Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Epilogue

The northern regions retained their customary frigid and desolate atmosphere.

Dale walked through the courtyard of the imperial fortress of the House of Saxon, the current core of a nascent sovereignty, just as historical records had foreseen.

The celestial vault appeared gloomy, and grayish snow particles descended from it. Every step he took left a dark mark on the perfect white surface he tread upon.

“Dale.”

A call made Dale look up.

“…Sepia.”

It was Sepia, the elven mage who in the past had instructed both Dale and Lize.

“I notice you are sorrowful.”

“When you are left completely alone and, after a long time, you manage to reunite with those you value…” Sepia commented, provoking a bitter grimace on Dale’s face.

“I imagined my journey had finally concluded.”

In that instant, he exposed a fragility he had never revealed to anyone else before.

“I have control of the world and my loved ones by my side. Is there anything else I need? What must I achieve to fill this internal void? How much longer will I have to wander for this path to end?”

Dale’s tone faltered, reducing almost to a murmur.

“I beg you to guide me, Master Sepia.”

He was not acting in that moment as a fearsome demon nor as the god of futility.

He presented himself simply as a human being, full of weaknesses.

In front of the wise elven mage Sepia, the so-called “Black Prince” implored for a direction, repeating the dynamic of his old times.

“Unfortunately, I am also nothing more than a lost wanderer on this plane.”

Not even the most erudite instructor possessed the replies Dale longed to hear.

Due to this, Sepia opted to offer him a protective and silent embrace.

The lethargy brought with it a blurry memory.

It was a daydream so vivid that he possessed the absolute certainty of being inside a dream.

Under a nocturnal, opaque, and pale sky, Dale observed the heights.

He had taken possession of the title of Duke of Saxony, ascended to monarch of the Empire, and, at one point in his existence, remained frozen at absolute zero, plunged into total isolation.

Despite everything, he returned with the people he esteemed and took on a new life as the leader of a renewed sovereignty.

A god of futility.

That was the being into which Dale had transformed, and before him stood a child.

A little one whose eyes remained hidden by strips of black cloth. However, it was not the eternal Frederick.

It was impossible not to recognize those features.

No one is capable of erasing the vestiges of their own yesterday.

The living image of the “Black Prince” planted itself directly before Dale.

Nevertheless, Dale only managed to show a half-hearted smile. He understood that this was nothing more than a nocturnal illusion, a simple shadow of what he once was.

It was then that the apparition intervened.

“Why do you choose to retreat?” inquired the Black Prince, employing an intonation as polite as the one that characterized Dale in his youth.

“What am I supposed to be retreating from?” replied Dale.

“From me.”

“Is there any reason for me to measure myself against you?” Dale questioned with indifference, encountering a reply of equal coldness from the Black Prince.

“Are you experiencing fear?”

The Black Prince possessed the innate quality of deciphering the intentions of others and unveiling the secrets of the spirit. The most brilliant prodigy of the entire imperial territory, the gifted heir of the ducal house.

That entity planted itself in front of him, manifesting a strangely distant essence. For this reason, Dale let out a brief laugh.

“Should my own person instill fear in me?” questioned the Black Prince, showing genuine bewilderment.

“Do you seriously consider that we harbor the same essence?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“On a previous occasion, you asked her if you truly corresponded to the individual from back then.”

‘Her’, very likely alluding to Shub.

“Are you familiar with the dilemma of the Ship of Theseus?”

“……”

At the words of the Black Prince, Dale kept an absolute silence, holding his breath.

After slaying the beast known as the Minotaur, Theseus began his return to Athens aboard his vessel. The inhabitants, in order to commemorate his deed, chose to preserve the ship for future generations.

“I know it.”

“However, as the timbers of the Ship of Theseus suffered the passage of time and rotted, the citizens took it upon themselves to replace them with new pieces.”

Even when a section was replaced, the structure continued to be firmly identified as the Ship of Theseus.

“Nevertheless, after enduring countless tempests throughout the eras, fixing and changing plank after plank, the point arrived where not a single component remained of those that made up the original ship in which Theseus sailed.”

When the vessel became constituted entirely by new elements, the original ship of Theseus no longer existed at all.

Despite this reality, the inhabitants of Athens continued calling it the Ship of Theseus.

“……”

“Does that name legitimately correspond to the resulting structure?”

What an insufferable boy.

Understanding that this figure represented his own identity from the past made the situation even more ridiculous.

“Our cellular structures perish and are renewed in an endless cycle. Once the totality of the elements that give you form have transformed, do you possess the certainty that the being present here is the identical ‘Black Prince’ of past eras?”

“At this point in the journey, it is clear to me that in my youth I was nothing more than an insufferable boy.”

“The matter is not limited to cells. Your convictions, your principles, your purposes… How many of those ‘planks’ have undergone a replacement since your days as the ‘Black Prince’ up to the current moment?”

“What is the point you want to get to?”

“I do not share your current identity. In the same way that you have ceased to be the ‘Black Prince’.”

“…What are you supposedly trying to imply?”

“That is an enigma that it is up to you to decipher on your own.”

The Black Prince sketched a grimace laden with disdain, and instantly, the suspended snow particles froze completely in the air.

The figure of the “Black Prince” vanished, leaving as the only landscape the immensity of a frigid winter evening. An inexplicable sensation of cold pierced deep into his chest.

And upon fixing his gaze on that desolate and gigantic plain, Dale sank into muteness.

At the start of the following day.

Upon returning from lethargy, he perceived the comfort of the bed made of wool. Upon turning his face to the side, he captured Charlotte’s features while she rested.

With caution, Dale approached his fingers to brush Charlotte’s face, provoking a subtle expression of pleasure in her amidst her rest.

“You are by my side right upon waking, Dale.”

“That’s right.”

Dale showed an affectionate gesture and Charlotte reciprocated in the same manner. Immediately after, he positioned his palm over the pronounced curve of her belly.

“You, our descendant, and I are united.”

“Isn’t it too confined a space to house three people?”

“Not at all.”

Charlotte shook her head in a sign of denial.

“It is the ideal size.”

“Are you sure of that?”

“The idea of our little one suffering from isolation in an excessively colossal environment is not to my liking.”

After hearing Charlotte’s proposition, Dale remained quiet, deprived of arguments to reply.

“The responsibility does not fall on you, Dale.”

In that instant, Charlotte caressed his face, employing a highly sweet and understanding tone.

“You do not act with malice. Therefore, cease punishing yourself internally.”

“…Charlotte.”

Dale found himself incapable of articulating a single word. His only desire consisted of remaining lying next to her, perceiving the presence of his future child, and delighting in that fragment of bliss.

“What task do you wish for me to perform?” inquired Dale. For a brief instant, Charlotte’s features reflected bitterness, though the expression faded quickly.

“Become a parent full of kindness,” requested Charlotte.

“And besides…”

Showing a firmness and a conviction never before seen in her person.

“Hand over the control of your empire to me.”

Dale experienced a new shock that made him hold his breath.

“The empire that I rule…?”

“The sovereignty of this plane belongs to you now. However, the dominion that lies under your command only causes you suffering.”

“Charlotte…”

“Allow me to alleviate the weight of your obligations,” asked Charlotte.

“While I head to the conflict zones to subdue the detractors of the crown, you will remain alongside our descendant in the main city.”

“……”

“When I take charge of gathering the aristocracy to administer this territory, your duty will be to watch over our son.”

Dale perfectly assimilated the significance of Charlotte’s statements.

“Listen to me, Dale.”

“I’m listening to you.”

“Does possessing absolute command of the planet bring you fulfillment?” Charlotte interrogated once more.

“Do you perhaps intend to abandon us after the birth of our child to assume the role of the world’s redeemer all alone?”

“……”

Dale showed himself incapable of formulating an answer. He could only perceive the suffering and hardships that Charlotte had borne in complete isolation, biting her lip without uttering a sound.

A brief doubt arose within him.

However, the indecision promptly dissipated.

“I give you my word,” assured Dale.

“I thank you for it, Dale.”

Charlotte showed a smile of relief upon perceiving his acceptance. She approached and sealed the promise with a kiss. In the instant that their mouths united, the assertions that the “Black Prince” pronounced in his nocturnal experience manifested once again in his consciousness.

Did the being to whom Charlotte demonstrated her affection truly correspond to the individual she believed she knew?

He lacked a clear answer.

And he preferred not to delve into it.

“A person requests an audience with Your Majesty.”

As soon as Dale stood up and headed to the facilities of the royal fortress, he received an unforeseen notification.

“Who is it?”

“He claims to be the highest authority of the rebel faction.”

“……”

Dale kept an absolute silence upon processing the received information.

“Is there any indication that would induce us to give credence to his claims?”

“A numerous contingent belonging to the Iron Brigade, equipped with magical combat attire, has laid down their tools of war and manifested their surrender before the members of the Night Raven Knights in the border zone of the duchy.”

“……”

“The knight order has proceeded to confiscate their mystical attire; nevertheless, the warriors assume themselves as captives voluntarily, remaining loyal to their commander’s orders.”

“Escort that individual to the interior of the fortress.”

After the order dictated by Dale, the subordinate bowed his head. Even if there were some hidden trap behind this, it would lack relevance in the face of this being’s immense power. The vassals linked to the House of Saxon understood perfectly that their leader did not require their defensive attentions nor their fears.

Despite the circumstances, the royal seat crafted in dark and golden tones was not occupied by Dale.

Charlotte was installed on the throne, while Dale remained standing right by her side. None of those present dared to refute said arrangement.

The birth of their offspring was near, and Charlotte’s silhouette evidenced the clear evolution of a new existence.

Upon contemplating the scene, Dale allowed himself to reflect an expression of profound serenity.

A creak resonated in the environment.

Following that gesture, he shifted his attention towards the boundaries of the spacious main hall belonging to the imperial fortress of the House of Saxon.

In front of his position were located the ringleaders of the insurgent grouping, the individuals who self-proclaimed to be the mind and motor of said movement.

The members of the House of Eurys, guarded by a reduced but highly trained contingent, provided with mystical combat attire to offer them support.

“It is an honor to find myself before your presence once again, Your Majesty.”

The supreme commander of the insurgent grouping and principal leader of the House of Eurys performed a bow at the opposite end of the enclosure.

A creature of vampiric nature that bore identical features to Ray Eurys. Dale fixed his eyes on him, maintaining a distant and quiet attitude.

“What is the reason that brings about your appearance in this place?” intervened Charlotte, taking Dale’s place, employing an intonation that dispelled the friction of the moment. Ray Eurys replied by formulating an equally distant question.

“Are you familiar with the dilemma of the Ship of Theseus?”