The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 390

Azadin opened his eyes in his chair.

His nose was bleeding.

“……..”

He silently wiped the blood with his hand, got up, and looked around.

He was inside his tent.

It was an excessively simple tent for the Margrave of Naisandokar, who had been gaining fame throughout the world with his recent winning streak.

As Azadin opened his eyes, a familiar voice reached his ears.

[An ominous shadow is approaching from the north. The Inquisitors sent by the King’s Church are gathering troops and coming down…]

Arahael’s voice warned him.

[Victories are piling up, but there’s no substance, Azadin.]

Recently, Arahael’s voice had been speaking to him not just as an artificial spirit mimicking the Emperor’s voice, but like the real Arahael.

“Yes, substance.”

From the outside, Azadin seemed to be on a winning streak, making rapid advances, but in reality, things were not so good.

His territory had expanded rapidly, but there was no substance. The land that could be farmed next year would be very limited.

Pimburbert [a period of famine] had started this year, but there was still a harvest this year. The real famine would start next year, and it would engulf the world.

On the surface, he acted like a superhuman, not showing any signs, but Azadin was agonizing inside.

However, if he showed any signs of wavering, people would become anxious.

Of course, Azadin’s closest aides, the leaders of the military factions, vaguely understood Azadin’s difficulties.

They were anxious about the dwindling food reserves due to the unlimited acceptance of refugees because of the Relief Knights’ beliefs, but they didn’t show it on the outside.

Or that he was bleeding without realizing it while suffering from severe pain.

Azadin was trying to ignore these problems and pretending to be calm.

[Fortunately, goblins and bris [small, monstrous creatures] are rampant in various places.]

“Fortunately?”

[Oh, come on, don’t say you didn’t think that, Azadin. Because the bris and goblins are attacking, you can deploy the refugees as soldiers, and when they die, that’s fewer mouths to feed, right? And those who survive will become elite soldiers.]

“You’re starting to sound more and more like Arahael.”

[I am an entity created with a part of her soul. Just like the Emperor’s voice…]

“The Emperor’s voice didn’t have Nether’s sorcery [dark magic] mixed in. Don’t profane my sister’s voice.”

[No, but I really think Arahael would have thought that way too.]

He didn’t like that Arahael’s voice was starting to sound more and more like Arahael.

But what he was saying was also true.

In the northern part of the Naisandokar region, goblin and bri armies were moving to plunder, and the troops were being consumed to stop them, which in turn reduced the number of mouths to feed.

However, for Azadin, the thought that it was fortunate that people were dying and reducing the number of mouths to feed was an impious thought that he could not bear to keep in his heart.

Azadin shook off the impious thought and left the tent.

Outside the tent, Jibek greeted Azadin with his usual tired eyes.

“You’re awake, Azadin. There’s a report that Lord Jekt and Lord Astadeer have landed in the north.”

“Astadeer?”

“Yes. He’s famous for hating the Messenger Clan….”

“That’s right. The one who leaked the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture. Amazing. He’s still alive.”

Azadin was bound to Astadeer by a strange fate.

Because Astadeer leaked the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture, Acre, who fled with it, was cursed and gave birth to Azadin and Arahael.

A cursed life born from a man’s womb without a mother.

If you trace it back to its roots, it is no exaggeration to say that Astadeer’s mistake was there.

“On the other hand, the Arangi army is building an outpost 2 leagues [approximately 6 miles] south and is rapidly gathering troops. Lord Selim has gone out to provoke them several times, but they are ignoring him and only focusing on gathering troops at the outpost.”

Looking at the movements of the Arangi Kingdom army, they must also know that the Inquisitors of the King’s Church have landed in Visen in the north and are gathering troops.

“If we stay still, I’m afraid we’ll be attacked from both the south and the north.”

“We don’t need to worry much about the Arangi Kingdom. The problem is the Inquisitors.”

“Yes? Why is that?”

‘Well, I don’t really know either.’

Azadin wanted to say that, but he pretended to be calm and answered.

“Goblins, bris, and nagas [serpentine creatures] are becoming more rampant as winter approaches, right? It’s not just Naisandokar, but they’ll naturally appear in the Arangi Kingdom as well. The fiefs of the Arangi Kingdom are much more prosperous than Naisandokar, where people don’t live much, right? But the Arangi Kingdom is now gathering troops from all over the place by order of the king. They have to protect the kingdom, but they are pulling out troops and pouring them into a useless war, so there will definitely be trouble. The problem is the Inquisitors. Unlike the king and his vassals, the Inquisitors have nothing to protect.”

“Then, will you defeat the Inquisitors first?”

“Yes. That’s why I told Selim to provoke them. Prepare for it.”

Azadin hid his anxiety and ordered preparations for departure, hoping that his prediction would come true.

*********

Scouts began to report to King Carnago IV.

“Count Azadin’s army is preparing to depart.”

“Depart? Are they attacking us?”

“No, it seems they are trying to deal with the Inquisitors who are coming down from Visen first. The sound of horses being shod, weapons being sharpened, and carts carrying food can be heard from afar.”

The distance to the Arangi Kingdom’s outpost was such that there was no need to prepare transport carts. It was a distance that could be covered in a day.

The fact that they were preparing carts meant that they were probably going to deal with the Inquisitors.

“What should we do?”

“Hmm.”

Carnago IV pondered deeply.

The current Arangi Kingdom army had built an outpost in the forest area of the southern plains of Coxhall and was waiting for the gathering of troops there.

Azadin had sent Selim’s troops several times to provoke the Arangi Kingdom army in order to draw them out, but the Arangi Kingdom army did not budge.

The Arangi Kingdom army currently gathered at the outpost was not the king’s direct army, but the troops brought by the king’s vassals.

These troops were private soldiers of the nobles, so they tried not to fight as much as possible.

The soldiers did not want to fight because their lives were at stake, and the nobles did not want to shed blood first, as not all vassals had gathered yet.

It was pointless to go out first and get beaten when the king had not even promised any compensation, and they would only lose their precious private soldiers.

However, there was one being who could change this situation at once, and that was the king.

If the king made a decision, promised to compensate for the damage, and promised to reward those who made achievements several times over, he could move the troops.

‘My intuition tells me that this movement is real. Count Azadin has been on a winning streak so far, but he is in a hurry. It’s like he’s trying to save all the people.’

Carnago IV’s intuition told him that Azadin’s actions were not a deception, but that he was really preparing to move his troops.

If they went out now, occupied the empty Coxhall, and hit the enemy in the back while they were marching, they would gain a great advantage.

‘My intuition, wisdom, and military strategy all tell me that now is the opportunity. But….’

Carnago IV was uneasy.

So far, his life had been smooth sailing, a blessed life where he had obtained whatever he wanted without any ups and downs.

For him, Count Azadin was a proper trial he was experiencing for the first time in a long time.

King Carnago had built up his practical experience and history of victory by subjugating goblins, bris, and even ogres, but that was only by crushing disorganized troops with an absolute superiority in numbers.

On the other hand, Count Azadin had defeated Gisleng and made people suspect that he might really be the king of Banreung.

Should he rely on his intuition and attack that guy now when his troops haven’t even gathered completely?

If he showed such decisiveness and failed, he would be forever disgraced in the eyes of the world.

Even though the King’s Church strictly forbade it, the bards in the streets were singing stories about Count Azadin.

This was because, in the midst of all the gloomy news that Pimburbert was bringing, Count Azadin and his military faction were the only ones providing people with positive and interesting topics.

‘I’ve only been picking up guaranteed victories, and now I’m scared because I’ve met a scary guy for the first time. I’m afraid of failing. I have to… overcome this. I have to….’

Carnago IV pondered deeply and clicked his tongue.

“……It’s a trap.”

“Yes?”

“It’s a trap. We will not move our troops and wait for a complete gathering. However, I will not stop those of my vassals who are competing for merit from pursuing Count Azadin. If they achieve merit, they will be rewarded accordingly.”

To summarize Carnago IV’s words:

I, the king, think it’s a trap, so I won’t move, but if any of my vassals want to gain merit, go ahead and try. If you get counterattacked and disgraced, that’s your responsibility. It’s not my responsibility.

‘Cowardly.’

‘But it’s a rational choice. As expected of our king.’

‘Damn it. If I were king, I’d be confident in passing the buck like that while playing it safe.’

The vassals were amazed and impressed by Carnago IV’s excellent political sense(?).

*********

It would be foolish to jump in to gain merit when the king was so openly playing it safe.

But that doesn’t mean there are no fools among the nobles.

Baron Polchen was a devout believer in the King’s Church, and he was very dissatisfied that even Naisandokar, a land that had been practically abandoned, was given to a soulless blasphemer, allowing a Messenger Clan to dare to call himself a count.

Now that the king had given permission to move troops independently and attack….

Baron Polchen immediately led his troops out of the outpost.

Baron Buitra and Baron Calma, who shared Polchen’s views, also joined with their troops.

“That guy was a thorn in my side anyway!”

“Let’s make a great achievement this time and drive him out. Then….”

“His territory….”

The nobles’ faces darkened as they said that.

Naisandokar was a land that was difficult to take even if it was given to them. Moreover, Sandokar was being defended by Count Ibchek of Sandokar.

Of course, Count Ibchek had sided with the traitor Azadin, so his territory could be confiscated, but it was highly doubtful that the stingy king would divide Sandokar.

Since there was no promise of what kind of reward they would receive, wouldn’t they just divide Naisandokar or give it as a fief?

“Ahem. We are only trying to subjugate the traitor in response to the call of our fervent faith. Let’s not think about rewards yet.”

Baron Polchen spoke as if he had already secured victory and pursued Azadin’s army.

Indeed, Count Azadin’s army had come out of Coxhall and was moving along the northeast road.

They were moving with supply carts, so they were not very fast, but there were only about 30 cavalry and light infantry.

Even Baron Polchen, Buitra, and Calma thought it was a force they could handle.