The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 469

It was one thing for Garasan, who wouldn’t accept a position even when kings and nobles begged him, to join Azadin’s ranks. But the fact that the local magistrates and governors willingly handed over their seals was a huge shock to the Northern Empire.

The Northern Empire had been working on Chitai for a very long time.

To achieve their ambition, securing Chitai, which provided access by land, was paramount.

However, the kings of Chitai had used the Northern Empire’s desperate desire to extract as much as possible, never seriously considering their requests.

They had formed a northern alliance and placed Cohen, the king of Eosander, as its leader, but even that empty honor was only obtained by spending a vast amount of money.

The kings of Chitai would not allow even an inch of land to fall into the hands of the Northern Empire beyond that honor.

As kings, that was a natural outcome.

Therefore, the Northern Empire had considered attacking Chitai several times, but just as Eosander was an impregnable fortress, the Changgok Pass in Chitai was also an impregnable fortress. If Eosander were to attack, the damage would be immense.

The sea route was open, but naval battles cost much more than land battles.

So, the Northern Empire couldn’t do anything about Chitai and was desperately trying to win them over, but suddenly, a guy popped up, someone of much humbler origins than themselves, and quickly took over Chitai.

It was infuriating.

“But with this, the fate of the Azadin army is sealed.”

The Northern Emperor spoke confidently.

The Northern Empire had sent a signal to Azadin, saying, ‘I cannot officially hold talks with you, so let’s negotiate behind the scenes.’ Azadin, taking this as an insult, began building ships in Seocheong to subdue the Northern Empire.

Even in peacetime, building ships and training a navy to engage in naval battles takes a long time. It was even more so during this famine and harsh winter.

With Sebalhan fallen and Nether creatures constantly appearing behind the Azadin army, building ships in Seocheong would only waste food, supplies, and manpower.

“It doesn’t matter if he takes the bait or not. If he takes the bait and tries to wage war, it will tarnish Azadin’s military glory. If he doesn’t take the bait and comes to the King’s Church with a low profile, it will be clear who holds the power in the entire Hybris continent. I did this with that in mind, and the best possible outcome has been achieved.”

For the Northern Emperor, Azadin gathering his army in anger was the best-case scenario.

The Northern Emperor was convinced that Azadin was destroying himself.

It pained him that Azadin had swallowed Chitai, but that was likely the peak of Azadin’s power.

“We will gather a fleet and send envoys to Karasar and Tarasar to strengthen our alliance in preparation for his downfall.”

“Understood.”

The vassals were relieved by the Northern Emperor’s confident attitude.

They had been feeling uneasy about the Azadin army, which had quickly advanced north after seizing Chitai, but the king, the Northern Emperor, had explained to his ministers why it was a path to Azadin’s self-destruction, reassuring them.

Now, they only needed to reaffirm their alliance with Tarasar and Karasar and prepare to strike when the Azadin army weakened.

*********

Prince Kalintz, who had been severely injured while protecting the Fire Glyph against the rampaging Wisdom Cult and could no longer handle state affairs, became a cleric of the Courage Cult and declared that his followers in the Northern Aragasa should help Azadin.

The Northern Aragasa’s wish, or rather, his subordinates who simply liked Prince Kalintz more than the Northern Empire’s wish, willingly followed Prince Kalintz’s will and defected to Azadin.

They informed Azadin about the secrets of Eosander and the paths leading to the ancient elven cities.

The problem was that most of them were deployed in the south fighting the Nagas, so they wouldn’t be able to arrive until the season changed, no matter how fast they moved.

Azadin had received guidance on the paths through words, documents, and drawings, but it was not easy to navigate unfamiliar territory with just that.

However, in that situation, Azadin had found an excellent guide, and that was…

*********

“Your Majesty, is this really okay?”

Jibek asked Azadin as he followed him.

“Garasan and his disciples, the scholars, are quite skilled. We can trust them.”

“They just joined our army. Moreover…”

Jibek said, looking ahead.

The underground of Eosander, which was entirely a hot spring area, was filled with the poisonous fumes of sulfur.

And around it, glowing mushrooms, empowered by magic, grew, illuminating the surroundings.

It was the old elven city of Eosander and the underground passage that allowed them to infiltrate Eosander.

Azadin was entering directly through the old elven underground city, not by land.

“Shhh, be quiet.”

At the head of the group was Damil Etar.

She was Sion Etar’s new wife and one of the envoys sent by the Northern Aragasa.

Azadin was using her as a guide to infiltrate the interior, avoiding border defenses, through the old elven city and the underground passage of Eosander.

“You must be careful. This place is an elven city, but it is also a magical realm where the magic of the ancient Nether [a dark, chaotic realm] used by the elves remains intact. Look at those glowing mushrooms. All sorts of monsters roam around, and even demons are said to appear.”

“So I’ve heard.”

Sion Etar, with a pale face, echoed his wife’s words.

“But even if she is my wife, isn’t it too trusting to believe her right away?”

“Rather than trusting… if the Northern Aragasa predicted that I would use your wife as a guide to infiltrate Eosander through the old elven underground passage, then whatever happens is my fault, isn’t it? If they can predict my actions to that extent, it’s only polite to let them succeed.”

“That’s true, but it might be better not to say that ‘it’s only polite to let them succeed’ when other vassals are around.”

At that moment, Damil Etar drew her bow.

The veins in her arm pulsed as the bowstring trembled.

With a terrifying sound, an arrow flew and pierced the mushrooms ahead. Then, a large mass fell from what had appeared to be just mushrooms, writhing.

A huge insect, camouflaged, fell to the ground and squirmed.

However, the insect that fell suddenly began to rub its hind legs against its body, making a terrible noise.

It seemed that the sound-producing organ was attached to its legs, and a tremendous roar spread, causing insects to move from all directions.

“This is bad. We’ve been detected by the insects.”

“Is it bad? The sound those insects make when they are attacked is usually…”

“Yes. It’s a warning. The insects of the same species have fled. But their predators will appear.”

Indeed, soon after, the insects’ predators appeared. Surprisingly, they were Nagas.

However, these Nagas had mushrooms growing on their heads.

“These are Nagas who were caught in the elves’ self-destruction while attacking them in the past and ended up like this. Moreover, if you get too close to them and get poisoned by the spores…”

“It’s okay.”

Azadin said nonchalantly.

Azadin’s retainers, Jibek and Niselda, stepped forward. Niselda clicked her heels and kicked off the ground, her figure shooting out like a gale, leaving behind a mist.

The half-vampire Niselda’s sword attacked the Nagas, and Jibek used divine magic to attack the approaching Nagas.

Especially, each time Jibek’s divine magic exploded, the holy power effectively detonated and blew away the mushrooms embedded in the Nagas’ heads.

Spores flew, but the half-vampire Niselda, transformed into mist, rotated around Azadin, blocking the approaching spores.

Azadin also wielded his golden ceramite longsword, Aurelia Dawn, and flames streaked through the air, burning the flying spores and detonating them in mid-air.

-Kwakwakwakwang!

Earth-shattering explosions continued.

And Azadin brushed off the flying embers and moved forward.

“Step aside, mushrooms. We are just passing through. You should also eat easier nutrients rather than trying to eat hard-to-digest nutrients and sacrificing yourselves. Let us pass!”

“But will they understand…”

Sion Etar was dumbfounded as he watched Azadin talk to the mushrooms, but suddenly, the entire body of the mushrooms in this underground passage began to glow simultaneously.

“Huh?”

A Naga with a mushroom embedded in its head appeared in front of Azadin.

The Naga, with mushrooms sprouting not only on its head but all over its body, opened its mouth.

“We are the ones who exist at the end of all cycles of this land. You too must be eaten by us and become part of the cycle.”

“Do you think you have defeated us with this level of attack? We are constantly spreading throughout this underground passage, and this is only a small loss for us.”

“You will eventually have to enter the great cycle.”

The mushrooms were saying that.

Everyone was bewildered when Azadin spoke.

“So, if the cycle is so great and inescapable, we will enter it someday. There’s no need to rush it now, is there? If the cycle you speak of is a great loop, we will surely enter it someday, and there’s no reason it has to be today. Let us pass. I don’t want to engage in any more pointless fighting.”

“……”

Was it because they were persuaded by Azadin’s words?

The Nagas with mushrooms embedded in their heads retreated.

“….”

“How did you know?”

“Not just those Nagas, but all the mushrooms here are part of a huge collective. I have a very unique eye, so I can tell right away.”

Azadin currently had eyes, but he still possessed the super-vision he had when he didn’t have eyes. So, Azadin could see clearly even behind him and knew that these mushrooms were connected as one through a special spiritual link.

“I have heard of Your Majesty’s great reputation, but it seems that the rumors do not even come close to Your Majesty’s true nature.”

Damil Etar was deeply impressed by Azadin’s ability to persuade the mushroom collective to retreat.

“You’re saying all sorts of things. Well then, shall we go out and meet the Northern Aragasa and the elves?”

“……”

The faces of the subordinates, who had been impressed by Azadin’s ability to persuade even the mushroom collective, darkened again.

“Why, as a king, are you going into the heart of enemy territory?”

“Because that’s the only way to persuade them.”

“Pardon?”

“If I can’t persuade them, I’ll have to kill them, and I want to avoid that.”

“……”

Damil Etar, who was seeing Azadin for the first time, was at a loss for words, her mouth agape in bewilderment.