Chapter 217

With the Duke of Lancaster’s throne vacant, all manner of Lancaster collateral branches had gathered, each seeking to seize that very seat.

“How dare a woman without a single drop of Lancaster blood covet my brother’s throne?”

John Lancaster, the duke’s younger brother, sneered with an icy expression. Behind him, the Lancaster collateral branches rallying under his banner poured out similar taunts and jeers.

It was meaningless pre-war posturing.

“His Highness the Duke has officially designated me as the most legitimate heir to the House of Lancaster.”

Before him, the girl who had seized the Sword of Heaven spoke.

“I trust you are also aware that those words were proclaimed in the name of the Imperial House during the Sword Trial.”

He stated it matter-of-factly, simply the truth as it was.

“It was that very Duke of Lancaster who passed away. At that very wedding in Saxony.”

“Indeed! That woman was nothing but a puppet entrusted to Saxony from the very beginning! She undoubtedly approached His Highness the Duke of Lancaster with sinister motives!”

“From start to finish, Your Highness was being played like a puppet in Saxony’s hands!”

“The assassination of His Highness Richard, the eldest son, is truly suspicious beyond belief! That death he met in Saxony’s domain is, by any measure, Saxony’s most cunning and treacherous scheme!”

Outcries erupted from all corners, yet Dale remained steadfastly silent.

Among the heads of the Lancaster collateral branches, there was a familiar face who officially bore the name ‘Lancaster’.

The adopted son of the Crimson Duke, once known as Ray Yuris, the heir to the Red Magic Tower.

This fact signified only one thing: that the Red Magic Tower ultimately stood behind the power they trusted.

Moreover, with the Red Tower poised to seize the perfect opportunity to devour the House of Lancaster, they will not move passively as they did during the previous Wars of the Roses.

In contrast, for Dale to directly command the Saxon forces is a politically risky move. It would appear, as they claim, to be an attempt to swallow the House of Lancaster from the start.

Nevertheless, war cannot be avoided.

Having finished his thoughts, Dale spoke softly.

“I have listened to your words and pondered them deeply.”

The Black Prince of Saxony spoke, and for a moment, all eyes in the great hall of the castle were fixed upon him. Silence fell.

“And I cannot deny that my wife, Charlotte Lancaster, has even greater justification for her claim.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! This was all a scheme from the start, you Saxons, to swallow up the House of Lancaster──”

It was at that very moment.

Whoosh!

Centered beneath Dale’s feet, a shadow cloak spread out, engulfing the area in darkness. The Lancasters gasped in horror at this act. Ray Lancaster remained silent.

“I could kill every last one of you here and take this place by force.”

“……!”

「Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

From the Lake of Darkness, the shrieks of the Shadow Lurkers—beings that had transcended mere monstrosity—echoed out. As the current Dale grew, so too did these creations, and at this point, they truly lived up to the name of monsters.

Yet they did not reveal themselves. Only a silence thick enough to freeze the air settled over the chamber before he continued his words.

“Yet I do not do so because I wish not to sully the legitimacy the Duke of Lancaster bestowed upon his daughter.”

The Shadow Monarch said.

“The Duke risked becoming an enemy of the Empire to personally impart the plum blossom sword technique of the ‘Divine Sword Bader’ to Charlotte Orhart. Furthermore, during the sword trial, he accepted Miss Charlotte as his foster daughter and designated her as the heir to the House of Lancaster. This fact has already been announced in the name of the Imperial House.”

He spoke dispassionately, calculating his political cards.

“And above all, it was not Saxony that brought down His Grace Lancaster. You here know this well, do you not?”

Dale retorted coldly, gazing at the crimson-robed executioner who remained silent among them.

“The fact that the ‘Ray Lancaster’ standing there is the son of the Blood-Red Duke.”

“……”

“In fact, His Highness the Duke of Lancaster pointed to the Blood-Red Duke as the mastermind behind the assassination of his eldest son, Prince Richard. Surely you are not unaware of this fact. Do you think you can hide the sky with your palm?”

Dale sneered coldly, and finally, the crimson heir broke his silence.

“What do you desire, Saxony’s ‘Black Prince’?”

“Charlotte Lancaster possesses the legitimacy to succeed as head of the House of Lancaster. That is all.”

“I believe my wife, Linen Lancaster, possesses no less of that legitimacy.”

“Are you considering war, Ray Lancaster?”

“Yet you, the Black Prince, declared you had no intention of seizing Lancaster with Saxony’s forces. How do you intend to wage war without a single soldier?”

Ray retorted, and Dale answered coldly.

“You need not worry about my soldiers.”

And as they grasped the meaning behind those words, the heads of the Lancaster cadet branches held their breath.

“I fight not for Saxony, but solely for the honor and legitimacy of my wife, Charlotte Lancaster.”

“Even if His Royal Highness of Saxony were to seize this castle by force and take it into his hands, the Duchy of Lancaster is vast indeed.”

Ray Lancaster replied.

“This is not a battle that can be won by capturing a few castles or fortresses.”

That is true. No matter how great one’s strength may be, this is a game won only by securing the legitimacy of the entire Duchy of Lancaster—in other words, the Mandate of Heaven. In that regard, even with the most certain legitimacy, victory will never be easy as long as the collateral branches, lesser nobles, and retainers that constitute the House of Lancaster are turned into enemies.

“I am deeply mindful of that point.”

Nevertheless, Dale nodded quietly.

“Well then, shall we swallow this castle whole through force, as Prince Ray suggested?”

And without hesitation, he opened his mouth.

“D-Dare you to do such a thing…!”

Voices filled with bewilderment echoed from all around, but nothing changed. From the lake of darkness submerging the entire area, the Shadow Lurkers revealed themselves simultaneously. Transformed into monstrous beasts of absurd proportions, they raised their scythe-like limbs as if to flaunt them.

Those holding swords drew them, while those without could only tremble in horror.

It was at that very moment.

Whoosh!

Flames erupted. To protect Ray Lancaster and the branch family heads gathering around him, a barrier of fire enveloped them.

It was the Ark of Fire.

It was a scene as if the entire world had been shrouded in darkness, and the final flame blazed.

And toward that very flame, crimson petals surged forth from the darkness.

Blade-like petals whirled, tearing the flames to shreds. The Ark of Fire was torn apart in an instant, and the last survivors trembled in terror.

“Prince Ray is correct. Even if we were to kill them all here, we could never win the favor of Heaven.”

The Shadow Lord said.

“Therefore, I shall gladly show mercy.”

In a voice devoid of even a trace of emotion.

“From this moment on, I will continue this fight until every single one of the ‘All Lancasters’ who deny the legitimacy of my wife, Charlotte Lancaster, willingly change their hearts.”

“……!”

They will burn their estates and people, their castles and soldiers, to the ground and will not stop until they cry out in surrender. Even if this land is vast and countless lords stand against them, they will not care.

Through the very order of power that the Empire and the Crimson Maw Tower once revered so deeply.

“Therefore, this is your final chance. A chance to become my wife’s standard-bearer without a scratch, to seize the glory and honor that await after victory.”

It was, quite literally, an ultimatum. Those who defied it would pay the price; those who complied would not.

“Do not worry. Prince Ray will not harm those who come to me.”

Dale smiled coldly as he spoke.

“For in the battle to win Heaven’s Heart, Prince Ray is not one to commit such utterly cruel acts.”

“……Very well.”

Ray Lancaster nodded silently.

They were not unaware of the Black Prince, Dale of Saxony’s infamy and cruelty. Therefore, even those who had desperately defended Lancaster’s legitimacy until now had to reconsider in the face of this terror.

After all, aligning oneself is the first step for a noble.

Ray Lancaster and the crimson magic tower behind him—is this lifeline they now grasp truly the right one?

After all, it is not they who will sit upon the Archduke’s throne. Charlotte Lancaster and Linen Lancaster… In other words, it is merely a power struggle between the Saxon and Yuris Houses.

What they desire is merely to pick the victor, fight for them, and then pick up the scraps that fall afterward.

There’s no other plausible mission.

That’s why it didn’t take long for Dale’s threats to turn their hearts.

Within the chamber, the heads of the collateral branches and retainers gathered in the assembly hall began making their decisions and grasping their respective lifelines.

“Prince Dale.”

At that very moment, amidst the hyenas moving with perfect coordination, Ray spoke up.

“I have always been blocked and defeated by the wall of the ‘Black Prince’.”

“……”

“Frankly, I have no certainty that I can defeat you in this battle either.”

Ray spoke thus, and upon hearing his words, several more clan heads swiftly charged toward the ‘New Lifeline’ once more.

“But I have sworn to stop the winter you bring and kindle the spark of spring in this world.”

─ Child of Lies, shall I tell you the truth? You do not even reach the tip of that child’s toe, the Shadow Lord.

That day, the truth Ray Yuris faced in the universe’s winter. The fate that his very existence could never reach the Shadow Lord’s heels. Even knowing this, nothing would change.

“For I will never let this world end in ice.”

“Regrettably, I have little interest in the end of the world.”

Upon hearing those words, the Shadow Lord laughed. As if Ray Lancaster’s existence had never even entered his field of vision from the start.

“However, I too have no intention of simply conceding defeat to Prince Ray.”

For the Shadow Lord, the end of the world was truly a matter of no consequence whatsoever.