Episode 41
“Truly, Lord Dale is remarkable!”
“His skills are beyond belief!”
“Everything they say about him is true!”
As the lords showered Dale with flattery in anticipation of his victory, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disbelief himself.
‘Was it always this easy?’
Even as he maintained a calm exterior, Dale was inwardly taken aback by his unexpected triumph.
His opponent, though young and barely in his twenties, was a knight who fought with all his might through aura. Yet, facing him felt as if the entire world had slowed down, leaving only Dale unaffected.
And that wasn’t all.
‘The Shadow Cloak’s blade feels like an extension of my body.’
It was as if invisible tendrils were part of his being, manipulating the shadowy blade. It was then he realized the presence of the ‘tendrils rooted in his heart’—the essence of the dark magic tome fused with his body.
The essence of black magic, the “Book of the Black Goat,” was a sorcerer’s sword that elevated a mage’s prowess. In that regard, it was one of the most formidable dark swords in existence.
When Dale spun his circle to generate black mana, the tome rooted in his heart acted as an additional ‘Source of Black,’ amplifying his power.
With this concentrated black mana, he enhanced his body and drew out the full potential of the dark artifact, the Shadow Cloak. No, it wasn’t just a few times stronger. At his current level, he could stand toe-to-toe with even an Aura Knight.
“Is this all you’ve got?”
Maintaining his composure, Dale looked down at Sir Yones, as if he had expected this outcome all along.
As the eldest son of the Saxon Duke and the “Black Prince,” he faced those who dared to doubt and test his name.
“Shadow Bullet.”
With a snap of his fingers, the dark blades orbiting Dale shattered. The fragments were crafted into bullets, a barrage of malice raining down.
Aimed at Sir Yones, who knelt before him.
The ‘Shadow Bullet’ barrage struck like a machine gun.
”……!”
A scream echoed, but the dark bullets only shattered the marble floor around Sir Yones.
Turning away from the wreckage of the Saxon Ducal Castle’s floor, Dale left an implicit warning. Sir Yones’s composure crumbled, his legs trembling.
It was clear to all that the swordsmanship the “Black Prince” had displayed was merely a diversion.
In the face of his true power as a sorcerer, the shadowy blade was nothing.
An indescribable emotion, beyond shock or awe, enveloped the hall.
”…….”
Reverence.
Just as his father had once commanded.
“Does anyone else wish to challenge me?”
No one dared to speak.
“Is there anyone left with the courage to doubt my name and prove themselves?”
Dale asked again, and silence reigned.
Thud!
The sound of armored knees hitting the ground echoed. Lords and knights, clad in armor, knelt before the young heir of the Saxon family, pledging their unwavering loyalty.
His father’s words came to mind.
Fear guarantees loyalty.
Indeed, it was true.
That night.
After the lords’ assembly and ceremony, a festival was held to celebrate the victory.
While the nobles mingled in their social circles, soldiers in the outer barracks were treated to food and drink.
However, Sir Yones, defeated by Dale, left the ducal castle alone, heading to his mercenaries’ camp.
He imagined the scolding from his father and brother for his reckless actions.
“Captain, you don’t look well.”
”…….”
Ignoring his subordinate’s concern, Yones took a swig of his drink.
“Damn it, the world is a mess.”
Only after the alcohol took effect did his words flow freely.
“No matter how much I swing my sword, I can’t even reach that bastard’s toes. Do I look okay to you?”
“Ca-Captain……?”
“And he’s not even a knight, but a sorcerer! Ha!”
His subordinate cautiously asked, “What are you talking about?”
“I’m saying I got utterly destroyed by an 11-year-old brat, you idiot!”
“Are you talking about the Saxon heir?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, they say he’s a once-in-a-generation genius with the greatest talent in the Empire…….”
Indeed, it was true.
‘One’s status isn’t determined at birth but can change with effort.’
Who would dare spout such nonsense in front of the Saxon heir? It wasn’t just a bitter defeat. The despair of an insurmountable presence blocking his path suffocated him.
The embodiment of the world’s inherent unfairness.
The wall the “Black Prince” represented was insurmountable.
“Damn, this drink is fantastic!”
And so, Yones drank and shouted.
“Of course! What could be better than a good drink?”
“Let’s drink, Captain!”
Tired of the pretentiousness of the castle, Yones found solace in the company of his men.
“Thinking about it makes me angry again.”
He took another swig and spoke.
“You should’ve seen the noble ladies fawning over that 11-year-old brat.”
“What were they like?”
“Ha, they were no different from back-alley harlots!”
Desperately trying to win the favor of that brat!
“He’s probably rolling around with some lady right now!”
“Maybe more than one!”
“Being the heir of a ducal family sure has its perks!”
“Hey, do you think an 11-year-old even has hair down there?”
“He does.”
“Oh, really?”
Yones nodded absentmindedly, oblivious to the sudden silence around him.
“What? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Ca-Ca-Captain…….”
One of his subordinates stammered, pale-faced.
“Could that kid who just walked in be the one you mentioned…….”
The mercenaries wouldn’t recognize “Dale of Saxon.”
But seeing the elaborate attire with the Saxon raven crest and the black surcoat on an 11-year-old boy made it easy to guess his identity.
“What, that brat showed up here?”
Yones, thoroughly drunk, turned his head.
“Yes.”
And the ‘brat’ answered.
”…….”
The ‘Shadow Cloak’ fluttered, disguised as a black surcoat.
Silence descended like a feather.
”…….”
”…….”
An awkward silence, broken only when Dale sat beside Yones.
”……Have a drink.”
Offering the wine he brought from the castle.
“Isn’t the world a curse?”
“N-No, it’s not.”
Yones accepted the drink with trembling hands.
“That’s just how the world is.”
Dale continued, speaking as if to a much younger peer.
“Unfair, absurd, and beyond our control.”
Calmly, as if it were someone else’s problem.
“Innate talent, environment, bloodline, family…….”
Dale asked.
“Of all the factors that determine our fate, is there anything we can choose?”
“N-No.”
Yones shook his head.
“Do you still believe you can carve out your destiny?”
”…….”
Dale asked again. Yones almost nodded, as he would have before seeing the “Black Prince” today.
“So don’t blame yourself too much.”
”…….”
“In this world, there’s no destiny we can change.”
Hearing those words from the very person who embodied that truth, Yones couldn’t help but laugh.
And after laughing, the tears came.
At first, he thought it was a nightmare. Or perhaps he was just too drunk and hallucinating.
‘Lord Dale is looking for you.’
At least until the next morning, when the Saxon raven knights came for him.
In a room of the Saxon Ducal Castle.
“Do you remember last night?”
“Lord Dale…….”
Dale’s polite tone made Yones swallow hard.
‘Was it really a dream?’
“You were so drunk, you said you’d follow me as your older brother.”
”……No way.”
“We had quite the meaningful conversation all through the early hours.”
It wasn’t until he heard Dale recount his own story in detail that he was finally convinced last night’s events weren’t just a dream.
“Sir Yones, the second son of Baron Kennet.”
The duel, the defeat, and the commotion at dawn.
It all felt like a fleeting daydream, as if it were the last scene he would ever witness in his life.
Soon, his neck would meet the blades of the Night Raven Knights.
Just as Sir Yones was resigned to this fate, Dale spoke words that took him by surprise.
“I like you.”
”…Pardon?”
“You and your mercenary band.”
Sir Yones could hardly believe his ears at what followed.
“Would you consider wielding your sword under my banner, for the House of Saxon?”
“What… what do you mean by that…?”
“Before the upcoming battle, my knights will train you and your men.”
Dale’s knights. The Night Raven Knights of the Saxon House offering to teach them!
“From the basics of swordsmanship to the intricacies of aura techniques.”
He had believed there were no opportunities for him. That he had to navigate the world relying solely on his own sword.
“Rather than worrying about the distant future, it’s more important to focus on surviving the battle right in front of you.”
And ironically, the one who taught Sir Yones about the world’s unfairness was now offering him a chance no one else dared to give.
“Why… why would you do this for me?”
Sir Yones asked, his voice trembling, forgetting he was speaking to an eleven-year-old boy.
“I just happen to need someone…”
Dale replied nonchalantly, as if it were of no consequence.
“And you happened to be there.”
As if it truly didn’t matter.
“That’s just how the world works.”