Earth Princess? No, it's Fujimaru Ritsuka!

Page 261

The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Crusades of this era were completely destroyed, and the only remaining human beings capable of upholding the foundation of human reason were the Mountain People.

In other words... on this land, the only living beings who can determine the future of humanity are the mountain people.

The conditions for defeat are either the complete annihilation of the mountain people or the swallowing of the world by the Holy Lance.

"Go find the people of the mountains."

After reviewing the information, Fujimaru Ritsuka made a decision.

First of all, among the Mountain People there are versatile and useful Servants like Hassan the Hundred-Faced, so cooperating with them is a good choice.

As for the Sun King's side, they have probably already begun to mobilize their troops for war.

When this Holy Expedition ends and the Knights of the Round Table reassemble, that will be the time to launch the final assault.

Fujimaru Ritsuka did not believe that the mountain people had not made any preparations.

They are definitely planning a counterattack.

"Senior, does 'Mountain People' refer to... the Hundred-Faced Lady we met before?"

Mash asked.

"Correct."

As Fujimaru Ritsuka led the refugees through the desert, she nodded and said, judging the direction.

In this era, the Holy Lance severely interfered with the Star Mark, so Fujimaru Ritsuka could only make judgments based on information from Chaldea, the refugee population, and the advance intelligence given to her by Sajou Ayaka.

"If the Hundred Faces were able to infiltrate the Great Temple silently and easily send out armed forces to take Nitocris away, then the Mountain People must have gathered a considerable amount of power to counterattack the Lion King."

"I understand."

Mashu nodded: "In that case, I'll have to work hard too!"

The girl holding the shield was full of energy.

"That Miss Mashu... she's really full of energy..."

Bedwell remarked with some emotion, "It's quite unbelievable that no one seems tense or afraid at all, given how serious the situation is."

"It's because the Master is here."

Mordred clapped his hands.

Fujimaru Ritsuka has this feeling... no matter whether she has power or not, no matter what difficulties she is in, she can overcome them.

""

Bedwell fell silent.

"What? A third-rate knight. You look like someone in your family has died. You're not the sentimental type, are you? No way... no, you might actually be that kind of guy."

"Do not..."

Bedivere gripped the Silver Arm: "I was just thinking, perhaps you are the King's most loyal knight..."

“Trampling on the king’s ideals, no… perhaps the king has only ever been fulfilling our ideals.”

"It was we Knights of the Round Table who arbitrarily imposed our own ideals on the King, causing him to become the King he is in the past and even now."

"Your actions may have been excessive, but they brought peace to the king at the end of his life."

As the past kept replaying in his mind, Bedivere felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest.

Are you an idiot?

Mordred rolled her eyes at him: "I think you've almost completely gone mad. What kind of loyal knight am I? You should at least have a limit to your jokes!"

"No, I just..."

Bedwell closed his eyes in anguish.

"I apologize for making you see me lose my composure, Knight Mordred."

""

Xiao Mo frowned: "Something's not right."

"Something's not right..."

"You're really acting strangely! You actually said I'm a loyal knight, something even your father wouldn't believe. That doesn't fit your character at all! I can't quite put my finger on it... but you're just too weird!"

Xiao Mo instinctively sensed that something was wrong.

"And you didn't react at all when I took out Pridovin. Under normal circumstances, if you saw me take out my father's shield, you would have gone crazy and started to attack me, right?"

"Why?" Bedivere looked bewildered. "What are you talking about? Why would I want to attack Pridowyn just because I see him? Although I admit I don't like Lord Mordred, we are now comrades with the same goal, and I won't turn my sword against you."

Moreover, in terms of infidelity, I am even worse than you.

"And I understand your pain at that time."

"What nonsense is this? I don't understand!" Mordred shook his head.

She wasn't very bright, but she had a good intuition and always felt that something was off about Bedivere.

"Alright, Mordred. I've roughly figured out the situation... the root of this singularity, no, the root of this anomaly in this singularity."

Black Saber's voice came through Chaldea's communication system: "You simple-minded brat, all you need to do is fight like a hound. Don't bother with things that require your brain. Go play somewhere else."

"Oh."

Mordred nodded and then obediently left.

""

Faced with Blackie's gaze, Bedivere lowered his head, not daring to look directly into the other's cold eyes.

“There’s no need to hide it anymore, Lord Bedwell. I already know pretty much everything.”

"You did not follow my final command and did not return the Holy Sword to the Lady of the Lake, which is why that foolish 'me' was assimilated by the pure divinity within the Holy Lance. Am I right, Lord Bedivere?"

"What that unfilial son just said proves that you have seen Pridowyn's shield. In other words, the Lion King did not die and ascend to godhood; it was actually you who caused this."

Bedwell trembled all over, and he lowered his head like a child who had done something wrong.

"Your deduction is correct... As expected of the King, just as you said, this disaster was caused by me. I did not obey the King's orders, which led to this. Therefore... even if it means sacrificing my own soul, I must resolve this..."

"Raise your head, Lord Bedivere. I cannot say that you are without fault. Even as ruthless as I am, as the Tyrant Knight King, I can still maintain a part of my humanity. The fact that my soul was corrupted by the Holy Lance is due to my weak mind, disregard for human life, and lack of understanding of human nature."

"The tragic demise after being defeated was a fitting end for a foolish king."

"So you don't need to feel guilty at all; just focus all your efforts on defeating her."

"But..."

"This is the King's order, Bedivere! Are you going to disobey again?!"

"Don't dare."

"Then cheer up! Now is not the time for regrets and self-blame. Just do everything you can to kill her!"

"Yes!"

The Black King's personality was noticeably colder, but even so, it made Bedivere feel somewhat better.

The soul, which has been nearly decayed over the millennia, is now on the verge of collapse.

The guilt of rebelling against King Arthur... the internal strife among the Knights of the Round Table... and the guilt that is unique to Bedivere will definitely continue to drive him to the brink of collapse.

That's why Black Saber used the form of the King's command to order Bedivere, which somewhat lessened his guilt.

At least now, Bedwell can get a normal night's sleep.

The villages of the mountain people are not particularly easy to find.

There was no magical barrier, nor any defensive structures.

Villages in this era would likely be clustered in valleys or river valleys of the Yellow Mountains, unable to survive without water. Therefore, it is highly probable that human settlements could be found by following the water sources.

Of course, it is also possible to encounter enemies.

This enemy refers not only to the wandering knights sent out by Camelot, but also to the wandering ghouls, thieves, and monsters.

However, these monsters are not objectively comparable to the combat power of a Servant.

Even the Sphinx often cannot defeat them; Little Sparkle only needs to swing its claws to send these monsters to hell.

However... things rarely turn out as beautifully as Fujimaru Ritsuka imagines.

Or perhaps, Fujimaru Ritsuka was being a bit too naive.

Escaping the refugees from Camelot was merely the first step in the rescue effort.

After a period of arduous journey, crisis followed one after another.

"Ritsuka! It's a hostile reaction. The spirit origin of the Righteous Knight can be detected several miles away. The enemy must have caught up, or rather, their scattered forces are beginning to converge in your direction!"

The Holy City's righteous knights and the wandering knights dispatched abroad were mostly cavalry, which was an unprecedented disaster for the unarmed refugees.

Even with Fujimaru Ritsuka and several Servants, the refugees would inevitably suffer casualties if they tried to quickly eliminate the enemy.

""

Fujimaru Ritsuka took a deep breath.

They cautiously sensed their surroundings.

As a Star Spirit, she could sense the lamentations and rage of this singularity world.

She also felt the ground shaking, like the loud sound of horses' hooves hitting the ground!

"Mash, Mordred, and the knight Bedivere!"

"Pay attention, an attack is coming!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly raised her hand and said.

Even the Sphinx of the Stars was restlessly scratching at the sand with its claws.

"An attack?!"

The girl, who had been talking to the refugees, suddenly became serious, conjuring a shield and glaring at them. After many battles, Mash had gradually grown... and it seemed that because Fujimaru Ritsuka was always at the forefront of the battle, Mash had virtually no fear of fighting.

Fear is simply the lack of confidence in victory.

At this moment, Mash, a half-dead apostle and half-human demi-Servant, unconditionally believes in Fujimaru Ritsuka's victory.

"Oh, it's my turn to appear again, isn't it?"

Mordred, carrying a sword and dressed in armor, appeared before Fujimaru Ritsuka: "Anyway, the enemy is the Knights of the Round Table, right? No problem, I'm best at cutting them down!"

"Sorry... I'm late."

Bedwell quickly gripped his arm and said.

"Hey? Bedivere, you look much better, don't you?"

The other person's face was still pale, but their spirits were much better, and they didn't seem like the kind of last burst of energy a dying person would have.

"Well, I'm sorry... I've come to terms with some things, and I'm sorry for making you all worry. From now on, Knight Bedivere will fight alongside you with all his might."

"I can rest assured that."

Fujimaru Ritsuka gave a thumbs up.

The ground tremors became increasingly clear, like muffled thunder rolling across the desert.

Fujimaru Ritsuka raised her hand, signaling the refugee group to take cover behind the sand dunes, while she and three Servants stood on the front line to fight the enemy.

"They're here! The Cavalry are charging... We must hold this position, or else—"

Fortunately, the enemy's numbers weren't particularly large, so fighting them shouldn't be a problem.

However, the number of minor enemies doesn't affect the outcome of the battle; the real threat lies elsewhere.

"This speed...this fighting style, that's Lancelot!"

"Bedwell said abruptly."

"Lancelot?!" Mash's eyes widened as she stared in disbelief into the distance, where a purple knight on horseback, wielding a greatsword, was leading an army in a charge!

"No spirit origin reaction...only life reactions...the soldiers he leads are not righteous knights, but true human knights?!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka frowned slightly, keenly sensing something amiss in the other person's situation, but that wasn't important right now.

Regardless of whether they are human or not, the other party is an enemy of the Holy City for no reason.