The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 135

With a series of thuds, the servants fell to the floor.

“Ugh?!”

“A surprise….”

“That’s cowardly!”

The fallen servants spoke, but they were all gasping for breath, feeling intense pain in their chests or experiencing full-body paralysis. Azadin had simultaneously unleashed a long punch, an elbow strike, and a kick, taking down three servants at once.

The servants, clutching their chests, fell and cursed, but the anger only made their breathing more difficult.

“I clearly stated my intentions. Does this count as a surprise attack? You must be joking?”

Even if it wasn’t, among the messenger clan, a surprise attack was the fault of the one who was caught off guard. Especially after challenging someone to a duel, there was no room for excuses.

“Stop! Are you trying to shame me?”

Sion flared up and ordered the servants.

“I have already acknowledged Azadin as a messenger! For you to oppose my decision… surely you don’t think I’m blind, do you?”

“N-no, sir.”

“It’s just that the rumors about Azadin….”

“Rumors? My own sister serves him as a messenger! Those rumors must be nonsense! Or what? Are you saying Midiam Etar’s judgment is flawed? Even if she’s young, do you think someone from the Etar bloodline is that foolish?”

“……”

“We apologize.”

The servants who had lost to Azadin admitted their defeat.

“Now then, Azadin. You have the power of life and death over these servants….”

“I don’t need it.”

“You don’t need it?”

“They are Etar’s servants, but also members of the Corasar Merchant Guild, right? It’s more beneficial for me if they work for the Corasar Merchant Guild and help me, rather than me taking them as servants. Money, supplies, information. In every aspect.”

“Hmm, that’s unexpected. He’s quite a dignified fellow.”

“What’s so unexpected? I’m always full of dignity.”

“That last bit kind of diminished your dignity.”

Though he said that, Sion was pleased that Azadin didn’t take the servants’ lives or loyalty.

“Everyone, apologize to Azadin. You only apologized to me, right? Tell Azadin himself that you’re sorry for looking down on him, and thank him for not taking your lives.”

“W-we’re sorry, Azadin.”

“We apologize for underestimating the messenger and thank you for sparing our lives.”

“If you’re sorry, let’s get this boat in the water. We don’t have time.”

Azadin asked the servants to connect the goats to the boat’s cart.

The goats and people pulled and pushed, and the boat was launched into the water. The water had risen so much that they didn’t need to move it far.

The place that was once a village was now submerged, making it easy to launch the boat.

“Good. It seems to be repaired well. Do you know how to sail?”

“No.”

Azadin shook his head.

“Then follow my instructions. I’ll teach you the basics of sailing a sailboat. It’s a single-masted boat, so you’ll learn quickly.”

Sion confidently boarded the boat and took the helm.

“Um, Lord Sion. Are you sure about this?”

“Most of the people on the boat are Azadin’s people, you know.”

The Etar servants, who hadn’t challenged Azadin and thus didn’t feel indebted to him, still distrusted Azadin.

However, Sion spoke confidently.

“It doesn’t matter. If this man is a traitor, that has its own meaning. You all move to the next gathering point and fortify it. Contact the elders of the family. If you meet people from the Arael branch, just monitor them and don’t confront them. If you act like members of the merchant guild, they won’t kill you. Don’t die fighting over petty gains. Maintaining the communication network is the greatest achievement, and I will never forget your contributions.”

Sion gave instructions to the servants and boarded the boat with Azadin’s group.

*********

Azadin’s group boarded the boat with Sion. Sion taught them how to handle the boat, and since it was a small boat, it wasn’t too difficult to learn. However, the currents were too strong, and there were many obstacles.

“As the surrounding villages flooded, debris has been swept in. Moreover, this place that has turned into a river isn’t a river. It’s originally a village. There are buildings underwater, so be careful not to hit them.”

Sion said while holding the helm.

“I can’t see anything? The water is muddy, and the sky is dark, so I can’t see anything in the water.”

“You can’t put the Foresight Bird magic in the water. The Foresight Bird can’t move in the water!”

Ismail shouted, and Sion clicked his tongue.

“That’s because you lack the ability to adapt, Ismail!”

“Huh?!”

“I’ll teach you the Foresight Cormorant technique.”

Sion chanted incantations and directly demonstrated the Foresight Bird magic.

The artificial spirit soared into the sky, then dove sharply, piercing the water’s surface, identifying obstacles underwater, and then rising again.

“Ah!”

“Excellent, brother! As expected!”

Midiam was impressed by Sion’s skill.

“That’s amazing. I wish I could use Foresight Bird too.”

Azadin was also impressed by Sion’s skill.

“Okay. It’s good that we checked underwater… but using Foresight Bird while sailing… um….”

“Why?”

“Ugh, puke!”

Sion, unable to bear the dizziness and seasickness, began to vomit. His posture was upright, so he was spewing vomit like a waterfall, shocking everyone.

A handsome young man was vomiting while holding the helm.

“Hey! Vomit outside! What are you doing?”

“But I have to hold the helm. Ugh!”

“Don’t talk while vomiting! Damn it! Was it my fault for talking to him in this situation?”

Azadin looked at his companions for their opinion, and they all nodded.

“You shouldn’t talk to him at a time like this.”

Shati said.

“Truly… it’s not a pretty sight.”

Jibek was distressed, unable to use vulgar language.

Everyone was bewildered, watching Sion vomit. Even Midiam, who called him brother and followed him, looked completely disgusted by this terrible sight.

“Ugh. I’ve always been a bit prone to seasickness. Using Foresight Bird magic while on a boat is killing me.”

“You were a messenger, and you get seasick?”

“Yes. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Even a young man of noble lineage like me has such a minor weakness. Isn’t that human?”

“Wipe up your vomit.”

“No, the storm is so strong it’s disappearing.”

“Where do you think it’s disappearing to? It’s flowing onto the floor. Seriously.”

Azadin took out a cloth and dipped it in a nearby water container. The cloth was soaked instantly with rainwater.

“Ismail, use this to wipe Sion’s body and clothes.”

“But, that’s a deck rag….”

“It’s too wet to tell. Here. It’s better than being covered in vomit.”

“……”

Ismail, who was originally Sion’s servant from the Etar bloodline, approached Sion and reluctantly grabbed the deck rag.

As a servant of the messenger, he had to listen to his direct superior, Azadin, but he really hated the idea of using a deck rag on a noble Etar son.

Moreover, even as this was happening, the vomit was disappearing from Sion’s body due to the storm. Just how strong was the storm?

“Ah, whatever.”

Ismail bowed to Sion and wiped his body with the deck rag. Sion grumbled while holding the helm.

“The storm is too strong, and the boat is rocking. I’m going to throw up again. It’s better not to eat anything.”

Then Scott jumped up.

“What are you talking about! That’s absurd! I’m catching fish right now!”

“Fish?”

Looking over, Scott and Jibek were fishing side by side on the boat’s edge.

“Well, they’re biting well. Even without bait.”

Jibek was using his mace with a wound-sealing thread tied to it as a fishing rod.

Come to think of it, Jibek’s hobby and specialty was fishing? He was catching fish without bait and putting them in a bucket next to him, and Scott was helping him, trying to earn his keep.

The boat was so small that not many people were needed to handle the sail. One person, Sion, to steer, and Azadin to move the sail, were enough.

Normally, in a strong wind, the sail would be too heavy, requiring more than two people, but Azadin was strong enough to handle it alone.

“No, you’re not going to eat? That’s insane! No, no. I’ll go into hypoglycemic shock. My ancestors are beckoning me from beyond the river.”

Scott clutched his head.

‘This guy, his abilities are undeniable, but he’s really annoying to take around. He eats a lot and talks a lot… I see why the orcs have a bad reputation even among the Kurt god followers.’

Azadin was fed up with Scott’s dramatics. But as the leader of the group, he had to calm Scott down.

“Look. The boat is really fast, so it won’t take long. Let’s go a bit further, and if we find a place to dock, we’ll rest and eat.”

“Ugh. Orc is dying. You don’t know how delicate orcs are. It’s expected that humans are ignorant, but this is too much. It’s more painful than I anticipated.”

“You’re so delicate that it’s making me angry? Do I need to know more about your delicacy?”

But then, it happened.

“Everyone, be quiet! They’re coming!”

Shati screamed.

“What?!”

“Ah?!”

Midiam, who was looking ahead, spotted something moving along the water’s surface.

“It’s Nagas!”

“Nagas?!”

At that moment, a flash of lightning illuminated the world.

With violent splashes, Nagas with pale skin, changing color to match their surroundings, were gliding across the water.

“Tch!”

“They’re fast!”

The Nagas, realizing they had been spotted, began casting spells. The magic bullets they fired entered the water and approached the boat, creating bubbles.

“Huh?!”

“Block them! Midiam!”

“Yes!”

Midiam ran to the front of the boat, used the boat’s rocking motion to jump high into the air, and fired arrows from above.

-Swish!

The arrows, with a clean trajectory that was unbelievable for a 14-year-old girl, dove like a kite, aiming for fish in the water, and struck the magic bullets.

-Bang!

Air blasts erupted, and pillars of water shot up. Midiam fired a few more arrows from the air, aiming for the Nagas, but the Nagas dove into the water, dodging the arrows, and then resurfaced, opening their mouths.

“Gah!”

A deafening roar erupted, disrupting Midiam’s sense of balance in the air. It was to hinder her landing.

However, Ismail, who had run to the boat’s edge, supported Midiam as she landed, and the two slid backward on the deck.

Jibek and Shati grabbed Midiam and Ismail, stopping them from falling.

“What? This human is quite skilled!”

The Nagas were flustered by Azadin’s group’s unexpected reaction.

“Ah. Damn it. What should I do?”

Shati looked at the Nagas, feeling troubled. If she cooperated with the Nagas, Azadin’s punishment would be terrifying, but if she cooperated with Azadin’s group, she was afraid the Nagas would consider her a traitor.

In the end, she pretended to wrap the boat’s rope around her wrist, but actually held the rope in her hand and screamed.

“Aah!”

‘She’s trying hard. Well, Shati is worth it if she just uses regeneration magic on us later when we get hurt.’

Azadin smiled wryly at Shati’s actions.

Meanwhile, the distance between the Nagas and the boat was gradually closing.