The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 195

Azadin was taken aback by Manja-Zadek’s grotesque appearance, but he tried his best not to show it.

‘First, congratulations on the birth of your son, Cheonju. Haha. It’s quite a feat that your grown son has come to find you and increase your lineage.’

‘I am ashamed.’

‘Indeed. To have an audience at this time, what brings you here? I’ve heard you recently spent some of your fortune to defend the city, and I am grateful for that.’

Manja-Zadek took the grapes that his concubines offered him, his eyes rolling. His yellow eyes, like those of a huge beast, instilled fear, unease, and disgust even in the valiant Azadin.

‘Is this the Golden King of Butuma?’

Cheonju Kajas, already accustomed to the Golden King’s unconventional appearance, spoke skillfully.

‘It is not for any other reason, Your Majesty. My foolish son wishes to offer his humble talents to serve Your Majesty. I humbly request that you use him, even if it is for a minor post.’

Even if Azadin were to advise on the city’s defense, there was no reason for the king to heed his words. Therefore, the Cheonju of the Cheonggeon Clan made this request to have Azadin join Manja-Zadek’s military.

‘Let’s skip the formalities. After all, the people here are discreet, are they not?’

Manja-Zadek smiled and turned to look at Azadin.

‘I’ve heard you are of the Messenger Clan. Raise your head. Speak comfortably.’

‘Yes.’

Azadin raised his head at Manja-Zadek’s words, knowing that he was aware of his Messenger Clan lineage.

‘So, which side do you belong to?’

‘I am honored, but if you ask where I belong…’

‘Azadin. Your sister is the traitor Araelle, so why did you contact me through the Cheonggeon Clan? Does that mean you do not share Araelle’s views? Or are you on the side of the Council of Elders?’

‘…’

Azadin was taken aback by Manja-Zadek’s reaction, who seemed to know much more about the Messenger Clan than he had anticipated. Moreover, judging by his words, he was already in contact with Araelle.

‘You already knew of my actions. And you were already in contact with Araelle.’

‘Butuma is a wealthy place. Even ghosts can be controlled with its gold. There’s no way that Araelle, that young girl, would have rebelled on her own, relying solely on her own abilities. There must be someone funding her. And that is me.’

Manja-Zadek, who had transformed into a grotesque figure with sagging flesh, must have been as beautiful and robust as the portrait hanging in front of him in his youth.

‘So, where do you belong? The Council of Elders? Or the rebels?’

At that moment, a sharp killing intent poured down on Azadin. The skilled individuals hidden in Manja-Zadek’s audience chamber would launch an attack at the king’s word.

Azadin had already sensed that there were many skilled individuals hidden in this audience chamber, concealed to protect the king’s obese body.

‘Impressive. I thought he was just a madman, but he’s unexpectedly intelligent. Truly, the Golden King.’

Azadin, impressed by Manja-Zadek’s sharp reaction, honestly revealed his inner thoughts.

‘I am merely striving to alleviate the suffering of the people. That is the Emperor’s law and the Messenger’s mission.’

‘Hahaha. That’s an amusing answer. If that’s your true intention, then you are a truly interesting individual.’

Manja-Zadek suddenly burst into laughter at Azadin’s reply.

‘A Messenger Clan member who assassinated the Emperor claims to uphold the Emperor’s law. It seems you are still keeping it a secret from the new Messengers. The Messenger Clan, that is.’

‘What?’

‘If you have a brain, think about it. You young Messenger. How did a powerful Emperor who single-handedly occupied all eight quartz thrones suddenly fall without a successor? Surely you don’t believe the nonsense that he died of a debilitating illness?’

Manja-Zadek said this and burst into laughter, then choked. The concubines brought a wet towel and carefully wiped the saliva and food particles from Manja-Zadek’s mouth.

Azadin was appalled by the sight, which was more like grooming livestock than tending to a person.

However, Manja-Zadek’s words were even more shocking than his appearance.

‘The Emperor was assassinated by you.’

*********

The Aragasa were bound by the curse of service, but they were proud that the Emperor had chosen them as Messengers.

They were taught that their martial arts, their strategies, and their abilities were superior to anyone else’s, that the curse of service was heavy, but the Emperor’s choice of them was an honor, and that the service contract had only become a curse because the Emperor had unexpectedly and suddenly fallen.

But was that a lie?

‘Oh, my. It seems you didn’t know anything. Or did you not want to know? Haha, it’s not fun to teach someone who doesn’t want to know.’

Seeing the madness in his smile, Azadin suddenly became curious.

‘If the Emperor’s assassination was by the hands of the Messenger Clan, why isn’t it publicly known? And how do you know about it, Your Majesty?’

‘From the perspective of the King’s Church, the Emperor was someone who denied the existence of kings, but also the closest to the Yaegas gods [a pantheon of deities]. If such a person were killed by a god-slayer, it would highlight their impiety and immorality, but also their competence, wouldn’t it? I have many books that prove this, but what’s important is not the evidence, but whether you want to believe it or not, isn’t it?’

Manja-Zadek’s attitude, and the fact that the circumstances of the Emperor’s fall were vague, as he pointed out, all proved that his words were true.

‘Your clan, who assassinated the Emperor, is extorting loyalty from you by using the forgotten curse in the Emperor’s name. So, why don’t you quit being a Messenger and serve me instead? Many former Messengers already serve me. There’s no need to worry about the curse of service. As a descendant of the Yaegas gods, I can prevent that much.’

‘First of all, the reason I came here was because the Naga clan, who serve Nether [a dark realm or entity], are about to attack Butuma, and in that gap, my clan is plotting to seize the throne here. Many people of Butuma will be massacred. I want to stop that.’

‘Hahaha. I thought it was a joke, but you’re serious. A Messenger Clan member who truly follows the Emperor’s law!’

The Golden King Manja-Zadek burst into laughter, realizing that Azadin had come here to genuinely protect the people.

‘You are even more tempting now. You, Azadin, serve me.’

‘Isn’t that what I’m requesting now, to serve Your Majesty?’

‘No, it seems you’re just planning to help defend the city for a while and then disappear. I’m saying, serve me with all your heart. Ah, to do that, I must first prove that I am a ruler worthy of your loyalty. If you see me without knowing the circumstances, you’ll just see me as a pig wallowing in pleasure. Isn’t that right?’

‘No, it is not.’

‘Hahaha. You’ll make a good servant. You even know how to tell obvious lies. But, well, it’s fine. It wouldn’t be easy not to despise my appearance without knowing the circumstances.’

Manja-Zadek pointed to his throne. The throne he was sitting on was made of a huge tree that even an elephant could sit on.

‘Underneath this is the quartz throne, the throne of Yaegas. Do you know why I’m doing this on the sacred throne of Yaegas?’

‘As a commoner, I cannot possibly understand your profound intentions… How could I fathom Your Majesty’s deep meaning?’

‘Because I am trying to strengthen the light of the King’s Aura, even if only a little. First… I need to tell you why the light of the King’s Aura has been weakening recently.’

‘To me, you mean?’

Azadin was surprised to learn that Manja-Zadek was about to reveal an astonishing secret, the secret of the Yaegas gods.

‘Yes. I need to prove that I am a lord worthy of serving, don’t I? So, listen carefully. I will tell you the secrets of the Yaegas gods and the Emperor that I have researched.’

Azadin listened intently to Manja-Zadek’s words, as if drawn in by them.

*********

The Yaegas gods originally had physical bodies, but one day they attained great enlightenment, abandoned their bodies, and ascended to higher-dimensional spiritual beings.

When they discovered the Hybris Continent, the rulers of this land were the Nagas, and humans suffered under the Nagas’ oppression or were violated by the envoys of the Nether, which were incomprehensible to humans.

The Yaegas gods, with noble ideals, descended to save suffering humanity. Of course, some of them descended not for noble ideals but to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh they had long abandoned.

Eight quartz thrones were installed on the Hybris Continent, and through them, the Yaegas gods began a war to save humanity.

And when that war ended, those who had descended only with noble ideals returned, and those who had descended for the pleasures of the flesh remained on this land. That was the reason why the descendants of the Yaegas gods were left on this land.

However, pleasure soon became tiresome, and when the gods who had descended on this land returned to their world, those who remained realized that they were inferior to their ancestors.

And that power gradually weakens.

The order established by the Yaegas gods, the King’s Church, is a church that reveres the gods who bring the light of the King’s Aura.

At first, this order was a faithful tool for the royal families. But as the power of the gods weakened, the royal families and nobles gradually realized that this tool was becoming a shackle that was tightening around their necks.

Their ancestral spirits, the Yaegas gods, were leaving them, and the divine lineage that distinguished them from ordinary people was gradually weakening, while the power of darkness was growing stronger again.

The royal families, who knew the truth and trembled with fear, collectively committed suicide or went insane. And they began to conceal this fact from the later generations of the royal family and claimed that they were gods.

The term Yaegas gods originally referred only to those who had descended.

However, the descendants of those gods confused the terms to strengthen their authority, while also trying to obtain the power of all kinds of magic and sorcery that remained on this land to replace the fading power of the gods. Some of them were tempted by the evil forces that were originally their enemies.

Then, Emperor Yaeslat was born.