Episode 145
The Grand Plaza of Labyrinth City, Labyrinthos.
In front of what was once the Saxon Viscount’s castle, now being transformed into the Church’s grand cathedral, a sizable crowd had gathered.
“Revoke the excessive tax policies of the Sistina Church immediately!”
“Down with the Church that exploits the name of the Goddess!”
“Get out of the Demon King’s territory now!”
The crowd’s voices rose in protest against the Church, which had taken over the Demon King’s lands and was raking in taxes. From adventurers exploring the labyrinth to guild members drawn by the artifact and mana stone trade, even the farmers risking their lives to cultivate the land were no exception.
But for such a large number of people to move so systematically, it wasn’t just their will alone that made it possible.
A leader capable of uniting the organization and issuing directives was indispensable.
Officially, the one stirring them up from behind was Edward of Dulles, the most influential figure in the city and leader of the noble adventurer faction.
Unofficially, however, the true ‘puppet master’ pulling the strings from the shadows was not Edward.
The operatives rooted throughout the city, the assassins of the Shadow Court, had roles beyond just taking lives. Covert operations could mean many things.
In front of the grand cathedral, the crowd seemed on the verge of rioting, and it was the Church’s Templar Knights who stood in their way.
Amidst the swirling chaos, Dale was there too, his identity concealed beneath a deep hood.
After igniting the spark, it couldn’t consume the woodpile overnight.
All Dale could do was wait for the right moment.
For the spark he had kindled to blaze and consume the labyrinth city and the Church.
“Lord Dale.”
A knock came at the office of the ‘Black Prince’ within the grand cathedral.
It was a woman of royal blood. She was alone, without even a maid or a guard.
She was Kiara, the Fifth Princess of the Empire, from the Pendragon lineage.
“Princess Kiara.”
Despite the grand cathedral being a gathering point for the Great Demon Alliance, it was still unusual for a royal to wander the castle without any escort.
“There’s no need to be so formal. Please, dispense with the formalities in my presence.”
As Dale rose to greet her, Kiara shook her head, indicating it wasn’t necessary.
“You must be under a lot of stress.”
”…It’s simply what I must bear.”
Princess Kiara gracefully took a seat before Dale, and only then did he sit down as well.
“I’ve heard the tales of the ‘Black Prince’ echo throughout the Empire, imagining what you might be like day and night.”
Kiara spoke to Dale with a hint of amusement.
“I wondered what kind of man could have his name and fame resound across the land so frequently. Imagining you kept me awake many nights.”
“Stories tend to be exaggerated.”
“Oh, I doubt that.”
Kiara laughed as if the notion was absurd.
“The ‘Black Prince’ before me proves that the tales are not mere embellishments.”
Dale maintained a composed smile, wary of the hidden blade behind her compliments.
“May I ask why the Princess sought me out?”
Dale inquired, sensing that further verbal sparring would be pointless.
“I simply wished to converse with the ‘Black Prince.’ Just the two of us.”
“I hope my conversation skills don’t disappoint you, Princess.”
Kiara smiled meaningfully at Dale’s words.
“Your eloquence has already been proven beyond doubt.”
Kiara continued.
“How could I forget the day you declared yourself the Shadow King and demanded the loyalty of the Blue Tower at the council?”
”…!”
Dale’s expression turned icy at her words.
“Oh my, why are you so surprised?”
But the Fifth Princess, Kiara, merely smiled, unfazed.
“Is it so strange for a legitimate ‘sorceress’ with the right to attend the council to be present?”
”…Were you infiltrating the Blue Tower as a royal spy?”
Dale asked coldly.
“Why would you think that?”
“Are you not a member of the royal family, bearing the golden bloodline?”
“And what of it?”
Kiara asked, as if genuinely puzzled.
“Just because I bear royal blood, where is my place in this Empire of fire and light?”
At that moment, the ‘circle’ entwined around the princess’s heart began to move. Blue magic surged beneath her feet, engulfing the area.
“The world of thought…!”
Simultaneously, the world reflecting Princess Kiara’s mind appeared.
A golden world unfolded. A golden fortress, golden mansions, golden lands… the heart of the Empire, the capital, made of gold.
Yet, all the gold was frozen solid.
The fortress, the mansions, the golden world was overlaid with ice and frost.
The world was literally frozen.
A magician’s world cannot lie. It is the very landscape of their thoughts and heart, built over a lifetime.
“Does this show you my true intentions?”
“How can I be sure this world isn’t one of deception and lies?”
Dale asked. Kiara laughed, seemingly amused.
“That day, at the Sorceress Council, I saw a ‘Shadow Lord’ worthy of the title in you.”
After laughing, she snapped her fingers.
Crack, crack.
Behind her, the golden fortress began to crack, the ice covering it starting to break.
The ice shattered, and the ‘golden fortress’ crumbled.
The scene Dale had longed to see unfolded before him. The heart of the Empire, overlaid with ice, was collapsing.
“This is the ‘world’ I desire. Not as a dragon’s child of royal blood, but as a sorceress claiming the mantle of the shadow.”
”….”
“I wish for the Empire of fire and light to fall, for the dragon’s children to gain freedom against the father dragon.”
“Are you speaking of the Golden Lord, His Majesty the Emperor?”
Kiara smiled silently.
“As things stand, you probably can’t even imagine it. The existence of the ‘lords’ ruling the Empire.”
“Lords, you say?”
“The Lord of Fire and Blood, the Lord of Light and Heaven… even the ‘Lord of Darkness and Death’ ruling the Saxon Duchy is no exception.”
The realization struck like lightning. They were the masters of the Five Towers.
”…!”
“Did you still think the Empire was ruled by a single ‘lord’?”
The lords Kiara referred to were not singular. It was an unimaginable notion for an Empire claiming to be the only nation on earth.
The words of the Shadow Saintess came to mind.
The existence of apostles claiming the banners of gold and shadow. Those who not only became standard-bearers but aspired to ascend the throne amidst gold and shadow.
“──Are you speaking of the apostles?”
“Apostles with very powerful and special abilities.”
The image of Michael Lancaster, the Apostle of Fire and Light, came to mind. Imagining a future where Michael, not defeated by Dale, rose to greater heights.
He too would have become the ‘Lord of Fire and Light.’ And he would not have stopped there, seeking even higher positions.
At that point, there would be only one position he could aim for.
“For instance, the Lord of Fire and Blood, who serves the Golden Lord but covets the ‘Golden Throne.’”
The Marquis of Uris, Lord of Fire and Blood.
Those with ambitions not satisfied with being the standard-bearer of gold, seeking to ascend the throne themselves. The covert struggles unfolding in the Empire of fire and light.
“What a mess.”
Dale sneered coldly, recalling the countless kings he had once toppled.
“Our Blue Tower will fulfill its duty of loyalty in silence for the ‘Shadow Lord.’”
Kiara said.
“And I am aware that the wait will not be long.”
”….”
“Just remember. I am ready to break the silence of the blue for the Shadow Lord.”
With those words, the world blurred. They were back in the office of the grand cathedral, no longer the Saxon Viscount’s castle.
There, Dale’s mind began to work rapidly.
“With such words, I have no reason to refuse.”
However, it was by no means a long deliberation.
“As a rider of shadows, are you ready to break the silence for the Shadow Lord?” Dale asked.
In response, Kiara gracefully bent her knee and gently lifted the edges of her dress.
At that moment, in the hideout of the Shadow Court.
A scream pierced the air. It was the scream of the Shadow Saint. The moment the sound reached his ears, Master Baro, who had been resting his feet on the table, tossed aside his beer and sprang to his feet.
“I-I’m sorry, Father…! Please forgive me, it hurts, I can’t see anything!”
It was one of her usual fits. The nightmare of her former lord, who, convinced that a demon had possessed his young daughter, had gouged out her eyes.
“Miss Maria, get a hold of yourself!”
Master Baro urgently called out her name, wrapping his arms around the Shadow Saint’s shoulders.
“Baro, Baro…!”
Maria, the Shadow Saint, reached out toward Master Baro’s face as if feeling her way through the darkness.
“I’m scared, I can’t see, I can’t…!”
The black bandage covering her eyes slipped down, revealing empty sockets.
And from those hollow voids, blood was trickling down.
“There’s nothing to worry about, Miss Maria,” Master Baro said, clenching his lips tightly.
“I’m right here by your side.”
Once a knight who had cast aside his pride and honor to betray his lord, a disgrace among the continent’s Seven Swords. Yet, even under such scorn, the ‘pride of a knight’ within Master Baro never broke.
The fit subsided amidst her pain. The Shadow Saint buried her head in Baro’s shoulder and began to sob.
Her tears were the color of blood.
Not long after, a massive uprising erupted, with adventurers slaughtering the priests of the Goddess Cult.