The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 52

#53. The Darkness of Salasmar 1

Azadin was annoyed by the regional head’s words and actions.

He didn’t like how the man, despite his pride in his clan, prioritized the business of the merchant guild over his duties as a messenger. He also disliked that the man excluded him from handling matters independently and only informed him now, as if doing him a favor.

‘Is he only telling me this because Aldis asked him to, and he’s doing it for her sake?’ Azadin thought. However, getting angry wouldn’t make the man understand, and he needed the information anyway.

“The Tarky you’re with… he’s one of the most likely heirs now that Kozel has lost his inheritance, though I don’t know if inheritance even matters anymore. How about we kill him to hide the fact that the Korasar peddler’s association is Aragas?”

“He is a petitioner of the Golden Seal.”

“Even a petitioner could betray us.”

“Are you doubting the Emperor’s voice? A petitioner of the Golden Seal can never betray Aragas. If that were possible, they would have used the Emperor’s Golden Seal seized by the King’s Church to set a trap for us.”

The Golden Seal’s petition isn’t just about having the Golden Seal. The petitioner must truly desire it for the petition to activate, and in return, a part of their soul becomes a resource to maintain the Emperor’s voice.

“I don’t doubt the Emperor’s voice. Even if Tarky’s character is terrible, he wouldn’t dare to directly oppose us. But isn’t it possible that he could reveal the association’s identity through his own mistakes? Even if he doesn’t intend to betray us, his incompetence could cause harm.”

“I understand your concerns. If necessary, I will eliminate him. But I don’t think it’s the right time. We need to find out where he got the Golden Seal and where he hired the mercenaries. There’s a lot of information we need to gather right now.”

“Then… I understand. I’ll leave it to you. But remember, if any problems arise, it’s your responsibility.”

The regional head spoke as if Azadin would be responsible if information was leaked because of Tarky.

‘That old geezer, seriously.’

Azadin was inwardly annoyed but held back. Getting angry wouldn’t make the other person understand why he was angry, so what was the point of saying anything?

“Understood. Thank you again for arranging the carriage.”

Azadin bowed to the regional head and left. They had managed to restore their relationship by compromising, but they were fundamentally incompatible.

Staying together longer would only worsen their relationship, so Azadin decided to leave quickly.

*********

Kozel had been castrated and lost his inheritance.

The rumor was spreading rapidly. At first, it was just a rumor that something had happened to Kozel, but it gradually became more detailed, and now it was confirmed.

Kozel and his men, who had been pillaging villages in search of the Divine King’s Scripture, were castrated by the Messenger Clan.

Such rumors were circulating among the refugees.

“Castrated by the Messenger Clan?”

“They even gouged out his eyes, I heard.”

“Then he won’t be able to cause trouble anymore. Good riddance.”

“Hey, you’re saying dangerous things. What if someone hears you?”

“Isn’t Salasmar getting dangerous? I heard the river is drying up.”

Tarky was riding his horse when he overheard people chatting as they walked by carrying their belongings.

“Hmm, the Messenger Clan.”

Tarky glanced back at the carriage following him. The Korasar peddler’s association’s carriage was slowly following behind. Azadin would be asleep inside that carriage.

‘Did that brother hurt Kozel? Should I ask him? No, but what if he gets angry if I ask something unnecessary? That’s scary.’

Tarky had originally been an arrogant noble. But after meeting Azadin, he realized that the world was vast and there were many strong people.

Honestly, he was scared. After learning that the Korasar peddler’s association was the Messenger Clan, his fear grew even more.

He had thought they were just some insignificant merchants, but they were actually an assassin group? If so, he didn’t know how many Messenger Clan members there were in the world.

‘I shouldn’t act carelessly. I might die without anyone knowing.’

Tarky became more aware of reality and continued forward.

*********

“We’re here. We’re in Salasmar.”

Midiam shook Azadin awake.

“Ah, right. I was dismissed, so the Emperor’s voice is gone.”

Azadin stretched and got up. The Emperor’s voice not only prevented messengers from being ambushed but also provided information about time and current location.

“It’s inconvenient now that it’s gone. How long did I sleep?”

“About two hours? It wasn’t that far.”

The distance from where Azadin’s group had camped to the gates of Salasmar wasn’t that far. Azadin got out of the carriage and spoke to Tarky.

“Let’s go see your mother. We need to find out where you got the Golden Seal and why you hired those mercenaries.”

“Yes, this way.”

Tarky led the way to the hill where his mother’s house was located. Azadin began to climb the hill following Tarky.

As they climbed the hill, they could see the area around Salasmar at a glance. The squares near the gate, the market square in front of the village, and all the open spaces were filled with refugees. And the reason they were here was clear.

“The river has receded a lot.”

The flow of the Kora River, which ran through Korasar, had decreased significantly. It had decreased so much that the docks used for water transport were far from the water’s surface and had lost their function, and the riverbed was visible.

The areas near the highlands where nobles, wealthy merchants, judges, and scribes lived were filled with beggars.

“Please, sir, just a penny.”

“My children are starving to death.”

While there were beggars, there were also people holding large flags and passionately proclaiming the end of the world.

“The age of Jupiter is coming soon! When Jupiter enters the ecliptic, the demon gods submerged under the Netherstrom [a mythical abyss] will awaken, and the end will come! Repent! Keep the three virtues and give to the poor!”

It was chaotic with beggars and doomsday prophets. Midiam couldn’t hide her displeasure as she looked at the man preaching about the end of the world.

“That guy is trash.”

“What?”

Azadin was curious.

“That person hasn’t really received a revelation of the end. He just wants the world to end because he has nothing and his future is uncertain. But he knows he’ll be criticized if he just says he wants the world to end, so he uses prophecies and revelations as an excuse. He’s a very weak and rotten person.”

“Hmm. You’re too harsh on people. Everyone has weak and foolish moments, and if you don’t forgive human weakness, nothing will begin.”

“Oh, really? Then why don’t you start by forgiving Arael?”

“……”

Azadin was speechless.

“Hmm, I suddenly thought that humans are imperfect after all. Maybe it’s not so bad to hate someone.”

“Your words just changed 180 degrees?”

“No, it’s not like that. Arael hasn’t even asked for my forgiveness, so isn’t it ridiculous for me to forgive him on my own?”

“Right? Well, you’re right that humans are imperfect.”

Midiam said with a smile.

“I’ll forgive you for your mistakes. You’re welcome, right?”

“You haven’t even forgiven me, but why are you acting like you’ve already forgiven me?”

*********

Azadin’s group pushed through the crowd and barely arrived at Tarky’s mother’s mansion. But…

The front of the mansion was blocked with large boards, and soldiers were guarding it with weapons. And it wasn’t just this mansion. All the nearby mansions had their entrances blocked with boards, and apothecaries and priests were coming and going. It was as if there was an epidemic.

“Huh? What’s going on? Hey! What’s happening here?”

Tarky, flustered, approached the soldier blocking the mansion.

“Lord Tarky!?”

“Th, that is…”

“Your mother has gone missing.”

“What?”

Tarky was shocked.

“M, mother has gone missing. Wh, what should I do?”

Midiam nodded as Tarky was fidgeting.

“Maybe your mother has found a new life and made a fresh start. Despairing at her foolish son who couldn’t leave her side.”

“Stop it, Midiam. Don’t provoke him too much when he’s already agitated.”

“But it’s true that he couldn’t leave his mother’s side, isn’t it?”

“……”

Tarky, who usually wouldn’t stay quiet, couldn’t say anything back, probably because he was so flustered.

“What happened to the children you sent to your mother? Were they safe until then?”

Azadin had rescued the children from the bakery oven keeper who had been abusing and killing them and sent them to Baroness Nort as part of the Korasar peddler’s association. He was curious about the children’s whereabouts.

“Th, they were sent to the association to receive training as servants.”

“Really? Then… we must save Baroness Nort no matter what.”

Azadin was a man of clear debts and grudges. If Baroness Nort had taken in the children, Azadin would save her by any means necessary.

“Okay, calm down and let’s go inside and investigate.”

“Ah, inside?”

“Yes. Tell the soldiers that we’ll investigate.”

At Azadin’s request, Tarky approached the soldiers.

“Hey, I’ll investigate myself. With my group!”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course! Let us through!”

Tarky insisted, and the soldiers opened the way.

*********

Azadin entered with Tarky and saw that the mansion was tidy, and the first-floor hall had a training area for swordsmanship.

“What’s this?”

“My mother liked to train in swordsmanship. I learned swordsmanship from her.”

“Really?”

It wasn’t unusual for noble ladies to learn swordsmanship as a hobby. Many nobles with many children often sent their children to the King’s Church or the Rescue Knights before they got married, so women also became interested in swordsmanship training.

In other words, the Baroness could be considered to know swordsmanship. If so, there should be signs of resistance when she was captured or attacked, but those signs were not visible.

Was she subdued without shedding blood because of the difference in skill? Or was she quietly attacked while she was sleeping and didn’t even wake up?

Azadin examined the training area and looked around for traces.

“Ismail! Midiam! You guys look around too.”

They scattered and searched the surroundings.