After driving for a day and then climbing mountain paths for another, Daniel and the others finally saw the small Mountain Village on the opposite mountainside under the light of the setting sun.
The small Mountain Village looked to have only about a dozen houses. At the end of the village was a small path, and above the path was an open space. In that open space, hidden by protruding rocks, was a stone gate-like structure similar to a stone temple.
"Is that the village of the Old Man of the Mountain?" Fujimaru Ritsuka shaded his eyes with his hand to block the glare of the setting sun.
"It really exists, that's great." Mash also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't be too careless," Daniel reminded from the side. "To the people in the village, we are intruders of unknown origin and targets of suspicion. If we're too careless, we might be pierced by an arrow flying from somewhere."
"That's right." Bedivere nodded in agreement. "Especially my attire; it looks like I have some connection with the Knights of the Round Table in the Holy City. I'll definitely be targeted."
"So keep your spirits up and don't relax for a moment," Da Vinci also reminded.
"Yes!" Fujimaru Ritsuka responded, shaking off his fatigue.
Although Fujimaru Ritsuka was mentally prepared thanks to the advice of Daniel and the others, his heart still went cold when he saw an arrow stuck by his feet.
He was just a hair's breadth away from being castrated.
"I felt something was off, but I didn't expect multiple Servants to have reached this place without me noticing." Under a black cloak, a white skull mask covered the upper half of his face, but judging by his voice, he seemed to be a rather cautious man. Beside him stood several Mountain People aiming bows and arrows at the group. "This is not your place. Leave immediately, or the next arrow will not land by your feet."
"Wait, wait a moment! Let us explain!" Fujimaru Ritsuka shouted, his tone somewhat anxious.
But the masked man had already turned his gaze toward Bedivere, who was standing next to Fujimaru Ritsuka.
"That knight over there, he's a Knight of the Round Table, isn't he?"
"He's not on the same side as those Knights of the Round Table in the Holy City!" Fujimaru Ritsuka shouted loudly.
"And who can verify your claim?" the masked man said in a somewhat cold tone. "Moreover, now that you've found our Hidden Village, we can only..."
The voice stopped abruptly. The masked man's gaze became somewhat odd when he caught sight of Saria and Luzelde, who were being protected behind the group.
"Please let us explain." Saria took a deep breath, then stepped out from the protective circle and stood in front of Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others. "These are the heroes who protected us and helped us escape from the encirclement of the Knights of the Round Table! They are by no means like those Knights of the Round Table in the Holy City!"
"..." The masked man didn't reply, just stood there watching silently.
"Hassan-i-Sabbah, how about I vouch for them?" Arash suddenly appeared behind Hassan-i-Sabbah and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I saw it with my own eyes; they fought against the Knights of the Round Table in the Holy City and protected the Mountain People who had entered the Holy City due to deception and were being slaughtered."
"Yo, Lucius, and the lady over there, we meet again." As he spoke, Arash also greeted Bedivere and Da Vinci.
These people had already crossed paths earlier.
"Since Arash has said so..." Hassan-i-Sabbah stared at Saria for a moment before continuing, "Then come up."
In the Mountain Village, under the guidance of Hassan-i-Sabbah, the group filed into a certain room.
"Tell me, what is your purpose for coming to the Mountain Village?" As soon as they sat down, Hassan-i-Sabbah asked impatiently. "Wandering through the mountains, your purpose was undoubtedly to search for the Mountain Village."
"If you lie to me on this matter, then you are not trustworthy. At that time, no matter what Arash says, I will not let you stay."
"To discuss a great matter." Fujimaru Ritsuka consciously moved forward a bit, glanced at Daniel, and then said, "We have already been in contact with the Sun King, Ozymandias, and have received a promise from him."
"..." Hassan-i-Sabbah's mouth opened and closed, but in the end, he didn't say a word, instead continuing to stare at Fujimaru Ritsuka.
"As long as we gain the trust of the Hassans of the Mountain Village and fight alongside them against the Holy City, the Sun King will send his full combat force to join us in attacking the Holy City."
"Are you joking?" Hassan-i-Sabbah's voice changed pitch. "The Lion King of the Holy City is indeed our mortal enemy, but that Sun King is not exactly an easy ally to work with either."
"Whether it's the Sun King or the Lion King, we have no intention of becoming their slaves."
"You seem to have misunderstood something." Seeing Fujimaru Ritsuka choked up by Hassan-i-Sabbah's words, Daniel patted his shoulder, then stepped forward and took over the conversation. "Did anyone ask you to be slaves to the Lion King or the Sun King?"
"It's just that among the three parties, you locals are the weakest, but at the same time, you are also the strongest. That's why we few here believe you have the ability to cooperate with us."
"The Lion King is someone we must subjugate, but the existence of the Sun King is also something we cannot tolerate. The Lion King's existence threatens everyone in this era, and the Sun King's existence is not needed by this era either. Both sides are our enemies. We only need you to believe what we have said, and that is enough."
"However, our current strength is too weak. Only by collaborating with the relatively weaker Sun King's side will we be qualified to wage war against the Lion King."
"Otherwise, what awaits you all, what awaits us, is only the merciless slaughter from the Lion King. You will die, we will die, and the Sun King's side will die as well."
"Arash, what do you think? Was there anything wrong with what I just said?" Daniel said, looking towards Arash, who was sitting beside Hassan-i-Sabbah, trying to win him over as well.
Hassan-i-Sabbah followed Daniel's gaze and looked at Arash.
"...I haven't met the Sun King's side, so I'm not really sure about their combat strength. However, regarding the Holy City side that I've seen... honestly, even if the Lion King doesn't make a move, just those few Knights of the Round Table are not something we can contend with." Arash hesitated for a few seconds, then looked at Hassan-i-Sabbah with a helpless expression and shrugged. "With our trump cards, at most, we could take out two or three Knights of the Round Table. Of course, it's also possible that we would be cut down before we even have a chance to use our trump cards."
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