Episode 240
A roar like that of a dragon shook the very foundations of the world.
Yet, the one who unleashed this roar still bore the form of a man.
Arthur the Great, the pinnacle of the Empire, let out a cry that echoed through the assembly hall, instilling fear and awe in all who heard it.
“Very well, young Saxon! I accept your challenge with pleasure!”
The Golden Emperor’s voice rang out, unyielding and commanding.
“As Emperor of the Empire, I declare to all the lords: We shall commence a war! A great war to sweep away all who doubt me and the Empire, reducing them to ashes!”
The sheer force of his words was enough to make one feel the urge to kneel and bow their head.
“Therefore, choose wisely! Doubt wisely! Doubt me and the Empire as much as you wish! For I shall gladly prove your doubts unfounded!”
In this very place, where all the lords of the Empire were gathered, the curtain rose on the announcement of war.
“Take up arms, and remember this day. Remember the war of unification when my Empire and army trampled and burned the lands of this continent!”
The thirteen princes and princesses under the Emperor’s command remained silent. The Speaker of the Assembly, Marquis Eurys, known as the Blood Duke, twisted his lips into a smile.
The lords gathered in the assembly trembled in fear, overwhelmed by the Emperor’s presence.
Yet, there were those who stood firm, maintaining their composure.
A man who looked like a drowned rat, the Grand Duchess of Lancaster, Mistress Titania of the York Marquisate, and countless other shadowy figures.
Even the Shadow Lord at their helm was no exception.
“Very well. Let us begin the war.”
Duke Dale of the Shadows spoke, unfazed by the Golden Emperor’s roar, maintaining a calm demeanor.
“I shall prove, before Your Majesty and the Empire, a power that is just and beyond doubt. In the way Your Majesty and the Empire have always done.”
The spirit of the Empire and the Red Tower, the definition of power. The air in the assembly hall was taut, ready to explode at any moment.
Yet, the tension did not erupt into chaos.
Wars do not begin overnight. Especially not a war of such magnitude that it would engulf the entire continent.
“The silence of the shadows ends here.”
Nevertheless, this was an irreversible fact.
The shadows had broken their silence against the Golden Empire, led by none other than the Shadow Lord.
“Very well, young one. I accept your doubts and challenge with pleasure.”
Arthur the Great laughed once more, and as his laughter faded, the Shadow Lord turned away. Following him, the Grand Duchess of Lancaster rose as well.
Next was the Duke of Barbarossa.
The heads of the three great ducal houses opposing the Empire turned their backs, causing a ripple of unrest among the lords.
Mistress Titania of the York Marquisate followed the Shadow Lord. Likewise, the lords who claimed allegiance to the shadows began to rise one by one.
A procession followed the Shadow Lord out of the Imperial Assembly.
The meaning of this act was clear.
Even as this unfolded, the minds of the lords began to race.
To grasp the shifting balance of power in this place.
Soon, a few lords, not aligned with the shadows but simply wishing to resist the Empire’s will, stood up. They were not many, but neither were they few.
At that moment, the Shadow Lord, who had been walking steadily, stopped.
He turned his head.
“Will the Celestial Duke not join us?”
Turning his head, Dale asked. The Celestial Duke, the pinnacle of the White Tower and advocate for the independence of the Church against the Empire, smiled silently.
“Did you know from the beginning, Duke Dale, or should I say, Duke of Saxony?”
“What do you mean?”
“That our Church’s independence was merely a trap to deceive the shadows.”
Dale nodded silently.
“Ah, I suspected as much, but it seems I was right.”
The Celestial Duke laughed, seemingly amused.
“The greatest genius of the Empire, the Black Prince, would not fall for such a simple ruse.”
”…….”
“But now, the children’s games are over.”
“Regrettably, I am no longer the ‘Black Prince.’”
Dale replied coldly.
“Like the Celestial Duke and the Blood Duke, I speak to you as the leader of the black, the ‘Duke of Shadows.’”
One of the continent’s five great mages, the foremost dark mage.
Moreover, the self-proclaimed leader of the shadows in the face of the golden and the shadow conflict.
“Our goddess still wishes for our Church to stand with the Empire. And, as it happens, we have uncovered your spy within the heart of the Church.”
”…….”
It was not difficult to imagine who the Celestial Duke referred to as “Dale’s spy.” Aurelia of the Pure White and Falsehood. The saint who never doubted her beliefs and ideals until the end. Yet, she was never Dale’s spy. Not even a hint of a smile appeared.
“The witch who impersonated the saint did not burn to death in the frozen lands of Saxony, did she?”
“Think as you wish.”
Dale turned his head without concern. Amidst the murmurs, the Shadow Lord and his followers formed a procession.
Those who doubted the Golden Emperor and the Empire’s power.
An irreversible war had begun.
Some time later, in the underground of the Red Tower.
A man walked through a dimly lit chamber.
Flickering flames danced around Marquis Eurys, the Blood Duke, and following him was the Empire’s second prince, Galahad.
“You mentioned a crucial task for me before the great war?”
“Indeed.”
The Blood Duke smiled quietly as he walked. Before long, they arrived at a secret chamber, tightly bound by a high-level barrier.
“A task that only Prince Galahad can perform.”
“But isn’t that something for my brother Lancelot…”
“Ah, Prince Lancelot has his own mission. But it pales in comparison to yours. His Majesty wishes for you alone to undertake this task.”
“My father personally chose me…?”
Not even Lancelot, the most perfect prince in name, was chosen. The second prince, Galahad, swallowed hard at the realization.
“What exactly is this task?”
“This.”
Creak.
The door opened, and a storm of magical energy engulfed them. Yet, the Blood Duke easily waved it away.
The room was filled with pitch-black darkness, devoid of any light.
Without hesitation, the Blood Duke stepped inside.
Clang.
The sound of chains echoed immediately after.
A shadow surged from the darkness. It moved so swiftly that it was impossible to track.
Thud!
The sound of something being pierced by the shadow followed.
A blade protruded from Galahad’s chest, tearing through him.
“Ah, what…?”
Galahad tilted his head in confusion, unable to comprehend what had happened.
Slash!
The sword was withdrawn, and Galahad’s body crumpled to the ground.
”…Took you long enough, you damned bastard.”
A voice emerged from the darkness. It was the voice of the shadow that had driven the blade into Galahad’s body.
“Please forgive me.”
The Blood Duke, Marquis Eurys, smiled quietly.
“If His Majesty were to learn of your existence, our entire plan would be ruined.”
”…….”
“Please forgive me, O god of the new world.”
The Blood Duke bowed his head. In front of the silhouette, there was no trace of loyalty to the Golden Emperor.
“So, what do you want me to do?”
“Don the shell of the second prince, Galahad, who bears the golden blood.”
“Not the first prince?”
“Ah, Sir Lancelot is already being consumed by the consciousness of ‘Divine Sword Bardel.’”
“Bardel is still alive? I miss him.”
“Strictly speaking, it is more accurate to say he is merging with the consciousness of Divine Sword Bardel.”
The shadow remained silent.
After a moment of silence, it lifted the lifeless body of the second prince, Galahad.
In the darkness, the shadow’s form finally emerged.
A hero from another world stood there.
Betrayed and abandoned by the Empire. The Emperor discarded him when his purpose was lost, and the holy knight executed the order by driving a blade into the hero’s back. Everyone believed the hero from another world was dead.
Even the hero himself.
But the hero’s death was merely a temporary state of suspended animation, known only to one person on this continent.
The Blood Duke, Marquis Eurys.
Afterward, the Blood Duke, who had taken the hero’s body in its suspended state, had been waiting for this day.
Not for the golden or the shadow, but for the true ‘Lord of Violence’ to reveal himself to the world.
That day, the Blood Duke recalled the world of truth he remembered.
A realm of fire and steel, powerful enough to subdue even the colossal beings from other worlds. And this man was the ruler of that empire. Thus, the Marquis Eurys, known as the Blood Duke, chose to betray both gold and shadow, pledging his unwavering loyalty to the “God of the New World.”
He envisioned the inferno of fire and steel this man would unleash.
“The time has come. We’ve waited long enough.”
“Yeah, like beggars, we’ve waited too long.”
The warrior from another world had already begun to consume the body of the second prince, Galahad.
“Bring down the lords of gold and shadow, and please, bring the empire of fire and steel to this land.”
The Blood Duke knelt before the warrior, who now wore the guise of Prince Galahad, surveying the surroundings with a calm demeanor.
For an empire of violence that would overshadow gold, shadow, truth, and lies alike.
“I have no reason to refuse your help with my revenge.”
The warrior from another world still harbored a thirst for vengeance.
“I’ve never forgotten those bastards who stabbed me in the back.”
“What is it that you desire?”
“To bring down the empire with my own hands.”
The warrior declared, prompting a quiet smile from the Blood Duke.
“And to build my own empire.”
“Please, pursue what you desire.”
In the darkness, the warrior, clad in Galahad’s skin, emerged.
“But first, we need to deal with the war that’s engulfing the continent.”
“You want me to play the hunting dog again?”
“Oh, not at all.”
The Blood Duke laughed, clearly amused.
“I’m saying that this very chaos is the perfect time to build your empire.”