The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 59

“Damn it!”

Azadin took the brunt of the black whirlwind with his body.

“Ha… a knight in shining armor. Are you trying to shield the lady with your body? Hmm?”

Azadin withstood the attack without much effect. A normal person would have been weakened in an instant, but Azadin seemed perfectly fine.

“Oh, right. My bad. I’m a bit resistant to black magic.”

“What?!”

“More importantly, everyone! I know you’re tired, but let’s muster our strength for a moment! I’m going to finish that guy off!”

Azadin warned the bound people and then leaped backward, grabbing the rope that the Baroness was hanging from.

“You bastard!”

The holy knight tried to chase Azadin, but Azadin swung the rope like a swing, bouncing to the side. Then, he jumped to the next rope.

“Sly…”

The holy knight turned to pursue, but Azadin had already jumped to another rope.

‘He’s too fast! This guy!’

Azadin’s movements were faster than the holy knight’s turning speed. Moreover, he was moving behind the people hanging from the ropes, making it hard to see him.

“Ugh!”

Azadin was increasing his speed by moving around the ropes with the sacrifices, using the holy knight as the center. It was as if the holy knight was trapped in a giant vortex.

“W-what is this?”

As the holy knight was bewildered, Azadin suddenly flew behind him and latched onto his back.

“You son of a bitch!”

The holy knight was shocked, but it was too late. Thanks to Azadin’s speed and leap, the wave of rats collapsed.

“Did I keep you waiting long? It’s over now.”

Azadin said to the holy knight, grabbed him, and threw himself backward.

Terrifying power and speed!

The force that Azadin had built up while spinning on the ropes was transferred directly to the holy knight.

-‘The Evergreen Pine Stands Alone! Kazas Hese!’

Originally, the magic grimoire of Flower, Bird, Wind, and Moon was connected by verses, so skilled mages could connect magic with images of birds, flowers, scenery, and the moon to draw out more powerful magic. [The grimoire is a book of spells and magical knowledge.]

‘The Evergreen Pine Stands Alone’ was originally an enhanced version of the Evergreen Pine magic, but what Azadin unleashed was a powerful vertical drop that transferred tremendous kinetic energy directly to his opponent.

-Wham!

The holy knight crashed into the ground with a resounding thud. Azadin had grabbed the holy knight, spun around, and then slammed him headfirst into the ground.

Falling from the height of a giant wine barrel and landing vertically on his crown, even a bear or an ogre would die instantly from such a fall.

Indeed, the holy knight’s spine was completely shattered. As his spine broke, his rib cage collapsed, and the bones tore through his internal organs, making a gruesome mess.

“Kuh! I, I haven’t used all of the power of Mezeri’s apostle… I haven’t even transformed yet!”

The fallen holy knight, as an apostle of Mezeri, seemed to have many hidden powers. However, no power could compensate for his shattered spine and torn internal organs.

The holy knight eventually died without being able to use any other means.

“You should have done that sooner. Should I have waited for you to transform?”

Azadin sighed and got up.

“Ugh, my body aches. I’m exhausted.”

He had faced too many enemies alone.

“Ah, damn it. Come to think of it, the rats…”

There were still many rats around Azadin. The rats, having already tasted human flesh, were still ferocious even after the death of the holy knight, the apostle of Mezeri.

The swarm of rats lunged at Azadin. He couldn’t escape on the ground. At that moment, the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture floating in the sky descended and emitted a brilliant light.

-Sizzle!

-Crack!

The rats’ bodies began to catch fire. The rats near the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture died, and the rats further away went blind and began to flee. There were so many rats, but they all retreated like a tide.

“What the heck is that?”

Azadin reached out to the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture floating in front of him. The copy of the Divine King’s Scripture flew to Azadin as if being sucked in and landed in his hand.

“Did it choose me as its carrier? Whatever the reason, thank you.”

Azadin stored the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture in the bracelet that Aldis had given him and freed the people tied to the ropes.

“Whew. Is this the third one? I’m tired. So tired.”

Azadin supported Baroness Nort and went back the way he came.

“Ah… my savior.”

Baroness Nort was blushing. She was Tarky’s mother, but she looked like a blonde beauty in her early 30s.

“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s not proper for a man and woman to be so close… I touched you without permission…”

“No, please, support me. I can’t stand on my own… However, I’m worried that you don’t look well either, my savior.”

“Oh, no, I’m fine. I’ve just been lacking sleep lately, and I just took down all those guys by myself…”

“H-how, by yourself?”

“It was a foolish thing to do.”

Just as Azadin said that.

“Mother!”

Tarky was waiting at the entrance. Mideam, who was very angry, was with him.

“Azadin! Even if it’s you, what are you doing!”

“Why?”

“Why did you go in alone?! We agreed to take down the enemies one by one, didn’t we? Charging in alone…”

“There was a member of my clan among the enemies. He recognized my face.”

“What? There was a member of your clan?”

“Yeah. I’m kind of a celebrity in my clan, so even guys I don’t recognize know me.”

“Anyway. Don’t overdo it. You’re not alone anymore.”

Mideam said, supporting Azadin.

“H-he’s not alone? Could it be…?”

Baroness Nort looked at Azadin and Mideam, bewildered. It was a situation that was easy to misunderstand.

“Ah, well, that’s… Ugh, this is too awkward to explain, isn’t it?”

Azadin resented Mideam for complicating the situation with his unnecessary joke.

“Well, more importantly, what about the other people who were captured here?”

Azadin was worried about the other people who had been captured in the were-rat lair.

“They’re fine for now. The dead are gone, but the living have all escaped on their own.”

“Escaped?”

“Well, it’s unlikely, but if the King’s Church investigates, they’ll interrogate everyone involved. They might think they’ve become were-rats…”

The holy knights and inquisitors of the King’s Church were the type who would not tolerate even a single cultist, even if it meant executing 100 innocent citizens. [The King’s Church is a powerful religious institution with its own law enforcement.]

In other words, they execute anyone they suspect. The more they execute, the easier it is to seize the property of those executed. So, the hostages, despite being injured by the were-rats, had all escaped before the King’s Church could handle the situation.

“But there are many injured people inside. To save them…”

“Let’s leave the cleanup to the Rescue Knights. It’s their responsibility anyway.”

“Yeah, that’s probably better.”

Azadin agreed with Mideam’s opinion and took a breath.

*********

Those who could walk left on their own, but many people still remained in the were-rat lair. Those who were too injured to move could not be moved carelessly, so Azadin’s group decided to request help from the Rescue Knights.

Azadin immediately found the doomsday prophet he had won over with a biscuit earlier and asked him to contact the Rescue Knights. After watching the situation be resolved, he finally retreated to Baroness Nort’s mansion.

“It’s an honor to have you as guests in my home.”

Baroness Nort guided Azadin’s group to her mansion.

“Ah, well…”

As Azadin entered Baroness Nort’s mansion, he thought of the Emperor’s gold coins.

‘I need to ask for the gold coins, but it feels wrong to ask her for payment when I let everyone else go without asking for anything.’

Just as Azadin was feeling awkward.

“When we rescued you, your son promised us the Emperor’s gold coins in exchange for your life.”

Mideam suddenly demanded the Emperor’s gold coins. Azadin was impressed by Mideam’s boldness.

‘It’s convenient in this way. Or am I just too shy?’

Azadin thought, turning his head, and suddenly met Baroness Nort’s eyes.

“Your name is… Azadin, you said?”

“Yes.”

“Your old name is Asahdin. The Azure Dragon of Muan. Isn’t that an old Anukian myth? Asahdin and Araiel.”

“Ah, you know about it?”

“Well, a little. I studied a bit while learning magic. How embarrassing.”

She was embarrassed and straightened her posture again.

She must be tired from being tied up, but her posture is truly beautiful. She is a beauty who looks like a painting just by sitting still, and it’s hard to believe she’s Tarky’s mother. In fact, looking at her appearance, it’s hard to believe she has a grown son, as she looks so young.

“By the way, where did you get the Emperor’s gold coins?”

“They have been passed down as heirlooms in our family.”

“Is that so? Then how did you hire that mercenary group?”

This Baroness Nort had magical items from the Spider Queen Atra. The Spider Queen Atra grants her female followers abilities specialized in seducing men and assassinating rivals in court intrigues. [Atra is a powerful entity associated with spiders and manipulation.]

So, I read in a book that there are quite a few women among the nobles who worship the Spider Queen. That mercenary group was also a part of the Spider Queen Atra’s retinue. It wouldn’t have been possible to hire just any mercenaries off the street.

“They were adventurers who procured the magical items I wanted. Was there a problem?”

“Yes. They were…”

Azadin explained what had happened.

“Oh my! That happened? Are you okay, Tarky?”

“Ah, yes. Fortunately, thanks to the gold coins my mother gave me… these people saved me.”

“I’m glad. My, my savior has saved not only my life but also my son’s. How can I ever repay this debt?”

Baroness Nort said, smiling, and her radiant beauty stood out.

‘Something’s off?’

Azadin felt a strange aura from her.

‘Did she really not know that she hired those corrupted by Atra’s retinue? But there’s no way she would fill the mercenaries she hired to support her son with Kurt god cultists. It doesn’t make sense?’

It’s suspicious in many ways. The beautiful and alluring elegance he feels from her, is it a gift from the Spider Queen Atra?

But she herself doesn’t seem like a monster, like a member of Atra’s retinue. If she were a monster, she wouldn’t have been captured by the were-rats so easily.

As Azadin’s thoughts became complicated, Mideam stepped in.

“Five Emperor’s gold coins should be enough.”

Azadin should have blamed Mideam for her rudeness in interrupting his conversation with the Baroness, but… in fact, Azadin also coveted the Emperor’s gold coins.

“Mideam, this is my job. Don’t interfere.”

“But Azadin looks tired too. The Baroness also looks tired, so it would be better to settle what we need to get and rest soon.”

As Mideam said that, Baroness Nort asked.