"Sage ahead! Wait!" The voice was incredibly loud, like a normal person shouting, but the Claymores, who were on alert, showed a slight understanding when they saw the approaching figure. Given that guy's build... he was probably just speaking normally!
This two-meter-tall giant came before Kayal, accompanied by a retinue. From his accent, he was Greek.
The past glory of Greece had clearly faded completely. Watching the tall man approach, the Claymores, although they didn't think he was likely an assassin, still drew their swords and shouted, "Stop right there! Anyone who steps forward will be killed without mercy!"
"Hahaha..." His voice was like thunder, rumbling as he laughed heartily: "I am the King of Macedonia, Alexander Iskandar! I ask you, are you willing to become my Chancellor and share the world with me?!"
"Your Majesty!!" Kasinda cried out, but was stopped with a wave of a hand.
"If you are willing to share the world with me, I will treat you as a brother!!" Perhaps other rulers saying such words would be ridiculed, or even called hypocritical, but Kayal knew that if it truly was Alexander, then he likely spoke nothing but the truth!
How could the heart of an Emperor, who could utter the immortal words: 'Leave wealth to others, leave hope to yourself,' not be broad enough?
"No," he refused with a smile, without hesitation.
"Why?!" Alexander, who had been solemn, grimaced and scratched his head as he asked.
"Look, Greece is about to rebel, the Persian Empire is below the Black Sea, and to the left, there's a Roman Empire. You're telling me I should abandon my beloved people and go suffer with you? If things go wrong, I might even face a fatal disaster. Why would I go with you?" Kayal said with a smile. He, of course, knew history. This 'Empire Killer,' who, from the small land of Macedonia, eliminated Greece, Persia, and India, with his army growing larger and larger along the way, eventually had to invent the 'Macedonian Phalanx,' famous in history for infantry countering cavalry. How could he be killed by a small rebellion or great powers?
Would he say he knew history?
"Even if Greece is a rabble, Rome is in disarray because of that venomous woman, and the Vikings were beaten to pieces by my old man..." Kayal's slender hand gently caressed the Unicorn's mane: "I still don't believe you can cross the sea to conquer this land."
"The Golden King Gilgamesh and the Silver King are clashing fiercely up north. If you come down, you won't be able to handle it," Kayal said with a smile. "And the fleet that rules the seas belongs to Red Leaf Ridge! Let's talk about joining forces once you can safely cross the English Channel."
Kayal smiled, analyzing the entire world's situation clearly in a few words. Evidently, the open and secret struggles within the country, due to King Uther's declining health, no longer concerned him. His gaze had already set on the entire world.
"Excellent! An excellent analysis!" A loud shout made Kayal's ears ring.
"If I had a person like you to help, I could conquer the world before I turn forty! How about we split it evenly, you and I?" What seemed like incredibly idiotic words came from his mouth. While others might see them as foolish, they made Kayal understand what kind of person he was: "You don't care about the outcome of conquest; you just enjoy the process of governing, don't you..."
"What a pity! You and I are not on the same path! I should have kept you here forever, but I am not a despicable villain either! Once you conquer Rome and I pacify all of Camelot, we will certainly have a battle! You may go!" Kayal exuded heroic spirit. Towards the magnanimous Conqueror King Iskandar, he couldn't bring himself to be ruthless. Logically, from his rational perspective, keeping this Great Emperor in Camelot forever would be most beneficial to Camelot, but he simply couldn't bring himself to do it now. Perhaps it was because the other party stood before him so openly and honestly, without the slightest doubt, inviting him with such integrity. Whatever the reason, Kayal suddenly found his interest piqued!
"I will go east from Camelot, and you will go west from Macedonia. I will assist my monarch, and then we will have a decisive battle! How about it?!" Kayal smiled and extended his hand, which drew a hearty laugh from the King of Macedonia: "Assist a monarch?! Assist whom! King Uther is gradually declining, and his heir is merely a princess with no blood relation. Camelot is not like Rome! The lineage that Rome disregards is precisely what is highly valued here! A dead King Uther signifies the beginning of war in Camelot! A Camelot royal family without a crown prince cannot suppress the chaos within the royal family that will become a future concern. Even if you wish to pledge allegiance to the king, how can you pledge allegiance if there is no king! So, how about we create a glorious era and share the world together?!"
In the end, he still hadn't given up on the idea of recruiting Kayal.
A joke! Do you think I would carelessly reveal that King Uther has an illegitimate son named Arthur?!
Kayal smiled silently, shaking his head in refusal: "Then, in five years, you shall see him!" In Kayal's estimation, five years was roughly when the Knights of the Round Table would be fully established.
"Good! It's a bet! We'll bet on whether there's a monarch worthy of your assistance in five years. If there isn't one after five years, you must come to Macedonia to assist me! If there is! Then we will have a showdown on Roman soil in ten years! I will pacify the Silver King, and you will pacify The Golden King, eliminate all unstable factors, and then we will have a great war! How about it?!" Iskandar declared grandly: "The stake, of course, is still you! If I win, you must pledge allegiance to me. If I lose, I will give you all my land! Only keeping Macedonia! How about it?!"
He spoke of world domination with a magnificent tone, as if it were all a matter of course. Only Kayal knew how serious and earnest his words were, that everything he said was true.
Even Kayal, for a fleeting moment, felt a surge of emotion, the kind where a warrior would die for a true friend.
But it was only for that fleeting moment... "Good! In five years, we shall see!" Kayal declared loudly.
Alexander Iskandar said no more, pounded his chest with an arm thicker than Kayal's thigh, then turned and departed with his follower, Kasinda.
The group walked back to the manor in complete silence.
"Um, Kay, do you really intend to go through with that bet with him? If you lose..." Artoria asked hesitantly. Meeting Kayal's gaze, she fumbled to explain: "Of course, I'm not saying you'll lose, but if you do lose, will you honor that bet?" To be honest, Teresa and the others were also very concerned about this, but as guards, they couldn't speak up.
"Of course, it's not just that. What if, in this world, only two countries remained... and these two countries joined forces to eliminate that organization... what would happen?" Kayal asked with a smile.
Using the power of Alexander, the King of Babylon, to eliminate all the weak, and then engaging him in a decisive battle—Kayal believed that England's longbows, the English heavy infantry who had learned the Macedonian Phalanx, and England's titled cavalry would definitely not lose to Alexander! Most importantly, as long as the two united, the Claymore organization would be finished. To put it in one sentence: he is doomed!