The Radiant Ramesseum Tentyris , that was the domain of Ramses II. In this land originally belonging to Jerusalem, a world from ancient Egypt over two thousand years ago had been forcibly carved out.
Zuke followed Nitocris and the others into the temple, originally planning to meet Ramses II alongside Fujimaru Ritsuka and the rest.
However, just as they were about to enter the central chamber of the temple, Nitocris suddenly seemed to receive some command and stopped in her tracks.
"The Pharaoh has ordered that you all go in first, but Lord Zuke is to stay behind."
A flicker of confusion crossed Nitocris's face, as if she didn't fully understand Ramses II's command, but she carried it out nonetheless.
Although historically, Nitocris reigned as Pharaoh much earlier than Ramses II, even to the point of being considered his grandmother, she saw herself as an unworthy Pharaoh. In the presence of the illustrious Ramses II, she set aside her own status as Pharaoh and acted merely as his deputy.
"Huh? Zuke can't come with us?"
A trace of unease appeared on Fujimaru Ritsuka's face. She nervously glanced back at Zuke, as if danger might befall her the moment she left his side.
Earlier, Da Vinci had told Fujimaru that Zuke's strength might be far greater than she had imagined. To Fujimaru, Zuke was like a safety net for this mission.
Now that she was leaving him behind, she suddenly felt insecure—after all, before coming to this Singularity, Chaldea had referred to this place as "more dangerous than ever."
"Go ahead, don't worry. I'll keep an eye on your situation."
Since the main quest ultimately relied on Fujimaru summoning him, Zuke didn't mind boosting her confidence at this point. He nodded reassuringly at her.
"Besides, don't you have something on you that can protect you to some extent?"
At these words, Fujimaru's face turned red—she knew Zuke was referring to the maid outfit she was wearing.
For some reason, neither Da Vinci nor Mash seemed to notice the maid outfit, and Nitocris didn't seem to see it either. It was as if only Zuke and Fujimaru herself could see it.
Initially feeling somewhat embarrassed, Fujimaru had hesitated about whether to take off the maid outfit after meeting Da Vinci and receiving a device that could protect her from high-density magical energy.
But after some thought, she decided to keep wearing it—after all, the maid outfit didn't just offer protection; it also enhanced her physical abilities.
As an "ordinary" Master, Fujimaru knew how important good physical condition was—it could be a lifesaver in critical moments.
Before, she hadn't had a choice. Now, she chose to sacrifice a bit of her dignity in exchange for the enhancements provided by Zuke's maid outfit—though wearing it for too long made her feel as if she were being enveloped by Zuke himself.
Watching Fujimaru and the others enter the central chamber of the temple, Zuke turned to Nitocris:
"So, what's the reason for keeping me here? Did Ozymandias just want me to sit around and wait?"
"Well... the Pharaoh didn't give any further orders."
Nitocris was also at a loss. A hint of embarrassment appeared on her face as she struggled to answer Zuke's question.
Ramses II had only given her the command to keep Zuke behind for a later discussion and to take care of him in the meantime. Nitocris wasn't sure how best to handle the situation.
Although she saw herself as an unworthy Pharaoh and was willing to serve as Ramses II's deputy, she had still been a Pharaoh in her own right during her lifetime. She had no idea how to properly entertain a guest.
Seeing Nitocris's flustered expression, Zuke lost interest.
He sighed and sat down on a nearby chair, then looked out the door:
"Fine, I'll give Chaldea some face and not barge in to slap Ozymandias a couple of times..."
But sitting around doing nothing was too boring. After some thought, Zuke quickly came up with a way to pass the time.
...
To the east of Jerusalem stood a pristine "Holy City."
This was one of the sources of the current Singularity, a fortress built by King Arthur—Artoria, whose heart had been corrupted by the "Holy Lance," transforming her from a human into a god.
Within the fortress, the Knights of the Round Table, who had answered King Arthur's summons, were preparing for the next "Holy Selection."
The Holy Selection, as the name suggested, was a "sacred purification." It involved selecting a small number of "virtuous individuals" from among the refugees and allowing them to take refuge in the Holy City.
As for the remaining refugees, their fate depended on which Knight of the Round Table was in charge of the Holy Selection.
If it was Lancelot, he would send the unselected refugees to a distant sanctuary and arrange for his personal troops to protect them.
But if it was Gawain, he would choose to slaughter the unselected refugees outright—a far cry from the behavior expected of the owner of the Holy Sword of Sun.
Unfortunately, the next Holy Selection was to be overseen by Gawain.
At that moment, Gawain was in the Holy City's square, inspecting the ranks of the Knights. If nothing unexpected happened, these knights would join him in slaughtering the unselected refugees after the Holy Selection.
As the origin of the term "Prince Charming" and the so-called perfect knight, Gawain should not have been such cold-hearted person. Yet, at this moment, his eyes gleamed with nothing but coldness, devoid of any trace of pity.
"You're really meticulous, Gawain."
As Gawain inspected the knights, a somewhat flippant female voice came from behind him, clearly carrying an air of informality that defied proper etiquette.
" Mordred, if you have time to spare, why not go out and look for the Mountain People?"
Gawain didn't even turn around, merely responding to Mordred in a calm tone.
Mordred, as King Arthur's "son," was actually a daughter created by Morgan using Artoria's blood. Though she longed for Artoria's acknowledgment, she had never received it.
Mordred's combat abilities were not particularly outstanding among the Knights of the Round Table. Although she had received a blessing from the now-transformed "Lion King" Artoria, boosting her strength, she was still far inferior to Gawain.
As a result, Mordred had no territory within the Holy City and could only wander around during the day.
"Tch, don't think you're so great just because you've got Father's approval."
Mordred, being a bit of a troublemaker, raised her sword in annoyance at Gawain's words, as if ready to attack him at any moment.
Of course, it was just a show. After all, it was daytime, and Gawain possessed an ability called "Numeral of the Saint."
This ability was incredibly overpowered, granting Gawain triple his normal strength during the three hours from 9 a.m. to noon, and the three hours from 3 p.m. to sunset.
Moreover, Gawain now had the blessing of the Lion King's "Eternal Daylight," meaning that wherever he was, it would always be daytime, allowing him to maintain his triple strength indefinitely.
Though Mordred was only putting on a show, the next moment, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck the ground in front of her, startling her.
"Whoa!"
Mordred jumped back, startled by the sudden lightning, then glared at Gawain in anger.
"What the hell!? I just raised my sword! Was that really necessary!?"
But in the next moment, Gawain's expression also changed.
He, too, had felt the lightning that struck in front of Mordred, but the problem was—it wasn't his doing!
As a Knight of the Round Table, Gawain's expertise lay in swordsmanship. Even if he wanted to warn Mordred, he would never use lightning.
Thus, the sharp Gawain immediately realized what was happening:
"This is... an enemy attack within the Holy City!"
In the next instant, a thick, black bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, striking the open ground between Gawain and Mordred.
Then, the black lightning twisted and writhed wildly, gradually coalescing into a figure under the astonished gazes of Gawain and Mordred.
It was Zuke's Stand, "Black Bird Requiem."
Using the ability of "Tanore Sax," it created a realistic illusion, allowing others to see the Stand's presence.
To be continued…
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