Episode 243
* * *
The troops scattered across the front lines gathered, and only then did the silent Golden Monarch begin to move.
Towards the frozen lands of the Northern Grand Prince, the Duke of Saxony.
It was a large army comparable to that of the unification war, and countless strong men were joining the army.
The days of looking down at the map and fighting over each other’s chess pieces are over.
It was a time of strength against strength, a clash between the strong and the strong, proving the ‘justice of strength’ that the Golden Emperor cried out for.
At that moment, in the room of the Duchy of Saxony.
“Haha, damn it. This is just f*cking nonsense, this is f*cking nonsense.”
Master Baro, the leader of the secret police force 《Grave Walkers》 under the direct command of the Duke of Saxony, spat out a curse.
“I have reported that the Red Tower and White Tower Lords, as well as all the high-ranking magicians of both towers, are participating.”
Dale nodded calmly as he counted the enemy’s moving forces and reported the information.
Led by the Duke of Saxony, the House of Saxony and the leading princes of the Saxon faction who were cooperating with him were gathered together.
Looking down at the map showing the route the Emperor was advancing along.
“With two towers, the fortress’s defense-in-depth strategy is meaningless.”
“It goes without saying that he stands at the top of the Red Tower.”
Sir Helmuth Blackbear, who commands the Saxon Sword, spoke, and Dale nodded. It was not Dale who did not know the power of their Red Tower, which was called the siege god.
“Rather than trying to block the enemy’s advance in a clumsy manner, we should prepare ourselves for sacrifice and counterattack with a rotation from the beginning.”
“It will be a great battle of unprecedented scale.”
“We are all prepared for that.”
The one who took Dale’s word was his wife, Charlotte of Saxony, also known as the Archduchess of Lancaster.
“The Knights of Lancaster and the Rosicrucian Order will not hesitate to shed their blood in this battle.”
Charlotte said, not hesitating to become Dale’s sword, and Dale smiled quietly.
“Even if we shed blood, we shed it together. It is not a good decision to pass the sacrifice on to someone else.”
“Oh my, you are so kind that doesn’t suit the name of the Black Knight.”
At those words, Mistress Titania, the head of House York and self-proclaimed shadow rider, laughed.
Furthermore, there were wizards wearing blue robes, led by her.
Sorceresses who are not gathered through a bond of consciousness, but who clearly reveal their true nature.
The blue elders who once served the shadows and did not hesitate to become the standard-bearers of that very war.
“How much weight do you think the strongmen on both sides have on the scales?”
“You won’t know until you try.”
Mistress Titania said with a smile.
“But I dare say that the number of those who volunteer to be strong beyond the standard will be overwhelmingly superior to the Empire.”
It is not necessary for the name to spread throughout the continent. The high-ranking purifiers of the Red Tower, the white mages of the White Tower, and the master templars.
“But if we were to choose the ‘out-of-the-box strong ones’ among the truly out-of-the-box strong ones… … I think their numbers would probably be more in our favor.”
“… … .”
There were two rich men, the Black Lord and the Black Lord, who were once renowned as the best black magicians on the continent. Furthermore, the scales of power among the overwhelmingly powerful men, including the Seven Swords led by Dale, would never fall behind.
Above all, this was the domain of the House of Saxony.
Even if the opponent is the Golden Emperor and the Red and Black Magic Tower Lord, it is not a fight that cannot be won.
“And I trust in the wisdom of the Shadow Lord.”
“… … Issue an evacuation order to the entire territory.”
Leaving behind Mistress Titania’s words, the Duke of Saxony and the Black Duke opened his mouth.
“We will draw the Imperial forces into the very heart of our Saxon duchy, and there we will fight a final, irrevocable battle.”
“Ha, Your Majesty the Duke!”
Sir Helmut Blackbear took a deep breath as he understood the meaning of those words.
“Ugh, the deepest place you can be pulled in is… … .”
“This is it.”
Dale answered without a moment’s hesitation.
The Duchy of Saxony. Dale was pointing to this place, which was literally the heart of the Saxon duchy.
“But as long as the Red Tower is with us, we have no intention of using Saxony as a fortress to fight. If we did, the entire city would be reduced to ashes. We will simply wait until they reach here, and when they arrive, we will go out ahead to meet them.”
A grand battle of unprecedented scale, with the entire forces of both sides facing off.
“As the Emperor said, here I will prove the justice of power that no one can doubt.”
“Do you know of the aftermath that will come if you are defeated there?”
Just then, Dale’s father, who had been silent, opened his mouth.
“Even if we were to be defeated in front of the Saxon Duchy, it would be impossible to even escape and wait for a later date. The outcome of this war would literally be decided by a single battle.”
“That would be the case. If we lose this battle, we will literally lose everything.”
Dale bowed his head silently.
“But even if I can escape alive, nothing will change. I will just continue to fight meaninglessly and try to survive.”
“… … That’s really Bae Soo-jin.”
“This is an opponent you cannot defeat unless you fight with the determination to die.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Alan smiled bitterly at Dale’s words.
Wars don’t start overnight. But war has already begun. It was an inevitable war.
* * *
An army whose end was unknown was crossing the pure white land.
Even when the unification war began early, a single unit of this size would not have been formed. Nevertheless, the significance of this war was incomparable to that time.
Gold and Shadow, to put an end to the blind faith and conflict that has continued since ancient times.
The world was born from darkness.
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And the first thing darkness gave birth to in this world was gold.
The golden monarch, Arthur the Great, raised his head.
Now, I leave behind the image of my ‘mother’ that I can’t even remember, and look at the darkness that fills the sky.
The horizon of the white and dark winter night stretched out endlessly.
“The scouts report that all the fortifications leading to the Duchy of Saxony are empty.”
Just then, Sepilia, the demon swordsman who was leading the Knights of the Iron Cross in place of the missing First Prince, reported.
“I guess they plan to confront Bae Su-jin in front of the castle.”
Hearing that, the Bloody Ball burst into laughter as if he had known that would happen.
“There is no chance that either side will lose this battle and wait for the next one. In a sense, it could be seen as a rational decision.”
“… … .”
Sepilia nodded silently at the bloody ball’s words.
The two princes of the empire have disappeared. The two princes who are the leaders of the Knights of the Iron Cross, and who are also the first and second princes.
Despite this, the man, and by extension the Golden Monarch, is not shaken in the least.
Despite the fact that he could not have been unaware of the gravity of the situation.
Sepilia couldn’t understand it. But thinking wasn’t the role of a knight.
I will simply fight for my lord until the end.
But without her true lord, the Sword of the Lake Lancelot, to whom she must devote her life… … for whom on earth should she wield her sword and sacrifice her life?
* * *
In the calm before the storm, Dale quietly turned his head. The sight of soldiers moving busily beyond the duke’s glass windows came into view.
“Dale.”
Just then, a voice was heard from behind. Charlotte, who had just finished showering, was there in her nightgown.
Her wet blonde hair flowed down in waves.
“There really isn’t much time left.”
Charlotte said, approaching the window through which Dale was looking.
“Battle?”
“no.”
Charlotte shakes her head and continues.
“That day, the things we promised.”
A child’s childish promise, a pledge to bring down the empire together. Charlotte was serious at the time. Dale must have been serious too. At the same time, as Charlotte grew up and felt the weight of the world, she was able to understand how absurd the promise was.
And yet, right now, the children were reborn as the Duke of Saxony and the Archduchess of Lancaster, respectively. As the greatest princes of the Empire, they were now facing a battle that would determine their survival against the Empire.
“It doesn’t feel real.”
“I know.”
Dale laughed at Charlotte’s words.
“Charlotte, can you promise me one thing?”
“say it.”
“Don’t die.”
“… … I said the same thing back in the old days when I fought the orcs. This is not a battlefield where you will die.”
After hearing Dale’s words, Charlotte answered.
“But it’s different. This is the battlefield where I will die. It’s a battlefield where I must risk my life for my lord and fight with the determination to die.”
Dale remained silent at Charlotte’s words. At the end of the silence, there was only one thing Dale could say.
“Just die, don’t really die.”
“What the heck, really!”
Hearing that, Charlotte burst out laughing, but Dale didn’t laugh.
* * *
“Mother, Lize.”
“Brother!”
The next day, my younger sister Lize was crying, and my mother Elena was trying to comfort her, looking embarrassed.
“Brother, why do I have to leave!”
However, Lize’s crying was never caused by fear.
“I also want to stay here in the dukedom with my brother!”
“Lize… … .”
Before the war broke out, the mother and daughter fled to the Saxon Castle on the Demon King’s side. Unable to accept this fact, they were being stubborn.
“It’s a decision I’m making for all of us. And Sepia will be by my side.”
Dale said. Sepia remained silent, and Lize tried to hold back her tears and groaned.
“My father and I will never be defeated. But if Lize remains in the dukedom, I will be worried and unable to fight properly.”
“I am…….”
Lize opened her mouth to say something, but soon lowered her head. Her mother Elena pulled Lize close and hugged her without saying a word.
“Please take care of your mother and Lize, Lady Sepia.”
“Leave it to me, Dale.”
Sepia nodded quietly. As she spoke, Sepia, like Lize, could not hide her agitation.
“But, does that mean I don’t have to fight alongside you?”
“This is an important task that cannot be entrusted to anyone other than Sepia.”
Dale said. And he wasn’t wrong. Who would trust their mother and sister in a time of war like this?
“okay.”
Sepia also understood the meaning.
“Please, come back alive.”
So, all she could do was pray for her former disciple’s safety.
* * *
There was an army there that filled the horizon from end to end.
In the dark and white winter night, the hand of the empire finally revealed itself.
And opposing them were the armies of the House of Saxony and the princes, who likewise filled the horizon from end to end.
The two most powerful armies in the world were facing each other. And the standoff did not last long.
The proof of power has begun.
