The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 359

“Ugh, you fool! Now that I see, it’s Bernard! You lowly cur! We gave you the chance to study at the academy, a mere human, and you betray that grace like this!” The dwarf recognized Bernard and hurled insults at him. “Who is he? Do you know him?” “He’s a mage from the Banlung Academy. He only would have seen me in my younger days, so I’m surprised he recognizes me now.” Bernard gave a wry smile. His younger days, when he was known for his handsome looks, were so different from his current appearance that it was hard to recognize him, yet this dwarf recognized him. “Yes! You fool! Just because you got your hands on Ashajit’s Eye, you’re using it so recklessly! The Nether’s relic is not to be used carelessly, as it will surely bring disaster. Even Griselda didn’t use it easily, yet you’re using it without a second thought!?” “What problems arise from using Ashajit’s Eye recklessly?” Azadin asked, curious. “Blood God Ashajit will awaken, and his followers will walk this land!” “So, like those things?” Azadin pointed to the cultist mutants lying dead on the side of the road. “Yes!” “And that too…” Azadin pointed to a huge shadow faintly visible in the sky above the Banlung Kingdom. The dwarf was speechless. Come to think of it, all the accidents that could happen from misusing Ashajit’s relic had already happened. “Now that it’s already gone berserk, isn’t it okay to use Ashajit’s Eye as much as we want?” “B-but still, using it recklessly will cause problems…” “Anyway, that’s enough. You know what this is, right?” Azadin took out Aurelia Dawn and pointed it at the vampire. The blade, which had been a dull steel color, began to glow with a golden light. Heat that seemed capable of melting metal emanated from the blade. “A-are you going to torture me? Dwarves don’t succumb to such petty torture!” “I think being a vampire is more shameful than succumbing to torture. Besides, you guys whine even if your beards are just singed, right?” Azadin touched the tip of Aurelia Dawn to his beard, and it immediately burst into flames. “Aaaah! What are you doing! My hair, given to me by my ancestors… Our bodies are gifts from our parents, don’t you have any?” “…Well, I definitely don’t have a mother.” Azadin, born from a curse in a man’s body, did not actually have a mother. However, the dwarf vampire was startled by Azadin’s words. “Y-you’re selling out your parents just to win an argument. You Emissary Clan guys, they say you’re soulless blasphemers, and it’s true, there’s not a trace of a soul in you!” “…Hearing that from a vampire makes me question my life a bit. Anyway, where did your unit come from? Would you tell me the secret passage to the Heart of the Mountain?” “Hmph, do you think I’d give in to that?” “Why do you have to be so loyal? Griselda and her daughters aren’t even dwarves, are they?” “We do not betray our faith!” “…Then is this what you dwarves want? A messenger descends upon your capital, which has been passed down since ancient times before the Naga Empire, and your bloodline has now become vampires and castrated.” “I’m not castrated!” “At least you’ve lost your reproductive abilities, right? You chose the path of becoming a vampire and being castrated, yet you speak of your body being a gift from your parents. Do you think your ancestors wanted their descendants to become vampires?” “Just burn him, Count Azadin. If you scorch this kind of guy with Aurelia Dawn, he’ll beg for mercy.” Niselda said, watching Azadin trying to persuade the dwarf vampire. However, using Aurelia Dawn to set a vampire on fire would make it difficult to maintain sanity, so Azadin was saving it as a last resort. “…M-my ancestors will be honored by me for eternity. I will not die of old age now. If we recover Ashajit’s Eye, our dynasty will be immortal, and the vampires will be immortal too. Yes.” “But right now, you’ve lost and are in danger of dying. The long lineage from your ancestors was severed the moment you became a vampire, and if your existence is extinguished here, the great lineage that extends to you will be cut off. That is a truly sad thing.” “………” “Tell me the secret passage.” “Will you let me live?” “Yes.” When Azadin said that, his party was startled. Azadin does not lie about life. In negotiations with prisoners, he keeps his promise to let them live. The dwarf vampire also saw the reaction of Azadin’s party and knew that what he said was true. “I understand.” The dwarf vampire told Azadin’s party the secret passage where they had emerged. “Is that enough?” “…Okay. You can go. But before that, I want to ask you one more thing.” “What is it?” “What wishes did the Banlung Kingdom’s royal family make?” “…It was a rampage that occurred while researching to obtain wish magic. Our wishes are not the problem. Isn’t it natural for mages to crave magical power?” “That’s why I’m curious. If mages were seeking power and exploring spells, there would be no reason to hide it like this.” “……” “Is it perhaps for sexual reasons?” When Azadin asked, Bernard coughed. “Count Azadin. Dwarves are… well-known human enthusiasts.” “Ah…” The Elven kingdom of Asander mixed blood with the Yaegas divine royal family and officially became a member of the Eight Divine Clans. The barbarians who enjoyed cannibalism, the mercenaries of the Naga Empire, the human chefs, and the races that killed and cooked humans mixed their blood, making it meaningless to distinguish between mixed races. However, the dwarves and the Yaegas divine royal family could not properly mix their blood and remained as a separate allied kingdom, so the dwarves felt resentment. They felt a sense of victimhood, believing that all the other races in the world were ostracizing them. Even if that wasn’t the case, dwarves were sexually attracted to humans. Smooth, tall, and soft human women without beards were preferred by both male and female dwarves. The reason why Griselda and her daughters were able to receive support even when they committed atrocities in Banlung was largely because they took on human forms. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked…” “Ugh… N-no! You bastards!” The dwarf sorcerer was furious, but it was the anger of having his weakness exposed. Azadin gestured to the dwarf sorcerer that he could leave. ********* After sending away the dwarf sorcerer who was annoyed at having his secret desires exposed, Azadin’s party checked the secret passage. A subterranean tunnel dug to mine ore was connected to an artificial underground road with red magic-made pillars. “It’s a passage that leads to the Banlung Academy. We can guide you from here. But be careful. Underneath the magic academy, there are all sorts of… products of magical research.” “I understand.” Azadin, who had already experienced infiltrating the underground passage of the Wisdom Order, took a breath and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. “But why did you let that vampire live?” Zibeck asked Azadin. “What choices does that vampire have now?” “To report us to the other vampires or to remain silent. If it’s the former, they can prepare for our invasion, but their credibility will be questioned, and if it’s the latter…” “Isn’t the latter dangerous too? He’s going back alone, right? It’ll only raise suspicion.” Edir asked, curious. “They were scouts in the first place. Since the Celestial Fire Knights have surrounded the outside of the Heart of the Mountain, it’s not that strange for only some of the scouts or patrols to survive an encounter with the enemy.” Zibeck answered Edir. In terms of age, Zibeck and Edir were of similar age, but it was originally the job of a knight to teach a squire. Edir was not Zibeck’s squire, but Zibeck was the closest to him as a follower of the King’s Church. “It’s probably hard to achieve a big effect with this secret passage. The dwarves of Banlung are known for being paranoid. If there are traps with explosives that could collapse the entire passage, even the strongest knights or mages wouldn’t be able to handle it. What I want are the wedges themselves that will stimulate their paranoia. Of course, the secret passage is still worth exploring…” It was when Azadin was explaining that. Suddenly, the ground shook, and a thunderous sound echoed. “It doesn’t seem like an earthquake, what’s going on?” “It sounds like cannons.” Bernard said. “This is the sound of cannons?” Azadin was not unfamiliar with cannons. But the ones Azadin had seen were just small mortars or stone cannons that were used to break wooden doors or deal with infantry. The sound and vibration of the Banlung cannons were beyond Azadin’s imagination. “Shall we go further in during this time?” Zibeck asked, but Azadin shook his head. “Let’s check what’s going on first.” Azadin gave up the advantage of his eyes being accustomed to the darkness and decided to retrace his steps back the way he came. ********* The cannons installed in the fortress have gone through many trials and errors to achieve a precise firing angle. It is possible to fire direct shots that graze the ridges where enemy soldiers are approaching. Since they can fire at the desired location at the most accurate timing, the hit rate is high. In other words, the fact that the fortress cannons were fired meant that there would be casualties on this side. The soldiers of the Celestial Fire were elite troops selected from various regions, so the loss of life was regrettable. But now, the cannon fire was continuous. “Could it be that the Celestial Fire Knights have procured cannons and are firing them?” “I don’t know. But that’s unlikely.” The way to counter cannons is to prepare cannons on this side as well, but the Banlung dwarf-style fortresses were made with such excellent fortification technology that ordinary stone cannons could only scratch the fortress walls. They needed to use siege cannons with metal-cast shells to have a chance of winning, and the place that produced such siege cannons was the Banlung Kingdom. The Celestial Fire Knights had succeeded in seizing the Banlung coastal fortress and capturing the siege cannons that had been deployed as coastal guns, but after firing them once, they were horrified by the enormous amount of gunpowder required. They used up the gunpowder stored in the coastal fortress, as they consumed gunpowder by the barrel with each shot, and the Celestial Fire Knights had sealed the cannons. So, suddenly firing siege cannons like rain? “Ah. It’s Banlung firing, that’s right.” Azadin, who had come out of the secret passage, endured the glare and looked at the front line. A battle was taking place below the hill. He discovered that the Banlung Kingdom side was continuously firing cannons at the entities approaching the fortress. But… “Huh?” Familiar monsters were rushing towards the Banlung Kingdom. They were yetis.