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

Alaric didn't know if Maggie Friedman who had taken over Alaika's body was a completely independent consciousness or if it was still connected to her original body. If it was the latter, then the real Maggie should have died as well.

Sheathing his sword, Alaric turned and left without hesitation.

The leads on the Crusader remnants had now come to an end, but Alaric didn't mind at all. He had figured it out—this area was under the domain of the Sun King, Ozymandias. Apart from the Atlas Institute, which operated outside his control, the Crusader remnants couldn't evade Ozymandias's notice. As for any other information related to the remnants, it had vanished with Maggie Friedman's death.

After reuniting with Nitocris, the two continued their journey.

Their destination: the otherworldly Atlas Institute in the middle of the desert!

...

A few hours later.

"No, Miss Nitocris, are you a pharaoh?"

Alaric looked around in confusion. Since he had a pharaoh accompanying him, he had naturally let Nitocris guide him through the desert. But what Alaric hadn't expected was that Nitocris had managed to lead him in circles in the desert for an entire day.

The sun was setting, and it was now twilight. They had walked from noon to dusk, and Alaric hadn't even seen a shadow of the Atlas Institute.

Nitocris, however, was not about to take the blame. She raised her voice, "Insolent! Are you questioning the decisions of Pharaoh Nitocris?"

Nitocris refused to admit any fault, dismissing Alaric's doubts with full confidence.

Seeing this, Alaric, who was drinking from his water flask, merely shrugged and let out a long sigh.

"Hey!"

Suddenly, a bright idea came to Alaric, and he smiled, raising his index finger.

"Miss Nitocris, I've got a plan!"

Half an hour later...

Alaric looked out over the desert now filled with wandering spirits, feeling quite proud of his genius. Since the two of them weren't having much luck finding the Institute, why not call for help? Conveniently, Nitocris could summon a whole host of undead.

"You're being disrespectful to the pharaoh!"

Nitocris continued her work while giving Alaric a sharp glare.

Despite her words, Nitocris still followed Ozymandias's orders, using the spirits for a carpet search of the desert. Together, Alaric and Nitocris steadily advanced.

Until night had fully fallen.

And still—they found nothing.

Until—

"The Atlas Institute, being an alchemical organization, naturally has countermeasures against such wide-area searches. This method won't yield much success."

"Elementary, my friend."

A faint voice drifted through the sandstorm.

"A Servant?!"

Sensing the magical energy within the sandstorm, Alaric instantly turned, his sword partially drawn!

Soon, he could make out a figure within the storm. Adorned in an English-style trench coat, with refined and tall features, what struck Alaric most was the pair of sharp eyes that seemed to see through everything.

"Who are you?"

Alaric quickly analyzed the newcomer's identity.

As a Heroic Spirit, anyone who left a mark in history was bound to be famous. Judging by this person's polished appearance and unmistakable aura, Alaric soon connected the dots to a well-known Heroic Spirit.

"Sherlock Holmes—"

"It seems this gentleman knows me. A pleasure to meet you, I am Sherlock Holmes. And you must be the Servant Nitocris. Might I ask how this gentleman is addressed?"

Holmes smiled warmly as he spoke.

Seeing Holmes accurately call out Nitocris's true name, Alaric wasn't surprised. What did catch his attention, however, was Holmes's demeanor, which made Alaric feel an increasing sense of caution. The reason was simple: compared to Alaric, who thought of himself as clever, Holmes was truly a genius.

Dealing with someone this sharp, Alaric was concerned he might unintentionally reveal too much information. Especially now—Alaric was carrying something extraordinarily valuable on him: the Holy Grail. Holmes, with his keen observation skills, was a world-class detective capable of deducing the entire picture from the smallest clues. His genius was widely known. He had probably noticed the Holy Grail the moment they met—

"Alaric, a knight."

Faced with Holmes, Alaric decided to employ his best strategy: be direct.

"Sir Alaric, since you're headed to the Atlas Institute, how about we travel together?"

Holmes, holding a pipe in his hand, smiled as he proposed this.

'As expected, he noticed the Holy Grail and came over because of it. He's probably already analyzing my background, too, huh? Holmes, you're terrifying—'

Alaric's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he was impressed.

"It's an honor. Though, Mr. Holmes, how did you come to be in the domain of the Sun King?"

Faced with Holmes's invitation, Alaric had no reason to refuse. Relying on just himself and Nitocris to find the Atlas Institute would be difficult; who knew how long it would take them to reach it? But with Holmes, it was a different story. The addition of the world's greatest mind was a huge advantage for Alaric and Nitocris.

"Holmes? Another foreign Servant?"

Nitocris dismissed the spirits scattered across the desert and looked at Holmes with confusion. She hadn't heard of this name and assumed he was just another ordinary Servant.

Holmes raised an eyebrow, immediately deducing that Nitocris, as a Servant, hadn't been granted the knowledge that normally came with her summoning. This suggested that her summoner was most likely Ozymandias, who had the authority to skip giving her such knowledge.

"Sir Alaric, you seem quite familiar with Servants. As you might have guessed, I was summoned a few days ago by the leyline itself, without a Master. Upon meeting you and seeing you searching for the Atlas Institute, I thought I might join you."

Holmes answered Alaric's question while simultaneously addressing the unspoken thoughts in Alaric's mind.

"Then, Mr. Holmes, how do we find the Atlas Institute? Miss Nitocris and I have been looking for half a day and still haven't found this otherworldly place."

Having determined that Holmes was a temporary ally, Alaric didn't hold back any further and asked directly. Alaric needed to reach the Atlas Institute before Holmes could figure out that he was a Knight of the Round Table!

Alaric couldn't be sure of much, but he knew one thing for certain: Holmes was likely aligned with the approaching Chaldea. From that standpoint, as one of the Lion King's knights, Alaric would most likely end up opposing Holmes and his allies. That is, assuming Holmes was already aware of the Lion King's existence.

...

Not long after.

Holmes led Alaric and Nitocris to the top of a sand dune.

"The location should be around here, Sir Alaric. If you would, please."

The guide, Holmes, stepped aside, giving Alaric room. Thrust into the role of a tool, Alaric pointed at the desert before him. Confirming the direction, he decisively threw a punch!

Boom!!

The magic-infused strike pierced through the earth, causing the sands to tremble and then collapse inward like quicksand. A deep hole appeared before them.