The air in the hall seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Ritsuka Fujimaru, her orange-gold eyes fixed on the golden cup in Ozymandias's hand.
The Holy Grail.
It was simply placed casually in the Pharaoh's hand, like a drinking bowl.
"It has little to do with you... So who is it then?"
Well...
Ozymandias placed the Holy Grail back into the crack in the pillar, and the pillar closed again.
"Pharaoh disdains to answer such questions. You can find the answers yourselves."
He turned and walked back to the throne, sat down again, picked up the blue and gold striped scepter that was resting on the armrest, and twirled it twice in his hand.
"I have told you everything that needed to be told."
" The Lion King of the Holy City, the Knights of the Round Table, the truth about Holy Selection. I have told you everything you wanted to know."
"Now--"
His golden eyes swept over everyone in the hall.
"Go out."
Ritsuka Fujimaru opened her mouth, as if to ask something else, but Mash had already gently tugged at her sleeve.
"Senior, let's go first."
"All right."
The three turned and walked towards the exit of the hall.
Hassan of the Hundred Faces clone stood up from the ground and followed behind.
As I reached the entrance to the hall, Ozymandias's voice came from behind me.
"There's one more thing."
Hassan of the Hundred Faces Doppelganger stopped in his tracks.
"Go back and tell the People of the Mountain."
The Pharaoh's voice echoed in the hall, each word like a hammer striking a stone slab.
"Return Nitocris safely to the capital."
"If she loses a single hair, I will make your entire People of the Mountain vanish from this desert."
The clone of Hassan of the Hundred Faces lowered its head.
"Understood."
The group walked out of the pyramid.
As the sunlight shone on her again, the feeling of disgust in Mayuri's chest finally began to subside.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
"Finally out. I felt so uncomfortable inside."
"Miss Mayuri, you weren't feeling well inside just now." Mash looked at her with concern.
"It's nothing. We just don't get along very well."
Mayuri waved her hand, offering no further explanation.
The group left the oasis and headed back towards the People of the Mountain camp.
As Ritsuka Fujimaru walked, she mentally processed what she had just learned.
"The Pharaoh's side has basically confirmed it. He says he wasn't the mastermind; he just took the Holy Grail along the way."
"Furthermore, he knows some of the causes of the Singularity, but he is unwilling to elaborate."
"Next, all we need to do is go to the Holy City and check on the Lion King's side with our own eyes."
Ritsuka Fujimaru counted on her fingers.
"Then, by summarizing the information from both sides, we should be able to analyze the truth behind the Singularity."
"After confirming..."
She glanced back at Mayuri.
"Then, Mayuri can just use Leviathan to wipe out the entire Singularity."
"Oh," Mayuri responded, her expression completely unchanged.
"Can't you be a little more motivated?!"
"Pushing things along the way doesn't require any effort."
"..."
Ritsuka Fujimaru gave up.
The team walked through the desert for most of the day.
As evening fell, the clone of Hassan of the Hundred Faces came to a stop.
"I'm parting ways with you here."
"Separate?" Ritsuka Fujimaru was taken aback.
"I need to go back and report the Pharaoh's reply to the chief first. You can continue onward; there's a trade route ahead. Follow it to get back to the camp."
"Then we..."
"Don't worry, this is a road that the People of the Mountain often use; it's very safe."
Hassan of the Hundred Faces doppelganger nodded, turned, and disappeared behind the sand dunes.
The three continued walking forward.
The sky gradually darkened.
Night is falling again in the desert.
Just as the three were preparing to find a place to set up camp, Ritsuka Fujimaru spotted a fire in the distance.
And there are quite a few of them.
The firelight cast a crooked line across the sand dunes.
Is anyone there?
The three quickened their pace.
After crossing the last sand dune, they saw the group of people.
They are probably refugees.
There were about fifty or sixty people, young and old, dressed in rags and looking haggard, sitting around the campfire.
Some people were wounded, and some were crying quietly.
A little girl is hugging a rag doll, nestled in the arms of an old woman.
Ritsuka Fujimaru took a few steps closer.
A middle-aged man noticed them and stood up warily.
Who are you people?
We are just wandering travelers.
Ritsuka Fujimaru raised her hands to indicate she meant no harm, "Where are you headed?"
The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, glanced at the other refugees around him, and then spoke.
"Let's go to the Holy City."
" The Holy City?"
"Yes. Go to the Holy Selection's Tour."
Ritsuka Fujimaru's expression changed.
Holy Selection.
Hassan of the Hundred Faces had told them this before.
The Holy Selection is a ritual that only a very few people can undergo; the rest are all slaughtered.
You can't go.
Ritsuka Fujimaru's words came out without her noticing.
The middle-aged man frowned.
"Why?"
"Because the Holy Selection is not what you think. It's not a gift, it's slaughter."
Ritsuka Fujimaru's voice grew urgent, "Only a very small number of people will be chosen to enter the Holy City; the rest will all be killed."
The refugees' expressions changed.
Some were confused, some didn't believe it, and some began to whisper among themselves.
What nonsense are you talking about?
A young man stood up, his tone clearly showing dissatisfaction, " The Holy City a sacred land bestowed by God. The Lion King is God's messenger. As long as one passes through the Holy Selection, one can enter the Holy City and live a life free from hunger and cold."
My son insisted on coming because he heard about this!
"That's all a lie!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru panicked.
She was just about to explain to the group of refugees.
But the sound stopped.
She never saw Holy Selection in person.
She only heard it from Hassan of the Hundred Faces.
Who would believe empty words without evidence?
The young man snorted and sat back down.
Other refugees also turned their attention away.
Ritsuka Fujimaru stood there, biting her lip.
"Senior."
Mash walked over to her and whispered, "Without evidence, it's really hard to convince them."
I know... but...
Ritsuka Fujimaru clenched her fists.
Then she remembered something.
"Etc."
She turned around and looked at Mayuri and Mash.
"Since we can't persuade them otherwise, we'll just go with them."
"To see for myself what Holy Selection really looks like."
"If what Hundred Faces said is true, we will stop it on the spot."
Mayuri yawned.
"Whatever you want. Anyway, it's all about walking, no matter where you go."
Mash nodded.
I will follow my senior's decision.
"Okay, it's settled then."
The three approached the refugees' campfire.
The middle-aged man looked at them.
"You..."
"We'll go to the Holy City with you," Ritsuka Fujimaru said. "Is that alright?"
The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment.
"More people means more strength, let's go."
And so, the three joined the ranks of refugees.
--
The team broke camp and set off early the next morning.
The refugees marched very slowly.
The elderly, the young, and the wounded.
I can't walk more than 20 kilometers a day.
Ritsuka Fujimaru walked in the middle of the group, helping the elderly while observing the procession.
Most of the refugees were very friendly.
Although she was initially wary of the three strangers, she let her guard down after spending some time with them.
The little girl holding the doll started following behind Ritsuka Fujimaru, tugging at her clothes every now and then.
"Sister, are you also going to the Holy City?"
"Hmm... I guess so."
"Are there any good things to eat in the Holy City? Mom said we'll never go hungry again once Holy City."
Looking into the little girl's innocent eyes, Ritsuka Fujimaru felt as if something was stuck in her throat.
"... There probably are."
Mayuri walked at the very back of the group.
She didn't enjoy interacting with people, so she kept her distance from the refugees.
Fou nestled in her arms, occasionally peeking out to look around.
It was during this observation that Ritsuka Fujimaru noticed that person.
On the edge of the group.
A tall figure, shrouded in a gray cloak.
The hood was pulled low, obscuring his face.
But he was more than a head taller than everyone else in the team.
The hem of the cloak swayed slightly as he walked, occasionally revealing the edge of the metal armor beneath, which reflected a silvery light in the sunlight.
A few strands of long silver hair could be vaguely seen in the shadow of the hood.
This person is too conspicuous.
Among a group of ragged refugees, he was like an iron lion mixed in with sheep.
Ritsuka Fujimaru pretended not to notice him.
She quietly retreated to Mayuri and Mash's side.
" Mash, Mayuri, have you seen that person?"
"The tall guy on the edge of the group?" Mash glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Hmm. That person's identity is very suspicious."
Mash nodded calmly.
"I've been watching him. His gait is a trained gait."
"The armor beneath the cloak is also very well-defined; it's not ordinary armor."
"Silver hair..."
Ritsuka Fujimaru frowned.
"Let's go, we'll ask during our break."