The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 389

Even though he seemed to be filling his belly with alcohol rather than food, Astadeer was still alive, proving that the Yaehgas royal family was indeed robust.

Jekt watched Astadeer with a pathetic look, ordered his subordinates to clean up, and then confronted the clergy of the Relief Knights.

“The King’s Church has declared his statements heretical and made it public. The problem is that he belongs to the Relief Knights, so no matter how much our church designates him as a heretic, if the Relief Knights protect him, it will be ineffective, wouldn’t it? If the Relief Knights are protecting him, that is.”

“Actually, the higher-ups have already summoned him to the Disciplinary Committee again.”

“Summoned to the Disciplinary Committee?”

Just the Disciplinary Committee?

He almost said that.

“We have done our best. However, King Arangi declared war on him, and he is using that as an excuse not to attend the Disciplinary Committee.”

“…….”

A field commander during wartime does not have to attend the Disciplinary Committee. This is a matter of course.

It was unlikely that the Relief Knights would not know this and still summon Azadin to the Disciplinary Committee….

‘They’re afraid.’

The Relief Knights were also afraid of the rising power of Count Azadin.

And if Count Azadin were to defeat even King Arangi this time, they would withdraw the Disciplinary Committee as if it had never happened.

They opened the Disciplinary Committee because they were mindful of the King’s Church, but since Azadin was skillfully defending himself, they had done their part. They were saying that and stepping back with their hands behind their backs.

“If the Disciplinary Committee is not working, are you just going to wait? Even though the rightful King of Arangi is at war with him?”

“Of course, if either King Arangi or Count Azadin asks us to mediate this battle, we will step in and mediate. However, the war between kings and nobles is originally the business of the King’s Church, and the Relief Knights are to provide relief to the people who suffer in the process. Isn’t that our original role?”

“So, even if Count Azadin spouts heretical nonsense, you’re saying that we should handle his punishment ourselves. That’s what it sounds like to me.”

“Oh, no, that’s not it. We want to help you actively. But excommunicating a count is not something I can decide on my own, and since we are in the middle of a battle, there is nothing we can do. It’s also impossible to raise troops to support the Kingdom of Arangi without formally excommunicating him. The situation is not favorable, so we are just watching with our feet tapping in frustration.”

In any case, it was King Arangi and the King’s Church who were getting worked up, not the Relief Knights. They were saying that in the most sophisticated way possible.

“Actually, haven’t we helped you? Coxhall is already in Count Azadin’s territory, and if you had gone by ship, you might have sunk….”

“Huh?”

Jekt’s eyebrows shot up as he listened.

They had gone too far with their words.

The Relief Knights were saying that they were trying to help the King’s Church, that they were helping them, but it was more like a demonstration, and it was an insulting remark that could not be overlooked.

But then….

Astadeer, who had finished vomiting, grabbed Jekt’s shoulder.

“Sir Jekt. Calm down. We need their help. They are helping as much as they can.”

“…Ugh.”

Jekt groaned as he saw Astadeer’s hand, still smelling of vomit, touch his cloak.

He nonchalantly wiped his hand and said,

“We will move by land and hunt down those damned Messenger Clan. I would like you to provide the necessary supplies.”

“Ah, supplies, you say? Yes, of course, as a sign of friendship with the King’s Church.”

“Thank you.”

Astadeer skillfully ended the conversation between the two, which could have turned into a battle of pride.

“Let’s rest today and depart by land as soon as the supplies are ready. How long do you think it will take?”

“Well, it’s not something that can be prepared so easily.”

“Is that so? Then, we have some unavoidable free time. I wonder what the taste of the liquor around here is like.”

“…….”

Was he going to drink again? After just throwing up?

But no one could argue with Astadeer.

“Then I’ll be at the tavern in the meantime. Sir Jekt.”

“Understood, Sir Astadeer. Please be careful. The end times are coming, and the hands of heresy are hidden everywhere, so you never know what might pop out.”

“Haha. If that puts an end to this sinful life, that would be good too.”

“It seems that the liquor will put an end to you first, Sir Astadeer.”

Jekt took off the cloak that Astadeer’s hand had touched and said with a frown.

“That’s why I’m drinking. I’ve suffered an indignity that I can’t look up to the sky, so I should commit suicide, and this liquor is my suicide poison. Hahaha.”

Astadeer asked the Relief Knights where a good tavern was nearby and walked away to drink again.

*********

While Astadeer was spending his time drinking, Jekt began to move busily.

He contacted the King’s Church in the Visen region and began to recruit volunteers among the believers.

Of course, most of them were just refugees with no food or jobs, but by recruiting these people and increasing the number of troops, he could consume a large amount of the supplies that the Relief Knights had promised to provide.

And with this increased number, he would strike the rear of Count Azadin.

If they attacked Count Azadin from the north, who was forming a front line with the Kingdom of Arangi in the south, Azadin’s forces would be dispersed, being attacked from both the north and south.

“We, we did promise to supply food….”

The clergyman, who had been dragged along by Astadeer and was drinking with him, was flustered to see Jekt’s army, which had grown in a short period of time.

In just two days, Jekt had increased the number of troops to 20 Holy Knights of the King’s Church and 100 refugee soldiers.

They were going to need five times more supplies than they had predicted.

“Will it really be helpful to take these people? They haven’t even had any formal training. Even if they just march to Coxhall, half of the troops will melt away.”

Most of the refugees had no military experience. They were even illiterate, making it difficult to train them.

It was a common-sense question that even just marching with them would cause the troops to melt away, let alone fight.

Wasn’t he just forcibly increasing the numbers to cause trouble for the Relief Knights because he was annoyed?

But Jekt, as if mocking the clergyman’s concerns, said,

“All units, left face!”

Under Jekt’s command, all the refugees repeated Jekt’s command and turned to the left in unison.

“Huh?”

The Relief Knights’ clergymen were wide-eyed at their unexpected movements.

They were too quick and sharp for peasants who usually couldn’t even distinguish between their right and left hands, especially considering they had only been taught for a single day.

No, they were even sharper than elite soldiers.

“Half spear distance!”

The refugee soldiers were holding wooden spears made by carving wood, not proper iron spears, and under Jekt’s command, they held their spears and briefly laid them down to the side, securing half the distance of the spear.

“Raise spears!”

The wooden spears all pointed forward, like sharp teeth. It was perfect.

There was a series of flawless movements that were so perfect that it was doubtful if there could be a more perfect army.

“Set spears! One spear distance!”

The refugee soldiers raised their spears and then laid them down again, spreading out in unison, this time to a distance that was good for wielding one spear.

At this point, they could be considered the best elite soldiers in the world.

‘N-no way. Wait a minute?’

The Relief Knights’ clergyman saw that the refugees’ faces were full of fear.

And he noticed that the veins in the necks of the five-man squad leaders were bulging, as if they had grown an extra tendon, and their eyes were bloodshot.

‘He cast a spell? H-has he gone mad?’

‘Even though the end times are coming, has he thrown away even the minimum of decency? This beastly bastard!’

‘B-but what kind of spell did he use? How did he make those illiterate peasants like this in such a short time?’

The clergyman was shocked by what Jekt had done.

The inquisitors of the King’s Church were more skilled than any evil sorcerers.

They were the ones who had studied heresy the most because they were hunting heretics, and they originally had bloodlines close to demigods.

But until then, there was at least a minimum of decorum.

The demigod bloodline, the noble inquisitors of the King’s Church, could not openly use sorcery.

But Jekt was openly using sorcery. Whether it was because the end times were coming, because Pymbulbert was coming, and he had taken off his mask, or whether Jekt was originally radical, he didn’t know.

One thing was clear: the power of this tremendous magic. Its effect was terrifying.

‘If he can transform ignorant farmers into elite soldiers in an instant….’

‘It’s scary. Are there more like this in the King’s Church?’

The King’s Church had lost a lot of face recently, but the talents of the King’s Church could never be ignored. The Relief Knights watched Jekt’s show of force, sweating profusely.

“It seems like you have some good advice….”

Jekt finished his show of force and turned to the clergyman of the Relief Knights.

“I’m happy to listen. Please, speak.”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”

“So, the supplies? How long will it take to prepare for departure? If it takes a long time, I think I’ll keep gathering refugees. If the numbers increase further, it will be difficult to maintain military discipline. As you know, they are… like that, aren’t they?”

“……….”

If you keep dragging your feet and look down on us, you don’t know what kind of accident will happen.

Jekt fearlessly used Nether’s sorcery and threatened the Relief Knights’ clergyman.

The longer it took, the more Jekt’s troops would increase, and the more people would be under the spell.

It would also be burdensome if these creatures, who were already like monsters, were stationed in the city.

“I will prepare it by tonight.”

“Really? Is that possible? I’m worried that I’m making you overdo it.”

Jekt feigned ignorance.

‘You could have done it from the start, but you were dragging your feet. You have to show them a taste of their own medicine. Anyway, this will put that arrogant Messenger Clan bastard in a corner.’

Until now, Azadin had been on a winning streak since becoming the Margrave of Naisandokar, but this time it would not be easy.

Suddenly, Jekt realized that he was enjoying this situation.

“No way….”

Jekt shook his head, denying the emotion that had risen within him.