Episode 179
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“Why did you not summon me to the council, Your Majesty?”
The Crystal Prince, son of the Crystal Queen and brother of the wise elf, spoke.
“Prince!”
A few Snow Elf Councillors held their breath in bewilderment, while the Dark Elves remained silent.
“Why did you choose such a foolish action, allowing a human being into the sacred council of our people?”
“… … .”
The Prince of Crystal opened his mouth threateningly, while the Frost Watchers behind him radiated an indescribable sense of intimidation.
“You are no exception to entering the council without permission, child.”
“This is not something that the old woman on the mountain, who cannot properly execute a single traitor to her own people, should get involved in. This is a matter for ‘our kingdom’ after all.”
The Prince of Crystal opened his mouth without paying any attention. The expressions of several dark elves froze at those words, and the old woman of the mountain simply smiled peacefully.
“No, it’s not that we can’t execute them in the first place. We just don’t execute them.”
“Yes, that is true. Our Fairy Council has decided to place the exiled Sepia under the protection of the ‘Black Prince’ following the Blue Tower.”
The old woman on the mountain said.
“I can’t accept it.”
“… … It’s not something you can accept or reject.”
“mother!”
Just then, the silent Crystal Queen opened her mouth. The Crystal Prince raised his voice as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Can we guarantee that the legacy of the old empire that lies in the heart of that traitor will not fall into the hands of the Imperial Elves?”
“there is.”
Dale answered.
“But if you are so worried about Sepia’s grimoire falling into the hands of the Imperial Elves, wouldn’t it be better to just return Sepia to her homeland?”
He shrugged his shoulders as if he was going to be kicked out from the start.
“What do humans know about our kingdom that they are talking about?”
The Prince of Crystal opened his mouth, his voice emitting a chill that seemed to freeze him.
“Her actions were in themselves a disgrace to her people and an act of treason that endangered the rule of House Crystalia.”
“Aren’t you grateful that the prince is still alive thanks to that treason?”
Dale asked back mockingly, and it was at that moment.
Sling.
The Prince of Crystal pulled out the rapier on his waist, held it in the opposite hand, and thrust the hilt down. Not at his enemy, but at his own heart.
Phew!
The tip of the rapier pierced the Crystal Prince’s chest and came out behind his back, but no blood flowed.
“Are you asking me to be thankful for this ugly curse that breaks providence by its very existence?”
Only after hearing that did I finally understand. For the elves, going against providence is an unforgivable sin and shame in itself.
Furthermore, for those who value honor more than death, it would have been like a scarlet letter that could never be erased for the rest of their lives.
“Oh, that’s perfect timing.”
That’s why Dale sneered coldly.
“Your Majesty, you are so desperately seeking death, and I happen to know the price of ‘death’ that no one can match.”
“… … !”
Dale spoke, thinking of his father, the Lord of Darkness and Death. The Crystal Prince swallowed his breath as he pondered the implications.
“Why are you agitated?”
Dale tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand.
“My father could provide the Prince with the ‘honorable death’ he so desperately desires with a gesture of his hand.”
‘Black Prince’ continues speaking without hiding his ridicule.
“Actually, you don’t want to die, do you?”
Desperately, he spoke the truth beyond the shadows he was hiding. It was not information obtained through the eyes of truth.
Reading other people’s minds doesn’t necessarily have to be Lee Hyung’s ability.
“The prince’s survival was by no means his own will, and that is why he is desperately putting on a show to appeal to that fact.”
“How dare you… … !”
At the same time, the Prince of Crystal pulled the rapier out of his chest. After pulling it out, he turned the hilt and kicked the ground. But then.
Choaack!
“Enough is enough, dear.”
An invisible sword wind swept through. It was as if it was drawing a boundary between Dale and the Prince of Crystal. However, in front of the swirling whirlpool of blades, the ‘Black Prince’ maintained his composure without even a single movement.
The Prince of Correction did not.
Stop your ground-kicking movements and quickly move away.
“The prince who wants to die but cannot, is truly a coward.”
“You… … !”
Dale sneered coldly at the sight. The prince was about to raise his voice again at the mockery.
“I told you to stop there.”
Behind him, the old woman from the mountain appeared without a sound. She spoke with a voice devoid of even a hint of emotion, as if she had stopped accepting the child’s whining.
Her sword was aimed at the nape of the Crystal Prince’s neck.
“If you don’t, I will personally grant you the ‘death’ you so desperately desire.”
“… … I guess there was no need to even go see your father.”
Just then, one of Dale’s hairs was cut off as he spat out the taunt.
“Would you please shut your mouth?”
“I’ll be happy to oblige.”
Dale bowed his head politely and smiled. In the silence, the old woman continued speaking.
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“My dear Song of Crystal, as you say, I have no idea what happens in the Kingdom of Crystal.”
The tip of the sword she held was imbued with a blood-red aura, just like Master Baro.
“But do not forget that this is not the Kingdom of Crystal, and that ‘my Kingdom’ also joins this place.”
“… … Oh, I understand.”
The Lord of the Desert and Sand spoke. He nodded feebly, his expression turning pale at the sight of the Crystal Prince.
At the same time, the old woman on the mountain, who had a blade pointed at his neck, was sitting on the seat that had been created for her.
It wasn’t even something that could be called divine speed. I could understand. That it matched the secret technique that Master Baro possessed.
No, rather, she is the original owner of that ability.
“Then let’s get back to the agenda.”
In the meantime, Dale continued speaking without a care.
“Instead of the Blue Tower, we at Saxony and the Black Tower will gladly guarantee the safety of Lady Sepia. Old Lady of the Mountain, will you not take this fact into account and put away your sword aimed at her?”
Dale said, and the old woman on the mountain laughed in amusement.
“So be it. Queen of Crystal, do you agree?”
She asked the Lord of Cold and Crystal beside her, and she nodded silently.
“Very well, in keeping with the noble traditions of our race, one agenda has been passed.”
The old woman on the mountain spoke loudly. It was an irrevocable promise, and Dale smiled quietly.
With this, one threat to Sepia was eliminated. But that was by no means the only threat facing Sepia.
The legacy of the Elven Empire that lies at the heart of Sepia.
He understood the truth she held, and at the same time, he had no hesitation in taking on the threat. Sepia’s enemy had been Dale’s enemy from the beginning, and to put it bluntly, it was like getting a bait that could catch Dale’s enemy.
The Red Tower and the Blood Heirs.
Bloody Duke Yuris and his clan.
From now on, it will be the role of the ‘Black Prince’ to protect Sepia from them.
“But the next agenda isn’t over yet.”
Just then, the old woman on the mountain opened her mouth again. In addition to Sepia’s disposal, there was another issue that the Fairy Council had to resolve.
“By the ancient oath, we claim to be the standard-bearers of the Shadow, and this human child before us claims to be the ‘Lord of Shadow.’”
The old woman on the mountain continued speaking in a solemn voice.
“And we, the Elven Council, will decide whether this human child is truly worthy of our allegiance as a Shadow Lord.”
The atmosphere of the elves, who had been keeping silent about Sepia’s treatment, suddenly changed. An air of hostility and distrust that could not be compared to before was felt.
It can’t be helped. You can’t win their kingdom’s loyalty from the start.
“Ha, you said Shadow Lord!”
Only at those words did the silent Prince Crystal burst into laughter, as if he couldn’t stand the laughter.
“Do you think that little brat even understands the meaning of those words?”
The old woman on the mountain shrugged her shoulders at the ridicule and said:
“I think I understand it pretty well.”
She spoke, and the weight of her words was anything but light.
The fact that the monarch of one of the two elven kingdoms had personally acknowledged Dale’s qualifications.
Moreover, the old woman on the mountain was by no means a queen who ruled the country while scribbling papers in her office.
“Your Majesty the Queen, I cannot agree.”
Nevertheless, understanding the gravity of the act, one of the dark elf council members spoke up.
“Even if he truly deserves to be a monarch, he has nothing to prove other than loyalty.”
“Ah, what you said is true too.”
The old woman on the mountain nodded, smiling happily.
“This human child before us has not yet proven anything to us.”
Quite a few elves agreed with those words.
It was just then.
Blue butterflies flew up.
“… … !”
Dale swallowed his breath as he realized what it meant, and the elves were no exception.
Only two people, the two queens who ruled the land of zeal and crystal, could maintain peace.
“You’re here now?”
─ Oh, please forgive my laziness, old woman of the mountain.
A cheerful voice was heard. Hearing that voice, I could intuitively understand. It was the one who ruled the tower of intrigue and lies, the blue black curtain.
─ As one who calls himself a rider of the shadows according to the ancient oath, I simply wanted to speak up.
“Tell me.”
Only with those words did the Queen of Crystal break her silence and open her mouth.
‘Wasn’t the Queen of Crystal the Blue Tower?’
As Dale listened to the conversation between the two men, he thought calmly. One candidate who had some chance of success was eliminated from the list.
─ The Shadow Lord has already proven many things to the Empire and our Blue Tower. And it may not be too harsh to demand achievements from the Lord who has finally set foot on your kingdom.
“What do you want to say?”
The Queen of Crystal asked back. The blue butterfly continued, fluttering its wings.
─ The Frost of the End.
“… … !”
At those words, there were gasps here and there. Nevertheless, the blue curtain paid no attention and continued speaking.
─ There, where the indelible scars of the old Elven Empire are engraved, our lord will gladly prove it.
The ruins of an old elven empire where the Frost Watchers risk their lives to carry out their mission.
“great.”
At those words, Dale nodded without hesitation.
“I always welcome any test that can prove me.”
The Shadow Lord spoke. His answer was without a shred of hesitation.
