Episode 143
It was a classic case of when it rains, it pours.
Prince Mordred, who harbored a grudge against the Holy Sword, Princess Kiara, whose intentions were as mysterious as ever, and the Red Tower mages, who were as devious as they come.
As if that weren’t enough, the church and the White Tower were sharpening their knives, ready to hold someone accountable for the broken Holy Sword.
Surrounded by enemies on all sides, the only solace was the presence of the Duchy of Saxon and his father, the Duke of Saxon.
The most powerful noble in the empire, the fear he inspired was not without reason. Even the reckless prince with royal blood wasn’t immune to it.
“You treated the Holy Sword like your own father?”
When the Black Duke warned Mordred, the prince’s startled reaction was telling.
“Could it be…?”
If that suspicion were true, it would be laughable. But for now, the royal family’s internal squabbles were the least of his concerns.
He couldn’t rely solely on his father’s protection. As the ruler of the Demon King’s territory and the Duke’s representative, Dale had his own duties to fulfill.
The gathering at the Saxon Viscount’s castle was reminiscent of the time when the otherworldly hero faced the Demon King Balor.
Though not as monumental as that event, it was still significant enough not to be taken lightly.
The alliance against the demons, sparked by Saxon and Lancaster, was led by the Grand Duke of Lancaster, the wielder of the Celestial Sword.
Ironically, even in his final moments, he failed to see Michael’s true nature, misinterpreting his son’s words about the “anti-demon alliance” as an unfulfilled ideal.
He entrusted the last of Lancaster’s crumbling power to Dale of Saxon, the very person who had driven Lancaster to ruin in the Second War of the Roses and plunged a sword into Michael’s heart.
It was a cruel irony, but nothing would change.
Meanwhile, in the capital, Prince Mordred, Princess Kiara, the Iron Cross Knights, Lady Scarlet, and her red mages were all involved.
Even the White Tower, the most troublesome of all, couldn’t be excluded.
It wasn’t the puppet Cardinal Nikolai who was involved. The true power of the White Tower never held high church office. For them, joining the church was merely a means to gain worldly status.
Moreover, the true strength of the White Tower didn’t lie in a single mage’s fingertips. Thus, the participation of the Sistine Papal State’s knightly order was inevitable.
The Templar Knights, executors of fanaticism, trained from the start to work in harmony with the white mages, bore blood-red crosses on their white surcoats.
The Saxon Viscount’s castle, the core base for the development of the labyrinth city Labyrinthos and the Demon King’s territory.
In one of its chambers, the leaders of the “anti-demon alliance” had gathered.
The imperial prince and princess, Lady Scarlet and her high-ranking purifiers, Lancaster’s aura master, and finally, the high elder of the White Tower and the Templar of the Templar Knights.
“Surrounded by red and white on all sides.”
The forces of fire and light filled the black domain, the golden riders.
Finally, he began to understand the burden the Black Duke must have felt when the empire’s strongest gathered, including the otherworldly hero. At the same time, Saxon had no means to stop them as long as they claimed to act for the greater good.
Moreover, Dale was the ruler of this territory, and officially, the Black Duke did not attend this meeting.
However, it was Dale’s decision to gather these forces of fire and light. Nothing would change.
Behind their intersecting ambitions, he would pull the strings, using them to dispel the deep-rooted darkness of the Demon King’s territory and break Saxon’s isolation.
“The alliance between Saxon and Lancaster, and the desire to develop the Demon King’s land against the demon threat, is the empire’s wish.”
Thus, Dale spoke.
“On behalf of the Saxon family, I express my deepest gratitude to the imperial family, the Lancaster family, the Red Tower, the White Tower, and the church.”
The Demon King’s territory was Saxon’s domain, and it was Dale’s responsibility to govern it. Therefore, he had to lead this alliance, ensuring the hyenas couldn’t reveal their ambitions.
“Indeed, wise words.”
At that moment, a knight with a blood-red cross on his white surcoat stood up. A Templar, seated with the White Tower’s people, the church’s sword.
A Master Templar, symbolizing the highest rank of the Templar Knights.
“Purifying the darkness in this land and spreading the goddess’s light is the very mission the Sistine sister goddesses desire.”
“Ah, the goddess desires it! What a splendid statement.”
Lady Scarlet laughed, clearly amused.
“And the goddess wished for her country to be destroyed and become part of our empire. Isn’t that right?”
The Master Templar and the white mage’s expressions twisted.
Just as Dale had once opposed the blue of the York family, the golden riders were no exception. During the empire’s unification war, wasn’t it the Red Tower that claimed to be the empire’s standard and brought down the Sistine Papal State?
“From start to finish, they’re a bunch of crumbling fools.”
For the first time, Lady Scarlet’s mockery sounded reassuring.
“In any case… should the Saxon family repent for their darkness and reflect the goddess’s mercy and compassion on this land.”
The Master Templar continued, undeterred.
“Our church and the White Tower are prepared to offer martyrdom according to the sister goddesses’ teachings.”
“How fortunate to hear that.”
“But before that, there’s one thing that concerns us.”
At that moment, the Master Templar interrupted Dale, as if waiting for this moment. Dale, expecting as much, asked.
“What is it?”
“His Holiness is deeply concerned whether the Black Duke and the Saxon prince truly understand the goddess’s will.”
The white mage beside him added.
“Didn’t the prince break the relic of the first White Tower master, the Holy Sword, and disgrace the sister goddesses?”
“It was truly unavoidable.”
Dale replied nonchalantly.
“I was at war. Just because my opponent held the goddess’s sword, was I supposed to let myself be stabbed?”
“What we desire is simply for you to repent.”
“Then have the empire and the Red Tower mages repented for destroying the goddess’s country?”
Dale retorted.
“If your words are true, shouldn’t Lady Scarlet, Marquis Eurys, and His Majesty the Emperor be the first to bow their heads?”
“How dare you…!”
Mordred and the church representatives raised their voices in unison, but Dale continued unfazed.
“The relic of the first White Tower master and the goddess’s country are not the goddess herself. They are merely idols created by worshippers.”
Dale replied.
“Claiming that breaking an idol is an act of blasphemy against the goddess is, ironically, the very idolatry the church warns against, isn’t it?”
In front of the goddess’s champions, armed with theology, Dale began to question them according to church law.
“Don’t think that Saxon’s darkness and apostasy can be erased.”
The Master Templar shot back, trying to change the subject.
“And what we demand is proof of that repentance.”
“What do you demand?”
“The development of the Demon King’s territory is no longer just your personal project. It is the sacred mission of the great Sistine sister goddesses. Therefore, as the goddess’s servants, we have the duty to thoroughly oversee and supervise this holy endeavor. In other words…”
The Master Templar answered.
“Convert the Saxon lord’s castle into a cathedral and dedicate this land to the church in the name of the sister goddesses. It will serve as the first diocese to cleanse Saxon’s sins.”
In simple terms, they wanted him to hand over the Demon King’s territory to the church. To rake in the wealth from the artifact rush, the new land of adventure and opportunity.
Dale couldn’t help but laugh at their audacity. He never imagined they could be so shameless.
“If I refuse, what will the church do?”
“They will declare that the development of the Demon King’s territory is not a sacred mission of the goddess but a purely secular business of the Saxon family.”
The Master Templar continued.
“In His Holiness’s name, they will proclaim the ‘development of the Demon King’s territory’ as an act of sin, both spiritual and physical, and order all the pioneering orders in the Demon King’s territory to withdraw.”
“Truly, I’m terrified beyond words.”
“It’s no joke.”
“Really? It was so absurd, I thought you were kidding.”
Hearing this, Dale let out a laugh, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
After laughing, he spoke again.
“Then go ahead.”
”…!”
“As the representative of the Duke of Saxon, I promise in the name of the Viscount of Little Saxon. I vow to hand over the entire Demon Lord’s territory to the church for free.”
“W-what did you just say…?”
“I said I’ll give the entire Demon Lord’s territory to the church.”
Dale replied without a hint of hesitation. Even those who had been threatening him moments ago were taken aback, swallowing their surprise. It was as if he had planned this all along.
The promise to hand over the Demon Lord’s territory in the name of Saxon and to convert the viscount’s castle into a cathedral.
“Did you succumb to their threats?”
Dale reported this to his father, the Black Duke, who asked coldly. As one of the empire’s foremost northern lords, he was not easily swayed.
“Of course not.”
Dale shook his head.
“Do not worship idols, do not covet wealth. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”
He recited the teachings of the Sistine Goddess Church after shaking his head.
“At least for now, confronting the church would be a pointless battle.”
As Dale continued, the Duke of Saxon remained silent.
“But when the church, blinded by greed, abandons their own legitimacy, it will be a different story.”
“You speak of the church’s legitimacy?”
“There’s nothing better than poison to deal with poison.”
Dale replied. The Duke of Saxon laughed, as if he had expected this all along.
As always, his son had a plan, and for the two of them, it was just a matter of waiting for the right moment.