Episode 163
As the proxy for the Black Tower Master, overseeing the tower’s trials was a duty Dale had to fulfill regardless. At fifteen, he had harnessed the power of black, red, and blue magic, and even gained the ability to project thermal energy as the Shadow Lord’s avatar. His growth was so extraordinary that calling him the empire’s greatest genius felt inadequate. Yet, witnessing the battle between the Immortal and the Black Lord that day had been a humbling experience.
He was woefully lacking.
He needed to become stronger.
Even if he managed to acquire power on par with those beyond the norm, what he saw that day was a spectacle that made even the mightiest seem like children at play.
The true power of the rulers who governed this empire, and beyond that, the real strength they possessed.
In truth, what the two Saxons displayed that day wasn’t even their full strength. Yet, even that level of confrontation was a realm Dale couldn’t dare to approach.
Officially, the pinnacle of the continent was held by the five tower masters of the Five-Colored Towers. But how many more unknown powerhouses like the Immortal Frederick of the Shadow Tower existed?
Take, for instance, the former Black Tower Master and head of the Saxon family under the Immortal’s command… the Eldritch.
How many other lords remain silent within the empire?
It’s impossible to know. Dale remembered the countless strong foes he had defeated as a hero, but they were merely the tip of the iceberg.
Thus, there was only one path for Dale: to become stronger. The tower’s trials were the clearest path to achieving that strength.
Dale, who had mastered various abilities, ultimately relied on the mana circle engraved in his heart.
A prodigy who reached the level of a 4th-circle mage at the age of twelve.
Now, after countless battles and experiences, it was time to test the fruits of his diligent training.
The time had come to surpass the wall standing before him.
The wall of the 5th circle.
The top floor of the Black Tower.
“Lady Eris.”
Before Dale could undertake the tower’s trial, he was greeted by Eris, the secretary and proxy of the Black Tower Master.
“Ah, Lord Dale.”
Eris smiled professionally, her monocle glinting as usual, while Dale gazed at the throne reserved solely for the Black Tower Master.
The throne of the Black Tower Master.
“Would you like to sit?”
As Dale looked at the seat, Eris asked.
“How could I possibly sit there?”
“Officially, you are the proxy for the Tower Master, Lord Dale. Moreover, as the heir to the Black Tower Master, you have more than enough right to sit there.”
”…”
After a moment of silence, Dale cautiously moved forward, acknowledging her words. It was true that aside from taking the trial, he was also acting on behalf of the Black Tower Master…
‘There’s no harm in trying it.’
Sitting on the Black Tower Master’s throne, Dale lifted his head.
It felt no different from when he had sat on the throne at the Saxon estate.
From there, he could see the entire Black Tower, as if it were a vast network of surveillance cameras.
“Soon enough, Lord Dale, you will officially take that seat.”
Watching Dale on the throne, Eris, the Black Tower’s proxy, spoke.
“I hope so.”
Dale replied with a slightly embarrassed smile.
“No, it’s not a matter of hope.”
Eris shook her head coldly.
“It’s the destiny you must bear as the heir of the Saxon family.”
”…”
“Also, please leave the task of overseeing the trial to me. It’s my duty as the secretary.”
Eris continued.
“Focus solely on proving your achievements.”
“Thank you, Lady Eris.”
Hearing her words, Dale nodded quietly.
She was the secretary to his father, the Black Lord, and also known by the somewhat embarrassing nickname of the ‘Dark Princess,’ a 7th-circle dark mage.
Officially, she was the second in command within the Black Tower, a high-ranking elder. Though she appeared to be in her twenties with an intelligent and cold demeanor, her true prowess was not something that could be achieved in such a short span of time.
“Do you think I can reach the 5th circle in this trial, Lady Eris?”
Dale asked, seeking guidance from another mentor in dark magic.
“Who knows.”
Eris tilted her head, her monocle glinting.
“I can’t say for sure.”
Her voice was as businesslike as ever.
“Then shall we test it?”
It was at that moment.
Eris, the Black Tower’s proxy, asked in return.
“Is that as the ‘Dark Princess’?”
Dale inquired, referring to her title as a 7th-circle dark mage.
”…”
At that moment, Eris’s expression flickered slightly behind her cold monocle.
“To be honest, I don’t particularly like that name.”
“Oh.”
Hearing that, Dale realized his mistake and closed his mouth. It was indeed a name that sounded a bit embarrassing even to say.
“I think it’s not so bad, though.”
“Really?”
When Dale tried to appease her, Eris asked coldly.
”…Honestly, it does sound a bit embarrassing.”
”…”
Eris replied icily.
Simultaneously, the seven mana circles within her began to accelerate.
“Be consumed by the darkness.”
With a whisper, Eris unleashed her pitch-black magic.
The surroundings began to drown in darkness.
‘The world of thought…!’
The mental landscape crafted by a 7th-circle high-ranking dark mage.
It was a forest of thorns.
A world of thorns, with sharp branches extending in all directions like vines, engulfing the area.
“Lord Dale, you seek to reach the 5th circle through the tower’s trial, correct?”
In that forest of thorns stood the ‘Dark Princess.’
“Yes.”
Dale nodded.
“Facing strong opponents in the tower’s trial will certainly help. But honestly, the likelihood of you achieving the 5th circle through that method is slim.”
Eris’s words made Dale swallow hard.
“The 4th-circle level you possess is already refined enough to stand against the tower’s elders. Considering the power of the grimoire and avatar you hold, even more so.”
”…Then what should I do?”
When he first achieved the 3rd circle, Dale forced his way into the realm of the impossible.
Reaching the 4th circle was thanks to borrowing the power of his father’s grimoire, Death.
Dale’s expansion of his circles was unlike that of ordinary mages. Eris understood his situation precisely.
“As someone who assists the Black Tower Master, guiding his heir is also my duty.”
Eris adjusted her monocle and spoke calmly. The forest of thorns began to writhe as if alive.
“To establish your position within the Black Tower, the ‘tower’s trial’ is worth undertaking. But to truly open the next level of circles, a more special trial is needed.”
“A special trial?”
Eris nodded silently.
“I heard you encountered the Immortal Frederick in the land of the Demon King.”
At her words, Dale swallowed hard.
“Then you must also know the secrets of the former Saxon heads and the truth beyond the Eldritch, don’t you? Shadow Lord.”
”…!”
“I have witnessed countless Saxon heads and their growth into Black Tower Masters over the generations.”
Eris’s continued words left Dale speechless.
“Some accepted death willingly, while others rejected it and departed to the land beyond with the Immortal.”
“Lady Eris, could it be…?”
“When the Immortal Frederick left for the demon realm with the ‘Outsiders from Beyond,’ his son and a few of the Black faction decided to remain in the Saxon territory.”
Eris explained.
“I was one of those who chose to stay.”
A revelation beyond Dale’s imagination.
An ancient dark mage who had survived since time immemorial.
“And I have been fulfilling the duty of an archivist, organizing and preserving the dark wisdom accumulated by the Saxon heads over the generations, ensuring it is passed on to the next.”
An Ancient Librarian.
“Did you teach my father, Lady Eris?”
“Becoming a tower master is not something that can be achieved with the knowledge or wisdom of a single generation.”
Eris stated.
“To a being like the Lord of Fire and Blood who rules the Red Tower, such matters are insignificant. But as long as you and the Black Lord remain ‘human,’ bridging that gap is nearly impossible.”
“But my father…”
He possessed power that could rival even the Lord of Fire and Blood, one of the rulers of the empire.
“Could it be that my father, too—”
“He’s just an ordinary man who has only recently reached the age of forty.”
Yet Eris quietly shook her head.
How could a wizard in his early forties stand at the pinnacle of the Black Tower and wield power comparable to ancient beings?
“As I said, that’s precisely my role.”
The key to that answer lay before Dale.
“To pass down and organize knowledge accumulated over generations to the heads of the Saxon family, who can only gather a lifetime’s worth of knowledge in one generation.”
A wizard who, during the ancient days of the Black and White Towers, stood with the immortal Frederick as part of the Black faction.
Another immortal who remained in the frozen lands of Saxon, passing on that legacy to the heads of the family.
“Is that the will of another Saxon, the immortal Frederick?”
That’s why Dale asked coldly.
“To transform the heads of Saxon into his subordinates, the ‘Eldritch,’ to one day overthrow the Golden Empire and establish an Empire of Shadows?”
Was the Saxon duchy merely a training ground to cultivate the immortal’s forces from the start?
The thought was so absurd it made him chuckle.
“Have you ever seen a head of Saxon become an ‘Eldritch,’ gaining immortality and training in the darkness of the demon realm?”
Dale shook his head at Eris’s question.
“Among them, perhaps only three, including the immortal, could defeat your father. And even they couldn’t guarantee a 100% victory.”
”…!”
“Isn’t it strange? Beings who can endlessly refine their magic in an immortal life, yet they fall to mere humans.”
Dale had no answer to that.
“But that is the power of humanity.”
Eris continued, undeterred.
“And I believe in your resolve not to abandon your humanity.”
”…!”
“The decision is ultimately yours.”
Eris asked.
“As the successor of the Black Tower, are you prepared to inherit that darkness without forsaking your humanity?”
It was a question that didn’t even warrant an answer.