Episode 93
The interpretation of the “Sistina Twin Goddesses” has long been one of the most contentious theological debates in the history of the church.
Are they a single goddess symbolizing mercy and compassion, or are they truly twin deities, embodying light and shadow, each with their own spirit?
In the past, the founder of Saxon, the immortal Frederick, and the Black Faction rose in rebellion, leading to the division of the once unified Black and White Tower into separate entities after the “Black and White War.”
The White Tower adopted the interpretation of the Sistina Twin Goddesses as a “dual unity of mercy and compassion.”
This was, of course, a politically motivated move to erase any remnants of the Black.
The Shadow Church rejected the mainstream interpretation of the White Tower, continuing to worship the twin goddesses as deities of light and shadow, maintaining their independence.
Devotion to the goddess of light was deeply rooted in this land, so the role of the Shadow Church was to worship the goddess of shadow, restoring balance to the scales.
The shadow of the Sistina Twin Goddesses.
Unlike the goddess of light, symbolizing mercy and compassion, the goddess of darkness was cruel and merciless.
And now, Dale found himself in their sanctuary, the underground assembly of the organization now known as the “Shadow Court.” A man wearing a bird-beak mask removed Dale’s blindfold.
“We have brought the accused.”
Beside Dale stood the Death Knight he had acquired from the fight club, and lurking within his shadow was the “Shadow Lady.”
If he chose, he could fight them. But that would be a poor decision. In fact, this was an unparalleled opportunity.
“I stand here to assert my innocence and clear my name,” Dale began.
“The master of the Calimala Guild was caught in an attempted assassination by dark magic, and even a bombing.”
A voice emerged from the darkness.
“Do you deny it was black magic?”
Men in bird-beak masks looked down at Dale from above, like judges peering down at a defendant from a deliberately elevated position.
“If I had truly intended to kill the master of the Calimala Guild,” Dale continued calmly, “I wouldn’t have done it in such a sloppy manner.”
He focused black magic into his fingers.
“M24 SWS, 7.62x51mm NATO.”
SWS—Sniper Weapon System.
A specialized sniper rifle. With a precise incantation from another world, Dale fired a shadow bullet.
”……!”
The bullet shot between the judges of the Shadow Court, who were poised to strike Dale with their blades aimed at his neck, chest, and back.
But no blood was shed. Dale’s magic lacked any intent to kill. No matter how well hidden, the assassins of the Shadow Court could not be deceived.
The fact that even they couldn’t sense it meant he truly had no intention to kill.
“Even from many times this distance, I can hit a vital point with precision,” Dale stated.
“If you doubt me, I can prove it.”
”…….”
“Who would be foolish enough to use such crude magic to animate a corpse?”
“Do you understand the disrespect of your actions?”
“Seeing is believing, more than a hundred explanations,” Dale replied nonchalantly. The significance of his single shot was not lost on them.
“Just as the Black Tower has always used fear to demonstrate power,” one of the judges remarked.
“Can you claim that what you showed was not an act of intimidation, but something else?”
“Do you think the eldest son of the Saxon family can stand alone against the Shadow Court?” Dale countered.
“The fear pursued by the Black is not so crude and vulgar.”
As if to say that even fear has its own dignity.
“Do you think indiscriminate terror, lacking elegance and grace, is the same as the fear we pursue?”
“Do you have any other way to prove your innocence?”
“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you,” Dale replied.
“Ray Eurys.”
A silence fell among the men of the Shadow Court.
“Before the black market, the purpose of the ‘agents’ gathered here is clear,” Dale said.
“They aim to make the next city master their puppet and seize the ‘ledger’ of the Guild City.”
Even if it was a secret, it was only a secret in the world of ordinary people.
In the world Dale faced, among the empire’s greatest lords, the Red Tower, the royal family, and all the powerful, it was no secret at all.
“And Ray Eurys knew I had contact with the master of the Calimala Guild.”
”…….”
Silence reigned.
“In other words,” the judges of the Shadow Court finally spoke.
“Can we assume you also have ambitions to disrupt the ‘order of the Guild City’?”
“Yes,” Dale nodded, continuing.
“But even if I step back, the tide of the times cannot be reversed.”
Calmly.
“Just as the ‘Shadow Church’ was once exiled and reduced to a parasite of the Guild City.”
Not the Shadow Court, but their true name.
”……!”
There was a collective intake of breath.
”……Watch your words.”
One of the assassins, with a blade poised at Dale’s vital points, spoke, his voice carrying a chilling intent.
“I understand that to the Shadow Court, the Guild City is merely a host,” Dale said.
“And I also understand the Guild City holds immense value as a host.”
Speaking the truth they couldn’t avoid.
“But the host’s life is nearing its end. The power the Guild City holds will soon fall into the hands of the empire and the royal family.”
He voiced the worst-case scenario the Shadow Court feared.
“Do you think we will hand over this city without any measures?”
“I would welcome your efforts to thwart their ambitions,” Dale nodded.
“But the masters of the seven great guilds are already blinded by their own ambitions.”
No one can stop a breached dam. Human desire is much like a breached dam.
“That’s why I propose an alliance between the Black and the Shadow Court.”
“You speak of absurdities.”
“Our founder, the immortal Frederick, and the Black Faction shared a common will with the ‘Shadow Church,’” Dale replied.
“Against the tyranny of the empire and the White Tower, the bond between the Black and the Shadow runs deeper than you think.”
”…….”
“The empire, the royal family, the Red and White Towers are all targeting the Guild City.”
Their enemies.
“Joining hands with the enemy of our enemy is not strange.”
“Do you claim the Black has the power to stand against them?”
“Does the Shadow Court have the power to stand against them?” Dale countered.
“They surely know the identity of the ‘Shadow Court.’”
When the empire seizes the Guild City, the White Tower will also seek to uproot the heretical faith that is a thorn in their side.
“It seems you do not understand your situation.”
One of the judges of the Shadow Court spoke. Just then—
“That’s enough, everyone.”
A voice rang out, clear and resonant like a bell.
“Lady Saint!”
“Why has the Shadow Saint graced this humble court?”
The judges in bird-beak masks turned in surprise. There stood a young girl in a jet-black dress.
Her eyes were covered with black bandages, blocking her sight. Not ordinary bandages, but an artifact imbued with powerful magic.
“The Saint…?”
The Shadow Saint. Even Dale was unfamiliar with this name.
“The guest here is not a defendant of our court,” she stated calmly.
“Rather, the goddess of shadow has guided him here by her will.”
“But, Lady Saint!”
“We will escort the young lord of the Saxon family to the ‘Grand Court of Shadows.’”
The Saint spoke, and no one dared to object further. The Grand Court. As the significance of the words sank in, the assassins in bird-beak masks sheathed their blades in unison.
The destination of the Shadow Court was not within any of the seven great guild cities. They ventured outside the city, to a large underground fortress within the Guild City territory.
It resembled a Christian sanctuary from the Roman Empire era, persecuted and hidden.
Few people were present. The Shadow Court operated as a network of cells spread across the seven cities and the empire, and this place served as the headquarters connecting those cells.
In a sense, it was the hideout of the highest-ranking members.
Dale found himself there.
The Shadow Saint. And the man who enabled the Shadow Court to become the continent’s foremost assassin organization.
”……!”
“Holy, sh—”
Ignoring any sense of decorum, he gulped down his beer and spat out a string of curses.
“So, how did a silver-spooned prince like you end up in a shithole like this?”
He was a crude man, utterly lacking in refinement. Yet, Dale knew exactly who he was dealing with.
‘I wondered where he’d disappeared to, but I never imagined he’d be here.’
The man was none other than Master Baro, known as the “Killer Sword,” one of the Seven Swords of the Continent. Once hailed as one of the continent’s greatest knights, he had now become its most formidable assassin.
His presence in the “Grand Court” of the Shadow Tribunal was proof enough.
“Dale, my lord.”
Amidst the tension, the Shadow Saintess spoke up, undeterred. Despite the black bandage covering her eyes, she seemed to gaze directly at Dale.
“And the Holy Maiden, Lady Aurelia.”
Dale swallowed hard at the unexpected revelation. How could she possibly know that?
“Under the protection of the Shadow Goddess, we have all gathered here.”
The Shadow Saintess continued.
“Isn’t that right, Mother of the Ancient Darkness?”
”……!”
“Ia Shub-Niggurath.”
Words he could never forget.
And in that moment—
─ Ah, my child.
The mature voice of ‘Shub’ resonated, and the entire scene was swallowed by an endless darkness.