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

Under Alaric's piercing gaze, Siegfried dissolved into points of light and vanished.

"Mystic Eyes?!"

Unlike Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight, who were stunned by what had just transpired, the ever-perceptive Leonardo da Vinci—renowned as a universal genius—wore a grave expression. Her gemstone-like, vertical pupils locked onto Alaric, and an unbelievable hypothesis surfaced in her mind.

Alaric strode confidently forward, approaching the massive skull where Ritsuka and the others stood.

"Da Vinci-chan, may I call you that? And Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mash—how truly remarkable you both are."

Alaric smiled warmly at Da Vinci and her companions, though his eyes reflected the death lines etched across their bodies.

"Mystic Eyes of Life Perception? Or perhaps the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception?"

Da Vinci returned his smile, but the weight in her gaze remained. The power Alaric had displayed was overwhelming—particularly the single strike that annihilated Siegfried. From that one move alone, Alaric's danger level in Da Vinci's mind had skyrocketed.

Now, with him standing so close, the situation felt even more precarious. Da Vinci quickly calculated that continuing to fight him would yield no benefit and only unnecessary harm. She decided to hold back, hoping to discern his intentions.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that this battle is over."

Alaric smiled as he withdrew the massive surge of magical energy radiating from his body. Under the watchful eyes of Da Vinci and Ritsuka, he even lowered the sword he had been wielding.

Before Ritsuka could summon another Servant, Alaric spoke.

"Meeting you, Miss Fujimaru was a delightful surprise. This battle was enjoyable, and both Miss Mash and Miss Fujimaru performed impressively. As for your name, Miss Fujimaru, it was Sherlock Holmes who told me."

"Eh?"

Hearing that Alaric had no intention of continuing the fight, Ritsuka canceled her next summon. However, the mention of Sherlock Holmes piqued her curiosity.

Da Vinci raised an eyebrow. Alaric had just mentioned a name that should not have come from his mouth—or rather, a name that shouldn't have appeared in this Singularity at all.

Mash, who had just returned, ignored her physical pain. Seeing Alaric conversing with Ritsuka and Da Vinci, she immediately deactivated her battle mode. Her astonishment mirrored theirs.

"Sherlock Holmes?! Are you referring to the Sherlock Holmes, the protagonist of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective novels? The father of all detectives? Are you saying Doyle's works were biographies, and Holmes is a real person?!"

Hearing the name, Mash's tension from battling Alaric melted away, replaced by uncontainable excitement.

"Ahhh, if we could reestablish contact with Chaldea, the Doctor would be overjoyed to hear this! After all, it's Sherlock Holmes!"

Mash grew increasingly animated, her delicate frame trembling with excitement. The fragments of her abdominal armor shattered during the fight, and fell to the sand, revealing her pale, unblemished stomach. Oblivious, Mash eagerly shared her enthusiasm with Ritsuka.

"That's correct. Miss Mash is so knowledgeable."

Alaric praised her with a smile.

"I traveled with Sherlock Holmes for a time, so I know quite a bit about you all—or, to be precise, that's how it is."

"Wait, how do you know about Sherlock Holmes, a fictional character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the 19th–20th century?"

Unlike Mash, who was thrilled, Da Vinci remained skeptical, pointing out the inconsistency.

Setting aside how Alaric had traveled with Holmes, Da Vinci found it implausible that someone active in the Middle East during the 13th century could know Holmes was a fictional character created centuries later.

"Did Sherlock Holmes himself tell you this?"

Alaric sidestepped the question with a laugh.

"Well, you see, I've been through a lot with Mr. Holmes. We're sort of half-friends, I suppose? But I shouldn't say too much about him. However, Miss Mash, I can tell you one thing for sure—Sherlock Holmes is a truly brilliant detective."

"After all, it's Sherlock Holmes we're talking about!"

Mash's eyes sparkled with admiration, wholeheartedly agreeing.

Deciding to shift focus, Da Vinci softened her expression. Her crescent-shaped eyes smiled, radiating a beauty even Alaric could not ignore.

"Then, Sir Knight, do you know where we are? Specifically, this location—or perhaps the era?"

Unlike the mysterious Holmes, Da Vinci knew that understanding the Singularity's details was far more critical. If Alaric was a local resident, she intended to extract whatever information she could.

"This place? It's the land of Ramesses II. In simpler terms, it's Egypt."

Alaric's beaming smile accompanied a revelation that left even Da Vinci stunned.

"What?! Egypt?!"

Da Vinci's composure faltered. Her startled cry drowned out any response from Ritsuka or Mash. She rushed toward Alaric, incredulous.

"How could this be Egypt?! This should be the Middle East! Even if the era is wrong, the location shouldn't be!"

"Egypt, huh..."

Ritsuka stroked her chin, beginning to piece things together. She smacked her fist into her palm as realization dawned. Sneaking over to Mash, she whispered.

"Mash, how far is Egypt from Jerusalem?"

Mash immediately drew upon her encyclopedic knowledge.

"Senpai, Egypt spans both Africa and Asia, with its northern border along the Mediterranean Sea. Meanwhile, the Holy Land of Jerusalem lies between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. Strictly speaking, they're neighbors. But..."

She hesitated.

"The distance between these two neighbors is measured in thousands of kilometers. With the precision of Rayshift technology, there shouldn't be such a massive margin of error."

"Moreover, that Knight just said this is the realm of Ramesses II—a Pharaoh from 1303 BCE."

With Mash's explanation, Ritsuka pieced things together further.

"So we've been transported to Egypt in the 13th century BCE? Did the Doctor make a mistake with the Rayshift coordinates?"

"No, Senpai," Mash whispered.

"Once a Rayshift destination is locked, errors are highly unlikely. It's more probable that an external factor brought us here."

While they whispered, Da Vinci continued bombarding Alaric with questions.

"It's Egypt, no doubt about it. And why, Da Vinci-chan? I believe you've already guessed."

Alaric leaned back, his grin growing wider and more enigmatic.

"The work of Ramesses II?"