Episode 162
The new regime of the Saxon Duchy under Dale’s leadership.
Dale, who was initially responsible for the Demon King’s territory and the labyrinth city as a Saxon viscount, was now tasked with transforming them into hubs for artifact and mana stone trade. The administrative duties of the duchy seemed endless.
However, governing the duchy as the empire’s foremost grand duke was not a task for Dale alone.
There was Helmut, the head steward of the Saxon family and a loyal confidant of the Duke, along with countless other retainers.
“Don’t worry, my lord! You have me, Helmut, by your side!”
Dale, already well-versed in the arts of rulership as the heir to the ducal seat, was not daunted by the sudden responsibility of sitting on the Saxon ducal throne.
As always, Lady Shadow, the black-clad knight, stood by his side.
Yet, it was at this very moment that the annual “Trial of the Tower” at the Black Tower was set to commence.
Meanwhile, in the office of the Black Duke.
“Has your body not returned yet?”
Dale asked the Saxon Duke with concern, recalling the day he witnessed the clash of the continent’s greatest black mages against the Immortal Duke. It was a battle of true mages, far beyond Dale’s current reach.
“There’s no need to worry. My essence is already imprinted on this body, and only a few adjustments remain.”
The Black Duke spoke, his words carrying the weight of a mage who had mastered the secrets of life and death, causing Dale to hold his breath.
“Is it possible to maintain an immortal life that way?”
At Dale’s question, the Black Duke gave a bitter smile.
“Do you long for immortality?”
“Why did the heads of the Saxon family give up on immortality?”
Dale countered, and the Black Duke’s expression darkened.
“Why do you think the heads of Saxon accepted death so readily?”
”……!”
Dale was taken aback by the implication.
“Could it be that they too…?”
“Many, including my father, could not accept death and chose immortality. The decision they could make was only one.”
“To become one with the Eldritch alongside the Immortal Duke?”
The Black Duke nodded silently. Another Saxon, yet their existence was not a mere ancient offshoot.
“Then, will you also…”
Dale began to ask if his father would choose immortality, but the Black Duke shook his head.
“Not everyone chose immortality. Some willingly embraced death, believing that to reject it was to abandon the duties of the Black Tower and the Saxon family. I am the same.”
But such individuals were rare.
The Saxon lineage shared a common root.
Beyond the Demon King’s territory, in the darkness of the demon realm, the heads of the Saxon family, led by the Immortal Duke, still slumber.
The revelation was far beyond anything Dale had imagined when he first encountered the Death Order. The depth of Saxon’s darkness was beyond ordinary comprehension.
“Is it to overthrow the golden empire and bring forth an empire of shadows?”
Dale asked, speaking of the ancient, secretive conflict that had persisted through the ages.
“Who told you that?”
“Everyone in this empire says so.”
Dale replied, knowing that as one of the empire’s foremost grand dukes, the Saxon Duke would be aware of such rumors.
“The Church of Shadows calls me the ‘Lord of Shadows’ and pledges their loyalty, while the Immortal Duke also claims to be the Lord of Shadows and calls me a usurper. Even my father…”
“Would have called you the Lord of Darkness and Death.”
The Black Duke responded, and Dale nodded silently.
In this world, there are those who receive divine revelations to execute the will of gold and shadow.
These are the beings known as apostles, and among them, those with extraordinary power earn the right to be called ‘lords.’
Just like the man standing before him.
“When the Church of Shadows and the Blue Sorcerers’ Council called you the ‘Lord of Shadows’ and pledged their loyalty, how did you perceive it?”
”……!”
The Black Duke asked, casually revealing information Dale considered secret.
“I do not agree with their beliefs.”
Dale replied calmly, maintaining his composure.
“But for my goals, I thought I might as well become their lord.”
“I am the same.”
The Black Duke replied.
“I simply cannot understand why the countless powerful figures of this empire cling so desperately to ancient fanaticism.”
Dale remained silent at those words.
“But as long as you possess Saxon’s blood and the ‘Book of the Black Goat,’ the ancient fanatics who follow you as the Lord of Shadows will never disappear. Moreover, those who see you as a threat will only increase.”
“I was prepared for that from the beginning.”
“What is it for?”
“To bring down this empire.”
”…….”
Dale answered without hesitation, and the Black Duke remained silent.
“As long as you claim to be the Lord of Shadows, I too will follow the ancient rules and declare myself a loyal knight of the shadows.”
After a moment of silence, the Black Duke spoke.
“But my reason for becoming a knight of the shadows is not due to some ancient fanaticism about gold and shadows.”
“Then why?”
“Because you are my son.”
The Black Duke said, and Dale held his breath.
“So the only advice I can give you is this.”
“Please, tell me.”
“Do not be consumed by the shadows.”
The Black Duke advised.
“Remember that you are merely playing the role of the Lord of Shadows for your own purposes, a false god to your followers.”
“I have no intention of being consumed by the shadows.”
“I have seen countless foolish lords consumed by the fanaticism of gold and shadows, believing themselves to be gods without a doubt.”
The Black Duke spoke with a bitter tone.
“They thought they would bring the empire of gold and shadows to this land, convinced their actions were infallible. That’s why those with strong beliefs are the most dangerous. Do you know why?”
“Because they have no intention of seeking the truth.”
“As expected of my son.”
“There’s nothing more frightening than an ignorant person with strong beliefs.”
The Black Duke chuckled at Dale’s words.
‘Strong beliefs are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.’
As an ancient philosopher once said, it was wisdom befitting the pinnacle of the Black Tower, which pursued truth.
Feeling the weight of his father’s wisdom anew, Dale nodded.
“Yes, and I hope you do not repeat that folly.”
“Don’t worry, Father.”
The one who would bring down the empire of light and fire and usher in the empire of shadows.
“I will never be consumed by the shadows.”
The Lord of Shadows declared, and the Lord of Death and Darkness, who claimed to be the knight of shadows, smiled quietly.
At that time, on the island of Britannia.
The land where the independence war led by the Holy Maiden Aurelia had failed, and the empire’s ruthless rule was in place.
There was a man who had once declared himself the most loyal knight of the Holy Maiden, possessing unparalleled devotion.
But after witnessing the Holy Maiden being branded a witch and reduced to ashes in Saxon’s frozen lands, and seeing his homeland fall while the twin goddesses of mercy and compassion remained silent to the end…
The man was left with no trace of faith.
There were no gods. This world was a hell abandoned by them.
In the void left by despair, a new conviction took root.
It began with a certain experiment involving the abduction and painful death of a devout choir boy from the church.
“Please, please spare me!”
“Go on, call upon the goddess. Let’s see if she answers your prayers.”
“Oh, twin goddesses, please help me!”
“How strange. Why does the goddess of mercy and compassion remain silent while her lamb suffers so?”
To the very end, the boy cried out for the goddess, but no answer came to his desperate pleas.
“Why does the goddess not answer your prayers? Ah, what more proof do we need that there are no gods?”
Watching those who cried out to the goddess die in agony, especially the delicate boys, brought him indescribable joy.
And with each act of slaughter, the man’s conviction grew ever stronger.
‘This is a world abandoned by gods. There were never any gods to begin with.’
To prove this conviction, Gilles De Rais dedicated his entire life.
And to prove the absence of gods, the scale of his experiments grew larger by the day.
It was around that time when a mysterious man, who called himself the “Demon Sorcerer,” came seeking Gilles de Rais.
While the Duke of Saxony was enjoying a rare moment of respite, spending his days teaching magic to his daughter, Lise, Dale was busy crossing the streets of Necropolis as the duke’s representative.
He rode in a carriage emblazoned with the emblem of the Saxon house—a night raven—accompanied by a retinue of night raven knights.
Necropolis, the city of the dead.
Yet, thanks to Dale’s new policies, the winds of change and openness were sweeping through the entire northern duchy, and Necropolis was no exception.
In fact, as part of these policies, a new festival was being held throughout the city.
The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos).
An event designed to transform the image of the Black Tower and Necropolis, where people donned skull masks to honor the spirits of the departed.
Dale was overseeing countless ventures as the Duke of Saxony’s proxy.
However, his visit to Necropolis was not for the sake of enjoying the festival. While he did take the opportunity to inspect the festivities, his true purpose lay elsewhere.
As the representative of the Black Tower’s master, he was there to oversee the tower’s trials in the master’s absence.
Moreover, as a disciple of the Black Duke, he was there to prove himself as a dark sorcerer, having recently conquered the 20th level.
Thus began the trial of the “Black Prince.”