The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 495

Night of the Soulless Blasphemer 8

Although Empress Midiam had been kidnapped, Azadin couldn’t immediately go to rescue her.

Midiam had led the expeditionary force all the way to Caspa, and after her abduction by Lord Sok, many troops and civilians were still scattered throughout the region.

Azadin had to gather them, reorganize the troops, and teach them divine magic to withstand the bitter cold.

His heart burned with the desire to rush to Midiam’s side, knowing her life was in danger, but he had to prioritize this crucial task.

“Your Majesty, the Empress is in a perilous situation. Shouldn’t we set aside our needs and go save her…?”

“Of course, we understand why you’re doing this, but…”

The paladins, fully aware of Azadin’s predicament, were deeply concerned for him.

They understood why Azadin was spending precious time training them. It was because they were ill-equipped and unable to adapt on their own, forcing Azadin to personally guide them.

“We are sorry. We are so foolish and incompetent…”

“No, don’t blame yourselves. Lord Zibeck and Ismail have already departed to save her, haven’t they? I trust them.”

“Even so…”

The former defeated soldiers, now members of the Relief Knights once more, hesitated as they gazed at the massive ice pillar created by Sok.

If Azadin trusted his subordinates, there must be a good reason, but they doubted they could stand against Lord Sok.

The power of Lord Sok, who had appeared to kidnap the Empress, was so immense that he seemed like the embodiment of dark magic itself.

Even those unfamiliar with magic could sense that Lord Sok’s abilities were extraordinary.

They didn’t doubt the capabilities of Zibeck or the other commanders, but they knew that Lord Sok possessed a power that was on a completely different level.

“If you’re worried about that, then master these skills quickly. The sooner you become proficient, the sooner I can go save the Empress.”

Azadin taught the soldiers how to operate the sleds and repeatedly practiced the magic to ward off the cold.

But their progress was painfully slow.

Even those who were originally Hospitallers [members of a religious order focused on healing and service] were skilled in healing magic and divine punishment magic, but they were terrible at learning new magic.

Except for a few exceptional individuals, most struggled to control the accelerating sleds and even flipped them over, which made Azadin’s stomach churn.

Thinking about it, it was only natural.

Even with just one or two small boats, you need at least 30 hours of training to navigate a flowing river.

Now, they were facing fierce winds that made it difficult to even stand. It was unreasonable to expect them to handle land sleds, which were operated similarly to yachts, well in such a short time.

Magic was even worse.

Even now, Sok would be trying to turn Midiam into an undead…

Azadin shuddered as he felt the dark magic lingering in the air.

Sok was still projecting dark magic into the world, turning those frozen by the shocking cold of Fimbulwinter [a mythical, unending winter] into undead, and using that power to fight the Nether’s forces.

If Lord Sok, who possessed such immense power, tried to turn Midiam into an undead… could they handle it?

What if Midiam became an undead? What should they do if she became a wight [an undead creature animated by dark magic] or a vampire like the Sedrin bloodline?

His mind was filled with complex and terrifying thoughts.

Then, another accident occurred when a trainee’s sled flipped over.

They were practicing steering the sleds near the trees of Grimslough to avoid the strong winds, but the speed was too fast.

Even stepping on a small bump on the ground could cause the sled to fly up and cause a major accident, and this time, the sled flipped over completely, threatening to cause casualties.

But then, suddenly, magical power intervened, and the sled floated into the air.

“What?!”

Azadin was surprised to realize that someone else had used magic outside his protective barrier to rescue the soldiers.

Outside Azadin’s protective barrier, any human would freeze to death instantly in Fimbulwinter.

It was someone who had been walking through that frozen air who had reached out and cast a spell on the flying sled.

The sled stopped in mid-air and then slowly descended.

Thanks to that, the trainees inside were able to land safely.

“Uh…”

At least they knew that the other party was not hostile.

“Emperor.”

The other party spoke. But the voice sounded familiar.

“This is?”

Especially to Azadin, it was a very familiar voice.

Arael’s voice. His sister, Arael’s voice, was calling him from the darkness.

“Is it a Shade Hag [a type of dark magic user]?”

“Not entirely wrong.”

With those words, a black-haired beauty emerged from the darkness.

She was a tall woman with ebony hair and violet, Harkonian eyes [a specific eye color associated with a particular lineage or group].

Wearing the nun’s habit of the Relief Knights’ Mercy Order, she walked through the cold of Fimbulwinter, holding a girl contaminated by Nether cells [cells corrupted by dark magic].

“Arael…”

Azadin groaned as he saw her approaching.

The girl in her arms was also the image of Arael from her childhood.

A grown-up Arael was approaching, holding a younger version of herself.

What kind of trick was this?

When Azadin was in despair, the Shade Hags had whispered to him, and he could actually feel a strong green magic emanating from her.

She bowed her head to Azadin, showing respect, a dignified attitude completely different from the Shade Hags who had seduced and mocked him.

“I am the head of the Chadra Convent.”

“Ah…”

The person who had freed Nicelda, originally a vampire spawn, from her mother’s bondage, the head of the Chadra Convent, who was practically the most powerful figure in the Mercy Order, had come to see him.

“I am a member of the Shade Hag sisters. We are the remnants of an ancient goddess who comforts widows who have lost their husbands and mothers who have lost their children. I was moved by the high will shown by the Archangel of Mercy and turned my back on my sisters to become a member of the Relief Knights, but I was self-conscious of the limits of my ugly nature and could not help when the Knights were in trouble.”

She said that and lifted the young Arael in her arms high above her head.

Then, the young Arael was enveloped in light and soon became a bird.

The girl was ‘Arael’s Voice,’ the artificial spirit left behind by Arael herself.

“Created by Nether magic, she couldn’t withstand the Nether’s power when it went out of control. But surprisingly, she wanted to become your power, Emperor. My skills are not much, but fortunately, I was able to purify her. Emperor, will you now accept this child as your voice?”

“Arael’s voice was with you?”

“Yes. Please accept her, Your Majesty. She will surely be of help to you.”

“Then, I gladly will.”

As Azadin responded, a sphere of light flew towards Azadin and became one with his body.

And…

[It’s been a while, Azadin. The foremost of the hundred and eight heralds! Have you become the Emperor? So much has happened while I was asleep. All the thrones of Yaeghas [a mythical realm or kingdom] are yours!]

The Emperor’s voice was resurrected within Azadin.

“Are you the Emperor’s voice?”

[I am the Emperor’s voice, and also Arael’s voice, and now your voice. New Emperor.]

“Amazing. But all the thrones of Yaeghas are mine?”

The thrones Azadin had physically touched were Corasar, Banreung, Arangi, Chitai, and Asander, five in total.

Moreover, it couldn’t be said that all of them were necessarily Azadin’s, but for some reason, the Emperor’s voice declared that all the thrones of Yaeghas had become Azadin’s.

[The spirits of Yaeghas have granted you the divine authority, and the other kings have disappeared. What else could be the proof of the Emperor?]

“Ah… that’s…”

The spirits of Yaeghas used the quartz thrones as a gateway to connect their world with this world, the Hybris continent.

But now that the gateway was severed…

Currently, the only one on this Hybris continent who possesses the power of Yaeghas is Azadin, who directly met the spirits and was chosen by them.

As a result, Azadin had met the conditions to be recognized as the Emperor.

[New Emperor, I will tell you about the treasures of the previous Emperor. To prevent Fimbulwinter, the previous Emperor placed treasure vaults in various locations to store power for future generations.]

“I’ve already looted them. Is there another treasure vault that I haven’t found?”

[…Treasure vault opening confirmed. All treasure vaults from the 1st to the 8th have been opened.]

“There were eight of them? That’s more than I opened?”

Azadin saw the Emperor’s voice’s reaction and realized that others had also looted the Emperor’s treasure vaults.

There were eight Emperor’s treasure vaults.

But such vaults were destined to be plundered no matter how heavily guarded they were.

Since large-scale civil engineering was required, unless they killed everyone who participated in the civil engineering, rumors would inevitably spread.

[Still, the locations of certain artifacts can be tracked.]

“No, don’t push yourself. More importantly, I want to ask you something. Do you have memories of the past? When you were acting with me.”

[Of course. My existence is based on the magic book Hwajopungwol [a powerful magical artifact]. Even if I disappeared for a while, my essence remains. I remember all the days I spent with you.]

“Then… you are the Emperor’s voice.”

Azadin felt a strange sense of joy at the fact that the Emperor’s voice had been resurrected.

Thinking about it, even though it was just an artificial spirit created by the Emperor, the Emperor’s voice had been with Azadin ever since he became a herald.

The Emperor’s voice, who had never hesitated to praise Azadin as a true herald even when his own kind despised him.

There was no way he wouldn’t be happy that it had been restored and returned.

“Now then, Your Majesty. Command the Emperor’s voice. Give orders to your heralds…”

“Hmm.”

Azadin closed his eyes at the nun’s words.

Flames of magic sparked like electricity within his body, instantly surveying the entire Hybris continent.

He could feel the locations of those bound by contracts of service all over the world, the herald clan.

“This contract hasn’t disappeared yet?”

Azadin felt a little disheartened for some reason.

The curse of service, he thought that contract had disappeared when the Emperor’s voice disappeared, but it was still valid.

[The contract of service itself is never a curse. It is the power that connects those who use Hwajopungwol with the Emperor. Not only the herald clan, but also those from the northern Aragasa who have mastered Hwajopungwol can become your heralds, and you can send orders to them from anywhere. Isn’t it good? Brother, hurry and send orders to them, and you need to save the Empress!]

The Emperor’s voice suddenly changed into Arael’s voice and advised Azadin.

“I don’t really want to, but it’s not the time to be picky about methods.”

Azadin drew upon his magic and gave the order.

[By the old oath, the Emperor calls! Respond, heralds!]