Episode 128
* * *
“Are you trying to threaten me?”
Dale asked sharply, and the air in the area turned cold.
“That’s impossible. After all, it’s her will.”
Mistress Titania smiled as if she had no chin.
“To threaten Prince Dale so blatantly and without elegance is far removed from the ways of our Blue Tower.”
“Then you wouldn’t mind if I took her away right away and turned my back on the battle front right now?”
“… … .”
At Dale’s words, Titania remained silent.
“I don’t care. Please do as Your Majesty wishes.”
“Mother!”
After a pause, Titania continued speaking without paying attention. Her daughters opened their mouths, unable to hide their bewilderment.
“Because a lying shepherdess needs to be prepared to regain trust.”
“And one more thing.”
Dale opened his mouth.
“Please teach me how to break the ‘suggestion’ that the Sorceress Council is putting on Sepia.”
A hint to open your heart to the Black Successor and respond to his wishes.
“It is not difficult to decipher the hint.”
Titania answered.
“But even if I release the hint now, nothing will change.”
“… … .”
“She did her duty, and at the same time, it was in a way that even we did not expect.”
Dale swallowed softly.
“The emotions she feels as she resonates with the world of Prince Dale are already extraordinary. Even if I were to release the hint, it would only confuse her even more. However, if it is truly what the Prince desires.”
Titania took off the crystal necklace she was wearing around her neck.
“Show her this jewel and recite the verse of awakening.”
“What is that?”
“‘Silence will remember you.’”
“… … .”
Accepting Titania’s crystal necklace, Dale turned his back without a moment’s hesitation, leaving behind the Lancaster army that was now advancing simultaneously toward various parts of the Marquess of York.
* * *
Nothing changed. Dale spurred his horse as he crossed the Marquisate of York, his shadow cloak disguised as a black robe.
It was just then.
As he crossed the dense forest area within the territory, a sharp, pointed blade rushed towards Dale.
It was a bolt of flame magic.
Although it was nothing compared to Dale’s sniping bolt magic, its sophistication and destructive power were by no means those of a single wizard. A killing magic thoroughly armed with various military formulas in golden ratio.
‘Enemy wizard… …!’
It is already moving beyond the fortress area where the leaders of the York family are gathered. I expected the Red Tower to move with the Lancaster family, but I didn’t expect them to have infiltrated this far already.
Dismounting from his horse in a panic, Dale began scanning his surroundings anxiously.
But when you think about it calmly, there can’t be that many enemies who have penetrated this deeply. It’s probably just a small number of mobile units carrying out intelligence missions behind the enemy’s back. Just like Dale’s ‘Shadow Court’ right now.
“Have the knights of the red tower anything else to do in York’s territory?”
Dale asked as he dismounted. Soon a silent silhouette appeared behind the trees. It was a red magician with a flamboyant blood-red uniform fluttering in the wind, seemingly not trying to hide their identity.
Knight of the Red Tower, Purifier.
“Hoo, wasn’t he just a scout?”
As expected. Their goal was to pass off Dale, who was acting alone, as a scout and steal information. After that, if the large-scale breakthrough by Lancaster’s side progressed beyond a certain point, they would show up from the rear and either open the way for the ‘core force’ to advance or accelerate the unrest.
“The world’s Purifiers are daring to make a detour behind the main battle line.”
Dale asked them lightly, as if he was checking them out.
“Do you have any other dirty plans?”
“… … .”
The Purifier did not answer. He simply waved his bloody uniform around, silently showing his actions. But even as Dale, there was nothing to criticize.
“Lady Aurelia.”
Dale muttered softly, and ‘Lady Shadow’, who had been silent in Dale’s shadow, rushed forward.
“… … !”
The Valkyrie, clad in pitch-black armor, was swinging a blood-red sword right in front of their noses. The knight, who had reached the level of the Avatar, had carried out an ambush that even they had not expected.
Choaack!
Blood spurted along the crimson uniform. The sword in the shadows. The pitch-black Valkyrie swung her sword, and every time she did, blood began to spurt endlessly among the Purifiers.
‘The number is about ten.’
Dale thought calmly as he watched them quickly disperse and deploy flame magic.
“Don’t let even one of them live.”
Finally, the shadow cloak that symbolizes Dale flutters.
“Black Prince… … !”
Shadow bullets rained down indiscriminately in all directions. However, they failed to wipe out the enemies who were hiding behind wooden pillars and using magic.
Still, nothing changed.
Dale melted into the shadows, and the dark horde sprinted quickly towards one of the Purifiers hiding behind a tree.
I remembered then when I was ambushed by a mere dozen Purifiers with hundreds of cavalrymen in tow.
How much time has passed since then?
Phew!
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He plunged his shadow blade into the Purifier, who was spitting out flames in confusion. At the same time, the blade swung like a shredder, slaughtering his body, and blood and flesh were scattered in a mess. Dale snapped his fingers again in that state.
The blue magic swirling along the ground below struck down in the form of the “Blue Dissonance” that Sepia had taught me.
Without even turning his head, he aimed for the red magic that was slamming down on Dale’s back.
Flame Strike.
It intervened between the unmistakable strikes of flame, distorting the magical structure and tangling the threads. However, the number of flame magics swirling towards Dale was not just one.
He snapped his fingers again, scattering a few blue particles, which began to resonate with each other like a spider web.
“Ring out.”
Squeak!
A disgusting sound, like fingernails scraping a blackboard, rang out. The fiery spells swirling toward Dale were falling apart as if the fabric of magical power was being distorted.
“For the Empire of Ashes!”
Before he knew it, one of the Purifiers was making a loud noise and burning his body. It was a simple self-destruct spell. However, Dale was rushing towards him faster than his body was bursting and exploding.
Phew!
He narrowly missed his heart by stabbing the ‘Shadow Blade’ in the eye, and instantly fired the ‘Blue Dissonance’ like a bullet into his body. He avoided the instant death of his heart, but at a distance where the ‘Circle’ moving around his heart would not be able to avoid it.
“Ah, aaaaaaah!”
One of the Purifiers screamed. The Dispel skill of the Blue Mage, known as the natural enemy of magicians, was resonating directly within the magician’s body.
The flow of magical energy within the body was distorted and the circle began to scream. The body that was burning as if it would explode at any moment suddenly subsided.
Just turn your head away.
Except for the one in front of Dale, the last Purifier was burned to death by the sword of ‘Lady Shadow’.
“Oh, no matter how much you cause me pain, it will be of no use!”
Purifier, whose self-destruct magic had been nullified, shouted as if he couldn’t lose.
“Please think as you wish.”
Dale muttered something like, “I guess so,” and snapped his fingers.
“Shoove.”
“… … !”
At the same time, the most disgusting thing in the world began to caress Dale with several tentacles… …and began to move them slowly towards the Purifier.
Another ability that Dale acquired after reaching the level of the 4th Circle.
Swallowing the enemy’s brain.
As one of the Auror Masters of the Knights of St. Magdalene had melted into Dale’s part that day at the fight club.
‘Isn’t it dangerous?’
Dale thought for a moment. Even if the swordsmanship of the Knight of St. Magdalene is like that, Dale, who handles blue and black magic, is taking on a considerable risk by absorbing the ‘Red Wizard’.
If you fail to control your attributes, it wouldn’t be strange to suffer a near-fatal wound.
‘It’s worth it.’
But there was no need to hesitate. After shaking his head, Dale quietly closed his eyes.
About the ‘operation’ that their Purifier unit is aiming for by making a detour all the way here.
Furthermore, in order to swallow up the red ideology that the Purifier, known as the Knight of the Red Tower, had built upon the formula of slaughter.
* * *
A pitch-black castle towered over the world of the white and dark winter night.
In that world where cold and darkness swirled, a single furnace began to burn inside the castle’s great hall.
* * *
The Castle of York.
When Dale finally reached the castle, he found the helpless Marquis of York, a few retainers, and an unforgettable face.
“Sepia.”
“Dale… … !”
Dale called her name, and Sepia ran toward him, unable to hide her concern as a teacher. Concern as a teacher? No. Dale grabbed her arm, and Sepia didn’t resist.
I inadvertently recalled what Titania of York, and the Blue Sorceress Council, had said.
The hint that had been hanging over Sepia. Why she had emptied the blue tower for so long, and why she had been so willing to respond to Dale’s heart, now I could understand.
In Dale’s pocket was the crystal necklace that Titania had given him. The way to lift the spell and bring her back.
“Are you hurt?”
It was at that moment that Sepia asked Dale, who was still agitated. As usual, her voice was very kind and loving.
“… … As you can see, I am safe.”
“Yeah, that’s good to hear that.”
Sepia smiled, as if her worries had finally been relieved.
“But still, I am waging war for the House of York.”
Dale continues.
“York Street… … .”
Sepia continues.
“I was also heading to Lancaster Street, but the Blue Tower’s emissary gave me information about the area. Thanks to that, I quickly changed direction and came here.”
“Is there any other reason why you came to see me?”
“… … The war had been going on for so long that I was just worried about how things would turn out. The Black Duke happened to realize this and sent me as a messenger.”
Titania was right. At least the act of her coming to find Dale was entirely Sepia’s decision. Even if she changed the destination in the process.
‘Even if I had continued to fight on Lancaster’s side, would I have thought of using Sepia as a shield?’
After thinking about it that way, it became even more difficult to trust York and Titania.
Anyway, the war is not over. And we even got our hands on the crucial information contained in the Purifier’s head.
‘The situation has come into my palm again.’
It was just a coincidence that Dale had abandoned his front lines and was crossing the territory alone, and they had mistaken him for a scout and had ambushed him without permission.
“Sepia.”
Dale opened his mouth, leaving behind the crystal necklace he was holding in his pocket.
“Please, Sepia, lend me your strength.”
Leaving behind the burning embers in the world of the white and cold winter night.
