The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 257

Azadin’s gaze sharpened as he retorted,

“You might not be doppelgangers, but the superior who gave you orders could very well be one!”

“That’s…”

The Fireguards, visibly intimidated by Azadin’s piercing purple eyes, took a step back.

“Rest assured, I’m not suggesting we abandon Fireglyph. On the contrary, we need to strike at the very heart of this evil!”

“Wait. Just who do you think you are…”

The Fireguard knights, Yan and Tamin, were taken aback, questioning Azadin’s sudden assumption of command.

“I’ve been entrusted with the investigation command, taking over from Sir Pavel, the head of the investigation team. Currently, no one can be fully trusted, including Sir Hexenmeier, so I will be conducting this investigation independently! You Fireguards, you’ll follow my lead as well.”

“But, we were ordered to investigate you…”

“So? Are we supposed to lock ourselves up in Fireglyph’s jail, where doppelgangers might be lurking, and wait for one to replace us? That’s absurd! Now is the time to take the initiative! Come with me! I’ll take full responsibility!”

With that declaration, Azadin began marching towards the Fireglyph castle, Sir Pavel, Lady Izmilla, and the investigation team members in tow.

“Uh…”

“Hold on a minute.”

“You all come too.”

“Ah, yes.”

‘But this guy, a mere trainee knight, is acting like our superior…’

‘What should we do?’

‘The investigation team members all seem to be following his lead. If we go against the grain here and challenge him…’

‘If we’re abandoned, our mission will fail, and that will be entirely our fault. It’s best to follow him for now.’

After much internal debate, the two Fireguards, Yan and Tamin, reluctantly fell in line behind Azadin.

*********

“Oh, for crying out loud…”

Delia, the manager of the Vandike Trading Company’s Fireglyph branch, was flustered as she saw the knights rushing towards them.

“What business do you have…”

-Thwack!

Azadin suddenly struck down a Vandike Trading Company employee with a single, swift blow.

To cut down a civilian without even a word! Everyone was stunned.

The corpse that collapsed was, in fact, a doppelganger.

“Ohh…”

“A, amazing. How did he know right away? I heard that doppelgangers can even deceive detection magic.”

The investigation team members and Fireguards who were watching were amazed. Of course, for Camilla and her group, who already knew that Azadin had visited this place and confirmed the doppelgangers’ locations, it was a rather comical scene.

Azadin had rushed into the Vandike Trading Company to further solidify his control over the investigation team members.

He had spared the doppelgangers earlier, was it to use them like this?

“That crazy bastard! I knew he’d cause trouble!”

The female manager, Delia, was shocked, but Azadin suddenly rushed towards her and grabbed her hand.

“Rest assured, merchant. Doppelgangers have infiltrated your trading company, so we will protect you!”

“Ugh.”

The female manager, Delia, who had been using doppelgangers as her subordinates, was flustered by Azadin’s brazen actions. She tapped Azadin’s hand with her finger and asked using lip-reading.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Trying to take down Hexenmeier.’

‘What?’

‘Your employer is Hexenmeier, right? Do you all want to die? Or will you sell out Hexenmeier?’

‘You crazy bastard. What are you doing? No matter what, this is too much, isn’t it?’

‘The circumstances were not favorable. Now, decide quickly. There’s no time.’

Azadin spoke to the female manager, Delia, in a loud and exaggerated voice.

“The alchemist Giacomo killed the brothers of the knight order and disappeared. Since his whereabouts are not revealed in other cities, he must be hiding in the most bustling place, as the old saying goes.”

“…Kuh.”

“Also, the enemies would want the information that the alchemist Giacomo found out from the Rescue Knights, and they would want to verify it. And the only place that trades proper alchemical equipment in the Chadra Highlands is this Vandike Trading Company.”

The female manager, Delia, realized that Azadin had already figured out a considerable amount. Perhaps he had been suspicious of them from the very beginning?

However, this was actually due to a coincidence.

‘From the moment Hexenmeier contacted the Northern Aragas, I knew he was suspicious.’

This was just a case of solidifying a suspicion first and then finding evidence. However, from the perspective of the investigation team members and Delia, who did not know the circumstances, Azadin seemed to have such excellent reasoning skills that he could immediately grasp the essence of the case.

The sight of him cutting down a doppelganger with a single blow gave even stronger conviction to that belief.

‘How much convenience can I get if I hand over the ledger?’

‘I’ll spare your other subordinates. Also, I’ll allow the Vandike Trading Company’s Fireglyph branch to continue to exist.’

‘Promise me that. Huh? And don’t bother me anymore.’

Delia made a verbal agreement with Azadin.

“Alright, I’ll bring the ledger. If it’s a ledger of transactions for items that an alchemist would use, it should be helpful, right?”

Delia said this and signaled to her subordinates with her chin. The doppelganger subordinates hurriedly left their positions. After a while, those who brought the ledger were humans. They did that on purpose to let the doppelgangers escape. However, Azadin pretended not to notice and accepted the ledger.

“The main client is Sir Hexenmeier.”

“Yes. He completely ordered alchemical equipment the month before last, and the delivery was completed last month.”

Delia answered with a smile, but the veins on her forehead were bulging.

“You seem to be under a lot of stress. I can see your blood vessels popping out. You should get more sleep. Sleep is the best for stress.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for the advice.”

Delia gritted her teeth and responded to Azadin’s ‘kindness’.

*********

The information provided by Delia was a record of purchases of alchemical equipment and magic research equipment. The only place that recently purchased alchemical equipment was Sir Hexenmeier’s steward. There was no other place besides Fireglyph that had bought alchemical equipment or magical materials.

“Isn’t this just circumstantial evidence? We can’t say that Sir Hexenmeier is a traitor based on this alone…”

The two Fireguard knights, Yan and Tamin, were very troubled. To suspect and investigate their superior, Hexenmeier, based on such circumstantial evidence was extremely dangerous. If they could not present clear evidence, they could be punished for insulting their superior. Even if that were not the case, Sir Hexenmeier was the one who held the power of personnel management. He could deploy them to places teeming with wild magic-mutated beasts and monsters.

“But there are enough reasons to investigate. Let’s be honest. Aren’t you afraid because Sir Hexenmeier is your superior? If you had this evidence against a subordinate who couldn’t retaliate, for example, me, you would have gladly investigated me.”

“Well, yes.”

“Then let’s say we’re going to investigate. How can we catch solid evidence without being discovered by Sir Hexenmeier along the way?”

The Fireguards asked Azadin. Although it was the Fireguards who brought it up, the paladins of the investigation team, and even Lady Izmilla, were curiously awaiting Azadin’s answer. To impeach Chapter Master Hexenmeier, solid evidence was needed. Everyone’s honest feeling was that they did not want to be hated by Sir Hexenmeier until they had that solid evidence.

“Tsk. And you call yourselves investigators.”

Azadin lamented the lack of skill of the investigators.

“Hey, we went out and came back through the northeast gate, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then the gatekeepers saw our entry and exit. If they report to Sir Hexenmeier, what will Sir Hexenmeier think? Why are my subordinates, the Fireguards, not reporting and avoiding contact? That’s what he’ll think, right? I think the problem has already occurred at that point?”

“Ah…”

“You are already no different from traitors in Sir Hexenmeier’s eyes.”

“Wait a minute. Isn’t that a story after we’ve confirmed that Sir Hexenmeier is a traitor to the knight order? If Sir Hexenmeier is not a traitor to the knight order, then this is just a delay in reporting due to an in-depth investigation. It’s nothing serious.”

“Right. And the gate guards wouldn’t report that immediately.”

The Fireguards protested, but from the moment they heard Azadin’s words, their hearts began to pound with fear and anxiety. It would be good if Sir Hexenmeier was not a traitor…. But if he was a traitor, the Fireguards would die now. No, considering the abilities of a traitor who handles doppelgangers, a fate more terrible than a literal death would await them.

“I, is there no way?”

The anxious Fireguards asked Azadin as if begging.

“Well, there are several ways, but the first is a sting operation.”

“A sting operation, you say?”

“Yes. You Fireguards return to the main force right now and report that you tried to secure Lady Izmilla’s group, but suddenly went crazy and attacked, and you had no choice but to fight and inflict serious injuries, and you’ve hidden them somewhere for now. If Hexenmeier is a normal knight, he will gather the general knight order forces and move formally, but if not, he will only pick the guys he can really trust under the pretext of concealing the incident. Then, we ambush them and extract information and confessions.”

“Are you saying we should attack Sir Hexenmeier before the charges are confirmed?”

“It’s the most effective and fastest method. But you don’t like it, do you?”

“…….”

For ordinary knights to dare to trap and attack a Chapter Master because of a slight suspicion was something they could not do. Azadin, as if he knew the bureaucratic nature of the knight order well, explained the next plan with a sneer.

“Alright, it’s hard for you to cross the line. Then, shall I solve it in a way that I take responsibility?”

The knights and members of the Rescue Knights who were watching were all inwardly impressed by Azadin’s bold and fearless methods.

‘Is this the way of the Herald Clan? It’s really scary and effective.’

‘Above all, he’s confidently spitting out countermeasures even in this unpredictable situation. He has a young and handsome appearance, but he’s a scary guy.’

To them, Azadin presented a second plan.

*********

Because Izmilla and the doppelgangers had fought in the middle of the street and revealed the Celestial’s wings, Fireglyph was in a state of turmoil. An angel defeated the doppelgangers but was kidnapped by strange beings, and they were chasing after them. As such rumors spread, Sir Hexenmeier became very troubled. Sir Hexenmeier had a cooperative relationship with the Northern Empire, but that did not mean he completely trusted the Northern Empire and was loyal to it. The Northern Empire had a lot to give him, but Sir Hexenmeier did not have much to give to the Northern Empire. Ordinary people might swear allegiance to the Northern Empire, which treats them well in this case, but Sir Hexenmeier could not trust the Northern Empire even more because of that. The favor of a politician is never free.