Night of the Soulless Heathens – 52



#52. Aldis 7

Ismail decided to hide from Medium what he thought Arael’s motives were and changed the subject.

“There is concern that Azadin may be persuaded.”

“Persuasion?”

“Yes. Even if Arael and him are not on good terms… I don’t know. Arael has followers but they are short on personnel anyway so they will want to recruit blood relatives.”

“Aha. So let me say this…..”

“We must assume that the elders want to infiltrate the Arael camp as a spy.”

“Then there is no need for Ismail to warn you. If the Council of Elders makes such a decision they will not send us with them.”

“….”

Of course. If the elders had decided so there would have been no reason to send Midiam a member of the Etar clan in with them. It would probably make more sense to have dealt with the servants and have Azadin alone convert.

But in the process Ismail might be killed as a scapegoat to deceive the enemy.

“Hmm I see. I see. So you’re scared Ismail?”

Medium laughed at Ismail’s attitude.

“Yes that’s right.”

Ismail was afraid that he might become a victim of this plot but I don’t know if Medium really understood that or if he just understood that Ismail was scared.

“Ahaha. I get it. Don’t worry too much. Ismail your mother is my wet nurse too. We’re milk brothers. Even so I wouldn’t let you die.”

“…thank you.”

“Hmm. By the way I’m curious. What on earth are Azadin and Aldis doing right now? Could that be it?”

“I don’t know what it is but I don’t think anything like what Medium imagines will happen.”

Ismail clicked his tongue as he watched Medium’s delusions spread.

*********

Azadin and Aldis shared stories that had piled up over time. When it came to talking Azadin didn’t have much to say.

All I did was study hard under Elder Kazas’s ‘Kazas Haeseo’ and learn various strategies and skills that a messenger should have.

The detailed training method curriculum of ‘Kazas Haeseo’ cannot be told and even if told it cannot be followed.

“So even if the training content is kept secret what kind of person was Elder Kazas? All I know is that he was an elf.”

“You’re a pervert.”

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“transformation?”

“Yes. He’s crazy. A crazy person. But…..”

Azadin smiled bitterly. Kazas was clearly a madman but he treated Azadin much better than the rest of his kind.

The Aragats hate Azadin. He was the son of Acre a traitor who had hindered the achievement of his clan’s wishes and he was weak. He was born with a curse that made him blind so his appearance was also hideous.

The only people who did not persecute Azadin were Aldis and Kazas.

“His perversion was bearable though. He didn’t eat humans like he did in the Nagashura era.”

“That’s fortunate. When I heard that you were entrusted to Kazas-sama I had nightmares every day about you being eaten.”

“Haha… is that so? Hmm?”

Azadin was puzzled by Aldis’ words.

“You said that the Master rarely takes on disciples. But… why did you take me as your disciple?”

Until now Azadin had thought that it was Aldis who had persuaded Kazas. However from Aldis’s remarks it seemed that she had no acquaintance with Kazas.

Of course even if they had not met Aldis was a member of the founding family and a promising figure to the point of being called the next generation of Harconia so even the elders could not ignore her petition.

But what if it’s Kazas?

He was completely different. He was an eccentric person who didn’t care about the political strife within the other founders’ clans or the herald clans.

Kazas is a member of the Aragasa Senate with an elven body. As he is not an Aragasa he is not blessed with the blessings of the wind and moon and his appearance is also quite different.

The first time he actively showed himself was when he appointed Azadin as a messenger. Before that he was not even known among the messenger clan.

But if it was Aldis couldn’t he have moved Kazas and recommended the eyeless strange guy as his disciple?

I was thinking that…. I had a nightmare about Kazas eating Azadin. Do you not know anything about Kazas?

“I see? Why did someone who had been quiet all this time take you as his disciple?”

As expected Aldis is not the person who recommended Azadin to Kazas.

“Then… no that’s not it.”

There are still many stories that I haven’t told you yet. I couldn’t waste time telling strange stories when I have Aldis in front of me whom I’ve always missed.

*********

Azadin and Aldis talked for a long time without realizing the passage of time. The time to say goodbye finally came.

“I should have been sleeping but the sun is rising.”

Aldis smiled as he watched the sun rise in the distance. There was no sign of fatigue.

“Are you okay? Get some rest…”

“No it’s okay. I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately. Then I guess I should go Azadin.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’ve already been to Korasaar. Now I’m thinking of going to Btuma. I want to lift the death order against you and meet Arael.”

Bthuma is one of the eight kingdoms and is located south of Korasa.

“Is Arael in Bthuma?”

“I’m looking into it. I’m also looking into copies of the Shinwangjinseo.”

“Hmm.”

Aldis smiled and placed a hand on Azadin’s cheek when he became silent.

“You’ve really grown up a lot. You’ve become a proper man now.”

“That’s true.”

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“Perhaps… the elders or the leader might tell you to kill Arael to prove your innocence.”

“Probably so. We were named that way from the start.”

Azadin the dragon of Mu-an and Arael the angel of justice.

It is no longer an object of worship for the Aragasa but it is just an old tale but its meaning is clear. The name of mutual destruction.

“Wouldn’t it be better if Arael wins? If it’s according to the myth?”

“Are you going to fight?”

“If Aldis wishes.”

If Aldis wanted he could kill Arael. That was what Azadin was saying. But that only served to prove how angry Azadin was at Arael.

Aldis smiled sadly knowing that Azadin’s wounds had not yet healed.

“No. If you two fight I’ll be sad.”

“Then I will avoid it. But will Arael think the same? If Arael attacks then there is nothing I can do.”

Azadin did not hide his discomfort towards Arael. The wounds left by Arael still stung and he could not ignore them.

“Hmm… Are you saying that you will fight if Arael attacks you?”

Aldis was surprised that Azadin still did not hide his hostility towards Arael.

Even Aldis who was called the native of Harconia felt an insurmountable wall when he saw Arael.

Arael the peerless genius. The title of Harconia’s original owner is now hers.

Azadin shows no sign of being intimidated by Arael. Could it be that he is confident that he can win the fight?

‘It’s probably just the pride of siblings who don’t get along. I don’t think they’ll really fight.’

Aldis smiled thinking Azadin’s composure was a show of bluff.

“Oh Aldis. Actually… I found two copies of the Shinwangjinseo.”

“Oh really? Two? That’s amazing.”

“Would you please take care of it?”

“Well why do you want to leave it to me?”

“Well I thought Aldis might need it…”

“No. Azadin keep it. I will somehow convince the others but the other clans might still try to persecute you. In that case it would be better for you to keep it as a guarantee.”

“But the Kurts’ followers make strange wands to track them down. If I have one won’t they keep chasing me?”

“If you keep that grimoire inside you you can avoid tracking magic from wands. Oh… but you can’t use magic?”

Aldis searched through his luggage took out a silver bracelet and began writing in the air.

A soft silver light like her hair floated into the air and overlapped the bracelet engraving letters.

“You can use this bracelet to store the Book of the New King. It won’t be tracked by simple magic so put it here.”

Aldis smiled and put the bracelet on Azadin. Then she hugged Azadin like before. She still smelled like lavender.

“Well then goodbye Azadin. Stay safe. I’ll see you at the sanctuary during the upcoming Hajj festival.”

“Yes… if the festival is held.”

Azadin said goodbye to Aldis.

*********

Thanks to Aldis’ mediation even Salasma District Chief Salem seemed to have calmed down.

“You must have stayed up all night last night. I’ll arrange for a carriage for you.”

“thank you.”

“I understand that you were shocked when you were suddenly dismissed despite being innocent. However you should have understood that it was an inevitable measure from the central government that had to control the members of the organization spread throughout the Eight Kingdoms.”

A day later the regional leader seemed to have calmed down and began to understand Azadin’s position to some extent. However the excuse that he had to fire him because of the organization’s operational needs was just an excuse.

‘Is this what you call an apology? It’s an excuse all the way. But if you were to offer a gesture of reconciliation and kick it away with your feet wouldn’t you be a mortal enemy? Even now you must have been really angry and had to bend down to come in.’

Azadin did not like the attitude of the regional leader who was trying to spit while making gestures of reconciliation. However even this level of concession must have required a great deal of self-restraint on the regional leader’s part.

“Yes I understand. Thank you for arranging the carriage.”

As Azadin accepted the gesture of reconciliation the local chief informed him of Salasma’s information.

“Then let me give you a piece of advice. Salasma is currently… hell.”

“Hell?”

“Yes. The Count has always been a strange man but he’s become even more so these days. He brought a strange witch from somewhere and his barracks are swarming with suspicious savages. Refugees have been flocking in but… disappearances continue to occur among the refugees and the lower classes.”

“A missing person’s case? Have you investigated it?”

“I hired adventurers to investigate… but the adventurers also went missing.”

The adventurers were comprised of mercenaries noble children who refused to enter the king’s church and various scoundrels and they were skilled in battle and espionage.

Even they have gone missing.

There is clearly a problem with Salasma.

‘You’re talking as if you’re telling me some precious secret but isn’t that something you were supposed to tell me in the first place?’

Originally the messenger clan ran a commercial guild to support the messengers but the local leader had told Azadin not to enter Salasma.

The reason was that they wanted to block a messenger who was ‘substandard’ like Azadin from revealing his identity and causing damage to the Korasaar Traders’ Association…

‘You were the one who actually got hurt.’