Episode 217
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With the throne of the Duke of Lancaster now vacant, all branches of the Lancaster family were gathered together to secure that very seat.
“How dare a woman with no blood in the Lancaster family covet my brother’s throne?”
The Archduke’s younger brother, John Lancaster, sneered with a cold expression. Furthermore, the Lancaster collaborators who had gathered around him also poured out jeers and ridicule.
It’s a meaningless idle game before the war starts.
“His Royal Highness has officially designated me as the rightful heir to the House of Lancaster.”
In front of him, the girl who had the Heavenly Sword in her hand opened her mouth.
“I believe you are aware that in the Test of the Sword, the words were announced in the name of the Imperial House.”
Just the truth as it is, plainly.
“That very Duke of Lancaster died, at that very Saxon wedding.”
“Yes, that woman was nothing more than a puppet who relied on Saxony from the beginning! She must have harbored some suspicious ulterior motive and is definitely following His Excellency the Archduke of Lancaster!”
“From one to ten, Your Highness the Grand Duke is at the mercy of Saxony!”
“The assassination of my eldest son, Prince Richard, was also extremely suspicious! His death on Saxon territory was clearly a cunning plot by Saxony!”
There were screams everywhere, but Dale remained silent.
Likewise, among the heads of the Lancaster collateral line, there was a familiar face who officially referred to himself as ‘Lancaster’.
He was the adopted son of the Blood Lord, formerly known as Ray Yuris, and heir to the Red Tower.
That fact meant only one thing: that the background they believed in was ultimately the Red Tower.
Furthermore, with the golden opportunity to virtually engulf the House of Lancaster in the Red Tower, they will not act passively as they did during the previous Wars of the Roses.
In comparison, it is not politically easy for Dale to directly move the ‘Army of Saxony’. As they claim, it would be seen as an intention to swallow up the Lancaster family from the beginning.
Nevertheless, war cannot be avoided.
Dale, after finishing his thoughts, opened his mouth softly.
“After listening to your words, I thought deeply about it.”
The ‘Black Prince’ of Saxony opened his mouth, and the attention of everyone in the Great Hall of the Ilsun Castle was focused. Silence fell.
“And I cannot deny that my wife, Charlotte Lancaster, has more validity in her claims.”
“Don’t make me laugh! This was from the beginning, you Saxons trying to swallow up the Lancaster family──”
It was just then.
Phew!
The shadow cloak spread out from the footsteps of Dale, covering the area in darkness. The Lancaster lords gasped in shock at the act. Ray Lancaster remained silent.
“There is no way I can’t kill everyone here and take this place by force.”
“… … !”
“Keeeeeek!”
In the Lake of Darkness, the roars of the Shadow Lurkers, who had been reborn as beings beyond their adulthood, echoed. As Dale grew, so too did these creatures grow, and by this point, they were truly worthy of the name of monster.
But they never showed up. There was just a freezing silence in the room, and then they continued to talk.
“The reason I don’t do that is because I don’t want to tarnish the legitimacy that the Duke of Lancaster has given to his daughter.”
The Shadow Lord said.
“His Majesty the Grand Duke risked becoming a traitor to the Empire and personally passed on the plum sword of the ‘Sacred Sword Badel’ to Charlotte Orhart, and furthermore, in the sword test, he took Charlotte as his adopted daughter and designated her as the successor to the Lancaster family. This fact has already been announced in the name of the Imperial Family.”
Calmly, politically, counting the cards he has.
“And above all, it was not we, Saxons, who overthrew His Majesty Lancaster. Don’t you here know this well?”
Dale asked coldly, looking at the red enforcer who remained silent among them.
“The fact that the father of ‘Ray Lancaster’ who lives there is the Bloody Duke.”
“… … .”
“On the contrary, the Duke of Lancaster has pointed to the Bloody Duke as the one behind the assassination of his eldest son, Prince Richard. You must not be unaware of this fact. Do you intend to cover the sky with your palm?”
Dale sneered coldly, and only then did the Red Heir break the silence.
“What do you wish for, Black Prince of Saxony?”
“Charlotte Lancaster is the legitimate heir to the Lancaster family. That’s all.”
“I believe that my wife, Lynne Lancaster, is also not lacking in such legitimacy.”
“Are you thinking of going to war, Ray Lancaster?”
“The Black Prince said that he had no intention of usurping Lancaster with the Saxon army. How could he wage war without a single soldier?”
Ray asked, and Dale answered coldly.
“You don’t have to worry about my soldiers.”
And as they pondered the implications of those words, the heads of the Lancaster collateral families held their breath.
“I will fight not for Saxony, but for the honor and legitimacy of my wife Charlotte Lancaster.”
“Even if the Prince of Saxony were to take this castle by force and seize it, the Duke of Lancaster’s territory would still be very large.”
Ray Lancaster answered.
“This is not a battle that can be won by simply capturing a few castles or fortresses.”
That’s right. No matter how strong you are, this is a game where you can only win if you gain control of the legitimacy of the entire Lancaster Archduke’s domain, or in other words, the will of Heaven. In that sense, no matter how certain your legitimacy is, as long as you turn the collateral branches, lower nobles, and vassals that make up the ‘Archduke of Lancaster’ into enemies, it will never be easy to win.
“I am deeply concerned about that.”
Nevertheless, Dale nodded quietly.
“Well then, shall we take over this castle through force, just as Prince Ray said?”
And then he opened his mouth as if he had no hesitation.
“Gah, what dare you do… …!”
Voices of bewilderment were heard from all over, but nothing changed. The Shadow Lurkers emerged from the dark lake that was flooding the area. They were transformed into ridiculously large monsters, raising their sickle-shaped limbs as if to show off.
Those who were holding swords drew them, while those who were not could only tremble in shock.
It was just then.
Hurrruk!
Flames rose. A barrier of flames surrounded them to protect Ray Lancaster and the collateral heads who were gathered around him.
It was an ark of fire.
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It was as if the entire world was covered in darkness and the final flame was burning.
And right towards that flame, blood-red petals rushed out of the darkness.
The blade petals swirled and tore the flames apart. The ark of fire was torn to pieces, and the last survivors were left trembling in fear.
“Your Majesty Lei is right. If we kill all of them here, we will never be able to gain Heaven’s favor.”
The Shadow Lord said.
“Therefore, I will gladly show mercy.”
In a voice devoid of even a shred of emotion.
“From now on, I will continue to fight until every single ‘ex-Lancaster’ who denies the legitimacy of my wife Charlotte Lancaster is willing to change their minds.”
“… … !”
“We will not stop until we burn their lands, their people, their castles, and their soldiers, and shout for their surrender. We will not care how vast this land is or how many hostile lords there are.”
Through the order of power that the Empire and the Red Tower so revered.
“That is why now is the last chance. It is the chance to become my wife’s standard-bearer without any injuries and gain the glory and honor that comes with victory.”
It was literally an ultimatum: those who disobeyed would pay the price, and those who complied would not.
“Don’t worry, Prince Lei will not harm those who come to me.”
Dale said that and smiled coldly.
“In a fight to win the heart of heaven, Prince Lei would not commit such an extremely cruel act.”
“……great.”
Ray Lancaster nodded silently.
It is not that they do not know the infamy and cruelty of the Black Prince, the Dale of Saxony. That is why even those who have been desperately insisting on the legitimacy of Lancaster until now had to think in this fear.
Because standing in line is the first step to nobility.
Ray Lancaster and the red tower behind him, is this rope they are holding really the right one?
In the end, it is not they who will sit on the throne of the Archduke. Charlotte Lancaster and Linnaeus Lancaster… … In other words, it is nothing more than a power struggle between the House of Saxony and the House of Julius.
All they want to do is pick a winner, fight for them, and then get the scraps they want.
It’s not like it’s some other plausible mission or anything.
So it didn’t take long for Dale’s threats to change their minds.
The heads of the collateral and vassal families gathered in the great hall in the Janggo began to make their own decisions and hold onto their own ropes.
“Prince Dale.”
Just then, Ray opened his mouth among the hyenas moving in unison.
“I was always blocked and defeated by the wall of ‘Black Prince’.”
“… … .”
“I’m not sure if I can beat you in this fight, to be honest.”
Ray said so, and upon hearing that, several more heads of household quickly rushed towards the ‘new rope’.
“But I have sworn to prevent the winter you bring, and to bring the spark of spring to this world.”
─ Child of Lies, shall I tell you the truth? You are not even close to the feet of that child, the Shadow Lord.
That day, in the winter of space, the truth that Ray Yuris faced was that his existence was destined to never reach the Shadow Lord’s toes. Even though he knew this, nothing changed.
“Because I will never let this world end in ice.”
“Unfortunately, I’m not very interested in the end of the world.”
The Shadow Lord laughed when he heard that. It was as if Ray Lancaster’s existence had never entered his sights from the beginning.
“But I, too, have no intention of surrendering to Prince Ray.”
For the Shadow Lord, the end of the world was really a good thing.
