The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 303

“Understood. Then, please assign only one Anointed Guide.”

“There are many enemies, and it’s dangerous inside. More than anything, you might have to fight Sir Zekt. Wouldn’t it be better for you to take more people?”

“The success of a mission includes a safe return, doesn’t it? In tight spaces, it’s more advantageous to move with a small, elite group of skilled operatives. Having more people would only restrict each other’s movements and increase casualties. We also need to coordinate as a team, and the more people there are, the more time it takes to synchronize.”

Was he crazy to go with Wisdom Order agents plastered all over him, constantly worrying about a backstab? Azadin limited the number of agents to just one.

“Teamwork, you say? Well, if that’s the case, I suppose we have no choice.”

Hayne sighed as Azadin limited the number. Other knights around her signaled to ignore Azadin’s request, but Hayne shook her head.

“Very well, then. I will accompany you. Is that acceptable?”

“Hmm? You, Sir Hayne, personally?”

“Yes.”

“Understood. Then, you may accompany us.”

Azadin decided to join hands with the Mercy Order, whose sinister intentions were transparent.

Hayne then threw off the nun’s habit she was wearing. Surprisingly, underneath was a steam-weave chainmail made of machine-drawn wire.

The steam-weave chainmail was a top-grade chainmail made by the dwarves of Banreung. It was light, yet its defensive power was comparable to plate armor.

It was such a rare item that even the prestigious dwarven families didn’t have enough for themselves, so it was surprising to see her wearing it.

Moreover, she had knuckles on both her left and right hands, with ceramide blades protruding from them.

‘Duskbiter.’

Like Azadin’s Aurelia Dawn, it was a named weapon passed down in the Mercy Order.

It was proof of how much expectation the Mercy Order had for her.

Hayne gestured to her subordinates that they could leave, and the members of the Mercy Order nodded and retreated. They were all skilled assassins, and though they didn’t seem to be in a hurry, their steps were quick, and they melted into the crowd in an instant.

*********

The giants’ underground waterway was, as its name suggested, a large sewer that even giants could pass through.

It was a smuggling route for smuggling organizations, a place of worship for cults, and a demonic realm teeming with slimes, oozes, and various monsters that fed on the city’s waste.

Each entrance led to a completely different area of the labyrinthine underground, so even the Saint Mallory sewer exploration teams only scratched the surface, mainly focusing on uncovering smuggling organizations. The place was still full of monsters.

Sir Zekt had set up camp here.

They had descended into the sewer entrance prepared in the Saint Mallory parish of the King’s Church, set up camp, and were slowly advancing while clearing out the goblins, undead, and slimes that filled the sewer.

Then, from above, a novice holy knight came down the ladder, struggling with supplies on his back.

As soon as he came down, he put down the supplies, picked up the letter on top, and ran to the camp leader, Sir Zekt.

“Sir Zekt, a letter.”

“Who sent it?”

“Bishop Sehnat.”

“Sehnat… isn’t he connected to the Northern Empire?”

Zekt smiled bitterly. Those connected to the Northern Empire couldn’t be trusted. Hadn’t they been humiliated after being deceived by their inaccurate information and heading to the Chadra Plateau?

They had used Azadin as bait to lure Sir Zekt to the Chadra Plateau, and in the meantime, they had launched the Celestial Fire Knights.

From Zekt’s perspective, the guy who had screwed him over was now sending a letter. However, he couldn’t just ignore it because he was angry.

“Still, he’s a high-ranking member of the Rescue Knights, so let’s see what he has to say.”

Zekt took out the letter and read it, then chuckled.

It was a warning that Azadin had entered Saint Mallory and would soon enter the underground waterway. It was a warning, but since when had they cared about Sir Zekt?

“Honestly, I thought the King’s Church was a mess, but these Rescue Knights are even worse. Are they too busy with factional infighting…?”

“Sir Meya challenged him, though…”

The fact that Azadin had arrived in Saint Mallory was already known through the case of Sir Meya, a lower-ranking holy knight under their management.

“This old fox knows that we would have figured that much out. That’s why the Mercy Order has joined them… and he also informed us that Jibek is with them.”

“Jibek, you mean…?”

“Sir Jibek?”

“Yes. We already knew that he had a relationship with Azadin in Corasar, but I didn’t expect them to be together here in Arangi as well.”

The conservative figures of the King’s Church viewed the Rescue Knights’ territory as part of the Arangi Kingdom.

Calling Saint Mallory the Arangi Kingdom showed how deeply Zekt despised the Rescue Knights.

“He was our colleague… we should be careful.”

Everyone became wary at the mention of Jibek’s name. Jibek had once been their comrade, so he would understand their knowledge and methods well.

“There’s no need to be too intimidated. Jibek’s training was limited to entering through this entrance. No matter how bold Azadin is, he wouldn’t open a sewer lid in the middle of the Saint Mallory parish of the King’s Church and come down, would he?”

The training they had at the training grounds in the Tarasar Kingdom was based on entering through the sewer entrance located in the Saint Mallory parish and passing through it.

Even if he knew their methods, what would Jibek, who had never been deployed in the field, know?

-Rumbling…

At that moment, the entire underground waterway began to shake.

In front of them, countless insects were seen rapidly fleeing along the waterways and walls from something ahead.

“He wouldn’t have experienced something like this, so there’s no need to worry about Jibek.”

Zekt smiled bitterly and walked forward. Beyond the torrent of insects, a huge evil, the stench of corrupted death, was emanating.

“The Angel of Corruption…”

The other holy knights in the camp groaned as they recognized the identity of what was approaching.

“How did it get all the way to the camp…?”

*********

Azadin’s group began to enter the sewer entrance managed by the Mercy Order, as recommended by Hayne.

The sewer entrance managed by the Mercy Order required descending about 20 rungs down a ladder.

Since there were no lights below, it felt like darkness itself was opening its mouth and swallowing everything, causing ordinary people to lose their minds and fall to their deaths while descending the ladder.

“Hmm?!”

Azadin descended into the sewer and looked around.

His eyes, which could pierce through the darkness, discovered human corpses discarded in various places in the waterway.

It seemed that the Mercy Order had thrown the corpses down for some reason.

‘That’s why the underground waterway is overflowing with monsters. They’re throwing corpses down themselves.’

Azadin clicked his tongue at the Mercy Order’s ugly behavior, but then Scott descended.

“Oh, corpses right from the start! How delicious. Boss, can I use them?”

“Use them.”

As Azadin gave permission, Scott excitedly raised the corpses with necromancy.

The corpses, showing signs of torture, made grotesque sounds as they exhaled the air remaining in their lungs and then stood up.

“Oh my. It seems that the corpses of smugglers have floated down. It has nothing to do with our Order.”

Hayne warned, telling a lie that no one would believe.

“Everyone, be careful. As the world becomes more dangerous, the monsters in the underground waterways are also getting stronger.”

“What’s the most dangerous?”

“Usually, there are slimes or amoebas called oozes, and other amorphous creatures. They don’t take damage well even when hit with a sword, and they often swallow people whole.”

Hayne warned about oozes and slimes, but then Jibek muttered.

“Angel of Corruption.”

“……”

“Angel of Corruption? What’s that?”

“It’s the corpse of an angel who died from impure power. It uses evil magic, and its combat ability is beyond that of a high-ranking demon… That’s why this Saint Mallory underground waterway is an impregnable labyrinth.”

“Hmm. If it’s at the level of a high-ranking demon… wouldn’t it be better to just infiltrate the Wisdom Order on the surface?”

“We might be able to go without encountering the Angel of Corruption.”

Jibek said that and made the sign of the cross.

A blessing aura emanated from Jibek, enveloping the entire group, including Azadin.

“Hoho?”

Hayne realized that Jibek’s white magic was quite pure and powerful.

“I don’t know the path that starts from here well. Sir Hayne, you know this place well, right? Please guide us. However… let’s avoid the Angel of Corruption.”

The Mercy Order would have their own underground exploration maps and guidelines that start from their parish. They would know where which monsters mainly appear, so they would also have information about areas where the Angel of Corruption frequently appears.

‘Look at this? He’s quite tricky… Jibek, is he from the King’s Church Shadow Knights?’

Hayne was flustered by Jibek’s sharp observation, but she calmly guided the way.

“Then, I will guide you. Please don’t suspect me, even if something happens. I’m trying my best to guide you through the optimal route. However, recently, as evil power has been fluctuating, inside this underground waterway…”

At that moment, Hayne’s words trailed off.

Scott had gathered the undead that had fallen on the floor, collected various junk around them, and made a kind of boat, then climbed on top of it.

The undead pushed the boat through the water, providing propulsion.

“Boss! Get on here too. Who knows what might pop out of the sewage.”

“I will.”

Azadin climbed onto Scott’s boat without hesitation.

Even Jibek climbed onto the boat without a word. As the undead stirred through the sewage, the boat slowly but steadily cut through the bottom of the underground waterway.

‘What a bizarre bunch. That Jibek, no matter how fallen he is, he was a holy knight, yet he’s riding on a boat operated by necromancy? No, if that’s the case, isn’t Azadin a current holy knight? What a mess.’

Hayne didn’t like Azadin’s group, but it was better to ride the boat with them than to walk with her feet in the sewage.

‘For now, it’s better to comply with what they want. I can gauge their abilities, and in case of an emergency…’

Hayne boarded the boat, wary of Azadin’s group.