Chapter 149
Chapter 149
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Quartz Throne 3
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Even so, the mere fact that Zibek was starting to question the creed marked the first step forward.
"That's a relief, then. I spoke with the king about it."
"You mean you had an audience with Ansetus IV himself?"
"Exactly. Right now, Ansetus IV is desperate enough to grasp at any straw. Whether it's the Soulless Blasphemer or whatever, he'd talk to anyone who might side with him."
Azadin shared what he'd heard from Ansetus IV.
"He said the throne here in Koral Sahar has its roots exposed in the underground sewers of the royal palace. From what the king told me, he suspects someone approached it through there and tampered with it. What do you think?"
Shati snorted at Azadin's question.
"This king sure is shameless. As if it's not his own lack of virtue weakening the King's Radiance—blaming someone else?"
"Not quite. It's definitely not an issue of his character."
Zibek gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"You couldn't say Ansetus IV runs the kingdom particularly well, but most kings are like him or worse. At least he's not cruel by nature."
For a royal knight of the king's church to offer such an objective assessment of the king's policies and temperament would normally be seen as blasphemy.
The fact that Zibek was saying this showed he was rejecting his old rigid knightly ways and embracing change.
"Heh heh. Looks like the knight's getting a taste for the new and exciting."
Shati teased Zibek upon hearing that.
"Well, as Zibek says, even when past kings didn't rule particularly wisely, the King's Radiance still functioned to some degree. It just never weakened to the point of this magical storm raging through the palace."
Azadin pulled out the bone wand.
"Shati. Track the New King Scriptures with this."
"Sure."
Shati glanced at Zibek. To a knight of the king's church, this bone wand was a form of unholy magic.
"Go ahead."
Shati activated the bone wand simply and tracked the nearby New King Scriptures.
But...
Flames from the bone wand split into multiple tongues.
"They're super close, and there are a ton of them?"
"Right? I figured as much."
Azadin nodded.
"If copies of the New King Scriptures are the King's Radiance itself, and they fused together to bolster the weakened light, then conversely, if we could pour in and pull out those copies... like stacking sandbags on a dam and then removing them... couldn't we specially weaken that spot?"
"Possible. Boss."
Scott nodded.
"If we turn New King Scripture copies back into King's Radiance, it would strengthen the light here for a while... then even out across the kingdom. Pull out the copies then, and this place alone would weaken specifically. Summon a nether entity at that moment, and you could cause all this."
"That's what I thought."
"But it'd take a seriously powerful mage. Even for me, finding and extracting copies from the King's Radiance is tough. If it's hard for an orc like me, it's damn near impossible for humans whose wits don't reach an orc's toe."
"......"
"That woman Arael is here, right?"
Scott sighed.
"Not an easy foe. Guess I'll have to break out my charm offensive here. For a beautiful, noble orc like me, mixing blood with ugly humans is a horrific insult, but if I think of you maybe becoming my brother-in-law, Boss, it ain't so bad."
"Endure it. What charm offensive? Your charm is..."
Azadin reined in Scott, whose self-confidence knew no bounds.
"Half joking."
"If half's a joke, the other half's serious?"
"That I'm handsome is undeniable fact. Anyway, Boss. We need to check the sewers. To weaken the King's Radiance temporarily with New King Scripture copies, they'd have to access the throne."
"Problem is the sewers are flooded, so going in blind won't work. We don't know if it's flooded all the way or if there's breathable space after some swimming. Could dive in and drown."
As Azadin said that, Scott looked around, spotted a trash heap, and started rummaging through it.
"What? So hungry you're scavenging trash to eat?"
Ignoring Shati's jab, Scott picked up a fish bone from the pile. It was shattered scraps from someone's meal.
"Hah!"
Scott formed a hand seal and infused it with qi. A bluish ghost light formed on the bone, and it began moving as a fish spirit.
"......"
Zibek's expression soured.
"It's fine, right?"
Scott asked after the fact.
"Uh. Y-yes, it's fine. Do it. For the greater good."
"Impressive. You can even turn food scraps into undead?"
"Even for a genius of the age like me, this takes effort. Mana, focus, mental strength—all drained big time. But this should scout the water, yeah?"
Scott sent the fish spirit into the water to probe the pitch-black flooded sewers.
"There's a space midway."
"Good. Any monsters inside?"
"Didn't see much. Sounds like people are there. Voices. Oh?"
Scott clicked his tongue.
"A croc ate my fish spirit."
"Crocs, huh."
Good news that the flooding wasn't continuous and could be swum through, but crocs inside was nightmare fuel.
"Not huge ones. Not many, either. Water's pretty cold, so even the crocs will be slow swimmers."
"Alright, then. Shall we head in, watching for crocs? Can you all do underwater breathing?"
"Of course."
"Nagas couldn't without it. Even land bloodlines."
"I can manage the spell too."
Scott, Shati, and Zibek all nodded.
"Nice."
Azadin, unable to use magic, felt a twinge of envy watching his companions treat underwater breathing like no big deal.
*********
The water in the flooded sewers was so dark, its depth was unknowable.
And ice-cold to the touch. Even with underwater breathing, entering seemed impossible.
The area was pitch black, with sunken wood and stone— who knew what lurked? Crocs too. No place for ordinary courage.
"Ugh, looks freezing just seeing it."
"Everyone good swimmers?"
"I'm a naga!"
Shati released her human form and reverted to her true naga shape.
"Even us land bloodlines are confident swimmers."
"Scott?"
"Eh. Bit tricky for me, Boss."
Not about swimming skill— just hating it with his bulky muscles.
"Shati! Tie a rope around Scott's waist and tow him."
"Huh? What? He's just whining about his muscles. You gonna indulge that?"
"After all he's done, a little coddling's fine. You're stronger in naga form— help out."
"Tch. Fine."
"And Sir Zibek?"
"I've some skill with swimming. Fishing's my hobby, so it comes naturally."
"Good. Let's go. Whoa! Water's like ice!"
Azadin grumbled as he entered.
Debris filled the water, impossible to keep eyes open. But Azadin, eyeless, saw fine without worry.
'Croc ahead.'
Under a zhang in length, but deadly to humans. Even more in water.
The ice-cold water slowing it was a small mercy? Yet the croc endured, sluggishly approaching Azadin's group.
Clearly hunting. Predatory intent in its movements.
'Come and die.'
Azadin menaced, but the croc couldn't comprehend.
Shati was closest but swam past leisurely in naga form.
The croc targeted nearest Azadin.
'Damn.'
Azadin seized the slow-approaching jaws, wrapped his arm to clamp them shut.
The croc thrashed with immense power, but Azadin overpowered it, stabbing the Wendigo Dagger into its spine and twisting.
One strike severed its breath.
"Puha! Ugh, freezing!"
Shati screamed, bursting to the surface.
"People there— be quiet... Huh?"
Trembling people in the sewer, all with moon-horn bows— Aragsai for sure.
But they stared at Azadin's group in confusion?
"N-naga?!"
"What? Ally?"
Already allied with nagas, they didn't see Shati as foe.
Then Azadin surfaced after her.
"What are you all? Not Heralds."
"Uh, we're the Koral Sahar merchant caravan guild."
"Servants of the Etar bloodline? You've heard the names, but I'm Azadin, 108th Herald of the Emperor."
"You're that..."
"Azadin the Eyeless?!"
They knew the rumors, even if not his face.
Son of traitor Acre, born under curse without eyes— Herald Azadin.
No good reputation, but infamous to Aragsai.
'Wait. Azadin's with the council, right?'
'Arael's brother, but refused her grace?'
The servants felt perplexed seeing Azadin.
'Foe?'
'Then what's with the naga?'
Azadin's demeanor was bold.
"So. What happened? Why are you all... Ah. Guarding here, but rain flooded it?"
"Y-yes. Crocs in the water, and we don't know the depth."
Bewildered, unsure how to treat Azadin.
'What to do?'
'Heard not to harm Arael's brother...'
'But master said kill on sight precisely because...'
Sion Etar, Sevali elders, and other Arael faction execs ruling the caravan had plotted to eliminate Azadin secretly beforehand.
But these remnants couldn't decide alone.
No leader, and his ambiguous tie to Arael— couldn't act rashly.