The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 384

“Kkueaaak.”

“Who do you think you’re looking down on, you ridiculous bastard?”

“N-no, it’s true. It’s true.”

“Judging by your reaction, Count Azadin seems to be the type to forgive you for briefly siding with me to save your life. Isn’t that right?”

“………”

The refugee commander, who had been grinning obsequiously even after having his finger broken, now had a hardened expression.

The disappearance of his servile smile and the emergence of a calm, collected gaze revealed that he was no ordinary man.

Prince Gislain was inwardly impressed that an unknown commander leading ragged refugee soldiers possessed such skill.

“He’s an incomprehensible fellow. How can he maintain such chaotic military discipline yet have such good training? And this loyalty…”

‘Is it even possible to establish military discipline like this?’ It’s doubtful.

However, the refugee soldiers had actually demonstrated surprising proficiency before his eyes, so Prince Gislain no longer doubted it.

“Hey, Chief of Staff. Did you confiscate their supplies? How much food do they have?”

“Just one day’s worth of barley and one day’s worth of hardtack [a type of military biscuit].”

“Enough food for 400 people for two days. Considering half of it is hardtack, Count Azadin’s main force must be quite close.”

It was enough food to operate without much resupply.

“Ah, yes, a messenger from Count Azadin’s side has arrived.”

“A messenger? Already?”

“Yes. They’re asking us not to kill the prisoners and to release them.”

“What? Are they crazy? Why would we agree to that?”

“They said they’d give us two days’ worth of fodder and oats for a hundred horses if we do. They’re asking us not to execute the prisoners, without needing to return them.”

“………”

They’re offering additional food to spare the prisoners’ lives. This means that Count Azadin’s forces have plenty of food and that he cares for his subordinates.

He must be able to afford such generosity, having seized the wealthy granary region, the Chadra Plateau.

It was a proposal that wouldn’t hurt to accept, but Gislain didn’t like Azadin’s relaxed attitude.

“He’s playing tricks. It seems like he wants to negotiate ransoms, but ransoms only apply to noble commanders. There’s no reason to accept his request to spare all the soldiers and prisoners for such a small amount of money. Hey, kill all the prisoners and hang them at the crossroads. I’ll make him regret trying to bargain with me.”

“……”

“Why? What are you staring at? Don’t you know how to kill prisoners?”

“No, it’s just that the person who came as a messenger is Prince Sram. Wouldn’t it be better to meet him and talk?”

“What? Sram was sent as a messenger?”

Prince Gislain was shocked by those words. Sending Prince Sram, who was being held hostage, as a messenger? What was he thinking?

“I’ve heard rumors that he’s crazy, but it seems he’s truly insane.”

“Shall we ignore him and kill the prisoners?”

“No, no. This makes me want to hear what he has to say. Let’s meet Sram.”

Gislain decided to meet Sram.

*********

“He’s crazy.”

Prince Sram, who had entered Gislain’s tent, stated bluntly.

“I don’t know what Count Azadin is thinking. He’s completely insane. Even now. Sending me as a messenger.”

“So, you haven’t been won over by Count Azadin? Are you going to escape this opportunity and join our side?”

Prince Gislain and Sram were half-brothers.

They were brothers by blood, but they were practically strangers, having grown up in different families, in their mothers’ relatives’ homes.

Gislain was older, but due to the long lifespans of the Yaegas, the order of seniority wasn’t determined by just a year or two. While seniority was a principle of the King’s Church, it only applied to siblings who shared the same mother and father.

“Hmm. I don’t know about that. What if I asked you to put me on the front lines to wash away the humiliation of being captured? And give me some soldiers?”

“I wouldn’t trust you.”

Prince Gislain stated firmly.

It was well-known that Prince Sram had rebelled against Bishop Akenar, but the King had taken Princess Hawol of Chitai from Akenar, and then abandoned her when he grew tired of her.

If Prince Sram came as a messenger for Count Azadin, it was possible that he had switched sides. It was impossible not to suspect that. Count Azadin wasn’t a fool, so he wouldn’t have sent someone as a messenger who might run away at any moment.

If he entrusted a unit to such a person, it would be a fatal loss if they were taken away.

They only had about 100 soldiers, and if even one squad of 10 men were to rebel, or even just lead their troops in the wrong direction, it would be a loss of 10% of their total force.

‘But this could also be a scheme by Count Azadin. Since a battle has broken out here, he might be trying to stay here while negotiating for prisoners. We need to advance to the outskirts of Coxhall as the vanguard until the King and the rest of the forces gather, but we’re stuck here. Is he planning to have a battle here?’

Prince Gislain recalled the terrain in the vicinity. The temperature had dropped and then risen again due to the light of the King’s Aura, causing the snow to melt slightly, creating some muddy areas, but it wasn’t enough to hinder the cavalry’s movement.

Overall, it was a wide, flat plain, a good place for a battle, and battles were usually decided by the knights’ abilities.

Since Count Azadin’s army was unlikely to have many knights, the Arangi Kingdom would have the advantage in a battle.

‘It doesn’t seem like he’s trying to make this the battlefield. But I can’t act rashly.’

Prince Gislain, the commander of the vanguard, couldn’t move his troops excessively on his own. Should they wait here for reinforcements? Or should they boldly advance to the outskirts of Coxhall?

Should they accept Prince Sram and have him serve as a commander? But what if he took his troops and ran away or rebelled?

Should they keep him as a staff officer? What if he attacks me, the commander?

A mere border count, a soulless heretic, is offering a ransom for a commoner commander, but if the Arangi Kingdom, which didn’t even pay the ransom for a prince, suspects and imprisons its own flesh and blood, wouldn’t that be a disgrace?

It was a situation where nothing seemed to work because they didn’t know what Azadin was thinking. Everything was unsettling.

“Sram, are your subordinates with Count Azadin’s army?”

“Yes.”

“Not coming with you? If we attack Coxhall, will they respond to us?”

“If you let me serve, there’s a high chance they’ll respond. But if you take me prisoner or keep me by your side under surveillance, wouldn’t they all be disappointed?”

As Sram said that, a mocking laugh was heard.

“Haha. They refuse to pay the ransom for a prince of their own blood… That’s what they call a difference in character.”

The refugee unit commander, whose finger had been broken by Prince Gislain, mocked the Arangi Kingdom.

It was a problem caused by Prince Gislain’s army camping in the field without separating their tents. Since they were meeting the messenger in Prince Gislain’s tent, the refugee unit commander, who had just been tortured, had overheard the conversation between Prince Sram and Prince Gislain and burst out laughing.

Prince Gislain glared at the refugee unit commander, whose finger had been broken.

“You dare to insult the King of Arangi?”

“But it’s the truth, isn’t it?”

The Arangi Kingdom refused to pay the ransom for Prince Sram, but Azadin offered a ransom even for a commoner commander.

That difference would have a huge impact on the soldiers’ morale.

“So, is that why you’re loyal to Count Azadin…”

“No, what loyalty…”

“What?”

He was a man who didn’t even flinch when his finger was broken, when he was beaten and threatened. And yet, he says it’s not loyalty?

“Actually, I don’t know our commander very well either. I don’t get it.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“It’s true. He’s called a soulless heretic, right? I have no idea what he’s thinking. Originally, our group was even planning to kill him and get rid of him. But he’s offering a ransom for me, a commoner, and even offering you valuable food and fodder right now. I’m always surprised.”

“………”

Prince Gislain turned to Prince Sram. Prince Sram shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know either. I have no idea what he’s thinking.”

“He’s resorting to tricks because he can’t gain support otherwise. Yes, that must be it. A member of the messenger clan has taken the title of Count, so it must be difficult just to hold onto that position. He must have had no choice but to resort to tricks.”

Prince Gislain was cruel and arrogant, but he wasn’t a fool.

The fact that everyone was saying they didn’t understand Azadin meant that Azadin’s goals were so great and his means of achieving them, his ways of gaining support, were so limited that he had to resort to such measures.

“So, are you going to ignore his tricks and fight head-on? Kill all the prisoners and fight?”

“No. I won’t kill the prisoners.”

Originally, Prince Gislain had planned to kill all the prisoners and advance to the outskirts of Coxhall.

However, if the Arangi Kingdom didn’t even pay the ransom for Prince Sram and then killed the prisoners, their reputation would be severely damaged.

Of course, Prince Gislain’s current army was made up entirely of veteran soldiers, so their morale wouldn’t be lowered by such a thing.

However, what if Count Azadin tried to win them over when the battle was close? Then the situation would be different.

“Hmm. But then are we going to manage all these prisoners? Aren’t there too many?”

“Most of them are dead or have escaped, and we’ve only captured 50 prisoners. Of course, if we feed them or keep them as prisoners, we’ll have to put in the effort to manage them…”

As Gislain said that, a messenger rushed into the tent.

“Prince Gislain! It’s a disaster! A disaster!”

“What disaster is it?”

“Ah, well, that’s…”

The messenger was wary of the eyes and ears of Prince Sram and the captured refugee commander.

“…Alright.”

Prince Gislain followed the messenger out of the tent.

The sky was dark, and he could suddenly feel the cold.

Was the light of the King’s Aura gone?

No, it wasn’t.

The north, which he was looking at, was filled with a warm aura, and the sunlight was shining gently in the sky.

Only this area, the vicinity of their campsite, was getting colder.

“What’s going on?”

“The supply unit has been attacked. Count Azadin’s hippogriffs [mythical creatures with the body of a horse and the wings and head of an eagle] attacked the supply unit and stole the supplies.”

“…What?”

The vanguard unit had come without carrying much supplies to keep their bodies light. Because they needed essential cold-weather gear such as tents and sleeping bags due to the cold weather, the amount of food and fodder that the combat unit could carry was extremely small.

And Count Azadin had cut off that supply unit.

‘Well, it’s not like we’ll die from going hungry for a day or two. But…’

The sky was darkening, and the temperature was starting to drop.

It was as if Count Azadin was manipulating the light of the King’s Aura to control the weather, pushing the cold to one side.

‘No, that can’t be. Is that soulless heretic really the master of the light of the King’s Aura? That can’t be.’

Gislain shook off a slight unease that felt like he was clutching his chest and ordered his soldiers to strengthen their defenses.

And that night, a blizzard engulfed Prince Gislain’s camp.