Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Chapter 20: The Interlude

The solid ground under his domain and the absolute submission of the monarch. The requirement imposed by Dale was extremely evident, with no room for second interpretations.

Count Valiant knelt while his warriors held their breath. In front of the eyes of his entire territory, he carried out an unequivocal gesture of surrender.

“That is enough.”

That individual covered in garments as dark as the deep night, known as the Lord of Black Gold, gave a nod without flinching.

“Stand up.”

“I-it shall be done, Your Majesty!”

Dale extended his hand, causing a moment of hesitation in Count Valiant before he held it firmly using both palms.

“Just like in the old days, I will leave this region under your guardianship, and you will enjoy protection in memory of the Fourth Empire.”

“I am deeply honored, Sovereign!”

“Your loyalty will receive the retribution it deserves. However, never cease to keep in mind,” Dale warned using a cold and completely neutral tone, “that the clemency and protection I grant you are sustained exclusively upon your absolute submission to my person and to my empire.”

“It shall be engraved in my memory, Lord!”

Count Valiant lowered his head again, exclaiming his oath aloud. Only at that moment did Dale turn on his heels, having taken control of both the territory and the leader’s pride.

The cloak of darkness that kept the firmament hidden in the middle of the day dissipated completely. Clarity returned to the surroundings and the solar radiance bathed the land once more. It seemed as though reality was emerging from a deep slumber, restoring its original appearance.

Despite this, deep down, things remained the same. In the eyes of Count Valiant, the individual standing in front of him was far from being an ordinary person. He represented an incomprehensible presence, charged with an indecipherable dread.

An authentic demonic deity remained in that place.

From a logical point of view, everything seemed like senseless madness. However, his gut feelings and his own nature warned him fervently not to dare to oppose such a specimen.

It is impossible to deceive this subject. For that reason, Count Valiant pressed his lower lip again.

“I implore your forgiveness, my Lord!”

“What is that due to?”

Overcome by an unknown anguish, Count Valiant stammered, making superhuman efforts to contain the spasms of his own anatomy.

“I-I beg you to allow me to reveal my previous faults and demonstrate my devotion once again.”

“I am listening.”

Upon hearing this, Count Valiant observed the people lurking in the area. Catching the hint, the mysterious man made a signal with his arm indicating the withdrawal of the guards.

“Let us move to a more private place.”

“So the emissary of the revolution established communication with you in order to coordinate an ambush against me?”

Count Valiant admitted the true facts, provoking a cold smile of disdain from Dale, the Lord of Black Gold.

“T-that is so! The moment I sent them the agreed-upon notification, my own men, together with the rebel armored battalions provided with mystical protections, would have pounced on your person…”

“You have opted for honesty in front of me.”

“I regret it! I beg you to excuse my absurd and senseless pretensions of betrayal!”

Dale made a negative movement with his head, imperturbable.

“Since you have been frank, you will receive the appropriate gratification.”

After a brief silence, Dale inquired: “What is it that you hope to obtain from me?”

Count Valiant swallowed with difficulty. That felt as if a supreme deity were pouring his compassion upon a humble mortal.

“As retribution for your loyalty, what is the request you want me to attend to?”

“I would not dare to…”

“Your desire will become reality.”

Before Count Valiant could articulate a word, Dale continued his speech, analyzing the secrets guarded in the darkness.

“Transmit the notification to the revolutionary faction just as you had originally planned, and allow their mechanized divisions to attack me.”

“What did you say…?”

Count Valiant went mute in front of such an unforeseen command.

“Are you implying that I should prepare an ambush using my troops…?”

“It is not necessary.”

Dale refused calmly, swaying his head.

“Keep your arms crossed and simply guide them to my location.”

“However, we are facing the armored brigades, the greatest glory of the insurgents, equipped with second-generation mystical armor…”

“Do you fear that I might be defeated by that rabble?”

Dale tilted his head slightly, evaluating him.

“If my fall were guaranteed against adversaries of that caliber, what motive led you to prostrate yourself and hand your domains over to me?”

“My apologies!”

In reality, if that individual truly possessed the formidable gifts he appeared to have, he would never succumb to common armored battalions. And even if he ended up defeated, that would only demonstrate the ceiling of his capabilities, transforming into a profitable opportunity that Count Valiant would not let pass.

Simultaneously, in the fortress of the North Saxon region.

“Miss Yufi.”

An exclamation was directed toward Yufi, motivating her to turn her face. Her breathing stopped momentarily upon noticing the presence that was waiting for her.

“My…”

A lady with hair as dark as Dale’s jet black, wearing strips of black cloth covering her eyes, stood before her.

“The rumor has reached me that my blood relative has received much attention from you.”

“N-not at all, quite the opposite occurs. It is I who owe an immense debt to Lord Dale… My.”

Yufi fell silent abruptly, feeling the blush of shyness. Despite this, the dark-haired female let out a small laugh and shook her head with comfort.

“Lord Dale, you say? It would never cross my mind that someone would refer to my brother in that way.”

“I offer you an apology.”

“You lack motives to apologize, Miss Yufi.”

The lady sketched a kind gesture while declining with a wave.

“My name is Lize de Saxon.”

“Oh…”

Although Yufi continued to be sheltered inside the fortification, she was unaware of quite a few details relative to Dale’s kingdom. However, deducing it from her way of speaking about him and the pronounced surname, it was extremely simple to decipher who she was.

“You are the blood relative of His Majesty Dale.”

“Indeed.”

Lize dedicated a very affectionate look to Yufi.

“It is because of you that my brother managed to advance to this point.”

“No, not at all!”

“With your arrival, the fragments of my enigma finally came together perfectly. From my perspective, your existence represents an authentic wonder.”

“A fragment of the enigma?” inquired Yufi, reflecting bewilderment in her tone of voice.

“Do you have knowledge about the former way of being of my brother?”

“I am unaware of it.”

Yufi made a negative signal.

“Does it intrigue you to know it?” questioned Lize, to which Yufi hesitated for an instant before repeating the gesture of negation.

“I carry in my memory each one of the nuances that Lord Dale has shared with me.”

“My, now I am the one who feels intrigued.”

With recovered firmness, Yufi exposed her thoughts.

“Lord Dale rescued me from death and mentioned that, due to my intervention, he likewise found his salvation. I still keep alive the memory of the melancholy that he usually reflects when evoking his past times.”

Dale’s past days embodied the ancestral empire itself and the loved ones he cherished.

Therefore, Yufi closed her hand tightly and demanded: “What was the reason for inflicting so much suffering on Lord Dale?”

Lize did not show signs of annoyance or bewilderment. On the contrary, she let a smile show, perceiving Yufi’s restlessness as a very tender gesture.

“My apologies, Miss Yufi. It was never in my plans to cause torments to my brother.”

Lize tilted her face, maintaining an affable expression.

Yufi seemed unable to assimilate the past experiences of Dale, the truths hidden behind the deceits, or the constant agony of the sacrifices.

“It fills me with joy that you remain accompanying my brother.”

Lize smiled with the affection of a blood relative who longed for the happiness of her family member.

“The domains of my brother and the environment of the people he appreciates…”

Those of the House of Saxon and the beings valued by Dale. Yufi had ceased to be a stranger in the confines of this kingdom.

“I welcome you to the House of Saxon, Miss Yufi.”

Following this, Lize extended her limbs completely, welcoming Yufi with a radiant face.

Following the strategy established beforehand with the delegate of the insurgency, Count Valiant pointed toward the rooms of the fortress where the renowned Lord of Black Gold was staying.

The fighters of the armored divisions, provided with the second-generation mystical armor, set themselves in motion immediately.

In their minds, the slaughter suffered by their comrades, equipped with identical protections, in the lands belonging to the Marquis of Rosenheim remained fresh. They knew perfectly well that the adversary they had to face on this occasion could very well be the Lord of Black Gold himself.

In reality, the possibilities pointed firmly to that.

No insurgent member in Rosenheim remained alive; however, those who witnessed the colossal force displayed by that entity spread the rumors. The infiltrators of the rebellion scattered throughout the imperial territory collected such narrations, getting ready to counter the overwhelming energy that that being mastered.

A mystic of the dark arts capable of bending the shadows, summoning shadowy appendages at his entire will.

A mastery over the arcane that surpassed the understanding of the current era. Despite everything, the objectives remained fixed.

For those who opposed the rebel cause, the only viable destination was the grave.

The decaying Ninth Empire had ceased to represent a real threat to the rebellion. The insurgent triumph was undeniable, and there existed no force capable of stopping the impetus of their movement.

At least, that was until the irruption of the Lord of Black Gold together with the appearances of the remnants of the colossal mystical kingdom.

Consequently, the revolutionary side assumed the responsibility of eradicating him.

With the objectives of their assignment firm in mind, the shock forces of the rebellion advanced. Guided by the signs given by Count Valiant, they advanced in the direction of the chamber where the Lord of Black Gold was waiting.

“I had the certainty that you would come.”

The members of the Iron Legion, wearing their armor as dark as jet black, entered the hall abruptly, running into their target, who was motionless, revealing that he knew of their arrival beforehand.

“You are…!”

“In the same way that Count Balian was granted an alternative, I will grant you one.”

“Do not insinuate that that renegade aristocrat…! “

“Do not worry. You will not find anyone else in this room,” replied the subject in an unalterable manner.

“Next, I will expose my intentions to you.”

He expressed his words with total calm, bordering on disinterest.

“I will travel unprotected and alone toward the main metropolis of the Ninth Empire to force the regent to prostrate himself at my feet.”

“What kind of nonsense are you saying?”

The wildness of such a declaration deprived the insurgents of words, whose breaths were cut short due to astonishment.

“Subsequently, I will eradicate that rebel militia that so boasts about the beginning of a new time, and I will pursue the remnants to give them death on the gallows.”

The individual continued with his speech without flinching in the least.

“No trace whatsoever will remain on this soil with the exception of my domains. However, before it happens… I will grant you the exact same benefit.”

“What benefit are you talking about?”

“The option of prostrating yourselves before my person and before my sovereignty, guaranteeing thus the salvation of your existences and of your ranks.”

He pronounced that devoid of any glimmer of feeling. One of the insurgents, encased in the second-class armor, emitted a laugh loaded with sarcasm.

“We already deciphered the mystery that guards the origin of your abilities.”

“Are you truly convinced of that?”

The individual wielded a mocking and cold gesture at the rebel’s comment.

After manifesting his disdain, he resumed the word with a completely dry and dispassionate tone.

“Being that way, proceed, fight with all your strength.”

Chapter 20