Episode 131
A tempest of magical energy raged through the area, and within its eye, Dale turned his head slightly.
Mind manipulation, illusions, magic nullification—the Blue Mage Tower’s pride in its cunning and deceit.
Finally, the puppet strings binding Sepia were severed, through Dale’s will.
”……!”
For a moment, Sepia lost her balance and staggered. Dale quickly caught her, feeling the faint tremor in her body.
“Ah, ah…”
Sepia clutched her head, as if it might shatter from the splitting headache. The ladies of Titania and York watched her with expressions devoid of any emotion.
He wanted nothing more than to embrace her and ease her pain. But there was nothing he could undo.
Six years had passed since she first became Dale’s tutor, sharing countless days together. As a reliable mentor, a gentle elf who shielded Dale from the cold and loneliness of that day.
“Why.”
Mistress Titania spoke to Sepia, who was clutching her head.
“Miss Sepia, you have performed the duties of the Sorceress Council admirably.”
“Duties…?”
“Think back carefully. What orders we gave you, and how you carried them out.”
“From the beginning…”
Sepia couldn’t finish her sentence and fell silent. After a pause, she looked directly at Dale.
“Dale.”
She uttered his name, as if tracing her memories. Her voice trembled slightly.
“Please, speak, Miss Sepia.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Sepia forced a smile, trying to appear calm. It was a smile clearly tinged with turmoil, yet it still held the kindness and warmth she always showed. At the same time, an unmistakable distance now stood between them.
Even though the enchantment was broken, the years Dale and Sepia had spent together wouldn’t simply vanish.
Yet, realizing that what she thought was her own heart wasn’t truly hers, and that the feelings themselves were never false, tormented Sepia with an indescribable irony.
“Could you leave me alone for a moment?”
Sepia asked in a trembling voice. Dale nodded silently.
“Just…”
At that moment, Sepia seemed about to say something more but closed her mouth. Dale, too, found himself unable to speak.
Realizing this, an unknown emotion tightened around Dale’s heart. He didn’t want to lose her like this. He could have longed for her affection without breaking the enchantment.
But he didn’t. Why? He couldn’t say. And it wasn’t something to worry about right now.
“Mistress Titania, I understand the elegance of the Blue Mage Tower’s schemes.”
“Oh my.”
“Therefore, I trust you won’t resort to any more petty tricks on her.”
It was an implicit warning.
“You needn’t worry about that.”
“Furthermore, please ensure Miss Sepia can rest as much as she needs.”
“It seems the wise elf has performed her ‘duties’ more brilliantly than we imagined.”
”…….”
Mistress Titania smiled as if amused.
“As promised, I will lead this war to victory. From this moment on, commanding the entire York army will be my responsibility.”
Dale spoke without a hint of hesitation. Titania and the York family members bowed their heads in silent agreement.
“Please, handle us as you wish, my beloved prince… Prince Philip.”
The second daughter, Catherine, smiled as if delighted. Dale did not respond.
The Lancaster’s plan to isolate York’s forward fortress through a rear infiltration had already failed. Predicting their next move wouldn’t be difficult.
The clash of the Black and Red Roses was drawing near. But not yet. And before that battle commenced, Dale’s role was just beginning.
Some time later.
As the simultaneous fronts stretched long and the battles dragged on, a new tale of heroism began to emerge from the York side, breaking the stalemate.
The empire’s greatest loser, the so-called ‘Genius of Defeat’—Philip’s exploits.
Deploying minimal defensive forces at the forward fortress while turning the main force into reserves to intercept Lancaster’s mobile units—a mobile defense strategy.
Leading a mobile strike force composed of the Knights of St. Magdalena and the Blue Rose Knights, appearing at various forward fortresses to sound the victory horn. Whenever Philip appeared, with the banner of the count’s family fluttering, neither York nor Lancaster dared call him the ‘Genius of Defeat.’
Without any feats or magic symbolizing the ‘Black Prince of Saxony,’ victories were achieved purely by reading the battlefield and moving at the right moments.
Philip’s growing fame in the war soon reached the ears of Michael Lancaster.
“Communication with the rear infiltration unit and the Purifier has been cut off. Given the lack of news, it seems they have all fallen to York’s side…”
“The damage to our forces from Philip’s mobile strike force is severe. It’s as if they can read our movements, intercepting and defeating us piecemeal, making it unsustainable to maintain multiple fronts…”
“Reports indicate that whenever Philip appears on the battlefield, York’s Catherine is always by his side. It seems Philip’s martial prowess might actually be York’s strategy and tactics.”
Amidst the endless reports, Michael Lancaster remained silent, biting his lip beneath his helmet.
He knew the wisdom of York’s witches extended beyond political intrigue. They often accompanied men on the battlefield, effectively giving commands.
But no matter how intelligent and wise they were, this level of absurdity was beyond them.
Thus, Michael Lancaster had only one decision to make.
“It’s the Black Prince.”
There was never a fool like Philip. The one currently making waves on the front lines was the very figure who had secured victory for the Lancasters in the First War of the Roses.
“As soon as Philip’s mobile defense unit appears, we’ll organize a reserve force to intercept it.”
”……!”
“Summon the Rose Cross Knights, our strongest force, and I will personally lead the reserves.”
Thus, Michael Lancaster made his decision.
The Lancaster’s large-scale advance resumed, and as if waiting for it, ‘Philip’s mobile strike force’ moved to intercept the isolated Lancaster units.
The Lancaster’s reconnaissance unit, observing their movements, reported the fact, and Michael’s forces pursued them without hesitation.
The enemy’s numbers consisted of several hundred cavalry. Such a large force moving simultaneously was undoubtedly the core force executing the ‘mobile defense.’ Intercepting them would be a decisive blow, annihilating the enemy’s main strength.
It should have been.
“Charge! Sweep away York’s dogs!”
Finally, the Rose Cross Knights under Michael’s command charged at the enemy’s mobile defense unit. As Michael prepared for the impending clash and unleashed his ‘avatar,’
With a single swing, the enemy cavalry fell like leaves in the wind.
The armor that covered them was shattered, revealing their true nature.
”…….”
From a distance, they were indistinguishable from humans, but they were ‘undead.’
They weren’t even high-level death knights. Yet, they were imbued with high-level magic, allowing them to follow orders from afar.
“S-surrender! I surrender!”
Among the undead, there was a living person.
“That man, that despicable ‘Black Prince’ used me as a scapegoat! I was forced, I had no choice…!”
The Genius of Defeat was there.
Before Michael, kneeling pathetically and begging, was the count’s fool, Philip.
It wasn’t a disguise by the ‘Black Prince.’ It was the real Philip, and the cavalry under him were merely a decoy, a headcount illusion. By reanimating the corpses accumulated in this war as ‘low-level undead.’
Considering Dale’s talents, controlling this number of low-level undead separately wouldn’t be difficult.
Realizing this, Michael’s expression froze.
Michael Lancaster had deduced that the ‘Black Prince’ was masquerading as Philip and had devised a countermeasure.
But the ‘Black Prince’ had already anticipated Michael’s actions several steps ahead and discarded Philip’s mask.
Moreover, with Michael and the Lancaster’s main forces having moved here to intercept the mobile defense unit… Imagining the moves the ‘Black Prince’ would make in the absence of core forces wasn’t difficult.
Finally, it dawned on him.
Michael Lancaster had been playing into his hands from the start.
“M-Michael, my prince! My alliance with York was purely out of necessity…!”
“Silence that mouth immediately.”
Mikhail Lancaster’s words were cold and cutting, leaving Philip speechless.
Just moments before Mikhail uncovered “Philip’s truth.”
“The main force of Mikhail Lancaster and the Knights of the Rosy Cross has completed its movement to intercept Philip’s decoy unit.”
A high-ranking assassin, working as an informant, delivered the report. Upon hearing it, Dale didn’t hesitate.
“Now it’s our turn.”
By then, only a minimal force was left to defend the fortress, while an elite unit, the best within the Order of the Blue Rose Knights, was assembled there.
Their mission was to break through the Lancaster line advancing towards York, moving in the opposite direction of Mikhail’s forces.
“We’ll swiftly breach their lines and use a rear maneuver to collapse Lancaster’s front.”
This battle was defined by three main lines.
If the first line was assumed to be York’s defensive forces entrenched in the fortress,
The second line was Lancaster’s troops charging towards them.
Taking advantage of the absence of Lancaster’s elite forces, lured away by Dale’s bait, they would execute a deep penetration to seize Lancaster’s rear, the third line.
With York controlling both the first and third lines, they would encircle and isolate Lancaster’s second line.
Just as the Knights of the Rosy Cross and the Purifiers had once planned to infiltrate York’s rear.
However, the situation between the two forces had completely reversed, and now they were all dancing in the palm of Dale’s hand.