Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Death's Shadow
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Even with the appearance of the Undying Duke, Frederick, and the death of the 7th-circle white mage, Borenus, nothing had fundamentally changed.
The Church's forces, who had shattered the crusade's cause by ambushing Dale's troops, were still there...
And at the same time, Dale's father, the Black Duke, was also present.
Though he now inhabited the body of a twelve-year-old boy, making his intimidating presence less potent in many ways, the contents of that body had not changed.
The battle was not yet over.
Although the two forces had pulled back and were now at a standoff on Dale's command, it was merely a fleeting truce born from an unexpected turn of events.
And now that the unexpected situation had concluded, the two, father and son of Sachsen, stood there.
"No matter the circumstances, to think the Church's forces would ambush us."
It was an undeniable act of betrayal within Sachsen territory. They must have planned to frame Dale's end as a regrettable tragedy in the Demon Lord's domain.
It was a sight so absurd it wasn't even laughable.
The Black Duke then raised his head.
"Thank you, Father."
It was then, amidst the tense standoff between the two armies, that Dale spoke without hesitation.
The Undying Duke, Frederick, was a true monster among monsters, someone even the current Dale could not hope to handle.
He finally realized how vast this world was and how much of a frog in a well he had been.
Furthermore, Dale's father had not hesitated to stand before him for his son's sake. With his body torn to shreds and on the brink of death, it was a deus ex machina that even Dale hadn't anticipated.
He had been certain Shub would help him in some way, but he had never imagined his father would appear.
For that reason, an even more inexplicable emotion tightened its grip on Dale's heart.
"I, too, am truly glad I was not late."
The Black Duke smiled quietly and nodded, now a boy who looked as if he could be a younger Dale.
Then, the man turned his head toward the Church forces that had ambushed his son and the Sachsen troops.
The smile that had been on Duke Sachsen's face until just a moment ago vanished.
"Since ancient times, I have found the Church's recklessness to be truly regrettable."
And to finally prove the infamy for which the Black Duke was known, he waved his hand.
"Foolish things."
It was a voice devoid of any emotion, delivered before his enemies.
Strictly speaking, the man standing there was not the Black Duke 'everyone knew,' but a young boy who could almost be Dale's younger brother... but that detail mattered little. In a way, it was for the best. Better this than the despair they would feel upon realizing the man's true identity.
The Church's forces began to assume a combat stance. In response, the troops behind the Sachsen father and son were about to do the same.
Dale turned his head and gave a slight shake to Lord Yones, who stood at a distance, as if to say it wasn't necessary.
Just then.
BOOM!
The earth trembled.
Crack, split!
At the same time, the ground directly in front of where Dale and the Black Duke stood began to crack and split, drawing a line.
'Earthquake magic...?'
Dale thought for a moment upon seeing it. No, it wasn't.
From the fissure in the earth, which had opened like a crevasse...
THUD!
Something unidentifiable shot up. It was a tower made of bone. A tower? No. It was the foreleg of a creature.
A foreleg made of bone.
The absurdly large bone foreleg rose and slammed down on the Church's forces before it.
Screams erupted. An impact like a collapsing building echoed out, and the troops caught by the foreleg were flattened beyond recognition. The earth trembled again from the overwhelming shock.
But that blow was by no means an 'attack'.
The act that shook the earth and crushed a flank of the Church's forces was merely 'it' planting its foreleg to pull itself to the surface.
The frozen earth of the Demon Lord's domain split open, and from the bottom of the abyss, it began to crawl out.
It was a dragon of nothing but bone.
A dragon of death.
'...!'
Furthermore, upon understanding the symbolism of the act, Dale could only gasp in astonishment.
The two-headed dragon that symbolized the Empire. And the imperial family's surname, which meant 'head dragon' (Pendragon).
In the Empire of the Dragon, the creature the Black Duke commanded was a dragon of death—a literal blasphemy against the Empire itself.
Spreading its two wings, the dragon of death roared. No, strictly speaking, those weren't even wings.
They were wing bones.
A dark roar that seemed to tear the very earth apart engulfed the area. A cry of despair, imbued with the darkness of black magic.
Howl of Terror.
Horses, crushed by fear, thrashed about convulsively, and the soldiers were no exception.
Deserters began to appear, their limbs trembling as they wet themselves, or simply broke ranks and fled.
However, perhaps because the Black Duke had done something, only the enemies on the Church's side were exposed to the fear and darkness spread by the death dragon. That's not to say the Sachsen soldiers and their horses weren't trembling at the sight.
Fear, darkness, and the shadow of death, spread with a clear distinction between friend and foe.
Spreading its bone wings wide, the dragon of death took flight.
The shadow of the soaring dragon engulfed the area, and the faint twilight was extinguished before it could touch the ground.
Light vanished from this world, and darkness descended.
It was the inescapable shadow of death.
***
The last survivors of the Church were there.
Master Templars clad in armor of blood, fanatics of the Templar Order.
They no longer had the strength to fight.
But that did not mean they would surrender.
"May you be cursed even in death, you apostates of Sachsen!"
"I can hardly wait to see the hell that awaits you!"
"Do you think we fear something like death! The heaven of the Sister Goddesses awaits us!"
Faced with their curses, the Black Duke gave a cold sneer.
"Heaven, you say?"
His voice, belying his physical shell, was filled with an incomparable terror.
"Unfortunately for you, there will be no entering heaven."
"Hah, how dare an apostate cursed to hell doubt our faith!"
One of the Master Templars sneered, and at his words, the Black Duke tilted his head as if puzzled.
"Have you still not understood the meaning of my words?"
Accelerating the eight circles around his heart.
"What you should truly fear is not death itself..."
To prove the infamy and cruelty people associated with the Black Duke.
"But an eternal life where even death is not permitted."
***
To state the outcome, the crusade ended in victory, but it was a victory bought with an unspeakable amount of sacrifice.
Of the four forces, only the Seventh Prince, Mordred, survived from his main contingent. The Church's force, including the 7th-circle white mage Borenus and the Master Templars, was annihilated to the last man.
In contrast, the Red Magic Tower and the Sachsen forces achieved victory with relatively few casualties, yet neither the Imperial family nor the Church raised any objections or questioned it.
This was thanks to the ugly truth hidden within the glorious victory of the crusade.
Duke Sachsen officially proclaimed that the lands of the Demon Lord's domain had been pioneered in his name, and the Church, despite its immense sacrifices, celebrated the crusade's victory, declaring that 'the Goddess's will has been done.'
Dale, the Viscount of Sachsen, also officially expressed his gratitude for the Church's passion and martyrdom.
The fact that the Church had betrayed and attacked Sachsen during the crusade was a definitive card he now held to gain an advantage over them in the future.
***
Meanwhile, in the ducal couple's bedroom in Sachsen Castle.
A young boy, who could easily pass for Dale's younger brother, sat on the edge of the bed, sipping wine.
Around that time, his wife, Elena, returned to the room wrapped in a robe after her shower.
"Huhu, darling."
"..."
Acting as a more loving wife than ever, Elena sat down beside Duke Sachsen, unable to hide her smile.
"To think you had such an adorable phase. It's truly hard to believe."
As Elena whispered with genuine amusement, Duke Sachsen could only remain silent.
"Oh my, you're so cute."
"Would you mind stopping with the teasing?"
Duke Sachsen gave an awkward cough and turned his head away, but the smile on Elena's lips showed no sign of fading.
When Duke Sachsen first appeared at the castle in this state, his wife, Elena, could not forget her shock.
A young boy who looked just like Duke Sachsen, but was even younger than Dale.
It was understandable; she had thought some illegitimate child he didn't know about had come looking for his father.
That was, until the words came out of the mouth of the boy who looked just like Duke Sachsen.
'It's me. Elena.'
'...?'
But after realizing her beloved husband had suddenly returned to the body of a twelve-year-old boy...
"Seeing you like this, it's heartwarming. It's like I'm looking at Dale's little brother."
Elena smiled seductively, a meaningful look in her eyes.
"Speaking of which, wouldn't three children be better than two?"
Understanding the meaning behind her smile, Duke Sachsen coughed in embarrassment.
"No, Elena. As you can see, my current condition is a bit..."
"Oh my, but isn't the man inside still the man I love?"
The relationship between the couple was enjoying a newfound vitality, more than ever before.
***
"Daddy!"
Elena wasn't the only one whose attitude toward the de-aged Black Duke had changed. To seven-year-old Lije, Duke Sachsen had always been a kind and gentle father, contrary to his fearsome reputation. And now that her father had returned to his childhood body...
"Come and play with me!"
"Alright, Lije. I understand, but please don't run so fast."
"Okay!"
She began to jump up and down with excitement, as if she had found a new friend. Watching her, her father, Duke Sachsen, smiled wistfully.
From a distance, it was a scene one would not doubt was that of a very close brother and sister.
***
With matters in the Demon Lord's domain settled, the work Duke Sachsen had to attend to was piled mountain-high.
Despite this, Duke Sachsen could not appear in public due to certain circumstances, and the one filling that void was none other than his proxy.
The eldest son of House Sachsen, Dale.
Officially, Duke Sachsen was said to have secluded himself in his workshop for some kind of training, and so it fell to Dale to sit on the 'ducal throne' in his stead.
Not in the Viscounty of Sachsen in the Demon Lord's domain.
As the Duke's proxy, a new regime began in the Duchy of Sachsen, ruled by Dale.
And becoming the Duke's proxy meant more than just ruling a single duchy.
It meant standing at the pinnacle of the Black Magic Tower.
Thus, during the season when the annual 'Tower's Trial' was held, he visited the Black Magic Tower in the Necropolis as the heir to its Master.
Meanwhile, the de-aged Black Duke, on a long-awaited vacation, spent most of his days as a playmate for his energetic young daughter, Lije.
Furthermore, as one of the greatest mages on the continent, teaching Lije magic was also part of his duties.