The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger - Chapter 65: Assassin Trader (1)

“But think of the creatures Azadine crushed. It’s not that much of an amazing feat, is it?”

“Even we can overpower Atra’s kin or the Young Master Kozel. It’s only natural for an Aragasa to be able to do that.”

“That’s true. We Aragasa should be able to do that. But did the Azadine in your memories possess the abilities of our clan? No, right?”

“…….”

“So, to speak, the present Azadine has developed immensely. We can’t even guess the level of his growth, yet you’re passing judgments based on ten-year-old information. Doesn’t that seem childish to you?”

“I see, but don’t you think we’re being a bit too defensive?”

“There’s no harm in being cautious. There’s no need for us to see blood when we can pit him against others, is there?”

Derek said this and smiled.

“Now then, shall we go to the Count?”

“What?”

“The Count is frantically searching for the copies of Grimoire of the Heavenly Kings, so we simply need to start a rumor that Azadine has them.”

“Ah.”

“One of the rules of warfare, ‘Hurting your enemy with another’s sword.’ But will the Count believe the rumor?”

“We’ll have to make it believable. Fortunately, they said a lair of Mezerry’s cult followers was discovered just yesterday. We just need to say that there was a copy of the Grimoire of Heavenly Kings there, hinting that Azadine has it. Then we’ll get a reward, and it’ll all be done.”

Derek thought he was simply fabricating rumors… but it was too close to the truth. Derek’s men, all unaware, were impressed.

“As expected, how fitting of a former messenger. I can’t believe you linked the stories so well.”

“The Count is easily captured by suspicion, he’ll believe us even if we don’t do that, but will you demand a reward?”

“We are merchants of the Korasar Peddlers Guild. To be compensated for the information we provide as merchants is a matter of course. In this case, it’s even more suspicious if we don’t ask for money.”

“I see. Only if we demand money will the information we give seem credible.”

“Right. Now, how about we go to leak the information to the Count? And if Azadine survives this time as well….”

“Ayy, how could that be possible?”

“After all, he’s an incompetent buffoon who can’t even use magic.”

“Hmm. Then Miss Arael might even resent me. I don’t want that to happen. I hope they’ll just wound him enough to cripple him.”

Derek smiled, envisioning a convenient future just for himself.

Azadine chased away Derek and his entourage and went back to sleep. With too much fatigue wearing him down, he fell into a deep sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He woke up after nightfall and, despite dozing off into deep sleep, his muscles still throbbed with pain without much relief. After straining himself so much, there was no way he could fully recover in a day.

“Mmm, about time to start snooping in the Count’s castle, huh?”

He had already confirmed that a copy of the Grimoire of the Heavenly Kings was located in the Count’s castle. He needed to discover a way to sneak in.

He lightly packed his gear and prepared to leave. Leaving the room with his gear, he bumped into Tarki.

“Ah, brother.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Apparently, Kozel has returned to Salasma.”

“Kozel?”

“Yes. Blind, castrated, and suffering…. they say he was transported in a carriage.”

“Okay.”

“The Korasar peddlers fetched him.”

“…….”

Azadine clicked his tongue at the name of the Peddlers’ Guild.

“We’re in big trouble. We need to get out of here.”

“Huh? But my mother told me to make sure you stay here.”

“This will become a huge burden for your mother.”

“By the way, Azadine, what did you speak about with Mother during the day?”

“It was… just appreciation for the incident yesterday.”

“Do you mean she thanked you?”

He couldn’t tell him the truth.

‘Your mother proposed to me.’

Tarki might have been a noblewoman’s bastard child who tormented the public and maybe wasn’t worthy of respect. However, he still didn’t deserve to be told that kind of truth to his face.

“Well, the deal was in my favor, too, as I got five unused Emperor’s gold coins. Will you tell your mother that I’m grateful, and she needn’t feel indebted to me?”

“She’d be more pleased if you told her in person.”

“That puts me in a difficult situation.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“Because it’s not good for a beautiful lady like your mother to be emotionally entangled with an outside man.”

“Pfft. Why are you concerned about that, Brother?”

“I know, right?”

Azadine went to the next room and called for Mediam and Ismail.

“Yes? What is it?”

“We need to leave. Pack your bags.”

“Ah, okay. What a pity. I thought I’d get to rest in a properly made bed and a bath.”

Mediam thought it was a shame, but she began packing without complaint.

The Count’s legitimate child, the Young Master Kozel, could return home after many tribulations thanks to his escort knight, Sir Zebec.

Kozel had lost his men, his sight, and even the ability to reproduce. He managed to evade the wrath of those seeking revenge only because Sir Zebec did his all to protect him. This was all despite being a plunderer of wealth and a tyrant who was returning as a cripple.

But upon their return, Lord Zebec would have to be punished for his failure to protect him.

In front of the meeting hall of the King’s Church, refugees begged for alms as they came and left.

Sir Zebec let out a long sigh as his penalty had been finalized. Though the order had not yet been made, the punishment was as good as done.

A dame, a female knight, walked up to him. It was Dame Maya, Captain of the Parish of Salasma.

“Are you all right, Sir Zebec? Rumors are going around that you’ll be impeached and have to become a penitent knight.”

“It’s true.”

“How can that be… Didn’t you do the best you could? Where is the justice in all this?”

Maya was Lord Zebec’s disciple in swordsmanship. She knew him to be the holder of an upright character, distinguished swordsmanship, and, above all, remarkable knowledge of medicine.

“Doesn’t the Young Master Kozel have the worst reputation? Yet, despite the grave injuries inflicted upon him, your genuine efforts allowed him to return safely and alive without any infection in his wound and still…”

“The Countess, mother of Young Master Kozel, must be upset. For her son to lose his ability to have kids and completely fall out of the running as an heir.”

The Countess, the legal wife of the Count of Salasma and the daughter of Count Lantarique was a powerful noblewoman of the region bordering Salasma. The esteemed daughter of the Count of a far more economically thriving land was married to Count Casel in an arranged marriage, so the two’s relationship couldn’t be called harmonious even for lip service.

Between the two, they had only one child, Young Master Kozel. After that, the count played around with a series of concubines, while the countess also took a lover, and they both gave birth to illegitimate children separately.

However, since Kozel was castrated, he lost his inheritance rights, and their marriage of convenience was now meaningless. If they were on good terms, they could conceive another child, a legitimate heir with the right to inherit. Still, their distant relationship made it improbable for them to have another child.

“Perhaps the Countess’s only choice is to either divorce and marry anew, or….”

Sir Zebec fell silent mid-sentence, for what came next was not fitting for a knight to say.

“Or assassinate her husband and run for regent, right?”

Captain Maya picked up what Sir Zebec could not say.

“And what did the Bishop decide?”

The Countess demanded Sir Zebec be impeached and punished. Sir Zebec wasn’t the Count’s vassal but was instead a Holy Knight of the King’s Church. So, this matter fell under the jurisdiction of the bishop or the captains of the Knights Order.

If the Bishop of Salasma rejected the impeachment, Sir Zebec would be exempted from punishment and carry on in his position. However….

“The Bishop has said he will accept the impeachment and impose a penance.”

“I see.”

The King’s Church wasn’t in a position to ignore the request of the Countess, the daughter of Count Lantharique.

“Well, I guess it’s for the better. Ogre tribes are swarming in from beyond the desert spine. As a penitent knight, fighting them as a common rank soldier alongside others doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.”

“But it’s a dangerous task. Will you be okay?”

“If Holy Knights shy away in the face of risky situations, who else will come forward? Um, oh, by the way, Captain Maya.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know anything about the Messenger Clan by any chance?”

“You mean the Messenger Clan? Those cursed soulless ones?”

“…….”

“What about them?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Hmm?”

In the middle of his lengthy conversation with Maya in front of the church, Lord Zebec spotted a group of armed men maneuvering through the crowd. They appeared to be vagrants who wore mismatched armor.

“What’s going on?”

Sir Zebec approached them.

“Ah, you’re Sir Zebec, aren’t you?”

“And aren’t you, Belldon?”

Belldon was Young Master Kozel’s aide, the son of his nanny, and his nurse brother. He was one of Kozel’s most trusted henchmen. Still, he was so morbidly obese that he couldn’t join the search party for the copies of the Grimoire of the Heavenly Kings and stayed back in Salasma.

But for him to be hiring a bunch of hooligans?

“Welcome back, Lord Zebec. Actually, Kozel ordered me to hire mercenaries or adventurers.”

“Mercenaries or adventurers? What for?”

“Young Master Kozel says that he could stand to see anyone like Tarki become the head of the family….”

“What?”

“That’s why he intends to ambush Mr. Tarki.”

“Is he out of his mind? Are you going to attack Baroness Nort’s residence?”

“I tried to dissuade him, but he’s completely out of his mind right now. How could I stop him? The Countess detests the Baroness Nort so much as well….”

The Countess’s ugly appearance and ferocious temper earned her the nickname Harpy among those who knew her. Of course, they only called her Harpy out of her hearing. They would witness what it was like to be in a harpy’s lair if she heard them calling her Harpy.

On the other hand, Baroness Nort was a woman of unmatched beauty and sophisticated demeanor. She was much admired and known among all. Even though her son, Tarki, was a fool, the Baroness had a great reputation.

So, the Countess, a jealous woman from the start, was now inciting her son’s lunacy as part of her own rage after seeing him castrated.

The story was enough to convict Belldon as a criminal, yet he spoke of it without reserve. He seemed to be on the verge of madness, having been unable to tell someone until now.

“Is it okay for you to say that before me?”

“To be honest, I’m afraid.”

Belldon looked uncomfortable. He was only doing what he was told, but in reality, Kozel was no longer in the line of succession. The only thing that awaited him was his future as a Holy Knight in the King’s Church or the Rescue Knights Order because a man who had lost his fertility could never become the Family Head.

“Are you asking me to stop you?”

Lord Zebec asked the aide, Belldon, to clarify his intentions.