The Shadowed Legacy Of The Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 49

“Azadin, I’m always on your side.”

“Yes?”

“It might sound strange coming from me, but aren’t I like a mother to you?”

“Uh, Mom?”

The age difference between Azadin and Aldis was twelve years. It was a bit of a stretch to call her a mother with that age gap.

“But if Azadin hates himself, doesn’t that mean he hates me too, for forcing him to live? I’d be a little sad.”

“Ah, no. It’s not that….”

Azadin avoided her gaze. There wasn’t even a sliver of a reason for him to like himself, so being told to like himself, even by Aldis, was too much.

*********

As the Summer Festival ended, the number of dropouts from basic training began to increase. The children in training were too busy and tired to bother Azadin, but the dropouts had free time.

Of course, they had to train to become merchants or craftsmen, but it was still soon after the Summer Festival, and the festive excitement lingered. So, the children with time on their hands naturally turned their attention to Azadin.

However, with Aldis around, no one could touch Azadin. Aldis deliberately didn’t go to her post and tried to cheer Azadin up by reading books together, teaching him the fairy language, fishing, or mending clothes, spending time with him.

But as a messenger, she eventually had to leave.

*********

“Hey, Aldis has left.”

“Really? Then is it finally… today?”

“Ah, that traitorous bastard has been sucking up to Aldis all this time, living the good life, huh?”

“I’m going to kill that bastard today.”

Everyone was out for Azadin, especially the dropouts from the messenger selection process. They couldn’t stand that Azadin was a dropout like them.

They wanted to confirm their ‘difference’ from Azadin somehow. They wanted to console themselves for dropping out of the messenger selection by crushing someone beneath them.

That desire was driving the children.

“Haa, kids are really something. Aldis is so fond of him, if you mess with him and something happens, do you think she’ll stay quiet? Your parents will get caught in the crossfire; you’re so short-sighted.”

A shadow watched those children from afar.

*********

In the end, the children couldn’t harm Azadin. Before they could lay a hand on him, Araelle had already severely injured Azadin. Araelle had a quarrel with Azadin and left a large scar on his face.

A long, horizontal scar where his eye should have been.

The elders’ punishment for Araelle’s brazen act was biased. Only three days in solitary confinement.

Azadin and Araelle were both children of traitors, but it was inevitable that the treatment of Araelle, who was beautiful and cute, and Azadin, who was considered disgusting and unpleasant to look at, would be different. Above all, the Aragasa [a clan or group of people] were dealing with a helpless child for the first time.

It was natural for a child to be weak and immature, but they didn’t have the emotional capacity to accept that.

*********

“Ugh…. Aah….”

Azadin was in agony from the pain of the wound. He was applying a poultice made of disinfectant herbs to prevent infection. Still, he could see his surroundings thanks to his special vision, but….

It was painful.

The physical pain was bad, but the harsh words and violence Araelle had inflicted on him were unbearable.

“Araelle!!!”

Azadin called out the name of his only blood relative with anger and hatred. He had been abused and scorned by other clans, but he had never felt such hatred… his own blood relative, Araelle, had given it to him.

“I’ll kill you! I swear to all the gods, I will definitely kill you!”

The wounded Azadin writhed in hatred, howling like the mythical dragon of Muan.

*********

The day Aldis left, Araelle came to find Azadin.

“You’re disgusting, Azadin. Pretending to be a weak child and hogging all of Aldis’s attention.”

“Araelle….”

“I barely even talked to Aldis during this Summer Festival. I’m someone Aldis gave a name to, so why are you the only one monopolizing her?”

“That’s because I’m in basic training….”

“Really? Not because you were whining and clinging to her?”

She held up the Rescue Knights book that Azadin cherished. It was a gift from Aldis.

“Ah! That’s….”

“Why do you have this heretical book?”

“We’re not in a position to discuss heresy, are we? It’s not bad to know about it, right?”

“Really? The corners of the book are almost worn out. You must have been reading it very diligently?”

Araelle grabbed the book in front of Azadin and tore it in half. The inside of the book was made of paper, but the cover was hardcover, and Araelle easily tore it with terrifying strength and threw it in front of Azadin.

“Araelle! What are you doing!”

Enraged, Azadin lunged at Araelle.

Of course, he was no match for her. Araelle easily grabbed Azadin’s arm, twisted it, and threw him to the ground. Then, she raised her foot and stomped on Azadin’s groin.

“Ack!”

“Too bad, Azadin. Aldis seems to think of you as her son….”

“What?”

“Actually, you like Aldis, don’t you? Not as a mother, but as a woman.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Not yet. You’re not mature enough to know, but she’s only twelve years older than you. Besides, Aldis has the Emperor’s blood flowing strongly in her. You know that Harkonia was the Emperor’s lover, right?”

Harkonia, the legendary leader of the Messenger Clan, was the lover of Emperor Yaeslat and had a child with him.

That was already a well-known fact among the Messenger Clan, and Aldis clearly had the Emperor’s characteristic silver hair.

“She’s practically a Yaegas god [a reference to a powerful, god-like figure], so she’ll live a long life. She’ll still be beautiful even when you’re an adult. Will you still think of her as your mother then? Actually, you don’t really think of her that way now, do you?”

“Stop it….”

Azadin was more hurt by the words Araelle whispered than by the violence she inflicted.

Of course, Araelle’s words might be true. The beautiful Aldis, for Azadin, Aldis was the standard of beauty and everything.

Before learning from her, Azadin didn’t know that there was anything beautiful in the world. The wind was just the wind, the night sky was empty, and the stars were just faint lights.

It was Aldis who gave them meaning and instilled longing and yearning.

It would be a lie if he didn’t feel longing and desire for her.

But even if he felt lust for her, he would consider it a biological destiny and simply keep it hidden within himself. He loved her so much that he didn’t want this desire to taint his love.

Since it was a longing that could never be fulfilled, he had vowed to keep it hidden deep in his heart and live with it.

But Araelle was deliberately stirring up the secret that Azadin had been holding onto and trying to keep forever, bringing it to the surface and enjoying hurting him. She was mocking Azadin’s vow and playing with his heart.

“Araelle!”

“Yes, get angry, Azadin. Get mad. Aldis is of the Emperor’s blood, so if you want to hold her, you have to become the most powerful being in Aragasa! You have that much spirit, right?”

Araelle assaulted Azadin, verbally abused him, and finally cut his face.

“Kkyaaaak!”

Azadin writhed in pain, splattering blood. For a moment, Araelle seemed to realize she had made a mistake and clicked her tongue, but….

She licked the blood on her hand and smiled.

“It’s better to have a scar than flesh where your eye should be. You should thank me, Azadin.”

*********

Azadin fell ill with a fever. The wound was not serious, but he had been beaten up by Araelle, and above all, her venomous words had violated Azadin’s soul.

The other children’s harsh words and insults only grazed the surface.

Son of a traitor.

Cursed bastard.

Ugly and hideous monster.

Incapable and weak.

Those accusations were certainly painful and difficult, but they only scratched the surface of Azadin. But Araelle attacked the feelings Azadin had for Aldis.

It was more precious to Azadin than his own life, so it left a deeper and more painful wound than the violence and insults that beat his body and tore his skin.

Azadin was struggling in the servants’ hut. Then, the door of the hut opened.

“Is this the rumored Azadin, the dragon of Muan?”

“Ugh….”

“Interesting. But you have a scar on your eye. Can you not see now?”

It was a young man’s voice. Azadin focused his blurred vision to look at the person. It was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed elf.

“An elf… huh!”

Azadin was shocked.

“Now, don’t eat me.”

Azadin liked books and stories about elves. But it wasn’t that he liked elves. He was afraid of them. Not only Azadin, but everyone else was afraid of elves….

They were beautiful and long-lived, but they were hedonists and craved human flesh. Unlike their pure and beautiful appearance, they were known for committing all sorts of terrible, cruel, and perverted acts.

*********

Before the Yaegas gods arrived, the Nagas were at the top of the races that ruled Hybris.

The Nagashura Empire.

The elves were the administrators hired by that empire. The Nagashura Empire raised humans like livestock and slaughtered them daily, staining their temples with blood, and the elves also participated in that work.

In the frenzied festival of killing and eating humans, the elves were said to have been as enthusiastic as the Nagas.

“Ah, you know the story of the Nagashura era. You like to read books and you’re smart, you’re quite something.”

The elf man who entered the hut said that and smiled.

“Don’t worry. I haven’t eaten human flesh in a while. I ate some this morning, so I won’t eat any for a while.”

“Ugh… who are you?”

“Elder Kazas.”

“Kazas? An elder? But….”

“Yes. It’s strange for someone who isn’t Aragasa to be an elder, right? Besides, you wouldn’t have seen me in the council of elders. Well, I’m actually a hidden elder.”

The elf who introduced himself as Kazas grinned.

“Be happy, you brat. You have been chosen as a disciple of the great Kazas. I will teach you the art of Hwajopungwol [a fictional martial art or magical practice], the Kazas Interpretation.”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean ‘huh?’ Now is the time to be moved to tears. Ah, you don’t have eyes, so you can’t cry?”

Kazas grumbled when he saw that Azadin wasn’t as grateful as he expected.

“You’re not Aragasa, are you? Hwajopungwol is….”

“Doesn’t exist at all!”

“Then what is the Kazas Interpretation…?”

“Ahaha. Little one, shall I tell you the secret of magicians?”

“W-what is it?”

“Magicians die if you cut off their heads.”

“…….”

“They also die if you pierce their hearts.”

“…….”