The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 3

The soldiers were horrified, realizing that the bizarre Herald clan had no intention of letting them leave unscathed.

“Kkyaaaak!”

Sharp screams pierced their eardrums. Only after the last soldier had lost his sight and been castrated did Azadin turn back to the margrave’s son.

“Hoo, you made me wait a long time. You trash who only adds to the suffering of the people.”

He had single-handedly defeated twenty soldiers clad in metal armor. And not by killing them, but by blinding and castrating them.

“Y-you bastard!”

Lord Kozel was terrified by Azadin’s actions.

“I am a noble! I am different from the others! Do you think I’ll be easily defeated?”

At that moment, a blinding flash erupted. Kozel had used magic to create an intense burst of light.

“Uwaaaah!”

“L-Lord!”

The soldiers, whose eyes were already damaged, screamed from the sheer brightness. Even Sir Zibeck, who knew what Kozel’s magic was, felt dizzy from the light. Despite closing his eyes and covering them with his hands, the light pierced through, ravaging his eyeballs.

“Did you see that! This is my magic! Proof of my noble lineage, incomparable to you lot!”

At that moment, something flew through the air with a whoosh. Startled, Lord Kozel looked down at his lower body, only to see his pants stained with blood.

“A-aaaargh!”

Azadin’s blade had severed Lord Kozel’s manhood between his legs.

“Y-you, you bastard! My… my….”

“Oops, my apologies.”

Azadin’s sword flashed again, this time slicing off his nose and one of his eyes.

“Kyak!”

As Lord Kozel flailed, Azadin approached him, grabbed him, and lifted him up.

“Uwaaaah. Y-you bastard… how dare you do this to me?”

“Is there something wrong with your body? How can you not know what happened? Is it some kind of disease that makes you unable to feel pain?”

“Y-you bastard.”

Lord Kozel shook off Azadin’s hand and stepped back, shouting.

“W-wait a minute!”

He still had one eye left. He had to protect it. If he lost even this eye, he would spend the rest of his life in darkness.

“W-what do you want? Money? Women? A treasured sword? I’ll give you anything. I am a noble! A descendant of the Yaeghas god-kings!”

“Really? Coincidentally, I am a god-king slayer, a Herald clan member. It’s okay. I’m not going to kill you.”

As Azadin smiled and approached, Lord Kozel looked around and saw Sir Zibeck, who was still unharmed.

“S-sir! What are you doing! Help me!”

“…I can’t see.”

Sir Zibeck’s vision was impaired by the light that Lord Kozel had just emitted. Of course, he could vaguely see the outlines now, and he could fight if he had to, but the image of Kozel ruthlessly trampling on the suffering villagers weighed heavily on his mind.

There was no way he could win against such a monster in his current state.

“You bastard, I am a noble. A descendant of the god-kings! What does it matter if I did something to those commoners?”

“Hmm, you seem full of energy, even after suffering physical damage. You seem like you’ll live quite energetically. Good, that’s the attitude. Live positively. You’ll especially need it.”

“Kkyaaaak!”

In the end, Lord Kozel lost his last eye.

*********

The Herald clan member, Azadin, had not killed anyone. He had only inflicted permanent damage.

He castrated them, damaged their eyes, or cut off their limbs, rendering them unable to use force against the people. Only then did he sheathe his sword.

“There are no petitioners, but I think I’ve shown enough sincerity. The Emperor’s law has been carried out.”

Azadin turned away, declaring the Emperor’s law, which stated that even those who inherited the blood of the god-kings deserved to die if they committed crimes.

Behind him, he heard the sound of a sword being drawn. Sir Zibeck had drawn his sword.

“No matter how….”

“Hmm?”

“No matter how righteous your actions were, I am a knight of the King’s Church. I cannot overlook you. Especially not when you invoke the Emperor’s law.”

“Ah, really.”

Azadin smiled wryly at the stubborn Sir Zibeck.

“You’re an old-fashioned paladin. Not like the knights of the King’s Church these days.”

“Are you trying to insult me?”

“No, I’m praising you. The other knights of the King’s Church are more like thugs who were forced to join to settle inheritance disputes.”

“……”

Zibeck was one of them. A second son or a bastard with no land or title to inherit. A member of a humble family, too embarrassed to claim to be of the god-kings’ bloodline.

That was why Azadin’s remark made him feel ashamed. More than anything, the Herald clan member before him was more knightly than anyone he had ever seen, which made him feel humiliated.

“But can you chase me in that armor?”

“What?!”

“I’m leaving. If fate allows, let’s meet again, Sir Zibeck!”

Azadin said those words, turned, and began to flee. He was so fast that he had already disappeared into the darkness of the night.

“Ugh?!”

Sir Zibeck tried to pursue him, but the bodies of the blinded and castrated soldiers and Lord Kozel blocked his path.

Unless he was willing to trample over them, he had to stop and could not pursue Azadin.

“Well, I must admit, that was quite refreshing.”

Sir Zibeck unconsciously smiled.

*********

The Margrave of Salasma, Count Kazel, was the lord of the border city of Salasma and its surrounding villages. Recently, it had not rained in the vicinity of Salasma for a month, and many people had come to him to petition for help.

“Lord, please exempt us from taxes this year.”

“Please, our people are fleeing and becoming vagrants, and the streets are filled with the undead who have died of starvation.”

“Bandits and monsters are rampant, and we are in no position to pay taxes.”

The village chiefs from each district had traveled far to petition him, asking for tax exemptions.

However, Count Kazel merely stared at them with eyes that seemed to be made of polished steel.

“Exempt you from taxes? You are shameless. Are you going to ask for food supplies next?”

Count Kazel had said it sarcastically, but the village chiefs rushed at him, even at his sarcasm.

“…If you would, we would be grateful.”

“We are in a precarious situation, I dare say.”

“Ha, fine. You foolish lot, what can I do? It is the nature of the common people to be shameless and unruly. It is in their lowly blood.”

Count Kazel smirked at them. They knew Count Kazel’s eccentric personality, yet they dared to ask for food relief. That was how desperate the people were.

“If you want relief, I can give it to you.”

“R-really?”

“But if you fail to do what I ask, you will all be hanged for failing to pay your taxes.”

“……”

“Don’t worry. All I want from you is a single piece of paper.”

“A p-paper, you say?”

“Yes, a grimoire like this.”

Count Kazel said this and opened his hand. His hand had been empty, but now a piece of paper appeared in his palm, swirling and creating a breeze.

The petitioners were bewildered as they watched the paper move on its own, like seaweed swaying in the water.

“A g-grimoire….”

“We are ignorant of magic and know nothing of such things.”

“No, this is something you can find. If you truly desire it, you will surely find it. If you bring me a grimoire like this, that village will be exempt from taxes for three years and will receive 50 bushels [1 bushel = 36 liters] each of wheat, barley, and oats.”

“……”

Everyone was shocked at the offer of grain, in addition to the three-year tax exemption. It was unheard of for Count Kazel, who was known for his cruel nature, to be so generous.

The grimoire he wanted must be very important. But how were they supposed to find it?

“E-excuse me, but what is the name of this grimoire?”

“Huh? Do you think you ignorant fools would know if I told you?”

“It’s not that, but we need to know what it is to find and identify it.”

“A copy of the God-King’s Scripture.”

“What?!”

Everyone was shocked by those words.

*********

There were eight thrones on the continent of Hybris.

These thrones were brought from their homeland by the Yaeghas god-kings. It was said that when a righteous king sat on one, the light of the royal throne would drive away monsters, purify the world with the power of white mana, and grant the power of sacred white mana to those who were loyal to the king.

Also, a powerful grimoire would be imprinted on the mind of the king who sat on the throne. This was the God-King’s Scripture, the grimoire of kings.

And now, there was a copy of it, and Count Kazel was after it?

“When the people are in despair, if they yearn for the God-King’s Scripture, even a copy will respond to their call and reveal itself.”

“……”

The village chiefs were chilled by Count Kazel’s words as he gazed into the distance.

Count Kazel did not care whether the people suffered or not. He was only planning to use the people’s suffering to obtain the grimoire, the copy of the God-King’s Scripture.

“A-alright. Then we will return to our villages immediately and search for the copy of the God-King’s Scripture with our people.”

“Yes, we will….”

“We will do so.”

The village chiefs, who had come because of the drought, were either shocked by Count Kazel’s madness or genuinely wanted to find the copy of the God-King’s Scripture to get a tax exemption. They bowed to the count and left.

As they left, a huge snake slithered out from behind the curtains in the count’s residence. The snake stood upright and transformed into a young, beautiful woman with bronze skin.

“It was reckless of you to mention the name of the God-King’s Scripture, Count.”

“Nonsense. Aren’t you already searching for the grimoire everywhere? The rumors will soon spread across the continent anyway. I just want to find as many copies of this grimoire as possible before that happens. So, what is it, witch?”

“I am sorry to report… but it seems one of your sons has been harmed. Lord Kozel in the eastern inland region….”

“Kozel?”

“Yes.”

“Kozel’s forces shouldn’t be easily defeated. Sir Zibeck was with him too. Who was the opponent? A bandit? A monster?”

“It was a Herald clan member.”

“A Herald clan member?”

Count Kazel frowned.

“Well, they must be thirsty for the God-King’s Scripture as well. They need the God-King’s Scripture if they want to break the curse of servitude.”

“It was their doing that the copies of the God-King’s Scripture were released into the world in the first place. From their perspective, they are trying to retrieve their own copies of the God-King’s Scripture.”

“Is Kozel dead?”

“That… he has suffered eye damage and his reproductive abilities have been impaired.”

“He was castrated?”

Count Kazel clicked his tongue.

“What will you do?”

“I need to deploy troops near Kozel’s land. I will capture the Herald clan member. Perhaps they have some copies of the God-King’s Scripture.”

“Understood. Shall I contact the generals?”

“No, no. I will give orders to the others. And….”

Count Kazel smiled sinisterly.

“If one son has been castrated, I will have to make a new one.”