Night of the Soulless Heathens – 42



#42. Curse of Service 4

-‘The Flower Bird Wind Moon and Thunderbolt Kazas style!’

For a moment the blade trembled…

-Boom!

“Eww!”

“Ouch!”

Calibre and Adan fell out screaming.

“Ugh.”

“What the heck? This is ridiculous. This is… a lightning bolt?!”

Calibre and Adan stood up their hands shaking. They felt a shock as if they had been electrocuted and they mistook it for Azadin deploying a wall mine.

“You said you can’t use magic? How?”

Azadin sighed as they glared at him in astonishment.

“Ugh. Hey don’t die. Well at least one of you will survive right?”

At that moment Azadin’s body became blurry.

“twilight?”

“shit!”

Calibre and Adan whose hands were paralyzed immediately reacted with martial arts and kicked Azadin’s path with a kick. However Azadin moved as if melting into the ground and had already returned behind them.

‘dusk?’

‘A spider in the dark? The linkage is amazing and it’s fast right?’

Calibre and Adan now realized that the Azadin they were dealing with was no longer the little boy who had been beaten and cried by them as a child. Rather even among the Heralds he was a considerable strength.

‘I’m screwed.’

‘Don’t touch it for nothing…’

But it’s already too late to regret it.

“Where are you looking?”

Azadin leapt between them like lightning and kicked them both at the same time. Celebre and Adan were thrown back without being able to fight back crashing into nearby trees and rocks.

“Ugh?!”

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“Oh my god! This is ridiculous!”

With just one blow his ribs were broken. Not on the side he was hit with but on his back where he was hit and then sent flying and then hit something. In addition Adan broke his arm after blocking Azadin’s attack for no reason and Celebre was hit directly so he was less injured.

“I was just trying to blow it up without breaking it… but the terrain is like this so I can’t overlook it.”

“…!”

“….”

It is not an exaggeration to say that Azadin was watching him. With the power and angle of the kick he had now he could have hit him in the head if he wanted but he would have died instantly if he had done so.

‘That’s not a human kick.’

‘This much power without even using magic?’

The moment they were hit by Azadin they realized the difference in level.

“But you both survived. Even though you weren’t chosen as a messenger you must have neglected your training. I tried to knock you out but you’re still very strong.”

“….”

The shocked Celebre and Adan stuck out their tongues.

‘Why? Even if we weren’t good messengers… how could we be worse than that bastard Azadin who didn’t even complete basic training?’

Calibre and Adan completed basic training but were not even able to become servants due to lack of qualifications. They continued to apply hoping to become servants at least during the Haji Festival held every two years but as peace continued it became rare for messengers to die. Also as Arael began to play an active role the messenger clan prospered without any sacrifices.

So they had to live as merchants in a peddler’s association without even being able to work until their youth was over.

From their perspective it goes without saying how disheartened and angry they were when they heard the news that Azadin a low-level student who had been beaten up by them had become a messenger upon the recommendation of Elder Kazas.

‘That’s ridiculous.’

‘This kid became a messenger through his own skills? I can’t admit it! If I admit it….’

Their own meaning of existence disappears. They become truly ugly inferior and incompetent beings. Before that they had been cursing the stuffy traditions of the Aragasa clan of messengers.

We are capable enough to become messengers. We are capable but we just don’t have the family background. We are not blood relatives of the founder so we don’t get the chance.

I lived my life believing that if I got the chance I could show off my skills and be active and break the curse on my clan and become a messenger.

But in reality they wouldn’t be able to fight against Azadin who is of the 108th rank even if they attacked him at the same time?

‘Is this how we get along?’

‘Fuck. I can’t admit it!’

The two somehow got up and tried to fight again but their legs were already weak. Their arms and bodies wouldn’t listen to them and when they opened their mouths water came up with a whoosh. They even felt a chill run through their bodies.

“Okay then let’s hear the story. What happened? This?”

Azadin looked back at them coldly. That was it.

A large crow flew in from the nearby bushes and landed on a tree branch.

[108th Commander Azadin… This is a big problem.]

“Ah the Emperor’s voice. I thought it had disappeared. Then why are you speaking through a medium?”

[The leader fired you.]

“I know that.”

[That’s not all. The curse of service has been activated.]

“!!?”

“Active?!”

Everyone was shocked by those words.

*********

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A contract of service shared between the messenger clan and the emperor.

It was called the Curse of Service not only because the Heralds were bound to be eternally loyal to the Emperor but also because the methods used to enforce that loyalty were brutal.

If the leader and elders of the Herald Clan’s collective decision-making system decide to cast the curse of service on someone that person will definitely die. And they won’t just die. They will definitely fill the vacancy in the Herald Clan in your place and then die.

“The curse of service has been activated. What will happen?”

[After one year the curse of service will be activated. You will probably give birth to a messenger who will fulfill the duty of the messenger clan in your stead and then die. Just like Acre did.]

Yes. Give birth.

The cursed person regardless of whether he or she is male or female would give birth to a messenger and then die. That was the great penalty of the curse of service of the messenger.

“This dog…..”

Azadin who rarely swore couldn’t help but swear.

*********

In the past Acre became the enemy of his clan for stealing a copy of the New King’s Book and the curse of service was activated. Almost the entire Jeonryung clan was mobilized to capture him.

But surprisingly Acre managed to evade pursuit and repel his pursuers for a year despite not being a herald.

People thought that the reason he became so powerful even though he was not a messenger but a scholar who interpreted magic books under the elders was because he had absorbed the knowledge and power of the copy of the Book of the New King. However even Acre could not escape the curse of service.

In the end he died after giving birth to twins Azadin and Arael in his male body.

“Ugh… I don’t want to get pregnant in a man’s body. Are they crazy? Why did the Emperor make the service contract like that in the first place?”

[This penalty was not decided by me but by Harkonia.]

Harconia the first leader of the Herald Clan.

She was renowned as a beautiful and powerful sorceress and warrior but a closer look at the historical records reveals that she had a very eccentric personality.

[And… Ah this is something I shouldn’t tell you.]

“What is it? Tell me frankly.”

[No this magic called the Emperor’s Voice is something that allows an artificial spirit to exist in this world forever on the condition that it does not directly convey certain information. I can tell you about things related to your personal life but anything else… No speaking to you through an intermediary after being dismissed from the messenger is actually an act that eats away at my existence. You are not even the petitioner for the gold so speaking to me is actually dangerous.]

“….”

The other messengers the Aragasas who were listening to those words were terrified. The Emperor’s voice was breaking the rules to speak to Azadin out of consideration.

It was a great honor for the Herald Clan an honor they could not even dare to imagine.

This could only be interpreted as the Emperor’s voice viewing Azadin as a very important figure for the future of the Herald Clan. However Azadin clicked his tongue indifferently.

“Even so because of the curse you created you will give birth to a child in a man’s body a year later and die. I put a curse on you to kill you but I acknowledge you? Are you kidding me?”

“How rude Azadin!”

“The Emperor’s voice is the Emperor’s will! That is….”

Celebre and Adan scolded Azadin. Of course it was a shocking thing for Azadin.

“What the hell? I’m not even a messenger anymore! You guys suddenly fired me and even cursed me for my service! And do you think you should be strict and noble among yourselves!?”

“No but still.”

“There is such a thing as a duty.”

“If there was a reason for everything up until now then it makes sense to fire me out of the blue? Then you guys tell me. Why are you trying to catch me? Why on earth did you fire me out of the blue?”

“that….”

The two spoke while looking at each other.

“Arael has rebelled!”

“what?”

“Arael killed Elder Kenahan and stole the copies of the Book of the New King that he had been collecting.”

“….”

Azadin tilted his head when he heard that.

“But why did you fire me?”

“Well….”

“Because you thought you were in league with Arael?”

At that moment Azadin exploded.

“Are you kidding me? Who put a knife mark on my face? It was Arael who you all love so much! What? I’m in league with Arael? Even if it were just me and Arael left in this world we’d still fight each other!”

“How would other people know about the relationship between you two?”

“It seems to us that Arael has been fighting with you a lot. Arael cherished you so much.”

“You’re kidding! Arael protected and cared for me? Then what about the scar on my eye?”

“You didn’t have eyes to begin with did you?”

“How can I trust your judgment! You said it yourself! The paragon of the Herald Clan! The descendant of Harconia! Didn’t you know that Arael whom you licked and sucked so much would rebel? Why do you hold me responsible with such judgment? When Arael was doing well did I gain even a single penny? Not at all! Even when you try to calm a little child down you threaten to marry her off to the fool Azadin? What did I do wrong to deserve my dismissal and the curse of service?”

“That that…..”

“We don’t know.”

“You’re shaking like a scorpion! You fucking scorpion you fucking scorpion you fucking scorpion you fucking scorpion! You fucking scorpion you fucking scorpion!”

A sinister aura hung over Azadin’s mask.

“Should I kill all of my clan members now that it’s come to this? Are you really going to rebel coolly?”

“…?!”

“Oh no wait! Calm down.”

Adan and Celebre stopped them. If Azadin goes out like that they will be the first to be killed.

“Just go to the leader and the elders and ask them to withdraw your dismissal!”

“That’s right. After our clan became the Emperor’s messenger there is only one person in the history of our clan who actually died from the curse of service.”

“That’s my father you little punks! Are you going to give me medicine?”

Azadin was running wild. He really looked like he was spitting fire from his mouth.

“….”

“Well by the way.”

Adan opened his mouth observing Azadin’s expression.

“If you’re going to ask the leader to withdraw your dismissal you have to go anyway. Then why don’t you just let us catch you now…?”

“Do you want to die right now?”

As Azadin drew his sword a chilling murderous aura pierced the people’s skin. This was definitely not a joke. The current Azadin could kill people and still have more than enough. Everyone sensed it.