Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King [137]

Credits: Butterfingers Is good

"How is this possible... such a terrifying act—it's beyond what humans are capable of doing—" Bedivere bit his lip, as if unable to accept this reality.

Not only Bedivere but also Mash and Ritsuka Fujimaru, standing not far away, wore equally grave expressions.

["So, the Holy City is the shell of the Holy Lance. But in that case—"]

Romani clasped his hands together, his expression extraordinarily serious as he stared at Alaric's face reflected on the screen.

"When the Holy City is completed, it will become the Tower of the End. The establishment of the Tower of the End requires turning this area into the world's edge.

The cost of this transformation, naturally, is the world's destruction. After all, it is the world's edge—"

Alaric gazed intently at the projection of Camelot, a sight he had analyzed and calculated numerous times over the past months to understand the function of the Tower of the End.

["Truly terrifying, Lion King."]

Romani said gravely, ["This leaves us with no time to delay. We must act before the Lion King finishes preparation!"]

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's discuss the specifics quickly. Sir Lancelot and King Ozymandias can work out the details, right?"

Alaric turned to look at Lancelot, who stood behind Ritsuka and the others, smiling broadly.

Throughout Ozymandias and Sanzang's earlier debate, Lancelot had remained silent, quietly standing guard behind Mash. This left Alaric no opportunity to interject. Taking advantage of this moment, he nudged Lancelot and Ozymandias into a discussion.

Hearing this, Lancelot glanced at Alaric before stepping past Mash to the forefront, speaking in a commanding tone, "Permit my offense, King Ozymandias."

Ozymandias chuckled. "The Lion King's knight, Lancelot, is it? Interesting. Go ahead, present your thoughts—I permit it all!"

As Lancelot and Ozymandias began deliberating the details of an attack planned for four days later, Mash noticed that Alaric was casually preparing to leave, clearly intending to skip the meeting.

Sensing Mash's gaze, Alaric responded naturally, "I don't understand these things, and I don't have a private army like Lancelot does."

"But Sir Alaric, as a Knight of the Round Table, don't you have subordinates?" Mash's curiosity was piqued by Alaric's response.

Unlike Lancelot, who had a knightly retinue as his private force, Alaric seemed to be alone, with no connections beyond his sword.

"There are all sorts of reasons. Usually, I just borrow Sir Lancelot's forces to act," Alaric said nonchalantly. "After all, learning about this kind of thing is such a hassle."

While Alaric and Mash chatted idly, the discussion between Lancelot and Ozymandias was nearing its conclusion.

The details were minimal, as Lancelot primarily needed an outline for the attack and Ozymandias's military support.

"King Ozymandias, I must request your army advance from the western side of the Holy City. We will arrive at the outskirts of the Holy City by dawn four days from now and make an overnight march to the wilderness beyond. Once daylight breaks, we'll attack together. Please ensure—"

No delays.

Lancelot left the final words unsaid, instead looking expectantly at Ozymandias for a response.

Ozymandias didn't disappoint. After hearing Lancelot's plan, he nodded. "Rest assured, the Divine Beast Legion will be ready on time. Leave the diversionary attack on the western side of the Holy City to us. I'll have my Divine Beast Envoy join your march. You can finalize the coordination details on the way."

"Much appreciated! Truly, you are a master of warfare—"

Lancelot expressed his gratitude for Ozymandias's cooperation.

Ozymandias smirked. "No need for flattery. I've heard enough of it already.

Hurry along now. Even with swift horses, it's a tight schedule to reach the mountainous region within three days."

"Thank you again for your assistance, King Ozymandias. Please take care of yourself," Lancelot said as he departed.

"You've borrowed my Divine Beasts—make sure to put on a good show for me!"

—

After concluding the discussion with Ozymandias, Lancelot led the Divine Beast Envoy to his domain ahead of the main group. Meanwhile, Ritsuka and their companions prepared to meet with Hassan of the Cursed Arm in the mountains, rallying the mountain people to march on the Holy City.

Before departure—

"Ta-da! Behold the second-generation Pterygoid Sphinx, made with materials from the Sun King!"

Da Vinci, ever the genius, unveiled a larger and more spacious second-generation Pterygoid Sphinx, capable of carrying more passengers.

Alaric, who had changed his outfit, noticed a familiar magical energy within the Pterygoid Sphinx and asked, "Miss Da Vinci, did you use the Holy Grail as the power source for this?"

Inside the core of the Pterygoid Sphinx, Alaric sensed the magical energy from the Holy Grail he had entrusted to Da Vinci. Originally intended for the creation of True Ether, the Holy Grail had been repurposed.

Da Vinci chuckled. "The production of True Ether is complete, so the Holy Grail was freed up!"

Hearing this, Alaric immediately asked, "Miss Da Vinci, how much True Ether do we have now?"

The amount of True Ether was Alaric's primary concern, as it would determine the outcome of his battle with Gawain and his ultimate farewell.

"It's all here! We used up all the available materials, so making more will be difficult," Da Vinci replied, producing several pale blue crystals that instantly caught Alaric's attention.

With the decline of the Age of Gods, True Ether had vanished from the surface. If someone could create something akin to it, it would be the remnant fragrance of mythology.

Taking the magical crystals from Da Vinci, Alaric suppressed his desire and asked, "Miss Da Vinci, how many units of magical energy does this represent?"

"Thirty units!" Da Vinci declared proudly, hands on her hips.

"This is enough!" Alaric firmly gripped the magical crystals, his voice resolute.

Ritsuka and Mash, intrigued, asked in unison, "Sir Alaric, what do you plan to do with it?"

Alaric, after a moment's thought, revealed part of his plan. "To fight—to close the gap between Gawain and me. Without this, I can't defeat him."

Mash exclaimed in surprise, "So that's your plan! Sir Alaric, you've been thinking ahead all along!"

The episode with the True Ether passed quickly, but a new issue arose regarding a special guest in their group—Serenity, whose poison rendered her unable to be near others.

"Does it matter? Miss Serenity's poison shouldn't affect us, right?" Alaric asked, glancing at the group.

Ritsuka had previously shown resistance to Serenity's poison, and Mash, empowered by Galahad, also had high poison resistance. Da Vinci's genius ensured her immunity, and Sanzang, having endured countless trials, would likely be unaffected.

As for Bedivere—

Caught by Alaric's gaze, Bedivere stammered, "S-Sir Alaric?"

"Sir Bedivere should be fine with poison too. Your body doesn't seem to be in great shape, though," Alaric said thoughtfully.

While Alaric pondered Bedivere's condition, Serenity stood awkwardly in the middle of the conversation.

Eventually, Da Vinci ended the discussion with a triumphant flourish.

"Miss Serenity has her custom seat! Designed by me, of course! No problem at all!"

Da Vinci revealed a smaller, external Pterygoid Sphinx specially designed for Serenity, ensuring her poison wouldn't pose any risk.

—

Three days later, an exhausted Alaric and the group finally arrived at the mountains.

Alaric realized he had underestimated the group's travel time. Alone, he could have made the journey in a day or two, but even with Da Vinci's Pterygoid Sphinx, it took three days. Horseback travel would have taken even longer.

When Alaric reunited with Hassan of the Cursed Arm hours later, he noticed many familiar faces in the village—survivors who had fled the Holy City.

"So, they've scattered across various villages," Alaric murmured.

"Originally, we had seven thousand supporters. After the Holy City uprising, another two thousand joined us," Hundred Faces Hassan explained.

Mash, surprised, asked, "The Holy City uprising?"

"Refugees from the uprising, right?" Ritsuka said, understanding. Hassan's village couldn't house all the refugees, but their arrival had inspired other villages to join the cause.

Hundred Faces nodded. "Precisely. We had given up hope of strengthening our forces, but the uprising brought a steady flow of people—one, five, twenty at a time. While we haven't reached our goal of ten or twenty thousand, Sir Lancelot's forces and King Ozymandias's army will fill the gap."

—

As Ritsuka and Hassan exchanged pleasantries, Sanzang pulled Alaric aside for a private conversation.

With the decisive battle approaching, Sanzang felt it was time to share everything she had to say with Alaric.