Episode 266
In the Empire of the Black Sheep, there was an emperor who reigned supreme. He was a man who despised the empire more than anyone else and dedicated his life to its downfall.
In the imperial city of Saxon, Charlotte, once the daughter of the divine sword and head of the Lancaster duchy, now stood as the emperor’s wife.
“When you disappeared that day, I finally understood my feelings,” she confessed.
When Dale left to face the “true king of humans” alone in the archipelago, Charlotte, left behind, came to a realization.
“I truly care for you.”
”…”
“And you fought alone against the monstrous hordes to save us humans,” Charlotte continued.
“You defeated the evil invaders trying to seize our land, all to save us.”
This was the story that Lize, the master of the Blue Tower, had told the children—a tale wrapped in a veil of blue to hide the harsh truth.
Just as Dale was no longer a child, neither was Lize.
“You know that’s not the truth.”
“We all know the truth doesn’t really matter.”
“But I don’t want to lie to you anymore.”
Dale spoke, revealing the truth to Charlotte.
“At least not to you…”
“Thank you, Dale.”
Charlotte smiled faintly. Yet, the world remained full of lies. People lived believing in a history painted by the powerful, unaware of the truth. Charlotte found it incomprehensible.
“Do you think our battles truly mean anything?”
“Well…”
Dale trailed off with a smile. He had fought against the empire, believing in the truth and the shadow’s lord. But in the end, the shadow’s lord chose the ugliness of gold.
“We have to make it meaningful.”
“Yes, we must.”
Charlotte smiled as she spoke.
“For the sake of our children.”
When Dale found the man, he was aged and weathered by time.
“Father.”
“You’ve come, Dale.”
Yet, his eyes still held wisdom and insight. The man greeted his son with a familiar smile.
“In my new empire…”
After a pause, Dale spoke, and a flicker of emotion crossed Alan’s face.
“I need your role more than ever.”
“I told you, I won’t involve myself in worldly affairs anymore.”
Alan’s resolve was firm, and Dale asked calmly.
“Are you rejecting my empire?”
“That’s not my intention.”
The hermit shook his head quietly.
“Your sister and those loyal to your empire are countless.”
“I still need your wisdom, Father.”
“You no longer need anyone’s wisdom.”
“That day, I annihilated the true humans of this land.”
Dale revealed a truth known to only a few in the empire.
“Only then did I understand the ugliness of continuing to fight, knowing it was all a lie.”
“I’m not here to blame you.”
“No, it’s not that.”
Dale shook his head coldly.
“Everyone I’ve told the truth to says I did nothing wrong, that I only did what was necessary.”
As he shook his head, Dale finally showed a vulnerability unseen by others.
“But I can feel it—the way they look at me has changed. They fear my empire, they fear me, even those I thought closest now look at me with awe.”
“Dale…”
Dale spoke, as if purging the bitterness within him.
“Tell me, Father. Have I become no different from the emperor you all feared?”
He recalled his old adversary on this continent, the golden lord, Emperor Arthur.
“Is my fate to become another monster while fighting monsters?”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“I’m just… it’s so painful. To think that everything I’ve fought for means nothing, and that I’ve ended up no different from those I fought against.”
“Why do you think you’re the same as them?”
Alan asked.
“Your fight was never meaningless. I can tell you that as someone who knows the old empire best.”
The man affirmed his son until the end, regardless of the monstrous image his son might bear.
That night, countless waterspouts raged over the dark sea, as if the world was ending. Amidst this apocalyptic scene stood the king of beasts. Yet, he was not the harbinger of the end.
He was merely another victim, ravaged by forces beyond his control.
“So this is your true form…”
The king of beasts mocked.
Before him stood the most terrifying being in existence.
Like the ancient mother of darkness, this ‘monster’ was wrapped in indescribable tendrils.
Even the vast army of beasts was nothing more than prey, trampled and ravaged by this true monster.
The real monster was there, and all others were merely prey before it.
“Look at yourself, lord of conquerors who invade and ravage this planet.”
”…”
“Your hideous form, you are the true king of beasts.”
Yet, the being no longer denied its truth.
There was no trace of humanity there.
All those who claimed to be ‘human’ were far from it, grotesque monsters in reality.
“Then tell me, you who claim to be the true human.”
The black-gold lord, the most terrifying being, asked.
“What is a human?”
”…”
The king of beasts did not answer.
“I am the true human.”
The black-gold lord, the most terrifying being, did not hesitate.
“My ugliness, this grotesque form, where else is there a clearer proof of humanity?”
The monster extended its arms. Countless tendrils spread, devouring the beasts. Screams echoed.
There was a human hunting the beasts. And that human had countless tendrils and horns.
A massacre from which no one could escape had begun.
It was a night of the hunt.
“I’m thinking of going on a journey.”
Sepia’s words caught Dale off guard.
“Where will you go?”
“Wherever my feet take me.”
Sepia replied.
“Are you going alone?”
”…”
Sepia didn’t answer immediately.
“Will you come with me?”
After a pause, Sepia asked.
“Just the two of us?”
“Yes.”
Sepia answered. Dale was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected offer.
“But you can’t, can you? This is your home now. You have things to protect, a family and a nation.”
”…”
“Don’t worry. No matter where I go, I can’t escape the blue web.”
Sepia smiled reassuringly.
“Wherever I am, you’ll be watching over me. I know that, which is why I can leave without hesitation.”
“Promise me we’ll meet again.”
“We will meet again.”
Sepia said. Dale didn’t hesitate.
“I’ve always liked you.”
“Yes, I was your first love.”
Sepia laughed, amused. First love. The distance in those words left Dale speechless.
“Take good care of Charlotte. And…”
Sepia continued.
“Don’t forget why you fought.”
“I can’t even remember why I fought anymore.”
Dale laughed self-deprecatingly. But Sepia didn’t laugh.
“You fought for what you believed in.”
Without a hint of a smile, Sepia said.
“Not because it was true or false, but because you believed it was right. Don’t deny your journey.”
“You’ll still be watching over this world, won’t you, Sepia?”
“I suppose so.”
“Someday, far in the future…”
Dale continued.
“When my empire falls and the era ends, I’ll come to see you, Sepia.”
Speaking of a future he couldn’t promise.
“Then, let’s go on a journey together.”
“Let’s do that.”
Sepia smiled quietly. After smiling, she leaned in and kissed him. It was a fleeting kiss.
“I’ll be waiting for the day we can travel together again.”
With those words, Sepia turned away. Watching her retreating figure, Dale found himself speechless.
“Why are you so troubled, brother?”
When his sister Lize spoke, she was no longer the little girl Dale once knew.
A genius mage with eight circles, the pinnacle of the continent, the master of the Blue Tower.
The innocent girl Dale remembered was gone. And Lize knew better than anyone how to wield the power she possessed.
“The things I do are only to make your world better.”
“That’s your wish.”
“When you first taught me magic, I remember what you said,” Lize said with a gentle smile. “I still hope that my magic can bring happiness to people.”
“And so,” she continued, “sometimes it’s better not to know the truth and to swim in sweet lies.”
“Perhaps,” Dale replied.
“The empire you built, and its people, will all find happiness,” Lize assured him. “That’s why I’m here.”
The figure cloaked in blue spoke, and Dale gave a bitter smile. “But you’ll bear the cruel truths of this world alone until the end, won’t you?”
“Every time I see you suffering under the weight of those truths, it feels like my heart is being torn apart,” Lize confessed. “Tell me, brother, is it worth it?”
“There is no worth in it,” Dale answered quietly, shaking his head. “But it’s something that someone has to do.”