Chapter 177

“The sickening stench of humans is overwhelming.”

“Indeed, it does.”

Elves of Fire and Crystal gathered around a towering table. The truth hidden by the empire that once boasted of unifying the continent. The kingdom of elves, forged from Fire and Crystal.

The rulers of the two kingdoms, gathered around the Sand and Desert Monarch and the Crystal Queen, looked down upon Dale.

As if gazing upon a defendant standing in court.

The Fairy Council had begun.

“Disgusting humans? Watch your words.”

It was then. One of the Snow Elves beside Queen Sujeong spoke up. Erzeda, the Sorceress of the Blue Tower.

“As all esteemed councilors know, the being before us is no ordinary human.”

Was she here as a councilor of the Snow Elf Kingdom, or to fulfill the mission of the ‘web’ the Blue Mage Tower was weaving across the continent? Probably both.

“Ha! Have you forgotten how many false kings have usurped that name, trying to win the favor of our race?”

“Don’t get so worked up, my dear child of the Assembly.”

The one who cut off the middle-aged dark elf, who seemed about to continue his speech in disbelief, was a mountain crone with the appearance of a young dark elf. Yet appearances are not everything with elves.

“Your Majesty!”

The elderly dark elf gasped in bewilderment, as if addressing a superior one dared not look upon.

“……”

Watching this scene, Sepia’s mother, Queen Sujeong, remained silent.

“Regardless, is it not our mission to discern the truly worthy among the false kings who usurp the title of Shadow Lord?”

The Lord of Desert and Sand spoke.

“You are correct.”

Therefore, Dale nodded. It was not difficult to discern the gazes of the elves pouring in from all directions, and furthermore, the hostility lingering within them.

Though not comparable to when deploying the Shadow Lord’s avatar, the insight dwelling in Dale’s eyes was no longer what it once was. It was not merely about the power to discern truth from falsehood.

“I came here for two reasons.”

Dale continued.

“First, to prove my legitimacy as Shadow Lord to you who call yourselves the Shadow Knights.”

Mockery and jeers erupted from all corners. Yet Dale paid them no mind.

“Second, to act on behalf of the Blue Mage Tower, to guarantee the safety of Lady Sepia—daughter of Her Majesty the Crystal Queen and exile of the Crystal Land—and to repay the debt of her life.”

Yet when Sepia’s name was spoken, a silence as light as feathers settled over the hall.

“……”

Beside the Lord of Desert and Sand, the Snow Elf seated upon the throne maintained only silence.

“O Sovereign of Frost and Crystal, will you not answer me?”

She was the queen who ruled the Crystal Realm, a girl with the physique of a child who outwardly resembled an old mountain woman.

A silence as freezing as ice stretched on.

“Then so be it.”

After the silence, the Crystal Queen answered.

“As long as she remains in the frozen lands of Saxony, I guarantee the mountain assassins will not lay a hand on that child’s life. Does anyone else object?”

No one answered her words. So Queen Soojung rose to her feet. As if there were nothing more to see.

“With that, the assembly is adjourned.”

“Wait…!”

Dale urgently called out to Queen Sujeong, who had spoken so decisively.

“Is that all?”

“Is there something else you desire, child of Saxony? Surely you did not expect us to simply kneel and hand over the kingdom?”

A cold sneer finally flickered across Queen Sujeong’s face, and Dale fell silent.

As you wished, that child is now yours. I neither want nor need to know how you will treat her. The matter is settled.

An icy coldness that was unbelievable coming from someone addressing their own daughter. Not a shred of emotion in the voice. As Queen Soojung had said, it didn’t change the fact that this was Dale’s purpose.

Accepting the offer and returning now would be perfectly reasonable.

But it didn’t feel right.

Because I still don’t know Sepia’s truth. Until I know that truth, even if Saxon is protecting her, it’s only a temporary measure.

Above all, ultimately… nothing has changed about the cruel mercy the assassins of the mountain bestow upon their own kind.

“No, the story is not over yet.”

Therefore, facing the Crystal Queen who had turned her back, Dale spoke.

Swoosh!

The flesh of the Dark Cavern convulsed violently. Shub’s tentacles coiled around his body, and the avatar of the Shadow Lord revealed itself.

The world of truth unfolded, filled with shadows as the light vanished.

There, eyes peering beyond the veil of falsehood toward the truth fixed their gaze upon the shadow of the Crystal Queen.

No, it tried to turn toward it.

Simultaneously, a vortex of cold air swirled violently beneath the Shadow Lord’s feet.

A speed so absurdly swift that one couldn’t even perceive the aura or the currents of magical power. The icy coldness would swallow his very existence, starting from beneath Dale’s feet, in the blink of an eye.

But for Dale now, it was not beyond his reach.

──Because the Eye of Truth was watching it.

It was not merely speaking of others’ secrets or past deeds.

No, rather, combat is truly a dance of truth and falsehood. Where will the sword swing? Where will the magic strike? The opponent’s intent, bluffing, feints—combat is like a test to discern a single truth amidst those countless crossroads of decision.

‘I saw it.’

That’s why, before the swirling cold could swallow the ground beneath Dale’s feet, he thrust off the earth and broke free from his position.

‘I don’t need to win.’

As he thrust off the ground and moved, the Shadow Lord thought.

‘It is enough to merely see.’

A mere flicker of an instant—nothing more is needed. There’s no need to win. This isn’t a battle.

Even if the opponent were the Crystal Queen, it would make no difference.

He raised his head as it was.

The Shadow Lord’s Eye of Truth finally gleamed with an unusual brilliance.

And… there it was.

The being reflected in the Eye of Truth.

──The retina of a living being converts light information into electrical signals, which are transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve. This process forms the image of an object, allowing us to see this world.

And what was reflected in Dale’s eyes was not the Crystal Queen with her back turned.

Instead, it was the reflection of Dale himself, bouncing off the light refracted by the ‘Crystal Mirror’ she had erected…

“…!”

The hero of another world stood there. His own self, white and dark in the winter night, his chest torn open, the blade of the sacred sword protruding from it.

“What do you see, human child who claims to be the ruler of truth?”

The Crystal Queen asked, her back turned. Dale could not answer. For it was a truth that could never be revealed.

“It must be an unspeakable truth. A secret you wish to hide behind a veil of lies for the rest of your life.”

Queen Sujeong sneered coldly.

“You, who hide yourself behind a veil of lies, dare to call yourself the ruler of truth and spy on our shadows?”

“……”

“You have no right to claim the title of truth’s sovereign. Just as those who once crowned themselves shadow sovereigns did.”

Dale could say nothing in response to that mockery.

“The weight truth holds for you is no more and no less than the truth the Blue Magic Tower conceives.”

The Crystal Queen declared coldly. At her words, Dale’s expression froze stiffly.

“I regard truth as nothing more or less than a weapon to seize the throat of my opponent.”

The ruler of the desert and sand gazed at Dale with an expression devoid of even a trace of emotion.

Seeing her expression, he understood.

‘So that’s how it was.’

After hearing that story, all that came out was laughter.

Dale raised her head once more. To gaze upon herself reflected in the mirror illuminated by the Crystal Queen.

The hero of another world, Saxony’s ‘Black Prince’, was there. But that was not all.

──Sepia was there.

His master, smiling tenderly at Dale. The master who had understood his innate talent for slaughter long ago, and yet willingly remained by Dale’s side.

‘I only wish for you not to grieve.’

Sepia had said that. Only then could he finally understand his own truth.

That’s why Dale didn’t hesitate.

Centered beneath his feet, the world around him was overlaid with the landscape of a white, dark winter night.

Unfolding a world of the mind permitted only to Dale and Queen Crystal.

“Her Majesty the Queen is correct.”

Yet within that world, there was no trace of any fighting spirit within Dale.

“Therefore, I am willing to reveal my truth to you.”

“……”

The Crystal Queen, who had turned her back, finally turned her head.

The body of a young Snow Elf, yet not a trace of pity could be found in her expression.

“Did you say truth, human child?”

“Yes.”

Dale said.

“To you, truth is still nothing more than a bargaining chip, a weapon to seize the reins of negotiation.”

The Crystal Queen sneered coldly.

“You’ve merely revealed your hand because your situation is unfavorable. Is that not all?”

“Perhaps. No, you are correct.”

Dale nodded flatly.

“To me, truth is merely a card to hold over someone’s head and blackmail them with—nothing more than my own weakness.”

Dale said.

“And yet, I am willing to lay all my cards and assets bare before you.”

For a moment, Queen Seo-jung held her breath.

“Even if it means doing so, my sole truth to you is that I wish to help Teacher Sepia.”

Dale said, as the Shadow Lord, and furthermore, as the Lord of Truth.

“Why are you so devoted to that child?”

“Because I like Sepia.”

Dale answered. It was a truly absurd response.

“Even if I receive no reward, I don’t care. No, deep down, I do hope for one. That is the truth. But even if I receive no reward, I am willing to protect Teacher Sepia. That too is the truth.”

No matter how you dress it up with fancy names, you can’t disguise the truth.

“That’s all there is to it.”

Dale said. Truly, that was all.

On a white, dark winter night, revealing his naked body in the biting cold and darkness.

“……”

At those words, a flicker of disturbance finally touched Queen Crystal’s expression. Silence descended. Yet within the realm of thought unfolding before the Shadow Lord, she—whose existence was concealed by the crystal mirror—revealed no further malice.

“You have touched the sorcery of absolute zero.”

After the silence, she spoke.

“And that curse still dwells within her heart.”

Dale, grasping the meaning, swallowed hard.

“The Book of Absolute Zero…”

Dale murmured softly, and the Crystal Queen nodded silently.

“That is why my daughter was banished from the Crystal Realm.”

The Lord of Cold and Crystal spoke, and for the first time, his voice carried the tremor of a parent pondering their child.