Night of the Soulless Heathens – 37



#37. Black Magic Disaster 8

‘But what happens if you persuade them?’

Medium himself was surprised.

I didn’t think about it at all.

What if Azadin convinces her? What on earth happens?

*********

[I’ve been waiting for ten thousand nights.]

The drinker said so.

At the same time a black aura surrounds the wyverns.

[I’ve been waiting for this ever since I was little. That one day my clan will come and free me from this miserable life…]

A persecuted girl’s delusion. But because it was hope she was able to endure the continued abuse and humiliation.

[But you didn’t come.]

When the hope that had been cherished for ten thousand nights was broken a sense of betrayal and resentment would sprout. That hatred was fully contained and raised the undead.

The wyverns that died instantly after having their intestines torn open by Azadin’s arrows rose again as undead. The bear that had just fallen also rose again as undead.

“I am sorry. You alone have endured the insults and abuse inflicted on our clan.”

Azadin apologized. It had only been three months since he had been appointed as a messenger and had been in charge of this area. He had not received any handover information before then.

So Azadin is ignorant of what is happening now.

A situation where you cannot take responsibility.

Still Azadin could not make excuses. No excuse would be acceptable considering the suffering she must have endured.

[….]

Was it because of Azadin’s apple? The undead that had risen were just standing there blankly and not attacking.

[I still can’t forgive you. Now I have turned to black magic and will kill and destroy all living things. Only death will comfort me from this pain.]

The undead bears and wyverns began to act with a sinister air.

Are you planning to attack?

Azadin sighed.

“Where were your children sold to?”

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[This is not a child I wanted! He is the child of the Hybris people who abused me!]

“But those children will suffer just because they inherited Aragasa’s blood. Just like you they will live as slaves for ten thousand nights perhaps even more enduring humiliation and they will hate their clan for not saving them like you did. If you do not want to pass on your suffering to them… Surrender to me and tell me the personal information of your children.”

[….]

“I swear on the name of Emperor Yaeslat that I will find and rescue those children. If you have spent ten thousand nights in agony you would not want those nights to be repeated for the children would you?”

As Azadin spoke the darkness began to shake.

[I I… My children? You’ll save my children? Is that possible?]

“It is possible. I told you. We Aragasa shoot down stars and even kill the god-kings. The Hybris people despise us but even in their contempt our faith does not lose its light.”

“….”

“….”

Ismail and Midiam were speechless after hearing Azadin’s words.

‘Look at that guy lying without even wiping his mouth.’

‘Belief? Was there such a thing?’

As a Midiam the founder of the Herald Clan I can confidently say that there is no such Herald Clan as Azadin speaks of.

The herald’s duty is only enforced by the curse.

The founders of the clan are simply after money and power.

Once they retrieve the copy of the New King’s Book and lift the curse of service they will take over the country with their overflowing power and return the disillusionment they have received with pain and oppression.

There was no pride in it only greed. And yet Azadin was placating the sorcerer by acting as the proud emperor’s messenger.

liar.

But Azadin’s actions were so sincere that they wanted to believe it.

Honor and pride that transcends gains and losses.

If there is then maybe….

[I surrender.]

Everyone doubted their ears at that moment.

A broken vessel never returns to its original state. You can put effort into mending it but no vessel is worth the effort.

Broken humans are even more so.

Moreover if black magic is involved the human soul will be corrupted and damaged and will never be usable again. However the black magician who had been despised and trampled on all his life and was filled with resentment gave up all his hostility and surrendered to Azadin.

[I petition you believing in your pride and honor to save the children I gave birth to but was unable to embrace.]

She petitioned the Emperor’s messenger Azadin. When she surrendered to Azadin the undead fell and the fog in the forest cleared.

It was a remarkable victory. Of course the price was a heavy promise. A promise to save her children. A promise made in the name of the Emperor with honor and pride that must never be a lie.

A woman walked out of the forest and knelt down respectfully in front of Azadin holding out both hands. Seeing her body clearly showing that she would not resist Azadin also approached her.

“Of course. Your children are our clan so how could you ignore the pain and humiliation of your clan?”

Azadin knelt down before her and took her hand in his own. There was a wound on his hand and something like black fungus had grown on it.

Not only that… there were wounds all over her body that no human could bear.

Perhaps she is already dead though she may not be aware of it.

“How many children do you have? Do you remember who bought them and from which merchants?”

[Yes. I don’t remember everything but I wrote down some clues and hid them in the storage room. I don’t want to forget them. However…]

“How did you get the strength?”

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[I got it from a grimoire that whispered to me. It was a book that called itself a copy of the Book of the New King…]

“…A copy of the New King’s Book?”

Azadin was puzzled by those words. Did he learn black magic by writing a copy of the Book of the New King?

This is impossible. Black magic is rejected by the Yaegasu clan and the Rescue Knights.

But are you saying that there was black magic power in the New King’s Book?

[I will return the magic book. Please….]

But she couldn’t finish speaking.

-‘Flowers birds wind and moon! The flames of the autumn fields!’

Suddenly the forest around the sawmill began to burn.

*********

[Gyaaaah!]

Already dead and in a ghostly state she screamed and flailed around just from the heat of the flames before collapsing.

“this!”

As Azadin rose a bright voice was heard.

“Ahahaha. Azadin is so stupid. That woman is not one of our clan. She can’t use magic so she doesn’t know that?”

The messenger wearing the mask of an eagle was holding a bone wand. It was a bone wand that was said to have a magic that allowed it to search for the Book of the New King.

That alone is surprising but behind him are members of the Korasarr guild of merchants. Servants from the Saban family one of the founding families standing armed. A considerable number.

“Oh you don’t recognize me because I didn’t come out during the summer festival. Let me introduce myself. I’m Calypso. I’m the 106th generation.”

“What are you doing?”

“As you can see I am in the process of exorcising evil spirits and collecting copies of the Book of the New King.”

“This is supposed to be my jurisdiction?”

“But I’ve heard rumors that you’re so incompetent that you can’t achieve much. And on top of that you can’t even control the wild behavior of your subordinates.”

The servants beside Calypso who spoke like that looked familiar. They were Azadin’s comrades whom Midiam had threatened with a knife and the tea merchant whom I had met just before coming here. They all had something in common: they were all members of the Korasaar Peddler’s Guild and Midiam had insulted them by threatening their lives with a knife.

Those who despised Azadin and were severely beaten by Midiam came with Calypso.

“hmm.”

Azadin looked at the fallen sorcerer. The sorcerer who was the cause of the black magic disaster was already dead and had returned to being a corpse.

“That woman doesn’t have the Book of Magic Flower Bird and Moon. I already checked. It’s not Aragasa. So you can thank me. There’s no need to clean up the shameful mess that the Hybris people made between themselves. Isn’t that right? You dare to risk the Emperor’s name because of that Hybris person. Hehe.”

As Calypso and Azadin spoke a sheet of pure white paper suddenly appeared before their eyes. It was a copy of the Book of the New King emerging from the body of a woman who had fallen no had now turned into an ordinary corpse.

“Ah…. You came out. As expected.”

Calypso put the bone wand in her bosom and reached for the copy of the Book of the New King but…

The copy of the New King’s Book flew towards Azadin as if it had chosen its own owner.

“….”

Calypso’s lips twitched.

“It seems like he knows who the real owner is. He’s quite clever. Well to that extent he’s the new king’s book!”

Medium grumbled and put an arrow on his bow.

-‘Flowers birds wind and moon! May rain!’

As the arrow she shot hit the middle of the burning forest a brief downpour of rain fell extinguishing all the fires there. However the enormous consumption of magic power also caused Medium to break out in a cold sweat.

“…Ugh.”

But she who didn’t want to lose didn’t fall down and looked back pretending to be calm.

“If you are Aragasa don’t burn the Emperor’s land unnecessarily and put out the fire! Aren’t you ashamed to set fire to the forest during a drought?”

“Shut up daughter of Etar. Who are you yapping about right now?”

“what?”

“I am a messenger. You are a servant. I don’t know if you are Etar or not but a servant is not in a position to tell a messenger what to do right?”

When Calypso said this the servants who were attached to her were delighted. They were so angry at what had happened to Midiam that they brought Calypso the messenger.

It seemed that since Midiam had used his position as a servant and Azadin as a messenger to suppress his servants he was planning to use Calypso the messenger to suppress Midiam.

But Azadin stepped forward.

“My servants train according to my policies Calypso. You were clearly… one grade lower than me weren’t you?”

He is a year younger than Azadin.

‘It’s a fight between old farts.’

Ismail was dumbfounded by this situation. When Calypso said to Midiam “How dare you a servant speak to the messenger!” Azadin responded by saying to Calypso “How dare you a lowly knight!”

“Yeah but I’m higher in rank than you.”

“The messenger hierarchy is not the problem. If you had investigated it yourself you would have known about the whereabouts of this woman’s children and the merchants who dealt with them.”

“…What? Are you really going to do that? That woman is a Hybris. She’s not Aragasa.”

“But I received a copy of the New King’s Letter. It is a treasure as valuable as or more valuable than the Emperor’s gold coins. It is absurd to ignore the wishes of the person who gave it to me and eat it for free…”

Azadin clicked his tongue.

“My pride cannot tolerate it.”

“That’s funny. You have pride in being the biggest idiot in the clan?”

Calypso glared at Azadin.

“If you give me a copy of that New King’s Book I can tell you.”

“You don’t like it?”

“Then how about a duel with that at stake?”

“A duel? Between messengers?”

“Yes. You will bet the copy of the New King’s Book that you just obtained and Etar’s daughter and I will bet the information you want to know the current location of that woman’s children and my rank. If you win against me you will be the 106th spirit.”

“What if you win? What does it mean to stake Etar’s daughter?”

“I will take a copy of the New King’s Book and make that bratty brat who was your servant my servant. I will teach her to respect her superiors and the business of her clan.”

As Calypso spoke the servants behind her smiled sinisterly.