Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King's Personal Knight [398] (Patreon)

December 31, 2018.

Staring at the open door before him, the man muttered to himself, “Looks like I’m late.”

He had originally thought he would run into those other Masters.

Raising his head to take one last look at the Chaldea emblem, the man hesitated no more, stepping forward toward what lay ahead.

The white snow beneath his shoes made a peculiar sound as he walked, only to melt away the moment he fully entered Chaldea’s interior.

And at the very instant the man entered Chaldea—

“!!”

Koyanskaya, who had been speaking with Goredolf, suddenly shuddered, her beautiful eyes transforming into vertical pupils, her pink hair seemingly wild and agitated.

Her instincts were almost revealed in that moment.

But thankfully, Koyanskaya quickly regained her composure, suppressing her loss of control and not exposing anything unusual.

Yet Goredolf, standing before her, noticed and asked, “What’s wrong, Koyanskaya?”

“It’s nothing, Director.”

Koyanskaya smiled as usual, “It’s just that a rather remarkable guest has arrived. As the director, you should be careful! If you offend him, you might just get beheaded from behind!”

“W-What?!”

Goredolf was shocked, and he believed Koyanskaya’s words without doubt. Precisely because of that, he was even more startled.

“What guest? How come I don’t know about this?”

Goredolf hurriedly asked, “Hey, Koyanskaya, I’m not paying you to just lounge around, you—”

“Relax, Director.”

Koyanskaya smiled with crescent-shaped eyes, “NFF Services exists precisely for this sort of thing. If there’s any emergency, we’ll ensure your safety immediately~~”

“You just want more money, don’t you?!”

Knowing Koyanskaya’s ways, Goredolf looked as if he completely understood, then asked, “So, where is this guest you’re talking about?

I’m the director of Chaldea! Anyone who enters without my permission, I’ll have every last one of them detained!”

Goredolf’s impassioned declaration naturally drew the attention of Da Vinci, who was not far away, busy unfreezing the coffins.

Though she didn’t know who they were referring to—

“Well—”

Still suppressing herself, Koyanskaya said quietly, “He’s already here.”

Before she finished speaking, the crisp sound of footsteps approached from afar.

Dressed in heavy snow gear, the man moved through the ranks of Goredolf’s security as silent as a shadow, unnoticed, like a ghost standing outside the world.

To Goerdolf, the man’s arrival might just be an unexpected intruder, but to everyone else, his presence was impossible to ignore.

“………”

Even though she had prepared herself mentally, facing the pressure of the Last Dragon was overwhelming. With great effort, Koyanskaya forced a smile: “It’s our first meeting. May I ask your name?”

Powerful—just standing there, his strength was palpable.

It was an overwhelming might.

This was Koyanskaya’s only evaluation of this human-shaped dragon.

His dragon form was nearly perfect, his human form at its absolute peak.

The magical energy within him could rival that of a god.

It was no exaggeration to say that at this moment, in all of Chaldea, no one could match him!

“Truly… a monster.”

Koyanskaya’s fake smile masked her inner fear—not only was she awed by the man’s power, but even more so by the faint trace of killing intent.

Even though it wasn’t aimed at her, she still felt a threat of death.

She almost wanted to thank the king who had raised this monster—what a troublesome existence he had brought forth.

The man said nothing, only glancing briefly at the creature disguised as a human before turning his attention to Da Vinci, who was still busy. The corners of his mouth couldn’t help but rise.

Sensing the gaze, Da Vinci instinctively turned, her eyes widening in surprise.

“You—”

Da Vinci was utterly shocked. She never expected to see him on this very last day.

The Last of the Knights of the Round Table—Alaric.

…

And shortly before this—

Inside Chaldea’s detention room.

Still confined, Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight exchanged glances. Amid the oppressive silence, Ritsuka couldn’t help but speak: “Da Vinci still hasn’t returned yet—”

These days, not only had they faced repeated intense scrutiny, but even more worrying was that Da Vinci had been summoned by Director Goredolf the previous night and hadn’t been seen since.

“Yes, it's been twelve hours since Mr. Goredolf called her away last night.”

Mash nodded. “It's now 16:30. There’s less than eight hours left in the year—”

Almost simultaneously, a voice called out: “Pardon the intrusion—”

As the door opened, Kirei Kotomine entered with a smile. “Hello, Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mr. Meunière, and the young Demi-Servant.

I wanted to speak with you one last time, so I stopped by.”

During the four days of review, Kotomine had interacted with Ritsuka, Mash, and the others several times. Aside from the formal reviews, he mostly expressed his admiration for their achievements.

“Father Kotomine?”

Seeing him, Mash instinctively called his name.

Kotomine replied calmly, “Just call me Father. My name isn’t particularly important.

Anyway, your almost four-day confinement will soon end. Though the review will continue tomorrow, your suspicions have been cleared.

The Mage’s Association wanted to detain you, but the Holy Church is different.”

At this, Kotomine looked pleased. “We recognize your battles and your dedication. My superior… the Cardinal, also praised your efforts highly.

He instructed me: Protect them from the Mage’s Association’s secrecy—that is the least we can do to repay our benefactors.”

“Is—is that true?”

Overwhelmed with excitement at the prospect of release, Meunière exclaimed, “We’re going to be released without charges?”

“Yes, in a few hours, the confinement of the old staff will end. I’ve already convinced Mr. Goredolf.”

Kotomine nodded, answering Meunière’s question affirmatively.

But that wasn’t what Ritsuka wanted to hear.

“What about Da Vinci?”

Ritsuka asked, “What will happen to Da Vinci?”

“That’s right, what’s happened to Acting Director Da Vinci, who was called away for review last night?”

Mash stared intently at Kotomine, trying to read his expression.

“Oh, Leonardo? That one’s a Servant—she cannot be released.”

Kotomine said matter-of-factly, “Once her assistance with the current work is done, she’ll be forced to leave. The world of the living has no need for past Heroic Spirits.

Even saints are no exception. No matter what, the new world doesn’t need ancient history—”

“!!!!”

The moment Kotomine finished speaking, his expression shifted dramatically. Almost instinctively, he turned to look at the detention room door.

No one was there.

Nothing, and no one, had appeared behind him; the sense of crisis he felt was nothing but an intangible warning.

But Kotomine didn’t consider it a mere illusion. This was only the ripple caused by someone’s arrival.

“Well, this truly is a year-end surprise.”

Though he was prepared for such things, Kotomine still sighed helplessly, then turned to Ritsuka. “Let’s set aside the matter of Heroic Spirits for now. I had intended to say more, but things end here, wouldn’t you agree, Ritsuka Fujimaru?”

“You’re not trustworthy.”

Facing Kotomine, Ritsuka remained cold, voicing her doubts without hesitation.

This man—his very being radiated falsehood. He was not to be trusted.

Kotomine simply smiled. “You are, after all, the Master who overturned the incineration of humanity. It seems your instincts are very sharp.

But I want to praise your efforts, your self-control, and your perseverance to this point. It’s precisely because of this that I feel more regret.”

“Regret for what?”

Ritsuka, sensing something, met Kotomine’s gaze calmly.

“You ask what I regret? How composed. Do you still not understand?”

Kotomine’s expression was cheerful, but his gaze was terrifyingly cold. “Of course, I mean the miracle you achieved—which will soon be trampled and destroyed by mere mortals.”

[Surgery: success;

Coffin thawing: complete;

3 minutes until opening;

Father Kotomine, please proceed to the control room. The revival ritual will commence next.]