The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 186

“Perhaps the other plantation owners have warned you many times to stop what you’re doing right now. Yet, you ignored those warnings and have come to this situation. You probably thought, without realizing this is a war, that you were just doing the right thing, and that giving this much to the plantation workers would still be profitable. You might have thought, ‘Why are they making such a fuss when it’s a problem that could be easily solved if I just ate a little less?’ Isn’t that right?”

It was exactly as Azadin had said.

Randa Banema had seen the other plantation owners who warned her as nothing more than empty, greedy people who could never be satisfied no matter how much they stuffed their faces.

She had mocked their greed and foolishness, but she had overlooked the fact that their greed was rooted in the evil wisdom passed down through generations to protect their wealth.

She had underestimated them, seeing them as merely blinded by greed, and had started a fight without being prepared to kill or be killed. She had been flustered and now, she was calling upon the Herald Clan with the Emperor’s gold.

Azadin saw through everything about Randa Banema.

“Are you criticizing me now? I only did what I thought was right!”

“Good intentions often lead to the worst outcomes if they are not backed by power and strategy.”

“……”

Randa Banema was speechless at Azadin’s rebuke.

“Then what do you want me to do? Just give up and have an arranged marriage or join them in the slave system? Betray the expectations of the plantation workers who followed me this far?”

“M-Madam.”

The guards were flustered by Randa Banema’s weak words. However, some of them were secretly relieved.

Unless they went to war with all the surrounding plantations, this situation could not be reversed.

But war?

Those who had lived in Bel Hoda their entire lives knew well that if a fight broke out for this reason, an endless cycle of bloodshed would continue throughout Bel Hoda.

The sugarcane plantations of Bel Hoda had accumulated enormous wealth, and each one was practically a great noble. If a war started, no one would give up until that enormous money ran out, and this land would never be free from the stain of blood.

Wouldn’t it be better to give up and gain peace?

It was at that moment that Azadin spoke.

“Ah. Don’t worry, petitioner. What I said just now was to share an understanding of the current situation. It’s not to break your will.”

Azadin smiled and pointed at Randa Banema.

“I like people like you. Most people have neither good intentions nor wisdom. How precious is someone who at least has good intentions?”

“……”

‘I don’t know if he’s insulting me or praising me. No, he’s telling me to my face that I’m stupid, so it’s an insult, but the eyeless guy is smiling as he says it…’

Usually, such a smile would be seen as a sneer. But this guy’s smile seemed to come from genuine satisfaction.

“Your emotions are all over the place, I don’t know how to react. I understand that I did something reckless because I lacked power and wisdom. But I can’t compromise with them. Herald Clan, lend me your power and wisdom. How far can you go?”

“Hmm. Then let’s define the scope of the petition like this. At least, the act of kidnapping people from the sugarcane plantations of Bel Hoda and using them as slaves, or in a state equivalent to slavery, will be prohibited. And Randa Banema, I will ensure that your family does not fall due to armed conflicts between plantations. How’s that?”

“Huh?”

Randa Banema was surprised at Azadin’s words.

Since he had started by criticizing her mistakes, she had worried that she would have to give up a lot, but the scope of the petition that Azadin proposed was close to the best she could have hoped for.

“Is that possible?”

“Well, it’s possible if you have enough power and will.”

“…Will.”

“Then, let’s try to persuade the other plantation owners first. It would be better if we could end it with persuasion without bloodshed. Can we leave this arena now?”

When Azadin asked that, Randa Banema nodded.

Then…

-Swish!

Azadin’s body seemed to sway, then he lightly kicked off the ground and leaped up, grabbing the railing installed in Randa Banema’s VIP seat.

“Good heavens.”

He’s too fast. Just like with the arrow earlier, if Azadin wanted to, Randa Banema would never have survived. Even though they had negotiated in such a secure place, she felt a chill run down her spine.

“Then, let’s accept the petition.”

*********

The Bel Hoda Sugar Industry Association was immediately aware that the Herald Clan had arrived.

These local clans, who had taken root in the Bel Hoda region long ago, were connected to each other. Even if they were from different plantations, if you traced their roots, they were bound to be connected to someone in another plantation as a cousin, in-law, friend, classmate, senior, or junior.

Even if they were from the Banema plantation, someone connected to them was bound to be in another plantation of the Bel Hoda Sugar Industry Association, and through them, Randa Banema was constantly monitored.

“The Herald Clan, huh? What do you think?”

In the clubhouse of the Sugar Industry Association, the plantation owners were playing billiards with ivory billiard balls while talking.

Billiards and bowling were popular games in Butuma, and billiards, in particular, was a good way to show off luxury.

These plantation owners competed with each other in their indulgence and extravagance, making billiard balls and cues out of high-quality materials to flaunt their overflowing wealth.

“So, the Herald Clan has arrived? So they really exist.”

“Of course, they exist. Haven’t you heard the rumors that the Herald Clan recently took over Coral Sahar?”

“I’ve heard them. But rumors are so all over the place. Other rumors say that the Nagas attacked Coral Sahar?”

“Anyway, those soulless, unholy beings, the clan of the Kingslayers, it’s amazing that they still have an organization even after hundreds of years since the fall of the Emperor.”

They were impressed by the appearance of the Herald Clan, but their impressions lacked a sense of crisis.

The rumors about the Herald Clan’s outstanding martial prowess, the effort and care they put into accomplishing their missions, did not give them any sense of crisis.

Because they had a lot of money, they commanded armies that were no less than those of nobles, and they had hired very skilled adventurers.

The Herald Clan’s ominous reputation, their contemptuous names for their souls, now began to stimulate their interest in a different direction.

“I heard that the Herald Clan has a hierarchy, what is the rank of the one who came this time?”

“It’s the Second Herald.”

At the reporter’s words, the hand of the plantation owner playing billiards paused.

“Second Herald?”

“Isn’t that very high?”

A plantation owner, after cutting a cigar with a cutter and lighting it, gathered phlegm and spat it out. A servant holding a silver tray politely received the phlegm with both hands and took it out of the clubhouse.

“The Second Herald of the Herald Clan. How many of them came?”

“W-Well, one Herald Clan member, two men, and one woman.”

“Two men and one woman? Only four of them came?”

“Yes. One of the men is wearing a blue towel, so he seems to be a Blue Towel Gang member, and the other one is very muscular and always lying on the floor, so he seems to be a Taina follower. And the woman is a great beauty, but she was wearing a curved sword and a chain veil that the Nagas use.”

“A Naga woman?”

“She looks like a human woman, but…”

A curved sword is large and heavy, not a good weapon for a woman to wield. She must be a mage who can enhance her strength with magic, or a real Naga.

“I don’t know if that woman is a Naga, but since the other guys don’t have bows, it seems that the Herald Clan is just that one man.”

“One Herald Clan member and the rest are just hangers-on. If he’s the Second Herald, he should have brought many subordinates. So, what are they doing?”

“That’s…”

The servant who brought the news hesitated and said.

“I heard that they’re just waiting for something and eating at the Banema plantation.”

“Just eating?”

“They arrived yesterday, so they’re probably recovering from their journey.”

“I see.”

That was a plausible reason. Traveling is tiring. There’s no way they could do anything while they’re tired.

But even if they weren’t tired, what could they do?

“Maybe they’re waiting for reinforcements?”

Some took a cautious view, but a young and ambitious plantation owner stepped forward with a boast.

“Whatever it is, what does it matter? I’ll take care of it.”

“You’ll take care of it?”

“Yes. My plantation has a contract with adventurers who often eliminate the monsters that appear, and they are quite skilled.”

“We’re not that bad either.”

The plantation owners had not only armed their farmhands to organize private soldiers but also hired A-class or higher adventurers from the Sell Sword Guild at their own expense.

These adventurers from the Sell Sword Guild were hired for money, but as they were employed long-term, loyalty and attachment developed between the employers and the employees. The plantation owners became proud of the reputation and skills of the adventurers they had hired.

In this situation, the Herald Clan was a great opportunity to gain fame. What if the adventurer they hired defeated the Herald Clan?

The desires and vanity of the plantation owners, who were already addicted to all sorts of pleasures and had their reason paralyzed, were revived and began to stir.

“The Second Herald. Defeating him would be a great title for our adventurers, wouldn’t it?”

“Then what should we do? Should my friends who I sponsor try to fight them first? I also want to see the skills of the Second Herald of the Herald Clan…”

“Are you trying to be sneaky and go first?”

“Well, we don’t know the opponent’s abilities, do we? It’s a risk to take… If I fail, those who challenge after me will have information, so it will be easier, won’t it?”

“I can’t let you go through such trouble. I’ll be the first to take the lead.”

“Oh, Salco-nim. You’re getting old. You should refrain from getting excited like a fighting dog.”

The plantation owners were jokingly arguing among themselves about who would catch the Herald Clan first.

It was then.

“Knock knock. Is anyone there?”

A voice was heard from outside the door.

And… suddenly, the clubhouse door exploded and burst inward. It was an explosive force as if the door had been broken by a catapult.

However, the servants came out and caught the flying door pieces with amazing skill.

This clubhouse was a place where plantation owners, tired of enjoying all sorts of pleasures alone, gathered to show off their bad habits. The plantation owners’ guards were already everywhere.

They skillfully absorbed the force of the flying door pieces and carefully placed them on the floor.

“Oops, excuse me. You’re very skilled.”

The one who had knocked with his mouth and entered was a young man wearing a mask.