Episode 175
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“Does that mean you have the qualifications to be a Shadow Lord?”
“Yes.”
He did not mean to claim that he was the ruler of this dark elf kingdom out of the blue. However, even this vast elven kingdom was part of the conflict between gold and shadow, and ultimately, the throne that Dale claimed referred to the entire empire of shadow.
“Against the Golden Empire, I will not hesitate to become the king of those who willingly claim the shadow.”
“You are truly admirable, human child.”
At Dale’s words, the old woman on the mountain burst into laughter again.
“So, you said you would be willing to become the Lord of Shadows?”
“Yes.”
“Then let me ask you something. What on earth is a shadow?”
The old woman on the mountain asked back. Dale opened his mouth and remained silent for a moment. A shadow is a shadow. But what she wanted was not such an easy answer.
“Do you claim to be the king of darkness? Isn’t that already the rule of your father, the lord of darkness and death?”
The Old Woman of the Mountain, and furthermore the Dark Elves themselves, are by no means ignorant of the Empire. Indeed, in a sense, they are those who understand the secrets of the Empire more deeply than Dale.
“Gold and shadow, what is it that defines us as the forces of gold and shadow in the first place? Why does the lord of fire and blood claim to be the rider of gold, and the lord of darkness and death claim to be the rider of shadow?”
What she was saying was the true names of the Bloody Ball and the Black Ball, without a doubt. That was why Dale held his breath.
“Answer me, what do you stand against and over what do you claim to be the lord?”
Her question undoubtedly hit Dale square in the face.
As the Black Gong said, he simply dismissed the conflict between gold and shadow as an ancient fanaticism and decided to become the king of those beings who simply called themselves shadows. But what was it that distinguished them as gold and shadow in the first place?
“Do you not even know what you are becoming the king of, and have you decided to become their king simply because they have volunteered to be your standard-bearer?”
“… … .”
It was just a literal test.
As the Shadow Lord, what exactly is Dale claiming to be the Lord of? It’s not just because Dale is called that, it’s because he claims to be their standard-bearer for some shallow reason.
The Old Woman on the Mountain was truly testing Dale’s credentials as a monarch.
The conflict between gold and shadow has been going on since time immemorial. In the midst of this conflict, each force claimed to be its own leader and continued to come together and split. However, as she said, Dale was missing the most important point.
What defines them as gold and shadow?
On what basis does the ‘Black Prince’ call the Shadow Monarch king?
It is the job of Dale’s father, the Black Duke, to claim the title of King of Darkness. It is the job of the Red Tower Lord, the Bloody Duke, Marquis Yuris, to claim the title of King of the Sea of Blood flowing through this land. Those who claim to be monarchs are at least those who claim to be great.
──Then what about gold and shadow?
I thought of Arthur the Great, the unforgettable enemy of Dale, who reigned at the top of the empire. What made him the golden monarch?
Wealth? Gold wealth? No. Then, it would not be the emperor or the empire that would become the Golden Lord, but the city master or the bank president of the Guild City. But no. Even if they had accumulated a fortune of a thousand gold coins, they would never truly become the ‘Golden Lord.’
So what makes gold gold and shadow shadow?
“You really are so funny, you human child.”
The old woman on the mountain, who knew the truth, laughed again.
“Do you not even know what you are the lord of, and have only loyal riders, so that you have declared yourself king over them? Just as you once called yourself ‘heir to the House of Saxony’ simply because you were born the eldest son of the Duke of Saxony?”
“… … !”
Dale swallowed. The old woman continued speaking, not caring.
“I do not wish to deny the nobility and injustice of birth. However, I simply wish to say that the weight of the name of the Shadow Lord you speak of is far greater than you can imagine.”
It’s not like Shubna or ‘Death’ knows the truth about Dale, but that doesn’t mean her comments lose their meaning.
Silence settled like a feather.
“Do you need my help, child?”
Just then, the Goddess of Shadows… …the Mother of Old Darkness and Black Abundance asked.
Not in the form of a young girl as usual, but in the form of a mature and dignified lady above all else.
It wouldn’t be difficult to overcome this situation by borrowing her strength.
“Okay, Shub.”
But Dale shook his head quietly at her. At the same time, his hesitation did not last long.
“Everyone has a skeleton in their closet.”
Dale said.
“Hoo.”
The old woman on the mountain smiled as if she found those words interesting.
“Where there is light, there is shadow, and none of us can escape the shadow. In other words, everything that exists has a shadow.”
Dale said. It was not a temporary measure to escape the current situation or anything, but simply to put into words the ‘truth of the shadow’ that he had realized through the old woman on the mountain’s question.
“Even the most brilliantly shining jewels, even beings with a thousand gold coins and powers, cannot be exceptions to that rule.”
“Then I ask again, you human child who calls yourself the King of Shadows.”
Only then did the old woman on the mountain ask back with a frozen expression.
“What is a shadow?”
And Dale answered.
“──It is a truth that cannot be escaped.”
A skeleton that everyone wants to hide in their closet.
“The golden empire, and even the golden monarch, cover their wealth with shining gold… … as if they were the monarchs of lies. I stand against them and willingly become the monarchs of those who call themselves the standard-bearers of truth.”
The empire that Dale seeks to bring about as monarch against the Empire of Fire and Light.
He spent his entire life as a warrior of the Empire, sacrificing himself to their lies and gold. However, Dale was the one who understood more deeply than anyone else the ugliness hidden within that gold.
Gold and jewels, the way they adorn their existence, are like covering up their truth. The dazzling gold is the very symbol of that lie.
That’s why Dale proclaims himself ‘the Shadow Lord’ against their golden empire.
Dale continued speaking without a moment’s hesitation, finally contemplating the weight of it.
Because I finally understood the ugliest truth about Dale’s enemy, the Golden Lord, and the empire he was putting forward.
“I am willing to become the Lord of Truth for those who call themselves my riders.”
So, those words were by no means a lie or anything to cover up the current situation.
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It was another realization.
Kwajik!
The circles surrounding his heart began to shake madly. Even the tentacles of Shuve surrounding the fifth circle were no exception.
After the 3rd circle, the growth of a magician is by no means a matter of skill or knowledge. Nevertheless, the reason why there are few high-ranking magicians in the history of the continent is because even if they witness the enlightenment, they do not have enough depth to understand it.
But Dale’s case was an exception.
The magician who had just reached the 5th circle and was about to settle down was once again faced with an epiphany, based on his experiences in two lives.
“Hoo… … !”
In the midst of the twisted heart and the turmoil of mana, the dark-blooded body exploded and engulfed Dale’s existence.
Avatar of the Shadow Lord.
A whisper was heard. The whispers that echoed everywhere like an unidentifiable noise finally took shape in Dale’s head.
In Dale’s sight, wrapped in the armor of Dark Blood, the shadows of this world were finally reflected.
The truth lies in the pouring heat of the earth and the light disappearing, and in the dark shadows cast.
Master Baro’s shadow, and furthermore, his truth was unfolding like a movie within the shadow.
The mad lord went berserk and demanded that his daughter be killed, and Master Baro disobeyed his lord’s orders and became a disgrace to the knights.
‘Help me, now. Now!’
‘Don’t worry, miss. I will protect you.’
Young lady, for the sake of the Shadow Saintess, he willingly sacrificed the honor of the Continent’s Seven Swords and everything as a knight. That was his shadow, that was his truth.
In Dale’s eyes, the truth in the shadows was finally reflected.
The Eye of Truth held by the Shadow Lord.
I turned my head again and looked at the old woman on the mountain.
To find the truth in her shadow. That was the moment.
“It’s still too early for you to handle it.”
Kaang!
Before he knew it, the mountain woman’s sword swung, and the shadow armor avatar… … The dark blood armor shattered, and Dale’s vision returned. At the same time, the shadows reflected in Dale’s eyes also disappeared.
“Oh my, shit.”
Dale’s body staggered and lost its balance, and Master Baro urgently supported Dale. The absurd consumption of magical power, incomparable to that of any time he had ever deployed an Avatar, and even more fatigue was tormenting Dale’s brain.
“What the heck is this… … .”
“How do you feel about witnessing the shadows of this world with the eyes of truth?”
“Is this the power of the Shadow Lord?”
The ability to see beyond the veil of gold and lies.
“… … Did the Immortal Frederick also see the same sight that I did?”
“What do you think, child?”
“… … .”
After a moment of silence, Dale shook his head.
“He didn’t have the ‘eyes of truth.’”
Even though he called himself the first Shadow Lord, nothing changed.
“The blood of Saxony, the old dark mother who exists with you… … these are just the smallest things.”
“… … .”
“In the current empire, there are those who understand the value of gold, but there are none who understand the value of shadows.”
The old woman on the mountain said.
“It is never easy to understand the value of truth, child of man.”
Dale nodded silently.
“But I cannot help but agree that you have finally taken your first steps as the ‘Shadow Lord’.”
As she spoke, the old woman on the mountain finally turned her head. She pointed to the dark elf kingdom that stretched endlessly beyond the horizon.
“Now, please come to my kingdom.”
“… … !”
“As the Lord of the Desert and the Sands, I am happy to meet the Lord of Shadows.”
The Old Woman of the Mountain, the queen of the dark elf kingdom, smiled.
At the same time, the assassins on the mountain all knelt down, and Master Baro muttered as if it were someone else’s business as he watched them.
“Hey, damn it.”
