Episode 64
After the turmoil subsided, peace finally returned.
Under the banner of the Black Tower, the hardliners were purged, and the remaining elders pledged their loyalty. The unyielding regime of the “Black Justice” was firmly established in the Necropolis’s Black Tower.
A rule built on the blood and bodies of those who dared to defy.
Meanwhile, the son of the Blood Duke, Ray Eurys, returned to the imperial capital, and Dale continued to hone his skills, growing ever stronger.
Yet, as peace settled over the Duchy of Saxon, voices began to rise against the empire’s tyranny, breaking the silence one by one.
At the eastern edge of the continent.
Beyond the Strait of Calais lay the Kingdom of Britannia, composed of four large islands.
When the empire launched its unification war, led by its otherworldly hero, the kingdom fell and became a mere province. At that time, Aurelia was nothing more than the daughter of a serf.
A girl who lost her family and country to war, drowning in despair at her own helplessness.
Years after the empire’s unification war ended, a voice reached Aurelia, the daughter of a mere serf.
─ I will grant you power. Save the Kingdom of Britannia from the empire’s darkness.
The revelation of the Sistina Twin Goddesses. And with it, undeniable proof of the divine message descended upon Aurelia.
To the daughter of a serf, a realm said to be unattainable even by knights who trained their entire lives was revealed.
Avatar.
Without hesitation, Aurelia embraced her destiny, taking up the sword as the champion of her nation’s salvation.
Known as the Holy Maiden Aurelia, said to be the incarnation of the goddess, she did not hesitate to become the leader of the resistance against the empire’s tyranny. Patriots of the fallen kingdom began to rally around her charisma.
Thus began the war for independence to reclaim her homeland, the Kingdom of Britannia, from the empire.
The black sword of the Death Knight swung through the air. Dale of Saxon, the empire’s greatest prodigy, controlled the undead knight.
Facing him was a girl wielding a black sword.
Charlotte, clad in the black armor of the Night Raven Knight, clashed swords with Dale’s Death Knight.
This was the new training method they had both committed to.
Dale refined his technique of projecting his swordsmanship onto the Death Knight, while Charlotte honed her skills as a knight, meeting him blow for blow.
A training method so astonishing it was almost shocking. The knights of the Saxon Duchy could only marvel at Dale’s groundbreaking approach.
A dual pursuit of swordsmanship and necromancy.
Whoosh!
The Death Knight, imbued with the prowess of a hero, charged swiftly. Charlotte’s black sword deftly parried the incoming strike, counterattacking with agility, wielding the Saxon greatsword as if it were a rapier.
The two black aura blades clashed repeatedly in midair, locked in an endless dance.
A prodigy of the sword.
Though Dale had yet to fully project his swordsmanship onto the Death Knight, Charlotte’s ability to not only match but surpass the Death Knight was nothing short of remarkable.
Charlotte’s growth, having reached the level of an Aura Knight at such a young age, was astonishing even to Dale.
To further accelerate her development, the best knights of the Saxon Duchy were providing her with top-tier training.
Her mentor was none other than Sir Helmut Blackbear, the strongest knight in the north.
Her training extended beyond mere swordsmanship.
Just as Dale had done, Charlotte was also learning military strategy from Sir Helmut, preparing to lead the knights of the Saxon Duchy as Dale’s future champion.
It was an unbelievable victory.
A battle that could only be won with the goddess’s blessing.
Thus, the high knight Gilles de Rais, who served as an aide to the Holy Maiden Aurelia, could not contain his overflowing faith.
The odds were four to one.
The 10,000-strong Britannian independence army led by the Holy Maiden.
Against them stood 40,000 imperial troops, reinforced by additional forces from the continent, along with 5,000 crossbow mercenaries. The empire’s cavalry and heavy infantry were overwhelmingly superior.
For the independence army, it was an unwinnable battle, and for the empire, an unlosable one.
Yet, the Holy Maiden Aurelia led her forces to victory.
A mere 10,000 Britannian independence soldiers defeated a combined force of 45,000 imperial troops.
What the Holy Maiden Aurelia demonstrated was not just the blessing of the Sistina Goddess.
It was an unbelievably brilliant strategy.
Positioning longbowmen in a V formation on the hills, dismounting her knights, and executing precise troop placements, she annihilated the charging imperial heavy cavalry.
As if she could read their movements and strategies perfectly.
Even when powerful individuals appeared, attempting to turn the tide with their “unconventional strength,” it was the Holy Maiden Aurelia who stood against them.
Could this truly be the daughter of a serf who had never held a sword in her life?
A girl with no formal military education, commanding such a large-scale battle, overcoming overwhelming odds to achieve victory?
This was a miracle that could only be explained as the will of the goddess.
“For the Holy Maiden Aurelia!”
“The Holy Maiden, with the mercy and compassion of the Sistina Twin Goddesses, is with us!”
Overcome with faith, the knight Gilles de Rais knelt.
Before the savior of the nation, clad in pure white armor and bearing the flag symbolizing the Kingdom of Britannia.
The morale of the soldiers fighting alongside the Holy Maiden was indescribable.
“It was all possible thanks to your efforts.”
In their midst, the savior of the nation, Aurelia, smiled humbly, attributing her achievements to her subordinates.
“Please, hold your heads high.”
In the pouring sunlight, her golden hair fluttered wildly. A girl of noble beauty, impossible to believe she was the daughter of a serf. A pure knight, untouchable by any.
“Oh, Holy Maiden…”
Against the empire, the battle of the Holy Maiden Aurelia had only just begun.
That night, after finishing her training, Charlotte finally removed her black armor and stepped into the courtyard of the castle.
“Charlotte.”
“D-Dale!”
Caught off guard, Charlotte gasped, realizing she had no black helmet to hide her face.
“Oh, you’re still here?”
She tried to hide her blushing cheeks, asking shyly.
“Should I leave?”
Dale asked nonchalantly, and Charlotte puffed her cheeks in response to his indifference.
“That’s not what I meant!”
“Then you want me to stay?”
“You idiot!”
Charlotte couldn’t bring herself to answer Dale’s question, instead expressing her frustration.
She couldn’t help but find the boy beside her utterly endearing.
The warmth of his hand that day was unforgettable. It made her want to grow stronger, to be able to stand by Dale’s side with even greater strength.
”…I want to become stronger.”
After a moment of silence, Charlotte spoke. Dale smiled reassuringly.
“You’re doing great already.”
He was well aware of her tireless efforts, training day and night for her lord.
“No, it’s not enough.”
Yet Charlotte shook her head.
“I’ll become even stronger.”
Thinking of the man she held in her heart.
“Until I become the strongest knight on the continent.”
The Divine Sword. The greatest sword on the continent.
Charlotte made her vow, and Dale nodded silently. Then, he quietly took her hand.
Charlotte’s slender white shoulders trembled. Without the armor to hide her, she felt as exposed as a naked girl.
“You can become strong.”
Dale said, holding her hand, unaware of the girl’s feelings.
“I’m eager to see how far your sword will reach.”
Speaking as her lord, with calm assurance.
”…Yes.”
Charlotte nodded. Her blushing cheeks, unhidden by a helmet, felt as embarrassing as if she were baring her chest.
In front of the boy she liked, it was as if she were revealing a secret she couldn’t show. Her heart pounded hotly.
“Hey, Dale.”
As if swept away by an irresistible wave of emotion, Charlotte spoke.
“Yes?”
She brushed her golden hair aside and leaned in cautiously.
Smooch.
A pure, innocent kiss on Dale’s cheek from the young girl.
“Charlotte…”
“It’s just a thank-you kiss!”
Charlotte shouted, her cheeks flushed, trying to sound nonchalant.
“You’ve helped me a lot, and I owe you in so many ways… So, this is a special service just for you!”
“Really?”
Dale smiled at her, his expression as if he were watching the innocent emotions of a young girl.
“Thank you.”
“Uh, um…”
Charlotte couldn’t find the words to respond to Dale’s gratitude and closed her mouth. After a moment, she spoke again.
“You’ve changed a lot.”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
Dale tilted his head, surprised by her words.
“How should I put it? You seem more relaxed, more… mature, maybe.”
Charlotte said. She wasn’t talking about his skills with a sword or magic. Dale was taken aback by her unexpected comment.
”…Yeah, thanks.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you.”
Dale replied, and Charlotte nodded shyly, feeling the warmth of their clasped hands.
In silence, under the chilly night sky, they looked up at the stars shining above them.
Later that night, in Dale’s bedroom.
Reflecting on his memories with Charlotte, Dale lifted his head.
‘I don’t expect my actions to be forgiven.’
He recalled the words of his father, the Black Duke.
‘But the Empire and the ambitions of the Crimson Duke won’t stop here.’
His father was right. The reason the Crimson Duke had once extended a hand to Dale as the next “Master of the Black Tower” was to forge a new bond of darkness.
His goal was singular.
‘The Empire will continue its experiments to reach the world of truth once more.’
And for those experiments, they wouldn’t hesitate to spill blood and cause suffering, just as the infamous Black Legion had done.
‘To prevent the Empire from repeating such evil deeds.’
‘So you can stand against them.’
Not as the Duke and heir of the Saxon family, but as partners sharing a common sense of justice.
‘I will teach you the power I once gained in that world.’