The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 5

The Night of the Soulless Blasphemer – Episode 6 (6/514)

#6. The Audacious Challenger 2

The Curse of Service.

It was a contract between the Emperor and the Herald Clan. In exchange for various benefits and magical texts, the Herald Clan was to continuously provide talented individuals suitable for the role of herald, and the entire clan was to wholeheartedly cooperate with the Emperor’s herald system.

However, this contract included a clause that allowed for a gruesome death for those who betrayed the clan or the Emperor.

But so far, only one person has triggered this clause.

That was Azadin’s father, ‘Acre the Betrayer.’

*********

The Herald Clan participated in the succession war of the Tarasar Kingdom to free themselves from the Curse of Service, and after much sacrifice, they finally obtained a copy of the Divine King’s Scripture.

However, there was one among the clan who stole the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture and fled—Acre. In response, the elders and leaders activated the Curse of Service on Acre, threatening him.

‘If you don’t return the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture, the curse will kill you.’

‘Hand over the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture if you don’t want to be killed by the curse.’

However, Acre scattered the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture from the heart of the world’s mountain range, sending it flying across all eight kingdoms.

In the end, the enraged elders did not lift the curse, and Acre, as a result, gave birth to twins as a man and died. Those twins were Azadin and Araelle, a brother and sister.

Ironically, of these two twins, Araelle grew into an unparalleled beauty, a powerful mage, and a genius swordswoman, becoming the strongest herald in the clan’s history….

Azadin, on the other hand, was a dim-witted fool.

Araelle was blessed in every way, but Azadin was an incompetent who didn’t even meet the average standards of the Herald Clan.

Any member of the Herald Clan could string a bow by the age of eight and master the Twin Arrow Technique by the age of twelve.

The skill of shooting down the first arrow with the second.

It meant becoming a master archer.

However, Azadin occasionally wet his bed until he was eight and couldn’t even string a bow. While this wouldn’t be unusual for the people of Hybris, it was an unbearable weakness for the Herald Clan.

In the end, Azadin dropped out of the Herald Clan’s basic training and was bullied by the other children until, at the age of twelve, Elder Kazas took him in as his attendant.

And just three months ago, Azadin became a herald due to Elder Kazas’s insistence.

Although it was forced by the Curse of Service, being the Emperor’s herald was an honorable and glorious position for the Herald Clan.

The entire clan strived to become a herald… At the moment they turned eight, they would all gather for a ‘selection process’ to have their talents and abilities evaluated and become a herald.

Azadin failed that selection process.

‘Azadin is the dullest and most foolish of the Herald Clan.’

‘That guy couldn’t even string the lightest bowstring until he was twelve, let alone master the Twin Arrow Technique that everyone else does.’

‘There’s no way such a guy can carry out the duties of a herald.’

‘He’s not fit to be a herald, not even a servant, not even a lackey.’

Those who had spent their childhood with Azadin insisted that he was weak, helpless, and timid in their memories, and they cried out that it was unfair for him to become a herald, no matter how much the elder recommended him.

In fact, the parents of the Herald Clan used to scare their daughters with these words when they didn’t listen.

‘If you keep acting up, I’ll make you marry Azadin.’

In other words, from the Herald Clan’s perspective, Azadin was an insult in and of himself.

The cursed incompetent, Azadin.

That was the clan’s assessment of him.

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“Is it true that you can’t use magic, as the rumors say? And that you’re cursed?”

“I don’t know if the curse is true, but it’s known that he can’t use magic. But the fastidious Elder Kazas took him as his disciple.”

“That doesn’t mean much. He’s still the son of a betrayer, isn’t he? A betrayer’s son who can’t use magic is a herald. Because a guy like that is just taking up space, someone as capable as me can’t become a herald, right? I should test his skills if I ever meet him.”

“Ah, no, you can’t.”

The boy was terrified at the girl’s words about testing his skills.

“What do you mean, I can’t?”

“A squire shouldn’t attack a herald recklessly.”

“But duels are allowed, right?”

“If a squire challenges a herald to a duel and loses, they will be punished. Your life and death, all rights, will belong to him.”

“If I lose, you mean? Huhu. There’s no way I’d lose to a half-wit who can’t even use magic, right?”

“But Elder Kazas is a mysterious being. He’s on the Council of Elders, but no one has ever seen him in person. Rumor has it that he’s an elf. Could it be that he pushed Azadin to become a herald just to repay a favor since he was his attendant?”

“Then what? Elder Kazas took in a fool who couldn’t even string a bow until he was twelve and sent him down the mountain either at the beginning of this year or the end of last year. So how many years did he train him? Did he train him for about ten years and suddenly transform him into a powerful being who could outshine all the other heralds?”

“That’s….”

If that were possible, it would be great, but unfortunately, it wasn’t. The training methods of the Herald Clan were already close to perfection, so while the order might be reversed later, if there was an overwhelming difference at the age of twelve, that difference would remain for life.

At least, one had to be good enough not to drop out of basic training at the age of twelve to have a chance to stand out or make great progress later.

At that moment, a bird descended from above and landed on her shoulder. The bird was a semi-transparent spirit made of a soft light.

A Seer Bird, an artificial spirit created by magic.

It could share its vision and monitor the surroundings, and its body was semi-transparent, so it wouldn’t be noticed even if it was sent out.

“Hmm. It seems like we’ve found that rumored herald. Good. Ismail, hide behind that rock over there with the mountain goats.”

“Yes?”

“I need to check Azadin’s skills.”

The girl said that and loosened the Moon Crescent Bow she had on her waist and strung it.

“Oh, my goodness. Lady Midiam….”

The boy was flustered, but he couldn’t disobey the girl’s orders, so he led the mountain goats and hid behind a rock on the side of the road.

“Alright, then!”

The girl took out two arrows from her quiver and removed the arrowheads.

“Well, it’s unlikely, but it would be troublesome if they hit. Let’s just do this as a greeting?”

She shot one arrow high into the sky and the other at a slightly lower angle. It was the Twin Arrow Technique of the Herald Clan, adjusted to hit the person coming up the mountain path at the same time.

Having fired two arrows, the girl quickly hid behind the rock.

*********

-Whoosh!

The arrows flew towards Azadin.

“Ugh?!”

He pulled out his empty quiver and twisted his body to the side, catching the incoming arrows. The two arrows, one on a low trajectory and the other on a high trajectory, were sucked into the quiver almost simultaneously.

Two arrows had flown at him almost simultaneously.

It was the Twin Arrow Technique of the Herald Clan.

Looking at the fact that the arrows didn’t pierce through the bottom of the quiver, they seemed to be empty arrows without arrowheads. Even so, it would have been a disaster if they had hit him.

“Who is it?”

The people who had been hiding behind the dry rocks revealed themselves. It was a boy and a girl with mountain goats.

“Hmm. I heard that you were a half-wit who couldn’t even use magic, but you’re still a herald after all.”

The girl approached with a boastful air. She had radiant blonde hair and eyes that looked down on people, but she was a beautiful girl, like a fairy.

Seeing that she was holding the Moon Crescent Bow, the bow of the Herald Clan, it seemed that this girl was the one who had shot the arrows at Azadin.

“Was it you who shot those arrows just now?”

“Yes, I sent them lightly as a greeting. How was it? My greeting.”

“Ah, I, I am….”

The boy who followed behind the girl was terrified, unlike the confident girl. The brown-haired boy with drooping eyes seemed to be of a lower status than the girl and was flustered.

“What are your names?”

“I am Midiam of Etar.”

“I am Ismail. I have been assigned to assist you as a squire.”

“Assist? This?”

Azadin chuckled at the audacity of the little kids. He had been bullied by the clan since childhood for being the son of a betrayer who had betrayed the clan, so he was used to such things.

But even the kids who claimed to be squires were attacking him?

“I just added my arrows because your quiver seemed to be empty. Wasn’t that a great assistance?”

The girl boldly defended her attack with those words.

“And surely, a herald wouldn’t die from an arrowhead-less arrow shot from this distance, right? If that were the case, then you wouldn’t be qualified to be a herald. Isn’t that right?”

“Are you laughing right now?”

Azadin’s expression was stern.

Even if they were arrows without arrowheads, to launch a surprise attack like that. He was keenly aware that he was despised by the clan, but he wasn’t so spineless that he would let a child insult him and remain silent.

“First, apologize for your rudeness, Midiam. Otherwise, I will not speak to you.”

“Not speak to me? But….”

“If you want something from me, respect me. Whether as a member of Aragasa [a term for those bound by the contract of service] or as an enemy! Which is it?”

Enemy or kin?

Azadin was asking that. Midiam was about to say something, but she realized that Azadin was not someone who would take a joke and apologized.

“Midiam of Etar apologizes for her rudeness, Herald Azadin. I am an Aragasa.”

Within the contract of service, the Aragasa were one.

It meant that she wanted to be treated as kin, not as an enemy.

“Good. I accept your apology. But in the future, never recklessly throw weapons at anyone again. If I had reacted nervously, my arrows would have had arrowheads. Do you understand? If you don’t intend to kill, don’t play with weapons.”

“Yes.”

Azadin’s warning was valid. Among the Herald Clan, there was a strong hierarchy based on the concept of ‘ranks,’ so it was common to harass someone with arrows without arrowheads….

But in other places, once an arrow was fired, it was no different than saying, ‘Let’s kill each other.’ This girl wasn’t a fool either, so she immediately understood what Azadin was saying.

“By the way, do you have any water?”

He was severely dehydrated, and he was dizzy from moving so quickly to respond to the sudden arrows.

“Ah, yes. H-here it is.”

Ismail got off the mountain goat and took out his canteen, handing it to Azadin. Azadin took the canteen and brought it to his lips.

He carefully held the water in his mouth and slowly waited for it to be absorbed by the mucous membranes. Just that alone brought a little life back to his body.

“You seem thirsty.”

“Hmm.”

The boy and girl waited, watching Azadin, who was focused on drinking water without replying. He drank the water little by little, so as not to upset his stomach, and then sat down for a moment.

‘He’s completely different from the rumors?’

The Herald Clan girl, Midiam, felt bewildered.

The cursed Azadin was a source of mockery and ridicule among the Herald Clan. The only time the Herald Clan, who had no sense of humor, would laugh was when jokes and ridicule about Azadin came up, but the young man in front of her seemed to be a rather strict and proud herald.

But having come this far, she couldn’t turn back.