Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Lord Black's Warning
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*Screeeak.*
A war hero of the Empire who once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Hero, and the one chosen by the Holy Sword Durandal.
When the Holy Sword Master, Count Brandenburg, stepped into the grand hall of Duke Sachsen’s castle, there was not a trace of a welcoming atmosphere.
Silence descended like a feather. A stillness akin to a walk through a graveyard. It was an ominous silence that the word ‘rude’ could not begin to describe.
Even the knights following the count were overwhelmed by the frozen atmosphere and held their breath.
The man was there.
Upon the throne that loomed at the far end of the hall, draped in an exceedingly ominous, jet-black cloak.
“We appreciate you making such a difficult journey, Count.”
Lord Black.
One of the Empire’s three great dukes and the supreme ruler of the Black Magic Tower—the greatest black mage on the continent.
Excluding the deceased Hero, he was ‘one of the greatest dangers’ the Empire harbored.
He slowly turned his head.
Beside the duke stood Dale, the eldest son of House Sachsen, renowned as the Empire’s greatest prodigy. And next to him, the daughter of the Divine Sword, who had taken refuge as a handmaiden in the ducal household.
Ignoring the undisguised hatred in her eyes, the Holy Sword Master quietly bowed his head.
Faced with the pressure exerted by one of the Empire’s highest-ranking nobles, even the renowned Holy Sword Master had no other choice.
“……I humbly greet Your Grace, Duke Sachsen.”
After bowing, he showed his respect by planting the Holy Sword Durandal upright before him.
“To think that a man as renowned and busy as the Holy Sword Master would travel to such a remote place.”
Lord Black spoke from his throne.
“I did not expect you to arrive so soon. You must forgive our rather lacking welcome.”
Despite the sarcastic tone, the count could say nothing.
He could only bow his head, showing the utmost courtesy he could muster.
“What could be more urgent than a summons from Your Grace?”
The count finally spoke carefully after a moment of silence.
“……”
Duke Sachsen did not reply. He simply extended his hand.
Following the ‘eight mana rings’ engraved on his heart, he circulated his exceedingly ominous magic.
The dark magic of the continent’s greatest black mage. Extremely refined black mana surged through the hall.
“……!”
Understanding the implication, Count Brandenburg tightened his grip on the hilt of the Holy Sword Durandal.
*Fwoooosh!*
A jet-black gale swirled, originating from beneath Lord Black’s feet. A black, dark, ominously shimmering wind of death rushed through the room.
The wind of death whipped toward the Holy Sword Master and his pure-white knights, and the knights writhed in agony.
They had no time to mount a proper defense, unable to even scream.
Their mithril armor, forged with the blessings of priests, corroded and melted away as if iron reacting to acid. Then, the bodies beneath the armor began to rapidly decay, as if doused in hydrochloric acid.
First, their flesh melted away. Then their bones were laid bare, stark white, before they too crumbled into helpless dust.
The wind of death swept through, leaving not even bone dust in its wake.
Only a few handfuls of ash scattered meaninglessly.
The knights of the ‘Order of Saint Magdalena,’ the Holy Sword Master’s pride, were annihilated without a shred of resistance.
Only one man was left standing: Count Brandenburg, protected by the grace of the Holy Sword Durandal.
But even the golden shield of light shimmering around the Holy Sword Master looked fragile, as if it would shatter at any moment.
The high-level black magic, ‘Tempest of Nihil.’
And it was instantly cast, without a single word of incantation.
“Y-Your Grace……!”
The Holy Sword Master’s face was a mask of horror as he gripped his sword. But Lord Black, seated on his throne, did not stir, merely looking down at him dispassionately.
“Kneel.”
After a moment of silence, Lord Black finally spoke. His voice was devoid of any emotion.
Kneel.
At that word, the Holy Sword Master’s face contorted with humiliation.
“Do you have any idea what you are doing—!”
“Did you not hear me?”
“……!”
Lord Black asked again.
“I said, kneel, Count.”
“……”
In the silence, the greatest black mage on the continent looked down on him.
An overwhelming pressure that even the Holy Sword Master, a war hero and the Emperor’s most ‘loyal sword,’ could not dare to defy.
This was an opponent he couldn’t be sure of defeating even if he fought with all his strength.
Moreover, this was the duke’s domain. For a mage, a ‘domain’ was more than just land ruled by a noble.
And above all, Lord Black held the justification for his actions.
Having coolly assessed the situation, the Holy Sword Master quietly knelt. It was an undeniable sign of submission.
“As you know, I summoned you for the sake of peace, Count.”
Duke Sachsen continued, addressing the kneeling Holy Sword Master.
“Therefore, I ask you this in earnest……”
He spoke with incredible nonchalance.
“If you ever dare to lay a hand on Sachsen’s children again.”
Sachsen’s children. The term was by no means limited to those of the duke’s bloodline.
“I swear on my name, I will slaughter every last member of House Brandenburg.”
There were few words in this world whose weight was as rarely felt as the threat to kill.
But those words, spoken by Lord Black with his name on the line, were no mere intimidation tactic. Thus, even the Holy Sword Master could not help but tremble at the weight they carried.
“Now then……”
Having said his piece, Lord Black quietly turned his head.
“You must be weary from your arduous journey. Though our accommodations may be lacking, the castle servants will attend to you.”
“……I am truly humbled by Your Grace’s immense generosity.”
At those words, the Holy Sword Master silently bowed his head.
“However, due to unforeseen circumstances, I am afraid it will be difficult for me to remain in the duchy any longer.”
“Is that so.”
The duke nodded impassively, as if he had expected as much.
“That is a great shame.”
Duke Sachsen replied, as if it were someone else’s affair entirely.
“I wish you a safe journey back.”
Faced with the duke’s sarcasm, the hand gripping the hilt of the holy sword trembled. A surge of hatred made him want to spring from the ground and swing his blade.
But what suppressed the Holy Sword Master’s heart even more than hatred was fear.
He remembered the true face of darkness this man had shown during the Empire's unification war. It was a fear that could only be felt by one who knew Lord Black’s true nature.
“……I thank you again for Your Grace’s hospitality.”
Count Brandenburg bit his lip until it bled and once more bowed his head respectfully.
That was the end of their conversation.
***
The face of a man he could never forget, a man he detested.
When Dale saw the Holy Sword Master for the ‘first time,’ his heart was seized by a deep-rooted hatred.
Charlotte must have felt the same.
And before the two of them, Duke Sachsen had demonstrated it all.
As Dale’s father, as the continent’s greatest black mage and a duke of the Empire, he had displayed the dignity and warning befitting the name of Sachsen.
The weight of the name Lord Black.
Count Brandenburg was one of the Emperor’s faction’s most loyal retainers. Not even Duke Sachsen could touch him lightly.
Nevertheless, Duke Sachsen had issued the strongest warning he could, in the name of the ruler of the North, Duke Sachsen.
*The stance Father showed against a key figure of the Emperor’s faction will become the spark that shakes the entire Empire.*
It would start as a tiny ember, but it wouldn’t take long for that ember to catch on kindling and oil and grow into a blaze.
*It will be our duty to take the Holy Sword Master’s head.*
Knowing this, Dale rather welcomed it.
*And with my own hands, I will bring down this nation called the Empire.*
***
The Empire had no other name.
For it was the one and only nation on this continent, and for that reason, it was not a common noun.
It was only referred to as the ‘Third Empire’ for convenience, to distinguish it from the empires that had fallen in the past.
***
Sometime later, in Duke Sachsen’s office.
There, Sephia maintained a quiet silence.
“I am already indebted to you for far too much, Lady Sephia.”
Duke Sachsen continued, speaking to the silent Sephia.
“Therefore, you need not feel any pressure regarding my proposal.”
“……”
“Please, decide as you feel comfortable.”
Hearing his words, Sephia recalled the incident with the Holy Sword Master that had recently thrown the duchy into an uproar.
That day, when Dale had been attacked by the Thieves’ Guild and had safely defeated them, her relief that her precious student was safe was short-lived.
Seeing the corpses of the Thieves’ Guild members strewn about, Sephia couldn’t help but gasp.
A corpse that had vomited all its organs and become a dark puppet. A corpse riddled with holes, as if it had been struck by dozens of small cannonballs.
When she realized this was the work of a mere nine-year-old boy, and that this boy was the student she had been so proud of.
For the first time, Sephia began to wonder if her teachings had been wrong.
It was right after that incident that Lord Black offered Sephia the position of ‘Chief Adviser’ to House Sachsen.
And accepting Duke Sachsen’s proposal meant… Sephia would become a member of House Sachsen, transcending her role as Dale’s mere private tutor.
It meant putting an end to her life as a hermit and casting herself into the turbulent waves of the secular world.
“To guide Dale’s talents correctly, I need your wisdom, Lady Sephia.”
Duke Sachsen continued.
“This is not something I can accomplish on my own.”
“……”
After a moment of silence, Sephia gave a solemn nod.
She imagined the impact Dale would have on the Empire and the entire continent when he came of age. The true ‘world of his own’ that the boy would impose upon this one.
Because of that, there was no room for hesitation.
For Sephia, who had lived for nearly a hundred years, it was a task that demanded a greater sense of duty than ever before.
***
Several months later.
By the time news that the Holy Sword Master had knelt before Lord Black and that the Wise Elf Sephia had become House Sachsen’s adviser had spread throughout the Empire.
Dale had raised his dual attributes of water and darkness to the level of a 2nd Circle Master. His win rate in pure swordsmanship duels against Charlotte was gradually converging to fifty percent.
Around that time, young Dale’s tenth birthday was approaching.
And to officially celebrate Dale’s tenth birthday…
A letter arrived shortly thereafter, announcing that ‘the Emperor’s people’ would be visiting the ducal household.