"Th-the situation is like this..."
After being carried all the way by Melusine to Guinevere's side, before Guinevere could even ask, Nitocris spilled everything like beans poured from a bamboo tube:
"The Knights of the Round Table, under the command of the Lion King, launched an assault on Pharaoh's domain, initiating the decisive battle. We were defeated in that battle, and His Majesty... His Majesty, when facing the Lion King's Holy Lance, chose to pilot the Great Temple into the sky and clash against the lance to save me..."
At this point, Nitocris couldn't help but wipe away her tears.
"What a heroic end... Truly befitting King Ozymandias, such a finale suits his style."
Guinevere shook his head and sighed.
"It's all... all because I was too useless."
Hearing this, Nitocris clenched her teeth:
"His Majesty's strength is by no means inferior to the Lion King's. If the Sun King had fought one-on-one with the Lion King, I believe His Majesty would not have lost! It's just... just that the Lion King's knights were far too strong compared to me. They played a huge role in the battle between the Sun King and the Lion King. Even the main cannon blasts of the Great Temple were intercepted by those knights in place of the Lion King... If His Majesty had summoned another, greater Pharaoh as his aide instead of me, perhaps the outcome would have been completely different..."
"Miss Nitocris, I'm deeply sorry for King Ozymandias' fate, but please don't be too hard on yourself. This can't truly be considered your fault..."
On the side, seeing Nitocris so distraught, Ritsuka Fujimaru couldn't help but step forward, gently patting her junior in consolation. But before she could finish, Nitocris suddenly lifted her head, carefully took out something precious, and held it out toward Fujimaru.
"Miss Ritsuka! Please accept this! And in my stead, avenge me against the Lion King!"
"This is..."
When everyone saw the gleaming object Nitocris produced, they were stunned.
"The Holy Grail?!" Fujimaru exclaimed in shock.
"Yes," Nitocris nodded gravely, "this was also His Majesty's final instruction to me... He said he had long been hesitating. He knew of the Lion King's plan, and if he held the Holy Grail, then even if the entire world became the 'End of the World' under her plan, he still had ways to preserve the people of the desert. But if he went to war against the Lion King, he might not even be able to protect them... Yet while he was still hesitating, the Lion King launched her assault without hesitation."
"So, before engaging in that desperate clash against the Lion King with the Great Temple, the Sun King entrusted the Grail to me, and bade me pass along his words to you."
Then, imitating the cadence of the Sun King from her memory, Nitocris slowly spoke:
"Whether your strength is enough to save the world has yet to be proven."
"However, since my own desire to take the safer yet narrower path became the cause of my downfall, I shall instead place my faith in you, who chose another road."
"Hmph... Perhaps it was taking the Grail so rashly that made me uncharacteristically attached to certain things... In that case, I will bestow this Grail upon you, who saved Nitocris. She will aid you further. Allow me to watch your struggle, and your final victory, from the best of seats."
After finishing, Nitocris looked nervously at the group:
"So... now that you've accepted the Grail, you will challenge the Lion King, won't you?"
"...Even if you hadn't said so, we don't really have any other choice."
Guinevere shook his head, letting out a long sigh:
"...To exit the stage with such pompous words, no wonder he was the hardest of the Golden Trio to serve... What a shame. I had hoped to use Lot's strength for another challenge against the Sun King, but now I won't even get that chance..."
"But as for victory, that is, of course, a given."
With those words, Guinevere reached out and took the Grail, then turned toward Ritsuka:
"This Grail may not grant wishes, but it can serve as an unlimited source of magical energy. Since this Singularity won't disappear just because the Grail is reclaimed, then until the Lion King is defeated, I'll borrow it for a while. That's fine, isn't it?"
"Of course! I trust you completely, Senpai!"
Ritsuka quickly raised a hand in loyalty:
"To be honest, having the Grail in your hands actually makes me feel safer than if I kept it myself!"
Thus came the end of their desert journey.
Though they failed to ally with Ozymandias, and Guinevere regretted being unable to gain Awakening progress from him, both of their two main objectives had been accomplished. They had reunited with Melusine, and obtained the Holy Grail. Even better, the Grail had temporarily fallen into Guinevere's possession—one could call it a perfect result.
Furthermore, after reuniting with Nitocris, they traveled again to the battlefield where the Lion King and the Sun King had fought, hoping to exploit the weakened state of the Round Table knights after their battle. After all, Guinevere's side now boasted three major powerhouses—C Bedivere, Melusine, and King Lot. Facing a Round Table force in poor condition would be very advantageous... Yet clearly their enemies had anticipated this. By the time Guinevere's group arrived aboard the Sphinx, no trace of the Holy City's knights remained.
So, while Ritsuka stayed in the backseat to comfort Nitocris, Guinevere piloted the Sphinx and set off on the return journey.
At first, their sudden assault on the Sun King seemed surprising, but on reflection, it was entirely reasonable. In Guinevere's impression, the Lion King had long been waiting for Lancelot to return before engaging the Sun King. But due to Agravain's conflict with Lancelot, Lancelot was constantly sent away to hunt Chaldea, leaving the Lion King without her duel. Until finally, in the original storyline, the Sun King simply hurled a pyramid at them from afar.
But in this Singularity, the presence of Fairy Gao, Fairy Lancelot, and intelligence from Morgan had placed immense pressure on the Holy City's knights. Their scorn for Chaldea's outsiders was shattered by Guinevere's alliance with them. Forced by this pressure, the once-fractious Round Table—reduced to a handful—now achieved unprecedented unity, even Agravain and Lancelot setting aside their enmity to stand together.
In such circumstances, to prevent Guinevere from gaining more allies, they chose a lightning strike against the Sun King, swiftly eliminating him to reduce her potential reinforcements. A natural decision... Guinevere, however, remained partially constrained by memories of the original tale, and hadn't foreseen this.
Still, while regrettable, it was no matter. After successfully reuniting with their own comrades, Guinevere could confidently assert that their side's strength was not inferior to the Holy City's. Even without the Sun King, they were more than capable of war.
Thus, the group chose the shortest route and set out to rejoin the others at the western village.
"And that's everything that happened. Thanks to the Sphinx, we managed to return before the appointed day of battle."
At the bonfire gathering welcoming them home, Guinevere summarized their two-day journey through the desert as concisely as possible.
At that moment, everyone was present around the fire—save for Bavanzi, still training mysteriously in the mountains. The two Hassans were there, as were the people of the Fairy Kingdom, Xuanzang and Biaotengtai... And even one unexpected figure.
"Hey! What's with those looks? Why are you all so shocked to see me?"
Feeling everyone's surprised stares, Noknare looked annoyed.
"Ah, no, it's just... we hadn't heard a single report about you, Noknare. For you to suddenly show up here is pretty startling," Artoria muttered.
"So this pink-haired queen who's become so famous among the mountain folk lately is one of your companions too? That does make things easier—saves us a lot of talk," Hundred Faces said with a nod.
"Thanks to Miss Noknare's help, our process of gathering soldiers went extremely smoothly. At present we've assembled more than thirty thousand people, far exceeding our expectations."
"Thirty thousand?" Guinevere blinked. If he remembered correctly, in the original tale Hundred Faces had only gathered around seven thousand. That was more than four times as many!
"Hmph, of course it's all thanks to me." Noknare crossed her arms proudly.
"To tell you the truth, ever since I arrived in this Singularity, I've been recruiting. With a few tricks I picked up from my past rule, I easily conquered the first mountain village I appeared in, then went on uniting others one by one... Honestly, if Hundred Faces and Gareth hadn't come to find me when they did, the next village I was about to conquer would've been this very western one of yours."
"Truly worthy of you." Guinevere gave a thumbs up.
"And credit also goes to that eastern man, Biaotengtai... Thanks to the food he provided, many survival issues for the mountain folk were solved. Without him, keeping everyone fed after gathering them together would've been a much harder task."
"It was just a small effort, no need to praise me so highly." Hearing the spotlight suddenly on him, Biaotengtai, who had been listening quietly in the corner alongside Xuanzang, scratched his head with a smile. But soon his expression turned serious.
"However, more than the size of our army, there's another issue that I believe is far more pressing right now."
"—Have you thought of a countermeasure against the Lion King's Holy Lance?" Biaotengtai asked gravely. "In my travels these days, I've heard many rumors. They say she can remain seated in the Holy City, and from there rain down a blazing, colossal spear of light on any spot in this land, evaporating the target and the entire surrounding area, leaving behind nothing but a massive crater."
"So, if she uses the Holy Lance when we lay siege, do you have any strategy to withstand it?" His expression was solemn.
"Uh..." Hearing this, Guinevere faltered.
With the power of that lance, survival wasn't the issue—they could escape the blast. But shielding an army of tens of thousands from it? That was indeed a huge problem.
Were they really going to rely on Arash to blow himself up at that moment? To say such a thing would devastate morale.
Just as Guinevere pondered, a cold voice suddenly sounded from behind him:
"If you're troubled by my foolish sister's Rhongomyniad, then leave it to me."
"A Holy Lance is not something only she can wield."