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

Credits: Ruzzzy

Even Mash was pursing her lips, looking at Alaric, seemingly waiting for him to come up with a solution. Throughout their journey, Alaric's composure had given everyone a sense of reassurance.

Even though danger loomed beneath the surface.

And Alaric did not disappoint them—

"Therefore, there are two things I need to emphasize to you," he said.

Alaric raised two fingers, his expression serious.

As he began speaking, Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mash, and the others all held their breath, as if they were students in a classroom, anxiously waiting for the teacher to call their names. Their hearts tightened.

"The first thing is this: I cannot defeat Sir Gawain the way I defeated Mordred."

He spoke plainly as if delivering a fact. "In short, I cannot beat Sir Gawain in my current state. So, you all need to prepare yourselves—or find a way to hold off the Sun Knight, Gawain."

Alaric had already realized the gap between himself and Gawain. With his current abilities, there was no way to defeat him.

Even though he had managed to defeat Mordred in such a short time, Gawain was a different matter entirely.

The Holy Grail alone couldn't bridge the gap. What's more, the Sword of End was nearing its limit—after one or two more intense battles, it would completely break.

But even so, Alaric knew he had to explain the situation clearly. If Ritsuka and the others misjudged the circumstances, it could lead to an irreparable defeat.

That wasn't an outcome Alaric was willing to see.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone froze.

No one had expected Alaric to openly admit his shortcomings right after dealing with Mordred.

["Is the gap that big?"] Roman muttered, his expression stunned. He couldn't comprehend how Alaric, who had fought Gawain before, could arrive at such a conclusion.

It wasn't just Roman—Ritsuka and Mash were also puzzled, though they reluctantly accepted it.

Meanwhile, the two Hassans, the Cursed Arm and the Hundred Faces remained silent, offering no opinions.

After a brief pause, Ritsuka spoke up: "We can fight together! As long as we target his weaknesses—"

"Exactly! Sir Alaric, you're not alone. We can fight alongside you!" Mash said, her voice filled with conviction.

"Together?" Alaric chuckled, amazed by their courage. "The Gawain blessed by the Lion King—whom even I can't defeat."

The implication was clear: Gawain's blessing was too troublesome, even for Alaric.

But someone in the group immediately caught on to what he was implying.

"What about with me? If I sever Sir Gawain's blessing, then—" Bedivere spoke up, his tone resolute.

Alaric understood what Bedivere meant. With the Noble Phantasm [Silver Arm], which "can sever the power of the Holy Grail," Bedivere could indeed cut through the blessing bestowed upon Gawain.

But that wasn't the future Alaric wanted.

To Alaric, there were many ways for a strong fighter to achieve victory, but he wanted to defeat Gawain most straightforwardly and completely.

This was connected to what he had discussed with Mordred: "Love."

It was his way of bidding farewell to the Round Table.

And to bring closure to the twilight of this world.

Still, Bedivere's suggestion caused Ritsuka and the others to fall into contemplation. They had considered the idea of using Bedivere's Silver Arm to sever the Round Table knights' blessings in previous discussions.

However, as Da Vinci had pointed out earlier, the burden the Silver Arm placed on Bedivere was immense—far beyond what any human could endure.

Before Ritsuka could speak, Alaric interrupted and dismissed Bedivere's suggestion: "How many more times can you use that arm, Sir Bedivere? As much as I'd love to dismantle your arm and swap it for my sword, you know that's not going to work."

Alaric drew his sword with a flourish, and visible cracks ran along its blade, shocking Mash and the others.

"This sword... it's about to break?" Mash asked, her voice trembling. "Sir Alaric, if your sword breaks during battle, wouldn't that mean—"

Wouldn't that mean death?

Mash couldn't bring herself to say the words, but her concern was evident.

"A minor issue," Alaric replied casually. "I've trained in hand-to-hand combat, you know!"

He made a playful gesture, pretending to spar. Yet Mash's worries did not dissipate.

Finally, Ritsuka spoke: "Sir Alaric, if you're saying all this, does that mean you have a plan to tell us? A way to deal with Gawain?"

To Ritsuka, Alaric's straightforward acknowledgment of the situation wasn't just a way to make them face reality—it had to be leading somewhere.

"Simple. I can tell you the best method, but whether you choose to pursue it or not is up to you," Alaric said, sheathing his sword as he spoke.

This immediately piqued Ritsuka and Mash's curiosity. Mash stepped forward and asked, "Please, Sir Alaric, tell us—how can we deal with the Sun Knight, Gawain?"

The Sun Knight, Gawain, was undoubtedly the mountain standing in their way. If they couldn't overcome him, Ritsuka and the others wouldn't even make it to the gates of the Holy City.

"There is an old man in the valley—a nameless one. He is the origin of the Assassin class and the founder of the Old Man of the Mountain sect."

Alaric took a deep breath. "We don't need to defeat Gawain. Holding him off for a short time is enough—that is our fate.

As long as you can successfully enter the Holy City with Bedivere, the objective will be achieved."

He continued, "My connection with the Old Man of the Mountain is already exhausted. He won't help me fight Sir Gawain. So, you'll have to go yourselves.

Of course, I'll go with you, but I won't be the one leading the way."

Alaric's gaze turned to the Cursed Arm Hassan, his smile deepening. "Cursed Arm, I'll have to rely on you. While it's a difficult request, I must ask you to guide Ritsuka and the others to meet the Old Man of the Mountain."