The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 416

As Prince Sram had pointed out, Azadin needed the throne of Arangi.

If Azadin were to manifest the light of kingship on the Arangi throne as well, his fame would skyrocket, and the other kings would lose their legitimacy.

Even if that weren’t the case, if Azadin were to subdue Saint Mallory, the Kingdom of Arangi, connected by land, would become a crucial route for his expansion.

However, it wasn’t something he could easily obtain just because he desired it.

Above all, he had to focus on subduing Bissen, a vassal state of the Banreung Kingdom, for the time being.

It would be reckless and foolish to embark on an external expedition without first managing his own affairs.

“What about the crown prince, the first in line to the throne?” Azadin asked.

“That would be Gryksval, the de facto leader of the Arangian Guard…” Prince Sram replied.

“What is Gryksval doing now? As the leader of the Arangian Guard, he should have been in a position to seize the royal palace easily,” Azadin mused.

If the prince, first in line to the throne, had control of the Arangian Guard, a succession battle would never have occurred.

The Arangian Guard, the capital’s premier royal guard, renowned throughout the Hybris continent as well as the Kingdom of Arangi, would have quickly reorganized the capital and stabilized the internal affairs if they had moved.

However, what followed was shocking.

“He fled with the queen. He disappeared on the same day the queen vanished, and considering that he took his belongings, assets, and loyal retainers with him, it’s highly likely to be a premeditated escape. If it were an assassination or kidnapping, his retainers wouldn’t have all disappeared on the same day,” Prince Sram explained.

“…” Azadin was taken aback and looked at Prince Sram.

Prince Sram, understanding the meaning of Azadin’s gaze, gave a wry smile.

He too had been ousted due to an affair with his stepmother, King Karnago IV.

“A father-son affair seems to be a tradition in Arangi. But I never imagined that my brother Gryksval would be involved with the queen,” Prince Sram said, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

“That’s quite a scandalous tradition, but isn’t it too convenient to dismiss it as just a tradition? Did the queen really run away with him? There are traces of the Spider Queen Atra on the corpse, aren’t there? Besides, Gryksval, or whatever his name is, was the captain of the Arangian Guard. It doesn’t seem likely that someone who is first in line to the throne would suddenly run off for love. If he really wanted to be with her, it would be much easier for him to become king and imprison her as a captive, wouldn’t it?” Azadin questioned, his brow furrowed.

If he had control of the Arangian Guard, the royal guard and the most elite unit of the Kingdom of Arangi, he would have had an advantageous position in the upcoming succession battle.

Rather than running away with the queen, who was the king’s murderer, he could have secured her and kept her imprisoned without executing her.

He could have enjoyed secret meetings with her while she was imprisoned.

“If you investigate this and sort out the situation, you’ll have even more justification when you claim the throne. What do you say? Should we head to Arangi right now?” Prince Sram suggested, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

“It’s absurd to turn back the troops without achieving our objective after setting out on an expedition,” Zekt interjected, his voice firm.

Zekt, eager to subdue Bissen, naturally opposed it, and what he said was also the standard of military strategy.

“We’ve come this far, so we’ll subdue Bissen first. Turning back the troops now would not only waste supplies but also exhaust the soldiers’ stamina,” Zekt argued.

Food, clothing, firewood, feed for the horses, and even the wood used to repair carts and the wool oil for lubricating axles—everything costs money during war.

Turning back an expeditionary force is not an easy decision. It’s not like they would give him the throne right away if he entered Arangi now, so they had to subdue the Bissen rebellion first.

“Yes, I understand,” Azadin conceded.

Prince Sram was well aware of the situation, so he didn’t insist on going to Arangi any further.

*********

Bissen received the news that their mountain fortress had been defeated so easily without much resistance.

After confirming that the Azadin army’s direction was not by waterway but by land through the mountainous region, Bissen immediately adjusted the placement of their fortress cannons.

They were preparing to turn the cannons, which had been positioned towards the waterway, towards the land route.

It was when they were moving ammunition for the artillery battle.

An arrow imbued with fire magic flew and struck a gunpowder barrel.

The explosion swept away many soldiers nearby, and cannons and ammunition were lost.

The Messenger Clan, who had infiltrated Bissen, had carried out a sabotage operation.

“Don’t overdo it, aim for the gunpowder,” Seraph instructed.

“Seriously. If we occupy this place, won’t those supplies be ours? Gunpowder is expensive… it’s a shame to burn it now,” Indim lamented.

Seraph said firmly, “If we don’t burn it now, we’ll have to pay for that gunpowder with the blood of our own soldiers. It’s a shame, but it’s better to burn it here.”

“Our soldiers. Do you think they consider us allies?” Indim asked, a hint of skepticism in his voice.

“In King Azadin’s army, they see us as allies,” Seraph replied.

“But what about the other Hybris people?” Indim pressed.

“If we give the position of messenger to others, as King Azadin says, our identity as the Messenger Clan will also be diluted,” Seraph explained.

“And what do we gain from that?” Indim questioned, his tone laced with concern.

“Our archery skills and the ‘Hwajo Pungwol’ [a legendary archery technique] grimoire won’t disappear. We’ll still be strong, and we have the capital we’ve accumulated, so we’ll thrive even among the Hybris people,” Seraph reassured him.

“That’s even worse. Someone with a good family background and a lot of wealth, like Zion Etar, can run a merchant guild and become even richer, but what about us? Won’t our chances of succeeding as messengers through our skills be blocked now?” Indim worried.

The selection of messengers can endanger the lives of young children due to excessive training, but it was also a ladder to success.

Even if a family was humble, being selected as a messenger could lead to a good marriage and becoming a member of one of the five great families.

However, if they gave the position of the Emperor’s messenger to others, the clan’s customs would change, and that wouldn’t be all good.

“You’re worrying about the distant future after surviving this chaos,” Seraph pointed out.

“This isn’t just a simple cooperation; it’s something that could cost us our lives, so of course, we have to worry about the future. I’m tired of doing good for others only to be abandoned,” Indim retorted, his voice tinged with bitterness.

Indim’s words made sense. It’s foolish to worry about the distant future, but what if you’re the one who has to shed blood for that distant future?

One must have a clear vision of the distant future to decide whether or not to shed blood.

“Azadin is trustworthy. Not because he inherited Lady Arael’s life, but because he is a trustworthy human being in his own right,” Seraph stated with conviction.

“Yes. He is trustworthy,” Indim agreed, his tone softening.

Even Indim, who always grumbled at Azadin, agreed that Azadin was a trustworthy person.

“But I’m not sure if even the vision he presents is trustworthy. Maybe he doesn’t fully believe it himself,” Seraph admitted, a hint of doubt in her voice.

“Let’s not worry about that… let’s focus on capturing Bissen first,” Indim said, trying to steer the conversation back to the present.

Seraph also somewhat agreed with Indim’s dissatisfaction. The integration of the Messenger Clan and the Hybris people that Azadin was advocating, was that really possible? Perhaps even Azadin himself didn’t think it would be easy.

*********

Bissen was in a state of chaos due to the Messenger Clan’s sabotage.

The explosion caused by the gunpowder igniting while moving gunpowder and cannons caused the city wall to collapse.

It didn’t completely collapse, but the gallery section above the wall, where defense could be carried out, was destroyed.

It had become a simple stone wall that couldn’t be used for archery, firearms, or catapults from above.

Such a stone wall wouldn’t last in battle. However, before they could even begin repairs, Azadin’s army appeared on the mountain path.

There were only about a hundred people. They were just a group of refugee soldiers whose equipment wasn’t in good condition, but they had already defeated Bissen’s elite pike musket unit without any losses, so Bissen’s soldiers were terrified.

‘Surely, they wouldn’t attack right now after crossing the mountain path, would they?’

‘But our walls are destroyed because of the gunpowder explosion, so aren’t they going to attack right away without waiting for us to repair them?’

Bissen’s soldiers trembled in fear that Azadin’s army would attack immediately.

At that moment, Azadin, riding a Kerim mountain goat shrouded in mist, stepped forward in front of the soldiers.

“I address the soldiers and officers of Bissen,” Azadin announced, his voice carrying across the battlefield.

When he stepped forward and opened his mouth, his voice, though seemingly soft, echoed loudly in the distance.

It was the magic of the messenger.

“If you surrender now, your rebellion will be overlooked, and your positions will remain the same. A monarch should punish rebellion severely, but I acknowledge that my lack of virtue has failed to inspire your trust, and I urge you to surrender. There is no need to shed pointless blood, is there?” Azadin declared, his tone calm yet firm.

In response to Azadin’s call for surrender, those who had been waiting with loud voices retorted.

“Don’t be ridiculous! You filthy Messenger Clan scum!”

“Soulless blasphemer! You vampire who sucks the blood of the divine kings! You usurped the throne and dare to act like a king, may you be punished by heaven!”

“You cowardly set fire to the gunpowder while we were moving it, and now you’re acting like you’re something special by calling for surrender! You’re shameless and disgusting!” they shouted, their voices filled with hatred.

From the soldiers’ perspective, Azadin’s words, that he didn’t want to shed pointless blood after sabotaging them, felt hypocritical.

“What are those guys?” one of Azadin’s soldiers muttered.

“Are they crazy and want to die?” another added, shaking his head in disbelief.

From the perspective of Azadin’s subordinates, it seemed that the rebels, who had betrayed the king, were not reflecting on their own mistakes and were only repeating words and actions that seemed like they had their guts hanging out.

However, Azadin was calm.

“That’s actually good. It seems that even the low-ranking soldiers haven’t been corrupted. They’re just human, aren’t they?” Azadin said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

For Azadin, the soldiers’ shouts were actually a good sign.

It meant that not everyone was affected by the blood of the crimson Celestial [a corrupted angel], the corrupted angel.

“Soldiers and officers of Bissen, listen! How pathetic is the rebellion you’ve raised!? When vampires took over the Banreung royal family and humiliated the people, you obediently complied, but now that we’re trying to subdue the vampires and restore the people, you’ve rebelled. What will you use to justify your actions this time?” Azadin challenged, his voice ringing with authority.

“…” The residents of Bissen began to waver.

What Azadin said was true.

It was Azadin who had pacified the night of Banreung, which was swarming with vampires.

Yet, those who had been as quiet as mice when vampires were rampant were now rebelling.

And it’s not like their opponent is weak.

It’s not something a sane person would do, to challenge the one who subdued the vampires when they were too scared to move when the vampires were around.

Even if there was hatred and disgust for the Messenger Clan, that alone wouldn’t be enough to rebel against Azadin.

“W-we have an angel! The angel proves our righteousness!” one of the rebels shouted, his voice trembling.

It was a truly pathetic excuse.

Instead of answering, Azadin gestured for Karna and Izmilla to come forward.

Karna and Izmilla, a pair of male and female Celestials, revealed their angelic wings.

Their appearance was so elegant and majestic that Bissen’s pathetic excuse was silenced.

It was obvious who looked more righteous and virtuous between the Celestials of Bissen, stained crimson with blood, and the executives of the Celestial Fire Knights, with their pure white wings, whom Azadin had brought.