The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 420

“You wanted the warm lands of the south, right? I’ll give them to you. I’ll make this Bissen province a march [a border territory] and appoint you as the Margrave here.”

“You mean you’re giving me a land that’s about to be abandoned?”

Agileia, the master of the Telbarin Guild, seemed taken aback.

Could it be that she didn’t expect Azadin to so adamantly refuse intermarriage with the elves?

“Yes. It’s a land with mines and ironworks. We’re withdrawing because of Pymbulbert, but its value is definitely not low. You’ll need to do more than just lend me five ships; you’ll need to be helpful in the future.”

In fact, offering Bissen was a very unconventional proposal for Azadin as well.

The iron ore and iron products from the Bissen province accounted for half of the royal revenue of the Banlung Kingdom.

Even if it was difficult to manage Bissen right now, it was a land that should never be handed over to anyone else, considering the future. Of course, Azadin’s top priority was surviving the immediate threat of Pymbulbert…

A normal king would never offer such a valuable asset.

Yet, Agileia’s reaction was lukewarm.

It wasn’t so much that she wasn’t showing her liking, but rather that her desire for the warm southern lands didn’t align with Azadin’s approach.

Merchants prefer profits, not becoming nobles who directly manage territories.

Rights like mining or exclusive sales are always profitable, no matter the situation.

Even if those rights are temporarily suspended due to war or disaster, they quickly recover afterward, generating enormous wealth when the economy grows.

On the other hand, directly managing a territory means taking on the responsibilities that come with it.

If someone invades the territory and starts a war, the Telbarin Guild would have to empty their own pockets to counter the threat, hiring expensive mercenaries and adventurers to handle and resolve various problems and disputes that arise in the territory.

However, giving the territory of Bissen also meant giving the mining rights of Bissen, which made it an enticing prospect for the Telbarin Guild, even if they knew it was a poisoned chalice.

“Hmm. You’re really making an easy path difficult. It seems like it would be better to just get married. Alright, considering the aftermath of Pymbulbert, it doesn’t seem like a bad deal.”

“Good. That’s settled then. Prepare the ships and evacuate the people to Banlung. I’ll return to Banlung immediately with a small group of people.”

“Pardon?”

Agileia doubted her ears.

“I’m entrusting the evacuation here to the Telbarin Guild. Evacuate the people.”

“Wait a minute, Your Majesty. So, you mean…”

Was he saying that he would entrust the safety of civilians to the Telbarin Guild, known for being slave traders? Agileia asked again to confirm.

“Why? Surely you’re not thinking of killing and massacring the residents here, are you?”

“That’s not it, but…”

“Then it’s settled. I look forward to your performance.”

Azadin entrusted the evacuation of residents from the Bissen province to the Telbarin Guild, and he immediately decided to set off with his closest aides.

The elves were definitely up to something, and it was clear that they were involved in the assassination of the King of Arangi. However, they would also be helpful in saving the civilians.

*********

When Azadin returned to Banlung, reports sent by Seraph and Indim had arrived.

Camilla and the werewolves had assassinated Count Ibechek and attacked Sandokar with a werewolf army, attempting to annihilate everyone.

The initial report stated there were about 100 werewolves, but Indim and Seraph counted about 70.

Even so, 70 werewolves were a force capable of threatening a kingdom.

In other words, Camilla’s rebellion was a terrible threat that could have swept through the County of Sandokar.

However, at that moment, Lord Sok’s Pymbul Horde appeared and began to help Sandokar.

Camilla’s werewolves fought Lord Sok’s Pymbul Horde with terrifying power, using wild magic to summon spirits.

The Shade Hags also spoke directly and fought against the Pymbul Horde.

However, the Pymbul Horde, being undead, charged fearlessly even when their bodies were broken and their souls shattered. Despite suffering heavy losses, they eventually defeated Camilla. Camilla and her younger brother, Kuntachi, fled with injuries, having lost their werewolf forces.

Seraph and Indim continued to pursue Camilla, but her trail led deep into the remote forests of Naisandokar, making further pursuit difficult, so they reported their return.

The County of Sandokar began its own post-war processing, and Ibechek’s eldest son, Sevron, fully inherited Sandokar’s castle, forces, and supplies, requesting Azadin’s approval to succeed the family.

“So, considering Camilla’s sudden betrayal, the damage isn’t that great. Thanks to Lord Sok…”

Azadin frowned upon hearing about Lord Sok’s actions.

Lord Sok was cooperating with Azadin, but he was a mad necromancer who controlled the undead and insisted that humans should be turned into undead to overcome Pymbulbert.

‘Honestly, I thought he would be the one to betray me first.’

Azadin had the Wendigo dagger that Lord Sok wanted, but he hadn’t given it to him.

So, wouldn’t Lord Sok try to take the Wendigo dagger if he revealed his true colors?

He was thinking about that when Camilla suddenly killed Count Ibechek and attacked Sandokar, trying to take it for herself. The world was full of unpredictable events.

“Yes. We were able to minimize the damage thanks to Lord Sok. Of course, Lord Sok’s army arrived four days after Sandokar had been fighting Camilla on its own, so many people died in Sandokar…”

Jibek, who had managed Banlung in Azadin’s absence, trailed off.

Even now, many refugees were flocking to Azadin’s lands.

Thanks to that, it wasn’t difficult to replenish the soldiers by absorbing refugees from various places.

In fact, the more soldiers died, the easier it became to manage.

Because there were fewer mouths to feed.

Although a great number of people died in Sandokar, the practical benefit of having fewer mouths to feed outweighed the sadness.

It shouldn’t be like that, but Jibek, who had temporarily taken over the management of Banlung from Azadin, could feel the hollowness around his eyes, which had recently disappeared, deepening again.

‘Is King Azadin enduring this pain without showing it?’

He doesn’t refuse the refugees who come and creates jobs for them.

It’s easy to say, but it’s something that can’t be done while being sane.

Just looking at the amount of grain distributed to the refugee soldiers every week makes his hands and feet tremble.

Jibek’s hair was turning gray just from being the acting king for a short time, but Azadin was enduring this terrible management with only his conviction, without showing any pain.

“How is the transfer of the clergy going?”

Azadin had left Jibek with a task when he left Banlung.

It was to replace the clergy of the King’s Church.

He had tasked Jibek with replacing the clergy in the dioceses with those who recognized Azadin’s new medicine and confiscating the food they had hoarded.

Jibek, who was originally a devout holy knight of the King’s Church, knew the habits of the church well.

“Yes, we were able to confiscate a considerable amount of food. However, since there are no warehouses, we are storing it in the monasteries and church buildings, but at least the ownership on the books has been changed to the kingdom’s name.”

In addition to replacing the church’s clergy with new medicine clergy, they could also gain practical benefits. Thanks to this win-win strategy, the existing followers and clergy of the King’s Church were furious with Azadin, but…

By revealing that the church had been hoarding food, the people had no choice but to support Azadin.

Hoarding was a matter of life and death for the residents who had to buy food in the city, so the fact that the clergy had engaged in hoarding provided Azadin with a good excuse to punish them.

“Good. This gives us some breathing room. But did you do an actual inspection? Even if the church says they built warehouses to store it there, rats and pests will eat it all up.”

“We did an actual inspection. Surprisingly, rats aren’t that big of a problem. We have these.”

Jibek showed a wire snare.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a rat trap. It’s a dwarf invention.”

It was a device with a spring connected to a wire, so when released, the snare part would snap shut. People would stick it into sewers or gaps in furniture and activate it to catch rats.

People, who had become malnourished, were voluntarily going around catching rats, to the point where they were almost extinct.

“Why did she betray us at this timing? Scott, what do you think?”

Azadin asked the mage Scott for advice.

But Scott’s condition was strange.

“Krr. Slurp.”

“………”

Scott was sleeping in his sleeping bag in the royal court. He was smacking his lips, wondering what kind of dream he was having.

“Scott.”

“Huh?! Ah. Boss. You’re here?”

“I greeted you a while ago. What are you doing now?”

“Ah. I was trying to minimize calorie consumption, and I just…”

“………”

Since he was an orc who ate twice as much food as others, Scott’s reputation was also deteriorating.

He was already an orc with a bad reputation for being arrogant.

Under Pymbulbert, orcs like Scott were being criticized by people as those who wasted food. Other orcs, who were not mages like Scott, also had jobs such as bankers, moneylenders, and brokers, so their reputation among the people was not good.

Robber gangs were rampant, targeting orcs, stealing their property, and even taking their lives.

“A member of the witch coven knows the coven well. Boss, I’ve secured a midwife nearby.”

“A midwife?”

“A witch doctor. Compared to me, she uses crude magic, but wild magic often produces strange results, with more output than input. It’s probably the result of sacrificing spirits or souls…”

“So, what did the midwife say? Let’s get to the point.”

“This midwife says she talks to the hags every night through the kitchen stove. The hags, who taught her magic and how to heal children, whisper to her. They say that if she assassinates King Azadin, this harsh winter will end, and the great ancient spirits will reward her with unimaginable rewards.”

“………”

In other words, the wild magic forces have also declared Azadin a public enemy.

Azadin smiled bitterly.

“That’s too much.”

Those who see visions of destruction and the followers of wild magic also considered Azadin an enemy. And according to the Telbarin Guild, even in the Kurt Pantheon… everyone was defining Azadin as an enemy.

“Well, if they had any sense, they would know that you are the real king.”

“I wish that were the case.”

Azadin had a bad feeling.