The First Prince’s face scrunched up in a frown. He remembered why they were there, however, and swallowed his anger, concluding the discussion more peacefully.
“I will never turn coward. Not like my father and foolish younger brother. They have grown so addled by peace that they cannot see the glory that is waiting to be claimed. It is pathetic.”
There was an edge in the First Prince’s words, but it was not directed at Sod. The First Prince almost seemed to be speaking to himself.
“As payback for our help, Galdorssia will belong to us once it falls.”
Zhorguan’s ultimate goal was to place Galdorssia under its thumb. But there was no great vision behind this ambition. The demons of Zhorguan simply wanted to knock the humans of Galdorssia down a peg or two. To place the Galdorssians under their rule just like the humans of Zhorguan, forcing them to toil for Zhorguan’s sake and stroke their feline egos. That was why they had refused to help the previous Dark Lord. They could not bear to be subservient to anyone.
But the only demon of Zhorguan who took such aspirations seriously these days was the First Prince. Past kings had been content to sit around and tell tales of the glory days, when Zhorguan had proudly defied Galdorssia. None of them had seriously attempted to renew their attacks.
Their Zhorguan pride made them too afraid of losing. But this cowardice only infuriated the First Prince, whose pride was greater still. Fortunately, the Dark Lord’s army had approached just when the timing was right. The First Prince had decided he would make use of the horde.
He wasn’t like the coward kings of past generations. He was going to bring down Galdorssia, even if it meant resorting to the Dark Lord’s help.
“And why shouldn’t I accept the Dark Lord’s help? The entire world will belong to us before long.”
“You certainly like to dream, don’t you, First Prince?” Sod said, scornfully.
The First Prince could only respond with impotent irony. He had no idea what sort of person the current Dark Lord was, but he was certain he didn’t care for him. One day, the First Prince was going to stab the Dark Lord right in his unsuspecting back.
Sod could see exactly what the First Prince was thinking but said nothing.
“Shall we discuss reality, then?” the First Prince asked, hiding his contempt and choosing to change the subject. “How are you going to take out Falmeyr? I’m told she is untouchable.”
“Falmeyr… Let me explain something about her,” Sod said warily. He spoke carefully so the First Prince could understand. “Falmeyr is essentially the best healer in the land. Or the worst, I suppose you might say, from our perspective. She is the latest in a long line of humans responsible for invoking Eirene, the goddess of creation. For generation upon generation, this human clan has been extremely skilled in healing magic. They are even capable of casting Resurrection.”
“So the rumors are true.”
The First Prince looked surprised.
“Only under certain conditions, however. Resurrection must be used immediately after a person dies, and it requires an inordinate amount of magical energy. So long as Galdorssia stands, however, that latter requirement is easily met.”
Her power source—that was the most frustrating thing about Falmeyr.
“Falmeyr is able to absorb small amounts of magic from all the faithful of Galdorssia. We could try to take out her believers first, but Galdorssia is defended by the Holy Protectorate of the Shield—warriors who are unmatched in strength. Not only are these warriors powerful, but with Falmeyr’s support, they can continue to fight even through death. Beating them in a fair fight would be impossible.”
“Yes, a fair fight…”
The First Prince did not miss the implications of Sod’s words.
“Yes. Which is why we are resorting to dirty tricks…or so I am told. The commander general created this plan and has only given us a rough sketch of the details.”
Sod shared the gist of what he knew about their plans to assassinate Falmeyr of Galdorssia.
“Even the Galdorssian soldiers we have transformed into monsters are inferior in might to the Holy Protectorates of the Shield. However, so long as Falmeyr casts even the faintest hint of healing magic upon those protectorates, victory will be ours.”
“Healing magic…?”
The First Prince looked doubtful.
“There is a variety of curse magic that pollutes the soul. A polluted soul produces polluted magical energy. If the Holy Protectorates were to be affected by healing magic drawn from such energy… Well, you can imagine the rest. If we cannot strike from without, why not corrode them from within?”
“So instead of fighting Galdorssia head-on, your plan is to start from the center, with Falmeyr. But won’t that be even harder than striking from without? How do you plan to accomplish this?” the First Prince asked, not yet convinced.
“That I do not know. Nor do I wish to. I’m told the seed has already been planted. Our ill-natured commander general has been working on this for some time, it seems. Long before this plan to attack Galdorssia was ever conceived.”
“It is always good to be prepared.”
“Only a specialist well versed in dark magic would be able to interfere now. But Galdorssia considers such magic forbidden. The only Galdorssian with such knowledge is kept under strict confinement and will not be released so easily. By the time they request her help, it will already be too late.”
“And once Falmeyr falls, Galdorssia will follow. Ah-ha-ha, what a delightful plan! I was right to lend my aid to your army.”
The First Prince seemed to already consider Galdorssia his for the taking.
“Galdorssia has taken extensive measures to ensure that dangerous magic remains strictly sealed away. And for that, they will pay the price.”
“It is lucky for us that they are so stringent. Ah-ha-ha!”
“Furthermore, even if there were someone present who was familiar with this curse, it is very special magic. Knowledge alone will not be enough. It truly is a most unsavory piece of work…”
“Most superb, in my opinion! An absolute masterpiece! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!” The First Prince could not stop laughing. “Oh, this is too much! I will have to think up some sort of present for her for coming up with such a plot. As soon as I take my throne, I welcome you all as my guests!”
The First Prince finally stopped laughing, his thoughts on the Dark Army’s commander general and the future of Zhorguan.
“Victory is assured. I leave the rest to you.”
The prince jumped from the high wall, landing next to the group of exceptionally strong warriors waiting for him below.
“Hmph…” Sod sighed glumly. “How does a man like that expect to become king when all he knows how to do is rely on others?”
Sod watched the prince depart before directing his eyes toward his own hands, as if in contemplation.
“Not that I am one to talk. I relied on the old lord once before, and now I rely on the young,” Sod said, thinking of the past and present lords.