"Damn it. Why would Baord go to see the Pope?"
Arch Paladins were holy knights who possessed power comparable to that of Black Knights.
Without them, the Holy Kingdom would have long since been conquered by the Empire.
Moreover, the Arch Paladins of the Holy Kingdom were treated with even greater reverence due to their unique ability to pass on their power to successors. Unlike Black Knights, who had to surpass a wall through exceptional talent and long training to reach that realm, Arch Paladins could bestow their power upon a senior Paladin, allowing the position to be inherited.
As a result, senior Paladins curried favor with the power brokers of the Holy Kingdom, striving desperately to be named as candidates for Arch Paladin succession.
Usually, the strongest among the candidates was chosen as the successor, but when skills were evenly matched, politics inevitably decided the outcome.
In such a situation, there were occasional individuals who achieved the Arch Paladin realm through their own power rather than succession.
Fab Valencia, who had renounced the title of Arch Paladin fifty years ago, was one such case.
But after Fab Valencia's disappearance, all subsequent Arch Paladins in the Holy
Kingdom had been passed down through succession, fixing their number at three.
Then, ten years ago, Baord—a low-ranking Paladin from commoner origins—had an epiphany and attained the Arch Paladin realm.
Thanks to him, the Holy Kingdom possessed four Arch Paladins, enabling them to suppress the Empire's ceaseless provocations.
As such, Baord was one of the most influential figures among the Arch Paladins within the Holy Kingdom.
His visit to the Pope at a time like this was far from a good sign.
At Pierre's remark, the other councilors began to grow uneasy once more.
"Baord going to see the Pope? It must be about the Holy Grail, right?"
"If Baord, an Arch Paladin, gains even greater power from the Holy Grail, the other Arch Paladins will flock to the Pope as well. Then we won't be able to stop the other Paladins from defecting!"
Arch Paladins were beings who stood one step apart from the convoluted politics of the Principality of Vadoka.
Though various relationships were entangled for the sake of succession, Arch Paladins wielded influence that transcended it all.
Moreover, since Baord had become an Arch Paladin on his own, he was far freer from such political ties.
Pierre, listening to the councilors' words, pressed his temples and spoke.
"We must retrieve the Holy Grail from the Pope." The councilors were startled by his words.
"Is... is that even possible?" Pierre scowled irritably.
"Or do you intend to just sit back and watch the Arch Paladins defect to the Pope's side, as you've been saying?"
The councilors clamped their mouths shut.
If they failed to retrieve the Holy Grail from the Pope, the problem would snowball.
Moreover, with foreign enemies gradually closing in from outside, the situation was dire.
If the Pope gained power in this already headache-inducing mess, their own positions would quickly narrow.
"We need a pretext to retrieve the Holy Grail."
Just as Pierre began to ponder deeply how to reclaim the Holy Grail, a priest approached him again and whispered something.
Startled by the unexpected news, Pierre nearly jumped from his seat, but sensing the councilors' curious gazes, he calmed his excitement and asked the priest in a low voice.
"Zeke Draker has contacted me separately, saying he wants to see me?"
"Yes. He wishes to speak with you, Chairman."
Pierre's mind sparked at the news that Zeke Draker had reached out to meet him.
He curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.
"This might resolve things more easily than expected. No, this could turn the situation even more in my favor."
A clever scheme came to mind: using Zeke Draker and the Holy Grail to draw the Arch Paladins into his own faction.
Pierre hastily concluded the meeting and left the parliament house to meet Zeke Draker.
*
Zeke, meeting with Pierre, inwardly marveled.
"To think his attitude could change so drastically. Impressive, if nothing else."
Zeke was certain his plan had worked, seeing how Pierre's demeanor toward him had shifted.
Unlike the overbearing attitude he'd shown at their first meeting, Pierre wore a friendly smile, catering to Zeke's whims.
"As I recall, I strongly advocated for Lady Kali to receive the White Silver Armor."
"Ah, is that so? Come to think of it, I believe Kali mentioned something like that." In truth, it was the exact opposite.
When the previous Pope had intended to bestow the White Silver Armor upon Kali, Pierre—who was then just one of the councilors—had vehemently opposed it, foaming at the mouth.
Even though she had earned merit by repelling pirates, he begrudged giving such a precious treasure to Kali without any compensation.
But the Pope at that time, unlike Beatrice now, had wielded papal authority strong enough to override the objections of councilors like Pierre and decide to gift the White Silver Armor to Kali.
Pierre's complete reversal of his words to suit his interests now made him seem more like a politician than a cleric.
Zeke nodded along appropriately to Pierre's words, guiding him toward revealing his true intentions.
After prattling on for a while about his friendship with Zeke and Kali Draker, and the Draker family's exchanges, Pierre finally began to get to the point.
"By the way, Sir Zeke. I've heard rumors that you presented the Holy Grail—received from the Fairy King—to Her Holiness. Is that true?"
Zeke realized the moment had come and set his plan in motion.
He feigned bewilderment and shook his head.
"What? There were such rumors?"
Zeke put on a troubled expression and continued.
"Her Holiness went too far. When I visited to pay my respects, she treated me like some country knight and insisted I tell her about meeting the Fairy King."
Pierre nodded knowingly at Zeke's words.
"Ah, so that's what happened."
Since Pierre only knew Beatrice's feigned innocent facade, he accepted Zeke's words without suspicion.
Zeke continued with a dissatisfied look.
"While I was sharing the story of meeting the Fairy King with Her Holiness, I briefly mentioned the Holy Grail, and suddenly she demanded to see it. I had no choice but to take it out and show her. But for Her Holiness to spread such rumors on her own—it's truly embarrassing."
Hearing Zeke's explanation, Pierre inwardly cheered.
"The rumor was mistaken. Zeke Draker has no intention of handing the Holy Grail to the Pope."
Zeke sighed, looking at Pierre.
"I came all this way with good intentions to aid the Holy Kingdom... Forgive my impudence, but I never dreamed Her Holiness would act so frivolously." Pierre nodded in agreement.
"I understand. The current Pope holds the Emblem of the Sun, which allowed her to ascend the throne, but she lacks any dignity or refinement. Even the council finds it awkward at times."
Emboldened by Pierre's sympathy, Zeke brightened and said.
"I see. In that case, I should have approached you from the start, Chairman. I had no idea the Principality of Vadoka had such complicated circumstances." Pierre smiled inwardly at Zeke's lament.
"This is turning out even better than I thought."
At that moment, Zeke looked at Pierre and said.
"It's a sacred relic from the Fairy King, but it doesn't have any particular abilities, so I wouldn't mind giving it away. Still, her sudden demand caught me off guard." Pierre's eyes gleamed at Zeke's words.
"He doesn't know the Holy Grail's power?"
Pierre knew from the secret histories that the Holy Grail amplified potential.
But Zeke, who had received it from the Fairy King, seemed unaware of its ability.
Pierre's mind raced.
"Sir Zeke, how about this?"
He met Zeke's gaze and continued.
"It seems Her Holiness has set her sights on the Holy Grail. Given her lowly origins, once she wants something, she won't rest until she gets it. Rather than that, why not donate the Holy Grail to me?"
"To you, Chairman?"
"Yes. If you donate the Holy Grail to me, I will ensure you receive honors and a glorious treasure in return."
From a knight's perspective, the sacred relic known as the Holy Grail offered little practical benefit.
Moreover, the fact that he had received the Fairy King's blessing was already known across the continent.
If he donated the Fairy King's Holy Grail and simultaneously protected the Holy Kingdom from the Ork legions, his fame would undoubtedly soar even higher.
With Pierre promising a fitting treasure on top, it was a profitable deal for Zeke.
"Donating the Holy Grail..."
As Zeke pondered, the eager Pierre played his final card.
"If you donate the Holy Grail, I will give you gold equal to your body weight." Zeke shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but I already have plenty of gold."
Pierre realized his mistake as Zeke furrowed his brow.
Then Zeke looked at Pierre and said.
"If you can offer something other than gold, I might consider it..."
"What would that be?"
"Instead of gold, could you provide Orichalcum?" Pierre was taken aback by Zeke's request.
"This guy..."
Orichalcum wasn't something money could buy.
Even within the Holy Kingdom, its quantity was limited, making it the most treasured resource.
Zeke pressed on.
"If it's enough Orichalcum to forge a sword, I'll hand the Holy Grail to you, Chairman." Pierre's face stiffened slightly at Zeke's words.
"Enough Orichalcum to make a sword..."
In truth, Pierre had been siphoning off the Orichalcum from the Holy Kingdom's treasury bit by bit for a long time.
"That much would require scraping together everything I have."
But if Zeke somehow handed the Holy Grail to the Pope here, it could put him in a dire situation.
"If I receive the Holy Grail in my name, I can use it to draw the Arch Paladins into my faction."
The current Arch Paladins all maintained independent power and coexisted symbiotically with Pierre.
If he could pull even just Baord into his fold, he could secure complete dominance in the Holy Kingdom's power structure.
After weighing it, Pierre concluded that investing now was the right move.
"It's nearly my entire fortune, but if the Holy Grail comes into my hands..."
If he could bring the Arch Paladins to his side, he could replenish his wealth as many times as needed.
After a moment's deliberation, he nodded.
"Very well. This must be the will of the gods. Let's do it that way. But I have one request."
"Speak."
"I'm concerned the Pope might learn of this in advance and interfere. Let this be known only to you, me, and the Lord."
Zeke nodded as if understanding.
"Understood. Don't worry, Chairman."
Pierre agreed to send the Orichalcum first, and Zeke promised to publicly donate the Holy Grail to him in two days.
Clutching the Holy Grail in his mind's eye, Pierre envisioned all the Paladins kneeling before him, pledging their loyalty, and eagerly anticipated the future unfolding.
In his head, there was no thought of the Ork legions threatening the Holy Kingdom or the suffering faithful.
And two days later, in the chapel of the Grand Cathedral of Vadoka—representing the Holy Kingdom—the Pope, along with the chairman and councilors, gathered all the key figures of the state.
Officially, it was to express gratitude to Zeke Draker for coming to aid the Principality of Vadoka.
But Pierre was swollen with anticipation that Zeke Draker would single him out before the Holy Kingdom's dignitaries and donate the Holy Grail.
However, the chapel ceremony veered in a direction utterly unlike Pierre's expectations.
"I, Beatrice I, hereby declare a holy war in the name of the Lord against the Ork legions invading the Principality of Vadoka."