The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 341

“It’s certainly written that way in the report… but as you know, the Bishop…” Sir Gares looked troubled, using the Bishop as an excuse. ‘Not very dwarflike, being so political.’ Azadin smiled as he watched Gares wriggle out of the situation by blaming others. Gares was essentially saying to Azadin, ‘It’s not that I hate you, but I have no choice because of my position.’ ‘I don’t want to do this, but I’m being pushed by other higher-ups.’ He kept making excuses that even a child wouldn’t believe. It was close to a blatant cover-up, but considering that many people openly showed contempt for Azadin, a member of the Messenger Clan, Sir Gares was a sufficiently cultured and polite individual. Therefore, Azadin didn’t hate Sir Gares, regardless of the truth of his words. Sir Gares also realized that Azadin was aware and was playing along. ‘He’s a friend who understands me. A talented man. If he weren’t from the Messenger Clan, he would have already become a core member of the Knights Order. It’s a pity he’s from the Messenger Clan.’ Gares lamented that Azadin was from the Messenger Clan. The current reputation of the Messenger Clan was at its worst. Now that the Messenger Clan was clearly acting as traitors to humanity, joining hands with the Nagas… there was no way their reputation could improve. At that moment, two women approached Azadin and Sir Gares. Niselda and… surprisingly, Heine, the Guide of Rest from the Order of Mercy. “Ah, Sir Azadin. And… Sir Gares, I see. I, Heine of the Order of Mercy, offer you my respects.” Heine knelt before Azadin, showing him great courtesy, regardless of who was watching. Despite her higher rank in the Knights Order, the respect she showed Azadin was extraordinary. “Sir Heine. What brings you here?” “I heard that a Conclave [a formal assembly or meeting] was being held, so I tried to come as quickly as possible, but the upper echelons of the Order couldn’t agree, so I had a hard time persuading them.” Heine said with a smile. Her eyes turned coldly towards Sir Gares. “So, Sir Gares. What conclusion did the Order of Courage reach?” “That he is innocent.” “Then Mercy, Courage, and Wisdom all agree that he is innocent. That’s good news.” Then Niselda, who was next to Heine, spoke. “And… there’s sad news.” “Sad news?” “Bishop Sehnath, in Fireglyph, has… kicked the bucket.” “Shouldn’t you say he passed away?” “Ah, that’s right.” “……” Sir Gares was speechless, looking at the two women from the Order of Mercy who were reporting Bishop Sehnath’s death. Of course, Bishop Sehnath was old, but as a great noble, he had the blood of the Yaegas gods flowing through him. Even though he was showing signs of aging, he was not in a condition to die so easily. Naturally, he couldn’t help but suspect the Order of Mercy’s machinations. Or was it the work of the Northern Empire faction? If Bishop Sehnath was attacked for initiating an unreasonable Conclave, he might say anything to protect himself. That would be troublesome for the Northern Empire, so they might have killed him in advance to silence him. Either way, if this was true, Sir Gares had to return to the Order quickly. There weren’t many intelligent people in the Order of Courage. While Sir Gares was here, the Order of Courage might do something reckless. “Th-that’s terrible. I must return to Fireglyph as soon as possible. Sir Azadin. The Order of Courage will accept your self-defense. The Conclave is terminated. It was not our intention to give you an unpleasant experience during the Conclave. I hope you understand?” “Of course.” “Thank you! Then, may you have good fortune!” Sir Gares kept glancing at Azadin until the very end as he gathered his troops and left Sandokar. “…A formidable person.” Azadin assessed Sir Gares that way. He showed a timid and opportunistic side until the very end, but that was precisely what proved that Sir Gares was not an easy opponent. ********* After the mysterious death of Bishop Sehnath, the three Holy Knight Orders of Wisdom, Courage, and Mercy all concluded the Conclave with Azadin’s innocence. It was an extremely rare event in the history of the Knights Order for someone to pass a Conclave that had been initiated against them, something that had happened only once in almost a hundred years. In this case, the authority of the person who initiated the Conclave would naturally be undermined. However, since the person who initiated this Conclave was Bishop Sehnath, and he had suddenly died, the matter was conveniently swept under the rug. In fact, both the Order of Wisdom, which had actively pushed for the Conclave, and the Order of Courage, which had subtly sided with it, now that this had happened… ‘Ah, we tried to stop the Conclave, but Bishop Sehnath pushed so strongly.’ ‘How could we refuse Bishop Sehnath’s wishes?’ They shifted the blame onto the already deceased Bishop Sehnath. Since the dead cannot speak, the situation was resolved that way. However… Sir Gares, who arrived in Fireglyph to collect Bishop Sehnath’s body, was shocked. The flag of the King’s Church was hanging in Fireglyph. ********* Prince Kalintz, the Chapter Master of Fireglyph, was restless. The man standing before him had the Holy Knights of the King’s Church on his left and the warriors of the Northern Aragasa on his right. In addition, he had Triodana, the Celestials [beings of divine origin] of the Order of Wisdom, and even the Elves of Asander, making this place no different from his court. King Cohen of Asander, the Northern Emperor, had personally come to this place. “So. What was Sehnath’s cause of death?” “Cardiac arrest. No poison was detected, and there were no intruders, so it’s presumed to be due to old age.” Cohen Lionheart chuckled at Kalintz’s answer. “Hahaha. You’re still far behind, my child. What was your name again?” “…Kalintz.” Kalintz smiled bitterly at his father, who didn’t even know his name. “Right. The usual method of detecting poison by inserting a silver needle into a corpse is only useful for detecting venom or the blood-rotting venom of snakes. But there are toxins in this world that cannot be detected by such methods.” Cohen Lionheart said this, grabbed Bishop Sehnath’s hand, and cut off one of his fingers with a dagger. “What!” Kalintz was taken aback, but he threw the severed finger to one of the Elven warriors. The Elf put the finger in his mouth and began to chew. “…How is it?” “It seems to be the poison of a sea octopus, Your Majesty.” “So it is. A poison favored by the Arangi people. It cannot be detected by silver needles, and it kills people painfully even in small amounts, but it loses its toxicity within a day if exposed to the air. You have to be careful when handling it.” Northern Emperor Cohen smiled bitterly. “It’s a poison favored by the Order of Mercy.” “That’s just speculation. Besides, you can’t show this method of verification to others, can you?” No Order would tolerate an Elf eating a Bishop’s corpse in front of everyone. However, King Cohen of Asander didn’t care about such unconventional actions. “Anyway, I will collect Sehnath’s body and hold his funeral.” “Will you reincarnate him as a Celestial?” “Ho ho?” Cohen’s eyes gleamed. For the first time, he showed interest in his son, whose name he didn’t even know. “Were you in a position to know that? Kalintz?” “I’m not a fool either. I have my own information network.” “Right. Then let me ask you. I heard there’s a man named Azadin here.” “Yes.” “I heard he has the Aurelia Dawn. Is he… a disciple of Planck, the Knight of Wisdom? What conclusion did your intelligence lead you to?” “I don’t know if he’s a disciple, but it’s clear that he was the last one to receive investiture [formal bestowal of rank or office] from Sir Planck. Otherwise, too many things wouldn’t make sense.” “Is that so? A Messenger Clan member, the flower of chivalry?” Cohen Lionheart smiled bitterly. He could feel a subtle heat of anger in Kalintz’s voice. Even though it was summer, the only thing burning hot in this cool air was the hatred and anger towards his father within Prince Kalintz. “I want to meet him.” “I will arrange a meeting. However, it wouldn’t be good to have a meeting with so many troops present.” The people that Northern Emperor Cohen brought were all seasoned veterans, not to be underestimated. No matter how formidable Azadin and Chadra Oger were, they couldn’t meet with Cohen’s subordinates in such large numbers. Cohen might kill Azadin. If Northern Emperor Cohen ignored the Chapter Master of Fireglyph and killed a Holy Knight under Fireglyph’s jurisdiction? Who would dare to hold Northern Emperor Cohen accountable? No one would be able to hold him accountable. Kalintz couldn’t accept that situation. Not only would it tarnish his career as Chapter Master, but Prince Kalintz liked Azadin more than his father, who couldn’t even remember his name. If Azadin and Northern Emperor Cohen were to meet, it had to be at least one-on-one, or with even fewer people. “Right. I see. Understood. Arrange a meeting.” Cohen Lionheart requested Kalintz to arrange a meeting. ********* “Northern Emperor Cohen Lionheart wants to see me?” Azadin, who was sharpening arrows on the walls of Sandokar, was startled. “Yes. They came to collect Bishop Sehnath’s body and are calling for Sir Azadin.” Jan, the squad leader who came as Prince Kalintz’s messenger, was watching Azadin’s reaction. Azadin picked up an arrow he had sharpened, aimed it at the sky, and closed one eye to check if the arrow was straight. A snowflake landed on the tip of the arrow. Even though it was the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, it was already snowing from the sky. Azadin shook the arrow, shattering the falling snowflakes, and placed the arrow back into his quiver. “He wants me to go to Fireglyph to see him? That’s troublesome. I can’t leave my post right now…” Sandokar was dealing with a huge number of refugees and continuous attacks from the heretic mutants. Heretics hiding among the refugees, and the worship of the gods of the Kurt Pantheon taking place in the Sandokar refugee camp, were disrupting the peace. In such a situation, Azadin was identifying and punishing the traitors and hidden heretics, and dealing with the swarming monsters. At night, the vampires would pretend to attack, but no vampire would come near Azadin, who possessed the Aurelia Dawn. They would just pretend to attack nearby and then disappear. They were probably vampires sent by Griselda, unable to directly attack Azadin and the Aurelia Dawn, and were just circling around. No one could deny that Azadin’s role in defending the Sandokar gate was crucial. “Would it be a great discourtesy if I asked Cohen Lionheart to come here?” “It would be an unprecedented discourtesy.” “Then it’s decided.” Azadin said with a bright smile. “Tell him to come here.” “………”