The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 265

“Oh?! This is unexpected.”

Lord Braham, caught off guard by the unforeseen situation, tried to draw his sword, but Legion lunged at him, grabbing his wrist.

Legion transformed into a wolf, baring his sharp teeth at Lord Braham’s neck.

“Stay still, old man. Unless you want to say goodbye to this world today.”

The half-orc Kuntachi also drew his massive, iron-like falchion [a type of single-edged sword], threatening the others.

‘Crap, a mistake. I should have left Fireglyph sooner. Of the Chadra Overlords, he targeted us first.’

Lord Braham understood why Azadin had come for Chashan.

Among the Chadra Overlords, the one with the best organization and financial power was the smuggling king, Chashan. From Azadin’s perspective, he was the first one to subdue.

But who would have thought he’d come after us on the very day the talks broke down?

‘More than anything, Chashan went down in one hit.’

Chashan was incredibly strong in fist fights. He had always subdued those who had complaints by tying their wrists together and having a fist fight on top of a barrel.

A natural fighter and a powerful sorcerer of red magic.

Who would have thought that Chashan would be neutralized in a single blow in a clash with Azadin?

Moreover….

“Amazing….”

“Hey, you.”

Even among Chashan’s subordinates, there were those who were captivated by Azadin.

The martial arts that Azadin, with his handsome features, displayed with controlled movements were like a work of art in themselves.

“Krrr!”

Enraged, Chashan rose.

His jaw was shattered and bloody, but he still harbored hostility and tried to cast a spell.

“Alright, stop. If you go any further, I’ll kill you.”

With Azadin’s warning, Kuntachi pressed the edge of his falchion against Chashan’s throat.

“Krrrk.”

His jaw was broken, blood and foam were leaking from his mouth, and a cold blade was aimed at his neck.

Even in this situation, Chashan did not yield and continued to speak.

“Do you think I’m trembling with fear of death?!”

“Why aren’t you afraid of death?”

Azadin retorted at Chashan’s cry.

“…What?”

Chashan was taken aback by the unexpected question.

Azadin, with his legs crossed and a deep gaze, was genuinely asking Chashan.

“What do you want to prove by transcending death that you are not afraid?”

“It’s because if I die after being defeated by a weakling like you, I’ll be a laughingstock even in death!”

At Chashan’s words, Azadin sighed.

“…Then you shouldn’t resist even more now. You’ll end up dying after being defeated by a weakling like me.”

“You bastard!”

Chashan’s eyes flared up again.

But at that moment, Kuntachi struck Chashan’s jaw with the side of his blade.

Even though it was a light hit, Chashan tumbled.

“Keep your eyes straight, you. I won’t forgive those eyes in front of Captain Azadin.”

Kuntachi didn’t like Chashan’s eyes.

Azadin also didn’t like Chashan.

“That’s not courage. It’s a worse kind of cowardice, choosing suicide because you’re afraid of becoming a laughingstock.”

“What?!”

Chashan fumed, spewing blood and foam from his mouth like a crab or a crayfish.

Calling him a coward?! Until now, no one had dared to call him a coward.

“Chashan. What did you try to achieve by building your power? What did you want that you craved wealth even to the point of selling drugs? That’s what I want to hear.”

“This brat! How much do you know about me to act like you know everything?”

“That’s why I’m asking.”

-Clatter!

Black steel chains appeared from Azadin’s hand.

They looked like thin chains that could easily be broken, but the cold chill unique to black steel revealed their extraordinary presence.

As Azadin threw the chains, wrapping them around Chashan and activating a curse, the tattoos that had been shining on Chashan’s body began to lose their light.

The tattoos lost their light like cooling iron, and soon turned cold, which startled Chashan.

His magic wasn’t moving at all.

“T-This… You! If you eliminate me, my organization won’t stay still!”

Eliminating the head of a criminal organization would cause the underlings to start fighting for power, which would only increase the chaos. Therefore, eliminating Chashan was not a wise move.

It would be even more reckless for Azadin, who had temporarily seized Fireglyph. However….

“If it’s something we have to deal with, we should prepare for it.”

Azadin said so boldly.

Rather than dealing with Chashan, he chose to fight Chashan’s organization head-on.

“So, is everyone here? That would be great.”

But then, Lord Braham rose.

“There’s another hideout besides this one, Sir Azadin.”

“What?!”

Chashan, who was watching, was startled.

“Y-You traitor….”

“Don’t push yourself to speak. Chashan. It will affect your prognosis when you get treated later.”

Lord Braham said, concerned about Chashan’s condition. However, since his attitude was not the usual obsequious one of calling him ‘boss,’ Chashan knew that he had definitely betrayed him.

“You bastard! You’re dead! My brothers will… you traitor!”

But that was all Chashan could say.

At Azadin’s gesture, Kuntachi brought rope and a gag and tied Chashan’s mouth.

“Don’t talk too much with a broken jaw and die. Lord Braham, shall we talk? Why are you cooperating with me? To be honest, it’s too sudden for me too.”

“I’m seeing a vision.”

“A vision?”

“The coming age of Jupiter.”

“…….”

“I was so afraid of it that I turned to pleasure and succumbed to Chashan. While indulging in pleasure, I could forget about death and destruction.”

Braham said, feeling ashamed.

“And I was afraid. Of Chashan’s violence. I’m a disgrace as a knight. In the end, I’m a despicable coward.”

“Then you are welcome, Lord Braham.”

Azadin accepted Lord Braham’s joining.

*********

Chashan’s smuggling organization was spread throughout the Chadra Highlands, including Fireglyph.

They were armed, and their hideouts and communication networks were scattered everywhere.

Moreover, they had bribed the Fireguards, so if one tried to suppress them, they would boast a hydra-like organizational power that could never be suppressed, no matter how long it took.

However, with Lord Braham, the second-in-command of the organization, joining Azadin, at least suppressing the organization in Fireglyph ended smoothly.

*********

In the Fireguard barracks, at the Fireguard headquarters where Lord Timothy used to be, Azadin was in charge, acting as his proxy.

“Do you trust Lord Braham? Azadin.”

Izmilla, not liking Braham, approached Azadin, who was taking a short break, and asked.

“Hmm. Why do you have such doubts?”

“I’m worried. Lord Braham is a Hospitaller-Paladin [a knight dedicated to healing and service]. He is currently the highest-ranking member of the Relief Knight Order in this Chadra Highlands. If he approached you with the intention of taking the next Chapter Master position….”

Izmilla was afraid that Lord Braham might have submitted to Azadin while hiding his ambition.

But Azadin shook his head.

“First of all, Lord Braham has too many weaknesses. He’s guilty of associating with Chashan, and he’s too old. There’s no way he’d be appointed as Chapter Master. Besides, he’s a drug addict himself.”

“A drug addict? Then we shouldn’t trust such a person even more.”

“But he’s also courageous enough to be trusted.”

“Huh?”

“Usually, people don’t call themselves cowards. Many people would rather die than be called a coward. So, a person who can call himself a coward is a courageous person who can confess his own weakness.”

“Ah. Ah-ha-ha.”

Izmilla burst into laughter at Azadin’s words.

“Why?”

“No, it’s just that you’re saying something similar to what my teachers used to say.”

“Well, I’m a Holy Knight, so I have to say things that sound like a Holy Knight sometimes. Sir Izmilla. My faith is deeper than you think.”

Azadin said in a tone that was hard to tell if it was a joke or serious.

But then, the door to the Fireguard’s office burst open.

“Ugh! What on earth have you done! Sir Azadin!”

Lord Pavel rushed in himself.

“There’s a rebellion at the Southeast Rock Fortress! Chashan’s dwarf sorcerer brothers have seized the fortress and imprisoned the supply officer! They’re threatening to kill the supply officer if Chashan isn’t released! How could this happen while I’m acting as Chapter Master!”

Lord Pavel was trembling. Unbecoming of his position, he had ousted the Chapter Master and taken over as his proxy. And now, this rebellion had broken out. He was losing his mind as things beyond his capabilities kept happening.

“No, Lord Pavel. You are currently the acting Chapter Master. Why didn’t you send a messenger instead of coming to me directly?”

“Send a messenger to the Messenger Clan? No, that’s not the problem. Isn’t this all because you provoked those Chadra Overlords? How are you going to take responsibility? I’m panting, my heart is beating so fast, I can’t think straight.”

“What, a rebellion broke out at the Southeast Rock Fortress? That’s great.”

“Great! In this situation?”

“Isn’t it a good thing that we have a good reason to root out the corruption that is rampant in this land? Besides, Lord Pavel, all of this will be Lord Pavel’s achievement.”

“My achievement? What are you talking about?”

“Well, since the former Chapter Master was a criminal who was disloyal to the Knight Order, there must be a lot of rotten pus in there, right? If you squeeze out that pus and remove the affected area, the higher-ups will evaluate Lord Pavel more highly.”

“Ha, but I’ve never seen blood against humans, let alone goblins.”

“Oh, Lord Pavel should protect Fireglyph. Leave the suppression of the rebellion to me, and Lord Pavel can carry out his duties as the acting Chapter Master here.”

Azadin reassured Lord Pavel and stood up.

“It won’t take even a week to suppress it.”

“W-Well, then. I’ll trust you with it, Sir Azadin.”

Lord Pavel was relieved when Azadin said he would quell the rebellion at the Southeast Rock Fortress in just one week, but Izmilla was startled by those words.

“It takes two to three days to walk to the Southeast Rock Fortress. To say you’ll quell it in a week.”

In reality, there was only a day or two to spare. But Azadin smiled brightly and said,

“I’ve already prepared and been waiting. Hehe. So, do not worry, Sir Izmilla.”

“Hmm. It feels like you’re scamming me.”

Izmilla showed distrust at Azadin’s smile.