Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: The Saint of Shadows
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How to interpret the name of the 'Sistine Sister Goddesses' was one of the greatest doctrinal controversies in the church's history.
Was she a single goddess, with the concepts of mercy and compassion personified as sisters? Or was she, as the name implied, 'Sister Goddesses'—two separate spirits of light and shadow, yin and yang?
However, long ago, the founder of Sachsen, Frederic the Immortal Duke, and the Black Faction rose up, and the once-singular Black-White Magic Tower was split into the Black and White Magic Towers after the 'Black-White Great War'...
The White Magic Tower adopted the interpretation that the Sistine Sister Goddesses were a 'two-in-one entity of mercy and compassion'.
Needless to say, this was a purely political move intended to erase the remnants of Black.
The Shadow Church was an independent sect that rejected the mainstream interpretation of the White Magic Tower at the time, continuing to worship the Sister Goddesses as two separate deities of light and shadow.
As faith in the goddess of light was already deeply rooted in the land, the role of the Shadow Church was to worship the goddess of shadow exclusively, thereby restoring balance to the scales.
The shadow of the Sistine Sister Goddesses.
Unlike the goddess of light, who symbolized mercy and compassion, she was the cruel and merciless goddess of darkness.
And now, Dale stood in their chapel. A subterranean commune belonging to their organization, now known as the 'Shadow Court'. A man in a beak mask untied Dale's blindfold.
"The defendant has been brought."
The Death Knight he had acquired from the fight club was still by his side. As was Lady Shadow, lurking within his own shadow.
If he chose, fighting them was an option. But it was far from a good one. No, in fact, this was a perfect opportunity.
"I have come before this court solely to assert my innocence."
Dale began.
"The master of the Kalimala Guild was caught in an assassination attempt using black magic, which escalated into a bombing."
A voice echoed from the darkness.
"Do you deny that it was the magic of Black?"
Men, also in beak masks, looked down on Dale from above. They were positioned on an intentionally steep incline, like judges peering down at a defendant.
"If I had truly intended to kill the master of the Kalimala Guild,"
Dale continued calmly.
"I would not have used such a crude method."
As he spoke, he focused black magic into his finger.
"「M24 SWS」, 「7.62x51mm NATO」."
SWS (Sniper Weapon System).
An integrated sniper rifle. Along with the unmistakable chant from another world, Dale fired a shadow bullet.
"……!"
It shot between the judges of the Shadow Court who were looking down at him.
In an instant, the men in beak masks had their blades pressed against Dale's neck, chest, and back.
But no blood was shed. There was no killing intent in Dale's magic. No matter how one tried to hide it, the assassins of the Shadow Court could not be fooled.
The fact that even they hadn't detected any meant he truly had no intention to kill.
"Even at several dozen times this distance, I am confident I can strike a person's vital points with perfect accuracy."
Dale spoke.
"If you don't believe me, I will be happy to prove it."
"……."
"With bolt magic like this at my disposal, what kind of fool would resort to animating a crude corpse?"
"Are you aware of the disrespect your actions imply?"
"I thought a demonstration would be more convincing than a hundred explanations."
Dale answered as if it were someone else's problem. Indeed, the meaning behind the single shot he had demonstrated was not to be taken lightly.
"...As Lord Black would say, flaunting fear has always been the way of the Black Magic Tower."
And yet.
"Can you truly say that what you showed us was not for the purpose of killing, but merely an act to show off the power of Black?"
"Do you think the eldest son of House Sachsen could stand against the Shadow Court alone and win?"
Dale retorted.
"The 'fear' that Black pursues is not of such a vulgar and crude nature."
As if to say that even fear has its own class.
"Do you dare equate some indiscriminate act of terror, which has neither elegance nor grace, with the 'fear' that we of Black pursue?"
"Do you have any other way to prove your innocence?"
"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."
Dale replied.
"Ray Yuriseu."
"……."
For a moment, silence fell among the men of the Shadow Court.
"It goes without saying what the purpose of the 'proxies' gathered here before the Black Market is."
Dale said.
"They intend to make the next City Master their puppet and get their hands on the Guild City's 'ledgers'."
Even if it were a secret, it's the kind of secret that only matters in the world of ordinary people.
In the world Dale now faced—a pandemonium of the Empire's greatest archdukes, the Red Magic Tower, the Imperial Family, and all manner of powerful figures—it was hardly a secret at all.
"And Ray Yuriseu knew that I had been in contact with the master of the 'Kalimala Guild'."
"……."
Silence descended.
"In other words,"
After a pause, one of the Shadow Court judges spoke.
"is it safe to assume that you, too, harbor ambitions to disrupt the 'order of the Guild City'?"
"That is correct."
Dale nodded and continued.
"But my stepping aside alone will not be enough to turn the tide of the times."
Calmly.
"Just as the 'Shadow Church' was once exiled and reduced to a parasite of the Guild City."
He used their true name, not the Shadow Court.
"……!"
For a moment, gasps could be heard from all around.
"...Watch your tongue."
One of the assassins holding a blade to Dale's vital points spoke, his voice laced with the chilling killing intent from the tip of his sword.
"I am aware that to the Shadow Court, the Guild City is nothing more than a host."
Dale said.
"I also understand that the Guild City has been an invaluable host."
He spoke a truth that even they could not deny.
"But the host's life is coming to an end. The power the Guild City now holds will soon fall into the clutches of the Empire and the Imperial Family."
He voiced the worst-case scenario the Shadow Court feared.
"Do you think we would hand over this city without a plan?"
"It is my greatest wish that you thwart their ambitions."
Dale nodded.
"But the masters of the seven great guilds are already blinded by their own ambitions."
No one can stop a burst dam. Human desire is much the same.
"Therefore, I propose an alliance between Black and the Shadow Court."
"What an absurd thing to say."
"Our founder, Frederic the Immortal Duke, and the Black Faction shared the same will as the 'Shadow Church'."
Dale replied.
"In the face of the tyranny of the Empire and the White Magic Tower, the bond between Black and Shadow runs deeper than you might think."
"……."
"The Empire and the Imperial Family, the Red and White Magic Towers, have joined hands and are targeting the Guild City."
Their enemies.
"In response, joining hands with the enemy of my enemy is not strange at all."
"...Does Black possess the strength to stand against them?"
"Does the Shadow Court have the strength to stand against them?"
Dale countered.
"They are not ignorant of the Shadow Court's true nature."
Once the Empire takes the Guild City, the White Magic Tower will surely try to uproot this heretical sect, which has long been a thorn in their side.
"It seems you fail to understand your own situation."
One of the Shadow Court judges began to speak. It was then.
"That is enough, all of you."
A voice was heard. It was incredibly clear and pure, like the ringing of jade.
"S-Saintess!"
"Shadow Saint, what brings you to this humble court!"
The judges in beak masks turned their heads in alarm. Standing there was a white-haired girl clad in a jet-black dress.
Her eyes were covered by black bandages, wrapped tightly to block her vision. They were no ordinary bandages, but an artifact that emanated a powerful magical force.
*'Saintess...?'*
Shadow Saint. It was a name even Dale did not know.
"Our guest here is by no means a defendant of our court."
She spoke calmly.
"Rather, the goddess of shadow, by her will, has guided him to this place."
"B-But, Saintess!"
"We will escort the young lord of House Sachsen to the 'Grand Court of Shadows'."
The Saintess spoke, and no one raised any further objections. The Grand Court. As soon as they understood the meaning, the assassins in beak masks simultaneously withdrew their blades.
* * *
The place the members of the Shadow Court headed was not one of the seven great guild cities. They left the city for a large underground fortress within the Guild City's territory.
The scene was reminiscent of a Christian church during the Roman Empire's persecution.
There weren't many people there. The Shadow Court was spread out across the seven cities and the Empire in a cell-based structure, and this place served as the headquarters that connected those cells.
In a sense, it could be called a hideout where the highest-ranking members gathered.
Dale was there.
The Shadow Saint. And the man who had allowed the Shadow Court to become the greatest assassination organization on the continent.
"……!"
"Well, I'll be damned."
He spat out the curse without a care for formality, chugging a beer.
"A young lord born with a dozen silver spoons in his mouth, how'd you end up in a shithole like this?"
He was a vulgar man, completely devoid of class. Nevertheless, Dale knew who he was.
*'I wondered where he'd disappeared to. To think he was here all along.'*
One of the Seven Swords of the Continent, the swordsman who held the title of 'Killing Sword'.
Master Baro.
Once one of the seven greatest knights on the continent, he was now the continent's strongest assassin.
His presence in the 'Grand Court' of the Shadow Court was proof of that.
"Young Lord Dale."
Among them, the Shadow Saint spoke, unconcerned. Despite her vision being obscured by black bandages, she stared directly at Dale.
"And Holy Maiden Orelia."
At the unexpected words, Dale quietly drew a breath. How could she know?
"Under the care of the goddess of shadow, we have finally gathered here."
The Shadow Saint began.
"Is that not so, Ancient Mother of Darkness?"
"……!"
"Ia Shub-Niggurath."
Words he could never forget.
At that same moment.
—*Ah, my child.*
Shub's mature voice echoed, and the surrounding landscape was consumed by an endless darkness.