The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 162

“So, you need a pure human. One not tainted by Nether’s power?”

Azadin finally understood Araiel’s intention and groaned.

“I’m sorry, but I refuse. I don’t even know what kind of drug that is.”

“Then we must kill…”

Indim said, trying to draw his sword, but Araiel stopped him.

“Don’t touch Azadin, Indim. Who allowed such rudeness?”

“But, Araiel-nim [a respectful title], if they leak the truth…”

“It’s alright. At least Azadin won’t sell us out to the Blue Banner Gang. Even if he refuses my request. Right?”

Of course, Azadin had no intention of selling them out to the Blue Banner Gang. However, he felt slightly offended that she stated it so confidently.

“Why are you so sure?”

“Because you’re my brother.”

“I wish you had that thought when you scarred my eye.”

“Let’s be accurate. Where were your eyes? At least you’re much better looking now, right?”

“You…”

“Shall we move on to the next matter? Azadin. You took a copy of the Divine King’s Scripture from Dimia, didn’t you?”

“Ah, that.”

“Could you return it? To prove our friendship.”

“I don’t want to.”

Azadin shook his head. The copy of the Divine King’s Scripture was an excellent source of white mana for Azadin, and he was using it to continue his mana training.

Since using it temporarily depletes mana, the more the better. It was this useful to Azadin, who couldn’t properly use magic. How much more useful would it be if Araiel’s group got their hands on it? Thinking about that, he couldn’t hand it over.

“We should just take it by force, Araiel-nim. How long will you tolerate Azadin’s insolence? If you really want to have him, you should subdue him with force and keep him by your side.”

Indim was furious at Azadin’s refusal of Araiel’s request. However, even in that situation, Araiel rejected Indim’s suggestion.

“My always timid brother is finally finding his footing, and I have no intention of breaking that. Alright, Azadin. How about joining me and fighting against the Council of Elders?”

“I can’t decide on that yet either.”

“If you join me, I can keep my hands cleaner. I can resolve my plans without killing as many civilians, Azadin. Are you really going to refuse my offer? If you refuse, you’re throwing away the lives of thousands, tens of thousands that you could save in the future.”

“You think I’m a fool. Is that what you call a threat?”

“It’s not a threat, it’s the truth. But I understand that you hate me. I guess you won’t realize it until the time comes. Don’t regret it later.”

Araiel left those words behind and disappeared into the stormy darkness with Indim.

*********

“Amazing.”

As soon as Araiel disappeared, Zibeck exclaimed in admiration.

“What is?”

“In my opinion, she really cares about you. Even though she’s the leader of a precarious organization, she would never try to harm you.”

“The scar on my eye is her doing? She’s just enjoying herself. There’s no need to give it meaning.”

Azadin denied Zibeck’s assessment of Araiel.

“But Azadin, in my experience, people like her don’t make empty promises. If necessary, she would lie, but it would be a thoroughly calculated lie. Even if only half of what she said is true, it’s dangerous.”

“……”

Azadin also agreed with that point. There was no falsehood in what Araiel said.

“Well, it seems like the boss is getting a lot of expectations from that side as family. In other words, the boss is in a position to receive a lot of protection from the higher-ups on both sides, right? That’s good, isn’t it?”

“It would be nice if that was something to be happy about, but we need to be able to trust both sides.”

Azadin turned to look at Scott, who was speaking so carefree, and was startled. Scott was already eating something again.

“Hey!”

Just as Azadin was about to say something to Scott, the sky suddenly shook with a flash of light. Then, lightning struck from the sky, hitting various parts of the camp.

“Kyaaak!”

“Uwaaak!”

“…What?!”

Azadin was bewildered by the continuous lightning strikes falling all over the refugee camp.

It wasn’t uncommon for lightning to strike in a field, but it was strange for it to strike so continuously in one field.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

“Ugh!?”

Zibeck got up and started adjusting his armor.

“This is…”

Scott was also startled, swallowed what he had in his mouth, and picked up a talisman.

“Oh my god.”

Azadin also drew his Azure Steel longsword. A cold chill emanated from the blade, enveloping Azadin’s body.

Tents collapsed in the rain, and monsters appeared.

“Kkuaaaak!”

“Ah, my father!”

“My son!”

“My daughter!”

The refugees were screaming. Their sons, daughters, and families were beginning to turn into monsters.

“Is this it? Boss?”

“Yes. Those who took the Blue Banner Gang’s medicine…”

Azadin frowned.

Those who had taken the Blue Banner Gang’s elixir to treat fever and malaria were beginning to transform into Nether’s envoys, their servants.

Everyone’s heads split open, and from inside their heads, limbs covered in thick bark-like shells, like oak trees, grew out.

The human torso was supported by the limbs that grew from the head, making them look like hanged monsters.

“Ah, Dad!”

A young girl cried out to the monster. But the monster, having lost its reason, reached out its arm to the girl blocking its path. It was definitely not a hand reaching out to family.

“Get away!”

Azadin jumped in and swung his sword.

The arm covered in oak bark could deflect most swords, but it was cleanly cut off by the blue sword light that Azadin wielded.

At that moment, black blood spurted from the cut surface.

“Gwoooaaaaaa!”

The monster was in pain.

“Ah, Dad!”

“Get her away! Shatty!”

“Ah, okay!”

While Shatty ran to protect the child, Zibeck rushed out, picked up an axe that was stuck in a nearby tree stump instead of drawing his sword, and held up his shield.

“Kaak!”

The servants continued to pull out oak roots and aimed at Azadin.

Azadin cut down the attacks with his Azure Steel longsword while observing the situation of the servants.

When Zibeck targeted the torso of the servants, the part that was still human, the servants covered the human body with oak roots.

“The human part is the weak point!”

“Then so be it!”

At that moment, Scott launched something.

Large rats, the size of a human forearm, ran with red light scattering from their eyes, climbed up the oak roots, and approached the human torso.

“Corpse Explosion!”

The giant rat exploded, and the servant’s torso was blown away.

“Kieeeek!”

The oak branches trembled, and as if a chestnut or sea urchin was being peeled to reveal its contents, the brain matter inside the trunk poured out and withered.

“That’s the weak point. But…”

Azadin and Zibeck turned around in bewilderment to see the girl had fainted after seeing the gruesome sight.

It was natural for her to faint, as the creatures that suddenly appeared had blown up the torso of what was her father and poured out his brain matter onto the ground.

This girl was not the only one. The cries of people who had lost their families were heard everywhere.

The cries of children who had lost their parents. The grief of parents who had lost their children.

All of it pierced through the thunder and swirled around Azadin in a chaotic manner.

‘I don’t have anything that could be called family, but…’

Azadin didn’t have a traditional family. To him, family was Araiel, Aldis, and Kazas.

Nevertheless, these sorrowful cries tore at his heart. Azadin groaned at the heart-wrenching voices of people who had lost their minds with grief and were crying out.

“Merciful Archangel!”

At that moment… countless pieces of corpses moved with bizarre propulsion and approached the servants, exploding. Scott had used necromancy to eliminate the servants.

“Did I do well? Boss?”

“……”

Before Azadin could stop him, Scott stuck a twig into a piece of the girl’s father’s corpse that had fallen on the ground and cast necromancy.

The twig stuck to the severed forearm like a leg, and it crawled on the ground by itself. The sight of a twig stuck into the severed forearm, which was spewing blood, was very grotesque.

“Scott…”

“Go!”

In front of the bereaved family, Scott modified the shattered parts of the corpse, cast necromancy, and sent them charging towards the servants.

While the oak-like demonic servants were killing and wandering around, the chariot made of human arms created by Scott crawled underneath them.

“Corpse Explosion!”

When the corpse exploded again, the torso was cut off, and the servant stopped moving, pouring out brain matter in the same way. Scott then began to modify the resulting pieces of the corpse again.

The bereaved families who were watching were tearing at their chests, rolling in the mud, and fainting.

‘This guy is really capable, but the techniques he uses are too disgusting. That’s why people in the world grab necromancers and burn them at the stake.’

Even Azadin, who was less averse to necromancy, felt disgusted by the horror.

Zibeck was trembling, his hand gripping the axe, wanting to cut down Scott right now.

But if Scott didn’t play an active role, those servants would kill people.

*********

The Taoist of the Blue Banner Gang was trembling.

“We’ve been, we’ve been had! It’s a trap!”

Oak branches were still growing from his ears, and branches were growing from his head like deer antlers.

Unlike the others who had turned into mindless monsters, he was able to control his condition.

However, the majority of those who had taken the Blue Banner Gang’s elixir and become members of the Blue Banner Gang had become servants of the Nether.

Fortunately, the Taoist was able to control the servants near him so that they would not engage in meaningless slaughter, but the fact that this situation had occurred meant that they had fallen into a trap.

“Excellent. Are you a high-ranking servant?”

“Hey, high-ranking? I can barely maintain a minimal amount of reason.”

The people looking at the Taoist were holding strange bows.

The four of the Flower, Bird, Wind, and Moon, who had become Araiel’s subordinates, Dimia of the Flower, Seraph of the Bird, Aleph of the Wind, and Dimia’s younger sister, Jenice, looked down at the Taoist of the Blue Banner Gang.

“You, the Herald Clan! What a terrible thing to do! Do you know what you’ve done?”

“Haha. What have we done?”

“Enough, do you have the key to the Emperor’s treasury? Hand it over.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I would never… Do you know how many innocent people you’ve killed?”

“No.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t count because I wasn’t interested?”

Jenice grumbled, filing her nails on a string.

They didn’t bat an eye whether people were dying in this refugee camp or not.