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

Credits: hyoi

After casually greeting the soldiers, Alaric naturally wrapped an arm around Merlin's shoulder. His jewel-like vertical pupils stared directly at Merlin, ensuring he wouldn't escape.

"Merlin, can you tell me—

How exactly did you manifest into this world?"

"Ah, Brother Alaric, you've asked quite the troublesome question—

Even Big Brother Merlin might struggle to answer that, you know."

From the moment Alaric appeared with an overwhelming presence and grabbed his shoulder, Merlin had a bad feeling. And Alaric didn't disappoint, immediately hitting him with an earth-shattering question.

"Troublesome, is it?"

Alaric, still signaling to the soldiers to keep moving forward, glanced curiously at Merlin. He had assumed Merlin's ability to manifest as a Servant by himself was simply due to some unique skill.

If it were an innate ability, Merlin could have just said so. But if it were something he acquired through study or trickery, why was Merlin being so evasive?

"Merlin, you're currently in the Avalon, aren't you? You've locked yourself in that tower, unable to die in the past or future, which means you shouldn't have any opportunity to become a Heroic Spirit.

So, how did you manifest? Can you teach me?"

Alaric was straightforward, not bothering to hide his thoughts. "At the very least, you could tell me the name of the skill—"

"...…"

The supply caravan kept moving, but Merlin, walking not far behind the convoy, was practically dragging himself forward in misery.

His pleasant morning mood had been completely ruined by Alaric's arrival.

If it had been someone else—say, the yet-to-arrive Chaldea group—Merlin could have made up an excuse and brushed them off.

But not Alaric. With his extraordinary insight, Alaric could easily see through Merlin's flimsy lies.

That was precisely why Merlin had a headache.

Anyone else might be fine. Even if they learned of the skill, it would remain an unattainable dream. But if Alaric were to discover its existence—

What a hassle! Artoria, the people you bring along are always so troublesome!

"Come on, spit it out—"

Seeing Merlin remain silent, wearing the look of a parent worried about their wayward child, Alaric reached out and poked him, trying to urge him to an answer.

"It's not that amazing of a skill," Merlin finally said, after much hesitation. "It's just a Class Skill called Independent Manifestation. Of course, Big Brother Merlin doesn't belong to that Class. I just found a bit of a loophole to gain the ability."

Reluctantly, Merlin decided to explain things clearly to Alaric. Better that than letting him figure it out on his own and creating an even worse situation by mastering Independent Manifestation.

Independent Manifestation?

The moment he heard the name of the Class Skill that allowed Merlin to manifest, Alaric's heart skipped a beat. Images of the nine Heroic Spirit Classes and their respective abilities flashed through his mind, and none of them matched Independent Manifestation.

As his thoughts deepened, Alaric seemed to hear the faint, illusory cry of a dragon, a call from his mother across the sea of emptiness.

But this time, the call didn't drag him toward that endless ocean; instead, a peculiar idea surfaced in his mind.

"Is it a Class Skill of the Beasts?"

The First Hassan had once shared a secret with Alaric: the existence of calamities born from humanity itself.

If it truly belonged to that Class—

Upon hearing Alaric's accidental question, Merlin turned his head, surprised, and stared at him. "Ah, ah, how extraordinary—"

Even the Beasts Class was within Alaric's knowledge.

Was it Gilgamesh who told him?

Ever since meeting Alaric, Merlin had been focusing his energy on maintaining the cradle of Tiamat, unable to use his Clairvoyance. He had been wandering around aimlessly, like a slacker.

But why would Gilgamesh tell Alaric about the Beasts? Or rather, where did Alaric even get his information about them?

"Brother Alaric, where did you learn about the Beasts?"

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Merlin asked directly.

"Hm? I established a connection with Tiamat, and then I met the First Hassan, who told me about it."

Having no intention of hiding anything, Alaric straightforwardly recounted everything that had happened the day before.

His rich experiences left even Merlin in awe.

"That's truly—"

A problem, Merlin thought.

Despite being in slumber, Tiamat had managed to establish a connection with Alaric. Truly fitting for the Primordial Goddess of Creation.

And the reason she chose Alaric?

The Embryo.

Only Merlin understood Alaric's current state: a state not even considered infancy, but rather that of an embryo.

All miracles were incubating within him, yet he remained unable to grow into a proper form.

It wasn't just the lack of a clear sense of self; the most critical factor was that his path forward was still unclear.

For now, Alaric current state was still manageable within Merlin's expectations. But if Tiamat were to interfere and cause further changes in Alaric, it would lead to outcomes Merlin wouldn't want to see.

Not just Tiamat—even the First Hassan had set foot on this land and personally met with Alarc?

His single day of experiences had been so eventful that even Merlin found himself amazed.

At that moment, Alaric suddenly asked, "What exactly is a Human Evil?"

Even though the First Hassan had explained it briefly, his description had been so concise that Alaric hadn't formed a clear concept.

Now that Merlin—the walking encyclopedia—was by his side, Alaric naturally seized the opportunity to ask.

Merlin, snapped out of his thoughts by Alaric's question, gazed at the blue sky above. The radiant sun wheel in the heavens reflected in his eyes.

"Human Evils refer to calamities that threaten human history, disasters capable of destroying humanity.

They are born from human civilization itself, growing stronger alongside humanity's development, but ultimately eroding civilization from within—akin to cancer cells."

"The so-called Human Evils or Beasts are, in essence, humanity's love.

Their desire to destroy humanity doesn't stem from malice. Malice is fleeting and fades with use.

Therefore, what truly threatens humanity is the wish to protect human order itself—the desire for a better future, which bares its fangs at the present's peace."

"Though the Beasts are evil, they can never truly be eradicated. As long as humanity exists, they will continue to emerge. Humanity must overcome them. The term Human Evil signifies the evil of humanity's extinction, not the evil that destroys humanity."

"...…"

Unlike the ambiguous explanation from the First Hassan, Merlin's description was comprehensive, revealing the true meaning of the Human Evils (Beasts) to Alaric.

This made Alaric furrow his brows.

Only now did he truly understand what the Human Evils were.

But from Merlin's explanation, Alaric couldn't help but feel like he, too, could become a Human Evil.

Meanwhile, Merlin continued speaking with a faint smile. "They possess the characteristic of Independent Manifestation, allowing them to manifest in the world entirely on their own. They also have resistance to charm, parallel world interference, and attacks like time reversal—they are essentially immune to fate-altering instant death."

Merlin finally revealed the true nature of Independent Manifestation: a Class Skill unique to the Human Evils (Beasts).

It allowed a being to manifest in the world through their power, ignoring time-travel paradoxes and similar attacks. Even instant death abilities were ineffective against them.

Not even Alaric's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception could see the endpoint of their death.

"Independent Manifestation… Terrifying."

Upon hearing the specific effects of Independent Manifestation, Alaric involuntarily took a sharp breath.

Such abilities were truly extraordinary. Could humanity even hope to eliminate a Human Evil possessing Independent Manifestation?