***
After the turmoil subsided and the Emperor's men departed, peace once more returned to the Duchy of Saxen.
"Master Dale."
As proof of that peace, the gentle voice of Eve — the maid who always woke Dale at dawn — rang out.
"Lord Dale, it's time to wake up."
Her voice was softer than usual. Dale rose from the pillow stuffed with fine feathers, the pale morning sunlight filtering faintly through the window, leaving the room in a gentle gloom.
No doubt the knights of the duchy were already awake and deep in their morning drills.
"Thank you for waking me."
"Yes."
Eve bowed silently at Dale's words. Her duty ended there, but she lingered for a moment, as if something weighed on her mind.
Sensing her hesitation, Dale smiled faintly.
"Is there something you wish to say?"
"Well, um…"
The young maid faltered, unable to speak immediately.
A seventeen-year-old girl, speaking formally to a mere ten-year-old boy, while Dale addressed her casually. Their difference in birth decided everything.
Here, status is predetermined. No one questions it.
To someone like Petro, Eve was nothing more than a "lowly thing" to be used and discarded at will.
"…Thank you."
At last, Eve spoke.
"It is truly an honor for someone like me to serve you, my lord."
Had she hesitated so long just to say that?
Though Dale had lived in this world for ten years, such thinking still felt foreign.
But he had no choice but to grow accustomed to it.
The heir of House Saxen.
He needed to understand the weight of that name — and wield it — if he ever hoped to bring down the Empire.
"Mm."
And so, Dale simply smiled. Their conversation ended there.
That day, instead of crossing swords with the knights, Dale was summoned by his father to the ducal office.
At the very top of the castle — the office of the Duke of Saxen.
"You acted quite recklessly, Dale."
As soon as Dale entered, the Black Duke spoke, his words recalling the events of that fateful night.
A clash with the Emperor's nobles. Was this to be a reprimand?
"…I have always believed you to be a clever child."
But the Black Duke's next words were unexpectedly calm.
"Why did you choose to act that way?"
It was not scolding — it was a question. A test.
'Finally… the time has come.'
Dale did not hesitate.
He had been waiting for this moment.
—The day he would no longer be treated as a mere child, but as a true member of House Saxen.
And so, Dale spoke. He explained the political significance of his actions that night, each word sharp and deliberate.
"That's not all."
And he continued.
"Had the 'Hero from Another World' not perished in the battle against Sir Bardel of the Sacred Sword…"
Dale's voice was quiet, calm — revealing truths the Duke himself had not yet considered.
"The next target of the hero's blade would have been this very duchy."
"...!"
The Duke's eyes widened.
Dale spoke of the Empire's schemes — the secret fear they held toward House Saxen.
The hero had been their tool, their hunting dog. But once he defeated the Demon King, he was no longer needed.
And so the Empire had discarded him.
Their plan to use the hero to suppress the Black Duke had failed — poison to fight poison.
"That is an irreverent claim."
The Duke's voice was grave.
"What makes you so certain?"
Dale could not say he had lived that truth once before.
Instead, he disguised his past-life knowledge as reasoned deduction.
"In the past, even after the Demon King was defeated, the Empire did not cleanse his domain."
Dale's words were sharp.
"They simply withdrew, abandoning the land to us."
The command to cultivate the Demon King's territory as imperial land had been an absurd burden.
Beyond the mountains, monsters still prowled, demons lurked, waiting for their resurrection.
"As long as that darkness remains, our bloodshed will never end."
Even the Demon King he had slain was only a fragment of that deeper darkness.
"The imperial family knows this better than anyone. That is why they granted that cursed land to you, Father."
The Duke's expression tightened — Dale's argument was too precise to dismiss.
"Moreover, those beyond the northern borders call our house the 'Clan of Darkness.'"
The Duke gave a bitter laugh.
"Yes… they fear us."
Dale pressed forward, revealing the final piece.
"Just as they discarded the hero, they will seek to eliminate any internal threat that frightens them."
"They discarded the hero…?"
The Duke inhaled sharply.
How could this boy know one of the Empire's deepest secrets?
"I merely pieced it together from the histories in your library," Dale replied evenly.
"It makes no sense otherwise."
Dragged from his world, modified, forced to fight for an alien nation… there was no room for loyalty, no room for patriotism.
"And now, though the hero is dead, the Empire has yet to recover from the unification war."
Dale's gaze was steady.
"Their wounds run deeper than they ever expected."
The Duke was silent.
"Even so," Dale pressed on, "the Empire's ambition will not stop until it has purged every threat."
The Black Duke's fingers twitched on the armrest of his chair.
'This child… does he truly possess wisdom born of years?'
After a long silence, the Duke asked quietly:
"Are you trying to deny the Empire's justice?"
"Do you truly believe the justice the Empire pursues is right, Father?"
Dale's question was soft, but it cut like a blade.
The Duke did not answer. He didn't need to.
Dale continued.
"The Empire's justice is nothing but the justice of the strong — crushing the weak beneath their heel."
The Black Duke knew this truth better than anyone.
House Saxen had once been the Empire's shield. But now that the Demon King was gone, the shield had outlived its usefulness.
And the Black Tower's power had become a threat.
"Then what path do you believe we should take?"
The Duke's voice was low.
"We can never coexist with the Empire."
Dale's reply was resolute.
"At this moment, we are the greatest threat within their borders."
The Duke's expression hardened — he knew this as well.
"Their ambition will not stop. And when the time comes, they will purge us."
Dale had waited ten years for this moment.
"That is why—"
He took a deep breath.
"—We must destroy the Empire."
The air seemed to freeze.
A chill of black magic swept through the office.
"Do you understand what you are saying?"
The Duke's tone was harsh.
"I'm not suggesting we rebel right this instant," Dale replied calmly.
"Then what do you mean?"
"Ten years."
"Ten years?"
"Until the Empire recovers from the unification war and turns its blade on us."
Across the continent, resistance factions stirred.
The economy faltered. People suffered. Bandits multiplied.
Though the unification war had ended years ago, its aftermath still ravaged the land.
"Until then, we must gather strength — enough to protect House Saxen."
Could such words truly come from a ten-year-old?
"We must support the resistance, unite the nobles, win the merchants, and seize control of the Empire's economy."
Dale's plan was meticulous — refined from the day of his birth until now.
"To shield House Saxen from the Empire's claws."
When he finished, the sun had long since set.
The Duke remained silent for a long moment.
Then, unexpectedly —
"Ha!"
He laughed.
"Your talent knows no bounds."
His laughter carried pride, joy, and no small measure of respect.
"You see a world beyond my own vision."
He smiled, genuine and fatherly.
"I am proud to call you my son."
"Because I am your son."
Dale smiled softly.
"From this day forward," the Duke said, "you are no longer merely the heir of House Saxen. You are its future head."
He declared solemnly:
"Your age, your title — none of that matters."
"…Father."
"As one head of house to another, I will listen to your words."
The weight of those words struck Dale.
"From this day, your words are the words of House Saxen."
This was the moment he had waited for.
"Your actions are its actions. Your will, its will."
He was no longer just a child — he was Saxen's rightful successor.
"Speak without hesitation, Dale."
At last, Dale felt the gears of fate lock into place.
"Then allow me to take the Trial of the Tower."
The Duke's brows twitched.
"Not as your son — but as the disciple who inherits the legacy of the Black Duke."
Dale's eyes blazed.
"I will prove before all that I am the rightful successor to the Black Duke's domain."