Book 4: Chapter 87 (1/2)

“Your Majesty, the Ottoman army is on our doorstep. They’ll be here at any moment.”

Louis II frowned upon hearing his advisor’s words. “Has our army been assembled?”

“Yes, yes, of course, the war council has prepared everything,” the advisor said and bobbed his head up and down. “Your army of knights are ready to fight at any time, but—”

Louis II slammed his hand down on his table. “I’m not going to call that devil! I know you want me to, but I won’t! This is the Kingdom of Hungary. I am the king of Hungary! The people living here, they are Hungarians! We aren’t part of the Holy Roman Empire just because a devil escaped punishment from the Lord.”

“But, Your Majesty!” The advisor wrung his hands. “Why won’t you call the devil? Isn’t there a saying, evil can only be exterminated by evil? Call the devil and have her fight against the Ottomans. Then, when they’re both weakened, we’ll swoop in and take all their heads. Wouldn’t that prove the greatness of Hungary? We’ll have defeated the Ottomans, and we’ll have saved the Holy Roman Empire from the clutches of a devil.”

Louis II’s brow furrowed. “You have a point,” he said and pinched the ends of his long hair that hung down to his chest. “If we do that, Hungary will certainly end up on top.”

“Then we’ll do it?” the advisor asked, his shoulders relaxing.

“Of course,” Louis II said and nodded, “not! Are you a fool? The devil wanted us to tell her when the Ottoman army was arriving! Do you think she wanted to know that because she wanted to wage war against them? If she wanted to wage war against them, she would’ve invaded their lands, did to their leader what she did to me, but she didn’t! What does that say about her attitude to the Ottomans? It’s friendly!” Louis II slapped the table again. “I bet it was the Ottomans that sent her in the first place. Haven’t you heard about the witch that punched down Belgrade’s walls? You know how witches obtain their powers, right? By consorting with devils! Imagine if we summon the devil whilst we’re being sieged by the Ottomans, and she attacks us from the inside. Isn’t that just asking to be killed?”

The advisor’s mouth fell open. “Your Majesty,” he said and swallowed, an audible gulp echoing throughout the room. “You…, you’ve grown up without me noticing. If the devil were to attack us from the inside whilst we’re besieged, a great tragedy will befall us! Of course, why didn’t I think of that?”

Louis II shook his head. “There’s a difference between our abilities,” he said and leaned back, rubbing the ends of his hair with his thumb and forefinger. “It’s why I’m the king, and you’re the advisor.”

The advisor pursed his lips. After a moment, he opened his mouth. “I’m confused about one thing, Your Majesty. Why are the keepers of the church working with the devil?”

“The keepers have been infiltrated,” Louis II said. “My father left behind a book of advice for me. He told me to never go against the Holy Roman Empire because of the existence of the keepers. There’s twelve of them, all male, each boasting supernatural powers. They’re the descendants of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.” A wrinkle appeared on Louis II forehead. “Since that’s the case, how are there suddenly thirteen of them, one of them being a woman at that? It’s clear. She’s a devil as well.”