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

"Pharaoh, we've found the Atlas Institute in the middle of the desert—" Nitocris spoke with respectful deference, recounting the recent events alongside Alaric to Ozymandias.

Alaric also informed Ozymandias about the remnants of the Crusaders.

"Hmph? So, a group of heretics still exists within my domain, remnants of the Crusaders destroyed by the Lion King?"

Ozymandias regarded Alaric with interest before speaking again.

"The Atlas Institute is of no consequence. As for the Tri-Hermes, I will retrieve it later."

"As for the Crusader remnants—you will take care of them," Ozymandias declared with natural authority as if it were the most obvious course of action.

Hearing this, Alaric raised his eyes to meet Ozymandias' gaze directly.

"Is the Pharaoh prepared to support me in eradicating the Crusader remnants hiding in the desert?"

"I will give you no support. Or are you saying you're incapable of eliminating these Crusaders yourself?"

"No, I am more than enough on my own!"

"Good!"

Seeing the resolve in Alaric's expression, Ozymandias laughed.

"A knight of the Lion King! Sir Alaric! Tell me, what did you gain from the Atlas Institute?"

Alaric had indeed changed markedly—a stark contrast to how he had been before visiting the Atlas Institute, even though only a day had passed. This transformation puzzled Nitocris, unable to articulate its cause.

Ozymandias' curiosity grew. What had Alaric discovered at the Atlas Institute to bring about such a shift?

In response to Ozymandias' inquiry, Alaric appeared unfazed. Instead, he smiled slightly:

"Pharaoh Ozymandias, I have simply realized the truth—that I am not of this era but rather a traveler transferred from another time. Once Chaldea corrects these Singularities, I am destined to meet my fated death—"

"Hmph? Interesting. You're not a Servant, yet you don't belong to this era either—a lost soul drawn into this Singularity."

"You can neither return to the proper timeline nor remain in the current era—"

Ozymandias' smile deepened, showing no surprise at Alaric's revelation as if he had expected it.

Seeing his reaction, Alaric continued:

"Thus, I will carry out an absolute comparison—whether it's my King's Tower, your methods, Pharaoh Ozymandias, or even those soon to arrive from Chaldea!"

"Hahaha! You couldn't avoid death even after using Hermes, yet you still have the spirit to keep making comparisons?"

"Excellent! You are indeed someone I acknowledge. Knight of the Lion King, show me all that you are capable of!"

With their brief exchange concluded Alaric turned and left the temple, heading straight into the vast desert.

Watching him leave, Nitocris hesitated.

"Pharaoh—"

Ozymandias raised his hand, signaling her to stop.

"Nitocris, how do you think things will unfold next?"

…

Searching for a group in the vast desert was like looking for a needle in a haystack, and Alaric knew he lacked the means for a wide-range search. Even Nitocris did not accompany him this time; without her magical support, his task would undoubtedly be more difficult.

But Alaric had his plan.

Lure the snake out of its hole. Wait for the prey.

Alaric, carrying the Holy Grail, was undoubtedly a prime target for the Crusader remnants. By using himself as bait, he had little doubt they would come for him.

However, there was still a risk of failure. If the enemy's strength exceeded his own, he would not only be delivering the Holy Grail but also his life.

"Will I lose?"

Alaric stood tall in the vast desert as the sandstorm swept over him. He took out the Holy Grail. With a single thought, the golden cup slowly merged into his palm, sinking into his heart.

"I will win!"

As the nearly limitless magical energy surged within him, Alaric felt no joy. Merging with the Holy Grail seemed as ordinary as any other task.

After bidding farewell to Nitocris, Holmes, and the others, he had finally succeeded in using the Holy Grail. Yet, aside from granting him endless magical energy, it provided no other notable enhancements.

This was what Alaric had anticipated.

...

A few hours later—

As the sky began to lighten, Alaric had yet to encounter any Crusader remnants, causing him to doubt his strategy.

Then—

"Help! I'm not tasty at all!"

A terrified scream managed to overpower the sound of the sandstorm, allowing Alaric to pinpoint its source immediately.

When he arrived, he saw a familiar sight—

"A Chimera?!"

A three-headed Chimera prowled through the sands, and behind it was the source of the scream.

'I sense its level isn't high. The fusion materials used to create it didn't even reach ten people,' Alaric thought, assessing the Chimera's strength based on its magical power and concluding that it posed no threat to him.

After confirming the enemy's strength, Alaric immediately drew his sword, holding it in one hand and pulling it back.

"Thunder Flash!"

Boom!!

A cloud of blood erupted, and with a thunderous roar, the Chimera—now missing half its body—collapsed!

After swiftly dispatching the three-headed Chimera, Alaric followed the source of a scream and saw a figure under attack by the Crusaders.

'Not a magus, but a Crusader knight?'

Alaric didn't spot any magus but instead saw a familiar sight—four Crusader knights attacking a black-haired woman.

'Tch, hiding again?'

He immediately suspected that magus might be concealed nearby, as the exceptional concealment magecraft of Alaika had left a lasting impression on him. If Alaika hadn't revealed herself, Alaric would never have detected her location. If the Crusader magus all possessed that level of concealment magecraft, he'd find himself at a severe disadvantage without proper countermeasures.

"Ah! Stop it! Don't breathe fire! It's so hot! I'm not tasty at all!"

'That is—'

Alaric squinted. Despite her thin clothing, the woman was undoubtedly a beautiful monk, wielding a nine-ringed staff. And the magical energy she exuded was on par with the highest-ranking Servants he'd ever encountered!

Piecing together the clues, Alaric quickly deduced the woman's identity.

'With that kind of top-tier spirit origin, how did she end up getting beaten?'

Seeing the Crusader knights continue their assault, Alaric wasted no time. In an instant, he vanished from his spot.

Bang!

With a series of dull thuds, Alaric's iron fists sent the Crusader knights flying, knocking them unconscious.

"Hey, isn't this Xuanzang Sanzang?"

Alaric casually waved after swiftly resolving the battle, as if greeting an old friend. Unfortunately, he didn't manage to catch Sanzang's attention.

At that moment, Sanzang hadn't even noticed Alaric's arrival.

"Why—do they always attack me when I'm weak? I didn't even do anything—I was just asking for directions."

Sanzang's tearful lament was so heartfelt that Alaric had to cover his ears.

"This is so unfair. I always run into this kind of trouble. Not only did multiple people manifest here, but now I can't even hear the voice of the Bodhisattva. On top of that, I feel nauseous from being in spirit form, so I'm not in the mood to do anything. Boohoo!"

Sanzang cried louder and louder.

"It's all because I gave those idiot disciples a break! But I had no choice. They were all so lazy!"

As if venting all her pent-up frustrations, Sanzang's complaints grew more animated.

"Sha Wujing is still single at his age! He should go back to Heaven and find a wife!"

When she talked about Zhu Bajie, her face lit up.

"Bajie, that guy! You really can't judge a book by its cover! He's been married once, with a wife and kids! Who'd have thought? Pigs really can't be underestimated! Nice!"

"But abandoning his wife is inexcusable, so until he properly apologizes to her, I'm kicking him out as my disciple!"

"And then there's Sun Wukong! He could've just gone back to Mount Huaguo and picked whoever he wanted, but why does he always come to slack off with me?"

After complaining about all three of her absent disciples, Sanzang naturally shifted the conversation to herself:

"Me? I'm fine being single! After all, I'm going to become a Buddha! Love and stuff can wait until after I've achieved enlightenment!"

"Xuanzang Sanzang!!"

Alaric couldn't take it anymore and shouted her name, trying to interrupt her one-woman show.

Only then did Sanzang seem to notice Alaric's presence, her expression one of surprise as she looked at him.

Boom!!

The sands exploded as a massive Chimera with a dragon's head emerged from the ground, roaring into the sky.

The overwhelming magical energy it exuded seemed to blanket the sky! With a dragon's head attached to the body of a lion and tiger, the bizarrely mismatched creature made Alaric furrow his brow.

And that magical energy—it was almost on par with the giant dragon he had encountered at the Atlas Institute.

But why hadn't it been detected earlier?

'So there was indeed a magus hiding it!'

Alaric's eyes narrowed as he expanded his senses, searching for any unusual fluctuations nearby.

At that moment, Sanzang's face turned red.

"Could it be! That strange dragon—is it because I summoned the White Dragon Horse to help, but it failed and instead summoned this thing? Is it saying, 'Sorry, but I'm not coming back, so you should give up,' and now it's attacking me!"

Sanzang was shocked.

'No, that's not a dragon!'

Alaric, while scanning the area, almost blurted out a retort when he heard Sanzang's self-talk.

Roar!

Roar!!

The dragon-headed Chimera paid no heed to Alaric and Sanzang's situation, charging forward like a leopard!

That enormous body, at least five meters tall, rushed forward with terrifying speed.

'Fast!'

Alaric quickly turned around and saw Sanzang looking serious as if preparing for battle. He called out, "Are you joining the fight?"

He was curious to see the full extent of the power hidden within Xuanzang Sanzang's top-tier spirit origin.