Episode 183
That night.
Dale was sitting cross-legged in his room, trying to harmonize the darkness and cold circulating within him, when he heard a knock at the door.
“May I come in for a moment?”
The familiar voice prompted Dale to quickly compose himself and respond.
“Yes, Lady Sepia.”
Sepia was no longer his mentor, yet she remained the tutor of the Saxon family.
”…I seem to have interrupted your rest.”
“Not at all. I was still deep in my training.”
Dale shook his head.
“Aren’t you cold?”
Sepia’s question caught him off guard, and he swallowed hard, unable to answer immediately. He couldn’t hide the truth from her, just as he couldn’t from his father. She knew all too well about the curse of cold that would plague him as a Frost Watcher until his death.
“It’s cold.”
There was no point in lying, so Dale offered a quiet smile.
“But with so much warmth around me, I can’t let a little cold defeat me.”
He took her hand silently, causing Sepia to blush with a shy smile.
“You taught Lize magic today, didn’t you? How did the lesson go?”
Dale changed the subject, and Sepia cleared her throat with a laugh.
“She’s a quick learner. She possesses a purity that’s rare for a magician.”
“She’ll become a great magician.”
”…Yes, I have high hopes for her too.”
Sepia smiled wistfully, then reached out to touch the back of Dale’s neck. He inhaled sharply.
He had thought there was no warmth in the biting cold, that his words were just a way to deflect the situation.
But he was wrong.
In Sepia’s silent embrace, Dale found himself speechless.
He wrapped his arms around her neck, burying his face in her slender shoulder. Sepia flinched, surprised, but only for a moment.
“Can we stay like this for a while?”
Dale asked, and Sepia said nothing, simply holding him tighter as if she would never let go.
The next day.
In the office of the Black Duke.
“You mentioned the ‘Grave Walker.’”
At his inquiry, Dale nodded.
“I intend to form an organization of shadow operatives, loyal to the Shadow Lord, much like the Shadow Court or the mountain assassins. They will be devoted to the Saxons and the Shadow Lord.”
Dale explained his plan.
“I plan to utilize the trade network spread across the continent by the Guild City, along with the web of the ‘Blue Tower.’”
“The Blue Tower… you mean the Sorceress Council?”
The Black Duke asked, and Dale nodded.
“Do you trust them?”
“To be honest, not entirely.”
Dale was well aware of the cunning nature of the Blue Tower and the secrets they kept.
“However, they seek to gain the Shadow Lord’s trust through ‘information.’ At least, I don’t think we need to distrust their actions entirely.”
“They pledge allegiance to you, not me, so for now, I’ll respect your judgment.”
The Black Duke nodded.
“But remember, in the end, it’s the Saxon family, not them, who will stand by you without expecting anything in return.”
“I understand that deeply.”
The Blue Tower and the Shadow Court, along with Dale’s forces, were loyal only to the Shadow Lord. But the continent’s greatest dark sorcerer and his organization were different.
The bond of blood, because Dale was his son.
“The fact that you are my father, and that I am a son of the Saxon family.”
Just as Sepia had shown her warmth, it was no different with Dale’s father.
Some time later.
In the Free Imperial City.
A city not subject to the rule of clergy or local lords, but directly under the Emperor’s jurisdiction.
Thus, the Free Imperial City was often a hub of continental trade and a place of opportunity, free from the control of lords.
For instance, a runaway serf could start a business in a corner of the city and rise to become a bourgeois, a power player in the city.
But where wealth gathers, so does ambition. The number of seats available for the bourgeois is limited, and the political battles to secure them are bloody.
Assassins, thieves, and various criminals established their organizations and guilds in the Free Imperial City for the same reasons.
While some profited from trade and taxes in the open, others engaged in illegal activities like gambling and red-light districts in the shadows.
Most Free Imperial Cities had a power behind the scenes, separate from the mercenaries or guards officially employed by the city council. In exchange for handling the city’s underworld affairs, the council turned a blind eye to their existence.
Around that time.
In a city teetering on the edge of lawlessness and legality, a man appeared.
Beneath every organization lies another. And beneath that, yet another. The notorious large organizations in the Empire are nothing more than a web of countless interconnected points.
At the very bottom was a small faction, boldly claiming the name of the ‘Shadow Court.’
Smith was the self-proclaimed master of this criminal guild.
He had clawed his way up from the bottom, betraying others to secure his position.
And he had established a firm foothold among the mid-sized criminal organizations ruling the Free Imperial City of Harlem.
He fancied himself a gangster, enjoying the opportunities the city offered.
At least, until a few seconds ago.
“What did this little punk just say?”
“Aaaah!”
A blade swung down, severing Smith’s fingers one by one. Despite the cries of their leader, none of the guild members dared to move. They couldn’t.
In the back alleys of Harlem, Smith’s ‘Seven Blades,’ the guild’s top assassins, lay dead.
Smith had proudly given them the nickname ‘Seven Blades.’
Yet none of them could counter the man’s stealthy attacks. His throwing knives came without warning or movement. It was a swift, silent kill.
Six blades fanned out like a shower of bullets, piercing the hearts of the Seven Blades.
They couldn’t even block a single strike.
It was a rain of blades from all directions.
They were no match. The gap was overwhelming, almost despairing.
“You claim to be the Shadow Court’s small court?”
“N-no, that’s…!”
“Didn’t you just boast about being fearless in front of the Shadow Court?”
The man shrugged, looking around.
Smith’s ‘Seven Blades’ lay dead, and the remaining guild members trembled in fear, wetting themselves.
“You have three seconds to bow your heads. Go.”
The top assassin of the Shadow High Court, Master Baro, commanded.
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
“Yes!”
And they all bowed their heads in unison before their new leader, ignoring the pitiful state of their guild master.
“These guys sure know how to bow.”
Their loyalty and cohesion were as fragile as sand.
“Sir, no, boss! Please spare me! I’ll swear loyalty for life! Please believe me!”
Smith begged in agony.
“Why would I be your boss?”
Master Baro asked, watching Smith grovel.
“Please! I’ll be loyal forever! I swear!”
“Why would I be your boss?”
“Well, that’s…!”
“Judging by the state of things, there’s no way a group of this size rules the city. Now, let me ask again.”
Master Baro continued calmly.
“What’s the name of the top organization in this area?”
At that moment.
In another Free Imperial City not far from where Master Baro was causing a stir in Harlem.
This area was part of the ‘Free City Alliance,’ and another ‘Grave Walker’ was operating separately from Master Baro.
“I have no interest in the affairs of humans.”
A dark elf with bronze skin spoke.
“However, since our lord desires it, we must gather the appropriate information.”
“P-please, ma’am! I’ll tell you everything! Just spare my life…!”
The master of a small-time crime guild, which held sway over the city, was bowing his head before the mountain assassin.
“Reveal everything about the most powerful organization controlling this city.”
The mountain assassin commanded. No sooner had she spoken than the guild master, still groveling, began to spill every truth he knew.
“That’s all.”
“My findings align with what the dark elf lady reported.”
The Shadow Lord nodded quietly after hearing the reports from the mountain assassin and Master Baro.
“The Shadow Court controls the Free City Alliance, yet none of our High Court knew of it.”
The Shadow Lord chuckled in disbelief, and Master Baro shrugged.
“Well, keeping track of the underlings is not as easy as it seems.”
“To be precise, it’s not easy to manage those underlings when they run amok on their own.”
“Ha, you’re absolutely right.”
Master Baro chuckled, and Dale nodded calmly.
“Master Baro, we will find the ‘Shadow Court’ that governs the entire Free City Alliance together.”
With a nod, the Shadow Lord rose to his feet.
“This city needs villains with a bit more class.”