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

As Kenshi watched Gawain personally send Gareth off, the silent duel finally came to an end.

This battle, which had made Kenshi's heart race with fear, was unexpectedly simple. There were no flashy Noble Phantasms unleashed, just the most primitive clash of weapons.

"Very well, my knights. I shall bestow my blessings upon you all!"

After witnessing this duel—a testament to loyalty and righteousness—the Lion King showed a faint smile.

In an instant, light radiated.

The magical energy released by the Lion King pierced through the bodies of Gawain and the other knights.

"Unfading—Gawain, Grievous—Lancelot, Reversed—Tristan, Rampaging—Mordred—"

Kenshi could tell that, unlike his dragon-blood modifications, the blessings granted to the Knights of the Round Table by the Lion King were special effects applied directly to their spiritual foundations.

Each blessing was powerful and potent.

"My King, how shall we go about building Camelot?"

Agravain, Arthur's chief aide, asked respectfully. While the other Knights of the Round Table remained silent, he stepped forward.

"It's very simple."

The Lion King raised a hand, grasping at the air, as the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad hovered before her.

Under the gaze of the gathered knights:

"Holy Lance, unfold."

The Lion King's calm words were followed by a surge of magical energy. Unlike the usual spectacle of the Holy Lance being unleashed, a tide of light erupted from the Lion King, spreading outwards like a vast wave!

The earth cracked, and grand structures rose from the ground. New flags fluttered proudly in the wind.

An endless wall of pure white formed a natural barrier, guarding the tower at the city's heart!

"The White City—Camelot!"

Witnessing such a miracle, Kenshi couldn't help but gasp, his heart pounding wildly as if it might burst from his chest.

What, if anything, was beyond the Lion King's power?

In the year 1272, a city was raised in a single day.

"Camelot is now built. Sir Agravain, you are in charge of creating the enforcement knights. Sir Gawain, Sir Lancelot, go forth and bring the people of this land to the city gates. I shall perform the first Holy Selection and choose the pure souls fit to enter the future."

"To this end, I will grant you all the power to perform the selection—"

After issuing these commands, the Lion King ascended the tower at the city's end and disappeared.

"The King's orders have been given. Mordred, Tristan… What is your name?"

Agravain realized then that he still didn't know Kenshi's name.

"Just call me Kenshi. I look forward to working with you."

As the Lion King departed, Kenshi knew his opportunity had come. Agravain would not keep him in the Holy City and would undoubtedly send him on a mission outside. That would be his chance to make his mark.

Kenshi had no interest in the Holy Selection. All he wanted was to learn the martial arts of the Knights of the Round Table, away from the Lion King's gaze.

In terms of strength, even with his dragon-blood modifications, Kenshi was at best on par with a third-rate Servant. In every aspect, he was at the lowest level. Aside from continually digging deeper into his potential, martial arts were the most significant improvement he could currently seek.

Lancelot was the best candidate. With his mastery of the sword reaching its peak, Lancelot was known as the strongest knight of the Round Table. Only he could fill the gaps in Kenshi's current swordsmanship.

"That's a strange name. You're not from around here, are you?"

Mordred was immediately intrigued when she heard Kenshi's introduction.

"Sir Kenshi, you will accompany Mordred and Sir Tristan to eliminate all Crusaders scattered across the land," Agravain said, quickly shattering Kenshi's plans.

"Huh? Do we have to act together? I could wipe out all the Crusaders by myself!"

Mordred boasted, pounding her chest plate confidently.

"It is truly sad, but I will do my best."

"Understood."

With the tasks assigned, the knights did not linger for idle chatter and soon left the Holy City.

...

After setting out:

Ten minutes later, Kenshi was riding a black horse alone through the wilderness.

Mordred and Tristan had chosen not to accompany him and instead opted to act separately.

Heading westward, Kenshi slaughtered numerous Crusaders, gaining greater control over his newfound strength.

"The desert summoned by that king—"

With his enhanced vision, Lie could easily see the vast expanse of yellow sand on the horizon, where a terrifying sandstorm raged.

This was the land where the Sun King had retreated, having summoned the lands of ancient Egypt into the Singularity through the Holy Grail. It was a perfect confluence of time and place.

Kenshi did not rashly enter the desert. If his guess was correct, the Sun King had also summoned Pharaoh Nitocris of the Sixth Dynasty, along with many Sphinxes that roamed the sands.

Entering the desert at this time would be a death sentence.

However, Kenshi was not concerned with the dangers of the desert. Instead, he began searching along the desert's edge for refugees wandering the land.

As night fully descended, Kenshi finally found a few refugees among the towering stones of a rocky forest: a man, two women—seemingly a family.

"Don't come any closer!"

The middle-aged man, covered in dust, stood protectively before his wife and daughter, his expression filled with fear as he tried to stop Kenshi from advancing.

Without wasting time trying to calm the family, Kenshi raised his sword and sliced through the dead line of a nearby boulder. With a thunderous crash, several tons of stone collapsed!

"Calm down. Crying wastes time."

Faced with this display of sheer violence, the middle-aged man fell to the ground in terror, while his wife and daughter quickly moved to shield him.

"W-what do you want from us, sir Knight?!"

The young girl, who seemed to be the youngest, mustered the courage to ask. Her mother, terrified, quickly covered her mouth and tried to explain, but Lie smiled.

"Good question. What are your names?"

"Ansari—"

"!"

An indescribable sense of danger flooded Kenshi's mind. He swiftly drew his sword, and under the family's terrified gaze, deflected a poisoned dart with a single slash!

Clang!

The dart fell to the ground, and Kenshi looked in the direction it came from, catching a glimpse of a figure wearing a bone-white mask darting behind the family.

"The Old Man of the Mountain?"

Kenshi muttered, surprised.

The masked figure was Hassan, a member of the Middle Eastern Assassin Order. The founder of this order, the Old Man of the Mountain, was the origin of the Assassin class!

Without knowing where the figure had gone, Kenshi, fully aware of the threat posed by an Assassin, quickly placed his sword against the middle-aged man's neck, forcing the hidden figure to reappear!

If Kenshi's assumption was correct, the figure was likely an Assassin-class Servant. Given that the Old Man of the Mountain was local, it was highly probable that this Assassin had attacked to protect the people.

"If you continue your attack, I can't guarantee their safety!"

Kenshi's speech was rapid, but his mind remained calm. He heightened his senses, trying to detect the Assassin's presence.

Thanks to the Lion King's dragon-blood modifications, Kenshi's five senses had been significantly enhanced, and he felt an inexplicable intuition flowing through him.

It was this strange intuition that had allowed him to react to the poisoned dart just moments earlier.

"!"

There!

Sensing a disturbance in the air, Kenshi spun around and swung his sword, slicing through the wind but hitting nothing.

'Fast. Too fast for me to catch.'

Kenshi's eyes narrowed. Although he had glimpsed the Assassin's figure this time, he didn't pursue it. Instead, he raised his sword towards the middle-aged man and shouted, "I'm not a Crusader. I mean no harm. We can talk."

"S-Sir knight—"

The trembling voice of the young girl reached Kenshi's ears, but he didn't need to look to know that his earlier actions had shattered the atmosphere he had created. He quickly added, "I was just scaring them. No one's going to get hurt."

Several minutes passed without the Assassin showing themselves again.

Kenshi wasn't in a hurry. He knew that an Assassin willing to protect these refugees wouldn't just leave. The figure was likely hiding nearby, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Do not harm them."

The Assassin finally appeared—a slender, tall woman with dark skin and purple hair. Though she stood before them, it was as if she were barely there.

"Which Hassan are you?"

Kenshi asked, studying her. Through his spiritual sense, he confirmed she was a Servant, but he couldn't identify her. He decided to ask directly.

"Hassan of Serenity. You are not a Crusader?"

The woman, calling herself Hassan of Serenity, kept her distance from Kenshi and the others.

"My body carries poison. Even being near me would cause you to be poisoned."

Kenshi would be fine, but the Ansari family would not survive such a poison, so Serenity had to maintain a safe distance to avoid any accidents.

"Miss Serenity, why don't we sit down and talk?"

Kenshi sheathed his sword. By now, he had locked onto Serenity's aura. She was only a dozen meters away, which meant he could cross the distance and strike in just a second if necessary. Should she make any sudden moves, he could cut her dead line in an instant!

Seeing that Kenshi had no hostile intentions and that the Ansari family was unharmed, Serenity nodded. She straightforwardly asked, "If you are not a Crusader, then who are you?"

As she spoke, her gaze fell upon the sword in Kenshi's hand.

Noticing this, Kenshi responded naturally, "I used to be a Crusader, but now I am a knight under the Lion King's command. The Crusaders have already been destroyed. The pure white Lion King will bring a different future to this world."

"The Lion King?"

Serenity looked confused, clearly hearing the name for the first time.

Kenshi did not elaborate, instead getting straight to the point.

"Miss Serenity, I would like you to take me to meet him—the one known as the first Old Man of the Mountain!"