Episode 197
Some time later.
Once the internal turmoil within the organization had been quelled, and with the help of the Blue Tower Master, the “Grave Walker” and its subordinate groups had firmly established themselves across the empire.
The Shadow Lord secluded himself in the Saxon Duchy, specifically in the fortress beyond the Demon King’s domain, a place that symbolized the exploits of the “Black Prince.” He rarely showed himself to the outside world.
Initially, he refused entry to anyone for several days and nights, isolating himself in a room at the topmost floor. This room, ironically, was a “war room” with no bed prepared.
Worried about Dale, who hadn’t emerged for days, the attendants tried to speak to him, but no response came.
There were a few who were said to be able to persuade Dale—like the Black Duke, Sepia, or the Swordmaster—but they chose to remain silent, respecting Dale’s wishes.
Thus, in the silence that lasted for weeks, Dale lived a life akin to a prisoner, receiving minimal meals.
In a room without a bed, he consumed the bare minimum of food and attended to his basic needs, spending all his time confined like an inmate.
In that solitude, Dale engaged in only one activity.
War games.
On an absurdly large table, countless chess pieces were arrayed.
On a map so vast it depicted the entire continent.
Clack.
Dale moved a piece, contemplating deeply before making his move. His opponent, imagined across the table, responded.
Clack.
A chess piece from the other side captured the piece Dale had just moved. Silence followed, and Dale shook his head.
Defeat.
It was Dale’s defeat, and the empire’s victory.
“No.”
With a sweeping motion, Dale knocked over the map and all the pieces on the table, exhaling deeply.
“This game is really pissing me off.”
He muttered a curse, unsure if it was something he picked up from Master Baro or if it had always been his habit.
Leaving the overturned table behind, Dale slumped into a chair, maintaining his silence.
In his hands, he held more than enough chess pieces.
The Lord of Darkness and Death, the Lord of Desert and Sand, the Lord of Ice and Crystal, the Lord of Lies and Deception.
The Black Tower Master, the Queen of the Dark Elf Kingdom and the Mountain Crone, Sepia’s mother and the Queen of the Snow Elf Kingdom, the Crystal Queen, and finally, the Blue Tower Master, Arachne.
These four lords willingly pledged their allegiance to the “Shadow Lord,” Dale.
In addition, there were three of the Seven Swords of the continent.
The Light Sword Helmut Blackbear, the Swordmaster Baro, and the Wandering Sword could all play their roles as chess pieces.
Yet, the power of these Seven Swords was no match for the might of the Tower Masters or the lords. Even if all three swords joined forces, their chances against the “Lord of Fire and Blood” were nearly zero.
Among the Seven Swords Dale remembered from his days as a hero, only one bore the title of a lord. Even if he claimed to be a loyal knight of the Teutonic Order rather than a king.
──The Lord of Loyalty and Conviction, Vadel Orhart.
However, the true value of the Seven Swords lay in the fact that they were not lords. Just like Dale’s own intelligence unit, the “Grave Walkers.” Lords were burdened by their thrones, but the Seven Swords were not.
With that thought, Dale considered the enemies across the table.
The Golden Emperor, the followers of the Lord of Lies.
The Lord of Fire and Blood, Marquis Eurys. The Lord of Light and Heaven, the Celestial Duke. These two were just the beginning.
Calculating his own forces with a cold, almost ruthless precision, while also assessing the enemy’s strength.
‘Can I defeat him now?’
The one who reigns over the Empire of Fire and Light, the Golden Emperor and the Lord of Lies.
Defeating the Holy Sword was not difficult. But the existence of the Holy Sword, Count Brandenburg, was ultimately just a single piece on the board.
If he were to face the “Eldritch” in the north of the Saxon Duchy, their leader, the Undying Duke Frederick, what chance did Dale have now? Could he leave the old Saxon forces and the Shadow Tower as they were?
Most importantly, the Undying Duke Frederick had experienced a defeat so bitter it was almost painful before the Golden Lord.
Just as his father, the Black Duke, had faced the Undying Duke, could Dale now stand on equal footing with that “defeated one”?
No.
Dale shook his head again, scattering the map and wooden pieces on the table.
‘No, not yet. It’s not time to think about these things.’
Even if he had three of the Seven Swords with him, even if the leaders of two towers pledged their allegiance, even if the forgotten elf lords of two kingdoms swore loyalty, it made no difference.
No matter how many lords and forces he gathered, it was meaningless. Defeating the Golden Emperor wasn’t about armies.
It was a task for the Lord of Providence and Truth, a duty Dale had to fulfill as a human.
That’s why he felt it so keenly. He couldn’t even guarantee victory against the followers of the Lord of Lies, let alone the Golden Emperor himself.
‘Because I’m weak.’
He remembered how strong he had been as a hero. At the same time, how many “followers of lies and lords” he had slain, proudly serving as the Golden Emperor’s loyal hound.
He couldn’t even muster a laugh.
As Prince Mordred of the Empire had once mocked, it was true.
‘Now is the time to focus on building my own strength.’
It was the hero’s role to kill all the strong ones on this continent. And most of those strong ones were the true followers who pledged loyalty to the Shadow Lord, a fact the hero of the time couldn’t have known.
“What troubles you, my lord?”
At that moment, a voice broke the silence. Dale turned around. Lady Shadow, the sword in the shadows, was there.
“It’s not time to think about war yet.”
Dale replied bitterly. Aurelia asked.
“Why is that?”
“Because as long as I lack the strength to lead them, no matter how powerful the forces and lords I have behind me, it’s meaningless.”
Dale spoke without hesitation.
“For now, I need to focus on my own growth.”
Lady Shadow remained silent at his words.
“I believe in you, my lord.”
After a pause, Aurelia spoke.
“When you crushed my homeland, slaughtered the people I sought to protect, and dethroned the king, you showed me.”
“What do you mean?”
“That you are the only one capable of bringing ruin to this empire.”
”…….”
Aurelia smiled, a smile tinged with indescribable bitterness.
“As you said back then, I should have thought.”
After a brief laugh, Aurelia continued.
“I should have assassinated Prince Charles, who might have been swayed by your schemes, unleashed kingdom troops disguised as imperial forces across the islands to incite hostility against the empire, and ultimately refused your ‘proposal.’”
“That’s true.”
Dale chuckled at her words.
“In that case, I would have borne the responsibility for defeat and lost my heart due to the Geass contract. Moreover, the Kingdom of Britannia would have achieved its dream of independence. In the end, victory and defeat were decided by a single piece of paper.”
At least the lords of the continent were burdened by their thrones. They wouldn’t sacrifice their positions for the sake of a small island nation. Even the greatest lords couldn’t prevent themselves from becoming water ghosts in the sea and straits.
That’s why they still couldn’t easily deal with the “Drowned Duke” Francis Barbarossa.
“It’s not just a piece of paper.”
However, Aurelia quietly shook her head.
“You won, my lord, and I lost. That’s all there is to it. Hypotheticals mean nothing.”
“Perhaps.”
“That’s why I simply believe in the cruel victory and truth shown by the ‘Black Prince.’”
Dale swallowed quietly.
“You will bring ruin to the Empire of Sun and Lies and usher in an empire of shadows filled with darkness and cold.”
Dale remained silent, nodding, and it was then.
“Just as you destroyed my homeland and took everything from me.”
The dark Aurelia brushed her golden hair aside and leaned closer.
”……!”
Before Dale could utter a word, their lips met.
It was different from the times with Charlotte or Sepia. It was a twisted obsession, purely driven by desire.
In his confusion, Dale pulled away, and the dark Aurelia smiled coldly.
“I became ashes in the frozen lands of Saxon that day, and a truth truer than truth now fulfills my mission.”
Her voice was filled with ecstasy and obsession.
“I am already a dead person, and you are all I have left.”
”…….”
“Becoming your shadow, the one who took everything from me, is the only value I have left.”
“You are already a part of me, Lady Aurelia.”
Dale smiled calmly as he spoke.
“No one can discard their own shadow.”
The ceremony to determine the Seven Swords of the Continent doesn’t follow a fixed schedule.
Moreover, with the fall of the Teutonia Knights’ Order, no one expected such a gathering to take place again.
However, when a blacksmith, guided by a divine revelation, forged a new holy sword, it was destined to join the ranks of the Seven Swords.
Thus, preparations began to fill the two vacant spots and to establish the new hierarchy of the Seven Swords. The event was set to take place in the former lands of the Teutonia Knights, which the Empire had brought to ruin.
The Celestial Sword, the Ghost Sword, the Radiant Sword, the Slayer Sword, and the Wandering Sword. These five swords remained, and the ceremony aimed to fill the two empty positions.
In the tradition of the fallen Teutonia Knights, the continent’s finest warriors would clash in a trial of swords.
The five swords would prove themselves against challengers, and among them, some would aspire to rise above their current rank.
Under the Empire’s banner, the ceremony to determine the Seven Swords was set, drawing individuals with their own hidden agendas.
Aurelia, clad in pure white, wielded the holy sword, while Dale commanded three swords of his own.
Even Charlotte Orhart, the daughter of the divine sword felled by a hero, who had turned her back on her lord to wander, was not an exception.
And for Dale, who sought the “next level” through battles with the strong, this was an opportunity he couldn’t refuse.