Night of the Soulless Heathens – 18



#18. The Aristocrat’s Byproduct 3

“uh?”

“Captain?”

The mercenaries looked at him in fear wondering if their captain was really like this. However the captain’s face was frozen in a strange expression.

“What do you want from me?”

“I want to raid a post town and find the guy who stole my stuff by plundering everyone passing through.”

The mercenary captain spoke with a smile but his eyes were shining with a sinister murderous intent.

“You want me to do something like that in my name? If you do that….”

The King’s Church will seek to punish Tarki and his father Count Kazel Margrave of Salasma. Perhaps King Corasar himself will wield the hammer.

“It’s okay. I just need to find my things quickly before things get worse. Besides… isn’t your father planning to rebel against the king anyway? That’s why he’s looking for a copy of the New King’s Book.”

“….”

“This method is good for finding my stuff but it would also be good for finding copies of the New King’s Book. If not….”

The mercenary captain whistled again. Tarki had no choice but to slump down clutching his stomach again. The pain of his flesh being eaten away from him was excruciating.

“Ah! Okay I get it! Let’s do it! Damn it!”

Tarki eventually succumbs to the excruciating pain and the pain seems to disappear as if washed away.

“Okay then Master. Let’s work hard together.”

The mercenary captain extended his hand to Tarki with a sly smile perhaps to confirm the newly established master-servant relationship. Tarki had no choice but to reluctantly take his hand.

*********

“hmm?”

Azadin who was climbing a tree and watching the mercenary group from a distance felt something strange.

“I guess it’s impossible to get any closer than this?”

The attitude of Tarki and the mercenaries changed. They were now taking out their weapons and fixing them.

They were cutting down trees nearby combining them with arrowheads to make arrows cleaning the rust off their swords sharpening their blades brushing their armor and preparing meals.

It seemed as if they were well fed and were about to use their well-maintained weapons. In other words it seemed as if they were about to engage in a large-scale battle.

However because the security was so tight if we were to conduct surveillance half-heartedly we could be caught.

“We shouldn’t approach them while the sun is up. They’re quite skilled aren’t they? There are sentries posted at every entrance to the mercenary campsite.”

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Medium also judged so after seeing the mercenary group preparing for war.

“So what are you going to do now? Are you going to stay away from them for a while to keep an eye on them and then come back at night?”

“No. Let’s get ahead of them and go to the village first.”

“yes?”

“Maybe they’ll raid the village.”

“But there’s a post station in the village down there right? It’s almost like an adult.”

It is a village with over 500 households. In the north where the population density is low it is a size that can be called a city. If a group of mercenaries were to plunder a village with a post station installed not a pioneer village the King’s Church would definitely hold them responsible.

That’s what Midiam and Ismail thought. But Azadin knew something they didn’t.

‘They had bone wands imbued with the magic of the Kurt tribe. They weren’t just loot they were supplies so I guess there are quite a few Kurt cultists among those mercenaries.’

If there was only one cultist he would have kept the bone wand for himself and not put it in his supplies. In other words it is certain that the Kurt cultist is the one in a position to manage and manipulate the mercenary group’s supplies.

‘Considering the wand’s performance and the nature of the magic contained within their goal must be to find the Book of the New King. But now that the wand is gone if there is a Kurt cultist among them they will start to reveal their true colors.’

From information that the servants did not know Azadin figured out that the mercenary group wanted to occupy the post town.

The post town was located where all the nearby roads converged and was the best location to control the passing pedestrians. Above all the Kurt cult members who had lost the bone wands given to them by their superiors had no reason to be cautious any longer.

“I have good reason to think so so let’s avoid those mercenaries and go to the village first.”

Azadin said nothing about the bone wand and continued on his way.

*********

The sun was slowly setting in the west.

This time too Azadin pretended to be blind and was able to pass through the gate without difficulty and enter the post town.

Since he is blind they think he is not dangerous and let their guard down. Furthermore the people of Hybris all believe in the afterlife so they treat blind pilgrims kindly seeing them as an opportunity to accumulate virtue.

At that time a market was opening in the post town so caravans were parking their carriages in the open space at the entrance to the town and making camp.

“Oh that one?”

“The Corasar Bobusang Guild has arrived. That’s great.”

Midiam and Ismail were delighted to find a carriage with the flag of the Khorasar merchants’ guild flying.

The ‘Korasar Peddler Guild’ originally started as a group of small merchants who traveled around carrying loads on their backs. However as the merchants accumulated funds the Korassar Peddler Guild became a large merchant group with considerable financial power and organizational power within Korassar….

This peddler association was one of the front organizations run by the Aragasa people of the messenger clan.

“Hmm. It’s a combination of peddlers…”

Azadin smiled bitterly and headed towards the carriage.

*********

The caravan of the Korasarr Bobusang Guild consisted of five wagons arranged in a circle like buffalo protecting their families from hunters.

It was a defensive formation that used the carriage itself as a barrier when camping in the grasslands and the like. Large overnight camps were set up in the middle and the carriages outside soon became shops serving people passing by.

Outside the store an acrobat was performing tricks to attract customers dazzling the crowd. Both the acrobats and the shop assistants were messengers.

As they approached them the acrobats and caravan guards noticed Azadin and began to laugh.

“Hey who is this?”

“Isn’t that the famous 108th Commander Azadin?”

“Kill kill kill.”

“I wonder if you’ve been doing a good job acting as a messenger for three months?”

“….”

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Azadin sighed.

It’s always been like this. From the perspective of the Heralds they could never forgive Azadin the son of Acre who had ruined their long-cherished wish as the son of a traitor.

On such a topic everyone bows down to Arael as if they would take out their hearts. This is because Arael has proven her strength beauty and genius.

In the past there was a man who had his jaw broken for making fun of Arael like this. Arael made sure that those who challenged or made fun of her paid the price but Azadin could not do so.

So the dark harassment was entirely Azadin’s toll. When Midiam and Ismail followed they laughed at Azadin even more.

“Oh my you even have a servant. You’re quite talented aren’t you?”

“Okay. These kids aren’t my people.”

“Oh no?”

“Yeah. But since we’re clans please put some horseshoes on the mountain goat. Can you do that much?”

“Yes. Whose orders were those?”

“How could I ignore the orders of someone who became a messenger without any formal procedures even though he had failed the basic training due to the recommendation of Elder Kazas?”

Everyone’s tone was barbed. But Azadin calmly took out a silver candlestick and cutlery from the goat’s saddlebag.

“Please exchange this for money too. And if you have a steel tip can you please give me some?”

“Oh my. You brought something really valuable.”

“Where did you come from to steal? You have some dignity as a messenger.”

“….”

Azadin is whining as if he’s telling me to listen but it’s just too much.

Midiam and Ismail looked at each other. They knew that Azadin was a reviled man among the messenger clan but seeing him in person was no joke.

The merchant guilds originally created by the messenger clan were organizations created to support the messengers.

Of course these days the roles have been reversed but still the mission of the ‘Korasar Peddler Guild’ is to support the messengers’ activities with funds and goods gather information and provide a hiding place.

But they seemed uneasy about even that mission.

“I need a change of clothes. Can I borrow them? And will you do my laundry for me?”

Azadin handed them his laundry and received a change of clothes. But they were women’s clothes.

“What do you want to do?”

“No that’s all I have left. Why don’t you wear those?”

“It doesn’t really show right? Hehe.”

“Ha. Don’t be so childish. The reason I’m not dealing with you right now is because I’m tired from the forced march. Above all I’ll continue to be indebted to the Korasaru Peddler Association so I don’t want to build up feelings by making you guys half-crippled.”

Azadin sighed and returned the clothes to them.

“What the heck?”

“No this kid is telling me to let him know. Are you telling us to wear women’s clothes right now? Are you insulting us?”

“Are you making us into half-idiots? Are you insulting us?”

They were just returning the insult they had inflicted upon him but they were only concerned with the insult they had inflicted upon him and had no thought at all about the insult they had inflicted upon Azadin.

“This kid was lucky enough to become a messenger recommended by Elder Kazas…”

“We your classmates are servants so why did you become a messenger?”

“You failed even in basic training! Do you think it’s right for you to become a messenger?”

In other words the staff of the ‘Korasar Bobusang Guild’ here were Azadin’s training mates.

Those who saw Azadin fall behind in the middle without even receiving the basic training of the messenger clan were dissatisfied with Azadin for becoming a messenger that they could not become.

Medium who was watching the scene asked.

“If you really feel so wronged why don’t you challenge me to a duel?”

“Duel? This kid’s gone crazy. Are you talking to us now?”

“Do you want to get in trouble first?”

Everyone looked at Medium with a fierce attitude but she was calm.

“You don’t seem to want to risk a duel you just want to talk behind my back.”

Azadin who was listening laughed.

‘The risk of a duel? That sounds plausible but isn’t that something you should be saying?’

Indeed when I mentioned the duel my classmates laughed.

“Yes. I was planning on challenging Azadin to a duel anyway.”

“If we beat this guy we’ll be the messengers right?”

“The question is which of us will go first. Whoever goes first has the advantage right? Hehe.”

Everyone was looking at Azadin as if he were an easy target like taking a coin out of a pocket. Medium snickered at the sight.

“Oh really?”

That moment!

The medium moved.