Episode 263
* * *
Some time after the end of the Pilgrims’ War.
As the Holy Empire’s three-day reign came to an end, it was the Shadow Lord’s turn to once again achieve victory. The Third Empire, the Holy Empire, and countless other enemies had all fallen before the Black Knight.
Still, the Shadow Lord volunteered to be the watchman of kings, and now no one on the continent dared defy Dale.
Irresistible power and terror. It was like that in the past with the ‘Black Prince’, and it didn’t change even after he took on the name of the Black Prince.
The Grand Duchy of Saxony. It is not the only empire on earth, nor is it the only monarch. However, the Shadow Lord’s existence carries a weight that is incomparable to that of any emperor of any empire.
Many things were restored to order and returned to their proper place, but some things were not.
A room in the Archduke of Saxony.
As the wife of the Black Prince, Charlotte was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a glass of white wine in her hand.
“… … There is no battlefield where you cannot protect me.”
Sipping her white wine, Charlotte smiled resignedly, remembering the story Dale had told her that day after he had told her the truth.
“Whenever there was a war, you were always on the winning side.”
“well.”
Dale smiled bitterly. Charlotte did not smile.
“This world has already become your empire. And you have become the emperor of that empire.”
“… … .”
“I am just a princess favored by the Emperor.”
“No.”
“no.”
Dale shook his head. Charlotte shook her head too.
“I believed that the sword was swinging for you. But since that day, when I was targeted by thieves in the back alley, nothing has changed since then. From the beginning, I was protected by the fence you built, and what I did was just childish play to you.”
“shallot…….”
“A naive princess who plays knight. That was me. That was always the case, and that’s how it will be in the future.”
Before Dale could finish speaking, Charlotte continued mocking herself.
“I still like you though.”
“… … .”
“No matter how much I want to hate you, I can’t hate you. So, I think it wouldn’t be bad to remain a princess in a cage like this. Sometimes I even play knight, protecting my lord.”
“I’m very drunk.”
“You wouldn’t know anything, you’d be a puppet that moves as you dance. You’d be so happy.”
Charlotte giggled happily. Dale couldn’t say anything.
“Just like you’ve always done to me. Yeah, nothing’s going to change. Right?”
As she said this, Charlotte took another sip of her wine. It was a white wine with a faint golden hue.
“I like you, Dale.”
Charlotte said. Their lips overlapped, and the scent of wine flowed in. It was very sweet.
* * *
Dale was crossing the courtyard of the Duchy of Saxony, leaving Charlotte behind, who was asleep and drunk.
The night sky was extremely dark. Occasionally, faint twinkling stars could be seen.
Dale lowered his head.
In the pouring moonlight, his shadow was cast darkly beneath his feet.
The shadows were extremely black and dark.
─ Brother.
Just then, a voice was heard. I turned my head and saw that Shuv was there.
─ Humans are truly lovable beings.
The girl with the horns of a mountain goat smiled happily. Tentacles were visible wriggling under the hem of her pitch-black dress.
─ I like humans. That’s why I don’t want the human world to disappear from this earth.
“Shub said. His voice was very meaningful.
─ And what I will say from now on is the final truth that I will tell to the Lord of Truth and Shadow.
“The final truth… … ?”
There you go again.
─ You see, this land was not for humans from the beginning.
“What does that mean?”
─ And the true rulers of this star will soon awaken from their slumber.
“Who are they?”
─ They are beings that my brother also knows very well.
Shuv said happily.
At first, I couldn’t understand what he was saying. But deep down in my subconscious, I vaguely felt like I understood what he meant.
─ They will wake up and move to drive out the conquerors of this planet. For them, it will be a just fight to defeat the invaders and reclaim their star.
“… … We are the invaders?”
─ Because they took over this planet while they were asleep. And even after they woke up, they didn’t back down easily. What else can we call them if not invaders?
Shub giggled.
─ Their struggle was justified from the beginning. And it won’t change now.
It wasn’t hard to understand what Shuv was referring to, and what he meant by them waking up.
“Didn’t the existence of monsters disappear with the destruction of the old world?”
─ Not everyone is gone. They are just sleeping in the deepest part of the world.
Shuv said, shaking his head.
─ They, and their king, will rise.
The nightmare from the past that I had tried to turn my head away from came back to my mind.
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A past fight that exists in Dale’s memories. I thought it was over. But it’s not over yet.
─ As King of Men and Lord of Conquerors, it is time to make a decision against the King of Monsters.
“What decision are you talking about?”
─ Whether to return the land they rightfully own, or to confront the rulers of this land as conquerors.
“… … Wasn’t this a fight to save the world from the beginning?”
After hearing Shuve’s words, Dale laughed at the unexpected truth.
─ Because from the beginning, it was their side that fought to save the world.
“Then why are you on the side of the humans?”
─ Well, that’s because humans are more fun.
Shub laughed coldly. For a moment, an eerie feeling, as if peeking into an unfathomable abyss, came over her expression.
─ There is no right or wrong in survival. There is no malice even in a swarm of hungry locusts. It’s just that the humans of this star were not victims from the beginning, but perpetrators, and the Lord of Truth had a duty to know the truth. That’s why I told you, and that’s all.
“… … ”
As usual, the brutal truth came out so casually.
After hearing that, Dale remained silent.
One day, suddenly, I thought the gate had opened and an invader from another world had appeared. I was wrong.
The truth that Shuve told us. The invaders were not them, but humans.
And when they awoke, the Shadow Lord had to make a decision as king of men.
From the beginning, all of this took place in one world. There was no such thing as an other world.
“Where should I go to find the answer?”
After realizing this, Dale asked back.
─ The deepest place in the world.
Shuv answered.
Hearing those words, the king of humans did not hesitate.
It was time to set out on his final journey. And it was a mission he had to undertake alone.
* * *
After that day, the Shadow Lord disappeared without a word.
After some time, a ship entered the Dead Sea Archipelago ruled by the Drowned One Barbarossa, and the man was among them.
Only then could I understand the true nature of his abilities.
The sea was full of rough reefs on all sides, the smell of salt was overwhelming, and seagulls were squawking in the distance.
At the same time, a gloomy and damp atmosphere was felt throughout the archipelago.
The end of the world.
The Shadow Lord had finally reached the end of his journey, and it was time to encounter the final truth.
* * *
The pouring sunlight was very bright.
“Um, how far did we go?”
A dignified lady opened her mouth, and children followed suit.
“The King of Men, going to see the ‘King of Monsters’ at the end of the world!”
“Well, that’s what happened.”
They were children who had a piece of the Mana Circle faintly engraved in their hearts. It was not uncommon for children of noble families to place enemies in the Blue Magic Tower, hoping that they would never use their talent for destruction, despite their talent for magic.
And the blue magic tower jewel ‘Lize’ quietly smiled at the young wizards.
Feeling the eight circles engraved on my heart flutter.
Not many people know the true nature of the Blue Tower, the Tower of Lies and Deceit.
Also, not many people know that Lize, who has been reborn as a blue-haired black curtain, once had a time when she was an innocent and reckless girl.
She thought back to when she first set out on her journey with her brother, the way he had treated her. It was so cruel and overwhelming that she could not even imagine it at the time.
‘I hope that when you become powerful one day, you will think about how you will use that power.’
How could I forget those words?
The current Lize has power. As a blue magician of the 8th circle, she is seeing the scenery that her older brother once saw.
“Yes, that’s how my brother headed to the Sahae Islands.”
Lize continues. Everyone knows how the story ends.
Still, the children listen to Lize’s story with interest.
“To protect this world, to defeat the king of monsters.”
──A tale of heroism and bravery of a warrior who protected the world until the end against the threat of monsters trying to take over the world.
That was the form of the story known to this world.
As the one who reigns over the tower of lies and schemes, the blue dark curtain ‘Lize’ did not hesitate to overlay the truth when necessary.
The whole world doesn’t need to know the truth, especially when the truth is so hard and brutal.
But her brother, the Lord of Truth and Shadow, was not like that. The man faced the truth of himself and the world and accepted it until the very end.
The things he carried, even she now probably couldn’t imagine.
“And there in the Dead Sea Archipelago, your brother encountered a subordinate loyal to the King of Monsters. Does anyone know his name?”
Lize asked, and one of the children raised his hand and shouted.
“The drowned man Barbarossa!”
* * *
A man’s heart was beating inside the obsidian box.
“Take your heart.”
Dale opened his mouth in front of the Drowned King, the king of the Dead Sea Archipelago. The man, who looked like a wet rat, tilted his head as if he was interested.
“Why are you giving it back?”
“Because for all of us, it means nothing more.”
“I guess so.”
The drowned man laughed happily.
“This land is not ours. From the perspective of this planet and its rulers, we are nothing but invaders and parasites. We are evil.”
“When locusts devour crops, it is not out of malice.”
Dale smiled bitterly.
“They too are just struggling to survive. We are no different.”
I knew the truth, but nothing changed.
“As the king of humans, I have a duty to protect them. And I will fight to protect them.”
“How foolish.”
The drowned man laughed, and at the same time, the deep sea scenery was superimposed on the entire area.
