Episode 228
A distinguished elderly gentleman in a suit gestured, and a swarm of crows descended upon them.
In response, the ancient Mother of Darkness, Shub, unleashed inky tendrils from beneath her gown.
Death, darkness, and the Mother Goddess.
These are primordial symbols, the very essence of myths and legends, and concepts that humans cannot escape from birth.
Dale and the Black Duke, two mages, clashed with the ideologies etched into their hearts.
‘The ancient Mother of Darkness…’
The symbols we are born with ultimately stem from our lives. Just as no one can escape death, life is a blessing from the mother.
Life and death, death and the mother. They felt like two sides of the same coin.
─ Why hesitate, child of man?
Shub, now a fully grown lady, smiled with grace. It was a smile full of maternal kindness and dignity.
With a whoosh!
As the sky filled with the onslaught of deathly crows, Shub’s tendrils scattered to meet them.
She was not a stranger. She was the embodiment of the grimoire fused with Dale’s heart.
Just as the elderly gentleman in the suit before Dale was.
But that didn’t mean he could just stand by and do nothing.
“I’ll give it my all.”
While Shub’s tendrils held back the crows, Dale spoke. The Black Duke nodded silently.
At that moment, the armor of the Abyss enveloped Dale’s body.
Even though he said he would give it his all, he couldn’t unleash the Avatar of the Hero in front of the Black Duke. But Dale’s immediate goal wasn’t to defeat the Black Duke.
It was to uncover the truth of death he held.
To understand the pinnacle reached by the continent’s greatest necromancer, an 8th-circle mage and master of death.
Dale charged forward, cloaked in the armor of the Abyss. The chill of the apocalypse spread as he drew his sword.
It wasn’t the mediator of peace, but the cursed sword ‘Hunger,’ a blade of pure darkness.
A sword that devours magic.
With that sword in hand, Dale launched himself forward, and at the same time, a storm of dark magic began to swirl beneath the Black Duke’s feet.
‘This is different from before.’
He vividly remembered his childhood, when he faced his father with all his might. Despite his efforts, the overwhelming gap made it impossible to fully grasp the essence of his father’s magic.
But now it was different. He had grown as a mage and reclaimed the power of his past life as a hero from another world.
Most importantly, he had the 『Book of Cold Ashes』 inscribed through his shadow heart.
The Lord of Ashes revealed himself, and for the first time, the Black Duke’s expression turned emotionless.
The Shadow Lord, commanding the ancient Mother of Darkness and the Demon King, unleashed his full power.
Ashes of annihilation surged toward the Black Duke, and at the same time, a tempest of dark magic erupted beneath his feet.
This was no longer a confrontation to gain some trivial lesson. Without the resolve to bring this man down with all his might, he would never reach him.
Thus, Dale’s circle and aura heart surged explosively, and the ‘world of thought’ he stood upon began to unfold.
A fortress of darkness imbued with primordial shadows and the chill of the apocalypse.
Facing the continent’s greatest necromancer, Dale finally unveiled his world.
What would his father think, seeing this world filled with cold and darkness? It was unknown. But it wasn’t something to ponder now.
It shouldn’t have been.
“Why aren’t you giving it your all?”
At that moment, the Black Duke questioned.
Simultaneously, the eyes of truth possessed by the Shadow Lord instinctively turned toward his father’s shadow.
The secret hidden within the Black Duke’s shadow was there.
──Dale’s movement, which should have been a full-on assault, came to a halt.
“…Why?”
His father, the Black Duke, asked.
Dale couldn’t utter a word.
He was simply breathless.
“You said you would face me with all your strength.”
The Black Duke spoke again, and Dale swallowed hard.
“Father…”
After uttering those three words, Dale continued in a trembling voice.
“What surprises you so?”
The Black Duke asked calmly, as if there was nothing to be surprised about.
“Are you not using the Avatar of the Hero?”
“…”
He didn’t know how to respond.
Before him stood a man maintaining his composure as if nothing was amiss.
At the same time, within the Black Duke’s shadow, the truth of a man sobbing like a child was revealed.
It was the same man.
Elena, the Blue Tower Master, was right. The Black Duke was no fool. And when he realized the truth, this man, who seemed unflappable, knelt for the first time, revealing his vulnerability.
In the shadows of an empty workshop, all alone.
“…Why did you remain silent?”
Thus, Dale asked.
“From the beginning, the Blue Tower Master approached you with a purpose.”
“Watch your words.”
But then, a voice colder than any before was heard. Like a father scolding his son.
“She is my wife, and your mother.”
“Why…”
Dale murmured softly.
“Why did you pretend not to know?”
It wouldn’t have been strange to be consumed by betrayal, to pour out his resentment. But after realizing the truth and weeping for days, the Black Duke’s demeanor toward his son and wife hadn’t changed at all.
In the shadows, only the images of Dale and Elena were reflected.
‘Believe in me, that I am your son.’
‘I have always loved you.’
Neither of them had changed.
“Only then could I finally understand the anguish Elena showed before me. You were the same.”
“I…”
“That’s why I remained silent.”
The Duke of Saxon spoke.
“Because I knew your lies were more truthful than the truth.”
Hearing those words, Dale remained silent. He couldn’t even muster a smile.
“I simply believe in your sincerity.”
A heart without deceit. Hearing those words, Dale couldn’t say anything.
“I am…”
After a long silence, Dale hesitantly spoke.
“I am still your son.”
“That’s enough.”
The Black Duke nodded, and Dale didn’t hesitate.
In the silence, his aura heart surged explosively, and the Avatar of the Hero finally revealed itself.
At the same time, he was a knight clad in the night raven armor of the Saxon family.
A hero from another world wearing the guise of Saxon.
A fraud. Ray Uris had called Dale that. And indeed, it was as he said. But even seeing this, the Black Duke didn’t falter. He simply continued to speak.
“From now on, I will inscribe a mana circle into your ‘shadow heart.’”
“…!”
Understanding the meaning of those words, Dale caught his breath.
“To inscribe a circle into the shadow heart…”
“It will be the process of drawing out your true power as the Shadow Lord.”
Finally, as a mentor guiding Dale to the next level, the Black Duke spoke.
“I understand, Father.”
Hearing those words, Dale didn’t hesitate. Why hadn’t he thought of it before? He couldn’t even laugh at the absurdity of it.
As the Shadow Lord, and as a hero from another world, he possessed another heart. That was the true essence of power befitting the name of the Shadow Lord.
That night.
When the Duke of Saxon entered the ducal couple’s bedroom, Elena was there.
Not as the loving wife she usually was, but as the emotionless blue mastermind.
“Elena.”
“Do you still call me by that name?”
“Do you remember what eight-year-old Dale wished for on his birthday?”
The Black Duke asked. At his words, Elena caught her breath.
“He said he wanted a little sister.”
“…”
“Because of that, our nights together became quite burdensome after that day.”
The Black Duke chuckled bitterly, as if joking.
“But thanks to that, we were blessed with a lovely daughter.”
Elena couldn’t say anything. She recalled the loving smile of their daughter, Lize.
“Was even Lize’s existence a lie to deceive me and Dale? Was Dale’s wish for a sister just a lie to trick us?”
“Alan, I…”
“You made our son a puppet to walk the path of the ‘Shadow Lord,’ and now that son has become the Lord of Truth, discerning our lies. And he’s thinking about what he should do of his own will. I find that… truly joyful.”
At his unexpected words, Elena caught her breath.
“He still deeply understands his duty as the heir of Saxon. Just as you, as the Duchess of Saxon, have given your all for me and our son.”
“Even if it’s the result of lies and schemes, you don’t mind?”
“You seem to be mistaken.”
The Duke of Saxon said.
“You’re not as skilled a liar as you think.”
“…!”
“I, too, initially thought there was value in using you when you approached me as the Blue Tower Master.”
He had known from the start. Hearing those words, Elena caught her breath.
“I can’t deny that I felt a sense of betrayal over Dale’s actions.”
“You don’t need to forgive me.”
“Yet, I’m still proud of my son. And of you as well.”
“You really are a foolishly naive person.”
“As you know, I haven’t exactly lived a virtuous life myself.”
The Duke in black spoke, and Elena knew this all too well. Through the web of blue threads spread across the continent, she was more aware of his misdeeds than anyone else.
”…”
“You don’t have to pretend to be a loving wife for my sake. But the sight of you smiling at Dale and Lize… I fear losing that.”
The Duke said, and Elena remained silent. Eventually, she sank to her knees, sobbing quietly. As always, the Duke of Saxony wrapped his arms around her shoulders without a word.
Nothing had changed.
The heart fused with the “Book of the Black Goat,” entwined with six mana circles.
And in the shadow of that heart, the shadow of the circles began to cast.
Counting the circles, there were twelve in total. Yet, they could never be the same as the eight circles of the Five-Colored Tower’s master.
Still, if this endeavor succeeded, it was clear that he could finally stand on par with them.
Left alone after the Duke’s departure, Dale steadied his mind in the silent fortress of the pale, dark winter night.
Seated on the black-gold throne, Shub reached out affectionately beside him.
─ Are you ready, child of man?
The ancient Mother of Darkness, in the guise of a lady, spoke.
Dale nodded silently.