Chapter 256

“I intend to set out on a journey with Rize.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

At Dale’s words, his father Alan asked flatly.

“I’ll be with her. What is there to worry about?”

“I suppose you’re right.”

Dale answered calmly, and at his words, Alan smiled quietly.

“But aside from Rize’s journey, don’t you have another purpose as well?”

“As the Watcher of Kings, I wish to test the qualifications held by the King of Valainia.”

“And you intend to undertake that task alongside Rize?”

“Even if I were to erase Balina or Baekguk from the map, they wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on a single hair on Rize’s head.”

“The King’s Watcher…”

At Dale’s words, Allen remained silent.

“I won’t stop you from monitoring the kings’ actions and deciding right from wrong. It was your doing that brought down the empire, and you have every right to do so.”

After the silence, Alan continued. As always, as a father imparting life’s wisdom to Dale.

“But you must remember that no one can watch over the watcher.”

“I don’t believe there are no one watching me.”

At those words, Dale quietly shook his head.

“I remember that Father is watching me, and that Riza is watching me on this journey.”

“……Yes.”

“I promise to act in a way that will never shame me before Rize.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that.”

Alan of Saxony, now fulfilling his duty as the Saxon Grand Duke’s representative, smiled. Behind him, sunlight poured in backlit, casting shadows behind him.

“Rize, won’t it be dangerous?”

“Of course not! My brother is with me!”

With a feigned look of concern, Mother Elena asked, and Liza shook her head calmly, smiling. As a proper young lady of the Saxon family, she was more excited than ever before.

“The world outside is still full of danger, so be careful.”

“Trust me!”

The immediate reply seemed far from cautious. That was why Elena still couldn’t shake her worry, yet at the same time, trusting her proud son more than her concern, she nodded.

“Yes, who in this world would dare harm your brother?”

“That’s an exaggeration, Mother.”

Hearing those words, Dale, who had remained silent, smiled bitterly.

“But I can promise you this: Lisea, by my side, is safer than anyone else in the world.”

“What more could you ask for? The blood of House Sachsen cannot be deceived, and Riese is no exception.”

The bloodline’s curse: an endless curiosity in pursuit of truth. That was the House of Saxony. Even if the truth they sought was no longer as horrific as in the past, their curiosity itself would never fade.

“I simply hope that Rize can see a wider world and move forward as she wishes.”

“Please, take good care of Riza.”

“Trust me, Mother.”

Dale bowed his head.

Before embarking on a journey with his younger sister, he sought permission from his worried parents. It was a scene that wouldn’t be much different in any world.

Rize still couldn’t ride a horse skillfully. Her horsemanship wasn’t yet accustomed to traversing the continent’s rugged terrain.

But Rize and Dale never rode a single horse together.

“Thank you, Sepia.”

“Don’t worry about it. Isn’t this for the sake of our beloved students?”

Sepia said as she rode the horse carrying Rize, and Dale smiled quietly.

Dale and Rize’s teacher, along with the teacher’s two disciples, were crossing the frozen wasteland of the north together.

“I was quite surprised when Rize said she wanted to see a wider world. I suppose blood cannot be denied after all.”

Watching Sepia continue cheerfully, Dale nodded.

After that day, once the fear of the end receded, Sepia changed. The bitter cold that had gripped her chest vanished, and the unknown chill that always lingered around her disappeared too.

“Thank you for being here with me, Teacher!”

“Even if we’re anywhere, we can’t neglect our magical training, can we?”

“I’ll work even harder!”

Sepia said affectionately, and Riza nodded vigorously in agreement.

The empire had fallen, and the war had ended. Peace had arrived. And maintaining that peace was Dale’s responsibility.

The world for those who must be protected, for Rize.

For that, she willingly volunteered to become the watcher of kings.

Possessing the power to single-handedly bring down a nation, demanding accountability from unworthy rulers.

Even though I said that in the Imperial Council, not everyone fears Dale. And they would not hesitate to destroy this continent’s peace for their own greed. They would undoubtedly believe that statement was nothing more than a simple threat.

That is why it needed to be made known.

No ruler on this continent can escape the blue spiderweb, and the price for their foolish actions is but one.

The very thing Rize’s parents had worried about so much came sooner than expected.

It happened while crossing the narrow valleys of the mountain range, as they journeyed through the central lands beyond the Duchy of Saxony.

“Hand over everything you have!”

An arrow plunged toward Dale’s party like a warning, and Rize’s expression froze at the sight.

Soon, bandits began appearing one by one on the slope above the valley.

But on their weapons, which they thought were those of bandits, was engraved the golden double-headed dragon emblem symbolizing the Golden Empire. It could mean only one thing.

The remnants of the Imperial Army, who, after the war ended and the Third Empire collapsed, had simply drifted into a life of banditry.

Dale glanced at the figures of the defeated soldiers who had become bandits.

Even through their helmets, they were visibly emaciated, their skull bones nearly visible.

War always leaves scars, and the larger the war, the more certain this is. Some reaped immense gains from the great war, while others lost everything overnight and were cast out onto the streets.

Like those who served the empire loyally, only to become defeated soldiers overnight after its collapse.

“I do not wish to fight you.”

Dale replied.

“As it happens, I have three gold coins on me. That should be enough for all of you to get a meal.”

“Brother…!”

Seeing Dale willingly offer up part of what he possessed, Rize held her breath. But Sepia, unperturbed, whispered to Rize.

“Watch quietly, Rize. See how your brother behaves.”

“…Very well. I accept the offer.”

As Dale deliberately pulled out three gold coins, one of the bandits blocking his path stepped forward.

The moment Dale offered him the gold coins, the bandit had already drawn a stiletto from his cloak. Its tip was pressed against Dale’s nape.

“I’m really suspicious about you just handing over three gold coins like that. You’ve got more, don’t you?”

“I do. But I cannot give you any more than this.”

Dale answered just as readily.

“I have no desire to fight you. And as it happens, I know of a domain in need of labor. Take my gold to feed yourselves, then head there to settle down.”

“You want us to bow our heads in the land of those Saxon traitors?!”

One bandit gripped his stiletto threateningly. Dale answered without batting an eye.

“The empire has already fallen. And your thieving business doesn’t seem particularly well-run either.”

“This bastard…!”

“W-wait!”

Just as one bandit was about to shout something, another defeated soldier stepped in front of him.

“Brother!”

It was a knight clad head-to-toe in full plate armor. Possessing armor of that caliber meant he was, at the very least, incomparable to the rabble of soldiers here.

“Th-this man is no one we can hope to defeat. Abandon any foolish notions.”

A knight skilled enough to wield aura. That was why he could grasp, however faintly, the power Dale possessed.

Even a knight of that caliber cannot survive without resorting to theft—such is the fate of the empire’s defeated soldiers.

There are those who gain and those who lose. And those loyal to the Empire truly lost so much.

It wasn’t their fault. It was simply the fault of the sovereign they served.

“…I will give you five gold coins.”

Dale said.

Take this gold coin and head to the Viscounty of Valmar in the northern part of the Duchy of Saxony. Present this letter there and request employment. Since you have a knight who can wield an aura, Viscount Valmar will gladly accept you.

The Duchy of Saxony and the northern regions are experiencing unprecedented growth as victors of the war.

Though they do not proclaim themselves a single nation, it cannot be denied that they are the most powerful and influential force on this continent.

Therefore, Dale took one of his letters from his bosom.

It was a notarized document bearing the Saxon House’s raven emblem, etched by magic.

The defeated soldiers did not understand its meaning, but one knight alone knew what the document signified and could not hide his shock.

“No, no, no…!”

His legs gave way, and he collapsed, stammering as he spoke.

For now, he finally understood who it was they had been blocking all this time.

“How… how could Lord Jet-Black be here…!”

How could he not know that name?

The pinnacle of the Saxon House that toppled empires and brought victory.

He who is said to wield the most powerful and darkest force on this continent.

“A promise is a promise.”

Dale pulled out gold coins without hesitation and held them out.

“This sum is enough to feed you and all your men until your bellies burst, and still buy many things. Use this to end your life of banditry and place yourselves under the protection of our Grand Duchy’s viscounty. If you do so, I will not hold any wrongdoing against you.”

It wasn’t a lie. I had no intention of defending their thievery as right, but the world doesn’t run solely on what’s just either. Most things are unavoidable.

“Thank you…!”

Surprised by the unexpected helping hand, the knight and the thieves bowed their heads.

“I have faith in you. I hope you will repay that trust.”

Dale spoke, his voice tinged for the first time with emotionless coldness. The thieves bowed their heads once more, and Dale turned away without another word.

“You must have been scared, Rize.”

Dale asked quietly, smiling. Riza nodded silently.

“Still…”

Nodding, Riza hesitated before continuing.

“I want to see more things I don’t know yet.”

“It will happen.”

The world Riza didn’t know. Hearing those words, Dale quietly nodded. The journey had only just begun.