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

Credits: Nicholas Berenguer

It was a long journey, a tranquil time shared by only Alaric and Serenity. It wasn't until dusk approached that Alaric and Serenity finally entered the domain of Ozymandias—the boundless desert.

"Hmm?"

Alaric looked up at the clear sky in surprise. The brilliant halo of light was draped in a faint veil at dusk, appearing stunningly beautiful.

What surprised Alaric even more was that the overwhelming sandstorm that had once engulfed the sea of sand had disappeared.

The sandstorm, originally deployed by Ozymandias as the first line of defense to block intruders, had been withdrawn.

'What happened?'

For Ozymandias to withdraw the sandstorm, Alaric could only think of one reason: Ozymandias must have begun gathering his magical energy. Maintaining the sandstorm consumed an enormous amount of mana—without support from the ley lines, Alaric would have been forced to return the Holy Grail.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have lasted for half a year.

'You're starting to lose patience, King Ozymandias.'

A smirk crept onto Alaric's lips. Over the past six months, the Knights of the Round Table had repeatedly clashed with Ozymandias, with the likes of Mordred and Lancelot leading the skirmishes as guerrilla knights.

Although Alaric had also received orders to attack multiple times, he had rarely acted.

After six months of buildup, the grand finale awaited—the climactic moment Ozymandias had long anticipated was about to begin.

It was at this moment that Serenity broke the silence with a confused question.

"Lord Alaric, why are we heading into the domain of the Sun King?"

Seeing that Alaric intended to lead her deeper into the desert, Serenity couldn't help but ask.

To her people, the Mountain People, the Sun King was no benevolent figure. He was an enemy, no different from the Lion King. The beasts of this desert had devoured countless innocent Mountain People.

"Of course, it's to ally with King Ozymandias. Do you think the Mountain People alone can defeat the Lion King, Miss Serenity?"

Alaric glanced at Serenity Hassan in surprise, as though marveling at her astonishing naivety.

"Even if the Old Man of the Mountain were to intervene, he wouldn't be able to resolve all the crises. It's fate, Miss Serenity. You can't place all your hopes on the Old Man of the Mountain."

"…What you say is true, Lord Alaric."

At that moment, Serenity seemed to truly grasp the gravity of the situation. The battle had reached its final stages. Two forces that were supposed to be irreconcilably opposed were now joining together to face the Lion King—the one who would bring destruction to the world.

The brief exchange ended, and Alaric and Serenity Hassan continued their trek through the sea of sand for another hour or two.

Night had fully fallen.

Finally, Alaric and Serenity caught sight of the radiant, grandiose temple complex that stood in the middle of the desert.

Unlike Serenity, Alaric keenly noticed the heavy atmosphere within the city.

The soldiers under Ozymandias were moving through the holy city in a state of wartime readiness.

For the holy city, this was an unprecedented occurrence.

Since the time of its summoning, Ozymandias's holy city had seemed like an idyllic utopia, isolated from the pressures of war with the Lion King. It was a place of tranquility, completely unlike Camelot.

But as Alaric entered the holy city, the oppressive aura of impending conflict was palpable, even to him.

Though the soldiers' prowess was inferior to the Enforcement Knights of Agravain's inhumane modifications, their sheer determination left Alaric in awe.

Without wasting time admiring the soldiers, Alaric and Serenity headed straight for the central radiant temple complex.

But before they could enter the temple, a striking figure blocked Alaric's path.

"Oh? Miss Nitocris, what's the meaning of this?" Alaric asked, noting the unrestrained magical energy radiating from Nitocris. It was a power Alaric was all too familiar with.

It was the kind of magical energy that only surfaced during battle—brimming with hostility.

Without needing any verbal confirmation, Alaric immediately realized that Nitocris was now his enemy—at least, an obstacle preventing him from entering the temple.

In response to Alaric's question, the Pharaoh of Egypt's Sixth Dynasty—Nitocris—heavily struck her staff against the ground. Her beautiful eyes betrayed no anger as she quietly gazed at Alaric. "Are you here as a representative of Chaldea to see the king, or as the Round Table Knight, Sir Alaric, to see the king?"

Her cold, questioning voice flowed like a gentle stream.

It was as though Alaric's answer to this single question would determine how he, Nitocris, and Ozymandias would interact moving forward.

Alaric instantly understood the gravity of her words. Though he couldn't fully grasp the meaning behind Ozymandias's actions, he still smiled and replied, "I am who I am. I can be a companion of Chaldea, but Chaldea may not always be my companion. After all, no banquet lasts forever, Miss Nitocris.

But I will always be a Knight of the Round Table. That is something I can be certain of."

The Lion King would never abandon Alaric—or rather, like Mordred, Alaric would ultimately vanish along with the singularity, fulfilling his role as a Knight of the Round Table.

Gazing at Alaric's confident expression, Nitocris couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated. "Why is it that you don't value your life?"

Before her words even faded, an overwhelming surge of magical energy roared toward Alaric like a tidal wave.

Having been cut off from the Holy Grail's supply of mana, Alaric's total magical reserves were inferior to Nitocris's. However, this disparity wasn't enough to close the gap between them.

Looking at Nitocris's familiar face, Alaric could sense the emotions within—grief and anger.

'…?'

Perplexed, Alaric didn't draw his sword. Instead, he slowly raised his hands, crimson arcs of electricity crackling around his fists.

Would he accept this trial of battle?

To Alaric, Nitocris, standing before the temple, was a trial in herself. She represented the final obstacle to meeting Ozymandias, the barrier standing before the ultimate confrontation.

And so, he wouldn't stop. No matter the outcome, Alaric would press on and enter the radiant temple complex.

"Miss Nitocris, it's not that I don't value life. On the contrary, I cherish it deeply—"

Alaric strode forward, the long flight of stairs seeming to shrink in an instant, closing the distance between him and Nitocris.

Serenity, meanwhile, remained motionless, refraining from joining the battle.

The main reason was that Alaric didn't seem to want her to interfere. Realizing this, Serenity obediently stood by, watching the one-on-one confrontation between Alaric and Nitocris.

"Let me show you my resolve, Miss Nitocris!"

As Alaric's magical energy surged, its intensity surpassed even Nitocris's formidable power.

Boom!

With a heavy step, the vast distance between Alaric and Nitocris vanished in an instant!

Without giving Nitocris any time to react, he aimed to take her down in a single strike.

Buzz!

But what followed was a faint hum of air trembling. A dark, mirror-like surface of magical energy materialized beneath Alaric's feet, and familiar skeletal warriors emerged, grabbing hold of his legs.

They prevented Alarc from advancing closer to Nitocris!

"You came prepared, didn't you, Miss Nitocris?"