The Shadowed Legacy Of The Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 138

The Moon-Crescent Bow, the signature weapon of the Messenger Clan, was remarkably powerful for its size. This was due to its composite construction, but these composite bows were also vulnerable to moisture.

Even though the current bow had been baked over a fire and waxed just yesterday, it still wasn’t in peak condition.

“Don’t pull the bow too much.”

“Yes!”

“Then, let’s begin!”

Azadin, Ishmael, and Midiam released their arrows simultaneously.

The Nagas guarding the building entrance were caught off guard. They raised their weapons in alarm, but Azadin’s arrow pierced one Naga’s brain, and Ishmael’s arrow lodged in another’s eye.

Midiam’s arrow, however, was deflected by a Naga’s curved sword. The Naga who had been struck in the eye screamed in pain.

“Intruders!”

“Damn it….”

He hadn’t fully drawn the bow, fearing it would break, and now it lacked the necessary power.

But then….

-Thwack!

A piece of wood was sucked into the mouth of a Naga guard.

“Alright, it worked.”

Scott shrugged his shoulders.

“Ah, man, my trapezius is growing. I shouldn’t get into this habit.”

“Good job, Scott. But did you just throw that?”

“No, I used magic. Throwing? What if I get muscles on my arms from doing something like that?”

“O-okay. Good job. You were worried about your trapezius not because you threw a piece of wood, but because you shrugged your shoulders?”

“That’s right. Our race gets muscles way too easily from just that. And because I’m not human, my throwing speed isn’t that great either. Orcs have such developed shoulder muscles that their arms don’t pull forward quickly when they throw.”

“Okay, good job.”

Azadin praised Scott and then positioned Midiam and Ishmael near the entrance.

As the two of them nocked their arrows, focusing on the entrance, the Nagas, not being fools, didn’t rush out through the narrow doorway. Instead, they began throwing chairs out of the windows.

“What? Who are you?!”

“How dare you defy us? You inferior races!”

At that moment, Azadin fired an arrow. The arrow flew through the window, and a scream echoed out.

“Kuek!”

“Damn it!”

“Is that a Messenger Clan member?!”

The Nagas, recognizing the curved arrow, identified Azadin and were shocked.

But….

-Kuwek!

-Kaak!

Suddenly, more Nagas appeared on the path leading to the building.

“What? What are those?!”

“Are they enemies?!”

Naga scouts had revealed themselves.

And there were many of them. At least six in one group, and with two groups, there were more than twelve Nagas, plus the ones inside the building.

Moreover….

“Kwek!”

The Naga hit by Azadin’s arrow got up, pulled the arrow out, and threw it back. Even though the arrow had clearly pierced his brain, he wasn’t dead.

Of course, the Naga hit by Ishmael’s arrow and the one with Scott’s wooden block in his mouth also got up. The Nagas’ regeneration and vitality were truly astonishing.

‘Even if brain fluid is leaking out, there’s no way a Naga would be unharmed, but they can still move for now.’

Meanwhile, as this situation unfolded, Shatty felt her heart pounding.

‘Oh. This seems like an opportunity. But….’

Shatty hesitated for a moment.

What if she betrayed them, but Azadin still won? The Nagas seemed to have the upper hand in terms of numbers and forces, but Azadin had won in far more dangerous situations. He had even defeated Count Kazel, hadn’t he?

But what if she actively helped Azadin’s group in this situation? That would be a clear betrayal.

She had betrayed the Nagas several times already, but she still wanted to believe that she had a chance to make excuses.

But then, it happened.

“Long live the Dryland Tribe!”

Azadin shouted that and suddenly fired arrows at the Nagas.

“…Long live the Dryland Tribe!”

Midiam and Ishmael were quick to catch on and immediately imitated Azadin, shooting their arrows.

The Nagas retaliated with magic, but Midiam and Ishmael put spells on their arrows, and Sir Zibeck used his magic of judgment to punish them. Thus, the Nagas, despite their greater numbers, were pushed back in terms of attack power.

-Thwack!

Risking their bows breaking from the moisture, they all shot their arrows with great force.

-Crack!

Eventually, Azadin’s bow broke in the middle. Azadin took out another bow and strung it, but he had already run out of arrows.

“Kek! You bastards!”

“How dare you!”

But then the Nagas were reinforced again. They were the ones who had attacked to occupy the capital of a kingdom. Their forces were considerable, and their organization was excellent.

“We need to escape.”

Azadin entered a nearby building.

“Chase them!”

“You bastards!”

The moment the Nagas chased Azadin into the building….

-Thwack!

A bloodied Naga tumbled down the stairs.

“Huh?”

“W-wait?!”

The business district of Coral Sahar had buildings that were close together, so it was possible to escape by going to the upper floors. To prevent that, they had to enter through the stairs, but….

-Thwack!

Another Naga who entered the stairs was bloodied and tumbled down the stairs.

Azadin stayed behind and dealt with the Nagas entering the stairs, knocking two of them down the stairs.

“Azadin!”

“Go ahead!”

“Are you going to be okay?!”

“Of course! I’m fast, so I’ll go up to the roof first and head back to the ship!”

Azadin said that and held his ground on the narrow stairs.

Then, this time, a Naga with a long spear entered. Instead of the strong, large Naga form, this Naga had disguised himself as an elf.

The man, who looked like an elf but had the unique vertical slit pupils of a Naga, held his spear and beckoned to Azadin.

“To stay behind alone, you must be quite confident in your skills. If you stayed behind on your own, you must be a pretty bold character.”

“You’re also in the form of an elf instead of a Naga. That’s unusual. Doesn’t the Naga form give you more weight and strength?”

“In a narrow place, especially on stairs, it’s easier to maintain balance with two legs. If you try to crawl with just a tail, you’re likely to slip and fall. Is that what you’re aiming for?”

This Naga knew Azadin’s intentions and entered in the form of an elf.

“Then!”

As Azadin made a feint to jump forward, a wall of spear blades appeared before him.

Indeed, this Naga’s spear skills were considerable.

Azadin tried to deflect the spear with his sword, trying to make it get stuck in the wall or floor, but the opponent, knowing Azadin’s intentions, avoided deflecting and tried to exploit the gaps that appeared.

Azadin’s sword and the Naga’s spear danced through the air, never intertwining. They were both using feints and traps, but their reading of each other was so similar that their weapons never even clashed.

After a brief exchange, they both stepped back, neither one first.

“You’re quite skilled. Are you the leader?”

“You too. You’re from the Messenger Clan, right? Not from the Arael branch, but from the Council?”

“….”

“You don’t have to answer. I think you’re from the Council. If so, I think we can make a good deal?”

“A deal?”

An unexpected word popped out of the opponent’s mouth. The Nagas had a large number and great power, yet they were proposing a deal first?

“Yes.”

The elf-shaped Naga smiled as Azadin showed interest in the deal.

“Hmm. Let’s hear it. I hope it’s not something silly like asking me to become your subordinate.”

“Rest assured. It’s definitely not that. Currently, we are under the command of the Sea Serpent Tribe’s general. The problem is that the Sea Serpent Tribe guys are heretics.”

“Heretics?”

“Yes. Many of them have started worshiping the Nether God instead of the Cobra Queen.”

“….”

“In fact, those guys met the Nether beings in the deep sea and were transformed. They are no longer the same as us. And those guys have joined hands with the Messenger Clan and persuaded our Mahatmas [tribal chiefs], our tribal chiefs. This alone makes me angry, but the Messenger Clan’s witch has really weakened the Light of Kingship and succeeded in invading Coral Sahar, and now they are on the verge of complete success. This situation is not very satisfactory to me.”

“So?”

“I would like you to not harm our Water Serpent Tribe and only target the Sea Serpent Tribe. In return, I will give you maps and information.”

“….”

“This is our map. It shows the areas assigned to each tribe. It’s written in Naga, but I’ll add notes in Sahar language. How about it?”

He didn’t know if there was a trap, but the conditions were too good to be a trap.

“That’s too good of a deal to refuse. Okay.”

“I’m glad we can talk. I’m going to take out a pen, is that okay?”

“Hmm.”

Azadin sheathed his sword, indicating that he would agree to the negotiation. The Naga also lowered his spear and took out a pen from his pocket, dipped it in an ink bottle, and began to add notes to the map.

Azadin asked in that situation.

“The Messenger Clan members who appeared here, are they Dimia of the Flower and Zenith?”

“You know them well. I heard they are key executives of the Arael branch.”

“I am Azadin, the 108th Messenger of the Emperor. And you?”

“Raja Dehares of the Water Serpent Tribe.”

Raja Dehares, the Naga who had finished adding notes, threw the map to Azadin.

“Raja, that means you’re royalty?”

“Technically, I’m a viceroy. Like a count in your terms.”

“That’s a high position.”

“Anyway, go. Don’t say that I cooperated, and only fight the Sea Serpent Tribe. If you enter our area and fight the Water Serpent Tribe, then consider the deal broken.”

“Understood.”

Azadin took the map and stopped as he went up the stairs.

“Do you happen to know how they extinguished the Light of Kingship? Any clues?”

“I only know that they performed some kind of ritual at the lighthouse. Fortunately, the lighthouse is in the Sea Serpent Tribe’s territory.”

“You mean I should investigate it myself?”

“That’s right.”

“Any places where I can resupply arrows?”

“There are a few armories that our tribe and the Sea Serpent Tribe have requisitioned, and there might be some arrows left. They are marked as high-priority patrol areas on the map, so they should be easy to find. And….”

Raja Dehares took off a bracelet from his wrist and threw it to Azadin.

“If you meet our tribe nearby, show them this. If the Sea Serpent Tribe catches you, say you stole it. If you get caught by them, it’s better to commit suicide if you don’t want to be eaten alive.”

“Are you worried that I might be tortured and reveal you?”

“It’s pure advice. I don’t particularly like eating humans. It’s a tacky thing to do.”

“But I thought you were capturing humans earlier?”

“Humans who invade our area are unavoidable. I can’t allow them to keep sending messengers out of Coral Sahar Royal Castle to call for reinforcements from the outside.”

“They just seemed like residents here? Wouldn’t it be okay to let them escape as a sign of our deal?”

“What? You bastard, do you even know what this bracelet I gave you is? I’ve already made so many concessions….”

“You’re going to sell it anyway. I’ll use it and return it when the time comes. And when you’re taking a risky gamble, isn’t it better to increase your chances of success even a little?”

“Why does saving those humans increase the chances of success?”

“Because I’m a mood-driven person. If they live, I’ll feel good, and my abilities will increase. My fatigue will also disappear.”

“Ha. Hahaha.”

Raja Dehares burst out laughing at Azadin’s unreasonable demand.

“You’re an interesting fellow. Okay. I’ll try not to harm humans as much as possible. But only for today. If you don’t bring me some interesting news today, I’ll start killing people here again.”

“A one-day reprieve? That’s enough. Thank you.”

Azadin made a deal with Raja Dehares, turned around, and headed up the building.