Acting as though he could read Salem's mind, Prince Pygni lowered his head and donned a self-satisfied smile. Salem had thought that everything had been plotted by Oskal, including leaking the news of Thoma's capture and the secret information regarding his research on immortality. He was an undeniably childish prince.
'You idiotic pope. Thanks to you…'
Prince Pygni's lips curled into a slimy grin.
'Oskal is mine! You have handed me the greatest sword and shield! Haha! Thank you for alleviating my burden, you foolish priest…!'
***
A few hours prior, Pygni had been faced by Oskal.
"Prince! I beg of you! Please save… my friend!"
Oskal had abandoned the honor and dignity expected of a knight and was on his knees, prostrating submissively, with his head pressed to the floor. Prince Pygni was taken aback by the sight and replied,
"I-impossible! H-how would I be able to do something like that? Regardless, if something went wrong, the diplomatic implications….!"
"Please!!"
"I-I don't want to. The king will resent me again…!"
Prince Pygni shook his head, failing to hide his fear. He truly had the appearance of a child cowering from their father's wrath.
"I beg of you. Please…!"
Oskal was trembling, holding back his fist. Seeing this, Pygni's face completely changed, like his facade of fear had disappeared. The corner of his lips curled up.
"…Greatest swordsman of this continent. The Blade of Salvation of the Kingdom of Lome. The Crimson Lion. Should one who can boast of so many lofty titles be lowering his head to an oaf of a prince?"
Oskal was surprised by the unfamiliar manner of speech the prince was using..
"P-prince?"
He raised his head to see Prince Pygni was reclining on a nearby sofa, looking down at him with an expression of pity mixed with amusement.
"Do you have no pride? When a land-owning duke, a captain of the royal knights, lowers his head like this, it troubles me."
Oskal stared dumbly at the prince, who had just moments ago seemed like an entirely different person.
"Aren't the creatures known as humans so tiringly simple?" he asked exasperatedly. "People take one look at a person and judge them based only on what is immediately apparent. If you give them the impression of someone stupid and foolish, they'll jump to class you as being beneath them. What's next? Of course, action! If you act like a beast lower than dogs and pigs, their prejudice will be cemented. 'Ah, I was right' and such. Hahaha!"
A peal of laughter erupted from his lips. It was an explosive noise, as though he'd heard something truly hilarious.
"That's not even the end of it? Even when it comes to someone with a prestigious royal bloodline, if his mother was a lowly country girl that the ruler of a nation slept with impulsively while passing through her village, people will just expect the progeny to be common and remark that 'that's just how the common people are.' Foolish, for the wise people of Lome to judge others based on their appearance and bloodline, no?"
He faced Oskal and continued his monologue.
"That's right. All of them would think like this. Even the ruler of this nation, the Pope! Haha. Isn't it funny to see adults being toyed by a fat pig who's not even 10 years old? Ahh…! Hilarious!"
Prince Pygni continued to snicker. He was laughing as though he was drunk.
Oskal gulped audibly, completely caught off guard by this revelation of the prince's true nature.
"Dear Oskal, people are animals that lie. Everyone tells lies and wears masks. The deceivers are the predators, and those that are deceived are their prey."
"Prince… just what are you…"
"Everyone judges me on my appearance. A stray cat will always be treated as a stray. That's right. They all see me as a beast."
A beast? They were right. He was a beast, but nothing as harmless as a cat or a dog. He was the successor of the Kingdom of Lome.
"… Dear Oskal."
He looked at Oskal with eyes overflowing with dignity. Prince Pygni lifted his chin and looked down at him again. Normally, Oskal could have overwhelmed him with his strength and authority, but at least at that moment, the prince's aura seemed irresistibly oppressive.
"If… I grant your wish, what will you do for me?"
The prince voiced his demand. He was luring him into a trap with his silky voice. It was like the devil himself was whispering in his ear, offering him his heart's desire in exchange for his soul.
"…What… do you desire?"
"What do I desire? Well you see, I'm frightened. The only thing that has ever mattered on this continent is strength. Strategy, wit, wisdom… none of it matters in the face of pure might."
Regardless of how much strategy was used in organizing the army, how much acting was done to deceive others, or how much wisdom one possessed, there was one thing that surpassed all these things: overwhelming physical power. In this world, all it took was one person with enough military might to sweep through an entire army. Neither strategy, wit, nor wisdom had any meaning when pitted against pure strength.
"What I want is simple. It's the one thing I lack, and that is strength! Will you be my sword and shield? A sword that will slay all those that wish to kill me, slander me, and disrupt me! A shield that will defend my life! If you become mine, I will grant your wish!"
Pygni was bent over at Oskal's side, his eyes fixed on the profile of his face as he whispered into his ear.
"For me, Prince Pygni."
The crazed beast. The one who would become king.
***
3 days passed. Roars poured out of Lania, capital of the Holy Kingdom. The imposing sound of drums echoed out and the beautiful voice of choral music began to flow. Flower petals fell from the sky in a bright shower and residents were poking their heads out from their windows to wave and cry out in merriment. Priests adorned in holy chasubles and white robes proceeded through the streets slowly, long cross staves in their hands. Holy Knights in glimmering white plate armor walked shoulder-to-shoulder in a dignified manner. Slaves with only a loincloth covering their lower halves carried the massive palanquin in which high-ranking priests and nobles rode as whips continuously curled against their bare backs. The imposing army was assembled in Lania and was in the middle of its procession. It was the Golden Cross Army gathered by the draft order by the Pope. There were almost 3 thousand Holy Knights, 10 thousand priests, and 50 thousand soldiers in a line coming out of the palace in a long train.
"…Impressive."
The eyes of Prince Pygni, who was riding on the palanquin carried by slaves, were twitching. In reality, he had been looking down on the Holy Kingdom. Regardless of how great it was, he believed the country would soon be in ruins if it continued to be led by the foolish Pope, Salem Gotteschuranche. However, this was a massive underestimation. The Golden Cross Army had been formed with absolute faith, and thus the members followed the Pope's orders with no regard for their own lives. It was a fanatical faith that made his words equal to God's. Even if the commoners or nobles began to revolt, they would be cut down by the army and mercilessly burned before the revolution ever made real progress.
'…Ha…haha! Only an army with this kind of might would be able to cause our Kingdom of Lome to fall. Well, only if we didn't have Oskal…'
What was more surprising was that this was only a small portion of the Golden Cross Army. If Salem had desired, he would have been able to deploy an army several times larger.
'It's almost unbelievable luck. An ordinary priest being noticed by a warrior and becoming a world-saving hero? And as a reward for his hard work, becoming the right-hand man of the previous Pope and eventually maneuvering himself into the ultimate position of power and ruling the world? A truly unforeseeable turn of events.'
Prince Pygni licked his lips.
'It might have been luck… but he's not someone I want to make an enemy of.'
It was not only Prince Pygni participating in the Golden Army, but also Oskal and Akareal, albeit Salem had placed those two in different areas to prevent them from meeting. Salem was filled with pleasure as he watched the impressive procession of the Golden Army from the balcony of the palace.
"Yes, this is my power!"
It was the mightiest army of Holy Knights. He was in a position of absolute authority which the world feared.
***