Episode 232
The Sistine Theocracy and the declaration of independence by the Dead Sea Archipelago.
The White Tower, which once bowed its head before the Empire, had risen in rebellion.
The order that had proclaimed a single empire was crumbling, and the fuses were finally igniting.
And the one attempting to control the ensuing explosions was the “Black Prince,” who was vying for the throne of the Shadow Empire at the world’s end.
Through the legacy left by his mother, the master of the Blue Tower.
That day, after receiving what the Blue Tower’s hidden hand had passed to Dale, he understood.
The reason the Blue Tower had remained silent through countless ages was for this very day.
Even if the initial motive was rooted in the conflict between gold and shadow, at some point, for the master of the Blue Tower, it was no longer a blind fight for ancient beliefs.
As a mother, she began to weave her blue web to protect her only son.
When all the secrets of the Blue Tower fell into Dale’s hands, it was not Elena who took on the role of Arachne, the ruler of the Blue.
─ You will fulfill your role on the island of Britannia.
The blue butterfly took flight. And upon hearing that whisper, the jet-black Aurelia did not hesitate.
To carry out her mission, she stepped out of Dale’s shadow. Yet, she remained within his shadow.
For Dale, having inherited the power of the Blue Tower, was now casting his shadow across the entire continent.
On a ship bound for the island of Britannia, Aurelia, cloaked in a robe, nodded calmly.
─ Here is the list of those you must kill to reclaim your homeland.
Names flowed forth. The newly established Kingdom of Britannia, once brought to ruin by the “Black Prince,” was now under the control of the Empire’s governor. And the traitors of her homeland who collaborated with them. The list of targets she must eliminate as the Maiden of Shadows.
Just as the Immortal lost his eyes to see beyond, Dale, who inherited the Blue, was not much different.
However, Dale still possessed two eyes that could see the truth, and what they reflected was the image of his father.
The greatest dark sorcerer of the continent, who would not hesitate to stand against the ancestors of old Saxon for his son.
“Such a waste, truly.”
Lady Persephone spoke, her eyes covered with black bandages, smiling as if she could not contain herself.
“Alan, for a child as talented as you to be ensnared by the witch of the Blue and abandon the pursuit of truth.”
“As I said, it was entirely my decision.”
The Black Duke replied.
“I am the sole head of the living Saxon, and thus, no one here can overturn my decision.”
With the same coldness befitting the greatest archduke and dark sorcerer of the Empire.
And at the same time, he stood as a shield to protect his son.
“Seeing you, it seems Eris performed her duties too well.”
“She supported me in my inexperience, teaching and guiding me in many things.”
The Black’s agent, Eris. Her role as the agent of the Black did not merely refer to a single master of the Black Tower.
She was an agent performing her duties in the land of the living for the remnants of the shadow that fled from ancient battles, for the Black.
Becoming a master of the tower is not something one can achieve in a single lifetime. Thus, the knowledge accumulated and inherited by the heads of Saxon over generations.
What the Black Duke, barely past forty, had obtained was the knowledge of darkness passed down through generations.
“But just as you came to the ruins of the shadow on your own, our silence ends here. The Empire of Gold is beginning to crumble, and it is time for the shadow to rise.”
Lady Persephone said.
“And this place is a sacred ground to determine who will stand at the pinnacle of the shadow.”
The old heads of Saxon, the Black, the Shadow Tower, and the living father and son of the Saxon family.
“And you have the right, Alan.”
Persephone said, her voice almost pleading.
“Even now, could you not return as the prodigal son and once again become a seeker of the truth the Black pursues?”
“Regrettably, there is nothing that can be undone. The Mother of Old Darkness willingly chose my son.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
Persephone asked.
“Right now, I could extract that child’s heart and remove the ‘Book of the Black Goat’ from within. Do not forget, the Mother of Old Darkness first descended upon you, not that child.”
”……!”
Dale swallowed hard. At the same time, the Black Duke, with his six black wings unfurled, turned his head toward Dale.
His expression was cold and unfamiliar, devoid of any emotion.
“Seize that power. You will obtain a power that not even my brother, nor anyone on this continent, can oppose.”
”…….”
“I beg you. My beloved son. Please end the life of a prodigal and return to your mother’s side.”
“I cannot, Mother.”
Lady Persephone spoke, and the Black Duke shook his head. At those words, Dale’s expression froze for a moment.
“Mother……?”
“Oh, truly, that child knows nothing.”
Persephone spoke coldly. At the same time, the truth began to emerge from her shadow, flowing from her lips.
“How our Saxon bloodline continued, and how the great darkness and purity of that blood were preserved.”
”…….”
“It is I.”
Lady Persephone continued.
“I am the mother and wife of the children here. Except for that child, the one tainted by the bloodline of the Blue.”
The young girl with her eyes covered by black bandages spoke, pointing to the “Black Prince” present there.
Furthermore, the Eldritch, her husband and sons who carried her blood, were there.
Swallowing the indescribable shock, Dale took a breath.
The only child among the Saxon bloodline not born from “her” body. That was Dale.
For the blood flowing in Dale’s veins was that of the Black Duke and his mother, Elena.
But from the generation above, at least from the grandfather who was the father of the Black Duke, it was not so. The heads of Saxon were allowed only one wife and mother.
The Mother of Saxon was there.
“My beloved Alan, there is still a chance to correct this mistake.”
A brief silence fell.
The Yuris clan and the Saxon clan. There was no difference. No matter how human they appeared, their true nature was nothing but monstrous.
The beings that ruled the Empire, who could not be called human, were no exception, not even the Duke of Saxon.
And Dale’s father, the Black Duke, refused to continue that legacy.
Unlike all the old heads, he did not accept his mother as his wife, but instead joined hands with the master of the Blue Tower to have Dale and Lize.
The fight that continued without knowing was not Dale’s alone. The Black Duke was the same.
“As I said, I am merely a vessel to rightfully pass on the shadow’s throne to my son.”
”……Will you truly not heed your mother’s words?”
“The Mother of Old Darkness is watching. The trial of the tower will be conducted justly according to ancient procedures, as you also promised, Mother.”
With the Eldritch exuding killing intent and darkness all around, the Black Duke spoke.
Alongside Dale, as the only two humans remaining in this place.
“Even losing and perishing in that rightful trial is inevitable.”
Lady Persephone, the Mother of Saxon, replied. The Black Duke nodded silently.
“Come up past my sons. My brother and I will be waiting at the heights, ready to crown that child as the Shadow Lord.”
Persephone’s form melted into the darkness and disappeared, leaving the Eldritch behind.
As she said, the trial was only just beginning.
And as Dale moved to accelerate the circle against them, the Black Duke spoke.
“Facing them is not your role.”
“But…….”
“At the top of this tower, the ancestors of Saxon await you. Proving your worth as a king before the Immortal and Lady Persephone is your role.”
Hearing those words, Dale nodded silently.
“Therefore, watch and learn.”
Furthermore, the Black Duke unfurled his six black wings and spoke.
“This will be the last lesson I teach you.”
“That can’t be.”
Hearing those words, Dale smiled bitterly.
“Even if I defeat the Immortal and reach the pinnacle of this tower, there will still be things I need to learn from you, Father.”
Dale said. At the same time, the Eldritch accelerated their circles, each unfolding their own world.
A world filled with desolate emptiness engulfed the Black Duke and Dale.
Simultaneously, a wasteland filled with the twilight of dusk spread from beneath the Black Duke’s feet.
─ Ah, here lies a land full of life without death.
A gentleman dressed in Victorian attire, Death himself, stood there.
“And to those of you who do not know death, there is no value or meaning to be found.”
“Many accuse me of having given up on ‘seeking the truth.’ But what I’ve realized is that there is only one truth and reality in this world.”
The man in black spoke.
“Death.”
Dale remained silent, and the man in black continued in a calm voice.
“Think about the things that become meaningless in the face of death. At the same time, consider what remains significant even when confronted with death. Imagine today is your last day on earth, and think about what would still shine brightly, perhaps even more brilliantly.”
”…”
“Consider what you must do at the end of life, when facing death. No one wishes for death, and thus it is an inescapable fate. Therefore, before this unavoidable destiny arrives, remember the mission you must fulfill.”
Hearing this, Dale quietly swallowed.
“This is the final lesson I wish to impart to you.”
“Then, Father, what do you intend to accomplish in the face of death?”
“I wish for the same as your mother.”
Just as the Blue Tower Master made her decision for her son, the Black Tower Master would be no different.
“Look at those who, lost in eternal delusion, have forgotten true meaning and value, bound by ancient blind faith in gold and shadows. This is the fate of those who do not know death.”
Upon hearing this, Dale smiled quietly.
Despite the Black Tower Master’s words, which sounded as if he might die at any moment, there was no need for alarm.
He knew that those who did not understand death could not harm his father.
This was merely a lesson.
And as Dale had noted, his father was far too vigorous to fall here.
Thud!
Death finally struck his cane against the ground.
Flap!
The twilight sky, now ablaze, was filled with a swarm of jet-black crows.