The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 268

Although the name was familiar, Azadin wasn’t surprised.

Bishop Sehnath was the very person who had appointed Sir Pavel as the head of the investigation team and tried to smuggle Izmilla away.

It was, in a way, inevitable that his name would come up again this time.

Azadin nodded, understanding the bigger picture that was forming from these pieces of circumstantial evidence.

“So, it’s Bishop Sehnath after all?”

“Yes. Bishop Sehnath realized that evil forces had planted spies throughout the Order, and he entrusted me with the mission of raising hippogriffs and delivering them to the chosen ones.”

“What?”

From Selim’s reaction, Azadin sensed that he had misinterpreted Azadin’s exclamation.

Selim had no doubt that Bishop Sehnath’s intentions were good.

Therefore, he believed that Azadin’s exclamation upon hearing Bishop Sehnath’s name was an admiration for the bishop’s integrity and righteousness, and thus a marvel at the bulwark of good that was blocking Azadin’s evil deeds.

In Selim’s mind, the flawed equation of Azadin being evil and the bishop being good had already become an absolute, self-evident truth.

“It pains me to have to kill someone who looks like Mary Bell. But you’re a threat to the Rescue Knights Order, so I can’t let you live.”

“Wait a minute.”

Azadin objected to Selim’s words.

“Are you begging for your life?”

“No, before that, why do you think I’m a villain?”

“Because the bishop said you were a villain.”

“Couldn’t the bishop be the bad guy instead?”

“That’s impossible. The bishop is the one who made me a knight. If he’s a bad guy, then I’m a bad guy too. I don’t want to be a bad guy, so I trust the bishop.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Azadin realized that there was no point in talking any further. Insulting the bishop in front of Selim was the same as insulting Selim himself. Now, Selim had gone beyond defending the bishop; he had become one with him.

Just then, a whistle blew.

“Huh?”

The moment Selim turned around in surprise, an arrow flew from a direction perpendicular to the whistle and struck Selim’s neck.

“Azadin! You bastard, you’re Bishop Sehnath’s assassin! I have the assassination request!”

Camilla shouted at Azadin, nocking another arrow on her shortbow.

“What!? You guys! You stole from my office!”

Selim was furious and pulled the arrow from his neck. The wound was deep enough to be fatal to a human, but it was just a scratch on the thick hide of a minotaur.

“Damn it! A monster?!”

Camilla shot another arrow at Selim, but as Selim began to move, the arrow seemed to slide off him like leaves on flowing water.

It wasn’t a defensive action; the arrow simply slid off because he was moving.

‘Good grief. Camilla’s bow is incredibly weak.’

Azadin was dissatisfied with the weakness of Camilla’s bow.

He knew that it was a bow that she could easily handle with her strength, small and easy to carry, and quick to shoot, but from the perspective of the Messenger Clan, who tried to use each arrow carefully, such a bow was a waste of arrows.

It would be more powerful to throw the arrows by hand.

However, that idea was similar to those who had tormented Azadin in his childhood.

‘I’ve become just like the Messenger Clan.’

Azadin was about to step in and defeat Selim, but Selim didn’t even look at Azadin and charged at Camilla.

Attacking now would be attacking from behind, so Azadin hesitated for a moment.

It would be great to take him down, but since Selim himself was claiming to be a knight, he was reluctant to attack him from behind.

At that moment, Kuntach, who had blown the whistle, drew his falchion [a type of single-edged sword] and approached Selim.

Both of them were walking heavily, as if they were about to collide with each other.

“Don’t mess with my sister!”

“Hmph! You stupid half-orc!”

“No, you’re just as stupid.”

Azadin, who was listening, said a word.

“I can read and write!”

Selim retorted to Azadin’s words, picked up an axe that was placed next to the fence, and swung it at Kuntach.

“What?!”

Kuntach was surprised and swung his falchion, but…

-Clang!

With a loud noise, Kuntach’s falchion was knocked away.

Selim was stronger.

“Ugh!?”

Confused, Kuntach unconsciously headbutted him.

“How dare you!?”

Selim responded with a headbutt as well.

If Kuntach hadn’t turned his head mid-way, Selim’s horns would have crushed Kuntach’s head.

However, Kuntach seemed to be aware of the minotaur’s horns and cleverly turned his head, managing to collide forehead to forehead.

-Crack!

The sound was so loud that it was hard to believe that it came from two living beings colliding.

It sounded more like thunder than a collision.

As the echo of the thunder faded, Kuntach knelt down.

“I, I can’t believe it? I lost?!”

From the way he said it, it seemed he had been undefeated in headbutt fights until now.

Even so, to headbutt a minotaur and only end up kneeling. Kuntach’s head was also quite the rock.

“To, to be so strong while also being able to read!”

“Hmph. You stupid fool! You dare try to beat me?”

Selim raised his axe towards Kuntach, who was kneeling. But suddenly, Selim’s axe became heavy.

“Huh?!”

“Goodness. Headbutting a minotaur.”

Selim was startled by Azadin’s voice reaching his ear and looked to the side.

Azadin was already next to him, holding the axe.

Startled, Selim swung the axe to get Azadin away, but Azadin’s palm blocked his vision.

And…

-Skaak!

Azadin jumped up.

A blue flash of light followed Azadin, cutting off one of Selim’s horns.

“Kkyaaaak!”

Blood splattered as the horn was cut from the root.

Azadin had cut off one of Selim’s horns with his azuresteel dagger.

“You, you bastard!”

Enraged, Selim swung his axe like a windmill, but Azadin slipped through the gaps between Selim’s attacks like flowing water and drew Aurelia Dawn.

The ceramite longsword blazed, its golden flames shining dazzlingly.

Selim could feel the intense heat on his face.

Azadin, having skillfully avoided Selim’s axe swing, thrust Aurelia Dawn into Selim’s face, or rather, into the spot where his horn had been cut off.

-Tsssh!

The golden flames of Aurelia Dawn cauterized the area where Selim’s horn had been cut off, stopping the bleeding.

And…

‘It smells like savory beef…’

The smell of burning flesh filled the air.

“Kyak! You! You’re so fast! Like a fly!”

Enraged, Selim charged at Azadin, swinging his axe wildly.

Even a graze would be fatal.

Even if he couldn’t touch his clothes, he was confident that even a clash of weapons would give him an advantage in the subsequent exchange.

Selim, trusting in his strength, was raging like a storm, but Azadin calmly dodged all of his attacks and even advised Selim to surrender.

“As acting captain of the Fireguard, I order you to surrender, Sir Selim.”

“You! You’re faster than a horsefly! But if I even graze you…”

The gale created by Selim’s axe even swept away the flies in the pasture, shattering them into pieces. However, Azadin calmly dodged such axe swings.

‘Damn it. This guy! He’s too calm?’

Selim was flustered by Azadin’s calm eyes, which he had never seen before.

Until now, even those with the fastest footwork would become terrified when his axe roared, their faces turning pale, and they would soon stumble and fall in fear.

But Azadin was calmly dodging Selim’s attacks without showing any signs of fear.

He had great courage.

“This won’t do. Azadin. I didn’t want to use this since I was treating you as a Rescue Knight. But aren’t you curious why the cows are roaming freely in our pasture?”

“…I, I am curious about that.”

Even Azadin, who had been nonchalantly dodging Selim’s attacks, showed interest in Selim’s words.

“It’s because of this! Come on, griffins! Let’s eat! Coo coo coo!”

At that moment, the presence of the griffins circling in the sky changed.

The griffins, who had just been flying in the sky, now began to look down at the ground with clear murderous intent.

“These are the griffins I hatched myself! They think of me as their mother and don’t attack the cows that look like me!”

A griffin swooped down from the sky and glided towards Azadin.

It was slower than a typical hawk’s hunting method, but the sight of a huge griffin gliding down with the speed it had gained from its dive was truly powerful.

Even for Azadin, the griffins’ gliding attacks would be threatening! And if Selim’s attacks from the ground were added to that?

A three-dimensional attack that could be fatal with just one graze was unfolding in rapid succession.

“I wanted to fight you with my own strength, but I have no choice! This is all for the safety of the Knights Order! Azadin!”

Selim was disappointed that he had to defeat Azadin with his own hands, but he was also confident of victory.

*********

“Oh, is that so?”

Azadin, hearing Selim’s words, subtly moved his position and approached the black cow, Mary Bell.

“Huh?!”

Selim was flustered by the sight.

The griffins’ gliding attacks could no longer be used because of Mary Bell.

If they were to hit Azadin, they would inevitably collide with Mary Bell.

The griffins, not wanting to attack the cow, circled around, trying to change their angles, but each time, Azadin circled around Mary Bell, stroking her neck.

“The griffins are well-trained, Selim. You must have raised them with affection?”

“Tch! You coward! Azadin! Get away from Mary Bell! Mary Bell! That guy is a bad guy!”

But Mary Bell just wagged her tail and smiled, happy that Azadin was stroking her neck.

“Oh my. She’s pretty. Selim, you’re right. This cow is pretty.”

“You bastard! My Mary Bell!”

At that moment, the griffins landed in the pasture.

Having no answer with gliding attacks, they seemed to have come down to engage in melee combat.

The griffins, as large as huge bears, landed on the ground one after another, surrounding Azadin.

“A, Azadin!?”

“Captain!”

Camilla and Kuntach were also horrified to see the griffins landing.

They couldn’t even think of breaking through.

No, if these monsters turned hostile, there was no guarantee that even Camilla and Kuntach would survive.

‘Damn it. Do I have to use it here?’

Just as Camilla was about to reach inside her clothes, it happened.

“Selim. This is my last warning. Surrender.”

“What? You must have misspoken, you mean you’re going to surrender?”

Selim scoffed, but at that moment, Azadin disappeared from his sight.

-Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon, Earth Spider!

The power of the grimoire [a book of magic spells] that made the Messenger Clan the natural enemy of magicians, Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon, was activated.

Startled, Selim tried to swing his axe, but Azadin had already swung Aurelia Dawn at Selim’s head.