The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 126

Is it true that Araiel, the traitor of the Messenger Clan, is here right now?

Azadin looked at the soldier with a skeptical expression.

“How do you know that?”

“Well, they told us to prepare for it.”

“The whole castle is in an uproar because of the heightened security.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Well, shall we knock them out?”

The soldiers were startled by Azadin’s words.

“Sir Guillaume Balte, we, we were hoping for your return.”

“Yes, it may not mean much coming from us soldiers…”

“Please, allow us to help.”

“Hmm. I appreciate the thought, but I can’t allow that.”

Guillaume Balte said to the soldiers and gestured to Azadin.

“Don’t kill them.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Azadin strangled them and knocked them out, letting them fall to the side.

*********

Lord Rantaric’s castle was a fortress built on a hill, with a large mansion surrounded by watchtowers and outer walls. It was the epitome of fortification technology, designed with both livability and defense in mind.

In the deepest part of the castle, Lord Adler had already taken his place.

“So, this is the famous Araiel of the Messenger Clan.”

Lord Adler smiled as he looked at Araiel, the leader of the Araiel faction of the Messenger Clan, who had come to his castle.

She wore armor that shone with a jet-black luster, made of a thin yet sturdy material that revealed her figure. This beauty, with her purple eyes and long black hair tied up, was looking at Adler with an arrogant gaze.

‘A woman who ignites a man’s desire to conquer. Is this woman the leader of the Messenger Clan’s rebel group? If I get my hands on her, I can control the Messenger Clan?’

The moment Adler saw Araiel, he was breathless with a burning desire to conquer her.

“I came to check on our business. I heard you have many complaints about our way of doing things?”

“Yes. I should hear an apology for your subordinates failing to protect my father, even though they were attached to him.”

At Adler’s words, the members of the Messenger Clan who were with Araiel were startled.

A cold chill emanated from them, but Adler had demanded that they surrender all their weapons and come empty-handed for the meeting. On the other hand, heavy infantry with halberds were waiting behind the curtains of the meeting room, so even the Messenger Clan wouldn’t dare to act rashly. That’s what Adler thought.

“You bastard… how dare you!”

“Are you trying to insult us?”

“Insult? You are the ones doing the insulting. You soulless blasphemers. Our bloodlines are different.”

Adler’s words left Araiel’s subordinates dumbfounded.

“Enough. You guys don’t talk. The Lord is talking to me.”

Araiel stopped her subordinates.

“Alright. We did leave your father to go missing. I’m sorry about that.”

Araiel readily apologized to Adler.

“Right. You guys had a contract with my father, didn’t you? Yet, you couldn’t even keep that contract, and now you want the key to the Emperor’s treasury. A deal should be made by giving what you have to give and taking what you have to take, right?”

“That’s certainly a reasonable point. First, I apologize for what happened to your father, Lord Garnaher. We are also investigating what happened.”

Araiel said with a bright smile.

“I’m glad you know what manners are. Not just your looks, but your attitude is also charming. I’m liking you more and more.”

“……”

Araiel’s subordinates were dumbfounded by Lord Adler’s outrageous behavior. If Araiel didn’t stop them, they would have torn Adler to pieces right then and there.

“That’s why I came myself to apologize. I thought I should show some sincerity.”

“I like your attitude for now. But you overestimate yourself too much. Do you think all the damages will be forgiven just because you showed up? We lost soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and many knights. Most of all, we lost my father, the center of our family, so the damage is immense. A few words won’t fix that.”

“Forgiven?”

The Messenger Clan members who were listening frowned.

They were the highest-ranking officers of the Araiel faction, figures with absolute status even among the Messenger Clan. In front of them, who had sworn allegiance to Araiel, this arrogant noble was daring to belittle Araiel’s worth.

“We are descendants of the Yaeghas gods, and I stand at the pinnacle of that. Originally, just doing business with you…”

“About that.”

Araiel smiled.

“I am a descendant of Harkonia.”

“Harkonia?”

“The former leader of our Messenger Clan.”

“What’s so great about the lineage of you soulless blasphemers? If I were you, I would hide it.”

“……!”

Araiel calmed her enraged subordinates and said with a bright smile.

“I thought you might think that way. The blood of the Yaeghas gods is the best, right?”

“Of course. It’s ridiculous to even discuss the hierarchy within the bloodline of you blasphemers.”

“But listen carefully. Harkonia was the Emperor’s lover. They even had a child together. Do you understand what I’m saying? The blood of the Emperor flows in our Messenger Clan, and… these purple eyes are proof of Emperor Yaeslat. Even by the blood of the Yaeghas gods, I’m probably purer than you.”

It is said that the Yaeghas gods were originally characterized by blonde, silver, or blue-gray eyes, but Emperor Yaeslat, who betrayed his brothers and monopolized the eight thrones, had black hair and purple eyes, unlike his brothers.

Adler, who had been boasting about the blood of the Yaeghas gods, was speechless and clicked his tongue.

“Ha, but the Emperor…”

“That’s right. What does the blood flowing in the lineage matter? What matters is who I am now.”

Araiel subtly mocked Adler, who was relying on his bloodline. However, Adler seemed to have interpreted it differently.

“I see. So you have a pretty solid lineage, huh? Well, you wouldn’t have become the leader of the Messenger Clan’s rebels at that age otherwise. Good. How about becoming my lover?”

“…Lover?”

Araiel’s subordinates had already reached the limit of their patience. Whether Araiel stopped them or not, they were going to kill this blasphemous Adler and then take their punishment from Araiel.

They were all enraged and about to move. At that moment, Araiel waved her hand.

-Slap!

“Ugh!”

With a crisp sound, the heads of two of Araiel’s subordinates, a man and a woman, snapped around. Araiel had slapped her subordinates.

“Everyone, get a grip. Are you calm now?”

“We, we are sorry.”

“……”

If Adler had even a little knowledge of martial arts, he would have been amazed at how fast and swift Araiel’s movements were just now. If Araiel’s subordinates had attacked Adler before they were slapped, he would have had no way to defend himself.

However, Adler was under the influence of drugs and was watching what was happening in front of him as if it were someone else’s business.

“What do you mean by becoming my lover?”

Araiel calmed her subordinates and asked Adler.

“I want the Emperor’s bloodline. A mutated divine bloodline that is different from the usual Yaeghas gods’ bloodline. However, since I will become Lord Rantaric, I cannot formally marry soulless blasphemers like the Messenger Clan.”

Those words made her subordinates even more furious. They had barely calmed down after being slapped by Araiel, but Adler’s words broke their patience once again.

“We’ve heard enough nonsense.”

“Shall we kill him? He probably has the key to the Emperor’s treasury on him anyway.”

“No. Wait a minute.”

Araiel stopped them.

“Rather, you can come in.”

“……”

The door opened, and the soldiers who had been waiting outside the door fell down. And what came in were Azadin, Midiam, and Ismail.

“Excuse us for interrupting your busy schedule.”

Azadin said, glaring at Araiel.

“Araiel. Why didn’t you continue your work? It was getting interesting.”

“W-What are you guys?!”

Adler was flustered that his subordinates had been dealt with silently. He had been acting up, believing that his subordinates were armed and the Messenger Clan was unarmed, but now a guy who looked like he was from the Messenger Clan had come in?

“Long time no see, brother. It’s been a long time since you became a disciple of Kazas, hasn’t it? Is it 10 years?”

Araiel welcomed Azadin.

“Ugh? Brother? These guys?”

Lord Adler didn’t know the relationship between Araiel and Azadin, so he just thought that Araiel had moved her brother separately to invade this place.

Adler’s brain was dulled by drugs, but he could tell that this situation was dangerous.

“You’re the brother. There’s nothing to inherit between twins, so who’s older or younger is a trivial matter, isn’t it? It’s pathetic to be obsessed with that.”

“I think so too. So why don’t you be the younger brother?”

“I don’t like it because it makes me feel bad.”

Azadin said and snapped his fingers. Through the door, the rest of the group, including Guillaume Balte, entered.

“Guillaume Balte?!”

“Adler… is that you?”

Guillaume Balte was looking at Adler with a disgruntled expression.

“Hey! Messenger Clan! Kill Guillaume Balte!”

Despite Adler’s orders, Araiel and her subordinates only snorted and didn’t even listen.

“Ugh….”

“You foolish youngest brother. You’ve brought in things you can’t handle. Or maybe I’m not in a position to talk?”

The moment Guillaume Balte saw Araiel, he knew.

She was not human.

According to mythology, dragons, genies, angels, and demons roam the earth in human form. It must be something like that. Just looking at her, you could feel a chilling beauty and power.

In some ways, he couldn’t help but admire Adler. Asking something like that to be his lover? Is he out of his mind?

It’s like dragging a volcano to use as a fireplace because the house is cold in the winter. How indifferent or brave do you have to be to say something like that?

“H-How did you get in?”

“Through the underground passage.”

“But that place is…”

“You must have laid out the undead.”

“That’s right! My father’s failures! They shouldn’t have been easy to deal with!”

Was he talking about the Necro Angels?

Scott used an undead charm to break through too easily, but he seemed quite confident in them.

“Araiel! If you don’t kill Guillaume Balte, this alliance is over!”

“But Lord Adler, wouldn’t it be better to make a deal with Sir Guillaume Balte? What we want is the key to the Emperor’s treasury. If we get it, it doesn’t matter if we get it from you or Sir Guillaume Balte, right?”

“What? You traitors!”

At that moment, Adler began to cast a spell. As expected of a necromancer, a powerful and evil force swirled around him, but…

-Thwack!

Adler’s hands, which had been forming a hand seal, were cut off.