Episode 239
A man sat upon the ducal throne.
He was the head of the Saxon Duchy, the continent’s foremost dark sorcerer, and the pinnacle of the Black Tower.
He was known as the Duke of Darkness.
Before him, the vassals of the Saxon Duchy knelt in unison, paying their respects.
“Helmut Blackbear, Captain of the Night Ravens, humbly greets the new Duke of Saxon!”
Thud!
Led by Sir Helmut, the Night Ravens drove their swords into the ground in a solemn salute.
“We greet the new master of the Black Tower.”
The dark sorcerers, too, acknowledged the new leader of the Black Tower.
“Heh, that’s why people should always know when to bow their heads,” muttered Master Baro, leader of the Grave Walkers, as if it were someone else’s business.
The Night Ravens, the elders of the Black Tower, the dark sorcerers trained for battle, and the clandestine Grave Walkers—all were part of a new order and system.
From the ducal throne, the Duke of Saxon silently observed them.
Just as Dale’s father had done before him, Dale was no exception.
By toppling the pinnacle of the Black Tower, he proved himself and ascended to inherit the name of the Duke of Saxon.
That night, his father, Alan, the former Duke of Darkness, stood by the window of his chamber, gazing out silently.
“Alan.”
His wife, Elena, called his name from behind, and Alan turned to face her.
“Do you regret giving up your position to our son?”
“Not at all.”
Alan shook his head with a smile at Elena’s question.
“It was the natural course of things. I’m immensely proud of our son.”
“Then why do you smile so bitterly?”
“I don’t know. It’s just that where I belong seems to be…”
Elena interrupted him gently.
“You still belong here. Your place hasn’t disappeared.”
Her words were tender, and Alan smiled quietly. Indeed, just as he had once given everything to protect his wife and son, his son, now the Duke of Saxon, would be no different.
“I wonder if I’ve burdened our son with too heavy a load.”
“Was it a heavy burden for you?”
“Not at all. It was something I had to bear.”
“Our son will likely feel the same.”
Elena’s words left Alan in thoughtful silence.
The Imperial Assembly.
It was a rare occasion for the empire’s lords to gather in one place.
The last assembly was held right after the empire’s victory in the unification war, and the one before that was to officially announce the war.
Now, the assembly was convened again, summoning lords from across the empire.
The succession ceremony at the Saxon Duchy, preceding the assembly, was a decisive moment in the shifting balance of power.
The new Duke of Saxon, claiming the title of the Duke of Darkness, was once renowned as the empire’s greatest genius. His wife, the Grand Duchess of Lancaster, was one of the empire’s three great dukes and a master swordswoman.
With the two ducal houses united in marriage, and the Sea Duke Barbarossa declaring independence from the empire, it was clear to all but fools that the three great ducal houses would join forces.
Thus, the current Imperial Assembly held unprecedented significance.
The shifting balance of power and the direction it would take would be decided here.
──Imperial Assembly Hall.
In the solemn silence, the seats were filled according to rank and status.
Secular lords, ecclesiastical lords, and representatives of imperial cities were present.
This was the place to determine the empire’s collective will.
At the highest seat sat a man.
The true pinnacle of the empire.
The Golden Emperor, Arthur the Great.
Thirteen princes and princesses of the golden bloodline were also present.
“Duke of Saxon, humbly greets His Imperial Majesty.”
Dale spoke, looking up at the golden throne.
His wife, the Grand Duchess of Lancaster, Charlotte, stood silently by his side.
The waterlogged Sea Duke Barbarossa was also there, advocating for the independence of the Sea Archipelago.
Even the head of the church and the White Tower, the Celestial Duke, was present, despite his claims of independence being a ruse to deceive Dale and the shadow faction.
Many lords claimed independence from the empire, and their numbers were not small.
This was not a place from which one could easily return alive. The real issue would arise if they couldn’t return alive.
Understanding this, the lords claiming independence willingly attended.
In the precarious atmosphere, the Golden Emperor finally looked at Dale.
Yet, as Dale faced the emperor for the first time as the Duke of Saxon, he felt no hatred.
Too much time had passed to be swayed by personal feelings.
For Dale, defeating the Golden Emperor was simply a duty to be fulfilled.
Thus, the outcome of toppling the emperor and his empire would not change.
“Duke of Darkness.”
Arthur the Great spoke, his deep voice calling Dale’s name, and Dale bowed his head.
“Speak, Your Majesty.”
“Can you give me one reason why I shouldn’t have your head right here?”
The air turned icy, but Dale remained unfazed.
“Why don’t you?”
He asked, as if genuinely puzzled.
“If my death would resolve this situation, there would be no reason to hesitate.”
”…….”
Arthur the Great remained silent at Dale’s question.
“The reason His Majesty does not execute the duke here is… for one reason only.”
The one to break the silence was the Blood Duke, Marquis Eurys.
“His Majesty’s pursuit of the empire’s values is not through deceit or trickery, but through the undeniable ‘justice of power.’”
The empire, built by the Golden Emperor, had endured because of its overwhelming power, beyond doubt.
A false emperor, a false empire.
Marquis Eurys’s words were not entirely wrong.
For the emperor to summon a duke under the guise of an assembly and execute him would shatter the very justice of power the empire had built.
“On behalf of His Majesty, I address those who wish to defy the empire and His Majesty.”
As the chair of the Imperial Assembly, the Blood Duke rose. There were gasps throughout the hall.
“Please, do so.”
”……!”
“Those who wish to claim independence from the empire, do so. Those who do not wish to pledge loyalty to His Majesty, do so. His Majesty will respect your decisions.”
The unexpected words caused a stir, but Dale remained calm.
“And His Majesty will prove it to you once more.”
Prove what?
“Not through deceit or trickery, but through undeniable true power.”
At that moment, the Blood Duke’s circle accelerated, and the scene of the Imperial Assembly was overlaid.
His grimoire, the Book of Blood, was once again rewinding the empire’s history.
There was ash. It was the capital of a nameless kingdom that once opposed the empire.
“Before your kingdoms, cities, fortresses, and people, His Majesty will prove it.”
An overwhelming force that cannot be resisted. The power and violence that the empire and the Red Tower so fervently proclaimed.
The strong take everything. The weak lose everything.
“The only true power on this earth, and the fate of those who resist it.”
Screams echoed. The imperial army slaughtered innocents, razing cities and burning towns.
The fate of those who resisted the empire.
The nobles in the assembly recalled the nightmare of the unification war in terror.
Dale, too, remembered that nightmare.
In his past life, he was not the one dreaming the nightmare.
He was the one causing it.
He thought he had no personal feelings. But amidst the plunder and arson of the imperial army, he recalled the leash that bound him and the nightmare he had wrought.
A heartless hound of the empire. An executor of justice.
“Doubt it. Doubt His Majesty’s power, the empire’s power, and our power.”
The Blood Duke laughed, as the fate of those who doubted and resisted the empire unfolded endlessly.
The cries of grieving families, the desperate pleas of nobles, and the belated surrender of those who bowed in submission—no one was spared.
An undeniable, irresistible display of violence was unfolding before their eyes.
But then, it happened.
Whoosh!
The blood-soaked chronicle of history, endlessly being written, suddenly came to a halt.
“I will follow Your Majesty’s way.”
Amidst the swirling darkness of magic, Dale spoke up.
“The justice of power that Your Majesty and the Empire proclaim, where the strong take everything and the weak are left with nothing.”
“Ho.”
Dale’s words froze the expressions of the lords who had been advocating for independence.
“And I will prove it, in Your Majesty’s own way.”
”……!”
At that moment, the expression of the Blood Duke turned icy. The face of Emperor Arthur, seated on the golden throne, twitched.
“What do you mean?”
Finally, breaking the silence, the golden sovereign spoke.
“The truth that no matter how much Your Majesty tries to hide, cannot be concealed.”
The Shadow Lord replied.
“That I am stronger than you.”
Boom!
With those words, the Blood Duke’s world crumbled. A murmur of shock rippled through the crowd, but it was short-lived.
Unexpectedly, laughter echoed through the hall.
It was the Emperor’s laughter, which soon transformed into a maniacal cackle, and then into a roar.
The one who bore the name of the Dragon King, Pendragon.
The Golden Dragon began to roar.