Chapter 10: The Interlude
At that moment, in the imperial city of the Ninth Empire.
A man sat upon a throne as dark as midnight. He was the one who wielded the power of the “Shadow Lord” in this era, amidst the endless ancient conflicts between gold and shadow.
Yet now, the emperor was as precarious as a candle flickering in the wind. And the wind that threatened him bore the hue of gold.
History always moved in this way. Shadow would triumph, then gold, and then shadow again…
Long ago, only one being had put an end to this tiresome cycle.
The Mage Emperor of the now-vanished Fourth Empire.
A man who had seized the power of both gold and shadow, and was thus called the Lord of Black and Gold.
But after he and his empire faded into history, nothing in the world changed.
Gold and shadow tore apart once more, and the endless cycle of their conflict continued, as it always had.
Once, shadow had won, but now it stood on the brink of defeat before gold.
The empire had lost more than half its territory, and all that could be heard from the front lines was defeat, defeat, defeat.
Moreover, in this world where magic was waning, even the power of rulers was not what it used to be.
It was then that news of the man reached them.
A mysterious dark sorcerer who single-handedly wiped out the armored mage soldiers of the Iron Brigade, slaughtered those armed with the latest weapons, and turned the revolutionary army’s territory into a battlefield.
“Is it true?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. However, what concerns us is that the power this dark sorcerer wields might undoubtedly be that of the ‘Shadow Lord’…”
Marquis Rosenheim added with a worried tone, causing the emperor’s expression to twist.
“Is there truly a fool who dares to claim the name of the ‘Shadow Lord’ besides me?”
“But, Your Majesty, his actions are currently advantageous to our empire. Moreover, he seems to have no interest in the empire or your throne…”
“Impossible!”
Before Marquis Rosenheim could finish, the Shadow Lord raised his voice.
“Did you truly let someone who dares to impersonate my power and recklessly wield the shadow’s strength go without any measures?”
“But, Your Majesty, he also provided us with information about the revolutionary army’s weapons. Furthermore, he appears to be a recluse, unaware of the empire’s affairs…”
The Shadow Lord, the emperor, shouted.
“Did you send him to those traitors for such a trivial reason?”
”…I apologize.”
“Foolish, so foolish! Why are there only fools around me?”
The Shadow Lord, the emperor, shouted.
Without even glancing at the shadow cast at Marquis Rosenheim’s feet, he continued, like a child throwing a tantrum.
“I, Wilhelm of Brandenburg, the Emperor of the Empire, command you! Assemble the finest troops immediately and pursue him! Do not let the one who dares to usurp the name of shadow live!”
Hearing this, Marquis Rosenheim could barely suppress a smirk deep within. Not let him live? Who in this world could possibly deal with that sorcerer?
Even this emperor, a fool unworthy of his name, what right did he have to raise his voice?
History repeats, and nothing changes.
The world remains the same, repeating the same foolishness over and over.
Gold and shadow meant nothing to Dale now. Not for a cause, not for truth, not even for revenge.
It was a journey for himself.
To trace the past he remembered, the people he loved, the memories he cherished. To witness what awaited at the end.
Towards a truth that even the Lord of Truth could not easily bear.
And finally, his journey brought him to a clue.
The ruins of the Fourth Empire, seen through the shadow of Eurys, were guarded by countless revolutionaries.
As if they had anticipated Dale’s arrival from the start. But it was not a surprising fact.
Soldiers, cannons, muskets, and the revolutionary army’s pride, the armored mage soldiers, were all there.
Yet Dale was not fazed. And behind him, Yufi had no reason to be afraid either.
No one in this world could stop him, not even the army before them.
“Emperor or revolution?”
At that moment, Dale spoke calmly. It was directed at no one in particular. Only then did Yufi realize he was asking her.
So she answered.
“Neither.”
“Gold and shadow were the same.”
Dale replied bitterly. Yufi tilted her head, not understanding, but Dale remained silent.
After a moment of silence, Dale spoke again.
“This world always demands an answer. But from the start, neither side could be the answer.”
”…”
“The world believes in a single answer not because it is truly the answer, but because without declaring it as such, survival is impossible.”
Dale said. Yufi had no words to respond.
He was right.
When they first asked about the emperor and the revolution, there was no correct answer. It was a question where survival depended on declaring one as the answer.
Yufi’s family and villagers died simply because they answered “emperor.” But the revolution was not the answer, just as the emperor could not be.
It was merely a decision forced by the world.
The powerless could only submit to the decisions imposed by the world.
Even if it wasn’t the answer, they had to bow their heads and declare it as such.
Realizing this, a laugh escaped her lips.
“Can you deny the answer they believe in?”
”…”
So Yufi asked.
It wasn’t out of simple revenge or anything else. It was pure curiosity. No, it was because she knew the answer they believed in was not truly the answer.
She wanted to show them.
“That decision is not mine to make.”
Hearing this, the man shook his head quietly.
“It is entirely their decision.”
After shaking his head, he spoke.
“Stand down.”
His voice, amplified by magic, echoed powerfully.
“My only desire is to examine the legacy of the Fourth Empire.”
Dale said. It was no lie. But for the revolutionary army, they could not easily give up the secret they guarded.
Even if it meant sacrifices.
Simultaneously, from afar, the fuse was lit, and the cannon roared.
Boom!
To face a single man, countless cannons and musketeers aimed their weapons.
And behind them, the armored mage soldiers stood ready.
“Kill the enemy of the revolution!”
“Fire!”
The revolutionary army shouted. Killing the enemy of the revolution was, without a doubt, the right answer for them.
Thus, those who defied their answer deserved to die as “enemies of the revolution.”
The absurdity of it all was laughable.
In a world with no true answers, they believed they had found the answer.
“I too once believed my actions were the ‘right answer.’ No one dared to question ‘my answer.’”
Endless cannons fired, and the bombardment, reminiscent of a siege, raged on.
Before the onslaught of iron balls and black powder, a wall of shadow rose. The black powder was swallowed into the shadow, disappearing without a trace.
“That was the beginning of tragedy.”
At the same time, the sky tore open.
Through the rift in the sky, countless “eyes” looked down upon the revolutionary army.
From the rift of another world, gods blinked as they gazed upon the earth.
Gods who did not love humans.
“People often confuse power with the right answer. Parents and children do, teachers and students do, kings and subjects do. Just as I and my sister did.”
“Sister…?”
Yufi gasped at the unexpected word. A sister? It was a term that seemed so out of place for the man.
And at that moment, through the rift in the sky, the “arms” of the gods descended.
Towards the revolutionary army that filled the area.
Gods who did not love humans. But that did not mean they hated them.
In fact, these gods were quite fond of humans.
Countless tendrils descended towards the earth, playing with each human they encountered.
But just because they handled them carefully by their standards did not mean it was gentle from a human perspective.
Crack, crack.
As a tendril squeezed, human bones shattered, and a god, startled, withdrew its tendril. But it was too late. Like a child accidentally breaking a toy.
And after blinking a few times, the god moved its tendril again.
For there were still countless humans below.
Just as a slight pressure from a person can crush an ant, the gods peering through the rift in the sky were no exception.
“Power is just power. It can never be the right answer.”
The man spoke calmly.
“However, I believed that an overwhelming power, one that no one could defy, would be the ‘answer.’ My answer was not so different from the revolution they cried out for.”
”…”
Yupi found herself at a loss for words. She couldn’t fully grasp what he was trying to convey.
All she knew was that the abyss within this man terrified her to her core.
Yet, strangely, after the fear settled in, she couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of pity for him.
It was an emotion she couldn’t quite understand.
“Uncle Dale…”
Without a word, she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind.
Dale caught his breath for a moment, then reached out to hold Yupi’s hands.
Amidst the endless cries echoing in the gods’ heartless game, they stood together.