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

Credits: NovelReader

"Whoa, whoa, ahhhh!!" In stark contrast to Mash's panicked screams beside him, Ritsuka Fujimaru was instead filled with excitement amidst the high-speed movement. "So this is the Noble Phantasm—Human Cannon?!"

"Right?! Pretty exhilarating, isn't it?"

Standing upright on the pedestal, Alaric looked down at the rapidly receding mountain range below them, equally thrilled.

The piercing screams of Mash and Bedivere mingled with the biting wind, filled the air—

A rather delightful sound.

"We're about to land, Mash!"

BOOM!!

With a thunderous roar, fragments of rock scattered like rain, whipping up a fierce gale.

Alaric, holding Mash in his left arm and Ritsuka Fujimaru in his right, casually strolled out of the crater left by their landing.

"—Ah!"

Having barely regained her composure, Mash shivered and nearly lost her footing as they landed.

Ritsuka Fujimaru, on the other hand, leaned on Alaric, rubbing her cheeks stiffened from the cold wind.

"Arash, your arrow is as incredible as ever!"

Freeing his hands, Alaric clapped for Arash, who had approached them, showering him with praise.

"Hahaha! Brother Alaric, you're the first one to enjoy this so much! Hmm, where's Bedivere and Cursed Arm Hassan?"

Before Arash could finish speaking, the startled voices of Bedivere and Cursed Arm Hassan rang out: "We're here! Though my face is still twitching—"

Even the deep voice of the towering Cursed Arm Hassan sounded slightly shaky. "There's no helping it. My legs are still a bit weak."

Once Ritsuka and the others had recovered, Cursed Arm Hassan was the first to speak. "From here, I'll lead you to the western village. Otherwise, it'll be impossible for you to find the hidden path."

"Mordred, huh—"

Alaric gazed into the depths of the mountains, where Mordred's magical energy stood out like a beacon in the midnight darkness.

Over the past six months of interaction, Alaric had come to understand Mordred's erratic nature. If she deemed them traitors and initiated a battle, it would be a fight to the death.

Either kill Mordred or be killed by her!

Having said this, Ritsuka and the others didn't linger, immediately following Cursed Arm Hassan toward the western village.

...

Several minutes later—

"We're closing in on the rear of the skirmishing forces! Prepare for combat!"

As Mash spotted the skirmishers composed of the Enforcement Knights, she immediately entered combat mode. At her side, Arash drew his bow and nocked an arrow, ready to fire.

"Attack!"

Without hesitation, Ritsuka Fujimaru issued the order. With the western village in crisis, there was no time for delay.

"Yes!" Mash bent her legs and leaped forward with a burst of energy.

Bang!

With a dull thud, the massive Round Table shield struck one of the Holy Knights like a steel pillar!

Caught off guard, the knight was sent sprawling to the ground by Mash's shield bash!

Before the remaining knights could react, Arash's arrows pierced through their helmets—

Deadly arrows struck through the gaps in the visors, guaranteeing fatal wounds!

In less than a minute, several Holy Knights were defeated by the combined efforts of Mash and Arash.

There wasn't even a need for Ritsuka to summon additional support!

Before the knights dissipated, their confusion coalesced into one question: "Impossible… Where did you come from?"

"Well, believe it or not," Mash replied earnestly, "we came from the sky!"

Seeing Mash's performance, Alaric clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Mash is getting so strong now! Much stronger than when we first met!"

Blushing slightly at the praise, Mash responded, "Thank you for the compliment!"

At that moment, Roman's tense voice came through: ["Be careful! A massive magical energy is approaching!

It's Mordred!"]

Clop, clop…!

The sound of hooves echoed as a petite knight with horns slowly came into view. Despite her small stature, the overwhelming magical energy she radiated made Ritsuka Fujimaru wary.

"Well, well, you dared to come here, rebels. Welcome!

I'm surprised you had the guts to come find me. Not bad, huh?"

Mordred laughed heartily.

Upon seeing Mordred, Mash's expression immediately turned conflicted. "Master, it's just as I thought—it's the same Mordred we encountered in London—"

Ritsuka nodded. Though the location was different, there was no doubt that this was the same Mordred.

However, Mordred looked at Mash with confusion. "Hey, stop calling my name over and over. Who even are you? Are you a fan of mine?

I mean, I've killed so many heretics, I must be famous, right?"

Hearing this, Mash's expression fell. "It seems this isn't the same Mordred we met in London after all."

"Why are you acting so back and forth? I don't recognize you people. Hmm? Wait, I do remember you… Your magical energy feels familiar, even if your appearance doesn't."

Mordred quickly noticed the magical energy within Mash, recognizing it as belonging to Galahad. She smirked. "So that's why you didn't respond to Father's summons. You ran off to a place like this, huh?"

"Could it be that the so-called 'traitor' is you? If it's you, then I can see how that might be the case.

After all, you're the only one who would outright defy Father. But you're too late—"

Mordred's tone grew regretful, as though lamenting Mash's delayed arrival.

Too late.

Yet Mordred's attitude gave Mash a glimmer of hope for negotiation. She instinctively asked, "Mordred, does this mean you're willing to talk with us?"

"Idiot! Who would negotiate with you? Anyone who stands in my way is my enemy. Whether it's you or your Master, Agravain's orders are clear: kill them all.

If Lancelot failed, then it's my turn now!"

As Mordred spoke, her gaze fell on the approaching Bedivere. "And what are you doing here?! You, of all people—a third-rate knight—shouldn't even be here—"

"Am I wrong? A third-rate knight like you teaming up with traitors? What an awful joke!"

Mordred scoffed, as though Bedivere's actions had confirmed her suspicions of betrayal.

But Bedivere's expression remained calm. "I have nothing to say to you. Just as you resent me, I resent you.

Though my goal is to meet the Lion King, I'll temporarily set that aside for now."

"Traitorous knight Mordred, the one who trampled on King Arthur's ideals. Your defiled holy sword is the ugliest reality of all!"

"————"

Mordred didn't respond. Even as Bedivere brought up painful memories she wanted to avoid, she didn't get angry. Instead, her attention was pulled toward a figure standing at the edge of the battlefield.

The man's presence had been concealed with a skill but not perfected enough to avoid being noticed by a Round Table Knight.

At that moment, Mordred finally noticed him.

"Why… How could this be?

Why are you with these traitors, Alaric?"

What Mordred couldn't comprehend was the presence of Alaric.

Why?

Alaric who had once sworn loyalty to Father and pursued traitors now stood so comfortably among them. It was as if—

"You betrayed us. You betrayed Father, betrayed the Lion King, betrayed the Knight King, Arthur."

The rebellious knight Mordred stared at the last successor to the Round Table and demanded an answer.

And in that moment, the one hailed as the successor to the Round Table, Alaric, smiled and nodded. "What do you think, Mordred?"