The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 157

While Shati prepared the meal and Lord Zibeck went to fetch water, Scott and Azadin focused on absorbing white mana from the Divine King’s Scripture copy to strengthen Azadin.

It felt like pouring water into a naturally leaking sack.

When the mana charged in the Divine King’s Scripture copy was properly guided into Azadin’s body, the entire Hwajopungwol Kazas [a unique magical lineage or power] became powerful, but that power gradually disappeared over time, and the strength returned to its previous state.

It was powerful at the moment of injecting white mana and for a certain period after injection, but it would return to its original state over time. However, according to Scott, repeating this process would gradually strengthen Azadin’s entire grimoire [a magical book or source of power].

Scott made an unexpected suggestion.

“Actually, Captain, from a long-term perspective, it might be better to use the white mana from the Divine King’s Scripture copy to erase your Kazas, I mean, Hwajopungwol, which is an incomplete grimoire.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You have a knack for magic itself. Your sense of handling mana is also excellent. If you had a normal grimoire, you could become a powerful mage.”

“So, if I get rid of the incomplete grimoire inside me, I can learn magic normally?”

“That’s right.”

“But then I’d need a new grimoire, right? The Divine King’s Scripture copy hasn’t been deciphered yet. I can’t use that. What about during that time?”

“You’ll be weaker during that time. But you’ll be able to recover soon. And I can teach you the new grimoire to inject.”

“Black magic, you mean?”

“Isn’t it good? Necromancy? It’s convenient and useful. It might not suit the great magic of the orcs for foolish humans, but there are quite a few human necromancers, so even if you only reach my level, you’d be quite something among humans, wouldn’t you?”

“…….”

“Originally, the Royal Light Combat used by us paladins is a sub-grimoire derived from the Divine King’s Scripture. How about learning that?”

Lord Zibeck recommended the Royal Light Combat to Azadin.

“It’s not a bad plan, but I don’t have time for that. Roughly how long would that take?”

“Well, it’s your body, so I don’t know, but you’d be weak for at least half a year, wouldn’t you?”

“I don’t have the luxury of being powerless for half a year. Besides, that’s at least half a year. I don’t know how much longer it would actually take.”

Azadin rejected Scott’s proposal.

“It’s enough for now to strengthen myself with the power of the Divine King’s Scripture. Besides, I also got the Azure Steel longsword. The Wendigo’s dagger is also a very good weapon.”

Azadin said that and drew his longsword. The bluish blade emitted a cool chill.

Azadin used his swords so fiercely that most of them were consumables. That’s why he used to carry all sorts of weapons in his mountain goat saddlebags.

However, even for Azadin, the Azure Steel longsword was a fascinating object.

“It’s a weapon obtained through an illegitimate procedure, so if I meet someone with a connection to it, I’ll have to return it, but I’ll use it in the meantime. Then I should give this sword a temporary name. From now on, you are ‘Bluey’.”

“…….”

Everyone around focused their gaze on Azadin. Was he serious?

“What? Why?”

“Do you really have to give it that name?”

“It’s just temporary since I’m borrowing it.”

At that moment, Shati, who was cooking, shouted.

“Hey! A ship is approaching!”

“What?”

A small coastal sailing ship stopped and then fired a signal arrow at Azadin’s group. The arrow whistled as it cut through the wind.

“It’s not an Aragasa [a messenger clan known for their speed and long-range communication].”

Looking at the distance the signal arrow traveled, Azadin knew they were not Aragasa.

If it were a signal arrow shot by the Aragasa, the messenger clan, it would have flown twice as fast and far. Still, since they shot a signal arrow, it seemed they had business with them.

Azadin waited, and he saw them lowering a small boat and approaching them.

“Who is it?”

“I don’t recognize them.”

But seeing them waving and shouting towards them, it seemed they had come to meet Azadin’s group.

“Is it the messenger clan?”

“I don’t think so. The signal arrow’s distance was too short.”

Then, three men got off the boat.

“You’re safe, messenger clan.”

“Who are you?”

“Hmm. Haven’t you seen my human form?”

“Ah.”

Azadin recognized his identity and clicked his tongue.

“Nagaraja [a king or ruler of the Naga people]?!”

Nagaraja Dehares of the Water Snake tribe had appeared before Azadin in human form.

“Yes. Didn’t you say you’d return the seal to me?”

How could he recognize them from afar? It seemed there was a magic that tracked this seal.

“You were safe. Shati, give him the seal back.”

“Ah, yes. It’s, it’s an honor, Raja.”

“Why is this Naga with you?”

“We’ve grown fond of each other.”

“Fond? Hmm. Is that so?”

Dehares nodded, looking at Azadin and Shati.

“Well, I understand. Physical affection is scary.”

He seemed to think there was a physical relationship between Azadin and Shati.

Since the time of the Naga Empire, the Nagas had many relationships with humans. Mating between Nagas required risking their lives for at least 24 hours a day. However, with humans, they could enjoy only pleasure without burden, and humans also gained more pleasure from relationships with Nagas than with their own kind.

Of course, in the Naga Empire, it was stipulated that humans who had such relationships should be killed and eaten, but there were many Nagas who violated the rules and kept humans alive because of physical affection.

“No, um, Lord Raja.”

Shati tried to clear up the misunderstanding, but Azadin stopped her and returned the seal to Dehares.

“Well, I used the seal well. Are the results satisfactory?”

“…It’s good that the sea snake Nagas got screwed, but something unexpected happened. A new emperor, huh? That’s something. It would have been nice if you had given me a heads up.”

Dehares’s voice lowered. It was not good news for the Nagas that Aldis had taken the throne and declared himself a descendant of the emperor.

For the Nagas who worship the pantheon of the Kurt gods, the strengthening of the Yaegas gods was not something to be welcomed.

“It’s hard to believe, but I didn’t know until everything happened.”

“You didn’t know?”

“The one who ascended to the throne this time is not Araiel, but a person named Aldis. It wasn’t the faction that worked with the Nagas, but another faction that snatched it up along the way.”

“Ah. Is that so? Thank you for telling me that. By the way, seeing you heading this way, are you perhaps going to Butuma?”

“…….”

“If it’s okay, why don’t you take our ship as a thank you? We’re going to Seramba Port in the Kingdom of Butuma, so we’ll take you there.”

Seramba Port was one of Azadin’s destinations, a ten-day walk away.

But to ride on the ship of the Water Snake tribe Nagas. Azadin currently had about one-eighth of the entire Divine King’s Scripture copy.

“I should refuse….”

Zibeck said that, but Azadin nodded.

“Then I will gladly accept your kindness.”

“Haha. You made a good choice. I was short on conversation partners anyway, so be my companion on the way.”

Dehares had his ship fire a signal arrow to lower more boats and moved all of Azadin’s group’s horses and mountain goats to their ship.

*********

Nagaraja Dehares was a curious person.

He showed curiosity about the messenger clan and the angel Araiel faith that the messenger clan had before coming to the Hybris continent.

“The dragon Azadin and the righteous angel Araiel, huh? Wait a minute, didn’t you say that the leader of the Araiel faction was Araiel? You named a person after the god you served?”

“That means we’ve moved away from the old faith.”

“Amazing. You can abandon faith so easily.”

“Rather, is that a strange thing? Right now, the sea snake Nagas seem to worship the messengers of Nether more than the Cobra Queen.”

“Ah, that’s right. Hmm, I see. That’s an interesting story. Why are your bows so strong?”

In this way, Dehares asked Azadin about the messenger clan throughout the voyage, and in return, he easily told Azadin about the Nagas, as long as it was historical.

“I can’t answer questions about where the current Naga Empire is and how many there are, as it would expose strategy. You’re avoiding such questions too, aren’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s understand each other on that point.”

It was about three days into the voyage. Dehares’s subordinate Nagas whispered to Dehares in Naga language with uneasy expressions.

“…….”

Dehares’s expression crumpled.

“You. I heard you do strange things with that orc and the Divine King’s Scripture every morning?”

“Yes.”

Even while riding on the Nagas’ ship, Azadin did not stop absorbing mana from the Divine King’s Scripture copy.

He was bored anyway. Azadin, along with Scott and Zibeck, was focused on researching and training how to use the white mana filling the Divine King’s Scripture copy.

Was that why the Nagas were talking about it?

Azadin thought it was coming. The Divine King’s Scripture copy was the supreme grimoire that even the Cobra Queen coveted. No matter how much of a Nagaraja he was, he couldn’t not covet it.

However, the point that Dehares was bringing up was not that.

“Actually, it’s an embarrassing story, but when I took you on board, I was prepared to consume hay since there were horses and mountain goats. But….”

“But?”

“That orc eats too much. My subordinates are saying to throw that orc into the sea….”

“…….”

Scott’s eating was more bothersome than the horses and mountain goats eating hay. How much had that guy been eating all this time?

“S-Sorry. I’ll get off.”

“Your paladin friend is working hard to catch fish to make up for it, but I’m sorry. I was originally going to take you to Seramba as promised, but at this rate, we’ll run out of food.”

Dehares seemed genuinely sorry that he had to drop Azadin’s group off halfway.

*********

In the end, Azadin’s group had no choice but to disembark on a coastal cliff area about three days away from Seramba Port.

As they were preparing to disembark, Shati looked at Azadin and asked.

“Um, can’t you really just let me go here?”

It was a truly earnest wish, but even so, her inner conflict could be seen in her tone, which was light and casual, as if she were just passing by, so as not to hurt Azadin’s feelings.

Shati was dreaming of becoming a vassal of the Nagaraja Dehares, who had an excellent character.

It would be considered strange for her, a Naga of the Dry Land tribe, to serve the Nagaraja of the Water Snake tribe, but since she had already lost the Divine King’s Scripture copy and failed her mission, she could not return to her original position.

If she returned to her original tribe, she would be severely punished. But Dehares would understand the situation.

However, Azadin refused to let Shati leave.