The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 93

About two hundred soldiers were gathered in front of the fortress. They seemed to have finished looting the nearby villages, as they had an enormous amount of spoils and were dragging along civilians tied with ropes. It was a truly miserable sight.

With so much loot, their discipline should have been lax, like a band of robbers, but surprisingly, the Count’s army moved in an orderly fashion even in this situation.

Just by looking at the state of the soldiers, it was clear that Count Rantark Garnaher was not someone to be trifled with. The soldiers were all chanting the words of their non-commissioned officer, urging the people inside the fortress to negotiate with the Count.

A flag was lowered at the fortress, and two knights and a messenger clan member walked out. Azadin, Sir Zibeck, and the Hunjak Knight, who was the fortress commander, had come out for negotiations.

Garnaher also came to meet Azadin’s group, accompanied by a knight and a messenger clan member.

“I am Count Rantark Garnaher. Who among you is in charge?”

Garnaher was a middle-aged man with white hair, but his appearance was youthful. Perhaps due to the strong blood of the Yaegas gods [a reference to a lineage believed to be divinely blessed], he exuded a refined aura, and his eyes seemed to glow with a strange light.

He had an imposing presence that would make ordinary people feel fear just by looking at him. If a man like him in silver armor were to walk around a village, the village boys would believe he was an angel.

‘And that kind of guy is committing civilian killings.’

Azadin sighed and stepped forward in front of Garnaher.

“That would be me.”

“Interesting. Messenger clan, aren’t you supposed to be a wanderer? And yet, you’re the one deciding on negotiations?”

“Because I’m an expert. You brought a messenger clan member to the negotiations as well, didn’t you, Count?”

“……”

Garnaher closed his mouth as if he was at a loss for words.

“More importantly, you are… Nephti, aren’t you?”

Azadin looked at the woman standing next to Count Garnaher. It was Nephti, the 75th in the messenger hierarchy.

The messenger hierarchy was just a number, but being around 75th meant she was quite skilled. Especially since Nephti was a woman who became a messenger on her own without any family background, she had proven her worth among the messenger clan.

She was three classes senior to Azadin, and she was looking at him with an intrigued expression.

“You know me, Azadin?”

“Yes. You’re more famous than Kahsan, aren’t you? The 75th.”

“Right. So, you really defeated Kahsan?”

“Did Kahsan say that himself?”

“Yes. It’s a great thing. If he said he lost to you, who is looked down upon by the clan, it would tarnish his honor, but he prioritized the organization’s interests over his own honor. Isn’t he a cute guy?”

“From my perspective, that statement makes me feel quite complicated emotions, you know?”

Just the fact that he admitted he lost to Azadin would tarnish his honor, so he would want to hide it. Saying that makes Azadin feel insulted.

“Of course, I apologize for looking down on you, Azadin. So, how about joining our side? The Ara’el [a powerful clan or faction] are asking for you. Until now, everyone opposed it because they thought you were incompetent, but if you defeated Kahsan, things are different. If you come, everyone will welcome you.”

“Right now, it seems like negotiations with the Count should be the priority, don’t you think? We will open the fortress. In return, please guarantee the safety of the people inside the fortress. Also, please allow us to take the surviving people from the nearby villages and retreat.”

“Even the villagers? That’s a lot to ask for the price of opening the castle.”

“We’re not asking for wealth. We also need a reason to open the gates, don’t we? If we say we opened the gates to save the people, it will be a good reason, and it will be a good deal for both sides since you don’t need to tarnish your reputation, Count, don’t you think?”

At Azadin’s words, Garnaher frowned.

“Are you trying to insult me?”

“Huh?”

“Are you implying that I killed the people by talking about my reputation? How dare you criticize me to my face! You’re being rude!”

“I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry if you heard it that way.”

“First, take off your mask. How dare you come to a negotiation wearing a mask!”

“I’m a bit unsightly, but okay, I understand.”

When Azadin took off his mask, Count Rantark was also taken aback by his appearance.

“Your eyes…”

“I was just hiding it because it’s disgusting to look at.”

“Hmm. Anyway, I won’t give you the people. Just open the fortress gates and leave without touching anything. It doesn’t take long to conquer a fortress like this anyway. Oh, and…”

“Yes?”

“There’s an old man among you named Brand. He used to work as a scribe in my mansion, but he committed embezzlement and theft, so I want you to hand him over to me.”

“Brand, you say?”

“Yes. If you don’t hand him over, I won’t accept your surrender.”

“Hmm. Is it really worth the Count’s time to go after just one old man?”

“What he stole was something precious to me. Also, he’s been serving me for a long time. If I let a guy like that go after betraying me, he’s likely to spread nonsense that will damage my reputation.”

“I understand. So, the Count’s demands are to open the fortress gates and leave, hand over Brand, not hand over the civilians, and let us live, is that right?”

“That’s right.”

Then the guard captain urged Azadin.

“Let’s give them up. Isn’t it better to give up the people outside the fortress and one scribe to save ourselves?”

“……”

He was already showing weakness while negotiations were still ongoing. Azadin clicked his tongue at the guard captain’s words.

“I understand. Then, let’s go back to the fortress and take some time to discuss it.”

“No, decide right here.”

The Count stopped Azadin from going back.

“If you don’t open the gates quickly, it’s no different from resisting to the end. You guys agreed to negotiate because you were thinking of opening the gates and begging for your lives, right? Then what’s the problem? The lives of the people? Brand’s life? Oh, is that it? Did Brand say something strange about me?”

“He’s gone mad. He said he was captured by bandits and had to eat his own wife and children. That’s why he went insane.”

“Is that so? Then it’s even less of a big deal. Surely you don’t want to be annihilated here because of one senile old man, do you? So, decide right here.”

The Count forcefully demanded that they make a decision right there.

“I… l-let’s agree. After all, we can’t possibly dare to go against a great noble like the Count…”

When the guard captain showed weakness again at the negotiation site, Azadin lightly waved his hand.

-Thud!

“Ugh?!”

The guard captain fainted, and Sir Zibeck naturally supported him. It was as if he knew in advance that Azadin would silence him.

“Hoho?”

The Count’s eyes narrowed as he saw the messenger clan member and the Holy Knight of the King’s Church moving in unison.

“It seems you haven’t tasted our defense yet, Count.”

Azadin said with a smile.

“Your defense?”

“Yes. You think it’s a piece of cake to take down a fortress like this, so you think there’s nothing to gain even if we open the gates and surrender, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then we have to prove the value of the goods we’re selling. If we resist inside that fortress and gradually wear down your forces, you might be willing to throw in the lives of the people and the senile scribe.”

“Are you threatening me? Why are you going so far? Isn’t this none of your business?”

“Because I am the Emperor’s messenger. I consider it my mission to value the lives of the people and listen to the voices of the wronged.”

“Even though the Emperor has been dead for hundreds of years? Then fine. I’ll have the people I’m holding killed right now. If you don’t agree to negotiate, I’ll kill the people I’m holding. Reducing the people of Salasma is also a big help to my strategy. How about it? If you value the lives of the people, what choice will you make?”

“Hmm…”

Zibeck, who was listening, made a groaning sound. As a Holy Knight of the King’s Church, but from a lower noble family, he had never heard of such a mad story.

When disputes arose between lower nobles over land, water, groundwater, or springs, the people were thoroughly protected. Even if they were treated like livestock, they showed a pure desire to protect them.

If the people died, the yield would plummet. It was an obvious proposition among the lower nobles, but it did not apply to the great noble, Count Rantark.

Great nobles, who had large cities as their territories, where the population was always flowing in, could train well-trained soldiers, and could send their people to pioneer villages for relocation, could kill the people of other territories for political reasons.

In other words, this man could genuinely kill the people.

‘Is he threatening to kill people just as a threat? Disgusting.’

As a Holy Knight of the King’s Church, he had to protect the light of the King and the nobles who inherited the blood of Yaegas. But the words of Count Rantark in front of him were disgusting and vile.

What would Azadin say?

“Ah, that’s a very interesting threat. But you’ve already massacred the people before. Even if I open the gates, you’ll kill the people anyway, won’t you? If you kill people in front of the fortress just because we didn’t open the gates, you’ll only ruin your own dignity. Unless you don’t care about your dignity in the first place.”

“Huh. You think killing the people will damage my dignity? You’re saying that because you don’t know. I’m showing mercy.”

Count Rantark said that shamelessly.

Killing is mercy? Even if we concede that it’s true, what about the things that guys like Doneir, who were influenced by the Count, did? He tortured people horribly and made families eat each other. Where can we find mercy in that?

“My conditions are firm. In exchange for opening the fortress gates, I want you to guarantee the lives of those people, including your scribe Brand, the lives of the people, and the lives of the soldiers who were defending this fortress. If you break these demands and kill people in front of me, I’ll just use another method. Because leaving the lives of the people in your hands is no different from killing them.”

“I’ll start by killing the ones I’m holding and then kill you all. Is that okay with you?”

Instead of answering, Azadin put on his mask and looked at Nephti, the 75th of the messenger clan, who was next to him.

“Nephti, you’re on the Ara’el’s side, right? Just like Kahsan was?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you join hands with this fool?”

“What?!”

The Count was enraged at Azadin, who was insulting him in front of him.

“You bastard!”

The Count was enraged and drew his sword.