The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 34

Midiam, as a member of the prestigious Etar family of Aragas, didn’t hold favorable feelings towards the people of Hybris. However, she found herself agreeing with Azadin’s words.

Protecting the people was a noble act. Even if they were the populace who harbored animosity towards Aragas, safeguarding the defenseless was the epitome of a warrior noble. Even if one wasn’t a warrior noble…

As a human, it was the right thing to do.

‘No one has ever taught me that before.’

Everyone only considered Aragas’s position, and no one spoke of the virtues or aesthetics beyond that. In truth, Midiam already held a certain level of respect for Azadin.

What if Azadin possessed the eloquence and means to embellish that philosophy?

Her respect would only grow.

“Please stop, Lady,” Ismael grumbled.

“There’s no need to go out of your way to save and forgive such a person. We should kill them. If we let the one who caused the black magic disaster live, who knows what might happen? And respect…”

Ismael was going mad with jealousy.

Respect from Midiam?

Midiam hadn’t shown interest in anyone her age, or even older. Why was she showing such interest in this eyeless traitor’s descendant, the cursed Azadin, and why did Azadin seem so bothered by Midiam? He couldn’t understand.

If only he could receive that much attention from her, Ismael would sell his very soul!

“Whether you respect me or not, it doesn’t matter. I’m just doing what I can.”

“So, are you going to keep hiding our identities? Are we just going to stand here instead of shooting our bows? Are we just going to be baggage like helpless Hybris children?”

“That’s not it.”

Azadin pulled something out of the warehouse.

“Let’s use these.”

What Azadin brought out were hunting bows used by the villagers. Compared to the Moonhorn Bows of the Messenger Clan, they were weaker, weapons that wouldn’t be unusual for 13-year-old boys and girls to handle.

“Um, these?”

“Yes, let’s prepare.”

“Prepare for what?”

“A defense, of course. It would be foolish for us to go into the forest or swamp, so let’s lure the enemy here.”

Azadin said that and began preparing a fire.

“We’ll need a lot of arrows. The arrows the villagers used and what we have now might not be enough. Well, shall we wax the bows and make some arrows for a change?”

“Ugh. I don’t want to make arrows.”

Midiam was annoyed.

“Hmm, but isn’t it time to wax your Moonhorn Bows? If you don’t maintain them regularly, they’ll break.”

The Messenger Clan’s bows were smaller yet more powerful than other bows. However, their maintenance was just as difficult. At least once a week, they had to be waxed, or the bow itself would dry out and break as if it had exploded.

Azadin started a fire and sat down, taking out supplies. Materials for making arrows. Thread and feathers, and he brought wood from the sawmill and began to shape it.

With a hand axe sharpened to the point where it could shave, he split the wood to make arrow shafts, and then he baked the shafts over the fire to dry out any remaining moisture and sap.

“Get ready.”

“Yes.”

Ismael, the retainer, brushed the fur of the Kerim mountain goats they had brought with an oil brush. This was to collect the sebum and wax esters from the goat’s fur.

When he shook the collected material onto an iron plate, fleas, lice, and dust fell out. Azadin took a piece of wood that had been scorched by the fire and rolled it over the plate, crushing and killing the fleas and lice, then evenly applied the wax esters to the arrow shafts, baking them over the fire again as he shaped them. This was how he made the arrow shafts.

“Next.”

Azadin handed the finished arrow shafts to Midiam. Midiam thinly split the ends of the shafts, inserted the feathers, wrapped thread around them to secure them, and was about to attach the nocks [the notched ends of arrows that fit onto the bowstring] made of animal or fish bones.

“Don’t use nocks. Finish them with thread. We need to conserve them.”

“But then the arrows…”

“We’re making the arrow shafts from green wood anyway, so they’ll dry out after a while. We’ll use iron arrowheads too. We’re going to use them all in this defense. Since we’ll be shooting all the arrows before they dry out, they only need to be slightly better quality than goblin arrows.”

Iron arrowheads referred to the iron coins used as currency. Among the Eight Kingdoms’ hard currency, iron coins were made of cast iron and shaped like elm leaves, and they could be used as arrowheads.

It was said that they were made to be used as arrows in times of war or emergency, but from the perspective of those who actually used arrows, it was an absurd theory.

The iron coins used for money were made of impure iron with many impurities. Arrowheads made from them, roughly imitating the shape, had poor penetration. They were sufficient for harming opponents without armor, but they would be useless against those wearing armor, as the arrowheads would break.

Moreover, many of the elm leaf coins were worn and bent during circulation, so to use them as arrowheads, one had to carefully select the strong and good ones.

“The goats are all brushed.”

Ismael finished collecting the necessary wax esters and quickly approached Midiam.

“Then you attach the arrowheads.”

Azadin had Ismael attach the arrowheads. All three were famous archers of the Messenger Clan, so they were skilled at making arrows, and they quickly made enough arrows to fill all their quivers and then some.

After making all the arrows, Azadin applied the remaining wax esters to his Moonhorn Bow.

“Alright, then.”

Azadin attached the halberd head to the trimmed wood. He attached the guard captain’s halberd head, covered it with a nock, applied the remaining wax, and slowly baked it over the fire so that the wax would be evenly absorbed.

*********

While Azadin, Ismael, and Midiam were making arrows and maintaining their bows, the rest of the group gathered wood and furniture from the village to reinforce the barricades. It was impossible to defend the entire perimeter of the sawmill village, so they designated houses, warehouses, and buildings as defensive lines and moved obstacles to prevent enemies from easily entering through the windows.

“They don’t seem like simple pilgrims.”

Kaka was impressed as he dragged furniture out and placed it according to the defense plan Azadin had set up. No matter which direction the enemy attacked from, they placed furniture and piles of trash to make the most of the houses, warehouses, and existing buildings.

“What kind of person is he? Is he a pilgrim because he committed a great sin in the past?”

“I don’t really know either.”

Tarki had no choice but to answer that way. He couldn’t say that he was the Emperor’s messenger.

“I’m sorry. I should be the one leading, but…”

Meya, the chief officer of Salas, felt ashamed that she, a paladin, was not properly leading.

At that moment, movement was felt in the forest.

-Woong?

It was the sound of a wyvern. And from the south entrance of the sawmill, merchants appeared through the fog.

“Grrr.”

“Kwoo.”

The merchants and their guards had become undead. They had been attacked and annihilated by monsters on their way south from the sawmill, and now they had returned as undead.

*********

“They’re fast.”

Azadin clicked his tongue at how quickly the merchant group had been annihilated. The merchants were one thing, but the mercenaries and adventurers with them were not easy opponents.

“Alright, everyone, into battle formation!”

Azadin gave spears to Tarki, Kaka, the Chico siblings, and the paladin Meya, and placed them in front. He stood inside the warehouse building with his bow.

The undead, made from the corpses of merchants and adventurers, entered the village entrance barricade. Suddenly, a woman’s voice was heard from the sky.

[Hahaha. You guys are quite interesting?]

Surprisingly, the wyvern was speaking in a young woman’s voice. It was likely that the sorcerer who created this situation was using the wyvern’s body to convey her voice.

‘If you can control undead or other creatures, it would be easier to control a flying creature like a wyvern. It secures vision and makes movement easier.’

Azadin knew from the start that the wyvern was the woman’s possessed body. Since the possessed body was nearby, he started a conversation.

“Are you the Messenger Clan member who annihilated this village?”

Azadin asked, and the voice sounded puzzled.

[What? How did you know that?]

“The merchants told me.”

[Right. Those bastards made me a slave and trampled on everything I had! Just because I was a descendant of the Messenger Clan! They treated me like a soulless stone!]

“Are you alive?”

[Of course, I’m alive!]

Even though she said that, most ghosts also claimed to be alive, so he couldn’t take it at face value.

“How did you get this power?”

[Why should I tell you that? If you want to know, become one of the undead I control. Then you’ll know whether you like it or not!]

“Are you going to be hostile to us even though we have nothing to do with the people who abused you?”

[Shut up! If you think you’re the only ones with souls, and I’m just a soulless stone on the side of the road, then I’ll make it my mission to crush your souls! You arrogant Hybris people! I’ll stain your souls with pain!]

It seemed that this sorcerer intended to vent her resentment for being treated like a slave and abused for being a member of the Messenger Clan on the entire Hybris population. As a fellow member of the Messenger Clan, Azadin felt very wronged.

As the situation unfolded, Midiam whispered to Azadin.

“If we reveal that we are members of the Messenger Clan, wouldn’t we be able to persuade her?”

“What about that paladin?”

“We’ll have to kill her.”

“If we kill the paladin, what about Tarki’s half-siblings?”

“They’re just collateral damage, aren’t they?”

“Oh, Midiam.”

Azadin sighed.

“You shouldn’t think so lightly of people’s lives. Even if they are paladins of the King’s Church.”

“Oh, my goodness. Are you serious?”

Ismael, who was listening, was shocked.

“Then what other solution is there?”

“Well, she’s saying that the strong take everything…”

Azadin shrugged.

“We’ll have to show her who’s strong.”

The corpses of the adventurers and merchants approached the warehouse from the entrance of the sawmill village. Azadin picked up an arrow and placed it on the bowstring.

“Isn’t it too far? Shouldn’t we draw them in a bit more before shooting…”

Meya suggested drawing the enemy in a bit more before shooting, but Azadin replied.

“I’d like to, but there are too many. Space is our barricade. If we lose space, our barricade shrinks.”

In other words, he meant to shoot from afar to secure as much space as possible. Azadin said that and fired an arrow.

-Swish!

With a sound of tearing through the wind, the arrow flew.

-Thwack!

The fired arrow hit an adventurer’s head, shattering his jawbone, and the arrow hit the inside of his helmet, blowing it off. The terrifying sound was a bonus.