The Shadowed Legacy Of The Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 267

When word spread that a member of the Messenger Clan had become a training knight and arrived at the Chadra Plateau, it was met with curiosity but largely dismissed as insignificant.

The Chadra Plateau was essentially a dumping ground, a place where prisoners and troublemakers were confined.

If a member of the Messenger Clan became a Holy Knight, it was almost expected that this would be the only place they’d end up.

However, Azadin’s subsequent actions were anything but conventional, shocking everyone.

Within two months of his appointment, Azadin exposed the corruption of Chapter Master Hexenmeier and had him arrested.

And in just one week, he apprehended Chashan, the founder of the Dwarven Arrow, a figure known as one of the Five Greats of the Chadra Plateau, and dismantled his entire operation.

It was only natural that Azadin’s name became well-known throughout the Chadra Plateau, and indeed, throughout the entire Rescue Knights Order.

*********

Azadin left Bernard, Giacomo, and Lord Braham with the Legion forces at the Southeast Rock Fortress.

“Bernard and Giacomo, cast ‘Invigorating Blood’ spells on the drug addicts.”

For the rehabilitation of drug addicts, ginseng, an expensive herb, was typically used in traditional remedies.

However, with the ‘Invigorating Blood’ spell, the effects of ginseng could be replicated.

“The two of us for this many patients?”

“There are more mages, aren’t there?”

Azadin pointed to Chashan and the dwarven sorcerers bound in black iron chains.

“Teach them blood magic so they can use the ‘Invigorating Blood’ spell. Actually, most of them probably already know how to use it.”

“Then what will you do, Captain? If you leave so many troops here….”

“I’ll take Kuntachi and Camilla to meet Lord Selim.”

“Lord Selim? Isn’t it dangerous to meet him with so few people?”

“The place that needs manpower is here, at the Southeast Rock Fortress. I intend to resolve things with Selim through negotiation.”

“…….”

“You don’t seem to believe me, Bernard.”

“It’s just that you don’t seem to have resolved things with words very often.”

Bernard said this and handed Azadin an azuresteel dagger and arrowheads.

“What’s this?”

“The dwarves had them. It’s a pretty good dwarven-made azuresteel dagger.”

“Hmm. I’m pleased. Aurelia Dunn has regenerative abilities, but honestly, it’s not very sharp. I also have a newly sharpened Blue Steel Sword. Very good.”

Azadin took the azuresteel weapons and set off.

*********

Lord Selim’s territory was called the Chadra Dragon Spring, originally the heart of a basin in the Chadra Plateau, teeming with all sorts of beasts.

Here, the rain that fell on the plateau emerged as spring water, and along the spring area grew forests, giant ruins, and vast meadows that the giants had cultivated into fields.

This place was considered a dangerous area where countless wild animals thrived, making it difficult for people to live.

Indeed, the roads were damaged by the constant passage of various animals.

“This is an area without the Emperor’s Road. Even the Emperor couldn’t conquer the Rescue Knights Order.”

Azadin avoided the road, which had once been a proper path but was now overturned by the hooves of countless animals, and urged his horse forward.

“Hey, Captain. From the sky….”

“I know.”

Azadin felt a gaze looking down at their horses from above.

Up there, a griffin was flying high in the sky, watching Azadin’s group.

The griffin was a beast the size of a bear, but it was flying so high that it looked like a small cloud, making it hard to recognize with the naked eye.

Such a creature could swoop down from the sky and attack horses, leaving everyone helpless.

“Will it attack like an eagle, swooping down?”

“It can’t do that. Unlike eagles, griffins are heavy. It won’t attack by diving straight down from above, but will glide in from behind. Of course, it will be fast and large.”

Azadin said this and grabbed his bow.

But perhaps it sensed something from Azadin?

The murderous intent of the griffin that had been targeting Azadin suddenly disappeared from the sky.

And….

With a cry that sounded like “Kueek,” other animals were attacked by the griffin.

The griffin’s attack, which swooped down on a zebra, tore half of the zebra’s neck.

Blood poured out like a waterfall, and the griffin, grabbing the staggering zebra, kicked off the ground and stood on two legs like a bear, then slammed the zebra to the ground.

It seemed that since there was plenty of food, it had chosen to hunt other animals rather than risk hunting humans.

“A wise one.”

Azadin, still holding his bow, kept his guard up against the griffin and spurred his horse on.

*********

Fences could be seen in the meadow area of the Chadra Dragon Spring.

It was the Chadra Dragon Spring Ranch, created to supply horses to the Rescue Knights Order.

This was Lord Selim’s base.

“Hmm.”

Azadin frowned as he saw the rotting carcasses of horses hanging on the ranch fence.

The horses had died from griffin attacks, and the carcasses of those dead horses, which had been eaten and discarded, were left unattended.

“Who is it?!”

But then, a voice was heard from under the ranch fence.

The ranch herders were hiding under the fence, glaring at Azadin, armed with glaives [a polearm weapon with a single-edged blade].

It seemed they had dug trenches under the fence, and such passageways were created throughout the farm.

It seemed they had created these passageways to avoid griffin attacks that swooped down from the sky.

“I am Azadin, a training knight of the Rescue Knights Order.”

“Huh? Y-you’re him?”

The herders looked at Azadin and began to look around.

“D-did you come to get rid of Lord Selim?”

“I came to talk. Why?”

“Please get rid of that crazy cow head. It’s not like we’re living anyway.”

“What do you mean? What did he do? Does he eat people?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“H-he’s hatching griffin eggs.”

“What?”

*********

Griffins, which belong to the category of monsters, reproduce by laying eggs, but as with most monsters, half of the griffin eggs fail to hatch and die.

But Selim takes these griffin eggs and hatches them directly in his house.

And he feeds and raises those griffins.

“The griffins are eating and pooping all over the place here.”

“Griffins have a habit of throwing what they eat in high places, and it’s commonplace for horse heads to suddenly fall from the sky, breaking roofs and destroying houses.”

“And their poop is so toxic.”

“People are getting hurt and dying all the time. Isn’t that why we’re digging holes in the ground like this? We’re doing this because we’re scared of the griffins.”

“We can’t even take care of the horses and cows properly. This place was a bit remote, but it was a plentiful place where we had no problem making a living, but that damn minotaur came!”

The herders were begging Azadin as if he were some kind of savior.

“Please, kill that cow-headed bastard.”

“No, but I don’t think he deserves to die. Why are they reacting worse than to tyrants?”

“Tyrants ask for money or women, so at least you can understand where their greed is going. But you can’t understand a madman.”

“Ah, I understand. First, let me meet Selim. He’s a knight of the Rescue Knights Order, so I can’t just kill him, can I?”

Azadin put aside the herders’ request to kill Lord Selim and gave separate orders to Camilla and Kuntachi.

“Camilla, investigate Selim’s residence.”

“Ah, right. That minotaur might be eating people behind the scenes, right?”

“Yes. Kuntachi, protect your sister.”

“Okay. Kuntachi will protect sister.”

Azadin sent Camilla and Kuntachi on a separate investigation and headed to Selim’s residence to meet him.

*********

Selim was drinking fodder tea while watching the cows in the dairy farm.

It was a pastoral scene with a tea table set up in front of the cows in the pasture. But the person sitting there was a minotaur, so the harmony created by the cow-headed humanoid and the pastured cows was bizarre.

Moreover, griffins were flying in the clear sky of the pastoral ranch.

‘Are the cows okay? Are the griffins not attacking the cows?’

Azadin was wondering this when it happened.

“Oh, isn’t that Lord Azadin?”

“Lord Selim.”

“That’s Maribel. The cow I told you about before. How is she? Pretty, isn’t she?”

“…….”

To Azadin, it was just a common black cow.

“She seems cleaner than other cows. And she doesn’t seem sick.”

“Right? I knew you’d know.”

Know what? Azadin wanted to ask, but he cleared his throat and approached Selim.

“Would you like a cup?”

Selim offered Azadin fodder tea.

It was made by cutting hay and boiling it with oats, and it didn’t look like something a person could drink.

“No, I don’t think my digestive system can handle it. I’ll pass. More importantly, Lord Selim.”

“I heard the story. You defeated Chashan, right? Impressive. Dwarven sorcerers are not easy opponents.”

Azadin was able to subdue them easily, but that was because Azadin was a member of the Messenger Clan, specialized in killing mages.

Azadin himself knew this, so he was not complacent just because he had easily subdued one of the Five Greats of Chadra.

“More importantly, the residents are suffering. I heard you’re hatching griffin eggs?”

“I need more griffins to make hippogriffs.”

“Why not just ride griffins? Then you could reduce the number of griffins and reduce the damage to the residents?”

“Listen, Lord Azadin. Griffins have the forequarters of a hawk and the hindquarters of a lion. They are not easy to tame and eat more than hippogriffs. On the other hand, hippogriffs have the forequarters of a hawk and the hindquarters of a horse. They eat meat well, but they are omnivorous, and hippogriffs are far superior in terms of riding comfort. Maintenance costs, riding comfort, and endurance! In every way, griffins are no match for hippogriffs!”

“This isn’t a matter of riding comfort. No matter how superior hippogriffs are to griffins as mounts, the residents are suffering and in pain in the process of making them?”

“It’s because they’re not used to it. They’ll like it once they get used to it.”

“What are you going to do if they don’t get used to it?”

“You only know one thing and not two. Azadin, why do you think I, a minotaur, am a member of the Knights Order?”

Lord Selim said this, emptied his fodder tea, and began to chew on the fodder and oats.

“…Ah, sorry. It tastes best when you chew it all.”

“Are you also ruminating?”

“Uung….”

He had said so much but didn’t say the most important part. But Azadin could guess the rest even if Selim didn’t say it.

“Could it be that you became a member of the Rescue Knights Order on the condition that you raise hippogriffs?”

Then Selim nodded. He was still chewing on the fodder, so he couldn’t speak.

“Yes. If you can raise them, their value is incomparably greater than horses, and… the higher-ups would want that. But who asked for it?”

Then Selim burped and answered.