, show no understanding.

To those who are filled with joy, show no approval.

To those who are filled with pain, show no admiration."

'Three warnings… does he mean the three goddesses?'

Having spent over a month with King Hassan, Alaric quickly understood the meaning behind the words.

It was a warning aimed directly at the spiritual cores of the three goddesses.

This gave Alaric a deeper understanding of the three goddesses' struggle for this land.

King Hassan continued, his solemn words echoing throughout the underworld:

"That which hath been forsaken by humanity and the world, that which hath been cast aside by the annals of human history—these are the gravest of calamities, wrought by mankind's own hands.

Love is naught but evil, and by its very nature, it doth shape the class—Beast of Humanity."

'Beast of Humanity—Beast.'

Hearing of this unfamiliar class, Alaric instinctively held his breath.

Love is evil.

Even if the starting point is love, its very existence is something that human history has abandoned and that the world does not need.

Its return is the birth of calamity.

Its essence is in direct opposition to human history, an existence that cannot coexist with it…

"For those filled with love, do not show longing."

King Hassan stared deeply into Alaric, as though the ghostly fire in his eyes reflected the young man's very soul.

"One who hath crossed the chasm betwixt life and death, who bears the weight of all thoughts upon their shoulders—go forth, and seek thy path to coexistence.

Destiny hath already laid bare the future. Our paths shall cross once more."

'How cryptic you are, Old Man—'

Alaric maintained his smile, offering no complaints aloud.

"Thou, a living soul, dare to tread upon this land of the dead. Such an act is an affront, and the cost shall be the draining of thy fate's very strength. Depart at once."

...

It had been several minutes since Alaric bid farewell to King Hassan. Yet, he remained in the same spot, not departing the underworld as King Hassan had advised. Instead, he stood silently, gazing at the broken mound of earth before him.

In the final warning about Tiamat, Alaric could sense King Hassan's words were directed at more than one person.

King Hassan was not only speaking of Tiamat but was also advising Alaric. Humanity's evil, humanity's love.

Rejected by human history, the greatest calamity crafted by humanity's own hands.

Though Alaric did not fully understand his own circumstances, he could tell that, like Tiamat, he was something rejected by human history—a being deemed unnecessary.

But unlike Tiamat, weak and insignificant as he was, Alaric only managed to persist in this world thanks to the Lion King.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a struggle for survival.

"I have no complaints. What's wrong with just wanting to live?"

Unwavering, Alaric raised his foot and kicked apart the mound of earth in front of him before turning to leave.

King Hassan was worthy of respect, but Alaric would not let his convictions waver.

If a few words were enough to shake the beliefs that upheld him, then Alaric felt he would be incapable of moving forward.

And that would betray the expectations of the Lion King Artoria, Mordred, and Gawain.

[Live on] [Move forward]

It wasn't just his survival that Alaric sought. What he desired was a complete world, a future where the human history he both knew and didn't know could move forward together.

If that was also considered evil, then Alaric would rather become the evil of humanity.

After meeting King Hassan, Alaric's determination to meet Ereshkigal only grew stronger.

To him, the mistress of the underworld was nothing more than a pitiable goddess, sacrificed from the moment of her birth.

Ding ding ding—!

As Alaric's mind wandered, an odd sound suddenly emanated from the surrounding cages, as though urging him to move forward quickly.

Do not linger here.

The lights began to flicker rapidly, reminiscent of the horror movies Alaric had watched alone as a child. It was as if an unseen ghost was approaching, drawing closer to him!

"Hm? In such a hurry?"

Alaric scratched his head and suddenly chuckled.

It seemed this goddess of the underworld had also inherited Rin Tohsaka's personality. This promised to be quite entertaining.

"How unfortunate, Lady Ereshkigal. I cannot meet you this time, but we will meet eventually—"

Without following the path of lights, Alaric raised his hand.

[Trace On]

Dark magic surged with his chant, blooming in vibrant colors that stood out against the stillness of this world of death.

"Consider this my greeting gift. Please accept it."

Carried by the aurora-like currents of magical energy, blossoms of radiant, multicolored flowers gently floated toward the depths of the underworld.

These were flowers of life, which had never appeared in the realm of the dead—a gift for the underworld's sole flower.

...

In the place where Alaric could not see—

The goddess of the underworld, Ereshkigal, quietly watched the drifting flowers. Though they were merely illusions crafted by projection magecraft, they brought colors that had never existed in this deathly realm.

Even without speaking to Alaric, Ereshkigal somehow seemed to understand what kind of person he was.