The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 271

The rumor that Azadin had defeated Selim and even acquired the Chadra Dragon Vein spread throughout Chadra.

Having defeated Chashan and Selim, and with Sedrin joining as an ally, Azadin absorbed the forces of three of the Chadra Overlords, solidifying his position as the undisputed ruler of Chadra.

Now, even without Azadin making a move, other knights and minor lords of the Chadra Plateau began to submit to him.

This was, in essence, submission to the acting Chapter Master of the Fire Glyph, but for now, that was enough.

Now, only the undead knight Sir Sork and the half-vampire Nicelda remained.

*********

“Well then, Lord Azadin! Since we’ve decided to join forces, let’s experience this together.”

Selim summoned his hippogriff.

Two hippogriffs flew in.

“We’re riding those?”

“Indeed. While we’re at it, let’s visit the Viar Marsh.”

“The Viar Marsh? Isn’t that Sir Sork’s territory?”

“We’ll scout from the sky. What do you say, Lord Azadin? Once you fly, you’ll see how fun and elegant hippogriffs are.”

It seemed Selim wanted to show Azadin the beauty and utility of hippogriffs, now that he had pledged his loyalty.

“Scouting, you say… Alright, I’ll ride one.”

Azadin agreed to Selim’s suggestion and mounted a hippogriff.

“Wow!”

As Azadin mounted the hippogriff, it took to the sky. Even for Azadin, it was his first time flying like this, and he couldn’t help but be amazed.

“How is it? Magnificent, isn’t it?! Lord Azadin! If Sedrin helps, we can have as many hippogriffs as we want…”

Sir Selim kept urging Azadin to raise more hippogriffs, but Azadin waved his hand.

“Let’s talk about that later. For now, let’s head to the Viar Marsh!”

“Understood. Follow me!”

Selim also mounted his hippogriff and took the lead, flying ahead.

*********

The Viar Marsh was a swampy area located west of the Chadra Dragon Vein and south of Sedrin’s territory, the Black Forest. It was a gloomy region with swamps, marshes, and rugged mountains.

As they flew closer, Azadin could feel a terrible dark magic permeating the air.

“Hmm.”

Azadin tried to scout the area using Arae’s voice, but Arae’s voice became distorted.

The dark magic here was so powerful that it severed the mental connection with Arae’s voice.

“I can’t use Arae’s voice here. Impressive…”

Azadin looked down at the Viar Marsh from above, astonished by the powerful force emanating from it.

The only times he had felt such dense magic materialize were when the Coral Sahar or the Butuma Nagas attacked, or when the Wendigo began to materialize.

It was like a place where the state just before a Nether emissary descended was constantly maintained.

“An undead living in a place like this. I see why everyone fears Sir Sork. Huh?”

Azadin was looking around, clicking his tongue, when Sir Sork’s hippogriff suddenly faltered.

A black shadow appeared from above and began attacking the hippogriff.

“Ah. That’s…”

Azadin drew Aurelia Dawn and watched the scene.

Surprisingly, Sir Sork had released undead wraith monsters called Shadow Wings over his territory to guard the skies.

Each Shadow Wing was about the size of a large eagle, not a significant threat to a hippogriff, but the problem was Selim’s hippogriff.

Selim was so heavy that the hippogriff began to lose its balance.

It could fly in a straight line while conserving energy, but with the black shadows darting around, it began to lose its balance.

“Uwaaaah!”

Selim gradually fell lower and began to plummet.

“…Damn it. I knew something like this would happen.”

Azadin reluctantly followed Selim and began descending towards the Viar Marsh.

*********

“Kkeueooooh.”

“Ueoooeok!”

The undead groaned in pain as they used shovels to cut through the pitch layer of the marsh.

The Viar Marsh, shrouded in a thick, milky fog, was Sir Sork’s territory and the largest source of pitch coal [a type of black, tar-like coal].

After mining the pitch coal, they loaded it onto carts themselves.

When an arm broke and fell off, the undead would wrap the broken arm with bandages and return to work.

This was the typical scene in the Viar Marsh, the territory of the undead knight Sir Sork.

“Hmm. Horrible. This is…”

Azadin groaned as he watched the scene.

Selim sent his hippogriff back into the sky and asked Azadin,

“What is it, Lord Azadin?”

“I’m just surprised the knight order allows this.”

Azadin also used undead to mine cinnabar [a red mineral], but those were merely automatons that used only the memories of the body without holding onto the soul.

But here, the undead clearly had their souls bound.

Having a soul meant they could interpret orders and be flexible in their tasks, but it also meant tormenting souls that should be at rest.

This was a terrible necromantic practice that exploited a being even beyond death.

And yet, Sork was still considered a member of the Rescue Knights.

“To think we’d end up in Sir Sork’s territory like this. Why did our pretty one do that?”

“Because you’re heavy, duh.”

“It flew fine normally.”

“This isn’t normal flying, is it?”

Azadin said, looking around cautiously.

There were many undead, but most of them were too busy with their assigned tasks to react to Azadin and Selim.

As notorious as Sir Sork was, those who approached from the sky were left unguarded.

“Let’s escape once the hippogriff recovers its stamina, Sir Selim. This isn’t a place to be right now.”

“Understood. It’s really strange.”

Selim still couldn’t understand why the hippogriff couldn’t support him.

Just then, a carriage approached Azadin’s group.

The coachman was a translucent ghost, and the horses were also ghostly steeds with spiritual energy clinging to their bones.

A noblewoman stepped out of the carriage; she was an elf with Wild Druid tattoos on her body.

Unlike the other undead, she maintained her living appearance, but the spiritual energy emanating from her revealed that she was a dead being.

“Welcome, Lord Azadin, Sir Selim. Our master is waiting for you.”

“Are you Sedrin’s sister?”

“Yes, I am Dahlia. Hehe. Did Sedrin send her regards?”

“She did. By the way, this is a truly amazing place.”

“It’s touching to hear such words from someone who has visited the golden city of Butuma and the beautiful Coral Sahar as an imperial envoy. Please, get in the carriage. We can talk on the way, can’t we?”

“We came on hippogriffs, couldn’t we just fly away?”

“Hehe. Then why did you come down in the middle of nowhere?”

“Just taking a break.”

“Then why not rest and talk in our carriage?”

Dahlia kept urging Azadin.

It seemed she was determined to lure Azadin into the mansion.

‘Hmm. I should have prepared better.’

Azadin regretted flying here with Sir Selim without any preparation.

At the very least, he should have traded with the Van Dyke Company and obtained a few black steel arrows to deal with a strong enemy.

Currently, Azadin had five blue steel arrows, five regular arrows, and ten arrows in his quiver.

“What should we do, Lord Azadin?”

Selim asked Azadin whether to get in the carriage or not.

“We’re a bit unprepared, but time is precious. Let’s get in.”

Azadin hesitated for a moment before deciding to get in the carriage.

*********

The carriage pulled by ghost horses was as quiet as if it were floating above the ground.

In fact, the carriage floated slightly above the ground, moving smoothly regardless of the uneven terrain. If this were possible not just in this territory but elsewhere, it would be a revolution in transportation.

“Hmm. You’re handsome, Lord Azadin. I’ve heard stories, but you’re more… charming than I imagined. Sedrin would like you very much.”

Dahlia, Sir Sork’s servant, said, smacking her lips.

Her pale face, unusually red tongue, and sharp teeth that had changed after death were visible.

She was an elf with cannibalistic tendencies. Dahlia, now an undead, hid her true nature behind her beautiful living appearance, but beneath that facade was a monster craving human flesh.

Azadin frowned at the sight of the monster revealing its true colors.

“Sedrin would like me? How long has it been since she passed away? How can you be so sure of her tastes?”

“Oh, of course. She and I have the same tastes. And right now, I… Hehe. I apologize if this is rude, but I feel a strong desire for you.”

“So, are you satisfied working under Sir Sork?”

“Me? Of course, I’m satisfied. Those who say death is rest are only those who haven’t experienced death. Once you actually die, you’ll want to kick that rest away no matter what.”

“Well, I think those workers over there might think differently?”

Azadin pointed to the workers carrying iron ore along the road.

The undead workers were struggling to carry the iron ore, panting and groaning in pain. Even though they were dead and didn’t need to breathe, they were panting and groaning in pain, just as they remembered from their lives.

“Isn’t it unnecessary to hold onto the souls of simple laborers?”

“But without holding onto their souls, they can’t do complex tasks. They would only repeat simple tasks, and managing a territory requires more creativity than that. Besides… Ah.”

Azadin ignored Dahlia’s words and looked out the carriage window.

Several furnaces were emitting smoke outside.

At a glance, there were eight. They weren’t just simple forges but crucibles for creating pure iron.

“So, you mine iron ore too.”

“Yes. There’s a mine. The Rescue Knights have no choice but to rely on Sir Sork because of the mine, the pitch coal, and the work of creating steel from them.”

“……”

Azadin, who was using undead to mine cinnabar, understood.

If Sir Sork was mining iron ore using undead and refining it himself to create iron products, weapons, and tools, the economic impact would be unimaginable.

He would be reaping profits comparable to Chashan’s Southeast Rock Fortress, which was selling drugs.

Moreover, judging by the number of undead, Sir Sork was arguably the strongest person in Chadra.