The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 382

The Coxhall reconstruction project, as envisioned by the Kingdom of Arangi, was not a grand undertaking. It was simply about building a road and establishing a supply base for the subjugation of the Banlung region, a long-standing goal of Arangi. That was all it was supposed to be.

They never imagined that a variable like Azadin would appear and seize Coxhall.

They had elevated Azadin, a man of humble origins, to the undeserved rank of Count, only to be betrayed like this? And to make matters worse, he had taken Prince Sram, who was sent to Coxhall, as a hostage.

Count Azadin declared himself the ruler of the Banlung Kingdom and publicly proclaimed a bizarre, heretical faith.

This situation meant that the Arangi royal family, who had granted Azadin his title, could not escape scrutiny.

The Arangi royal family was bewildered and enraged.

*********

‘Is this really okay?’

The laborers from the Kingdom of Arangi felt a sense of doubt about what they were doing.

Though they were uneducated workers, they knew that their current actions were provoking the Kingdom of Arangi.

‘Well, weren’t we ordered by the higher-ups to rebuild Coxhall? We’re just following orders, so why worry?’

‘But Coxhall now belongs to Count Azadin, right? If we rebuild here, isn’t that, you know, aiding the enemy?’

‘Aiding the enemy?’

‘Yeah, isn’t that a punishable offense?’

‘Maybe, but we haven’t received any orders to stop, have we? Besides, Prince Sram, our current superior, is telling us to do it, so why not?’

‘That’s true, but Prince Sram, he’s… you know…’

The story of what happened between King Karnago IV of Arangi, Bishop Akenar, and Prince Sram was well-known to all the people of Arangi.

It was easy to assume that Prince Sram harbored resentment towards King Karnago IV of Arangi.

Wasn’t Prince Sram’s cooperation with Count Azadin after his release perhaps a result of his rebellion against his father?

In other words, wasn’t it an act of treason?

‘Even so, there’s nothing we can do about it, right? No need to overthink it. We just do what the guy holding the knife tells us to do. It’s even better if that knife-wielder gives us food.’

The laborers were just common folk. They had no choice but to follow the orders of the warrior-noble class nearby.

No matter how much political judgment they made, there was nothing they could do about it.

‘Count Azadin does provide food, though. Hmm. Hey, what are you eating? It smells sweet.’

‘Oh, this? It’s molasses biscuit.’

‘Molasses biscuit?’

It was a biscuit made by cramming in the residue left over from squeezing sugar from sugarcane. Even the remaining sugar was a treasure in this era where sweetness was scarce.

It was a common item in Butuma, where sugarcane was cultivated in large quantities, but elsewhere, it was a valuable import. It was definitely a luxury item that ordinary laborers rarely saw.

Yet, a laborer was openly eating it?

‘Where did you get that?’

‘Didn’t you know? They give it out after the work is done, at that New Testament lecture thing?’

‘What? New Testament lecture? That heretical gathering?’

‘I wondered why so many people were going to that strange religious group, but they give out molasses biscuits?’

‘No, if they give out something that good, you should have said so sooner!’

‘You treated me like an idiot when I suggested going before…’

‘I didn’t know they gave out molasses biscuits!’

‘Give me some. Let me taste it. It smells so sweet.’

The workers, their eyes fixed on the molasses biscuits, began to argue loudly amongst themselves.

*********

Azadin had begun operating trade ships through the port of Coxhall, which the Relief Knights were restoring, and had opened a trade route with Butuma through these ships.

When the Van Dyke Trading Company arranged for ships trading with the Relief Knights or the Kingdom of Arangi to stop at Coxhall, various luxury goods and supplies easily flowed in.

Azadin was using the imported molasses biscuits as bait for missionary work.

The missionary activities were gaining explosive reactions thanks to the promise of molasses biscuits.

‘The missionary work is going smoothly. But using molasses biscuits as bait seems a bit excessive, don’t you think?’

Zibeck was amazed by Azadin’s missionary work. As the most devout religious figure in Count Azadin’s faction, he could see it.

The doctrines of the New Testament created by Azadin were spreading at an astonishing rate.

Thanks to the extraordinary incentive of molasses biscuits, which were difficult for ordinary people to even see, people were quickly turning to Azadin’s side.

Also, the fact that the doctrines of the New Testament were less rigid and more liberal than the doctrines of the existing King’s Church was a major factor.

However, seeing the people change their faith, even with such incentives and rationality, made him question the life he had dedicated to the church.

‘Since we can use the port of Coxhall, molasses biscuits are expensive for ordinary people, but in reality, they are made by mixing the residue from making sugarcane. If we maintain a distribution route, we can somehow supply them.’

Even so, it was not an easy item to obtain in the Pimbulvert situation.

However, Azadin had close relationships with the sugarcane plantation owners in Butuma, so he could obtain molasses biscuits relatively easily.

‘The problem is not the molasses biscuits, but the clergy. We need many people, clergy, to preach the teachings of the New Testament. I am currently giving the lectures, but I can’t do it forever, can I?’

Azadin’s faction was like a precarious sandcastle, relying on the single pillar of Azadin.

If Azadin did not work in military, political, economic, and all other areas, things would not run properly.

He was burdened by a murderous workload, and it was difficult for him to personally handle the religious missionary work. Azadin’s true desire was to have a group of skilled clergy to whom he could entrust the missionary work.

‘Are you going to educate the believers and make them clergy?’

‘It would be better to use those who are already clergy. They know how to read and write, have read some books, and are familiar with religious events.’

‘Religious events…’

Bring the clergy of the existing King’s Church into the New Testament Church. That was what Azadin was saying.

It was like the whisper of the devil. But when you think about it, it made sense. It was beneficial for a new religion (?) to utilize those who had already completed their training as clergy.

‘The problem is that there are those who absolutely refuse to change their religion. What are you going to do about them?’

Edir, a follower who had directly witnessed the fall of the Banlung Kingdom and the crumbling of the Banlung throne, regarded Azadin as some kind of devil and refused him, and was currently imprisoned.

What if people who were faithful to the King’s Church did not easily succumb to the teachings of heresy? Wouldn’t Azadin’s missionary plan be disrupted?

However, Azadin was unconcerned.

‘First of all, the New Testament allows women to stand at the forefront as clergy, so we can expect the support of the convents.’

‘Do you think the nuns preaching to the public will work?’

‘It will work. What kind of people are the nuns of the King’s Church originally?’

‘They are the daughters or widows of nobles.’

‘And they have children. Only a small number are heirs, and most are working as clergy or holy knights of the King’s Church. And most people can refuse their father’s requests, but they cannot easily refuse their mother’s requests.’

Azadin, who was born from his father’s womb without a mother, smiled wryly as he spoke about the habits of others.

The mother, who is responsible for raising children during childhood, has a stronger hold on her children. Therefore, gaining the support of the convents was tantamount to controlling the nobles.

‘That’s certainly true. I understand. Count Azadin. I will take charge of the New Testament lectures starting today.’

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’

‘I’m just a clergy member, after all.’

Zibeck unfolded the New Testament written by Azadin. This New Testament, which had added rationality to the old doctrines of the King’s Church, was worn from Zibeck’s touch. It was clear that Zibeck had read and reread it, engraving it in his heart.

It was a trap that a devout clergyman would fall into. He could not bear not to check and analyze the doctrines of the new New Testament. As a result, Zibeck had become the person who understood the doctrines of the New Testament advocated by Azadin next to Azadin himself.

He would be able to handle the lectures while handing out molasses biscuits.

‘Then the problem now is the Kingdom of Arangi.’

Azadin’s claim of the New Testament and its propagation were currently going smoothly. With the light of the king appearing in Banlung, the King’s Church was also unable to act rashly.

The King’s Church was also in a bad situation to send an investigation team. Goblins, Bree [a type of humanoid monster], ogres, and nagas had begun to swarm in various places, making it difficult to send travelers.

Within the King’s Church, the conflict between the forces supporting the Northern Emperor, the king of kings, and the opposing forces was severe.

As for Azadin, rumors that the King of Arangi was gathering troops to subdue Count Azadin had reached Azadin’s ears.

The King’s Church and others had temporarily stopped paying attention to Azadin.

If Azadin was defeated by the King of Arangi and broken, there would be no reason to pay attention to him.

Azadin’s aides, even the frivolous orc necromancer Scott, swallowed hard.

‘Wow, boss. Your achievements are truly amazing, but the thought of the Kingdom of Arangi turning into an enemy makes me a little nervous, you know?’

‘Currently, the Kingdom of Arangi is not the only problem.’

Count Iveczek handed a report to Azadin.

‘When winter begins, it’s not just feudal states that wage war. Ogres, goblins, and Bree have begun to rampage. Bree and goblins have appeared in the northern part of Naisandokar. There are also sightings of ogre warbands…’

The reason why the Kingdom of Arangi had abandoned the Naisandokar region dawned on Azadin.

‘Hmm. It can’t be helped. We have no choice but to leave this to Calan and Legion.’

In Naisandokar, where dense forests were located, the battles against raiders were mainly small-scale skirmishes.

Calan and Legion were veteran mercenary captains, but they were not suited for large-scale strategies, lacking experience and insight. They were more suited for small-scale tactics.

The Naisandokar region was a battlefield where Calan and Legion could thrive.

There were plenty of refugee soldiers who had just been trained as soldiers, so there would be inevitable casualties, but they would be enough to hold them off.

The problem was the battle with the Kingdom of Arangi.

The Coxhall area was a plain and hilly area, making it suitable for a pitched battle, and the opponent would be the elite subjugation force led by the King of Arangi.

They were not easy opponents like the Bree or goblins that Azadin’s faction had faced so far.

For the first time, Azadin’s faction was facing a proper army.