Episode 124
* * *
Shortly thereafter, the ‘Black Prince’ arrived at the Duke of Lancaster’s castle with news of victory.
When Dale’s messenger reported the news a few steps ahead, the heads of the Grand Duke’s household could hardly believe their ears.
‘We annihilated the St. Magdalene Cavalry, which was conducting a guerrilla operation, and captured the Count of Brandenburg.’
For a moment, I thought it might be the boast of a childish fool. In reality, it was not uncommon in war to wipe out a group of lowly soldiers and exaggerate their accomplishments.
When Dale first said that he would lead a small group of knights alone to ‘Patrol the Duchy’, the leaders of House Lancaster could not hide their disappointment as they realized the truth of the empty boasts about the world’s ‘Black Prince’. They were even worried that the eldest son of House Saxony would act so rashly in such an important situation and tried to stop him.
‘Let’s trust Prince Dale here.’
It was the second son of the Lancaster family, Michael, who respected Dale’s will until the end.
This is the result. It was a result that no one in the Duke of Lancaster could have imagined. In other words, it was a surprise attack using ‘power outside the territory’ that even the Lancasters were unaware of.
The Shadow Court, the Empire’s greatest assassination organization… … Even in the midst of a battle where the Empire’s leading grand lords are clashing, these are the results that can only be produced by those with the skills to carry out covert operations.
Kuung!
The Holy Sword was there. No, it has now fallen to the point where it can no longer even be called a Holy Sword.
He was left a cripple, unable to walk even a few steps on his own, and was forcibly thrown into the castle by the Night Raven Knights led by Dale. It was a gruesome sight that made it hard to believe he was one of the five war heroes of the Empire.
“B, Count of Brandenburg!”
Even the vassals of the Lancaster family were shocked and astonished at the sight.
War is an act of killing and killing. However, unless it is an all-out war with the intention of annihilating the opposing force, this rule does not apply to those with ‘noble blood’ in this world.
When a knight or noble is captured, it is common to demand a ransom along with polite treatment appropriate to his position. It is better to keep him alive, treat him politely, and plan for the future, than to kill him pointlessly and incur his hatred.
But the ‘Black Prince’ didn’t do that.
The dark aura of the assassins was mercilessly applied all over the body of the Holy Sword, making it impossible for him to move even a single finger.
“How could you treat the war hero of the Empire so cruelly!”
“This is an unacceptable rudeness!”
The nobles of the Lancaster family opened their mouths in confusion. They could not hide their concern for the ‘war hero of the Empire’.
Dale opened his mouth as if he couldn’t understand the sight.
“Which lord are you loyal vassals to?”
“This is not a question of loyalty! Respecting prisoners is an imperial tradition… …!”
“You said it was an imperial tradition?”
A vassal noble of House Lancaster held his breath.
“In keeping with the proud traditions of the Empire, will Your Majesty disregard the Grand Duke’s wishes and appoint your eldest son as successor?”
“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant… … .”
One of the nobles trailed off in embarrassment, and it was at that moment.
“That’s about it.”
After a moment of silence, the Archduke of Lancaster, who was sitting on the throne, opened his mouth. A sense of weight overwhelmed the commotion in the room. For a moment, silence fell.
“Young heir of Saxony, do you understand the meaning of what you are doing?”
“I know very well.”
In the face of Cheon Geum’s question, Dale answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“I captured the strong man who wanted to destroy the Duke of Lancaster and presented him before His Highness the Duke.”
“Do you understand the repercussions that your rude and cruel actions toward the Holy Sword will have on the House of Saxony in the future?”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.”
Dale sneered coldly.
“Because the Count of Brandenburg’s ‘Holy Sword Durandal’ is no longer a sword of this world.”
“… … !”
“Even if a blacksmith who received a revelation from the sister god later forges ‘another holy sword,’ at least it will not fall into the hands of this man.”
The sound of gasping for breath continued throughout the room.
“The Holy Sword was broken, and after irreparable damage, it was destroyed. Therefore, Your Excellency is no longer the ‘Holy Swordsman.’”
The kneeling count bit his lip.
“I will never, ever forgive you… … .”
After biting it, he muttered weakly. It was a voice so hollow that it sounded like his soul had left him.
“The church will not remain silent as long as the relics of the first White Tower are destroyed.”
Also, Archduke Lancaster of the Heavenly Sword asked, and Dale nodded.
“It will be my responsibility to take the risk. I alone am responsible for bringing down the Holy Sword.”
“Are you saying you want to take both the science and engineering?”
The Archduke of Lancaster asked back. It was sharp.
“Yes.”
The defeat of the Holy Sword and the St. Magdalene Cavalry under its command will be entirely ‘Dale’s responsibility’. In other words, the name of the martial artist who defeated the world’s Holy Sword and the victory will also be entirely ‘Black Prince’s’.
There is no denying the fact. Furthermore, it was something worth enduring.
“good night.”
After nodding, Cheon Geum continued speaking.
“The treatment of the captured prisoner, the Count of Brandenburg, will be left entirely to the will of the House of Saxony.”
“… … !”
“I will follow His Majesty the Grand Duke’s orders.”
Dale bowed his head silently. At least Cheon Geum was a man who knew the truth.
With this, one of the enemies he hated so much had fallen into Dale’s hands. But this was only the beginning. The Empire was like a giant dragon, and Dale had only just cut off its tail.
* * *
─ Take this man to the ‘court’.
As a prisoner, it was entirely the responsibility of the House of Saxony to decide what to do with the Holy Swordsman, and so Dale did not hesitate.
Shadow court.
Within the Duchy of Lancaster, in a secret location unknown even to our own forces, there lived the ‘Shadow Lord’.
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“Haha, damn it. You don’t have the fortune of a hero.”
Next to the ‘Shadow Lord’, Master Baro muttered as if it were someone else’s business.
From within the iron bars reminiscent of an underground prison, a man once known as the ‘Sacred Swordsman’ raised his head.
“You… … you monster of Saxony… … !”
The Monster of Saxony.
“I will now tell you about the future that awaits you, Count.”
Dale answered coldly.
“Officially, the Count still holds the ‘title of the Holy Sword’ and will request a ‘large ransom’ from the Count’s family in exchange for the weight of that title.”
“… … !”
“Even if he were the world’s greatest Count of Brandenburg, this would be an amount that would be difficult to afford.”
Dale scoffed coldly.
“But what other decision would your son, Prince Philip, have?”
“Yes, you dare… …!”
“The pillar of the family, the proud father, the ‘sacrifice to be paid’ for that holy sword would be a trivial sum, even if it were worth a thousand gold pieces.”
“… … !”
Dale muttered as if it was someone else’s business, and the Holy Swordsman struggled desperately. He didn’t care about his crippled body that couldn’t even control itself. On top of that, his internal organs were so damaged that he couldn’t even use his Auror power.
What Dale meant by ‘tendon’ was not just a literal tendon.
The knight’s tendons and the internal organs with the name of Auror Heart could not be an exception.
Even with the White Tower’s healing magic, it is impossible to reverse this level of damage.
As Master Baro had said, it was a truly unremarkable ending for a proud war hero of the Empire.
Just like the ‘Warrior of the Other World’ once was.
* * *
Immediately after, an envoy arrived at the Marquess of York.
Not the Archduke of Lancaster, but rather the Duke of Saxony.
It was a proposal to request talks between the House of York and the House of Saxony, along with the treatment of the captured Holy Sword.
* * *
Titania of York.
Officially, she was a smart and wise woman who supported the family as the ‘Marquis of York’s wife’. However, those who knew the inside story called her by a different name.
“Nice to meet you, Mistress.”
“… … .”
Dale called her name, but ‘Mistress Titania’ did not waver. She simply fanned herself gracefully in a beauty and elegance that even the layers of time could not do anything about.
“Ah, the cute Prince of Saxony has taken such a difficult step.”
Titania and her favorite daughters, the brilliant Yorks, were there. Margaret, Catherine, and five other young ladies. Sisters of black cruelty and blue wisdom.
“Can I ask you another reason why you requested a ‘meeting’ with me rather than him?”
“There are two seven swords on this side, and there is one seven sword over there.”
“It was true that the story of the Sword and Shadow Court kneeling before the ‘Black Prince’ was true.”
Titania said as if it was nothing to be surprised about.
“The ‘balance of power’ formed by the already out-of-control strong has collapsed.”
Asymmetric Force.
In the past world, the extra-standard powers that belonged to the realm of various ‘strategic weapons’ including nuclear weapons. That is the weight of existence of the ‘extra-standard strongmen’ such as the Seven Swords and the Five-colored Magic Tower in this world.
“For the sake of the future of the House of York, would you please surrender and step down at this point?”
As long as you have the upper hand in cards, you don’t necessarily have to settle the score in combat.
“Even if he is not able to succeed to the throne, His Highness is willing to maintain the engagement between Prince Richard and Lady Margaret. There is no point in continuing the fight any longer.”
“It seems that the reputation of the ‘Black Prince’ was not a lie.”
Titania of York smiled as if she was enjoying herself.
“As soon as you hear of my acceptance, you will use the contract between Prince Richard and Lady Margaret as a trump card to negotiate a ceasefire with the Archduke of Lancaster. Isn’t that right?”
“… … .”
Dale smiled, pretending to keep his composure. It was as Titania had pointed out. There was no agreement between Dale and the Duke of Lancaster. It was Dale’s bluff to thoroughly tease the House of York.
Dale’s goal for the talks was to negotiate with the York family and, based on that negotiation, persuade the Archduke to end the war.
“Unfortunately, we have no intention of ending this war.”
“Even in a situation where the scales between the strong have collapsed?”
“It was unexpected even for me that the Holy Sword fell so quickly.”
Titania said.
“But war is not decided by the presence of the strong alone. Even if that were the case, why would such grand armor, swords, soldiers, and tactics exist? It would be better to decide the outcome by a duel between the strong.”
‘That’s true.’
Dale asked again, holding back the words from escaping his throat.
“Is there anything else you believe?”
“Well, for example… … .”
Mistress Titania smiled meaningfully.
──At the same time, the scenery around the area began to distort.
Dale and Titania, a different world that exists only for the two of them. That meant only one thing.
‘The world of ideas… …!’
An imaginary landscape that a high-ranking magician of Circle 6 or higher overlays upon this world.
It was a field of flowers blooming endlessly beyond the horizon. It was a world where roses, each with a blue and black hue, fluttered their leaves, and furthermore, the rose stems had sharp thorns sprouting everywhere.
‘Black and blue roses, and thorns.’
In that world, Mistress Titania asked.
“If I were to capture Confucius here, how would you respond?”
“The world’s ‘Mistress’ would not make the foolish decision to turn the Black Ball into an enemy.”
Dale answered calmly, keeping a poker face.
“Oh, you are truly clever.”
Titania smiled as if she was happy.
“But it’s impossible for a wizard not to know the meaning of bringing out the ‘world of ideas’.”
It’s either 100% negative or 100% positive. It’s one of the two, and there can be no exceptions.
“Fortunately, I am more than ready to repay the trust shown by Mistress Titania.”
“I’m glad you said that.”
Mistress Titania continues with a smile.
“But trust can only be established when there is mutual belief. As I have revealed my heart, please grant me ‘the heart of Prince Dale’?”
Titania continues speaking.
“In that case, I am willing to trust and talk to Prince Dale.”
A request to show Dale’s mental landscape in contrast to the world of ideas that Titania is unfolding.
Dale remained silent for a moment. As a York witch, he could sense the dark intentions she harbored inside.
A brief silence fell.
After a silence, Dale opened his mouth.
