Chapter 141

Killing the sacred sword was supposed to be Charlotte Orhart’s task someday. That was the promise Dale and she had made as children, but circumstances had changed.

Leaving the warrior’s sword hanging askew on the table behind him, Dale turned his head.

“Since he appeared before me on the battlefield, I had no choice but to kill him. I had to kill him before he killed me.”

“I don’t blame you.”

But Charlotte shook her head immediately.

“It’s just that you were faster than my sword could reach that man.”

“…….”

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

Charlotte asked, and Dale nodded.

“That man, the Holy Sword Knight—did he die painfully?”

“He must have died in agony. Watching the holy sword shatter and the count’s house fall… He must have slowly died in a hell of both body and mind.”

“I see.”

Charlotte nodded bitterly at Dale’s reply.

“As expected, I can’t hold my own against the empire’s greatest genius. Ever since the day we first met.”

Charlotte continued.

“In the end, I could only rely on you for everything, from start to finish.”

A past now so distant that even their memories of it had grown faint. Yet how could she ever forget that day?

“I promised to be protected in Saxony’s name, to defeat our Orhart family’s enemies in Saxony’s name… and to grow stronger for you. Yet even that strength itself came from you.”

Charlotte laughed bitterly. In a world where nothing could be done by her own strength.

“Still… thank you.”

Dale remained silent.

“Because without you, I couldn’t have gotten any of it.”

For the first time, she revealed her own pitifulness, impossible to hide. Once more, silence settled like feathers.

In the silence, Charlotte softly took Dale’s hand. His hand was ice-cold.

“I have already sworn to devote my entire life to you and the House of Saxony. And I have done so until now, and nothing will change in the future. That is the debt I owe you.”

Charlotte said.

“But still…”

And at that point in her hesitation, Dale understood the meaning behind it. He simply knew. The turmoil she felt hadn’t sprung up overnight.

“You want to leave the Saxon family.”

“……”

“And for that reason, you came to seek your lord’s permission as my knight?”

Dale asked. Charlotte bit her lip silently and nodded.

“Then this is goodbye.”

“You’re letting me go without arresting me? Without even asking why?”

“Because I trust you.”

“……Yes.”

The feelings she harbored within her heart. They were never a selfish act of thinking her business was done and there was nothing left to see. The anxiety she felt, and even more so, the part of her that secretly wished he would hold her back—it was nothing different from that of a typical teenage girl.

The distance between them now felt so much greater than it had back then.

“I see. I see.”

Seeing Dale’s answer, Charlotte too smiled bitterly. After smiling, Charlotte quietly rose to her feet.

“When you call me again someday, I’ll come running without hesitation for you and the House of Saxon.”

“Yes, I know.”

“So, I’ll wait until then.”

A promise without even a date. With those words, Charlotte rose. The lace hem of her dress fluttered softly.

“Until you need me again.”

She turned her back without another word.

The image of Sepia, who had absentmindedly turned her back toward Dale, overlapped.

Even as he watched Charlotte’s back recede until the very end, Dale couldn’t bring himself to reach out.

He could have grabbed her. Merely calling her name would have sufficed. Yet he did not. Why? He could not know.

He only recalled the memory of the sword that had struck down Sir Bader, the Divine Sword, on that winter night.

Before long, only the endless, biting cold and darkness filled the world of that winter night.

The next day, Charlotte was nowhere to be seen. She had quietly left the castle and vanished, leaving behind the Saxon black armor and sword custom-made for her.

Before the bewildered searchers, Dale told them there was no need to look for her.

Papal States, Sistine City of Pucel.

Before St. Magdalene Square, the highest priests of the Goddess Cult, standing at the pinnacle of the Apostolic Palace, had gathered.

Lord Heaven, standing at the pinnacle of the Church and the White Magic Tower, the twelve cardinals, and even the Handmaidens of the Goddess—not clergy, but magicians affiliated with the White Magic Tower.

They had gathered here for one reason alone.

The sacred relic of the founding White Mage Tower had been shattered, and worse still, the perpetrator of this outrageous act was none other than the successor of the Black Mage Tower himself—the ‘Black Prince’.

“This is an unthinkable sacrilege, an unforgivable provocation that insults the entire Church!”

“Moreover, that accursed Shadow Church has joined hands with the Black faction—such extreme wickedness is beyond even the depths of hell!”

One cardinal spoke up, and voices of agreement poured forth in response.

“Well, but given that war has broken out, it might be somewhat inevitable that the goddess takes the lives of her servants…”

Amidst this, Cardinal Nikolai could not hide his bewilderment, sweating profusely.

“Cardinal Nikolai, you dare defend the blasphemy of those black-clad wretches!”

“No, that is not it. It is merely about approaching this utterly unavoidable situation more rationally…”

“Rumors are circulating that you are making highly suspicious moves alongside the Black Successor.”

“How could that be possible!”

“Calm yourself.”

It was then. Breaking the silence, the Heavenly Elder finally spoke. A sudden stillness descended.

“Cardinal Nikolai’s words hold merit.”

“Your Holiness…!”

The man who had ascended to the pinnacle of power within the White Tower and the Church after the previous Pope was assassinated by the betrayal of cardinals colluding with the Empire.

“The destruction of the sacred relic is an act our church cannot condone, yet the imperial court already holds the cause of the ‘Great Demon Alliance,’ led by the black-clad heir, in high regard. Indeed, Prince Mordred and Princess Chiara themselves are heading to the Northern Demon Realm to represent the imperial will.”

“……”

The former White Mage Tower Master, who declared resistance against the Empire until the very end, is dead. And now, the Empire’s dog has taken it upon himself to sit upon the Church’s throne.

“Should our Church rashly shatter the Great Demon Alliance, His Imperial Majesty will not tolerate it.”

The church has long regarded the conquest of the Demon King’s lands as the goddess’s divine mission, and even now, there are monks who claim to be her ministers in those very lands. Moreover, with the imperial court itself having joined this cause, the situation cannot be reversed as easily as flipping one’s palm.

In other words, the situation has already reached a point of no return. At the same time, we cannot stand by and watch the Church’s sacred relics shattered and its prestige plummet to rock bottom.

“Then what else can we do…”

One cardinal asked, and the Celestial Archangel answered.

“We must do what we must do.”

“Do you have another idea?”

“The pioneering work of the Demon King’s Domain is solely the will of the Sistina Sisters, and thus it is only right that leading this sacred endeavor should remain the responsibility of our church. In other words…”

The Heavenly Lord continued.

“We shall take over and execute all aspects of the demonic realm’s colonization project currently being carried out by the Viscount of Saxony, in the name of our church.”

After all, there was nothing easier than plundering others’ possessions under the guise of divine authority.

Before Sepia and Charlotte could even feel the void, desires began to stir and gather one by one, crawling toward Dale’s domain.

The high elders of the White Mage Tower and numerous bishop-level cardinals, acting on the will of the Celestial Council.

Yet beyond them, another group of guests stirred the entire empire.

After the Empire unified the continent, the pinnacle of this nation, who had remained silent in the deepest recesses of the Imperial Capital… the Golden Bloodline itself had journeyed toward the lands of Dale.

Thus, amidst the turbulent situation beginning to stir around Dale’s domain, Dale’s most reliable ally finally began to move.

It was the Dark Count, the continent’s foremost dark mage, standing at the pinnacle of the Black Magic Tower.

In the frozen wasteland where cold and biting winds raged, the carriage’s wheels finally came to a halt. Along with it, the countless escort troops following the carriage simultaneously ceased their movements.

The velvet drapery hanging from the carriage bore the emblem of a golden dragon with two heads.

The Twin-Headed Dragon, the sole imperial banner symbolizing the Empire itself.

“We humbly greet Prince Mordred and Princess Chiara.”

Before them, the father and son of Saxony and the nobles of the Demon King’s Realm bowed their heads in unison.

In silence, two feet stepped onto the frozen ground of the Demon King’s Realm.

“Draw your swords!”

“Salute to the Crown Prince and Princess!”

The Iron Cross Knights simultaneously raised their swords, and amidst the knights’ formation, a man and woman clad in golden uniforms appeared.

The imperial figures who had remained silent until now—the man and woman who inherited the golden blood.

“It is an honor to meet you, Count Black.”

“Princess Chiara.”

There was a woman whose name alone seemed utterly fitting for a princess of the imperial family.

Then, a man appeared, clad in a golden uniform and carrying a sword.

“Prince Mordred.”

“Ah.”

Leaving the Black Prince bowing respectfully behind, the Seventh Prince Mordred turned to face him.

“So, you’re the ‘Black Prince’ everyone raves about as the empire’s greatest genius?”

“That is correct, Your Highness.”

“Hah! The empire’s greatest genius is nothing but this mere brat. What a ridiculous state our nation has come to.”

“……”

Modred spat out the words mockingly, yet no one dared to challenge his words. Dale was no exception.

“It’s all thanks to that damn hero from another world.”

He didn’t care at all, openly belittling the ‘Hero of the Empire’ in front of everyone.

“That damn brat wiped out every last one of the continent’s so-called great powers, so of course some greenhorn like him gets hailed as the empire’s greatest genius or whatever.”

He spat out the curse without a care for the prince’s nobility or dignity.

“Mordred.”

It was at that very moment.

“Please choose your words carefully.”

“…My apologies, sister.”

The Fifth Princess, Chiara, who had been silent, spoke, and at her words, Mordred quietly closed his mouth.

“Please forgive my brother’s rudeness. He is still inexperienced in the ways of the world and has unintentionally committed an offense.”

“Not at all.”

Dale shook his head and bowed respectfully.

“Oh, not at all. I am deeply impressed by the illustrious reputation of Prince Dale, hailed as the empire’s foremost genius.”

Princess Kiara smiled brightly at Dale as he paid his respects.

“And also, about the future you will bring to this empire.”

With a smile whose true meaning remained utterly inscrutable.