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Louis II sat atop a horse. He was wearing a set of armor that gleamed in the sunlight but was too large for his skinny frame. Like everything else he owned, his dad had left it for him in his will. Behind him, there were dozens upon dozens of knights dressed to the nines waiting on their horses. Some held lances, some held swords, but all of them were grim-faced and ready for combat. Ahead of the formation of cavalry, Louis’ advisor was adding weeds to a boiling pot of water.
“Your Majesty! The members of the inquisition sent by the pope himself have arrived,” a man said, running up from behind. “They’ve been on the road since the fall of Belgrade. They’re here to help us apprehend the witch that punched down the fortress walls, but since you’re going to slay a devil, why not ask them for help?”
“Excellent idea,” Louis II said. He raised his arm to greet the man, but he could only lift it up halfway thanks to the weight of his armor. “Bring them over.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the man said. Minutes later, a group of thirteen people came over, half of them sporting curious expressions, the other half filled with skepticism. They were led by a woman dressed in black armor, her hair a brilliant red. Louis II gulped upon seeing her, but she didn’t even spare him a glance after sweeping her gaze over the whole group.
Mary grasped the hilt of her sword with one hand and placed her other hand on her hip. Louis II’s horse trotted up to her. “Good day, fair lady,” Louis said with a smile. His smile stiffened upon seeing the black and blue faces of the members of the inquisition behind Mary. “Has, has your journey here gone well?” He stared at the men’s injuries with his mouth hanging open. “Were you attacked on the road?”
“In a sense,” one of the keepers behind Mary mumbled. The rest of the keepers took one step away from the man who spoke, isolating him in case Mary decided to turn around to punish the cheeky fellow.
“You’re the leader here?” Mary asked, raising an eyebrow. She reached forward and lightly flicked the horse’s nose. It whinnied and shied up, lifting its front legs off the ground.
With a short scream, Louis II fell off the horse and landed on his back. “What the heck!” he shouted. He lifted his chest off the ground, but that was all he could do. His armor was too heavy, preventing him from even sitting up, much less standing. “Help me up! Someone, help me up! And the rest of you, what are you doing? Apprehend her!”
The lips of the twelve keepers were twitching, whether from laughter or repressed bitter memories, only they themselves knew. “Madam Mary,” one of the keepers said. “He might be a bit young, and he might be too weak to stand by himself while wearing a full set of armor, but he’s still a king and should be treated as such.”
Mary furrowed her brow and glanced at the man. “I thought those people told us he wasn’t king anymore because your people backstabbed him.”
The keeper cleared his throat. “Matthew told you that, not me.”
Mary swept her gaze over the twelve keepers. She had no idea who Matthew was. In fact, after spending three months on the road with them, she had no idea what any of their names were. After all, names were unimportant when all she had to do to get their attention was snap her fingers.
“I’m king! I’m still the King of Hungary!” Louis II shouted. He slammed his arms down and kicked his legs against the ground. “Why aren’t any of you helping me up!?”
Two knights sighed and dismounted, coming to help Louis up. As for apprehending Mary, they didn’t dare approach her when she had such miserable-looking men following her. They looked like ghosts who’d bring about bad luck if they were interacted with. “You are members of the inquisition?” one of the knights asked, nodding at Mary. “The other day, a devil materialized beside the king and threatened him. She claimed to be the empress of the Holy Roman Empire. With fireballs floating around her, she coerced our king into surrendering and joining her cause. Our king surrendered; however, it was a false declaration, and His Majesty plans on summoning the devil to slay it.”
Mary glanced at Louis II before turning her attention onto the knight that spoke. “I knew the weakling wasn’t in charge,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to slay a devil. The last time I went devil hunting….” Mary paused and bit her lip, recalling the time she labeled as the worst period of her life. After hearing about a devil-summoning ritual, she had left to slay the devil but found a black dragon named Grimmoldesser instead.
“The last time you went devil hunting?” the knight asked. “What happened?”
“A dragon stole my kill,” Mary said and sniffed, avoiding the knight’s gaze. “Well, what are you waiting for? Summon the devil already.”
“Wait a minute,” one of the keepers said. “How do all of you know the ritual to summon a devil?” His eyes narrowed, but they didn’t change much on the outside because they were puffy and bruised. “Are you heretics? Don’t be fooled by them, Madam Mary.”
“Heretic? Your mother’s a heretic!” Louis II shouted. Before he could say any more, the knight beside him covered his mouth.
“I apologize for our king’s behavior,” the knight said. “He’s hysterical. The devil placed a lot of pressure on him. You see, the devil wanted His Majesty to become her servant. She left behind a way to summon her in case he needed help. It’s a simple ritual: boil a pot of water and add weeds. Then, drop the magic stone into the pot.” He pointed at the necklace in the advisor’s hand. The rope was threaded through an ordinary-looking rock.
“I see,” the keeper said. “In that case, the ritual is almost done.” He exchanged glances with his fellow keepers. “Be strong and of good courage?”
After agreeing without saying anything, the keepers nodded, and at the same time, they chanted, “Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them: for thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” At the end of their chant, a brilliant white light enveloped them, making them as dazzling as twelve suns.
One of the keepers stepped forward. “Summon the devil!”
The advisor’s eyes widened upon seeing the shining keepers. “As you command!” he shouted, spittle flying out of his mouth. He dropped the necklace into the water, not caring whether or not Louis approved. “In the name of the lord, we’ll slay this devil!”
The keepers drew their weapons, and the rest of the knights followed suit. The horses sensed the tension in the air, their muscles bristling, ready to charge at any moment. Even Mary followed suit, readying the sword that a great dragon had gifted her.
A portal split the air, and a girl with purple eyes and purple horns came through. Her expression didn’t look that good upon seeing the knights. However, when she laid eyes on Mary, her eyes lit up. But before she could say anything, the keepers and the knights raised their weapons and shouted, “Charge! Slay the devil!”
Bam!
There were screams and shouts as all the knights’ and keepers’ visions rapidly changed. With one swing of her sword, Mary had knocked over the entire army from the wind pressure alone. “What are you fools doing!? Whoever dares to attack my best friend will have to go through me first!”
The courtyard fell silent. One of the keepers, whose holy light was dimming, cleared his throat. “M-Madam Mary? You said she’s your best friend?”
“That’s right,” Mary said, glaring at the keeper. “Her name is Tafel.”
The twelve keepers exchanged glances with each other. One of them whispered, “She knows her name; they must be really close. She doesn’t even know our names after all this time!”