The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 10

“You bastard!”

“I’ll curse you until the day you die!”

The men who had lost one of their eyes were now spewing all sorts of curses, a stark contrast to their previous flattery. Some of the curses were quite creative, which impressed Azadin.

“It’s good to be spirited, but make sure to bandage your wounds well. Clean them thoroughly. It’s important to wash the severed optic nerve with strong liquor. And don’t drink until you’re healed.”

Azadin advised them on how to prevent their wounds from getting infected and then pulled the mountain goat. Midiam and Ismael followed behind him, also leading their goats.

*********

The goats walked well, having fully recovered after eating enough water and grass. Midiam looked back at the thugs they had left behind and laughed.

“At first, I was surprised that you seemed to let them off without any punishment. But seeing what you did, I think this is okay too.”

“Those who bully and plunder the weak will only understand how it feels when they become weak themselves. Losing one eye will impair their depth perception, making it much harder for them to fight. They’ll go from being the strong who plunder to the weak who are plundered, and they’ll have plenty of time for repentance and remorse. People can’t understand others unless they’ve been in their shoes.”

“So, what you’re doing is not only saving their lives but also saving their souls. Giving them a chance to repent, that is. I mean, other clans would have just killed them, so it’s a big deal that you spared them. Oh, but what if their wounds get infected and they die?”

“Well, then they’ll have to look forward to the afterlife. I’m just a powerless human, so there are things I can’t do.”

Azadin was definitely a good person, but he was by no means a pushover. He punished those who deserved it and accepted the consequences, even if it meant someone might die.

In some ways, he seemed more cruel than those who killed cleanly.

“But is it really okay to leave them alive? They’ll hold a grudge against you now.”

Ismael still seemed uneasy with Azadin’s methods. But Azadin simply shook his head.

“Well, they might be able to make it down the mountain alive now, but even if they report me, it’ll be too late. But something does bother me.”

“Yes?”

“The fact that Count Kazel is looking for a copy of the Divine Scripture. It’s understandable that he’d want a copy, but a noble of his standing should know better.”

“I heard about Count Kazel on the way here. He’s quite high in the line of succession to the throne of Korasar. But he lost the succession battle and had most of his territory taken away, making him a count of the borderlands…”

Ismael shared the rumors he had heard on the way.

“Politically, he was pushed out of the succession battle, but he might be trying to climb back up by obtaining a copy of the Divine Scripture and using its magical power.”

“That’s what’s strange. The King of Korasar is younger than Count Kazel. And he’s healthy. If he’s still trying to get a copy of the Divine Scripture despite that, then… he’s a dangerous man. We need to be careful until we leave Count Kazel’s territory. I need to take off my mask.”

The hawk mask, the symbol of the Messenger Clan, left such a strong impression that it was unforgettable once seen. He had to take it off to hide his identity.

“Oh, so I finally get to see your real face.”

“Don’t get too excited. It’s hideous, not something worth looking at.”

Azadin said this and took off his mask. Both Midiam and Ismael were shocked.

Azadin’s face, revealed after taking off the mask, was beautiful, with a sharp nose and clear eyebrows. Except for the long, horizontal scar where his eyes should have been.

“Y-you don’t have eyes?”

“So, Azadin…”

The name Azadin referred to a blind evil dragon from the old myths of the Messenger Clan.

The myth of the Messenger Clan’s end times was that the eyeless evil dragon Azadin, the incarnation of death, and the righteous angel Araelle would continue their struggle between good and evil until the last day of the world, when they would both perish, thus ending the mythical era.

The name Azadin, the eyeless evil dragon, suited him well.

“But you didn’t seem blind at all.”

“Well, that’s because… I can see. Kid… Midiam.”

“You can see without eyes? How?”

“I don’t know either. I’ve been able to see without eyes since I was born. That’s why I was given the name Azadin.”

Azadin put the mask in his pocket and took out the staff that was attached to the mountain goat’s saddle.

“Well, thanks to that, I can easily go anywhere. If I pretend to be blind, the soldiers just leave me alone. So, I didn’t have any problems when I was alone… but now that you two are with me, I hope you’ll play along.”

Azadin said this and clicked his tongue.

“No, but why am I with you two… Let’s just go to a safe place and split up there. Okay?”

“Oh, come on. Can’t you just take us on as your followers? We’ve already grown quite fond of you.”

“No. It’s too much trouble for me.”

Azadin ignored Midiam’s attempts to be cute and took out his bow and arrows.

“It’d be weird for a blind man to carry a bow, so I’ll put the arrows away…”

Azadin put away his arrows and walked with his staff.

He looked like a perfect blind pilgrim.

*********

The Imperial Road.

It was a road built by Emperor Yaeslat after he unified the continent.

This road, which ran through the major cities of the entire continent, was a masterpiece of engineering and magic. It had been three hundred years since it was built, but it was still as good as new without any major maintenance.

The King’s Church had changed the name of the road to the Continental Road, but people still feared the power of Emperor Yaeslat, who had built the road, and in places where the church’s eyes did not reach, there were still those who revered the emperor.

On that road, there were pilgrims.

The Great Angel faith of the Rescue Knights, the King’s Church that worshiped the Yaegas gods.

Regardless of the doctrines of these churches, the people of Hybris believed in reincarnation. They believed that by accumulating merit in life, they would be reborn into a higher social status through repeated reincarnations.

The pilgrimage to accumulate that merit was an act recognized by both the King’s Church and the Rescue Knights. Azadin’s group pretended to be pilgrims and walked along the Imperial Road.

“Hey, stop staring.”

“No, but now that I think you’re injured, you look even better. You were originally very handsome, but now it looks like you were injured in an accident. You have a really handsome lower face, you know?”

“What?”

“I think it’s better to have a scar than to have clumsy eyes. My imagination fills in the place where your scar is, so you look really good.”

Midiam admired Azadin’s face.

“You sound like Araelle.”

“Like Araelle? Did she say that too?”

“No.”

Azadin shook his head.

“She’s the one who gave me this scar.”

Azadin shuddered as he touched his scar.

*********

At the intersection of the side roads leading from the eastern inland area to the Imperial Road, at the entrance to the Imperial Road, there was a village of over 300 households.

It was a fairly large city in the sparsely populated north, but in the densely populated central region, this village of over 300 households did not even have a proper name.

People called this village the ‘Eastern Gate’ village. Currently, a mercenary group led by Tarki, the illegitimate son of Count Kazel, was stationed in the village, searching the luggage of the villagers and passersby for copies of the Divine Scripture.

Of course, if the mercenaries didn’t find a copy of the Divine Scripture while searching the luggage, they wouldn’t repack it nicely. Rather, if there were any valuables or money in the luggage, they would take it without hesitation.

In other words, it was blatant robbery.

*********

The Eastern Gate village, as its name suggested, also served as a gateway to the Imperial Road. At that gate, inspections and searches were taking place, which surprised Midiam and Ismael.

“Huh?”

“It wasn’t like this last time…”

When they had passed through that gate before, such blatant abuse had not taken place. It was a place where they could simply pay a toll and pass through, but now, mercenaries who looked like thugs were openly robbing people.

“Hmm.”

Azadin, who was pretending to be blind and walking with a staff, was also taken aback.

‘Could it be because I hurt Duke Kozel? No, it was only the day before yesterday that I hurt Duke Kozel, there’s no way it’s already known?’

Just then, some merchants next to him spoke to Azadin.

“Hey, can’t you see?”

“Yes, I can’t.”

“And these children?”

“They are orphans who are on a pilgrimage with me.”

Azadin said this and made the sign of the cross. It was a signal that he had faith in the angel faith, the Rescue Knights.

“Oh, is that so? If you’re traveling with orphans, you must be a noble.”

“I’m not a noble… just a pilgrim wandering in search of a miracle.”

“Oh my. May the three great archangels protect you.”

The merchant made the sign of the cross in front of Azadin.

“But what’s going on?”

“What’s going on? Haven’t you heard the recent rumors about copies of the Divine Scripture?”

“The Divine Scripture?”

“Yes. According to rumors, the Messenger Clan stole the Divine Scripture and made copies, and those copies have now appeared all over the world. Count Kazel’s illegitimate children are now searching for them with their eyes wide open. They say that if you find a copy of the Divine Scripture, they’ll give you a knighthood instead of sending it to the King’s Church.”

The inheritance law of the Eight Kingdoms follows the principle of primogeniture [the system where the eldest son inherits all the family’s wealth and titles]. The eldest son inherits all the territories without dividing the title and kingdom, and those who do not inherit become officials or vassals under their brothers if they are lucky…

If there are no fiefs to divide, they have no choice but to become adventurers or merchants, or to join the King’s Church and become priests.

Being a priest of the King’s Church may sound good, but it was a position with many duties and little benefit, so everyone avoided it.

Being an illegitimate child of a noble was not an easy position either, but it was a much freer and more comfortable life than becoming a holy knight of the King’s Church. So, if they didn’t want to be forced to join the church, they had no choice but to search for copies of the Divine Scripture with their eyes wide open.

Or they could just use the excuse of searching for copies of the Divine Scripture to engage in robbery.

‘This is a problem?’

The problem was that Azadin currently had a copy of the Divine Scripture. He had hidden it well in his pocket, but seeing them searching people’s luggage, it was no joke. Even now, a merchant in front of Azadin was having a jewel hidden in his underwear taken away by the mercenaries.