Side Story 31
The fruit of their love, Dale and Charlotte’s child, was crying.
The baby, knowing nothing of the world, wailed loudly.
Watching this, I thought of Dale’s father, Alan of Saxon, and the emotions he must have felt when he first saw his son, Dale.
And later, when he learned of Dale’s secret, how he must have wept silently in the shadows.
Yet, despite everything, Alan loved his son until the very end. And Dale loved him just the same. But it wasn’t until Dale held his own child that he truly understood the pain and weight his father must have felt.
His legs trembled under the unbearable weight, and he felt as if he might burst into tears at any moment.
”…Dale.”
Just then, Charlotte spoke with a gentle smile.
“What’s wrong?”
”…It’s nothing.”
“You look so sad.”
Charlotte observed, and Dale shook his head, forcing a smile.
“I’m not sad.”
“Then what is it?”
“I’m just so happy.”
Dale replied, turning his head to see his parents, Alan and Elena of Saxon, smiling at him as they always did. The sight was so overwhelming it made his heart ache.
And so, Dale sank to the ground, silently sobbing.
With the disappearance of the god of meaninglessness, what remained was a pitifully vulnerable and exposed human being.
Time passed, though how much was unclear.
No one spoke of the emperor or the revolution, and the world’s stories no longer reached them.
Yet, the empire still stood. The successor to the Fourth Empire, ruled by the Lord of Black Gold, the Great Magic Empire.
The throne of black gold still existed for Dale. But it was no longer his to occupy.
The one who governed the empire, presided over the imperial council, and faced those foolish enough to challenge them was not the Lord of Black Gold.
It was Charlotte of Saxon, once called the Sword of the Gods, who took on that role.
Whenever she rode into battle on her warhorse, Dale quietly saw her off, maintaining silence in his castle, no longer inspiring fear or awe in the world.
The new citizens of the empire loved Empress Charlotte. She was neither excessively cruel nor overly merciful, but she always made fair and rational decisions.
In many ways, she was a more fitting ruler than Dale ever was. And he realized this.
At some point, Dale understood that he had never been a particularly good ruler from the start.
“Isn’t that right, Alan?”
Dale said with a smile.
In his arms, the baby gurgled happily at the mention of the name.
Alan II.
Dale looked at his son with joy, sometimes making silly faces or exaggerated gestures like a playful father.
It was then that he sensed a presence. Startled, Dale turned his head.
“Dale.”
”…Father.”
There stood his father, Alan.
“Alan II, is it?”
Alan said with a bittersweet smile, looking at his grandson.
“Why did you give your son my name?”
“Because I hope my son will grow to be as admirable as you, Father.”
Dale replied. Alan was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
“I am not someone worthy of the respect you think I deserve.”
Alan said.
“My past is filled with sins and unforgivable deeds.”
“I understand.”
Dale nodded calmly.
“Yet, I respect you more than anything.”
“Is that so.”
Alan smiled, a bit embarrassed by Dale’s words. He then walked over to his grandson, Alan II, who reached out to him, babbling.
Alan smiled lovingly at the sight. It was a smile so unlike the man once revered as the Black Duke.
But Dale remembered. The smile his father had shown him when he was a child.
Or perhaps he was speaking as if it were someone else’s story.
He wondered how the world perceived the Lord of Black Gold, the god of meaninglessness. Even a chuckle didn’t escape him.
“Sometimes I wonder if I deserve this happiness.”
Alan spoke.
”…I feel the same.”
Dale nodded with a bittersweet smile. Both father and son doubted their right to happiness. In that way, they were remarkably alike.
Yet, no one in the world could challenge their right to happiness.
In the northern capital, a woman strode confidently through the open gates.
Clad in black and gold armor, she bore the insignia of the night raven and the rose.
“Welcome back, Charlotte.”
“Yes.”
Charlotte nodded as Dale greeted her.
“Alan is waiting.”
At the mention of their child’s name, Charlotte couldn’t hide her motherly smile.
“Well done.”
Charlotte stood before Dale, having shed her armor for a nightgown. Dale gently massaged her tired shoulders, and Charlotte laughed with delight.
“Alan is watching, Dale.”
“We’re not doing anything embarrassing.”
Dale laughed as he kneaded her shoulders, and Charlotte joined in his laughter.
How long had it been since they could laugh so freely? How much longer could they laugh without a care?
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Dale found he couldn’t laugh. It was then that Charlotte placed her hand over his.
“I’m so happy.”
Just then, their baby began to cry. Charlotte looked flustered, and Dale approached the child with a smile.
There was no trace of the Lord of Black Gold, the god of meaninglessness, or the merciless “Black Prince.”
Only a father, a human being, trying to soothe his crying son.
Watching this, Charlotte smiled faintly, pushing back the emotions welling up inside her.
After the ice of the empire melted, Sepia embarked on a solitary journey.
Yet, she occasionally visited Dale in the Saxon capital.
Each time, she brought wondrous treasures from all over the world, appearing without a word of warning.
“Welcome, Lady Sepia.”
Dale bowed to Sepia, who smiled.
“These are for Alan.”
From colorful gemstones to fossilized ancient creatures, Dale accepted them with a smile.
“Thank you, Lady Sepia.”
He smiled and then asked.
“You’ll stay for a few days and then leave without a word, won’t you?”
“Yes.”
Sepia didn’t deny it, smiling. Dale nodded quietly.
“We’ll meet again, Dale.”
“Yes.”
The wandering elf, appearing and disappearing like the wind. Dale had no reason to stop her. So he remained silent.
Even when she vanished a few days later, it was no different.
“What are you afraid of, Lize?”
Dale asked, and his sister Lize forced a carefree smile.
“I don’t feel worthy of meeting your child, brother.”
“Why do you think that?”
The blue tower master didn’t answer Dale’s question. It was unclear.
“I wanted to save you. I wanted you to stop atoning for our sins.”
“And so it happened.”
“But that brought you unimaginable pain again.”
Lize’s words left Dale silent for a moment.
“It’s all our fault.”
After a pause, Dale took Lize’s arm, leading her out of the blue tower, away from the web of Arachne that trapped his sister.
“11. Happily Ever After”
The family gathered, and the royal court painter began to capture their image on canvas.
The loving couple and their child, the father and mother, and the sister.
In the silence, the soft sound of the brush filled the air.
The painter was capturing the most noble, grand, and harmonious family in the world.
In the white and dark winter night, the ancient mother of darkness stood before Dale.
The girl with the black goat’s horns was there too.
”…”
Dale stood silently before them. After a long pause, he bowed his head.
“I finally understand you.”
“What do you mean, child of man?”
The ancient mother of darkness asked, amused.
“You were a mother who wished for her children’s happiness.”
Dale said, and the ancient mother of darkness laughed joyfully.
“And the only reason I can maintain a human form is because of your devotion.”
With that, Dale spoke without hesitation. He bowed his head calmly, simply expressing his gratitude.
The beings before him were no longer an incomprehensible terror.
Instead, they were supreme mothers, filled with a boundless, almost cosmic compassion that defied description.
Their kindness was beyond human understanding. At times, it was so harsh and cruel that it seemed terrifying.
Yet, nothing had changed.
Just as Dale thought of those he loved, the ancient Mother of Darkness loved her son.
“I’m glad you understand, my child.”
“I am still human.”
“Yes, brother.”
Shub giggled, seemingly amused, as she tucked the writhing tentacles beneath her dress.
“I hope you remain human until the very end, brother.”
“I promise, Shub.”
Dale replied, and with that, the ancient Mother of Darkness approached him silently and embraced him.
To some, it might have appeared as a nauseating scene of a mass of tentacles entwining.
To others, it was the image of a mother full of compassion embracing her son.
Yet, nothing would change.
At the end of the embrace, Dale spoke.
“Thank you, great ancient Mother of Darkness.”
Ia Shub-Niggurath.