Episode 23
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A few days later.
Leaving Sepia’s work behind, Dale faced the ‘Trial of the Tower’ on the 11th floor. Nothing had changed.
Sepia was still Dale’s trusted teacher, and Dale was her beloved disciple.
The events of that day were nothing more than a meaningless incident, and Sepia probably didn’t even realize that it was a ‘happening’. She probably just dismissed it as the immature emotions of a ten-year-old child.
At times like this, I have mixed feelings about whether I should be happy or not about the fact that I have a child’s body.
‘Nothing will change.’
He muttered to himself as if urging himself. The test of the Black Tower was the same. It was simply to prove his existence as the most legitimate successor to the Black Tower Lord.
Every move of the lower class was relayed through a magic projector, and it went without saying who people were focusing their attention on.
The prodigy of the Duke’s family and the son of the Black Duke. That’s him.
Dale freezes his mind as he ripples the cold air and refined dark magic across his palm.
The 11th layer.
A place where you are allowed to wield your power as a wizard, along with artifacts, grimoires, and all sorts of other items available.
A place where the life point necklace cannot 100% guarantee the test subject’s life and safety.
Thanks to that, Dale’s heart felt much lighter as he faced the test itself.
There is no need to hide yourself, and no need to ‘care’ for others. It is a sense of relief, as if heavy chains have finally been released.
In the room where not even a breeze was blowing, Dale’s cloak began to flutter in all directions.
The shadow cloak, Dale’s favorite dark artifact.
‘Now that I’ve reached the level of the 3rd circle, how far can I draw out the potential of the Shadow Cloak?’
The darkness beneath his feet began to rage madly, following the shadows of the cloak’s hem.
‘The magicians of the Magic Tower are different from the knights of our duke’s house.’
And just before Dale faces the test of the tower, he recalls the advice the Duke of Saxony gave him.
‘For them, the Magic Tower itself is not an object of loyalty, but merely a ladder to their own goal.’
As a father and also the lord of the tower who reigns at the top of the magic tower.
‘Then what do you think is needed to gain the loyalty of the Magic Tower?’
‘What is it?’
‘It’s scary.’
horror.
That is why he showed such activity in the ‘Battle for Life Points’ of the first tier.
The fear that comes from an overwhelming power gap that cannot be resisted.
You cannot rule without reigning.
To Dale, the Duke of Saxony was a father who was sometimes strict, but extremely kind and considerate. But to those in the Black Tower and those outside the North, the name of the ‘Black Duke’ had an unspeakable reputation.
Likewise, the words of those who opposed the House of Saxony were no exception.
So Dale looked up, recalling his father’s advice.
──The Tower Test, Level 11. The test is in the form of a ‘Tournament through Magic Duel’.
Similar to the first test of the first tier, ‘Battle for Life Points’, this is a test method that has the meaning of weeding out.
However, the opponents are no longer rookies at the level of academy graduates. The arena for a duel where the testers from the previous batch join to face the official magicians of the Black Tower.
‘But it’s not like he’s someone worth making a fuss about.’
They are no different in that they are targets that must be subdued through an overwhelming power gap. And in that respect, the opponent in front of Dale will likely have the same thoughts.
The 3rd Circle Master of the Black Tower, Elbert Rosenheim. He too is burning with passion to prove himself by defeating the ‘Son of the Black Duke’.
Soon, the whistle signaling the start of the magic duel blew──no, a few seconds before the whistle blew.
“Dark Arrow.”
Phew!
The opposing warlock, Elbert, unleashed a dark arrow with a quick chant.
He used attack magic before the duel even started.
Clear cheating.
‘Oh my, look at this?’
Even Dale was startled by that blow, and had to hastily accelerate the circle of his heart.
Even if it’s just a few seconds, it’s enough time for a skilled wizard to pronounce a few phrases.
A pitch-black blade rose from the shadow cloak and deflected the arrows of darkness.
As he was about to block a single arrow, dozens of Dark Arrows were already pulling the strings of their magical bows behind Elbert’s back.
‘… … Hoo.’
Arrows of darkness that multiply endlessly and swirl like a storm. The number is far beyond what a single 3rd circle can handle.
And it wasn’t that difficult to figure out what it was.
‘You’re using an artifact from the amplification system.’
Since he is a wizard who has surpassed the 10th level, it wouldn’t be strange if he had a few artifacts.
Although it was not comparable to the level of the Duke of Saxony.
“Haha, how is it! Prince Dale!”
Control the tempo of the battle through a negative start, and continue the offensive without end by borrowing the power of the artifact.
Taat!
Dale kicked the ground and ran to avoid the hail of arrows that were pouring down like a bomb.
‘That’s how it comes out.’
The cheating is boldly displayed from the start, but there is no sign or indication of an attempt to stop the duel.
The onlookers failed to appreciate the significance of this subtle difference, and those who could understand it remained silent in order to test Dale.
Indeed, cleverly, the opponent also knows this fact and tries to take advantage of it.
‘This is why I hate wizards.’
A knight who values loyalty to his lord’s family as a virtue and a wizard who pursues his own world have different personalities.
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A thoroughgoing focus on skill. A battle of eating or being eaten.
The fact that he is the son of the Black Knight is nothing more than a tool for them to prove themselves.
“Now, now! Rise and swear eternal obedience before this body!”
Soon, while Dale was concentrating on defense, Elbert began to raise the scattered corpses.
“You bloodthirsty seeds of darkness deeper than pitch darkness!”
A spell full of exaggerated formulas, typical of self-intoxicated wizards.
‘I’m so embarrassed.’
But aside from the fact that it’s embarrassing to the listener and terribly inefficient, the effect is definitely amplified in proportion to its length and adjectives.
Simultaneously with the resurrection of the dead, an endless barrage of black magic arrows pours down, using the power of the artifact.
In the end, drawing out the power of the artifact is also the skill of the caster. The title of Senior 3rd Circle Master was certainly not an empty title.
‘You’re better than the rookies.’
Dale continues to focus on defense and remains silent. It’s not that he’s in a defensive position. Even if the opponent has taken the lead unfairly, it’s within the expected range for Dale, who has been through it all.
If he were to make that move, a single Ice Bullet would be enough for Dale to take down his opponent.
I just want to give it a chance.
To wait until he can unleash all the power he can show.
Destroying the opponent’s proof would be the most certain proof.
Soon, the undead soldiers, strengthened by a grand spell, surrounded Dale.
“Attack, seeds of darkness!”
Confident of his victory, the senior 3rd Circle Master, Elbert, raised his voice again.
“… … There’s nothing more to show you now, right?”
Dale asked as he watched the scene. At that very moment, the dead began to kick the ground and rush towards Dale.
At Dale’s feet, pitch-black blades shot out toward the skulls of the dead that were rushing in from all directions.
Kwajik!
To precisely tear and dig into the cracks in the skull, to fix the movements of the dead.
Shh.
Elbert Rosenheim smiled faintly, as if he had expected this.
“Corpse bomb.”
Corpse explosion. With a murmur, the bodies of the dead who were pinned before Dale’s nose exploded all at once.
“This is the end, Your Majesty!”
The flesh, blood, and bones of the dead exploded like grenades and scattered. Fine bone fragments that could not be blocked by the shadow cloak rushed in sharply.
But it was too late to build a wall of ice.
A desperate situation.
But Dale, too, had a villainous smile on his face, as if he had known that would happen.
“… … !”
The dark, hazy shadow beneath his feet vaguely enveloped Dale’s body. Dale’s flesh and bones lost their substance and collapsed on the spot.
As if melting into the darkness, into the swarm of shadows writhing beneath my feet.
A new use for the Artifact Shadow Cloak.
‘Ghost’.
A horde of shadows on the ground began to rush at a terrifying speed towards the senior 3rd Circle Master in front of him.
──As Sir Helmut said, distance is everything when fighting a wizard.
Secondly, Dale himself is a wizard.
“Hee, heek!”
A dark mass began to take shape around Elbert’s feet, forming a ‘bone-like shape’.
“You’re telling me to cheat before we even start the duel.”
Right behind his back.
“──Isn’t that too cowardly to deal with a mere child?”
The distance between the two people was completely reduced. The shadows created by the cloak began to glow.
Like a school of piranhas smelling blood underwater.
“I’m hungry, I’m hungry, I’m hungry!”
“Can I eat it? Can I eat it?”
“Let me eat quickly!”
At the cries of the hungry shadows, Dale smiled softly. After smiling, he muttered coldly.
“──Don’t eat too much.”
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Artifact for artifact.
With those words, a horde of hungry shadows began to crawl up Elbert’s ankles, as if they were being wrapped in hundreds of dark snakes.
“Ahh, ahhh, ahhhh!”
Even though I was struggling and throwing tantrums like crazy, it was already too late.
A horde of living shadows gape open their mouths.
Kaang!
As soon as the ‘valid hit’ is established, the ‘Life Point Necklace’ around Elbert’s neck activates shield magic and breaks.
But in the face of the endlessly hungry hordes of shadows, there was only so much shield magic could do.
The life point necklace cannot 100% guarantee the life and safety of the test subject.
“Oh, I’m still not used to controlling these guys.”
Dale laughed as if it was someone else’s business. Very coldly.
“Ahhh, ahhhh!”
An ear-piercing scream rang out.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Hungry shadows gnaw at your ankles, chest and shoulders, tearing and tearing at your flesh and sucking your blood, narrowly avoiding your vital points and organs.
The predation was so painful that I didn’t want to die, but it was so painful that I wanted to die.
I had to show it.
The difference in power that cannot be resisted, and the fear that comes from that difference.
Only after Elbert’s body was torn to pieces and he was barely able to breathe did Dale finally mutter.
“Get out.”
A swarm of rampaging shadows gathered at Dale’s feet.
Before that gruesome sight, silence descended.
Those in the audience, needless to say, and even the black magicians of the black tower were speechless and remained silent.
But this was the way of the House of Saxony, and by extension, the way of the Black Duke.
For that reason, no one could dare doubt that Dale was the ‘rightful successor to the Black Knight’.
* * *
──The Tower Test, Level 11.
The winner advances through a magic duel, the second round.
“I declare defeat!”
Round 3.
“Surrender! I surrender!”
Finally, until the final match.
“I want to live… … .”
Except for one fight, all of Dale’s fights were by-wins.
It was a really disappointing ending, but considering how Elbert ended up trying to prove himself to Dale.
It must have been the best decision they could have made.
