The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 444

‘You impudent fool!’

‘We must hang him at once!’

‘Everyone, stop!’

Sebalhan halted his enraged vassals.

‘He is just a priest who came to deliver a letter. Isn’t that right?’

‘Yes, y-yes, of course.’

The priest nodded, terrified.

‘So, is that the end of the letter?’

‘No, it is not.’

‘Then keep reading! There must be something about the war, right?’

‘Yes!’

The priest began to read the rest of the letter with trembling hands.

[Even the most ignorant person knows that sacrificing innocent people and plundering their wealth is a sin. It is unbelievable that a descendant of the sacred Yaegas [a legendary lineage or clan] would commit robbery, which cannot be justified by the customs of the world or the laws of the royal church. However, anyone can make mistakes, even a king. If you wish to correct your mistakes, withdraw all your soldiers and send the eldest sons of each nomadic tribal chief as hostages, who are responsible for the massacre. It will be difficult to transport supplies, so you can keep them, but in return, I will establish a trading post in Kaspa, the southeastern prairie city of Chitai, and place it under our jurisdiction.]

‘………’

Sebalhan and his vassals were taken aback by Azadin’s arrogant words.

Currently, the Chitai army was winning against Azadin’s forces.

It was absurd that the one being unilaterally beaten would beg for peace.

‘You know you guys are dirty and despicable, right?’

‘Just apologize appropriately, compensate us, set up a trading post on the border, and we’ll manage it and collect the tariffs. Let’s settle for this much.’

That’s what he was saying.

‘To establish a trading post in Kaspa and put it under their jurisdiction… Isn’t that the same as demanding Kaspa?’

‘I don’t think they know who’s winning the war. It’s absurd for the losing side to demand territory.’

The Chitai people were in high spirits, buoyed by their continued victories, the supplies coming in from the Northern Empire, and the loot they had plundered from Azadin.

‘What nonsense. Do I have to respond? Do I have to respond to open the next letter?’

‘Yes, that is correct.’

‘First of all, I cannot acknowledge that guy as a king. It is my minimum act of mercy to immediately kill that soulless blasphemer who dares to call himself a king and liberate him from his wretched life. Of course, there will be no negotiations with a scoundrel.’

‘………’

The expression on the face of the Elven envoy crumpled.

Sebalhan did not mention the assassination of the late King Nampa.

It was strange not to blame him in this situation unless he did not believe that the late King Nampa was assassinated by Azadin.

Sebalhan glanced at the Elven envoy and then rebuked the priest again.

‘Then, which letter should I open? It’s annoying that I, the king, am getting worked up over a letter from such a rogue.’

‘Ah, yes. Please wait a moment.’

The priest fumbled and opened a letter.

[Are you going to continue the war? If so, I warn you in advance, if the food provided by the Northern Empire has been distributed in the market, you should be especially careful. Beware of Nether contamination. Your army is not scary at all, but I would like to avoid fighting Nether’s vassals. I wish you good luck.]

‘Ugh!?’

The Elven envoy, who was from the Northern Empire, was horrified by the contents of the letter.

Azadin not only knew that the Northern Empire was providing food and supplies to Chitai, but also warned that it was contaminated with Nether [a dark, corrupting force or substance].

‘That’s a ridiculous slander!’

The Elven envoy had no choice but to protest.

‘Well, I know it’s slander. If they could cause chaos by contaminating food with Nether, they would have done it already.’

Sebalhan did not trust the Northern Empire. He believed that if they could do it, they would have done it already.

He had no faith in the character of the Northern Empire at all.

‘Am I going to make it back alive today?’

The Elven envoy felt fear, knowing that Sebalhan thought the Northern Empire was behind Nampa’s assassination.

‘Don’t worry. To me, the Northern Empire is a reliable sponsor, and Azadin is a disgusting enemy. Even if there are no specific orders from the Northern Empire, it’s much more enjoyable to plunder that side. And anyway, the Royal Church will officially designate him as the assassin of our late king and King Karasar, right?’

As King Sebalhan said, the Royal Church had previously designated Azadin as the mastermind behind the assassination.

Azadin’s side protested that they were not responsible, but it was not easy to prove their innocence.

Chitai also had no reason to change this situation because it was more profitable to receive supplies from the Northern Empire and plunder Azadin.

Moreover, the arrogance Azadin showed in this letter had scratched Sebalhan’s pride.

‘He’s getting cocky because he’s gained some fame lately. That’s because he’s only dealt with insignificant guys so far. I need to show him who’s on top.’

Sebalhan had deep pride in Chitai’s light cavalry.

It seemed that the Arangian Guard was considered the elite in the world, but the Arangian Guard could not stop the nomadic light cavalry, who were specialized in hit-and-run tactics.

What kind of tricks could Azadin use to stop his plundering?

*********

As soon as summer ended and autumn began, the cold became severe.

However, the nomads of Chitai were people who were used to the cold.

It was autumn according to the season, but the cold, which was comparable to the winter in the north, was so severe that ordinary people could not even think of marching. However, the light cavalrymen from Chitai, who were already accustomed to the cold, could move even in this cold.

‘We need to earn as much as we can before it gets colder.’

They were hungry for plunder.

Chitai also experienced chaos when the late King Nampa was assassinated.

However, since Chitai had a clear succession structure, the transfer of power was relatively smooth while Sebalhan quickly took his place as the next king.

However, even so, they were not in a position to wage war, so the Chitai light cavalry temporarily retreated to the rear and avoided Azadin’s army.

Sebalhan had solidified his kingship again, and Azadin had provoked Sebalhan with a letter, so plundering was allowed again.

They had to earn as much supplies as possible to prepare for the coming winter.

But…

When the light cavalry entered Naisandokar, something was strange.

‘The outpost is empty.’

Knowing that the Chitai army was operating a plundering unit using mobility, Azadin’s army had installed watchtowers in high places to keep a close eye on the movements of the plundering unit.

But now, there is no one at that outpost.

That’s not all.

The villages and barracks were empty.

‘What is this?’

The nomads searched the barracks. They had withdrawn without leaving a single grain of grain, leaving only empty buildings and materials. They had swept away everything that could be worth money, everything that could be plundered, leaving only empty land.

‘We found large wagon wheel tracks!’

‘Those bastards. Did they run away?’

‘Run away? No, uh, when?’

‘Why, when our king was assassinated, you know?’

‘But he sent a letter to our king and provoked him, right? Saying he would manage Kaspa…’

‘That’s right.’

The nomadic light cavalry were bewildered as they looked at the empty barracks and villages.

It would have taken a lot of people to carry all the personnel, residents, and supplies that were here.

How many wagons and porters would be needed to systematically transport so many people and supplies?

Even if they were just left with the goods and told to move them, the Chitai army, who were all cavalry, would not be able to move them all.

It felt like they were possessed by a ghost because the luggage and people had all disappeared at once.

‘Is it a deception?’

Only then did they realize that Azadin had deliberately sent a letter that irritated the king of Chitai as a deception to effectively withdraw troops and supplies.

*********

In fact, Azadin had to put a lot of effort into the aftermath of pushing out the Wisdom Order.

First, he had to check the supplies plundered from the Chadra Plateau and reorganize the full-scale coastal transportation network.

Simply occupying the land does not solve all the problems.

The Wisdom Order had been annihilated through what the Nether cultists called ascension, and their land had become a Nether territory.

And perhaps stimulated by the Wisdom Order, the Merfolk began to appear from the South Sea.

The Merfolk, who were Nether’s vassals, attacked merchant ships and fishermen.

Azadin, who was transporting food and supplies through the sea route from Fireglyph to Saint Mallory and the coastal sea, could not just leave these Merfolk alone.

Fortunately, the returning Mercy Order and Courage Order actively cooperated with Azadin.

The clergy of the Orders were some of the few intellectuals and cultured people in this world.

Azadin, who was short of administrative officials, had gained access to the Orders’ talent pool.

So, Azadin absorbed the talent pool and assigned the paladins of the Rescue Knights to Zekt and Astader and had them subjugate the Merfolk on the southern coast.

While developing the southern sea route, he also withdrew people and supplies from Naisandokar.

The resentment of the residents who had been plundered, set on fire, robbed, and murdered by the Chitai army was sky-high, but Azadin asked for their understanding and withdrew the residents and troops from Naisandokar.

Ironically, what helped stabilize the residents in this situation was the assassination suspicion that Azadin did not commit.

‘By the grace of God and the angels, King Azadin, the king of Banreung and the protector of Arangi, Butuma, and Korasar, has already killed the wicked King Nampa of Chitai! This will soothe the unjust souls of our families! The schemes of the king and generals are too deep and complex for us commoners to understand. Let’s trust our king’s divine strategies and follow the control for now!’

Even though Azadin said he was not responsible, the people of Hybris firmly believed that Azadin had killed the king of Chitai.

The residents of the north, who were outside Azadin’s influence, criticized Azadin as a king-slayer and a vulgar assassin, but those within Azadin’s sphere of influence were rather pleased that Azadin had easily killed the kings.

Thanks to this, the evacuation work in Naisandokar was very easy.

Now, even if Chitai starts a fight, the fight itself will not be established unless they come to the Sandokar gate.

However, there was a fatal problem in Azadin’s kingdom…

*********

‘We are running out of food.’

Midiam reported to Azadin.

‘As a result of accepting refugees indiscriminately, and as a result of the Wisdom Order seizing Fireglyph and leaking food, if things continue as they are, all food will run out by next spring.’

In normal times, if they could just hold out until spring, they would somehow be able to survive with the spring crops. However, with the current weather, it is questionable whether the environment will be suitable for farming even if next spring comes.

‘Even though we raided the Emperor’s report…’

‘If we hadn’t, it would have been depleted a month earlier.’

Even if they ate the grains from the Emperor’s report, it was only enough for a month.

In other words, Azadin had been forcibly keeping alive far more people than the disaster the Emperor had prepared for.