Chapter 175
“Are you speaking of your qualifications as the Shadow Lord?”
“Yes.”
He did not mean to declare himself ruler of this Dark Elf Kingdom outright. Yet even this vast realm of elves existed within the conflict between gold and shadow, and ultimately, the throne Dale claimed encompassed the entire Empire of Shadows.
“Against the Empire of Gold, I shall not refuse to be king of those who willingly choose the shadows.”
“What admirable spirit you possess, child of man.”
The mountain crone burst into laughter once more at Dale’s words.
“So, you say you willingly accept to be the ruler of the shadows?”
“Yes.”
“Then let me ask you this. What exactly is a shadow?”
The mountain crone countered. Dale opened his mouth to speak, then paused, maintaining silence for a moment. A shadow is a shadow. But what she sought was surely not such a straightforward answer.
“Do you claim to be the King of Darkness? Is that not already ruled by your father, the Lord of Darkness and Death?”
The mountain crone, indeed all the dark elves, were far from ignorant of the Empire. In a sense, they understood its secrets far more deeply than Dale ever could.
Gold and shadow—what defines us as forces of gold and shadow in the first place? Why does the Lord of Fire and Blood claim the banner of gold, while the Lord of Darkness and Death volunteers for the banner of shadow?
What she spoke of was undoubtedly the true names of the Crimson Prince and the Black Prince. That was why Dale swallowed hard.
