Shadow Intrigue (1)

After Theo vanished in the direction of the Dark Palace, the White Sun and the Black Moon remained locked in confrontation at the garden's entrance.

An odd glancing contest simmered beneath an awkward silence, and the air was volatile enough that a blade could come free at any moment.

Which was, in a way, only natural — there was no love lost between these two orders of knights.

"I honestly don't know what Prince Theo is thinking."

Lunan muttered under her breath, grinding her lips in irritation.

"I thought I'd seen everything, but I never imagined he'd pull off something this insane."

"Is he always like this?"

"Don't get me started. You know why Black Moon knights grind their teeth at the mere mention of his name?"

I listened quietly to Lunan's tale.

"Tyrant. Warmonger. Lunatic. A madman who'll do anything to grow stronger... Would you believe all of those are nicknames for one person?"

"Haha..."

That one stung a little.

I had quite a collection of nicknames myself.

Madman. Scum. A mistake born of nature. A man fit to kill his own nation...

Though those were less nicknames and more outright insults.

"No dignity, no sense of decorum, always scheming up the next fight. He's the complete opposite of Prince Leo."

"That does match the impression I've gotten."

"But his combat skills must be the real deal, because people say plenty are drawn to serve him precisely for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that. Those big brutes over there are a perfect example."

She shot a sideways glare at the White Sun Knights.

Looking closer, I spotted a familiar face among them.

"Chadwick! Even that clam came!"

The knight who'd tried to recruit me.

If a 'Goal' hadn't been set for me back then, I might be standing beside that man over there instead of here.

"He even brought his captain? Is he planning an actual war or what?"

"And yet he went straight into the Dark Palace, didn't he?"

"...True. I didn't expect a man that proud to come all the way here in person."

Our eyes turned to the Dark Palace at the same time.

"What could they possibly be here to talk about?"

Whatever was about to unfold would surely become a pivotal turning point in the events to come.

And if that was the case, then naturally...

...a Goal was bound to appear.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment."

"Wha— wait, Tae, Tae-hyun?!"

Leaving a flustered Lunan behind, I slipped out of the formation and ran toward the Dark Palace.

Security is bound to be tighter than usual.

I circled around toward ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a side wall where relatively few people were posted. Instead of a gate, there was only a towering wall.

Anyone caught carelessly scaling it would be arrested on the spot — or, given the current atmosphere, quite possibly cut down where they stood.

Which means stealth is everything.

Over this wall, and into the Dark Palace.

Under normal circumstances, a warding spell would have triggered the instant I crossed the threshold — but a body in the state of 'Soul Sprint' slipped through even that magic without a hitch.

Sshhhhk!

In a single breath, I rose to the Dark Palace's ceiling. If I wanted to spy on the conversation below unseen, this was the perfect vantage point.

There was definitely a pane of glass around here somewhere.

Hiding myself behind a spire, I relied on my memory of the palace interior from when I'd entered it before, and located the glass mounted in the roof. It had probably been built to let sunlight stream in.

Right now, it's my communication window.

Sure enough, I could peer inside through the glass. Concealing myself as much as I could to avoid detection, I observed the chamber below.

There, the two princes stood facing each other.

"......"

"......"

Two princes who looked alike, and yet were nothing alike. They held each other's gaze in a long, weighted silence.

It was Theo who broke it first.

"I've come to settle this once ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and for all."

"Your words are far too provocative, brother."

For all the razor edge in the air, Leo's face remained remarkably calm — as if he'd foreseen this moment long ago.

As if he'd been waiting for it.

"There's no need for pleasantries, I trust."

Theo took a single step forward. The greatsword in his hand rattled in its scabbard. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Properly sheathed it may have been, but the killing intent it radiated hadn't dimmed in the slightest.

"Renounce the throne. Do that, and I'll at least let you live — as things stand now."

"...I told you already. Even if I wished to renounce it, it is not mine to give up."

Leo raised a finger and pointed at the sky.

"The heavens alone choose who succeeds."

"Spare me the nonsense. I know there are plenty of ways to abandon a Great Name — our ancestors resorted to them often enough."

"Those were all abnormal methods, brother. Every previous king who seized the throne that way came to a bad end."

A way to renounce the Great Name.

Now I understood why Theo had come to the Dark Palace.

He means to secure the throne beyond any doubt.

Which would mean Leo personally relinquishing his right of succession — his Great Name.

"I will be king, Leo. That much is certain."

"And I have no intention of surrendering easily."

A crease formed between Theo's brows.

"...I always thought you a brother without a shred of ambition. And yet here, of all moments, you bare your fangs."

"Brother, I'll be honest — I hold no great desire for the throne itself."

"Then why won't you renounce the Great Name?"

"Because it would ruin your plans, brother."

A shadow fell across Leo's face, which had worn a faint smile from start to finish.

"Isn't it a Monarch you wish to become — not a king?"

'...!'

My mind snapped into sharp focus.

Theo's goal is to become a Monarch?

He knew about Monarchs too. And beyond merely knowing — he intended to become one.

Upon becoming king, one awakens the power of the bloodline through the royal lineage.

That was the special power carried in the blood of this world's royalty. Inherit an 'ancestor's name' through the Great Name, and you gain command of the power that name holds. Naturally, a newly crowned king could wield strength beyond anything he'd dreamed of as a prince.

Which means it could be his path toward a Monarch's requirement — 'strength that transcends one's species.'

Theo was trying to grow stronger through the Great Name than he already was. Had his obsessive drive to grow stronger all this time, then, been his labor toward becoming a Monarch?

'...Looked at that way, everything makes sense.'

I fell silent and devoted myself fully to listening.

"That's right. I intend to become a Monarch."

"So it's true..."

"And what's so wrong with that?"

His voice rang out, defiant and unashamed.

"You know as well as I do. There are beings in the higher dimensions, and they raid and plunder other worlds."

"......"

"To stand against them, we need power that matches theirs. That's why I'll become a Monarch. I, the strongest in this world! I will unite the armies of this world and face them head-on!"

"That is arrogance itself, brother."

Leo remained utterly composed.

"No human can ever perfectly rule over another human."

To a brother chasing a hollow dream, he spoke as if driving reality home — cold and unflinching.

"Human beings are imperfect creatures. No — not just humans; no living being can ever be complete. And that is precisely why none can perfectly control or govern another."

"Hah..."

"The demons are no different."

An ancient tome on demons now rested in Leo's hand.

"Even the Demon Monarch chose to devour his fellow demons and absorb their strength rather than truly rule them. That is why demons flooded into our world. If even the demons — creatures utterly honest before power — could not escape that truth, do you imagine humans will fare any better?"

"Humans and demons are different. And I differ from that Demon Monarch far more still."

"The limits of one's species are not so easily overcome. As we are now, neither of us is fit to be a Monarch."

"So what, then? Sit quietly and watch as other Monarchs invade — as this world meets its end?"

"......"

His mouth clamped shut.

"No — forget it. Your opinion never mattered in the first place, you naive boy who can't face reality."

Theo drew his sword from its scabbard. The massive greatsword shattered the light as it gleamed brilliantly into view.

"If you won't relinquish your claim to the succession, then today the Black Moon will be erased from history."

"...So that's why you brought such an enormous army with you."

"Call it a march in service of the greater cause."

No wonder the show of force had seemed excessive even for an intimidation play. He'd come intending to wage war from the very start.

"Think carefully. Renounce your claim, and I'll spare your knights."

"And if I don't?"

"You'll lose everything. Your very life included."

"Brother, this is the Shadow Garden. The nest of the Black Moon."

"And you believe that will be a problem?"

Violent mana roiled around the greatsword.

"I am here. I alone could crush half of this place's forces."

"......"

"Whereas you — you've been buried in this soft little nest of yours, rarely venturing out at all."

If the two sides collided as they were, who would win? That was what Theo seemed to be saying.

First Prince Theo... he truly is strong.

His body was so perfectly tempered you'd believe he'd staked his entire life on growing stronger. The aura I could feel from him rivaled half of Dantalion's full strength.

Though that's comparing him to a Demon Archduke.

I could say this much with confidence: of everyone I'd met since arriving in this world, no one could beat Theo.

"Must you truly go this far?"

"I must — which is why I have."

"In the end, it grieves me that it's come to drawing blades against one another."

Leo slowly closed his eyes. Whether it was a sign of submission or the prelude to a counterstrike, there was no way to tell.

Because—

"The palace is under attack! All units, battle stations!"

Chaos had erupted outside.

"?!"

Sensing the commotion, Theo threw open the door and strode out at once. He questioned the knight who came sprinting with the alarm.

"What's happening?"

"E-Emergency! A horde of monsters is invading the Shadow Garden even now!"

A coincidence, but a remarkably well-timed one.

Monsters?

I pulled my gaze from the glass and cast my sight far into the distance. And then I saw it.

"What in the world are all of those...?!"

A teeming legion of grotesque creatures, swarming like ants, charging straight toward us.

"Their average rank is upper-intermediate. A significant number of high-rank individuals are confirmed among them!"

"What the—!"

"It would appear... this is hardly the time for us to be fighting each other, brother."

Leo had somehow walked up beside Theo, speaking gravely — looking strangely more gaunt and pale than he had moments before, greatsword still gripped in his hand.

"If we clash now, we'll all be annihilated. Surely survival comes first?"

"...Damn it all."

Theo lowered his head, seething.

It seemed they wouldn't come to blows here after all.

That's a relief, if anything is.

Then I should slip out of here quickly too, and rejoin one of the formations—

BOOOOM!

...Just as I moved to do so—

"Aargh."

Of all things, a winged monster that had spotted me landed on top of the Dark Palace.

A bizarre creature that looked like a mosquito crossbred with a monkey. Beneath its blade-like snout, a second mouth gaped wide open, thick saliva dripping in strings.

"GRREEEEEEAAAAK!"

It shrieked its lungs out, utterly oblivious to my plight.

"Oh, for—"

Not now, you idiot. I am not supposed to get caught here.