Lancelot was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected such an unexpected gain.
After tracking for nearly a day, they arrived at the foot of the mountain and saw the village nestled on the hillside.
"Commander! We've found a village similar to the Western Village, with quite a few people inside. Should we…"
A scout Rider returned to report to Lancelot.
"Roughly how many people?"
Lancelot asked. He wasn't pleased; a discovery wasn't what he wanted to see.
"Roughly three hundred people or more, with over a dozen showing Mana signatures."
"Over a dozen? That many?"
Those with Mana were either Mages or Servants. With so many individuals showing Mana signatures, their combat strength was likely not low.
Fighting such an opponent would inevitably lead to casualties, and Lancelot was concerned about his subordinates being lost.
"Alright, listen to my command."
Lancelot waved his hand, and his subordinates immediately reined in their horses, standing ready.
"Retreat!"
"Yes, sir!"
At Lancelot's command, the Riders skillfully turned their horses, the rear becoming the front, preparing to leave. Their movements were practiced and synchronized, clearly not their first time doing this.
But just as they turned.
*Swoosh! Swoosh!*
Two short daggers flew swiftly, embedding themselves in the ground and blocking the path of the Riders.
*Swoosh!*
Cursed Arm Hassan moved like a phantom, scaling walls and leaping over all the Riders, finally landing on the two daggers.
"Knights of the Round Table, since you've come, why not stay?"
Cursed Arm Hassan's killing intent was palpable. Although he hadn't expected Lancelot to turn his formation and prepare to retreat, since they had been discovered, he couldn't let them leave.
"Hup!"
Lancelot galloped forward, and the Riders instinctively parted to create a path. Lancelot rode to the front, glanced at Cursed Arm Hassan, then looked up at their surroundings.
On the rock faces around them, many heads were visible. Bows, slingshots, and even people holding rocks—if a fight broke out, it would be an overwhelming barrage.
"Stand aside, we don't want to fight you."
Lancelot spoke coldly. He was already preparing to leave, yet these people dared to block him. Were they out of their minds?
"Heh heh, well, you can throw down your weapons, and we'll let you go."
Cursed Arm Hassan said with a smile, but Lancelot certainly wouldn't agree. If they threw down their weapons, wouldn't they be unarmed? At their mercy!
"Don't say such laughable things. I have no intention of becoming your enemy. I'll pretend I never saw this discovery, and you can continue living your lives. How about that?"
Lancelot shouted. He genuinely didn't want to fight, but just as he finished shouting.
"Lord Lancelot, I can't pretend I didn't hear what you just said."
Another voice rang out. Cursed Arm Hassan turned back, his expression even more serious. Behind him, another large troop of Riders appeared, led by Tristan.
"Tristan! You, you were tracking me!!"
Lancelot exclaimed, his voice filled with anger.
"You can't say that, Lord Lancelot. I was ordered to search this area. But you, who should be in the west, why are you here?"
Tristan narrowed his eyes, his voice icy, already clutching the Six-String Bow in his hand.
"That's none of your business. What, I can't get lost?"
Lancelot still tried to bluff.
Tristan let out a cold laugh.
"Heh, 'lost' indeed. Lost is one thing, but now that you've encountered an enemy, why flee? You're hailed as the strongest Knight of the Round Table. What? Are you afraid to fight?"
"…"
Lancelot didn't answer, because at this point, anything he said would be useless. There were only two options now.
One, eliminate all the Mountain People.
Two, eliminate Tristan and his Knight Legion.
After some thought, Lancelot chose the former. After all, he and Tristan had served together, so.
"Afraid to fight? You clearly don't know me, Lancelot! Kill!!"
Lancelot dismounted directly, drawing Arondight in mid-air, and slashed at Cursed Arm!
*Boom!*
Cursed Arm Hassan dodged the attack, and Lancelot's sword struck the ground, kicking up a large cloud of dust.
Lancelot charged forward through the rising dust, appearing beside Cursed Arm Hassan in an instant and striking with his sword!
"Clang!"
Cursed Arm Hassan blocked the blow with his short knife, suddenly realizing Lancelot hadn't put any force into it.
"You?"
"Shh, I don't want a conflict. Retreat now, and I'll cover you from the others."
As Lancelot spoke, Arondight in his hand unleashed streaks of Sword Qi.
The Sword Qi flew wildly, some even hitting the rock wall and kicking up large clouds of dust.
In an instant, the passage was filled with dust, obscuring everyone's vision.
"…Retreat!"
Cursed Arm Hassan stepped back, dodging a sword strike, and thought it over. Indeed, with the arrival of two Knights of the Round Table and numerous powerful ordinary knights, they truly had no chance of victory. Retreating now was the right course of action.
"Hmph, I won't thank you."
Cursed Arm Hassan muttered, then used the thick dust to conceal himself and quickly withdrew.
"Heh, no need."
Seeing Cursed Arm Hassan leave, Lancelot smiled. He simply didn't want civilians to be killed.
Outside the dusty area, Tristan noticed something was wrong.
There had been sounds of fighting inside just a moment ago, but now it was quiet.
Had one side already been dealt with?
With a hint of doubt, Tristan wanted to get a bit closer to sense the situation.
But just as he neared the edge—suddenly!
"Whoosh!"
A purple streak of Sword Qi broke through the air? Tristan's heart leaped in alarm, and he quickly used his Six-String Bow to block!
"Boom!"
With an explosion, Tristan was blown backward. The dust swirled, revealing Lancelot walking out.
"My apologies, I didn't see clearly."
Lancelot shot Tristan a look of disdain. Without waiting for Tristan to speak, he turned and re-entered the dusty area, preparing to lead his knights away.
Only…
"Huh? And you are?"
After taking a couple of steps, Lancelot suddenly noticed people ahead. Their unfamiliar aura clearly indicated they weren't his knights.
Two figures emerged: Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash.
Lancelot's eyes lit up when he saw Fujimaru Ritsuka, surprised to encounter such a beautiful woman.
Then he looked at Mash.
"Uh, this shield? This armor… And this look, like she's gazing at a scumbag… Could you be?"
Lancelot would never forget that look—a look of utter disappointment in him.
"Lord Lancelot, please turn back."
Mash looked at Lancelot with complex emotions. She already knew the true name of the Heroic Spirit within her, and her relationship with Lancelot.
Galahad, the Knight of the Round Table, the perfect knight—he was Lancelot's son.
"How is that possible! How did you become a girl?!"
Lancelot looked horrified. Had he given birth to a daughter back then?
"That doesn't matter! Lord Lancelot! The Holy City has harmed countless civilians! This is absolutely not what a knight should do! It's not too late to turn back now. Come with me, I'll take you to someone…
…Dad!"
Mash forced out those two words, enduring the shame in her heart.
"Clang!"
Lancelot's pupils dilated, and his sword clattered to the ground. He clutched his chest, a pained expression on his face.
"No, don't… My heart can't take it…"
Mash: "…"
Ah, yesterday I went back to my hometown for the holiday. I spent most of the day traveling, then helped out with the family business until 11 PM. I walked over 20,000 steps. Who said going home for New Year's is a rest? Goodness… I apologize for the unstable updates these past few days!
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