The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 474

Azadin entered.

Everyone in the Northern Aragasa had already heard of Azadin’s reputation and all that he had accomplished in the South. Even if they tried not to, they couldn’t help but anticipate a scene from a grand heroic epic.

And the Azadin who entered now was fulfilling their expectations.

The Eyes of Harkonia he received from Araiel, his captivating looks and kingly bearing, and his well-trained physique.

All of it combined to create a heroic and beautiful figure that any Aragasa would be captivated by.

They were all saddened by the fact that such a beautiful hero was suffering from illness and dying.

But then…

“Are those gathered here the high-ranking members of the Northern Aragasa? Then I’ll get straight to the point. I want the position of tribal chief. By ruling the Banreung Kingdom and protecting Aranggi and Chitai, I would have proven my management skills as a king, not just a warrior. Also, as a descendant of the Aragasa bloodline, I am qualified to challenge for the position of the Aragasa tribal chief.”

Surprisingly, Azadin was challenging for the position of the Northern Aragasa tribal chief.

“Huh?”

“Hmm?”

He was saying something completely different from what they had expected.

Aliya, the leader of the bewildered Northern Aragasa trio, asked,

“King Azadin, with all due respect, I heard you were coughing up blood.”

“That’s right. Why? Is there a rule that someone who spits blood isn’t qualified to be a tribal chief?”

“It’s not that, but the Northern Empire has been taking care of us and showing us grace. It doesn’t make sense to abandon that grace and serve someone who doesn’t have much time left to live, does it?”

“That’s why I’m challenging for the position of tribal chief. You’re not betraying the Northern Empire. It’s just that if you can’t stop me from becoming the tribal chief, then there’s nothing you can do. Wouldn’t that make you feel a little better?”

“No, what are you…”

The Northern Aragasa members finally realized they had been mistaken.

Azadin hadn’t come to them seeking mediation out of desperation.

He had truly come to take them for himself.

But if that was the case, shouldn’t he be trying to persuade them? Instead of resorting to force?

“What if we refuse? Even if you are of the Aragasa bloodline, it’s up to us to decide whether to accept you as tribal chief or not.”

“The Aragasa held a general assembly before coming to Hybris to decide on the grand tribal chief. We can just hold a general assembly.”

“That’s what I don’t want! We can’t betray our loyalty to the Northern Empire because of you, a patient who won’t live long.”

“What if you all die here? Then you won’t live longer than me, so will you betray your loyalty to the Northern Empire then?”

“!”

The Northern Aragasa, who had been pitying Azadin until just now, began to give him cold looks as they watched him rudely demand their surrender.

“The rumors said that King Azadin was a merciful, fair, and great man, but it seems they were all just empty words.”

“To think he was such a thoughtless fool.”

Aliya sighed and lightly demonstrated his power in front of Azadin.

-Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon, Twilight!

His figure disappeared, leaving a trail, then reappeared next to Azadin, and then disappeared again, reappearing behind him.

Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon was a magical book for assassination that the Emperor had personally bestowed. To understand its essence, it was composed of the Harkonia method, which used colorless magic power, and the Kazas method, which drew on internal energy, residual magic power, and anything else available.

Aliya used the Harkonia and Kazas methods in quick succession, showing that they had already mastered Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon to an advanced stage.

And that wasn’t all.

Aliya’s figure disappeared again and then returned to its original position.

In a brief moment, he had unleashed the same technique three times in a row.

Even a technique that couldn’t be used consecutively due to the exhaustion it caused was used three times in one breath, indirectly showing that there was another interpretation that drew power from a different source, resulting in superior output.

“You’re using Nether magic to use Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon?”

“You’ve figured it out. King Azadin. This is the new interpretation of Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon that our Northern Aragasa has researched, the Aliya method.”

“Hmm.”

“We heard from Sion Etar that you overwhelmed other messengers by using the Harkonia and Kazas methods simultaneously. But we have one more interpretation on top of that.”

“Accepting Nether magic is a foolish thing to do, but it’s understandable that Sion Etar would be defeated.”

Azadin chuckled and looked at Aliya.

“You’ll have to sweat a bit to extract Nether magic, won’t you?”

“You’re being insolent. I can’t stand it anymore!”

Harlan, one of the trio, couldn’t contain his anger at Azadin’s provocation and jumped in.

*********

He charged with the speed of a gale, characteristic of Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon, and forcefully thrust his fist.

It was not a fist to be taken lightly just because it was bare. It was a deadly attack that could stop even a bear’s heart with a single blow.

The fist, with the power to tear a person apart just by grazing them, flew in at a terrifying speed.

But at that moment, Harlan’s fist struck empty air, and instead, Harlan was thrown by his own momentum.

Azadin had dodged Harlan’s fist and, using his momentum, had thrown him.

“Kuh!”

Aliya, who was watching, tried to catch Harlan to prevent him from getting hurt, but he realized something was wrong the moment they made contact.

It was strangely heavy.

“Kista!”

“Got it!”

Kista, another member of the trio, jumped in to assist and rolled on the ground.

Aliya and Kista managed to catch Harlan and land him, but they crashed into the furniture placed in the large conference room, shattering it.

“Kuh-erk!”

“You!”

The elders and other Northern Aragasa members who were watching drew their bows and aimed them at Azadin.

And without anyone saying a word, they all fired their arrows at once.

There was nowhere to escape indoors! Moreover, these were Aragasa who were skilled with bows!

Their arrows flew towards Azadin all at once, but when Azadin made a move, all the arrows flew back to their original owners.

“Hick?!”

“What?!”

The flustered Aragasa members quickly grabbed their quivers and blocked the incoming arrows.

They were able to stop them by breaking all the arrows in their quivers.

“……”

A moment of silence filled the room.

Azadin stood there unharmed, looking at the Aragasa members.

“Huh?”

“……”

Jibek and Nicelda, who were watching the fight, were also bewildered.

‘No, this is beyond His Majesty’s usual abilities?’

Jibek was the one who had been with Azadin the longest among his retainers.

Therefore, he thought he knew the limits of Azadin’s abilities well.

From Jibek’s perspective, Azadin had been getting weaker recently compared to his prime.

His body was being eaten away by illness, and he was skipping training due to his heavy workload.

On the other hand, the abilities of this trio clearly seemed to surpass Azadin’s prime.

And yet…

The abilities Azadin was showing were on a completely different level than before.

Even Jibek, Azadin’s loyal retainer, was surprised, so it was like a bolt from the blue for the Northern Aragasa.

In fact, the Northern Aragasa were claiming that they had mastered all of the Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon that Azadin knew to the extreme, but in reality, only the trio had properly mastered it.

The trio had mastered everything, including the Harkonia method, the Kazas method, and the Aliya method, but the other agents had not even properly mastered the Kazas method.

However, the abilities of this trio were at the pinnacle of the Northern Aragasa, or perhaps even more powerful than anyone under the Northern Empire.

And yet, Harlan, one of the trio, was not only neutralized after exchanging just one move with Azadin, but also, the Aragasa members in this place had all fired arrows at once, and he had deflected them back?

At that moment, a wind slowly filled with heat was blowing from Azadin.

Azadin’s heat could be felt inside this room.

‘This is impossible. It’s like…’

Everyone looked at Azadin in shock.

He had clearly looked exhausted from illness and fatigue just a moment ago, but now Azadin looked somehow carefree.

It was as if he had temporarily put down a burden he had been carrying for a long time. And the faint halo that had appeared on Azadin’s head was becoming more intense and clear.

The dazzling halo was now brightly illuminating the Northern Aragasa’s conference room, which had been lit by candlelight.

Everyone was speechless at the bizarre and magnificent sight, their eyes fixed on Azadin.

Azadin turned his head, loosened his neck, spat out blood, and wiped the blood from his nose with his hand.

“What? Have I calmed down again? That’s a relief. I don’t have to kill everyone.”

“……”

It was a very rude remark, but no one gathered in this place could think that Azadin was bluffing.

“Ah, um…”

Aliya stepped forward in front of Azadin.

“Are we going to compete in skill?”

“No, no. Rather, I have one question I’d like to ask. Perhaps, Your Majesty Azadin… have you not been using your full power all this time?”

“No. I have always been giving it my all. Do you think I would hold back while my subordinates are dying, just to enjoy some convenience for myself?”

“Y-yes, of course. Who would do such a thing?”

It was tiring to always give it your all, but it didn’t make sense that he had become the overlord of the South by just doing things half-heartedly.

However, Azadin then added,

“I received magic from Sir Sok, and I’ve only recently had some enlightenment and been able to use it. Until now, I haven’t had the energy because I’ve been protecting the South from the cold.”

“…Huh?”

Aliya doubted his ears.

What was this guy talking about?

“Are you perhaps implying that Your Majesty has been holding back the Fimbulwinter?”

“Yes?”

“……?”

The Northern Aragasa members finally realized they had made a huge mistake.

Surprisingly, Azadin had been facing the cold of this Fimbulwinter [a great winter], single-handedly defending his throne against the cold wave.

The divine king who was single-handedly blocking the cold wave that was sweeping across the entire southern kingdom.

He was truly a living god, wasn’t he?

The elders of the Northern Aragasa looked at each other’s faces.

‘Is he serious? This guy?’

‘But if that’s not the case, it doesn’t make sense. Do you think a human could be capable of knocking out Harlan in one blow?’

‘But if he says that, it’s like…’

One of the elders hesitantly raised his hand.

“Um, if you say that, doesn’t it sound like you’re a god?”

“I can’t say that I’m not.”

“………”

“No, but isn’t it a bit late to be saying that now? The King’s Church teaches that kings are descendants of gods and living deities, right?”

“That’s a metaphor… ah, no, it’s not.”

Everyone was speechless.

The power to protect the entire southern kingdom under the Fimbulwinter.

That power to drive away the cold that was freezing even the seas of the subtropical regions of the South was residing in a single human body.

It was indeed a presumptuous act to call oneself a god, but if what Azadin was saying was true, then it would also be a deception to say that he was not a god.