The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 346

#347. The Erantree Quest 3

‘Did you hear the rumor?!’

‘They say the Arangi Kingdom offered a Countship to Lord Azadin?!’

‘Oh, a Count for someone from the Messenger Clan…’

Such rumors began to circulate among the soldiers.

Edir and Gidith had come to the training grounds to be tested on whether they possessed the skills befitting their status as a Sergeant and a Doppelsöldner [a German term for a mercenary who is paid double], and they overheard the rumors.

The people from the Chadra Highlands were rejoicing at the news that Azadin had been granted the title of Count, as if it were their own affair.

However, some of the refugee soldiers were clearly skeptical or doubtful.

‘A noble title for the Messenger Clan?’

‘Good heavens.’

‘What? Are you doubting Lord Azadin now?’

Then Edir stepped forward.

‘It was the Messenger Clan who killed Lord Darhan Zadek, the last royal of the Butuma Kingdom. They are soulless beings who mercilessly kill even the noble God-King…’

At that, the soldiers from the Chadra Highlands burst into laughter.

‘Puhahaha. So what?’

‘Isn’t it possible that this is all a scheme? Why else would he spend so much wealth to rescue people and raise soldiers?’

‘Aren’t you here to get a salary from him? And yet you’re suspicious?’

‘I… I know how devastating it is when trust is betrayed. Of course, I had to make a living because I have a wife and children, but… even if I have to do unreasonable things, I only want to lose my life.’

He was drawn to the salary Azadin offered, but he was afraid of losing something more than his life. When Edir spoke his honest feelings, the surrounding soldiers said,

‘At least Lord Azadin is clean.’

‘How can you be so sure?’

‘Because the Chadra Highlands was originally like a place of exile for the Rescue Knights. No fool would infiltrate the Knights to build power and come to the Chadra Highlands.’

The soldiers from Chadra all agreed.

Azadin was not the head of a large military faction who deserved to be granted a Countship from the beginning.

He had clawed his way up from the bottom, and a person who had proven such skills could not be a spy.

‘He doesn’t need to infiltrate. He built everything from the ground up with his own hands.’

‘It seems everyone likes him.’

‘It’s not so much that we like him…’

‘He’s done too much for us.’

Those exiled to the Chadra Highlands once had to live like beasts. They were stuck in the exile, with cruel seniors from criminal backgrounds suppressing their freedom, and they had no hope for the future.

Azadin united them and created hope.

He punished the corrupt who were beyond redemption and unified the land of the Chadra Highlands. After taking Naisandokar and Sandokar, he even made trade with the outside world possible.

Hope was born.

In this time when the whole world was filled with despair, the Chadra Highlands had more hope than ever before, so it was impossible not to like the leader who had brought about such guidance.

‘But still, what benefit does he get from this? Why is he doing this?’

‘We don’t know either. But according to what we’ve heard…’

The soldiers tilted their heads and said,

‘It seems Lord Azadin truly believes in the Three Virtues.’

‘What?’

‘By practicing wisdom, courage, and mercy. They say he really wants to restore the Rescue Knights to their original form.’

‘Is that even possible…’

Edir was surprised by his own words.

In an era when the Three Virtues had become a laughingstock. Although he had entrusted himself to the Rescue Knights, he regarded the stories about the three virtues as fairy tales to soothe children.

Does Azadin truly believe in that?

‘A real paladin? From the Messenger Clan?’

‘We don’t know either. The Captain has never said such a thing himself.’

‘But…’

Everyone knew.

That these Three Virtues were so precious to Azadin that he did not speak of them lightly. Because if he spoke of them, he would be ridiculed and his sincerity would be questioned, and that would be a wound. Those who readily speak of virtue and wave it like a flag are trying to use virtue as a pretext and a weapon. If one truly cherishes virtue, one would simply practice it silently.

Even the illiterate could understand this fact… Azadin practiced his virtues silently, without coercion or preaching.

‘I can’t believe it.’

Edir didn’t want to believe it. He had believed in the royal family of Butuma, Manza Zadek and his son Darhan Zadek.

For Azadin, a member of the Messenger Clan, to practice the virtuous rule that even the Golden King’s bloodline had failed to achieve felt like an insult to his masters.

But it wasn’t Azadin himself who was claiming it, but his subordinates, soldiers, and the people around him who were saying it based on the circumstances… it would be foolish to say he didn’t believe it.

*********

Azadin gathered the leaders of his military faction and discussed the offer of the Count title that the envoys of the Arangi Kingdom had brought.

‘A Countship. We must accept it! Captain! A Count! You’ll become a great noble right away!’

Legion, the sergeant, was excited.

‘Well, if we don’t accept it, they’ll surely accuse us of using the Arangi Kingdom’s territory without permission… there will be a lot to give up.’

Kalan, also a sergeant, agreed that they should accept the Countship.

On the other hand, Scott was against it.

‘I’m against it, Captain. The current stockpile of grain… based on last year’s consumption, it’s about four years’ worth. You know what that means, right?’

Four years’ worth based on last year’s consumption, but now the consumption is much higher than last year.

This was because Azadin continued to accept refugees.

‘Haa. For a great intellect like me to be in charge of administrative work. Captain, you have other mages, don’t you? Don’t use my superior intellect for this kind of work, use them instead.’

Scott, who had to show off to feel satisfied, began to boast about his administrative work.

Azadin’s other subordinates did not like Scott’s arrogant remarks, but Scott had actually caught many embezzlers by cross-checking the ledgers.

He had achieved enough to boast like that, so no one could say anything to him.

‘I know you’ve worked hard. I appreciate it. But Scott, if you’re so smart, you must know how much food is needed due to the refugees we’ve accepted, right? How long can we last with the current stockpile?’

‘If we measure based on the refugees we’ve accepted so far, the food will last about two and a half years. But if we accept the Countship, the Arangi Kingdom will send us a lot of refugees. Can we handle that?’

It was definitely a problem. If they accepted the Countship, they would be sent a lot of refugees, and if they didn’t, the Arangi Kingdom would retaliate. Even if Azadin’s group had de facto control, if the Arangi Kingdom claimed the Naisandokar area, the road between Sandokar and the Chadra Highlands would be cut off. If they were just satisfied with collecting taxes, it would be fine, but if the Arangi Kingdom, having been refused the Countship, harbored resentment, there was no guarantee that there wouldn’t be more retaliation.

‘According to the prophecy, Fimbulwinter [a great winter that precedes the end of the world in Norse mythology] will last at least three years. Even if we save the two and a half years’ worth we have, people will starve to death. No, it won’t even be two and a half years’ worth. We’ve been accepting refugees all along, haven’t we? And now the Arangi Kingdom is sending more refugees. We might end up having to steal food from others.’

Ibechek, the Count of Sandokar, subtly changed the subject to ‘we’.

Sandokar was a gateway fortress, so while a normal castle would store three months’ worth of food, it had stored six months’ worth.

But since they had ruined this year’s harvest, even if Fimbulwinter only came this year, they would experience a lean season around next spring.

In that situation, Count Ibechek of Sandokar was subtly coveting the food stored in the Chadra Highlands.

He wanted Azadin and the Chadra Highlands to only take care of Sandokar. He wanted to ignore the many refugees that the Arangi Kingdom would send.

He knew it was a despicable and vile idea, but there was nothing he could do.

‘No, don’t accept the refugees. But I want to be connected to Sandokar. Are you saying we should accept the Countship? Or not?’

Niselda, who had been listening, was annoyed with Count Ibechek and questioned him.

‘How can we… shouldn’t we find a way?’

‘So how?’

‘That’s… um…’

Ibechek was at a loss for words and backed down.

Azadin turned his gaze to Sedrin. Wild Druid Sedrin had contributed greatly to the reclamation, development, and land construction of the territory, and was now like the chief engineer of Azadin’s military faction.

‘Sedrin, what do you think?’

‘It would be good to refuse the refugees, but you wouldn’t refuse them, would you?’

Azadin had never said it himself, but now everyone knew Azadin to some extent.

Azadin was a true paladin. In this time when all the Rescue Knights had become politicians and schemers, neglecting virtue, he, a member of the Messenger Clan, was dedicating himself to upholding virtue.

There was no way Azadin would ignore the refugees.

‘There is a way to produce food. It will destroy nature a bit, though.’

‘Oh…’

Everyone was pleased with Sedrin’s words. They were all relieved at the prospect of obtaining food, regardless of whether nature was destroyed.

‘However, if I do that, I will lose my life. So before that, I want to give peace to my family who are bound to Sork.’

Wild Druid Sedrin hated that his family was being used as wights by Sork. So he pressured Azadin with the pretext of food production.

However, Azadin shook his head.

‘No, Sedrin. There’s no way I’d produce food while killing you.’

‘…So.’

Sedrin began to get angry.

‘Don’t be friendly with Sork. That bastard is playing with the deaths of our family, and if you’re friendly with them, it looks like you’re condoning Sork’s violation of our family! You need food, right? I can solve it by sacrificing my life! But Azadin, why are you ignoring my desperate request even though I’m threatening you with my life?’

Then Selim, the minotaur, stepped up to defend Azadin.

‘…No, that’s a bit unreasonable. Captain Azadin isn’t being friendly with Lord Sork because he wants to. It’s more like he comes and says what he wants and disappears.’

‘Then you should stab him in the head as soon as you see him.’

‘If that were possible, you would have done it, Sedrin.’

‘What?’

Sedrin was furious, but the others, who knew the sharpness of Lord Sork, were all agreeing with Selim.

Without Lord Sork’s help, they would have suffered enormous casualties during the attacks of the cultist mutants and Griselda, and they might not have been able to take Ashajit’s eyes.

Sedrin might not care about such benefits and want to execute Sork and free his family, but the other members of Azadin’s military faction wanted to postpone the showdown with Sork as much as possible.