The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 74

“Wow, that’s amazing. What did I just see?!”Midiam was shocked by what had happened before her eyes. A monster the size of a house, a Naga who was once a ruler of humanity, was defeated by Azadin, who couldn’t even use magic, despite being the Emperor’s herald.

“Perhaps he…”Ismail, who was maintaining his precognition magic, could see what Azadin had done on top of the bell tower. Azadin had hooked the bell ringer’s rope onto the lower rafters inside the tower, the part that supported the weight of the bell tower’s waist, and pulled it out. Having collapsed the bell tower himself, Azadin ran through the collapsing tower to reach the roof. Then, from there, he used the rope to pull the broken, sharpened rafters, threw himself at the Count, struck his head, and impaled him with the sharpened rafters. The Count, having taken a massive blow to the head from the rafter, couldn’t avoid being buried under the collapsing bell tower.

“…….”

“N-No, we should go rescue him!”Midiam ran towards the collapsed bell tower where Azadin and the Count were entangled.

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“Kuh-ack!”The Count spat out blood. His life force was draining away. The power he had received from the Kurt gods was also flowing out of his body.

“Kuh… what is this!”

“Hah… hah….”Azadin got up. Having jumped from the bell tower and charged at the Count, he closed his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

“My victory, Count Kazel.”

Count Kazel was dying. His body was slowly shrinking, returning to human form. However, the wounds he had sustained remained even as his body returned to human form, and they would lead to his death.

“You won, Herald. Amazing. I never thought you could defeat a member of the Kurt gods’ retinue like this.”

“…Why did you do it?”Azadin asked the Count. It was a strange question.

“Why? As I said, because of my ambition. But…”

“Usually, corrupt nobles are consumed by lust and extravagance. They don’t seek help from the Kurt gods because of ambition. Why did you do it?”Azadin sensed something odd in the Count’s actions. No one craves power without a reason. Even someone like Araell, who wanted to become a tyrant, had a backstory: she was the child of a traitor of the Herald clan, and she had to show power to avoid being devoured. So, why did the Count, a descendant of the Yaegas gods, collude with the Nagas?

“…Because I was in despair.”

“Despair?”

“Yes. This world is empty and will soon be destroyed. Maybe the Age of Jupiter is coming, just like the doomsday prophets in the marketplace are saying… The blood of the Yaegas gods is fading, and the light of kingship is weakening.”

“…….”

“But, well, it’s just a pathetic excuse, isn’t it? Hehehe.”

“Where is the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture?”

“The one I had… I gave it to my lovers. Their apostles are probably taking it to the Nagas’ lair by now.”

“…….”

“Kuh….”The Count’s breathing became ragged. As his body gradually shrank, the arrows and the huge rafter that Azadin had thrust into him created gaping wounds in his body. Because of the wound that opened his head and allowed his brain matter to flow out, the Count could no longer speak and simply died.

Azadin dragged his heavily injured body to the ruins of the collapsed bell tower and took the signet ring from the Count’s fallen corpse. This signet ring, which symbolized the lord’s authority, was used as a stamp for official documents, and it would serve as proof that Azadin had killed the Count.

‘Now, the assassination request doesn’t mean anything, but… this will be necessary.’ Azadin took the Count’s signet ring and turned around. At the entrance of the Count’s palace, the soldiers and knights who had fled in fear were fighting the released mummy soldiers who had lost control. Ismail and Midiam approached Azadin.

“Let’s take this chance to escape.”

“Surely you’re not suggesting we save them, are you?”

“Of course not. Midiam, Ismail. Thank you.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s the duty of a retainer to assist the Herald.”

“No, you’ve done more than your duty. Thank you.”Azadin sincerely thanked them both and headed with them towards the collapsed annex of the rear garden.

“Uh… are we escaping this way?”

“We need to go down to the underground passage and finish the investigation.”

“What if there are still mummies left?”

“They were buried when it collapsed, so it should be fine. But… ugh.”Azadin groaned. His body was a mess.

“Ugh. Let’s be careful going down.”

“Yes!”Azadin and Midiam prepared a rope, secured it tightly, and descended underground.

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As they went back down to the underground passage, just as Azadin had said, rocks had fallen from above, crushing many of the mummy soldiers.

“Ismail, this wand….”

“Ah, yes!”Ismail grabbed the bone wand and cast a spell. It revealed that a copy of the Divine King’s Scripture was very close by. Azadin went over and found a Naga woman crushed to death under a rock.

“Is that the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture?”Azadin held out the bracelet he had received from Aldis, and two copies of the Divine King’s Scripture flowed into it.

“Where are the other three?”

“That way.”Ismail held up the wand, which still had a magical glow, and pointed to a tightly closed iron door. Midiam went over and found that the lock on the iron door was undone. She also discovered blood on the doorknob.

“One escaped alive. This is bad, isn’t it?”Azadin walked and opened the iron door, but soon after, he began to limp.

“Ugh….”The excitement of the battle faded, and as the adrenaline wore off, his body demanded payment for the previous abuse.

“Augh.”Azadin couldn’t chase after them and fell to his knees.

“Shall we pursue them?”

“P-Please do. You two go together.”Azadin asked Ismail and Midiam to pursue the Naga who had escaped with the Divine King’s Scripture. Then, he collapsed onto the floor.

“Ugh.”Azadin lost consciousness and fainted.

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Midiam and Ismail moved along the underground passage, looking around. However, they couldn’t find the Naga, even after reaching the dried-up riverbank and the refugee camp teeming with refugees. The Naga sorcerer had already transformed into a human and escaped from this place.

“We can’t use the wand where people can see us.”Ismail hid the bone wand. If they used such a menacing-looking magical item in a place where people could see them, they would immediately be caught by the priests or holy knights of the King’s Church.

“Is this the end? Asking people….”Because Midiam and Ismail were children, wandering around the refugee camp at night would only invite unnecessary trouble. And, Azadin was still on their minds.

“Let’s go back.”

“Is it okay to give up so easily? They took the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture, and they’re injured. The opponent….”Ismail couldn’t let go of his attachment to the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture. After all, he was also a member of the Herald clan. The copy of the Divine King’s Scripture was the wish of the entire clan, the key to freeing the clan from the curse of servitude. To miss the opportunity to obtain it right before their eyes.

“Well, it’s better to keep Azadin safe. Let’s go back quickly and protect Azadin.”Midiam, unlike a member of the Herald clan, cleanly gave up on the copy of the Divine King’s Scripture and returned to Azadin. When Midiam took the first step, Ismail had no choice but to follow.

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The undead soldiers, the mummy soldiers that the Count had created, were rampaging out of control and fighting the soldiers and knights who were guarding the Count’s palace. Since they were mummies wandering around with an aura of curse, the losses among the ordinary soldiers and knights were significant. Moreover, it was difficult to know who was in command since the Count had disappeared. At that moment, a knight rode in from the south gate.

“I am Zibeck, a holy knight of the King’s Church!”Sir Zibeck said, and cast a spell from his horse. A dazzling halo flashed above his head and then spread out in all directions, pushing back the undead’s aura of curse.

“Ah!?”

“S-Sir Zibeck!”

“A holy knight!”

“Wow!”The soldiers cheered as Sir Zibeck joined the fight. Sir Zibeck continued to ride, cutting down the mummy soldiers, resolving the soldiers’ stalemate, and rescuing them.

“T-Thank you.”

“Yes, what happened? According to rumors….”

“Yes! A giant snake! Suddenly from the rear garden annex….”

“The rear garden annex?”

“Yes. It’s where the Count was.”

“These monsters came from there too!”

“Then, what about the giant snake?”

“They say it was buried under that collapsed bell tower!”

“Hmm, is that so?”Sir Zibeck clicked his tongue at those words. Monsters suddenly pouring out of the Count’s residence. And the rumors about the mysterious witches who had entered the Count’s palace. It seemed like this was the Count’s doing.

‘If so, I should take over command from the Count. Can I do that?’ The knights and officers appointed by the Count might be a gang. Sir Zibeck hesitated, thinking that, but the soldiers and knights instead asked Sir Zibeck.

“S-Sir Zibeck!”

“Please take command!”

“Understood! Then, I will lend my strength, though it may be insufficient!”Sir Zibeck led the soldiers and knights and first eliminated the monsters that had gone to the servants’ quarters. Then, he had the rescued servants create barricades with furniture and luggage to prevent the monsters from going out into the streets. After that, Sir Zibeck went to the collapsed bell tower….

“Hmm.”He found the Count’s corpse, crushed under the bell tower.

“T-This is….”

“For now, refrain from rash actions. Collecting the body is something we’ll do after we confirm how many monsters are left!”Sir Zibeck silenced the bewildered soldiers, selected some trustworthy knights to guard the Count’s body, and began the work of eliminating the remaining monsters. As the sun rose, most of the monsters lost their power and collapsed in the face of the light of kingship and the sun.

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“So, what you’re saying is….”Bishop William of Salasmar clicked his tongue as he listened to Sir Zibeck’s report.

“The Count was a Naga?”

“Based on the testimonies of the people, that’s the case. It’s not that he was a Naga from the beginning, but perhaps he met those witches and….”

“Then, are you saying that the bishop who managed his rule by the Count’s side was incompetent and blind? Is that what you want to say?”

“Ah, no. That’s not what I meant….”Sir Zibeck quickly lowered his body. Having fought the mummy soldiers all night while rescuing soldiers and servants, Sir Zibeck was as exhausted as a waterlogged sponge, but he still maintained a respectful demeanor in front of the bishop. However, the bishop only looked down at Sir Zibeck with disgust.

‘Isn’t that the truth? But?’ The priests and holy knights who were keeping their mouths shut around the bishop thought that the bishop’s words were correct.

‘It’s true that the bishop is incompetent and blind.’

‘The bishop can sometimes grasp reality.’ Everyone thought so, but they couldn’t bring themselves to say it out loud and just pitied Sir Zibeck.