The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 209

“Damn it!” “You damn monkeys! Can’t you do it right?!” The Naga sorcerers were furious, watching the Herald clan members fight half-heartedly. Because the Heralds were openly slacking off, only the Nagas were taking damage. “Hey, we’re doing our best, what do you want from us?” “Go out there and block them!” “There are undead, why should we?” The corpses controlled by necromancy would eventually decay and collapse over time. Removing the entrails and applying preservatives made them somewhat better, but even those mummies would get soaked if they walked in the rain, and flies would lay eggs, causing them to decay rapidly. Therefore, in an army that included necromancers, the undead were always at the front lines. The principle of necromancers was to use the undead, who would decay and disappear anyway, as shields and arrow fodder as much as possible. However… “That’s the problem, isn’t it!” A Naga sorcerer moved the undead onto the roof. But the moment the undead were on the roof, something rained down. It was the bodies of the undead, cut in half. Azadin was swinging his axe-spear, slicing through the undead. With the undead falling like autumn leaves, no living person would want to go up there. “They’re your clan members, you deal with them!” The Naga side demanded that the Herald clan take responsibility. But the young Heralds had no intention of stepping forward. ‘That axe-spear Azadin has is seriously sharp.’ ‘Azadin is one thing, but Araiel is over there.’ ‘Anyone here confident they can stop Araiel?’ ‘Are you crazy? I fought Araiel once before, and it was no match.’ ‘There’s no reason to step in front of Araiel for those people-eating monsters.’ The Heralds had all been thoroughly beaten by Araiel once, so they knew her skills well. But then. “Oh dear, it seems there are many complaints because of our children.” A cold voice was heard from behind the Herald clan members. “Huh?” “S-Sion-nim!?” Sion Etar, a man who became an elder of the Etar bloodline at a young age, appeared behind the clan members who were causing a commotion with the Nagas. He was accompanied by masked servants and looked at the clan members who were slacking off. “Ah, well, this is…” “Well done.” “Huh?” “Won’t they be off guard now? It was an excellent action.” Since the Nagas were watching, Sion Etar did not openly criticize those who had slacked off, but rather praised them. However, although it was praise, those who were listening couldn’t help but feel a chill down their spines. “Follow them from behind and launch a pincer attack at the open area. Let’s go.” “Yes!” Sion Etar personally began to pursue Azadin and Araiel, taking the young men of Araga with him. ********* “Oh, dear.” Azadin’s feet stopped. The open area was spread out before them. A fortress had been built around a wide open space created by demolishing buildings near the waterways of the royal castle, and to approach that fortress, one had to pass through the open area. “An open field. That’s dangerous, isn’t it?” Until now, the group had been jumping from building to building, mocking the enemies, but now, even crossing buildings had reached its limit. The open area, which the Butuma army had demolished to block the Nagas approaching through the waterways, stood in the way of Azadin’s group. Moreover, a considerable number of people were already stationed at the fortress overlooking the open area. Unlike the other Aragasas who had been slacking off, their military discipline was strict. It was because the elder was among them. “Have you come!? Traitor Araiel!” “Elder Altua.” Araiel recognized the elder guarding the fortress. A stern-looking middle-aged woman with an eye patch was standing on the fortress. “Yes. Araiel! I cherished you so much, yet you betray me like this…” -Thwack! At that moment, a dagger was embedded in Elder Altua’s head. A dagger flying and hitting its mark from a distance of over a hundred paces, not even an arrow? The sudden attack, without any warning, sent chills down the spines of those who witnessed it. But what was surprising was that Altua did not die even with a dagger embedded in her forehead. “Kuh! You, you!” Altua pulled the dagger from her head and glared at Araiel. “What are you doing!” “Cherishing you.” “What?” “I’m stronger than you now, Altua. You’re an old, unlovable vampire, but I’ll cherish you a little in my own way. That’s the right of the strong!” Araiel said that and brought her hand to her mouth, whispering something into it. Then, a black aura began to rise from the area where the dagger had struck. It was the language of the Nether [a dark, mystical realm]. “Ugh, kkk… Kyaaaa!” Altua screamed. Crimson blood clots began to pour out of her wound. The blood clots became eyes, and eyeballs bloomed like flowers all over Altua’s body, destroying it. “Agh!” Altua’s body crumbled. The leg bones that should have supported her weight turned into eyeballs, unable to bear her weight, and she collapsed to the ground. Nevertheless, eyeballs continued to form, and Altua turned into a huge mess. “Ugh.” The Herald clan members stationed at the fortress were horrified by Araiel’s terrifying power, which had brutally destroyed their elder. “Yes. You’ve become a little more lovable. Ptooey.” Araiel took out a black obsidian blade, cut her tongue, controlled the backlash of using the Nether language, and spat out blood-mixed saliva. “…Huk.” Everyone who saw that was terrified. And that wasn’t the end of it. “Arise, watching shadows!” As Araiel cast her spell, eyes began to appear in the shadows of the open area. Eyes opened from the shadows of piles of waste materials, the shadows cast by unremoved corpses, and the shadows cast by the waterways, and slowly took shape and moved. The Herald clan members murmured. Their goal was to block Araiel’s invasion and capture Araiel’s group here. But Araiel was too strong than expected. If a fight broke out like this, the clan’s losses would be inevitable… Then Araiel shouted. “Listen well. If we fight each other now, at least a hundred people will die! There’s no need for that, is there!?” “What are you saying?! Traitor Araiel!” “I challenge the leader. Hatir must prove himself as the leader!” Duels for the position of Herald were common among the Aragasas [a clan of powerful warriors]. The Aragasas valued hierarchy, but they valued ability even more. However, there had never been a duel for the position of leader. “Foolish talk! The position of leader is not determined solely by dueling ability! It is…” “It is what?” When Araiel asked, the Herald clan members were at a loss for words. It was because of bloodline. Saying that, they themselves felt it lacked persuasiveness. That’s why they couldn’t help but be at a loss for an answer. “It should be determined by how much one can contribute to the future of our clan.” “Then I should definitely engage in a duel? If we fight each other and so many of our clan members die, the future of the clan will be bleak.” But then, an arrow flew towards Araiel. Surprisingly, this arrow did not come from the front, from the open area fortress where Araiel’s group was facing, but from behind. “Not a chance!” Dal’s Indim deflected the arrow flying from behind Araiel, but the arrow exploded in mid-air, causing him to step back. It was an arrow of tremendous power. “Kuh. Sion!?” “Oh dear, oh dear… You’re too boastful.” The one who shot the arrow was Sion Etar and his subordinates. They appeared with the Naga and undead army, and Azadin’s group was instantly surrounded by a huge army. “Araiel. You cannot become the leader. Because the Council of Elders does not want you as the leader.” “That’s ridiculous. Who did your elders want to take that position? A guy who took that position just because he was born into a good family…” “If it weren’t for the great achievements and virtues of our great ancestors, how could we be here now? Ah, of course, I understand that you, the child of the traitor Acre, want to ignore your parents’ merits and be evaluated solely on your current abilities. That’s why you’re threatening the lives of the clan and causing trouble, aren’t you?” Sion Etar reminded everyone that Araiel was the daughter of the traitor Acre. Then, Midiam stepped forward. “No matter how great your parents are, it doesn’t mean that their children are all great.” “…Midiam?” Sion was embarrassed to see Midiam step forward. Even if Araiel, the daughter of a traitor, said anything, he could push it as her arguing in a direction that benefited her because she was the daughter of a traitor. But if Midiam, a member of the five great bloodlines, the Etar bloodline, stepped forward, the story would be different. What could be more sincere than making an argument that would do more harm than good to oneself? “Isn’t it because the five bloodlines are blindly supporting the current leader Hatir that things have turned out like this? We wanted the clan to prosper, not to become servants of the Nether messengers. The Council of Elders and the leader have misinterpreted our will and proceeded with things as they pleased, so why is it wrong to challenge the leader’s position and protest? Ordinary Heralds have to prove their qualifications through duels, so why isn’t there a way for the leader, who is even more important, to prove it?” A murmur arose among the clan members. “Who is that?” “She’s the daughter of the Etar bloodline.” “…Hmm.” Everyone was afraid to speak out, but the Heralds were sympathetic to Midiam’s words. Those who were not members of the five great bloodlines had complaints about the five great bloodlines, and the person who inherited the blood of the five great bloodlines had spoken out about it so clearly. If others had said it, it could have been dismissed as the jealousy of those who did not have it. But when the heir of the five great bloodlines says this… “Midiam. Come back. If it’s now, I can stop you without any problems.” “Sion, brother. Do you really think there’s a future in doing this?” “What are you talking about? Haven’t we already succeeded? We, who have been oppressed, are now becoming the masters of this world.” “I wanted the world before this happened. Not a world where Nether messengers roam and Nagas slaughter humans! It’s like wanting a jewel displayed in a store, so you set the store on fire and bring back the burnt ashes.” As those who were listening sympathized with Midiam’s words, Sion Etar had lost out by speaking to her. “Are you really going to side with the traitors?” “The traitors are not us, but your Council of Elders.” Azadin blocked Midiam and grabbed his axe-spear short, striking something away. It was a small, thin needle that had flown towards Midiam. Sion had ambushed Midiam. “You can’t even persuade one girl from the clan, so you resort to underhanded tactics.” “…Azadin. I didn’t want to do this, but. There’s really no other way.” Sion gestured as if he had no choice. The Naga sorcerers sent the undead forward, and at the same time, an attack began from the rear.