Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: Storm of Coral Sahar 6
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The orcs' reluctance toward the kind of muscles that others coveted with envy left the rest of the races stunned.
Azadin quickly pulled himself together and went back out to interrogate the naga commander again.
"So, what about the king of Coral Sahar? What's the current situation with the humans?"
"They're fortifying the royal castle and holding out. But the floods have split their forces, and all their supply lines are cut. Even so, the king's power is too strong, so we haven't been able to breach it yet."
"I see? How did that... Did that woman named Jenis really extinguish King's Radiance, even if just for a moment?"
"She did."
"Is that even possible?"
"If it wasn't possible, how could we have infiltrated the city?"
"Hmm."
From what he was hearing... the situation in Coral Sahar was dire.
Wasn't the king of Korasar holed up in the royal castle with his retainers, surrounded and under siege by the nagas?
With the storms and gales making rescue impossible, even coordination between the forces already in Korasar was out of the question.
On top of that, this fact hadn't yet reached the outside world—no word to the king's church or the neighboring territories.
"It's a desperate stalemate."
"I've told you everything I know. Let me go, as promised."
"......"
Azadin nodded, and Midiam and Ismail untied the naga from the mast.
Once freed, the naga commander gave Azadin a slight bow.
"You're a warm-blooded creature who honors his word. Thank you. As for that traitor of our kin..."
"No. I..."
"Lay your eggs in a cloaca. Lay three."
With those parting words, the naga commander dove into the water and vanished gracefully.
"I'm not one to say this, but are you insane? Why let him go?"
"Why...? So we can track him."
"Track him?"
"Yeah."
Azadin said that to Shati, then ordered Ismail and Midiam to release a Foresight Bird to follow the naga commander they'd just freed.
"Good thinking. But hold on... I got seasick on the ship, and now that we're on land, this is just as bad..."
Sion Eitar dry-heaved, clutching his roiling stomach.
"Cut it out. Even drunks try to hide when they puke, so why are you so shameless about it?"
"Why hide when I've done nothing wrong? The Eitar bloodline is always proud."
"That's what he says, Midiam. You agree?"
"Oh, no. That's different. Even proud people don't flaunt their trips to the bathroom, right?"
Midiam shook his head under Azadin's scrutiny.
"I was steering. So I'll wash up here and change clothes for a bit. You go ahead—I'll guard the ship."
"You sure? It'll be dangerous leaving you alone."
Zibek worried about Sion staying behind by himself, but Azadin shook his head.
"Sion's a former herald, so he'll be fine. He's got real skill."
Sure enough, Sion waved the group off toward the road while dry-heaving.
*********
"Ugh."
Midiam was troubled.
As a child, he'd idolized Sion Eitar.
The handsome, dashing cousin. To her—who saw no one outside the Eitar bloodline as human—Sion was a young man of her own generation. How could she not admire him?
But now that he was older and wiser, something felt off. Had he always been this weird?
It was just as Midiam reeled from the gap between childhood hero worship and the reality before him.
"Hey, can I stay back with that Sion guy or whatever? Honestly, wandering around is too stressful."
Shati said this while trailing behind Azadin.
From the looks of it, the ones stirring up trouble here were the Naga Empire, and getting on their bad side meant Shati could never return to her own kind.
She was already branded a traitor; sticking with Azadin's group would leave no room for excuses.
"I don't know the naga internal politics well. I need you to interpret the intel we've gathered. Hell, I didn't even know they were divided into water serpent, sea serpent, and land serpent tribes."
"But normally, wouldn't you be watching me in case I betray you? Why keep me around?"
"Well..."
Azadin trailed off.
*You're so weak I could kill you in one hit if you betray us, so it's no burden.*
He couldn't say that.
*Even for a naga, that'd hurt her feelings. Better stroke her ego a bit.*
So Azadin offered insincere praise.
"You're beautiful, so having you around brightens the mood."
"What? That's your reason...?"
"Well, and your regeneration magic is top-notch. It's a huge help. Really."
"Oh, you bastard. Your flattery's worthless!"
Shati said that, but her ears flushed red and twitched.
*She loves praise, huh?*
Naga society was strictly hierarchical, and those born low could only rise through reincarnation rituals.
No joke—they literally had to die and be reborn. That was how Countess Salasmas Kazel had transformed into a naga.
Shati, who'd never experienced self-affirmation, was thrown off by Azadin's blatant flattery.
She'd dealt with human men praising her looks before, but as a naga who revered strength, she saw it as mere courtship to claim her body.
Azadin had already captured her as a prisoner. He had no need to butter her up—he could do whatever he wanted. For such a powerful figure to praise her left no other interpretation but sincerity.
*Wh-what do I do? This feels good.*
Shati flustered at Azadin's compliments.
"Tsk tsk."
Midiam, watching from the side, clicked his tongue.
"Anyway, these water serpent nagas are fast. They're skimming over the water like it's flat ground, and it's widening the gap."
Ismail panted as he flew the Foresight Bird in pursuit of the water serpent naga.
Floodwaters had submerged streets everywhere, mudslides had collapsed roads, and Coral Sahar's streets were a total mess.
Chasing a water serpent naga who glided freely over the water was inevitable under these conditions.
Muddy quagmires of unknown depth and rubble from collapsed buildings blocked the paths.
And at the few passable routes, men lurked with weapons, eyes gleaming, barricades of furniture piled high.
"Heh heh heh."
"Where you headed?"
"Hand over some food. Bonus points if you leave the women behind."
"Hm?"
They'd blocked the path out of habit but panicked at Azadin's group's numbers.
Azadin's crew now numbered six: Azadin, Midiam, Ismail, Zibek, Scott, and Shati. Two women, but no small force—and Scott's bulk was intimidating.
Sir Zibek cut an imposing figure even without armor, but lacking it, he didn't scream holy knight, so they eyed Scott more warily.
"These guys look too tough."
"Yeah. Well-armed, too."
Anyone could see Azadin's group wasn't ordinary. Fighting would mean casualties. But hunger and stress had driven them mad.
"If we're dying either way, might as well go down swinging before starvation."
As they steeled themselves, Azadin stepped forward.
"I am Azadin, the 108th Herald of the Emperor."
Azadin revealed his identity outright. The thugs flinched.
"A herald?"
"Kid, if you're a herald, then I'm a dragon..."
"Shut it, idiot. What if he is?"
Their fighting spirit crumbled. The heralds' infamy proved useful here.
"Hey. What exactly are you planning?"
"Bringing in the nagas... Are the heralds sane?"
The thugs asked Azadin.
That confirmed it: the heralds—specifically Arael's tribe—had let the nagas into Coral Sahar.
"Who knows? It wasn't us. Who told you heralds brought in the nagas?"
"We didn't hear it—we saw it."
"A herald witch extinguished the lighthouse beacon in the southwest. Then the sky split open, and the storm hit."
"And nagas poured in from the sea and rivers."
"You saw this yourselves?"
Azadin pressed, and they squirmed.
"Well, not really. We heard it from a night watchman."
"I saw it. I was guarding that pier warehouse."
"You drunk fool, you couldn't even recognize your own wife that night."
"Okay, yeah..."
"......"
Then Ismail signaled Azadin.
"Can't get any closer to the naga we're tracking. There are tons of nagas."
"Yeah? What's the situation?"
"Nagas are sieging Coral Sahar's inner castle. That's their camp, and he went inside."
"A siege on the inner keep?"
"Yeah. At least a thousand strong."
Attacking Coral Sahar with a thousand was suicidal.
But with rains severing roads and isolating areas, and each naga worth ten ordinary soldiers...
"Got it. Good work."
Azadin eyed the thugs after Ismail's report.
"We can pass, right?"
"Y-yeah."
"By the way. Got any food?"
Scott glared.
"No way! I don't have enough for myself!"
"......"
Not wrong.
*********
Past the thugs' barricade, they spotted the naga camp.
The nagas had seized Coral Sahar's trade posts and merchant offices—solid buildings—and made them bases, sending scout units to the rear.
With the inner castle already surrounded, the scouts now roamed capturing humans.
Queen Debislin favored human sacrifices. When the Naga Empire ruled Hubris in the past, they'd built blood pyramids, keeping them perpetually slick with offerings.
Scouts captured people not just to block secret castle passages or stealthy resupplies, but to stockpile food—humans as rations.
"Aaagh!"
"P-please, spare me!"
Screams erupted from a four-story stone pharmacy.
Some nagas stood at the entrance, scanning around—likely scouts searching inside had found people hiding within.
"What do we do?"
Midiam asked Azadin.
Realistically, Azadin's group had no duty to save them.
Yet Azadin had declared saving Hubris's people beautiful, and without aesthetics, a herald's duty was mere chains.
"We do our best."
Azadin checked his bowstring and prepared for battle.