Night of the Soulless Heathens – 451



#452. Weight 3 or more

Azadin rode alternately on his hippogriff Firewinter and his ghost ram forcing his way through the winter winds to Sandokar.

It was a tough march for a body that had barely recovered from the dead to endure but his dreams and ideals spurred him on more fiercely than any tyrant so he pushed forward through the sharp wind that seemed to cut through his flesh.

But when he arrived at the Sandokkar region an unusual sight stopped him in his tracks.

Horrible corpses line the roadside.

Corpses were lined up along the road a full three leagues away from the Sandokar Gate.

Seeing that there were living people among them I could tell that they were not originally corpses placed on the ground but living people who were hung up to become corpses.

“Euuuuu.”

The groans of the people strangely blew into Azadin’s ears on the strong wind.

“No water…..”

The Cheetah groaned his lips chapped from not having had a chance to drink water.

A boy soldier who had just lost his childhood lay in agony without the strength to struggle.

The arm hanging from the rope was blackened and necrotic.

“You can’t do such a cumbersome job without passion. And the name of that passion is hate.”

Azadin clicked his tongue at the horrifying sight.

Perhaps it was a revenge attack on the Cheetahs for their brutal genocide.

But in this day and age when it is dangerous to go outside the castle or village they are forcing people to travel such a long way.

I had an ominous feeling that their hatred would not end with just killing these people.

Grimslow’s club flew through the wind from Azadin’s hand.

The end of the club had a blue executioner’s club attached to it which neatly cut the rope that was holding the boy up.

The boy fell to the ground. His weakened body was worried that he would fall but the snow on the ground prevented him from getting hurt.

“Do you want to drink water?”

Azadin took out a water bottle and handed it to him.

The boy was trembling and couldn’t even raise his hands.

The entire arm tissue has already died so even if you give it water it won’t survive long.

Azadin had no choice but to give him water himself.

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“Crunch crunch.”

The boy drank water as if possessed.

His lips were so dry and chapped that even if he drank water without hesitation his body would not be able to accept it but he continued to drink water in vain as if he were a demon from hell greedily devouring flesh to appease its unquenchable hunger.

“…….”

Azadin examined the boy soldier’s condition. He must use King’s Healing to save him.

But the anger of those who hung them is also understandable.

The sight of the Chitai nomadic light cavalry slaughtering people was a scene of atrocities that would make one feel ashamed and this boy who now looks like a pitiful victim must have been willing to kill and trample on people to get here.

“It can relieve pain.”

Azadin said this to the boy soldier and raised his hand above his head.

Grimslow’s club was sucked into his hand and caught.

“you are….”

The boy soldier looked back and forth between Azadin and the hippogriff that Azadin had brought.

“You are the king.”

“Yes.”

“I want to live. Please save me.”

The boy soldier looked at his hands and feet.

The hands and feet that had been hanging in the cold for a long time had become necrotic because the blood flow was cut off and the fingers and feet that had been frostbitten were not living human flesh but rotten meat.

and….

“Ugh!”

Perhaps because he drank the water too quickly the boy threw up things that weren’t even in his mouth and rolled around on the floor.

Azadin looked at the boy with pity.

“I drank water with my weakened body so my lips may have become moist but the pain I had to endure only increased. I’m sorry. I should have stopped it.”

“Oh no. I still want to drink it.”

“….”

“Please ease my suffering. Everyone’s suffering not just mine…”

“i get it.”

Azadin brought down his axe and cut off the boy’s head cleanly.

Azadin has the power to heal the boy but it comes at the cost of his own life.

And he had to consider the minds of the people who had hung him here.

But since it was solely Azadin’s responsibility to kill the boy instead of saving him when he could have the boy’s death was also Azadin’s fault.

Azadin threw Grimslow’s club into the sky without even lifting it.

Grimslow’s club swings freely cutting down the corpses hanging on the roadside severing their windpipes and dropping their bodies to the ground.

Azadin used his necromancy to animate the corpses bringing them together and burying them according to the rites of the Knights of Salvation thus freeing them from their suffering.

While he was working on this a group of reconnaissance troops appeared behind Azadin.

“어떤 개새끼가 치타이의 금수들을 풀어주느냐!?”

“No wait. That person is…..”

The scouts recognized Azadin’s hippogriff and recognized Azadin as their king.

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“Your Majesty!”

“Huh? Your Majesty?”

The reconnaissance unit quickly bowed their heads when they saw Azadin.

“What is going on?”

“that is….”

“I don’t blame you. The Chitai people have committed atrocities and the public’s resentment has reached the heavens. Of course they would want to make them pay for it. When a person commits a great sin I also injure their body and cause them long-term suffering.”

Azadin caused permanent damage to the arms and legs of those who harmed others through violence and he caused long-term pain to those who forcibly violated others by damaging their genitals.

He also sympathized with their desire for revenge.

“But this sight is still painful to see. They are even giving up their precious lives in order to hate and torment these people. I would understand if they had just killed them cleanly or driven them out.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Well I understand your feelings but it’s complicated.”

Azadin also understood that the people wanted revenge and did not pursue the issue any further.

“Then we will guide you to Sandokar. It is said that His Majesty’s bravery is so great that everyone admires him but there are assassins swarming around here. It would be best to be careful.”

“Okay. Please.”

Azadin headed to Sandokar with his reconnaissance force.

*********

The Sandhokar Gate became the front line after the fall of Naisandhokar.

On the other side of the gate not facing Naisandokhar military tents were spread out endlessly outside the walls and soldiers and refugees gathered to cut down nearby trees and make various equipment.

They were making poles to support the tent spear handles for weapons arrows etc.

But isn’t there a black flag hanging on the gate wall of Sandokar?

“Count? I heard you need healing magic.”

“He passed away between last night and this morning.”

The reconnaissance unit said so.

“Oh. I see.”

The Sandokar Counts were a rare noble family that did not harm people.

Of course it is not that there were no flaws but compared to other nobles the whole family lived a modest life.

So the people of this place respected the count and the fact that such a family was cut off by assassins aroused their anger.

Everyone’s eyes seemed to be filled with resentment towards Chitai.

When Azadin arrived at the Sandokar Gate Karna the leader of the Celestial Fire Knights and Izmilla the vice-leader came out to greet Azadin.

“Your Majesty. Thank you for your hard work in coming such a long way.”

There was a shadow in Izmila’s eyes as she spoke.

The shadow of death hung over her face even though she was physically fine as the horrific ghosts of war strangled her.

She was an innocent and pure girl but her heart died when she saw the horrors of the battlefield.

Not only her but most of the Celestial Fires were like that.

Karna who was a reincarnation and had a lot of worldly experience also greeted Azadin with a tired and resigned look.

“Despite our presence we could not stop the assassination.”

“No you don’t have to blame yourself for that Lord Karna. That’s not what I want from you. More importantly who said that I lined up Cheetahs on the roadside?”

“The people longed for revenge so they did it.”

“Now the people themselves went out of the castle or the barracks and hung them?”

That can’t be true.

Outside the castle the Chitai light cavalry is roaming around. Even without that it is a harsh environment with all sorts of monsters swarming around and a gust of wind that could give you frostbite at any moment.

It makes no sense for civilians not the military to be working outdoors in a place like this and hanging people.

“Soldiers also participated but unfortunately we could not control how many people participated.”

Karna acknowledged his lack of control.

“I don’t mean to be sarcastic but public sentiment has really gotten a bit sullen.”

“Yes. The actions of the Cheetah cavalry are truly horrific. That’s why the cults have become even more rampant recently.”

“Social?”

“Yes. The number of believers in Mezeri and Atra is increasing. Lord Jibek is cracking down on them.”

What Azadin’s New Testament teaches people is the king’s mission to protect his people but this is of little comfort in a war between kings.

Of course Azadin’s priests condemned him for not being a true king and for his actions not being in accordance with the New Testament but such condemnations could not appease the hearts of the bereaved family.

The bereaved family actually wanted to see and drink blood.

“Where and how many prisoners are being held?”

“…….”

Karna closed his mouth.

“Did you kill them all?”

“Yes. It’s because the residents and soldiers want it.”

“Then doesn’t that mean everyone participated not just some?”

“I was able to stop them before Count Sandokar was ambushed. But when the assassin showed up and they fell into critical condition I couldn’t stop them. And everyone thought it was a waste to feed the prisoners. They were even eating human flesh outside so why would they feed the prisoners precious grain?”

“Hmm.”

Azadin clicked his tongue.

“Even if we pool the power of humanity together it won’t be enough but now people are willing to join hands with monsters to kill others. And serving the Kurt Pantheon is no exception.”

The growing number of people worshipping the Kurt Pantheon a pantheon of non-human gods meant that there were major cracks in Azadin’s plans.

“Sir Jibek is here?”

“Yes. By chasing the Mezeri Apostles…”

“hmm?”

Before the New Testament Church’s power stabilized Azadin entrusted the early foundation of the church to Jibek a former knight of the King’s Church and the training of priests and knights.

Later with the conversion of former priests and knights and the absorption of the organization of the Salvation Knights the foundation of the New Testament Church was now laid but Jibek was leading the training of new knights among them and the activities of capturing criminals and cultists within the city.

In other words Jibek has now become an Inquisitor.

‘He was originally a disciple of the heretic inquisitor Jecht.’

In reality Jecht and Astarte who were the Inquisitors were entrusted with the task of subjugating the fish-people in the Southern Sea Route in order to utilize their monster-hunting abilities so the actual work of the Inquisition among humans was handled by Jebeck.

‘I’ve been so busy with my work that Sir Jibek has been given the most mentally demanding work.’

Suddenly I became worried about Jibek’s current condition.