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

Who is the most loyal Round Table Knight?

 Gawain: "Hmm, Bedivere?"

 Lancelot: "It depends on the situation, but it should be Bedivere."

 Mordred: "Huh? Of course, it's that guy, Bedivere!"

 Tristan: "If we judge by loyalty, it must be Sir Bedivere."

...

'That arm is—'

As Alaric witnessed the silver light, his mind recalled information about the figure before him.

The Round Table Knight that known for loyalty. The last knight of the Round Table to witness the death of Arthur Pendragon—Sir Bedivere!

And in this Singularity, Bedivere was the main cause behind Arthur Pendragon and the Holy Lance merging and falling into divinity!

'Choosing to appear at this time...'

During the six months spent hunting the Crusaders, Alaric had also searched for Bedivere, but his efforts were in vain—as though Bedivere hadn't yet arrived in this singularity.

Without focusing further on the silver light, Alaric raised his giant shield and launched another attack, denying Tristan the chance for a sneak attack!

After six months of training, Alaric had mastered weapons beyond the sword, and his integrated martial skills allowed him to wield the massive shield with extraordinary combat power.

"The Old Man of the Mountain?"

With his eyes tightly closed, Tristan let out a confused sound. The unfamiliar aura emanating from Alaric was undoubtedly that of an Assassin-class Old Man of the Mountain, yet Tristan had never seen this particular one before.

Moreover, that shield was undoubtedly—

"Distracting yourself is not a good idea!"

Alaric's voice cut through Tristan's thoughts. Attempting to change his tone, Alaric smirked at Tristan's troubled expression before hurling the Giant Shield directly at him!

Even while masking his breath and suppressing his magical power to prevent Tristan from sensing the dragon's pressure, the shield strike was still powerful enough to shatter boulders!

Boom!

Tristan narrowly avoided the Giant Shield as his bowstring vibrated, releasing invisible blades of energy that shot forth.

To Alaric, however, these invisible blades were visible—their trajectories etched in the air as they swept toward him!

This was the same net-like slash used during the Lionheart King's conquest battle.

At this moment, however, Alaric couldn't recover his Giant Shield in time. With both hands empty, he faced the invisible blades ripping through the night!

Buzz!

The atmosphere trembled as the incoming slashes aimed to cleave Alaric in two.

Faced with this deadly storm of blades, Alaric smiled, his lips curling upward.

He didn't dodge or retreat. Instead, he charged straight into the deadly web of slashes!

The silk-like energy blades skimmed his body harmlessly, as though they couldn't affect him. Alaric surged forward, straight through the storm of invisible death!

Before Tristan could ready another shot, Alaric kicked the Giant Shield lying on the ground, closing the distance in an instant—

—and slammed his hand down on Tristan's bowstring!

"If you think this will stop me from fighting, then that's truly sad, Old Man of the Mountain..."

At this moment, Tristan seemed to mistake Alaric for another Old Man of the Mountain, like Hassan of Intoxicated Smoke. His expression was filled with sorrow.

As Alaric held Tristan's bowstring in place, Tristan quickly drew the longsword from his waist.

A cold light flashed before Alaric's eyes!

While Alaric restrained Tristan to prevent him from targeting Hassan of Intoxicated Smoke and the others, far away, Fujimaru Ritsuka and the rest of the group were transfixed.

The battle between Alaric and Tristan unfolded before their eyes, and the sheer mastery of combat left even Fujimaru Ritsuka gasping in amazement.

"Isn't Sir Alaric a normal human? How can someone from the 13th century be this strong..."

Indeed, from Ritsuka's perspective, it was incredible that a living person like Alaric could match, or even surpass, a servant in battle.

After all, not all servants are weaker than they were in life. Most heroic spirits become more powerful after ascending to servant form, their ethereal bodies constructed of magical energy granting them unparalleled mystery and power.

Additionally, the special skills and enhancements gained from their legends often push their abilities to terrifying levels.

And yet, here was the red-haired servant battling Alaric—a figure even Da Vinci deeply feared—one blessed by the gods...

"..."

Mash said nothing. Witnessing the duel between Alaric and Tristan, a sharp pain stabbed through her chest, cold sweat forming on her brow.

"Da Vinci, what do you think?"

"His strength is formidable. But if they're truly knights of the Lion King's command, why does Alaric lack the blessing...?"

Da Vinci's expression grew serious as her thoughts raced. Quickly, she realized something strange about Alaric.

"That dragon's aura—was he a man-made dragon species?"

"Da Vinci, what's a man-made dragon species?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka asked curiously, still puzzled by the unfolding events.

Da Vinci stared at Alaric's distant figure and explained:

"After the Age of Gods, mysteries began to decline, and all fantastical creatures retreated to the Inner Sea of Stars. A dragon of that level couldn't exist during the 13th century.

But in that body, there's no doubt—he harbors a sleeping giant dragon. His magic circuits are far beyond human level; they're reacting like a dragon's spiritual base."

As a virtual light screen appeared, Roman's voice joined the conversation,

["From the tests, we can confirm he's around twenty years old, but his body has mostly transformed to the level of a fantastical species. His magic circuits rival those of a servant. I don't understand why he still appears human."]

Roman hesitated before adding, ["Does this mean the Lion King also has dragon blood?"]

"He already does, Roman."

Da Vinci chuckled darkly.

"Sir Alaric is known as the Last Seat of the Round Table."

The title "Round Table" was reserved for the knights of the most famous king in human history.

And Alaric's appearance—

By now, Da Vinci had pieced together the truth.

"Eh? Da Vinci, Doctor, what are you talking about?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka asked, completely bewildered. Even Mash, pale-faced, turned to listen.

"If I'm not mistaken," Da Vinci continued, "Sir Alaric was originally an ordinary human, but someone injected him with dragon blood. His existence expanded, granting him the combat strength of a servant.

And the one who transformed him... must have been the King of Knights, Arthur Pendragon."

"In that case, the red-haired knight is Tristan, isn't he? One of the twelve knights under the Knight King's command..."

Da Vinci's calm words echoed through the night, and Mash instinctively clutched her chest.

...

Meanwhile, as Da Vinci and the others analyzed the situation, the battle between Alaric and Tristan reached its peak.

Having abandoned his bow, Failnaught, Tristan unleashed swordsmanship so refined it bordered on perfection.

Each swing of his sword released invisible slashes, filling the battlefield with deadly arcs of energy.

Even though these slashes couldn't leave a mark on the Giant Shield, they transformed the battlefield into a no-man's-land, preventing Hassan of Intoxicated Smoke and the others from escaping.

One wrong move would result in instant death.

Holding the Giant Shield, Alaric froze in place, thinking of a way to stop Tristan from releasing more slashes.

His eyes narrowed as he glanced at Tristan, who stood calmly, sheathing his sword not far away.

"It's you, isn't it, Sir Alaric?"

Tristan, having sheathed his blade, spoke slowly as he gripped the demon bow, Failnaught, once more.