The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 75

“Tsk, someone of such low status isn’t even pretty. Stop talking nonsense and just wait for your punishment.”

Bishop William said this and raised his hand. Then, a young acolyte next to him handed the bishop a glass of wine. Perhaps reflecting the bishop’s taste, they were all young and beautiful youths.

Bishop William of Salasama favored young and beautiful people. Therefore, despite Sir Zibeck being skilled enough to be a main officer of the Order, he pushed him aside due to his age in his thirties, and instead filled the main officer positions with young, attractive men and women from good families, even if they lacked experience.

Because of this, Sir Zibeck suffered the humiliation of being overtaken even by his own disciple, Meya. Moreover, now, another incident that could damage the bishop’s prestige had occurred, and it was Sir Zibeck who cleaned it up…

From the bishop’s perspective, one more reason to dislike Sir Zibeck had been added.

“It would be best to ensure that no unnecessary stories leak out. If the Count is involved in black magic, it’s a matter of the King’s Church’s prestige!”

“Yes, I understand.”

Sir Zibeck answered, but the bishop’s words made him feel dizzy.

The Count’s involvement in black magic was clear. But to define it as something that would disrupt the King’s Church’s prestige and try to cover it up? Was he going to fabricate it?

Covering up and fabricating the incident would lead to a mess. The people, servants, soldiers, knights, everyone would be curious and spread rumors…

Trying to stop that would lead to an unimaginable disaster.

“Then, your punishment will be…”

At that moment, the door of the bishop’s residence burst open. A knight in golden armor walked in.

“Greetings, Bishop.”

“Huh?”

The bishop trembled like an aspen at the sight.

“Ah, Sir Zibeck. You were here too. I heard you had a recent experience worthy of becoming a penitent knight?”

The knight spoke to Sir Zibeck as he pleased, even in front of the bishop.

“Yes, Sir Zekt.”

“Then, become my assistant and undergo the training of a penitent knight.”

Sir Zekt said this and took off his helmet. The characteristic of those with strong Yaegas blood [a noble lineage known for their silver hair] is usually silver hair, but Sir Zekt had only a portion of his bangs dyed silver among his golden hair.

His slender eyes, which always seemed to be squinting as if the world was dazzling, gave the impression of a smile as he looked back and forth between Zibeck and the bishop.

“Will you grant my request, Bishop?”

“Ah, of, of course. Who would dare refuse the request of Judge Zekt?”

The bishop trembled and nodded to Sir Zibeck.

“Th, then, let’s withdraw together.”

“I am honored.”

Sir Zekt smiled and moved away from the bishop.

*********

The Inquisitors of the Order, especially the Judges, were high-ranking officials, with only 16 in the entire King’s Church.

According to the Church’s principles, the Holy Knights do not involve themselves in politics or policies, but only in the use of force to carry out the tasks set by the clergy. However, the Judges at the top of the Inquisitors could intervene in the internal affairs of the King’s Church under the pretext of expelling heretics or infiltrating cultists.

Since they had the authority to investigate the organization, they were the core of the Holy Knights’ power. Such a high-ranking Sir Zekt praised Sir Zibeck’s efforts.

“You’ve suffered a lot, serving that fool, Sir Zibeck.”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

Zibeck was moved that Sir Zekt remembered him. When he first joined the King’s Church, he learned divine magic under Sir Zekt.

The Holy Knights of the King’s Church prefer to choose one of the most combative and effective divine magics and focus on mastering it to quickly increase their combat power. Sir Zibeck was noted among these Holy Knights for his high understanding of divine magic.

However, his humble origins and weak magic power were flaws, so he was discharged during training, after only two weeks. During those two weeks of training, Sir Zekt remembered Zibeck and even memorized his name. So, from Zibeck’s point of view, he couldn’t help but be moved.

“But what brings you here?”

“I came to see what was happening in Salasama, as there was a drought and monsters were rampant. And I also encountered some interesting things on the way.”

“Yes?”

Then, Sir Zibeck, who had walked out of the church, found a cart. There were corpses on the cart.

“Sir Gazrek?”

Sir Gazrek and his apprentice knights were corpses on the cart. It had been some time since they died, and they were emitting a foul odor, but since the entire Salasama was filled with stench, the smell of one or two rotting corpses was not unusual.

“Is he someone you know? The corpse is quite rotten, but you recognized him?”

“Ah, I only recognized him because of the sword and equipment that belong to Sir Gazrek.”

“Yes. The one who killed this knight did not plunder Sir Gazrek’s equipment. It could be because it belonged to a Holy Knight, but…”

Next to the cart were the non-commissioned officers and soldiers that Sir Zekt brought with him. They were holding farmers and children captive, the survivors of the farm that Sir Gazrek’s group had massacred.

“Initially, those who killed the Holy Knights did not plunder but buried them, but these people were caught digging up the graves. After some questioning, we heard testimony that the messengers killed them.”

“Yes?”

“The Emperor’s messengers, I mean. The Emperor’s followers, the ones who killed the new king. Well, they must be that powerful to harm our Order’s Holy Knights.”

“…”

At that moment, a young man who was being held captive spat out blood and shouted.

“Don’t be ridiculous! That knight killed my father! He killed my family because his arrow went astray during hunting, and then he tried to massacre all the people on the farm to shut our mouths!”

Then, Sir Zekt looked at the non-commissioned officers with his usual smiling face. The non-commissioned officer struck the young man’s lips with a riding crop.

“Shut your mouth! You lowly thing!”

The riding crop struck his face, causing his lips to burst and pieces of flesh to fall off.

“…”

Sir Zibeck’s face hardened at the sight. It was because Main Officer Meya was watching the scene from across the way.

Startled, she rushed over, examined the corpse on the cart, and knelt down.

“Th, this is…”

“Who are you?”

“Ah! I’m sorry, Sir Zekt. I am…”

“She is Main Officer Meya. She is the daughter of Sir Gazrek here.”

“Hmm? Daughter? A Holy Knight?”

Sir Zekt asked, then nodded.

“Well, I suppose that’s possible.”

At that moment, the young man who was being held captive chuckled.

“The daughter of that mass murderer?!”

“Shut up!”

The non-commissioned officer was about to strike his face with the riding crop again, but Sir Zibeck blocked the crop with his scabbard.

“People are watching. Such actions in this place are not good for public sentiment.”

“But we can’t let this guy keep talking…”

“Let’s gag him and take him away.”

Sir Zibeck said this and looked at Meya’s expression. Meya was confused in front of her father’s corpse, which was in a terrible state.

“Th, this… What does it mean that my father was a mass murderer?”

“Th, that’s…”

“Ah, share the investigation records with her. Since she seems to be Sir Gazrek’s daughter, she would want to know.”

Sir Zekt instructed the non-commissioned officers to share the investigation information with Meya and turned to look at Zibeck.

“So, Sir Zibeck. I intend to handle the chaos in Salasama. I need your help.”

At that moment, Meya, who had heard those words, bowed her head in front of Sir Zekt.

“Please. Please allow me to assist Sir Zekt as well.”

The duty of Main Officer Meya was to protect the bishopric where the bishop was. She could conduct investigations here and there according to the bishop’s orders, and sometimes act independently, but fundamentally, her direct superior was the bishop. She had to follow the bishop’s will.

However, the desire to know the truth about Sir Gazrek’s murder and to take revenge moved her. The investigation report shown to her was missing the testimony about the civilian massacre.

Sir Zekt and his non-commissioned officers were moving to strengthen the authority of the Holy Knights. Naturally, they had to cover up the scandal.

“Hmm, this is…”

Sir Zekt smiled at Meya’s request.

“Let me tell you in advance, we are not exactly chasing the one who killed Sir Gazrek. We are just investigating what happened in Salasama and devising countermeasures. But can you, as a main officer, follow me without the bishop’s permission?”

“Th, that’s… I’m sorry. But I want to follow Sir Zekt.”

“Hmm, I understand. Then, Sir Zibeck.”

“Yes.”

“Please temporarily transfer her procedures to me. It just so happens that we need a lot of knights.”

“Temporarily? Or permanently?”

“That depends on her intentions and the bishop’s intentions, wouldn’t you say?”

The position of main officer was a comfortable and lucrative one. On the other hand, following an Inquisitor, especially Judge Zekt, was honorable for the knights, but also the most dangerous.

Usually, they would not give up the position of main officer to become an Inquisitor. But Meya, blinded by revenge, wanted to transfer her entire position.

“I will become an Inquisitor!”

“Excellent. We shouldn’t ignore such enthusiasm.”

Sir Zekt accepted Meya’s request for a full transfer.

“But can I see that investigation record?”

Sir Zibeck asked the non-commissioned officers and looked at the investigation record as well.

“This is…”

It was an investigation record that had been fabricated by anyone who looked at it. Sir Gazrek and his group were said to have been ambushed and killed by the vile messengers and the Emperor’s follower farmers while resting on the farm.

It didn’t seem like the young man’s testimony was false…

‘Even seeing this situation before her eyes, does Main Officer Meya believe this investigation record?’

Sir Zibeck smiled bitterly.

He knew the messenger who killed Sir Gazrek. The messenger Azadin. If he had laid a hand on the Holy Knights, it must be because what the young man on the farm was saying was true.

*********

“Ugh.”

Azadin opened his eyes in bed. A piercing pain swept through his entire body.

“Oh, I’m going to die.”

A groan came out of his mouth involuntarily. Muscle aches, bruises, a concussion, and some internal bleeding. Still, it was fortunate that he had no fractures. Azadin struggled to turn his head around.

‘If the Emperor’s voice was here, I could have asked him to look around for me, but this is so inconvenient. Unless I quickly revoke my dismissal and get the Emperor’s voice back…’

He felt the emptiness of the Emperor’s voice and looked around. It was Baroness Nort’s mansion.

“Ugh. Ah, I’m thirsty.”

He reached for the water bowl on the console next to the bed, but he ended up knocking it over. The muscle pain in his body was so severe that he made a mistake even with such a simple task.