Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: Rampage of the Kin 4
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Moreover, the fact that to them, Azadin—who was an Aragas yet cared about the Hybris folk—was the odd one out weighed heavily on his chest.
“The people of Bthuma must matter to you, huh, Azadin. When the era of Jupiter arrives, people will die anyway. We act solely on rationality.”
“Sacrificing people of their own volition without feeling a shred of emotion about those sacrifices. Disgusting rationalism. You know that so-called rationalism of yours is actually irrational, right?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t ignore human emotions. Emotions captivate people and draw out their full potential. If you dismiss and insult human feelings just because they’re not ‘rational,’ their rage will always be lying in wait to grab your ankles. It’s fine when things are going smoothly, but the moment you trip over a mere pebble, they’ll tear into you like starving hyenas swarming a single bone. Where’s the rationalism in that repulsive attitude? That’s not rationalism—it’s just rotten humanity, isn’t it?”
“That’s an interesting perspective.”
Arael was genuinely impressed by Azadin.
“As expected, you’re not like other Aragas. Listen, Azadin. While Aldis and Kazas in the council like you, they still have to watch out for the other elders. And the ultimate decision-maker is the Second Herald, Hatir. You’ve never even spoken to him, have you? On our side, though, I’m the top authority. It’d help your cause more if I win against the council.”
Arael continued to persuade Azadin based on pure rationality.
“You think I care about your power struggles?”
“Then you should care even more. You want to save the Hybris folk, don’t you? If you want to save someone, you need power. Even if you have no interest in power struggles, you should force yourself to care, learn, study, and seize power. That’s only right. If you have the ability and opportunity but don’t grasp power and fail to do everything you can to protect people, then you’re just lazy.”
“Ridiculous. Arael, in your version of rationality, that might make sense. But that’s exactly why I can’t tolerate someone like you.”
“Is that so?”
“I’ll stop massacres like that from happening in Bthuma altogether.”
“You little shit, getting cocky now.”
“Lord Arael. Even if we don’t kill him, shouldn’t we at least capture him alive? If we lock him up until everything’s over and release him later, he’ll come around naturally, won’t he? He’s only mouthing off like this because he hasn’t tasted defeat yet.”
The Four of Flower-Bird-Wind-Moon bristled when Azadin declared he’d prevent what was happening in Bthuma. But Arael shook his head.
“No, leave him be. If Azadin stops something like what happened with Koral Sahar in Bthuma, he’ll inevitably clash with the council allied with the Naga Empire. He says he won’t side with me, but he’ll end up colliding with the council anyway. Right?”
“…….”
“Let him clash with the council to his heart’s content first. Go on, Azadin.”
In effect, Arael had revealed both their original plan and the council’s next move to Azadin.
“Hey, holy knight. We’re letting him go alive.”
Indim snarled at Zibek, the opponent who had drawn steel on him.
“You’re one of the Four of Flower-Bird-Wind-Moon, right?”
“Yeah.”
“You must be Indim, the monthly renter?”
“?”
Zibek deliberately addressed Indim that way. For a moment, Indim couldn’t grasp the situation.
He never imagined that Zibek, with his stern face so far removed from any hint of humor, would mock him.
“…….”
“You seem to hold a high status among the Herald Clan, yet you can’t control your emotions and just bark like a street thug. It’s unsightly. If you bear the heavy responsibility for a clan, you should at least try to maintain some dignity.”
“You bastard!”
“…Let’s go, Zibek.”
Azadin stepped between Indim and Zibek once more and declared their withdrawal.
Because Arael had decided to let Azadin go gracefully, Indim could only seethe inwardly at Zibek’s taunt.
“Oh, right.”
As he turned to leave, Azadin suddenly looked back.
“What now?”
“What about the Azure Turbans? What if they rampage again?”
“I’ll pass the word to those who became their kin: don’t gather in large groups. Especially not in swamps. And…”
Arael tossed a vial to Azadin.
“If they do rampage, just dip an arrowhead lightly in this and shoot them. It’s the pure extract, so even a tiny amount should work.”
“What is it?”
“Blood of the Shadow Shark King. Pure stuff, so be careful.”
“…Did you drink it too?”
“No, I’m just holding onto it. It’s a remnant of the council’s Nether magic research.”
Arael spoke meaningfully and glanced toward the waterfall.
*********
As Azadin exited the emperor’s treasury, he retrieved both keys stuck outside the door.
-Rumble!
The treasury door began to close once more.
“So that’s how it works.”
Azadin pocketed the treasury keys.
“…Is that really okay, boss? Your little sister’s…”
“Little sister.”
“…trapped inside?”
When Scott asked, Azadin shrugged.
“There was a waterfall, remember? Escaping from inside shouldn’t be a problem. Probably a one-way section of some sort.”
“You can handle things so carelessly?”
Shati asked curiously, but Azadin seemed quite certain.
“The Aragas already looted this treasury, so why were the keys left outside? It’s so no one who enters can just grab them recklessly. The emperor probably never imagined he or his supporters would fall from power. He must’ve thought he’d always control this region completely, keeping enemies at bay, and planned to open and close the door himself.”
“But won’t you have to fight her later, boss? She kinda looked out for you, in her own way. Even if her words were annoying.”
At that moment, everyone except Scott cracked bitter smiles.
Arael’s words were annoying? Of all people, Scott?
“It’s fine. There are Azure Turbans and Koral Sahar refugees outside the barony castle right now. Letting Arael meet them wouldn’t be ideal. Don’t you hear the commotion outside?”
“Not at all.”
“Me neither.”
Even Shati, the naga with sharp ears, tilted her head.
“If I was meant to take the keys and get locked in, Arael would’ve made arrangements. He’d have posted guards on the keys. Since he didn’t, it means it’s fine for me to take them.”
Azadin stowed the emperor’s keys in his backpack and headed outside.
Sure enough, just as Azadin predicted, outside Adiroph Barony Castle, the Azure Turban Taoist was waiting with his recovered followers for Azadin’s group.
More precisely, those who had lost family and suddenly rampaged as kin, killing their own loved ones with their own hands, had turned into an enraged mob. The Azure Turban Taoist and his supporters looked pale, cowed like dogs with tails between their legs in the rain.
“Y-You’re safe. What happened? The woman?”
All eyes focused on Azadin’s group.
“Hey, Taoist. Mind if we talk for a sec?”
Azadin beckoned the Azure Turban Taoist.
“What is it?”
“Nothing major. That woman said your kin rampage if too many gather in one place. Especially worse in swamps or wetlands.”
“Huh?”
“She said it’s natural for the kin of the swamp’s Grimsrone to rampage when gathered in marshlands during Jupiter’s era, when Nether power is strong. Like followers of the Reaper holding a rally. If that’s true, and it gets out, then today’s rampage becomes the Azure Turbans’ fault for irresponsibly handing out the elixir. What do you think?”
What was there to think? With an angry mob gathered, if it turned out the incident was the Azure Turbans’ mistake, they’d tear the Taoist apart alive.
“N-No, that’s not it. It’s a ridiculous frame-job. That woman must’ve pulled some trick.”
“First off, is this Nether entity really called the swamp’s Grimsrone?”
“…Y-Yes.”
“Did she feed you anything or cast some spell?”
“I’m not sure, but… m-maybe she poisoned the food?”
The Azure Turban Taoist blamed everything on Arael. From his position, it was natural he’d want to believe that.
“Sigh. Pathetic. Anyway, we locked the woman inside. Tell people she’ll starve to death in there without food.”
“Huh? But without proof, will they believe it? We’d need a body at least for them to accept it.”
“You probably convinced people it was her doing while we were gone, right? You can’t backtrack now, and are you gonna try capturing her yourself? Let me tell you, that woman’s a real Godslayer. Even if everyone here rushes her, half would die before she slips away clean. Ready to see that?”
“N-No… that’s…”
He’d already been effortlessly subdued by Arael and her subordinates before. The Azure Turban Taoist knew by now it was impossible to overpower them by force.
“You seem to be in a tough spot too. Leave this to me? I’ll handle it without screwing you over.”
“You?”
“Yeah. Trust me. I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you.”
As Azadin consulted the Taoist, Zibek objected.
“They’re heretics. No, worshippers of the Nether Reaper, the swamp’s Grimsrone? More than heretics—they’re outright cultists. If their actions caused this rampage, isn’t it all their fault? Plus, they’ve already looted people. Time they paid for their crimes.”
“I agree, Zibek. But outside, we’ve got a mob ready to erupt any second, and they’ve seen humans turn into kin monsters. If we undermine the Azure Turbans—the one group with any organization left—in this situation, people will turn into a rioting horde and start slaughtering each other. They’ll kill the Azure Turbans, then turn on the kin within themselves out of fear. Can you control that?”
“Ah.”
Zibek saw the reason in Azadin’s words. To resolve this peacefully, they needed to preserve the Azure Turbans’ authority and bolster it.
“I’m ashamed. My thinking was shortsighted.”
“I don’t like these guys either. Alright, let’s do this. First, we need to disperse the crowd peacefully.”
Azadin headed to the square in front of the barony castle with the Taoist.