Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King [214]

Credits: Butterfingers Is good

When Roman left his seat with a lost and dejected expression, Da Vinci naturally took over the conversation and smiled as she said:

["Still, it's quite strange, isn't it, Merlin? How did you become a Heroic Spirit? You're still in Avalon right now, aren't you?"]

Da Vinci's question was also something Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash shared as a curiosity. The group's expressions were filled with anticipation as they looked at Merlin, eager to hear his answer.

"Well—"

Hearing this, Alaric had already lost all faith in listening to Merlin spout nonsense and was about to speak up to explain.

"Brother Alaric, please refrain from speaking!"

Before Alaric could utter a word, Merlin decisively gave up on his banter with Roman and swiftly covered Alaric's mouth. He then turned his head and laughed heartily, saying, "Actually, it's quite simple…"

With his mouth tightly covered, Alaric gave a deadpan stare but didn't resist, watching Merlin effortlessly weave an excuse.

However, Merlin's actions were so out of the ordinary that even Da Vinci's expression began to mirror Alaric's, her gaze fixed on Merlin as though observing a performance.

Noticing this, Merlin's expression didn't falter. He continued smiling cheerfully and said, "You've all had a long journey. What you need is a good feast!"

"A feast, a feast—"

Alaric raised a hand expressionlessly, joining in with a monotone cheer to add to the mood.

"Oh, oh! A feast!"

Seeing Alaric enthusiastically chiming in, Mash hesitated for a moment before awkwardly joining the atmosphere with her cheer.

Just as Fujimaru Ritsuka was about to join in as well, a voice from the doorway caught her attention.

"Looks like we've arrived at just the right time!"

Entering the inn were three of the Heroic Spirits summoned by Gilgamesh: Amakusa Shirou, Ushiwakamaru, and Musashibou Benkei.

"Ah, Lord Alaric, these must be the Chaldean Masters who have traveled such a great distance!"

Ushiwakamaru's expression was bright and cheerful, but her rather revealing attire caused Mash's cheeks to flush slightly. She turned her head away in embarrassment.

"Lady Ushiwakamaru, I assume you're here to report the situation at the northern front to King Gilgamesh?"

Seeing Ushiwakamaru, who was supposed to be stationed at the northern front, suddenly appear in Uruk, Alaric quickly deduced the reason.

"Perfect timing, let's all gather for a meal!"

Over the next hour, Alaric and the others enjoyed a lavish feast together.

During this time, Alaric also learned about the changing situation at the northern front: the frequency and number of attacks by the demonic beasts were rapidly increasing.

After the feast, Alaric approached Merlin and explained his intentions.

"Merlin, I couldn't meet Gorgon. How much do you understand about her?"

Guarded by Kingu, Alaric had failed to reach the demonic goddess Gorgon, leaving him with little information about the goddess he had yet to encounter.

"Or, do you know the location of Gorgon's lair?"

Since he hadn't met Gorgon, Alaric naturally had no idea where she resided. The only option was to rely on that peculiar sense of direction to search within the dark cedar forest, but that would inevitably provoke another attack from Kingu.

"Well, I do know a little. Let me explain."

Merlin cleared his throat and struck a pose that Alaric had long yearned to see, resembling a proper storyteller from the British Isles as he began to elaborate on Gorgon's location—specifically, the location of the barrier known as the Temple of Blood.

After obtaining the location of the Temple of Blood, Alaric began to ponder deeply. As long as Gorgon could be defeated and the Holy Grail recovered from Kingu's body, everything would come to an end. Tiamat would have no chance to break free.

Although Alaric couldn't currently withstand Kingu's pressure to fight Gorgon alone, he could still prepare to deliver a warning blow.

'Take control of the initiative.'

Alaric understood the importance of seizing the initiative. If Gorgon were allowed to continue growing and creating more demonic beasts, soon the land would be overrun by her monstrous army, and humanity would be forced into a defensive position.

"Merlin, about the Three Goddess Alliance and Gorgon's ties to it—what's your take? I want to sever Quetzalcoatl's connection to the goddess alliance and bring her to our side. However, dealing with a Servant like her is difficult. If I act rashly, I'll only make things worse."

Alaric looked up at the sky. The radiant rings symbolizing King Solomon's great achievements came into view, like the all-seeing eyes of a god, eternally gazing down upon the world.

In truth, Alaric could now sever the bonds of the goddess alliance.

Back in Camelot, Alaric's assassination techniques, combined with his ultimate ability, Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, had already allowed him to sever the connection between King Solomon and the Holy Grail. If it was simply a matter of breaking the alliance, Alaric had the confidence to kill it. However, considering Quetzalcoatl's situation, he couldn't act recklessly.

He needed to be certain.

"The goddess alliance, huh? That's quite a troublesome matter. For them to form such an alliance shows just how determined they are to claim Uruk."

Speaking about the alliance, Merlin sighed.

Naturally, Merlin understood Alaric's intentions, and precisely because of this, he found the situation rather tricky.

"They've sworn on their divinity. If you want to sever this alliance, you'll have to strike directly at their divinity. Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent God, the supreme deity of Mesoamerica, the Second Sun, the Winged Serpent… Her divinity is so immense that even gazing upon her death would likely provoke a backlash from her godhood."

Merlin crossed his arms as if imagining the consequences of Alaric forcefully severing the alliance, his tone filled with concern. "Even if I were to look at her, I'd face some backlash. If you're trying to perceive the death of a goddess, even if she means you no harm, the sheer weight of her divinity will burden you."

"I can handle it. If it's just divinity, I can kill the goddess alliance tied to Quetzalcoatl."

After a long silence, Alaric spoke slowly.

Previously, Alaric had been perplexed about the location of the alliance's bond within Quetzalcoatl.

The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception could see death, but they couldn't distinguish what part of the target it originated from. This required Alaric to feel and discern it for himself.

Thus, solving the goddess alliance tied to Quetzalcoatl required two crucial prerequisites: sufficiently honed skills and the ability to pinpoint the bond's location.

'There's no room for trial and error. I'll have to simulate it first—'

Clicking his tongue, Alaric acknowledged Merlin's emphasis on the backlash from gazing upon the death of a supreme deity. Still, it was within his acceptable range.

With sufficient magical energy, Alaric was confident that unless his support was interrupted, it would take a significant blow to destroy more than half his body in one strike to truly kill him.

However, since the alliance was based on divinity, severing it meant annihilating the foundation of that divinity. This made the situation particularly challenging for Alaric.

Without a sample to practice on and test repeatedly, he would have to succeed in one attempt.

At that moment, Alaric turned his head, looking toward a corner where he had already sensed someone's presence.

"Ana? When did you arrive?"