The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 175

“I also think the Captain is a bit…,” Scott said to Azadin, who had been indifferent every time Gimella and the Count showed their greed for Scott.

“Disappointed?” Azadin asked.

“No, I was impressed. A man who can ruthlessly sacrifice his subordinates for his own purposes. That’s the kind of person who deserves to be my captain. And all it is, is just a bit of muscle gain.”

“Is that so?” Azadin replied.

Orcs, who value intelligence above all else, are deeply affectionate. Rather than unconditionally cherishing their subordinates, they consider it a wiser choice to sell them if they can get a reasonable price.

“But regardless, I won’t do it. I hate muscle gain. And from an Orc’s perspective, it’s a bit… low to be with other races. The moment you do that, you’ll be ostracized by the entire race. They’ll criticize you for being so stupid, talentless, and unattractive that you have to hook up with another race.”

“I see,” Azadin said, understanding.

Meanwhile, Sharti was shuddering.

“What’s wrong with you now?” Azadin asked, noticing her discomfort.

“That man who carries the gong, the Count’s lover,” Sharti replied, her voice slightly trembling.

“Yeah,” Azadin acknowledged.

“He’s a Naga,” Sharti revealed.

“Really?” Azadin was surprised.

“Nagas barely manage to have children even if they do it 24 hours a day… to have such a Naga as a lover,” Sharti explained, her tone laced with disbelief.

“……” Azadin was speechless.

The image of Count Kimalhaji being entangled with his Naga lovers 24 hours a day naturally came to mind.

Was it an incredible stamina or an incredible lust?

“Anyway, I saw quite a few Nagas while passing by. It’s definitely Butuma,” Sharti stated, confirming their location.

“Which means…,” Azadin began, thinking aloud.

“If the Nagas really start attacking Butuma, there’s no hope, right? But the Count seems confident, and he’s not listening. Let’s just raid that Cheonggeon Clan’s sacred site or whatever,” Sharti suggested, her voice tinged with frustration.

“Haa. Is this the conclusion we always come to? I really hate it. Why can’t anyone understand when I try to talk to them?” Azadin lamented, feeling defeated.

“You couldn’t even persuade your own clan, and now you’re suffering independently. That’s just how it is,” Sharti pointed out, matter-of-factly.

“When you try to persuade others, you have to put a knife to their throats. Otherwise, how can you persuade them when everyone thinks they’re so great?” Azadin said, his tone bitter.

“You’re telling me,” Sharti agreed, understanding his frustration.

Azadin stayed at the accommodation prepared by Gimella in Count Kimalhaji’s mansion and rested.

Gimella still couldn’t give up her greed and tried to seduce Scott, but Scott, who disliked muscle gain, firmly rejected Gimella’s advances.

“After being rejected like that, isn’t there a chance she might have poisoned the food out of spite?” Azadin asked, watching Scott calmly eating the meal prepared by Gimella.

“It’s okay, Captain. I can detect whether it’s poison with a simple spell,” Scott said confidently and continued to eat the food.

In Butuma, rice and beans were the main crops, so the food was also made by mixing rice and beans with various spices.

It was exotic and strange food for Azadin, who was from the north, but surprisingly, it was edible.

“It’s actually good? The meat inside doesn’t have any gamey or foul smell, and the spices are so strong that they get rid of any bad smells,” Azadin commented, impressed.

“And it’s surprisingly good for building muscle. It’s not good for me, though,” Scott said, but he cleaned his plate.

*********

The next day, Azadin’s group prepared to depart.

Jiswa obtained chainmail and armed herself with a beak mace, a long club with a metal beak attached to it.

Sharti chose a Naga curved sword and a Naga chainmail mask, and she even wore a veil made of chains over her face, making it clear that she was dressed as a Naga.

“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of disguising yourself as a human?” Azadin asked, confused by her choice of attire.

“I’ll transform into a Naga when I have to fight,” Sharti explained, her reasoning simple.

“Well, Scott is Scott,” Azadin muttered, accepting the situation.

“Let’s go, Captain,” Sharti urged, eager to begin their journey.

“Wait a moment…,” Azadin said, pausing their departure.

Azadin asked the servants of Count Kimalhaji’s territory about news regarding Corasar. He figured that if Count Kimalhaji was really planning to invade the Kingdom of Corasar, he would be more sensitive to information about the kingdom than anyone else. As expected, their information was fast and accurate.

“This is new information that just came in last night. The King’s Church has dispatched forces to save the Kingdom of Corasar, which has been seized by the Herald Clan, but the bishop was captured by the Herald Clan, and the holy knights were defeated,” a servant reported.

“If this continues, the King’s Church will soon issue an official subjugation order to Butuma. When that happens, we might be able to establish a united kingdom of Butuma and Corasar,” another servant added, revealing their ambitions.

It seemed that swallowing Corasar had been their long-cherished dream, as they didn’t hesitate to use the term “united kingdom.”

According to the teachings of the King’s Church, which recorded the Emperor’s swallowing of all eight kingdoms as a terrible history, a united kingdom was also an impure and ominous term that could be branded as imperialist.

However, the ambitions of the Butuma people had already reached a stage that the King’s Church could not stop, and the King’s Church would rather allow Butuma a united kingdom than lose a part of the eight kingdoms to the Herald Clan.

“What about Judge Zekt?” Azadin asked, curious about the fate of the judge.

When Azadin asked about Zekt, the servants answered.

“As it happens, it is said that Judge Zekt was defeated on the Corasar front and has disappeared. We are closely monitoring all the holy knights in case he flows into Butuma,” a servant replied.

“I see,” Azadin said, processing the information.

Azadin was surprised but also relieved that Zekt had been defeated.

The ominous feeling he had when he saw him was unusual, and it seemed that he was not an enemy of Aldis, who had taken the throne.

‘But I have mixed feelings. There’s me, who scorns human lives and rejects the Council of Elders who cooperate with the Nagas and other Kurt deities, and there’s me who doesn’t want the Aragasa to lose,’ Azadin thought, conflicted.

From Azadin’s perspective, the Council of Elders is a potential enemy, but he doesn’t want them to be defeated in vain.

Is it because Azadin is also an Aragasa [a member of the Herald Clan]? It was a complicated feeling.

“Then, the Madam says she wishes you good luck. This is a gift from the Madam,” a servant said, handing Azadin a sack.

The servants handed Azadin a sack filled with gold coins, saying it was Gimella’s sincerity.

“You shouldn’t have…,” Azadin said, surprised by the generosity.

Azadin was impressed by Gimella’s sincerity. There were five gold coins in it, which was too much for a gift to someone who just came to visit.

He was grateful and accepted the gold coins, as his finances had been strained from bringing in refugees.

*********

With each step Scott’s Corpse Abomination took, the surrounding scenery whizzed by. Azadin’s mountain goat was sweating profusely trying to keep up with the abomination.

In the hot and humid Butuma region, the Kerim mountain goat was on the verge of exhaustion, so Azadin put the goat on the abomination’s cart.

“We’ll be there soon,” Jiswa said, guiding the way.

“You said ‘soon’ earlier. My goat is exhausted because of you,” Azadin complained, his voice laced with exasperation.

“How about shearing its fur?” Jiswa suggested, her tone casual.

“Kerim mountain goats are different from sheep. If you cut their fur too short, it often doesn’t grow back,” Azadin explained, his voice slightly annoyed.

“Is that so? Still, it seems better to cut it in a hot region,” Jiswa said, her logic simple.

“The fat from Kerim mountain goat fur is also very valuable to the Herald Clan as a rust inhibitor… For now, should I just trim the leg hair?” Azadin pondered, considering his options.

At that moment, the Corpse Abomination stopped.

“Oh, no,” Scott groaned, his voice filled with annoyance.

“It seems the sanctuary is near. The undead doesn’t want to go any further?” Azadin asked, curious about the abomination’s behavior.

“The undead is reluctant to enter?” Jiswa questioned, surprised.

“Yeah. There’s a limit to autonomous control. I’ll have to control it directly from now on,” Scott explained, his tone matter-of-fact.

Scott frowned.

It was not a good environment for a large monster to enter, as the path had become a narrow trail, making it difficult to directly control the Corpse Abomination.

“I guess I have to disassemble it,” Scott said, his voice resigned.

“Disassemble it?” Azadin asked, confused.

“Well, that’s how necromancy is. No matter how carefully you use a corpse, it rots if you leave it alone, and it wears out if you move it. It’s the fate of necromancy to create new works of art every time,” Scott explained necromancy as if he were a craftsman making everyday items. Then, he disassembled the Corpse Abomination and began reassembling it into smaller undead.

“Ugh,” Azadin turned his gaze away from the gruesome sight.

It was fortunate that Jibek wasn’t there. If he had been, he would have been struggling to resist the urge to cut off Scott’s head at this moment.

“Anyway, Jiswa. If the undead is refusing to enter, does that mean we’re near the sanctuary?” Azadin asked, seeking confirmation.

“Yes. We’re almost there. From here, even pilgrims are not allowed to enter,” Jiswa replied, her tone serious.

Jiswa got off the cart and walked forward, pointing to a rope stretched between the trees.

“The sanctuary is beyond this rope,” Jiswa stated, her voice clear.

“I see. Then I should prepare too,” Azadin said, his tone determined.

Azadin took out a copy of the Divine King’s Scripture and absorbed white mana, spreading the power evenly throughout his body.

In the past, one page was enough, but now he could absorb the mana of two or three pages at once.

After absorbing the white mana, a shock like a storm raging inside his body would come.

“Ugh…,” Azadin groaned, feeling the surge of power.

Azadin wiped his nose.

He had a nosebleed.

But in contrast, his body was boiling with power.

“Captain. How about erasing the Kazas Scripture [the Herald Clan’s grimoire] and learning magic from scratch? You’re definitely getting stronger, but…,” Scott looked at Azadin’s condition and seriously recommended that he convert.

However, for Azadin, a Herald Clan member, erasing the Hwajo Pungwol, the Herald Clan’s grimoire, was out of the question.

Moreover, doing so would mean losing all the power he had accumulated so far.

“I can’t do that now,” Azadin said, his voice firm.

In Corasar, in Butuma, and in various places, the Herald Clan’s conspiracies were threatening countless civilians. Azadin didn’t have the time to leisurely erase his previous grimoire and start anew.

Azadin stepped into the sanctuary of the Cheonggeon Clan.

*********

The founder of the Cheonggeon Clan, a man called the Heavenly Lord, was said to have been a wandering merchant who entered this black forest to escape from bandits and harsh taxes. There, he met ‘Grimslough, the Swamp Ancient Tree,’ a Nether being.

To be precise, it was a part of its body. This was because Grimslough had been defeated once in the mortal realm by the three archangels of the Order of the Knights of Salvation.

In other words, the angels defeated Grimslough, and a part of its body fell here. The Heavenly Lord, not knowing it was Grimslough’s body, camped on the stump of the ancient tree and was struck by a sudden lightning bolt, leaving him on the verge of death.

At that time, he unconsciously drank Grimslough’s sap and blood and gained enlightenment.

“Doesn’t that sound like a cult to anyone? Did you gain faith after hearing that? Jiswa?” Azadin asked, his tone skeptical.

“Yes. Because at that time, I had already drunk Grimslough’s sap and been saved,” Jiswa replied, her voice filled with conviction.

“Well, if you’ve already drunk Grimslough’s sap…,” Azadin muttered, understanding her perspective.

“It’s better than dying of malaria. So, the Heavenly Lord tried to carry out fragments of Grimslough so that he could obtain the sap at all times, but…,” Jiswa continued, explaining the history.

“He failed?” Azadin asked, anticipating the answer.

“Yes. All the monsters in this black forest attacked him,” Jiswa confirmed.

“Indeed,” Azadin said, acknowledging the danger.

As Azadin’s group entered the forest, the sound of wolves began to howl from somewhere.

Even though it was still daytime, the sound of wolves howling could be heard, and the rustling of the bushes sounded like people’s chatter, like mocking laughter.

Sounds were circling around them from all directions, teasing them.