Night of the Soulless Heathens – 7



#7. Bold Challenger 3

“Whew I’ll live.”

Azadin who had been sitting for about an hour put a stopper on the almost empty water bottle and handed it back to the boy.

“So little girl and droopy eyes. What brings you here?”

“Little Miss? That’s unpleasant. Do you know that I am of the Etar bloodline and say such things?”

Medium was secretly angry that Azadin treated him like a child.

The Etar Bloodline is one of the five founding families of the Herald Clan and is a family that has produced heralds for generations as well as amassing enormous wealth through its business activities. It can be said to be a prestigious family that does not lack in bloodline wealth or authority.

“As a servant you are not a member of Ethar’s bloodline but only my subordinate. Do you want to be respected as a member of the founder’s bloodline? If so give up being a servant. Then I will treat you like a young lady of Ethar’s bloodline. Oh by the way you do know that the official status of a messenger is not affected by the nobility of the bloodline right?”

Azadin made the girl aware of her position.

Even if she is the descendant of a great family there is no reason for the messenger Azadin to respect her. When she is a servant there is no reason to respect her and even if she is not a servant there is no reason to respect her either.

“no….”

“I see you guys just volunteered to be my servants because you were bored in the sanctuary. You don’t plan on challenging me to a duel do you?”

“….”

Medium was embarrassed. Of course she intended to challenge Azadin to a duel.

Azadin the son of the traitorous messenger clan. I heard that he was bullied by other messenger clans of the same generation when he was young because he couldn’t even use magic.

The fact that he who everyone treated as an idiot was suddenly selected as a messenger caused the young people of the messenger clan to protest all at once because of his bad reputation. However contrary to such rumors the Azadin I met in person was bold.

Even when she was suddenly attacked by arrows she was not shaken and easily took on her aggressive words and actions. Moreover she was brimming with confidence in her actions.

“Ah you really were going to challenge me to a duel. Arael abandoned all the kids. Or is she making fun of me that much?”

Azadin figured out the children’s intentions and clicked his tongue.

Azadin’s twin sister Arael was the child of a traitor like Azadin but unlike him she was a famous genius.

A peerless beauty with overwhelming magical power and outstanding swordsmanship.

Born with all talents she was assigned to serve as a servant and as a servant she challenged the messenger and won easily. At the age of 13 she defeated an adult messenger and took his place.

As with any organization the Herald Clan is an organization that places special emphasis on hierarchy. The leader and elders will not be pleased with Arael’s unconventional actions.

However duels between clans are a right guaranteed by the Emperor’s voice.

Arael confidently acquired that right and with it he continued to overcome the elders’ slander and plots with his own skills solidifying his faction within the Herald Clan.

Perhaps because of her existence the idea of ​​taking over the position of herald through a duel was no longer a vague fantasy among the young people of the herald clan but rather a feasible reality.

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“I won’t say anything bad so just give up and return to the sanctuary. Working with a servant who doesn’t respect me is worse than working alone.”

That’s the correct answer. But there’s no way a medium that’s come this far can just go back.

but….

“No way. This guy….”

The boy Ismail stopped Midiam.

Rumors of Azadin being incompetent. And Medium’s skills being superior to those of anyone his age.

Even taking that into account my instincts were speaking.

The man in front of me right now is dangerous.

Medium was feeling it too.

It’s different from the rumors.

Azadin is not a fool but rather appears to be a tough and intelligent man.

But….

‘If you weren’t going to challenge your opponent just because he’s strong wouldn’t that be too mean?’

I had decided to duel from the beginning but now that I saw my opponent I was scared and didn’t want to give in.

Once it breaks it breaks again.

Despite his fear Medium challenged Azadin to a duel.

“Messenger Azadin. I Midiam of Ethar formally challenge your position as herald.”

“Are you serious? If you win you get the position of my messenger but do you know what happens to you if I win?”

“Of course I know. Life and death will be yours right? Everything I have will be yours. I am prepared. When that time comes I will quickly commit suicide…”

-puck!

At that moment suddenly Medium fell from the mountain goat. Azadin had lightly thrown a stone at her and hit her between the eyebrows.

But it was so fast and powerful. I was just hit by a rock flicked with my finger.

“Ugh?!”

“Little lady someone who thinks so little of their own life should never take up arms.”

“Huh? Mr. Medium….”

The boy Ismail was also genuinely confused. He couldn’t even notice what was happening even though it was happening right before his eyes.

“I’ll pretend it never happened so go back to the sanctuary. If you keep accepting every challenge with that kind of mindset there won’t be any free people left in our clan.”

Azadin advised the impudent boy and girl in this way but Midiam was furious at his sudden ambush.

“How can you be so rude as to take someone by surprise when they challenge you to a duel!”

“hmm?”

Azadin was surprised to hear her rebuttal.

“That’s true but is that something the person who just shot an arrow at me on the street and ambushed me would say?”

“It’s not the same as taking someone by surprise to challenge them to a duel!”

“No that’s why you should be more embarrassed. I was attacked in a situation where I couldn’t even see you but you were attacked in a situation where my presence was clearly visible. Which one was more careless?”

“….”

“Give up. Once you start a duel there’s no turning back and I’m sorry but you’re weaker than me. At 13 beating an adult is something only Arael can do. I know my clan has a low opinion of me but no matter what I won’t give the position of messenger to someone who can lose to a 13-year-old girl.”

Azadin tried to refuse the duel this time but Medium shook his head.

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“Do you think I’ll take back what I’ve said? You’re calling for a duel with the position of herald at stake and you’re making a surprise attack. Don’t you know how shameful it is! Azadin! The duel starts with the two sides standing a hundred paces apart! How dare you make a surprise attack like this and sully this honorable duel!”

“Oh… Are you serious?”

Azadin scratched his nose.

“Okay! I’m serious!”

Midiam rode the ram and began to retreat putting distance between himself and Azadin. When he was about a hundred paces away he got down from the ram.

“Confess! Azadin! I will challenge for the position of messenger!”

“You really insist on doing it?”

As Azadin was feeling bewildered a eerie voice was suddenly heard.

[The duel is called Herald Azadin. Accept the challenge.]

“Oh my god.”

“…The voice of the Emperor of Fire!?”

Ismail was also confused. The voice of the Spirit Emperor who was attached to each messenger was heard by him as well.

Now that the Emperor’s voice has become a witness it can no longer be dismissed as a child’s swearing.

‘This is a big problem.’

Ismail became anxious.

He was a person from a family that had been involved in the Midiam household since his parents’ generation.

The choice to follow Midiam and become Azadin’s servant was also chosen to ensure that she returned home safely.

But Ismail was letting his guard down. If Azadin was really as foolish as rumored and if he became a messenger only because of the curiosity or delusion of the elders then Midiam would be able to win.

No not just Medium but all of Ismail’s comrades in fact had a dream of becoming a messenger by challenging Azadin to a duel when they had the time.

But in reality the Azadin we see is by no means an easygoing person.

‘But from the young lady’s perspective she would feel insulted if she saw the other person and gave up her initial intention.’

They regard fear as shame and try to overcome it head-on. This is a common tendency among young children who do not yet know the ways of the world and do not know frustration.

The problem is that this duel is not something to be taken lightly. If you fail once you will become a slave. Becoming a slave to Azadin who is a laughingstock among the Heralds would be a more terrible insult than death.

Now that the Emperor’s voice has intervened it is now impossible to cancel this so if Medium wins it is fortunate but if they lose it will be a disaster.

“If we win it will be fine!”

At that moment Medium put an arrow on his bow.

‘That guy is definitely the type that trained in martial arts instead of magic. If that’s the case we should fight while keeping our distance!’

Medium enchanted the arrow.

‘Baekhak!’

Shooting an arrow high…

‘Yellow Crane!’

Next shoot an arrow low. It looks like the same bow as before but if you try to catch the arrow with magical power like last time you will get a big nose.

‘The tradition was empty. The arrows I shot earlier were two so now that bastard’s tradition has two arrows! Since the distance is far he’ll want to receive this arrow as a tradition too!’

In duels between the herald clans the number of arrows each party has is very important. Azadin will definitely try to get this arrow too.

indeed….

Azadin did not try to dodge the arrows but waited for them to fly.

‘Hmm? I guess I have some confidence in my skills.’

With that thought in mind he too put an arrow on his bow. He ran forward and shot an arrow upward.

-Wedge!

With a whistling sound Azadin’s arrows shot down Midiam’s arrows in midair. Surprisingly they didn’t hit directly but simply flew around but the wind caused Midiam’s arrows to lose their energy and fall floundering.

Azadin continuing the tradition caught the falling arrows and this time he picked up a stone from the ground and held it with his bowstring.

‘It’s impossible.’

Ismail who was watching the duel burst into laughter when he saw Azadin trying to fire a stone with his bow.

There is a special bow made for shooting stones. It is called a tan-gung and it has a barrel to ensure that the stone or other projectile projectile flies properly and a bullet shield on the bowstring to effectively transfer the force of the bowstring to the bullet.

If you just throw a stone at a bow without any such device it’s perfect for breaking the back of your hand.

however….

-Throw!

Azadin simply shot the stone.

‘uh?’

Azadin gripped the bowstring with an extreme grip and then threw it away throwing the bowstring as if he was throwing a discus.

‘Extreme Aragasa shooting method?!’

A battlefield archery technique that lowers the accuracy and shoots arrows with maximum velocity by pulling the bow.

The messenger clan also now practiced what is called the high-class law.