Miracle Summoner

Rozen and his companions had always believed that the ongoing conflict between the Holy City and the Mountain People stemmed from two main reasons.

One was that Artoria [Alter], who opposed the Lion King, had fled into the mountainous regions and taken control of the Mountain People, leading to frequent clashes with the Lion King's Holy City.

The other was the Lion King's actions of persecuting innocent humans under the guise of the Holy Selection and Holy Punishment, which incited the anger and resistance of the Mountain People.

Given these reasons, it seemed impossible for the two sides to coexist peacefully.

However, it was only now that they realized the true cause of the animosity between the two was neither of these reasons but something far more fundamental.

It was a matter of faith.

The Lion King had trampled on the faith of the people of this era, prompting the Mountain People to rise up in rebellion.

Meanwhile, the Lion King regarded the refugees who were deemed unworthy of entering the Holy City as the dregs of human history, intending to exterminate them completely.

With these factors combined, reconciliation between the two sides was utterly impossible. The conflict could only end with one side completely annihilated.

Naturally, the Mountain People were at a significant disadvantage compared to the mighty Holy City Knights.

This disadvantage was not only due to environmental factors but, more critically, due to differences in combat strength.

"All the Holy City Knights have received blessings from the Lion King. While the Knights are not as powerful as Servants, they are far stronger than ordinary human warriors. As for the Knights of the Round Table, there's no need to elaborate. Apart from Agravain, the rest are absurdly strong. Two of them were already stronger than me during their lifetimes, and now, after receiving the Lion King's blessings, they've become even more powerful. I'm sure you've already seen their strength for yourselves, so I won't need to say more," Artoria [Alter] explained calmly.

"In terms of numbers, the disparity is just as great. The Holy City Knights alone number over ten thousand, whereas the Mountain People's warriors don't even reach that figure. If it weren't for my six months of leadership and training, there would've been hardly anyone among them capable of standing against the Holy City Knights."

"Even in terms of Servants, the Holy City has five, not including the Lion King. On our side, including me, we have only five Servants. Our strength is vastly inferior to theirs. Aside from myself, who can barely fight on par with a blessed Knight of the Round Table, the others cannot even hold their own for a single round."

"Before you arrived, our situation was extremely dire, to the point of having virtually no hope of victory."

Artoria [Alter] spoke in an icy tone, causing the group to react.

"Five Servants?" Mash quickly asked, "Does that mean there are other Servants among the Mountain People?"

This was indeed an unexpected surprise.

Originally, Rozen had assumed Artoria [Alter] was the sole Servant among the Mountain People, with the rest being ordinary humans. Now it seemed that their fighting force might not be as unreliable as he'd feared.

Unfortunately, Artoria [Alter] responded, "To avoid being wiped out entirely in case of an attack by the Holy City Knights, and considering the lack of sufficient living space, food, and water, the Mountain People have scattered into multiple hidden villages. The Servants have been assigned to different villages. Currently, only I and one other Servant are here. Moreover, one Servant was discovered by a troublesome Knight of the Round Table, their village destroyed, and they themselves captured by the Holy City Knights. Their fate remains unknown."

Artoria [Alter] spoke these words indifferently, causing Rozen to frown.

"A Servant was captured by the Holy City Knights?" Rozen hadn't anticipated this.

However, upon reflection, it wasn't entirely implausible.

"It's probably Agravain's doing," Artoria [Alter] remarked as though discussing someone else's affairs, her tone cold. "That guy has always been cunning, even during his lifetime, and is quite adept at interrogation. He likely intends to extract the locations of the Mountain People's villages and my whereabouts to eliminate us completely."

If that weren't the case, the captured Servant would've likely been disposed of long ago instead of merely being captured.

"Currently, the remaining Servants in this era are either with me, the Lion King, or the Sun King. Any neutral Servants in the wild have already been eliminated by the Knights of the Round Table or dealt with by the Sun King's beasts in the desert regions. Finding reliable reinforcements is almost impossible now."

At this point, Artoria [Alter] turned to Rozen and Mash.

"But I knew you would come eventually, so I've been waiting for you."

In other words, the Mountain People had already reached their limit, and Artoria [Alter] saw Rozen as their final hope.

"If you had come any later, this era might've been doomed. Human Order itself would be left with an irreparable void, collapsing even without the Mage King lifting a finger, all because of the Lion King."

Artoria [Alter]'s words were no exaggeration.

The Lion King's actions were essentially a denial of human history, declaring that humanity no longer had a future. If she were allowed to take the people of this era as seeds, human history would be left with an unfillable void, eventually disintegrating beyond repair.

"And with the Holy Grail in the Lion King's possession, if you want to save Human Order and human history, there's no choice but to defeat her."

This was why Artoria [Alter] was willing to take the risk of storming the Holy City, coming to the gates of the capital to confront the Lion King directly.

However, there was one condition.

"Allow me to ask boldly, Your Majesty."

Da Vinci's voice suddenly came through the communicator.

The question she raised was simple.

"Why are you opposing the Lion King?" Before Da Vinci could finish, Olga Marie interjected, taking her place, and asked Artoria [Alter] directly, "Aren't you a Servant aligned with the Mage King?"

Her doubt was understandable.

In the Fuyuki Singularity, Artoria [Alter] had cooperated with the Demon God Pillar Lev, receiving the Holy Grail to defend the Singularity against Rozen and his group.

By that logic, she should've been on Solomon's side. Why would she oppose the Lion King now?

Olga Marie and Da Vinci sought clarification, even Roman shared their doubts.

To this, Artoria [Alter] replied calmly, "You're mistaken. First, I'm not aligned with the Mage King. Back in Fuyuki, I accepted the Holy Grail to maintain the Singularity only because the incineration of Human Order left me unable to see humanity's future. That doesn't mean I aligned myself with the Mage King."

This was evident in Fuyuki, where Artoria [Alter] had shown hints of hope for humanity before being defeated by Rozen, ultimately accepting her destruction.

Now, with Rozen having resolved five Singularities and arriving at the sixth, success was within reach. Artoria [Alter] naturally wouldn't oppose him again.

After all, the Black King, despite her reversed nature, was still the righteous King of Knights at her core, a trait that had never changed.

And now…

"The Lion King's existence itself is a mistake."

Artoria [Alter] declared with resolute conviction.

"I must correct her."