The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 498

Ismail arrived at the rear garden of the Etar mansion, passing through gardens where purebred hunting dogs and rare, beautiful flowers bloomed, and hallways and greenhouses filled with luxury goods and artworks from around the world.

In the middle of that rear garden, a young girl was asleep.

Around her, training swords, dummies, various equipment, and targets were scattered haphazardly.

Ismail gritted his teeth as he looked at the training ground’s facilities.

‘It’s not fair,’ he thought.

‘If you can train in such a blessed environment, you’re already not on the same starting line.’

‘Is this the difference between the five great families of the Herald Clan and their servants?’

Moreover, the Herald Clan’s magic tome, ‘Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon,’ is a version interpreted by Harkonia, a female leader. Because it was interpreted by a woman, it is more adaptable to the female body.

‘If their skills are equal, women are better at using the magic tome,’ he mused.

Considering this training ground and the advantage of being female, this Etar girl’s skills must be far beyond imagination.

However, Ismail vowed that he would never lose.

And then, the girl woke up.

“So, you’re the page? That’s unexpected. What are my parents thinking? Attaching a male page to their cute youngest daughter. What if there’s gossip?”

Ismail was often told he was an old soul.

But this girl was just as much of an old soul.

At an age where she hadn’t even reached puberty, she was considering gossip between men and women and the public’s opinion. Ismail was intrigued by her words.

And above all, he was captivated by the girl’s radiant blonde hair.

Until now, Ismail had ridiculed the passion of boys his age who harbored romantic feelings for girls.

After all, what’s important for the Herald Clan is to attain a high position; free love is a luxury.

In a world where spouses are determined by position, what does it matter who you love?

Rather than wasting your energy on such futile things, you should build your skills as quickly as possible, surpass your rivals, and secure a good marriage by obtaining a higher position.

That’s how Ismail had lived his life.

But he couldn’t help but admire the vitality and beauty that the girl in front of him exuded.

“I am Midiam Etar. Who are you?”

“I am Ismail.”

“Okay. Hmm. You must have some skill, right?”

The girl burst into laughter.

And then, in the next moment, a training sword was planted in front of Ismail’s feet.

The sword, with its tip blunted and bent so that it wouldn’t pierce bare skin, had dug an inch into the dirt floor.

It was not a feat that a young girl, even one from the Herald Clan, could perform.

“Huh?”

“Listen. Let’s compete. We need to make it clear who is above and who is below so that it will be easier to deal with each other in the future.”

Ismail was taken aback by the girl’s bold request.

“Or what? Did you come here to pledge your loyalty to me without question? I don’t need such a fool. If you want to be my page, you must be someone who is confident that you are superior to me in skill, regardless of whether I am the daughter of the Etar family, before you even meet me.”

“A-Are you serious?”

“Of course. So, will you do it or not? If you don’t want to, you can go back. You won’t be held accountable for it.”

Midiam didn’t give Ismail a choice.

Ismail pulled out the training sword that was stuck in the ground and stood in front of Midiam.

It was dangerous to injure the daughter of the Etar family in a place where they were alone without an instructor.

He could be killed just for that.

Not only him but his entire family as well.

But Ismail decided to trust the vitality and passion that the girl in front of him exuded.

‘At least she doesn’t seem like the type to cry and tattle if she loses,’ he thought.

Ismail was also burning with competitive spirit.

And as a result, Ismail was defeated by Midiam.

*********

Ismail had been unmatched among his peers, but he lived in a village of servants.

Midiam’s training volume, education level, and talent were extraordinary, so he was defeated without being much of a match.

Faced with the overwhelming difference in skill, Ismail even felt a sense of relief.

“You’re quite good? Well, that’s probably why they’re trying to make you my page. With that level, you could probably become a Herald?”

Midiam was amazed by Ismail’s skill.

“But if you’ve been marked as my page, they won’t let you become a Herald.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Still, don’t worry. If you follow me, I won’t waste you as just a page. I’ll give you a position that suits your skills. I want to become the leader of the clan like Harkonia! When that time comes, you will become the leader’s confidant!”

The girl boldly declared that she would become the leader and told him to follow her.

At that moment, Ismail burst into laughter.

He rarely laughed.

But this girl shone as brightly as the sun, and her vitality and passion made Ismail smile.

From that moment on, Ismail fell in love with her.

*********

After that, Ismail served as Midiam’s page, assisting her as he grew up.

He was happy to be able to be with Midiam, whom he adored, and he was happy to be able to avoid his family, who were steeped in a slave mentality.

And he was even happier because he could use Midiam’s training ground together and study knowledge, magic, and martial arts with the consideration of the Etar family.

As a result, his skills, which were already outstanding compared to his peers, developed even further, and his body developed even more as he reached puberty.

The advantages that Harkonia’s interpretation gave to women and the advantages of greater physique and strength canceled each other out, and at some point, Ismail felt that he had become slightly stronger than Midiam.

However, Ismail no longer challenged Midiam.

She was his master and the object of his admiration.

He didn’t want to add even a shadow to her bright smile by challenging her.

Of course, Midiam wouldn’t be shadowed by a defeat in sparring, but the boy wanted to prevent even that slight possibility.

That’s how much he loved Midiam, and Midiam also loved Ismail, at least as family or a friend.

“Did you hear the rumor? A Muan Azadin [a member of the Herald Clan born with a curse] became a Herald. Isn’t that the guy who was rumored to be incompetent?”

“How did someone like that become a Herald?”

“Rumor has it that Elder Kazas had a strong influence? He made a great contribution to the study of Nether magic.”

“Hmm. Well, that could be the case. Recently, many Heralds have retired.”

The Heralds of the Herald Clan retire from active duty when they reach marriageable age and start a family.

After that, they either work in the trading companies run by the five great families, or if they are lucky and of good lineage, they become elders and manage the Herald Clan in the council of elders.

Filling the vacant positions, or the positions that become vacant due to death during missions, sometimes leads to people who are not suitable for the position being promoted.

“So, Ismail, should we challenge that Muan Azadin?”

“What? Is he in the sanctuary?”

“Not exactly, but we can go to his workplace and challenge him to a duel, right?”

Ismail was momentarily flustered.

“W-Why? Even if he’s a Muan Azadin, it’s a bit much for us trainees to challenge him…”

“There’s no legal problem. Actually, Araiel challenged an existing Herald and took his position, right?”

“That was a special case. It’s unlikely that we’d be allowed to leave the sanctuary without permission and challenge a Herald on duty.”

Duels between Heralds for positions were a good opportunity to prove that one was a superior Herald.

As a clan that pursues endless competition, such duels were encouraged.

However, it should not interfere with the Herald’s duties.

How could it be tolerated that trainees, who were still wet behind the ears, would dare to look down on active Heralds and challenge them?

“But I want to become a Herald quickly? If I become a Herald, wouldn’t our Ismail be able to become a Herald soon too?”

“No, that’s…”

“Surely I wouldn’t lose to a Muan Azadin?”

“W-Well, that’s true, but Elder Kazas is behind him. Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Hey, if that’s the case, I have the Etar family behind me? It’s okay. It’s okay.”

Midiam was confident, but Ismail thought as he looked at her.

‘Ah, she’s going to get a big scolding later.’

His family, steeped in a slave mentality, would surely be very angry.

‘How could you, who should be assisting the young lady, do such a dangerous thing?’

But thinking that made him want to do it.

And perhaps Ismail would regret this choice for the rest of his life.

*********

They met Azadin.

The Muan Azadin, the monster born from a curse, whom all the Herald Clan ridiculed.

But even without eyes, he saw things, and strangely, he was a believer.

He believed in the faith of the Order of the Knights of Salvation, and he was not at all intimidated. Midiam was increasingly drawn to such an Azadin.

Ismail could only watch helplessly.

To Midiam, Ismail was like a brother. She had never thought of him as a man.

How disappointed would she be if she found out that someone she considered a brother had such desires for her?

Afraid of disappointing her, Ismail had killed, killed, and killed his desires.

But in the meantime, another man appeared.

He was not her servant like Ismail.

He was not interested in the name and wealth of the Etar family.

He was the first equal man that Midiam had encountered.

It was unfair.

If he hadn’t been born into a servant family, he could have met Midiam as an equal.

No, that was an impossible assumption.

If he hadn’t been born into a servant family, he wouldn’t have been able to meet Midiam.

The reason why Midiam was drawn to Azadin was not just because he was an equal man.

Azadin’s faith in the Order of the Knights of Salvation was so strong that he was an unlike Herald, and that captivated Midiam’s heart.

Even without eyes, even if he was a traitor who was hostile to everyone in the Herald Clan, Midiam loved Azadin all the more.

Ismail could only watch.

*********

Midiam became another man’s wife, and her position became an untouchable one, the emperor’s concubine.

Ismail gave up on his feelings for her and decided to bury his old passion and live on.

But an unfulfilled first love is like a burning ember hidden in ashes, and even if it doesn’t burn brightly, it still holds enough heat to cause burns.

When Ismail held Midiam, he felt a pain as if his flesh was burning.

Such a sweet and bitter pain. But this is not the time to enjoy that complex pain.

The undead are coming.

He had rescued Midiam, but the situation was desperate. His comrades who had helped him get this far were in danger.

The undead of the Fimbul Horde were swarming.