The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 62

Derrick also knew why Azadin was looking at him with distrust and cleared his throat.

“Take a look at this.”

Derrick took off his boots and showed his ankle. On his ankle, new, tendon-like structures were attached, and the bright red tissue resembled the tissue that Azadin had seen a little while ago on the crow, the spirit called ‘Araiel’s Voice’.

“It’s stronger and more robust than before, and the pain is gone. I can go back to active duty.”

“Betraying the clan?”

“I didn’t betray the clan. It was Chief Hatir and the elders. They were researching black magic. In Elder Kenahan’s case… he was a vampire. That’s why Araiel-nim [a respectful honorific] personally dealt with him.”

“Is that what Araiel claims? You couldn’t have seen it with your own eyes, could you?”

“But everyone knew that Chief Hatir was researching black magic. Everyone already knew that the chief and the council had been pursuing their own selfish interests and researching forbidden magic. However….”

“You’re saying that when it came time to revolt, there was no central figure, and Araiel became that central figure? Is that what you want to say?”

“That’s right.”

“But I can feel black magic in this too?”

Azadin pointed to Derrick’s ankle. An ominous magical power was emanating from the muscles attached to the outside of his body, replacing his severed tendons.

“This is the power of green magic. It’s the power that governs the source of life.”

“It’s mostly green magic, but… there’s also black magic.”

“You think I’m a fool. What do you know about magic when you can’t even use it?”

“……”

“Even if Araiel dabbles in black magic, it’s because the power of the Hwajo-pungwol [a specific type of magic] alone is not enough for us to become rulers. In the first place, Hwajo-pungwol is a power that the Emperor granted to enslave our clan. True power encompasses everything.”

When they were criticizing the existing rulers, the chief and the elders, they cited their use of black magic as the reason, but now they’re defending Araiel, who might also be using black magic, saying that they don’t need to be picky about methods for the sake of the clan.

Azadin smiled wryly at Derrick, who was making excuses.

“You’ve completely lost it. When did you meet Araiel and become so devoted to her side?”

“It was right after I parted ways with you. I didn’t meet Araiel-nim, but I met her voice.”

“Araiel-nim? When did you start calling her that? Didn’t you used to curse her?”

“That was when I was ignorant and didn’t know anything. But now, she is a living god and the savior of our clan.”

“A loyal subject, I see. Or should I say a fanatic?”

Azadin was disgusted by Derrick’s blatant change of attitude. But that also meant that Araiel’s influence was significant.

Just by showing ‘Araiel’s Voice,’ it was undeniable that she wielded power close to that of a living deity. It was not unreasonable for the oppressed Messenger Clan, the Aragasas, to believe that the savior they had been waiting for had finally arrived.

‘No way.’

However, Azadin could not accept Araiel. Was it because she had inflicted permanent damage on Azadin? That was part of it, but…

‘Araiel is too dangerous.’

It was because her nature was cruel and destructive.

To describe Araiel’s personality in one word, she was a conqueror. She walks the path of a tyrant, trampling everything that gets in her way. If such a person harbored ambitions to conquer the entire Hybris continent, a bloodbath would ensue.

‘Still, I’m curious about what conditions she offered.’

Azadin asked Derrick.

“So, why did you want to see me? To tell me to join Araiel’s side? Then there should be more to the story.”

“I brought a letter.”

“A letter?”

“They said it’s only for you to see.”

“Where is it?”

Azadin was about to receive the letter from Derrick when he flinched. He could feel an unusual magical power from the letter.

‘What is this? Is this Araiel’s letter?’

As Azadin hesitated, Derrick sneered.

“Why? Are you afraid of your sister’s letter?”

“I’m not afraid.”

The unusual power emanating from this letter, and Araiel’s voice.

Araiel’s abilities were becoming more powerful, and now it was doubtful whether she was even human. Even if she claimed to be a living goddess, there would be no way to deny it.

Azadin took a deep breath and opened the letter. At that moment, darkness engulfed Azadin.

*********

“……”

When Azadin finally regained his senses, nothing around him had changed. When he was drawn into the letter’s magic, Azadin was able to have a direct conversation with Araiel.

However, neither Derrick nor anyone else around him noticed Azadin’s change. Azadin crumpled the letter.

“You bastard! How dare you!”

“To crumple her letter without even reading it!”

It seemed that to others, Azadin had crumpled the letter without reading it.

“I already read it. The conditions were impossible to compromise, so I rejected it. And so what if I crumpled it? Can’t I even crumple my sister’s letter?”

Derrick scoffed.

“Isn’t she your older sister?”

“She’s my younger sister.”

From the perspective of those who did not understand the magic on the letter, it seemed that Azadin had insulted the letter. Those next to Derrick grabbed their weapons.

“What should we do, Derrick?”

“Should we kill that bastard while we have the chance?”

“We can’t allow Azadin to become our superior just because he’s Araiel-nim’s relative. To organize the hierarchy of the organization, we need to get rid of the incompetent one in advance.”

The majority of the Messenger Clan, in fact, almost all of them, had a consistent view of Azadin.

They hated him for being the son of a traitor,

They despised him for being incompetent,

And they were enraged that he had become a messenger through a loophole.

But now, Araiel had risen up and was extending a hand of reconciliation to Azadin.

Even if there was a huge gap between the siblings, could there be a bond of kinship? So, just as Azadin had become a messenger through Elder Kazas’s connections, would he rise above them again through Araiel’s connections?

That was something that all the Messenger Clan members who had betrayed their clan to side with Araiel could not tolerate.

“Haha, this is ridiculous. You’ve just started a rebellion and are having trouble organizing the group, and you’re already worried about seniority. So, you’re going to kill me? Did Araiel order you to? Or is this your own decision? Either way is fine. You’re underestimating me too much, and you’ll pay the price with your bodies.”

Azadin, whose body was aching from muscle pain, activated the power of Hwajo-pungwol, which he had learned from Kazas.

The terrible pain, as if his limbs were being torn apart, made it difficult for him to move, but when he used the breathing technique he had learned from Kazas, the pain disappeared, and strength returned to his muscles.

He could fight.

He would be overcome with even worse fatigue and muscle pain after fighting, though.

But Derrick stopped his subordinates.

“Stop. We didn’t come here to fight.”

“What? But…”

“Derrick-nim.”

“We shouldn’t fight him. Araiel-nim really cares about her ‘younger brother’.”

Derrick forbade fighting with Azadin.

“What? This bastard?”

Azadin was furious at Derrick for mentioning Araiel.

Araiel cared about him?

That was a joke. There had been countless people who had insulted and hit Azadin, but none of them had left as terrible scars as Araiel.

And now, he was saying such things to everyone? How much more humiliation did she need to inflict to be satisfied?

But even though Azadin was openly sending out murderous intent, Derrick seemed to have no intention of touching him.

“We have no intention of fighting you, Azadin. If you attack, we will do our best to run away.”

“That much? That’s unexpected.”

Azadin was puzzled to see that Derrick had no hostility towards him.

‘I was going to teach them a lesson this time, but why aren’t they attacking?’

Azadin had deliberately crumpled the letter after reading it. He had intended to provoke Derrick’s group and teach them a lesson. But Derrick was being too cautious.

Was he wary of Azadin? Or was it because Araiel had instructed him to? Or did he have other intentions?

Either way, Azadin, as a messenger, could not start a fight first.

“The negotiation is over. But I won’t fight you for Derrick’s sake. Go back.”

“You bastard! We’re the ones letting you live, not the other way around!”

“You incompetent!”

“Traitor’s bloodline!”

“Wait, aren’t you the ones who rebelled against the clan? And if it’s a traitor’s bloodline, then what about Araiel? Isn’t Araiel, whom you adore, also from a traitor’s bloodline and a rebel now?”

Azadin pointed that out, but the clan’s servants, who had already become fanatics, did not listen.

“We are the revolution!”

“We are the true clan.”

“You have a really convenient worldview.”

Azadin mocked Derrick’s subordinates.

“Stop. I understand. We’ll retreat. But be careful, Azadin. This place, this Salasma, is not normal. You know that since the regional manager ran away with all sorts of excuses, right? It’s not what we want for you to receive Araiel-nim’s grace, but I don’t want to be falsely accused if you suddenly die while I’m here.”

“I get it, so hurry up and leave.”

Azadin waved his hand as if shooing away flies, driving out Derrick’s group.

*********

Derrick’s subordinates, who had delivered the letter to Azadin, were furious. They believed that Azadin had dared to insult them.

“That arrogant bastard!”

“Should we just leave Azadin like that?”

“When he was a kid, he was a real idiot who couldn’t even string a bow. He wet the bed until he was eight years old!”

Derrick’s subordinates, who had been driven out of the mansion, were enraged by Azadin’s arrogant attitude.

Azadin was the lowest in status among the Messenger Clan, a dropout who had failed basic training and was the son of a traitor. Such a guy had become a messenger by luck, becoming Elder Kazas’s disciple, and now he was ignoring them.

That was the prevailing perception.

“You fools.”

Derrick stopped them.

“Do you know that Azadin has dealt with more than ten Atra followers?”

“What?”

“At the eastern end of the relay station village, Azadin killed half of the mercenary group that the Count’s illegitimate son was leading. Without our intervention.”

“Th, that’s…”

“And the young master Kozel that we were escorting, he was also defeated by Azadin.”

Derrick recounted Azadin’s activities. Everyone was prejudiced against Azadin from his childhood, so they had dismissed his activities after becoming a messenger, but if they looked at it objectively, there was undeniable evidence.

Evidence that Azadin had at least properly carried out his duties as the Emperor’s messenger.

Nevertheless, Derrick’s subordinates, with their strong childhood prejudices, protested.