The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 70

The Light of the Royal Flower.

The foundation of the Royal Church’s faith and the reason why the Yaegas Clan is revered as the Divine Kings.

When a rightful king sits on the throne, a barrier of white magic protects this land and drives away the dark creatures. Especially the undead; they melt away before the light of the Royal Flower like snowmen in a summer heatwave.

“Heh heh. The Light of the Royal Flower, you say. That’s only if a rightful king is on the throne. The blood of the Yaegas Clan is thinning, and their power is weakening. That’s why I’ll request the protection of Debislin in exchange for a copy of the Divine King’s Scripture.”

“The protection of Debislin?”

“The power of the Kurt Clan, the Cobra Queen, will push back the Light of the Royal Flower and help me take the throne of Korasar. Thanks to you messengers for leaking the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture, I can challenge the throne once again.”

“So, you’re trying to create a world full of only undead and Nagas? Do you think that’s beautiful? What you wanted was the throne of Korasar. When you sit on that throne, are you satisfied even if all your subordinates are undead or Nagas? Is that what you wanted?”

Azadin asked with genuine curiosity. Perhaps that’s why the Count answered seriously.

“What’s the point of a world being beautiful if it’s not mine? If I can have it, it’s fine if all the Hybris people become undead. If I can’t have it, the beauty of this world is repulsive.”

“Ah… I see? You’re that kind of person.”

Azadin clicked his tongue.

He couldn’t be persuaded, and he was destined to be an enemy. No, if left unchecked, he was an absolute evil that would plunge those around him into the abyss of misfortune.

A man who craves power.

In a way, he was like Araelle.

‘Araelle…’

Azadin felt the old wounds inflicted by Araelle throb.

*********

“I’ll give you anything you want. Be on my side.”

The moment Azadin opened Araelle’s letter, he was sucked into a black space.

In that completely dark space, there was a woman standing alone with her back to the light. It was Araelle.

Her face was not visible because of the intense backlight. Or perhaps she didn’t want it to be seen.

Azadin’s eyesight could pierce through darkness and backlight, so the fact that he couldn’t see her face now must have been her intention.

“It’s been a while, Araelle.”

“Did you miss me?”

“Not at all.”

Azadin touched his face. An old wound had reopened, and blood was flowing. This had never happened before, but in this space, Azadin’s wound was bleeding as if it had just been freshly torn.

“I didn’t miss you.”

“Is that all you have to say after meeting after ten years? Aren’t you curious why I rebelled?”

“Not at all. It’s probably the same old story about taking over the world or how the current messenger clan is corrupt.”

“The elders and the chieftain are obsessed with the ‘Nether.’ You would know, wouldn’t you? You were deciphering the language of the ‘Nether’ with Elder Kazas.”

“Yes. I know.”

The messenger clan, Aragas, was researching many magics with the sole purpose of being freed from the curse of servitude. Among them were forbidden black magics, the magic of the Nether. [Nether refers to a dark, forbidden realm of magic].

However, the magic of the Nether was considered deep black magic, and it was difficult for humans to even approach it. Even uttering the language of the Nether would cause an ordinary human’s tongue to dry up.

Azadin, who had an innate resistance to magic, was tasked with uttering the language of the Nether for Kazas, and in return, Kazas taught Azadin the Flower, Bird, Wind, and Moon Kazas Interpretation. [A specific method of interpreting ancient texts or magic].

“Good. That makes things faster. Azadin, I need you. I’ll give you anything you want.”

“What is it that I want?”

“Do you want revenge on the clan that looked down on you? Take revenge on them. Once my conquest is over, I’ll make all the Aragas your slaves. You can torture and abuse the men of the clan forever, and you can turn them into giant flesh-wall monsters to display on the walls you build. You can make all the women your maids. Even Aldis.”

“……!”

“Yes. You’ve wanted Aldis since you were young, haven’t you?”

“…You know nothing.”

Azadin shook his head.

“I want her to be happy. And that’s… not a dream that can be achieved that way.”

“You’re talking nonsense, Azadin. Aldis loves Hatir, the chieftain.”

“……”

“Are you just going to watch as what you desire becomes someone else’s?”

“If I try to have it, it will be destroyed.”

“So what? If I can’t have it, it’s better to break it and have even the fragments.”

“If you truly think that way, Araelle.”

Azadin wiped the blood flowing from his wound and glared.

“I’m breaking ties with you. You are my enemy.”

“…It seems I’m going to have trouble because of my foolish younger brother.”

“I’m the older brother.”

“Huh? That’s just your claim, isn’t it?”

Despite her words, Araelle smiled in the backlight.

“Why are you trying to persuade me now, Araelle? Is it because I’m helpful in researching the language of the Nether?”

“That too, but Azadin, you and I are the only blood relatives in this world, aren’t we?”

“Why are you saying that now?”

“Listen carefully. I’m going to take everything in this world. But when I think about it, I’m not attached to good food, clothes, fancy castles, or beautiful people. What I really want is just power itself.”

In reality, she had no interest in anything other than power and strength. To put it nicely, she had no greed, but to put it badly, she had nothing she loved.

The only thing that attracted her was power.

Only power.

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to let go of the treasures, slaves, or kingdoms in front of me. I plan to take all the money, wealth, and honor. If I don’t, I’ll destroy them all. If it can’t be mine, it doesn’t deserve to exist.”

A desire to possess everything despite having no material desires, and a desire to destroy anything that wasn’t hers.

Listening to Araelle’s words, which were full of a desire to be faithful to her own ambition, regardless of the harm it caused to the world, Azadin chuckled. It was the kind of wild rant a drunkard on the street would make.

The problem was that Araelle’s power was close to that of a living goddess. She had the power to put her wild rant into practice.

“My foolish and disgusting followers will be useful until then. But when I thought about sharing the wealth and glory I would gain with those guys, you suddenly came to mind. It’s better for you, my blood relative, to enjoy the wealth and glory than those disgusting things. That way, the other followers will know, even if they don’t like it, that our bloodline is precious.”

“……”

Is this the kind of thinking that comes from extreme selfishness and self-love? In a way, it was a truly admirable statement.

“You are my only blood relative, Azadin. I have decided to love you in my own way.”

The very person who inflicted the deepest wounds on Azadin… was declaring that she would love him.

But was that really love? She didn’t know how to love her own life, so even if she obtained what others coveted, she wasn’t happy. That’s why she turned her attention to Azadin.

If she loved Azadin as a blood relative, it would give meaning to sharing what she had obtained. Was she discussing ‘love’ for that reason alone?

“I refuse. I don’t need that kind of love. It’s not love, but an ornament to decorate your ambition. To become an ornament to praise your victory…”

Azadin brought his hand to the wound on his face.

“I have my pride too!”

“I told you, Azadin?”

Araelle in the backlight stood up.

“Anything that doesn’t come into my hands doesn’t need to exist. Even if that’s you, my only blood relative!”

The blood flowing from Azadin’s face fell to the ground… and Azadin was released from the magic of the letter.

*********

Now, Count Kazell was in front of Azadin. And he was saying the same thing as Araelle.

‘A power-oriented human’s way of thinking.’

Azadin recalled Araelle’s letter that had tried to win him over and felt his wound throb again.

“Count, why are you paying attention to that blasphemous thing?”

The Nagas expressed their dissatisfaction with the Count’s serious conversation with Azadin.

‘I don’t know if it’s because he’s an Aragas or because he’s stepping on the divine statue, but to be called blasphemous even by the Nagas.’

Azadin, who was listening, chuckled.

“I know you were proud of your messenger clan slaves. But now that you have them, there’s nothing that can stop your forces, even without them.”

For the Count, defeating the messenger clan and making them his subordinates was a great source of pride. That’s why he was targeting Azadin, but now that he had created mummy soldiers… there was no need to have messenger clan slaves.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s enough to subdue them with force. But there’s something interesting about this guy. He feels different from the usual messenger clan.”

The Count felt a sense of otherness from Azadin, different from other messengers. That’s why he wanted to have him.

“He’s a desirable talent. Especially if he subdued those two messengers without any significant injuries.”

Count Kazell said that and smiled bitterly.

“But I can’t have everything. Now, awaken the mummies.”

“Yes.”

The Nagas began to chant.

“That won’t do.”

Azadin took out the blood-soaked arrows from the divine statue. He shot the arrows he had obtained from the former messengers, Harad and Kevna, at the Count.

The Count tried to block the arrows with the intangible barrier he had used before, but… the arrows Azadin fired curved, spraying blood in front of the Count. It was a transformation that was usually difficult to see, but the blood-soaked arrows rotated and sprayed blood.

“Hmm?!”

Azadin’s arrows curved and targeted the Nagas next to the Count. The surprised Nagas jumped and dodged like vipers, but the arrows grazed their bellies and chests.

They couldn’t pierce through the Nagas’ tough scales, but they suffered severe injuries.

“Kyaak!”

“Shaa!”

The enraged Nagas began to chant. Blood droplets rose from the divine statue and flew towards Azadin, but he had already seen this magic.

-Shhh-shhh!

Azadin threw daggers, hitting the rising blood droplets before they could shoot blood at him. The blood droplets burst like balloons, and Azadin shot another arrow.

“Damn it!”

“Damn messenger!”

Everyone was tense and dodging, knowing that Azadin’s arrows could freely curve and hit their targets, but the Count stepped forward and threw himself in front of the arrow.

-Bang!

A spherical magic barrier appeared in front of the Count’s body, and the arrow exploded.

“You’re harassing my women too much. I’ll deal with him, so you guys awaken the mummies.”

“Yes!”

“Understood!”

The Nagas retreated and began to chant, and the blood in the underground passage began to gather towards the mummies.

As they were soaked in blood, the mummies lying on the floor began to rise. Ghostly flames flickered in their eyes, and a terrible power of curse enveloped the mummies.

“I can’t let that happen!”

Azadin shot an arrow.