Night of the Soulless Heathens – 284



#284. Fimbulbert 1

Azadin succeeded in tying up the Chashan gang and finally confiscating their hidden assets.

He has amassed so much wealth from his drug dealing career that he has to transport gold and silver coins by cart because he has stolen so much money.

But Azadin was not satisfied with just stealing the funds.

“Let me start with the basics. I would like to contact the Elemental Whaling patients managed by Banreung Academy.”

“Are you crazy? The elemental wailing patients are the property of Banreung Academy. The King of Banreung belongs to the Yaegas but Banreung Academy belongs to the dwarves. We put the Academy above the King’s orders.”

“Oh I guess you misunderstood my soft words as a request. Should I shave my beard first?”

As Azadin gestured his subordinate brought a razor.

“There’s an idiom that says to shave a dwarf’s beard but I wonder what would happen if you actually did it.”

“Hey! You punk! The body parts are called the parents! You savage human beings! Do you want to harm the precious beard that my parents gave me? Just kill me instead!”

“Does a drug dealer say something like that? Why does a guy who thinks his body is precious not care about other people’s bodies?”

“Well who cares about the parents of other people who aren’t dwarves? I can kill their parents myself. It’s their choice whether the bodies they received from their parents are ruined by drugs or not!”

These dwarf sorcerers including Chashan laughed at other races as if they had no idea about them.

“Well you guys are pretty annoying. I think you’d look better if you got a shave.”

“Huh! Oh I see! You want to find the Elemental Whaling patients?”

“Do you know?”

“I don’t know! But I still have influence with the Dwarven Arrow so I can investigate through them! If you shave my beard it’s all over! I won’t listen to a beardless dwarf! Don’t touch my beard for your own purposes!”

Chashan gave in to the threat of the razor.

While it is possible to be defeated in battle or captured having one’s beard shaved is an unbearable disgrace for a dwarf.

If Azadin had shaved Chashan’s beard Chashan would have had no choice but to commit suicide.

“Good. This way we have secured funds and a clue about the Elemental Whaling.”

All of Azadin’s allies were dissatisfied with Azadin who not only forgave Giacomo when he threatened to leave the organization but also listened to his complaints.

But Azadin solved the problem too quickly.

“How long did it take?”

“…It’s been a day.”

Niselda nodded and said.

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“After all mercy is the right of the strong. Others are not as strong as you Lord Azadin and cannot show mercy. If they do and are betrayed they will suffer irreparable damage.”

“Are you angry? That I showed you mercy that wasn’t worth showing?”

“Not at all. On the contrary I am looking forward to it. In fact my father and I have some personal issues but seeing Sir Azadin taking care of Giacomo’s affairs is making us happy.”

“What’s going on? It’s scary. What on earth are you trying to make me do?”

“It’s not the time yet… I’ll tell you later.”

“hmm?”

Azadin who had been talking to Niselda raised his hand.

Ice cubes fall from the sky.

“Is it hail?”

It is common for hail to fall in summer.

however….

-Thud…Thuddud…

The hail was getting heavier.

“this!”

Ice cubes the size of fingertips fall from the sky.

Even those wearing helmets were out of their minds and those not wearing armor were on the verge of collapse.

Everyone hid in Chashan’s fortress to avoid the pouring hail…

“uh?”

After a while pure white snow began to fall between the hailstones.

“…Snow in summer?”

Everyone was terrified at the sight.

*********

Snow fell on the Chadra Plateau.

The Chadra Plateau is cooler than other areas even in summer and snow often falls on the high peaks even in summer.

But it was unusual for snow to start falling in the middle of the day in the lowlands.

Fortunately it didn’t pile up but everyone was confused when the temperature suddenly dropped.

Azadin inspected the damage to farms devastated by the hail.

There was a lot of damage caused by sudden hailstorms here and there.

Not only were crops destroyed by the hail but buildings were also seriously damaged and many people were injured or killed.

“Go around the village check on the people and help those who need roof reinforcement.”

Azadin headed straight for Fireglyph thinking that this hail might not be a temporary phenomenon but something that would continue.

Fireglyph was also reduced to rubble.

In addition during this time employees of Van Dyke Trading Company were seen buying grains that were floating around the market.

They sell materials to reinforce houses from hail damage and medicine for the injured while buying grain and other food from the market instead.

‘These… knew?’

Azadin immediately headed to Van Dyke’s Trading Company.

“Ugh. Azadin.”

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Delia the branch manager of Van Dyke’s frowned at the unwelcome guest.

“…Are you hoarding food?”

“It’s not just today. I’ve been saving up steadily. And what else would I buy if not food from the Rescue Knights?”

“But isn’t it strange to be hoarding things when it’s not harvest season? Was there some kind of instruction?”

“Btuma and Korasar have finally fallen. The number of refugees coming from there is so great that the King’s Church has requested assistance from the Knights Templar. That’s why Lord Jecht came here.”

“I was wondering why Lord Jecht came here but… there was already chaos elsewhere.”

I wondered why the Inquisitors who were considered the top knights in the King’s Church had come to a remote place like the Chadra Plateau but it turned out that they had already anticipated a food shortage and had gathered in the territory of the Knights of Salvation the greatest granary on the Hybris Continent.

“I don’t know the details but the clan suspects that there is some kind of agreement between the Northern Qi and the King’s Church to take away the territory of the Knights Templar.”

“What’s the evidence?”

“Since there isn’t any it’s a guess. What do you think? Azadin? What are you investigating? You hate the King’s Church don’t you?”

“You don’t hate it?”

“what?”

“I also have a friend who is a knight of the King’s Church.”

“You mean Lord Jibek? The one famous for being the Kingslayer.”

“…The Kingslayer?”

Azadin was startled by the familiar title.

This is a title usually given to the messenger clan when it comes to the Kingslayer.

But why is Sir Jibek given that name?

“Huh? Didn’t I tell you? Wait a minute.”

Delia went into the office for a moment looked through something and then took out a wanted poster.

“Is this correct?”

“uh?”

Azadin was startled when he saw the wanted poster.

It was a wanted poster for Lord Jibek.

The charge surprisingly enough was the murder of a royal family member and that was the murder of Darhan-Zadek the son of Manza-Zadek the golden king of Bthuma.

“What is this?!”

“It’s a wanted poster for the King’s Church. I guess they haven’t gotten here yet by normal route.”

“Darhan-Zadek is dead?”

The wanted poster stated that Darhan-Zadek the son of the Golden King Manja-Zadek and a man who had gained fame fighting against the Kurt clansmen in the northern fortress of Bthuma had been killed by Lord Xibek.

“Yes. Thanks to that the Btuma army has collapsed and the kingdom is almost destroyed… Refugees are escaping. That’s also why food prices are skyrocketing.”

“I see.”

Azadin nodded.

“It’s a false accusation.”

“You really don’t think that knight named Jibek killed him?”

“If he was capable of doing that he wouldn’t have been unknown until now. He had considerable swordsmanship and magic but he was too old-fashioned to even rebel against the master of the place he was sent to. Even if Darhan-Zadek was an unforgivable villain if his death caused such great chaos he would be the kind of person who would silently endure it.”

Azadin knew the character of Zibek well.

Considering Darhan-Zadek’s reputation it is unlikely that he is an unforgivable villain. Even if he is a vicious villain contrary to rumors it is impossible for him to be assassinated by Zibek when the responsibility he carries is so great.

“But isn’t it just spitting on the floor for the King’s Church to frame their own knights as assassins?”

“It may not have been the King’s Church that framed him. Could it have been the clan? There aren’t many forces that would benefit from destroying the Kingdom of Bthuma.”

“Don’t cross the line Azadin. How can I answer such a question?”

Delia decided to cooperate with Azadin but no matter what the line was clearly drawn.

“So is the clan planning to profit from grain hoarding during this chaotic time?”

“Rather than saying it’s a gain why don’t you say it’s a struggle for survival?”

“From the way you speak it seems like crop failure isn’t just a problem here.”

“You know that the Kingdom of Korasaar is suffering from drought right? And recently the seas adjacent to Arangi and Chitai….”

“Is there a netherstrom?”

“Yes. They say that large icebergs are drifting toward the Andaz Inland Sea.”

“….”

The Andaz Inland Sea where Netherstrom is located is famous for its low water temperature due to the cold currents flowing in despite being a subtropical sea in the south.

However in a subtropical climate where torrential rains pour down there is no way an iceberg could float away intact.

“Oh no. That’s. It’s like Fimbulbert.”

Fimbulbert. It was a kind of prophecy called the Winter of Destruction.

A terrible prophecy that when the Age of Jupiter comes and the Old Gods return a harsh winter will begin to signal doom and for three years there will be no summer causing all crops to freeze to death. Even the most faithful will be forced to eat human flesh to survive.

“Fimbulbert. That’s nonsense.”

“Isn’t it a bit too much to blindly deny Fimbulbert while hoarding food? This could cause problems later.”

Right now they might just say they’re buying food with their own money but if a famine were to strike later and people really start starving then people angry at the merchants could riot.

“So we’re providing the materials to prevent hail from blowing through the roof right? What…?”

“It’s definitely not a fair trade. But… I’m glad you found out about Jibek. If you happen to find Lord Jibek could you bring him to me?”

“I don’t think that’s something you can ask of a mere branch manager.”

“Even if you wish to make a deal with the Senate it is fine. You will pay for the safety of Lord Zibek.”

“Hmm. You’ve grown a lot. Azadin. The guy who was ridiculed by others as Azadin of Mu-an… has grown so much.”

Delia felt a sense of alienation at Azadin’s statement demanding an equal deal from the Senate.

“Don’t expect much. He’s probably hiding among the refugees right now so it’ll be hard to find him. And our clan has lost all their hands and feet because of someone betraying them.”

“Yes. I don’t have high expectations either. I would appreciate it if you could cooperate even a little.”

“Huh. You speak well.”

That’s when Delia said that.

I heard the brass bell ringing on the shop door.

Someone came in.

“Sir Azadin. Are you here?”

It was a young woman’s voice.

“…”

Along with that an eerie chill began to fill the interior of the Van Dyke Store.

“…dahlia.”

Azadin had felt this eerie chill recently. It was the voice of the White Dahlia the leader of the undead elves who had become Lord Sok’s subordinates.