Side story 14
* * *
The spring sun shone brightly across the frozen permafrost.
The world Dale and Lize loved emerged from the eternal ice, and the stopped hands of the clock began to move.
After the Empire of Winter melted away, another empire emerged.
The Great Demon Empire, the most powerful empire that had disappeared from history one day, was suddenly revealing its grandeur.
The Empire of the Dark Lord and Magic Emperor, who put an end to the conflict between gold and shadow, and has a power that no one on the continent can dare to resist.
In front of the Saxon imperial palace.
There were knights lined up in black armor emblazoned with the symbol of the night crow.
They swore loyalty to the House of Saxony, both in life and in death, and they too awoke from the eternal ice.
And as soon as they saw the man in rag-like robes, they all knelt down.
Clank!
The metal armor clashed, and he was showing the knightly salute by thrusting his sword vertically.
Between them, the man walked blandly. Behind him, the girl followed behind him hesitantly, overwhelmed by the incomprehensible scenery.
The Night Raven Knights, loyal to the Duke of Saxony and now the Saxon Empire.
“Bring His Majesty the Emperor here!”
They raised their voices toward the robed man, and only then did Yuffie catch her breath. Even though she was a country girl, Yuffie could not help but understand this situation. And she remembered the words of the Margrave of Rosenheim.
The Great Emperor of Black Gold, the Magic Emperor and Magic Empire, once said to be the most powerful on the continent.
Man, Dale stopped walking. Facing him at the end of the parade were people he loved.
There was a girl with her eyes covered with bandages, leaning on her father and mother.
There was also an unforgettable elf wizard.
There was a pitch-black maiden who claimed to be Dale’s shadow, and there was a leader of the night-raven knights who were loyal to the House of Saxony.
There was also a woman. A woman who had followed in her father’s footsteps and become the greatest swordsman on the continent, and a mother who was carrying two lives in her womb.
Dale approached them, and they also said nothing.
All I could do was understand, accept, and affirm Dale.
The Winter Empire melted and what happened here was unknown to Dale. The Winter Empire melted and they were heading across the continent to this land. What happened in the meantime and how did they accept this world? I don’t know.
Dale just walked up to them and bowed his head. After bowing, his body collapsed helplessly.
Dale fell to his knees and began to sob before them, emotions pouring out of his throat that he could not express in words.
“Come in, Dale.”
At that moment, Mother Elena spoke, embracing Dale as he sobbed. Dale was unable to say anything.
“Brother… … ?”
Just then, his sister, who was wrapped in bandages, reached out her arm. Then, her father, who was by her daughter’s side, carefully took her arm and led her towards Dale.
“father.”
“Come in, Dale.”
Alan of Saxony, the man formerly known as the Black Duke, smiled at Dale. Dale reached out and grabbed Lize’s hand, who was still groping in the air.
Lize asked, holding Dale’s hand that was cold.
“Brother? Are you there… … ?”
“Yes, Lize. It’s me.”
Dale answered. At those words, Lize reached out her hand to Dale’s cheek again, to examine Dale’s face there.
Beyond the black bandages Lize wore, there was no longer any power like the ancestors of Saxony had once possessed. The blue power she once possessed was also gone. That was the price Lize had to pay, and it was part of the sacrifice Lize and Dale had to share.
My loved ones were there. And the empire I built with my loved ones was there.
It was at that very moment that, without thinking, my conversation with the Golden Lord Ray Yuris came to mind.
‘… … My history is over. The same goes for the Empire of Black Gold. So at least, there will be no more of us recorded in your book.’
Dale said. It was true. Dale had no more missions to carry out on this continent, and the conflict between gold and shadow was of no concern to him.
Nevertheless, Ray Yuris asked back.
‘But will that really happen?’
On this continent, gold and shadow, the emperor and revolution still clash. And when the Fourth Empire, formerly known as the ‘Great Magic Empire’, and the Black Gold Monarch appeared in this world.
Dale and his empire also realized that they could not be free from the Book of Blood written by Ray Uris.
Just as Dale, who had turned his back on the world, was confronted by the revolutionary army and dragged Dale back into the world.
In an age when magic is dying, his empire, like Dale before him, will once again be forced to face the world.
Still, nothing changed. He just raised his head and looked at his empire.
The Night Raven Knights of the House of Saxony, the Black Tower’s necromancers, and those loved by Dale.
His father, Alan of Saxony, was renowned as the greatest black magician on the continent.
The divine sword Charlotte, the light sword Sir Helmut Blackbear, the shadow sword and pitch-black maiden Aurelia, and the elf sorceress Sepia.
Rather, after realizing it, Dale let out a hollow laugh.
* * *
“Oh my, damn it. It was a good dream, but the aftertaste is really bad.”
The man was there too, in the inner chamber of the Saxon castle, with his feet propped up on the desk.
“Was it a good dream?”
“You call that talking?”
As the Master of the Sword sipped his beer and swore, the ‘Shadow Saintess’ next to him smiled silently.
“Everyone had a happy dream. But in the end, it was a false dream.”
“… … Did you wish you would never wake up from your dream?”
“That wouldn’t be bad either. But dreams are dreams after all, because we have to wake up from them.”
“… … .”
“Even if Your Majesty had approved of the child’s wishes, it would have ultimately failed. Nevertheless, I was able to understand it only because I had that dream.”
“What are you talking about?”
“How to dream without waking up.”
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At those words, Dale held his breath for a moment, and the Shadow Saintess rose up without saying a word.
“That’s right, my knight.”
“……miss?”
“You must have had the same dream as me. I, too, was able to see many things in exchange for these eyes.”
“Phew, ugh!”
At those words, Master Baro spit out his beer mug. Watching him do this, Dale swore, and then he could see Master Baro’s expression turn red in an unusual way.
“Thank you for protecting me, right away.”
The Shadow Saintess said.
“And can you stay by my side until the end?”
“… … Didn’t you promise?”
Master Baro lowered his head, and Dale smiled bitterly at the sight.
“Then let’s get the troublemaker out of here.”
Dale turned his back without paying attention to Master Baro’s subsequent words.
Blessing the unawakened dreams of the two. And towards the unawakened dream that lies before Dale.
* * *
“shallot.”
“Dale.”
As soon as she saw Dale, Charlotte smiled and laughed.
It wasn’t Charlotte who was afraid of Dale and scared of him. Instead, there was a wife who understood and tried to affirm Dale more than anyone else. Feeling the life beating inside her belly.
“I had a dream.”
“huh.”
Charlotte’s dream, I remember Charlotte’s appearance in the Winter Empire. It was Dale’s dream, and at the same time, Charlotte’s dream.
‘I’m so scared, I feel like this happiness will shatter like a dream.’
I remember her smiling in a fantasy that I couldn’t wake up from, a fantasy that couldn’t be distinguished from happiness.
So Dale carefully reached out and stroked Charlotte’s cheek.
“I saw the dream you had.”
He said, stroking it.
“And I will never let your dreams be shattered.”
“… … I was afraid of you.”
Charlotte said.
“You and your empire, who became the Emperor of Black Gold and atone for the sins of the world. It seemed like the Dale I knew had disappeared.”
“It was all my fault.”
“And yet, you who are here now, are the Dale I know.”
“… … .”
Dale said nothing to that. He simply extended his arm and kissed Charlotte without saying a word.
“I will never let your happiness be destroyed.”
At the end of the kiss, Dale said. At those words, Charlotte sobbed silently.
* * *
The winter empire melted away, and everyone woke up from their dream.
“From the beginning… … .”
Only after I got there, I could finally understand what Lize truly wanted.
Why was Dale, her most beloved child, left alone in the winter empire that Lize had built?
So Dale asked.
His younger sister, with her eyes wrapped in black bandages. However, the Lize that Dale was now facing was not the girl who had been groping and trembling in weakness.
As with the Saxon ancestors of old, the pitch-black pupils pierced through to what lay beyond.
“Did you know this was going to happen from the beginning?”
At that time, I saw Lize’s shadow in front of the Winter Empire. It was the truth without a doubt.
However, the shadow of Lize that Dale was seeing now was telling another truth.
“Have you forgotten the doctrine of Mother and the Blue Tower, Brother?”
“… … .”
The price of intrigue and lies.
As a spy of the Blue Tower, the important thing is to never realize that you are a spy.
Furthermore, even the rulers of the Blue Tower were no exception to this rule. Lize was no exception.
“He even deceived himself.”
“No, brother. I never deceived myself.”
My younger sister, with her eyes covered by a black bandage, said, “The blue magic tower.
“My truth was the truth beyond doubt. I just didn’t realize that I was a puppet being danced by another me. But, brother, that child and I are never separate entities.”
Lize said.
“I didn’t want my brother to suffer for this world. And neither did that child.”
“Like mother, like daughter.”
Dale laughed, unable to hide his amazement.
“Your empire and the world do not fear you. And in this world, there is no more suffering for you to atone for.”
Lize said. It seemed as if she had completed her mission and had nothing more to wish for.
“So even if you hate me, I’m okay with this. I’ve completed my mission.”
“… … .”
Dale was silent at Lize’s words.
After a moment of silence, he quietly reached out and hugged Lize.
“Thank you, Lize.”
And at those unexpected words, Lize held her breath. As the master of lies and schemes who should have spread blue spiderwebs as the Blue Tower Lord, she remained silent in front of Dale’s embrace.
After being silent, he burst into tears like a child.
