Chapter 231
Chapter 231
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 231
Chapter Title: Northern Aragas 2
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A prisoner transport wagon had come to a halt in the middle of the crossroads.
The horses had already been taken by bandits, their harnesses severed, and the surrounding area was littered with the corpses of farmers and prisoners.
"This place..."
"It's where we were ambushed."
The female thief Camilla frowned.
They had walked quite a distance, yet they had only just reached the site of their initial attack. The problem was that only the knights were on horseback while everyone else proceeded on foot.
"Hiiing."
Even the horses were suffering.
"We should give them some water."
Izmira dismounted and surveyed the surroundings.
There was a spot where the road had sunk, forming a puddle of muddy water. Mosquitoes buzzed nearby, and the water crawled with water striders—it didn't look like suitable drinking water for the horses.
"Lady Izmira, we mustn't give them this. They'll get sick. It might quench their thirst for now, but it won't be long before they suffer stomach issues and inevitably die."
McDougal tried to stop her, but Izmira cast a spell.
—Sacred Lance of Purification!
A lance of blue light struck the water's surface, bursting the water striders and mosquitoes. The muddy water rapidly settled to the bottom, separating into clean water and filth.
'Using holy magic just to water the horses?'
Azadin was stunned by the sight.
They were being pursued by enemies and short on stamina, yet she cast magic so casually. What would they do if they encountered foes after wasting energy here?
Yet Izmira remained composed. This level of magic apparently didn't drain her much.
'She possesses considerable power. Far beyond that of a mere squire knight.'
Azadin sensed that Izmira had been born of noble blood.
"If the horses die, there's no turning back. We can't let them perish to conserve magic. McDougal, you water your horse as well."
"Y-Yes, of course."
"Then let's rest here a bit and have a meal."
Azadin knew the female thief, blood mage, and half-orc needed a break. They had all expended a great deal of stamina fleeing through the fog all night.
It wasn't just last night. The pilgrimage group had been chased by invisible enemies for days, their nerves on edge, accumulating fatigue over time.
As soon as Azadin declared a rest, the half-orc and blood mage practically collapsed on the spot.
The female thief, however, still had some energy left. She circled the area, rummaging through the corpses and cargo to gather food and anything useful.
But then...
"Hm."
Azadin sensed Arael's voice detecting enemies approaching.
'It’s taking the place of the Emperor's Voice.'
After the Emperor's Voice entrusted everything to Azadin and vanished, Arael's voice had stepped in to fulfill its former role.
Announcing the gold coin contract, scouting the surroundings to warn of enemies.
And that spectral mountain goat—it too was summoned by Arael's voice.
He wasn't sure if it had been created for that purpose originally, or if Arael was commanding an artificial spirit she had made for Azadin.
'Arael was quite talented. To create something like that. I wish I'd spoken with her more.'
But Arael was gone now. Azadin focused his mind to observe the enemies.
Northern Aragas armed with crescent bows, one-horn bows, and swords were approaching.
With no other beasts around, was this a contest of Aragas skill? Or had they come to talk?
Likely the latter.
Sure enough...
The one who appeared to be the Northern Aragas commander prepared a one-horn bow.
A siege bow used by two in tandem: one lay prone, bracing the massive frame with their legs, while the other drew the string, loading and firing a javelin atop it. This was the source of the javelins that had tormented the pilgrimage through the fog.
—Thwish!
They launched the javelin. It flew an astonishing distance, plummeting straight toward Azadin.
'They're watching me too.'
Just as Azadin observed them through Arael's voice, they undoubtedly had some means of observing his group.
Even from a distance beyond line of sight, the javelin targeted Azadin precisely.
Azadin stood with his back to the prisoner wagon, parrying the incoming javelin aside.
—Boom!
The javelin, hurtling with enough force to impale him, veered off and embedded itself in the prisoner wagon with a thunderous crash.
"Eek?!"
"A-Ambush?!"
The half-orc and blood mage, who had been dozing off moments ago, sprang to their feet.
"Calm down. It's just a letter."
Azadin pointed to the letter tied to the javelin.
"What lunatic sends a letter like that?"
The female thief fumed.
It had been an arrow aimed squarely at Azadin. Had he not deflected it, he would have been skewered.
Yet the very target of the attack, Azadin, treated it as no big deal—as if this were standard courtesy among Aragas.
"W-What's happening?"
"I won't know until I read it."
Azadin untied and read the letter.
'To a kin of the Hatir faction. We of the Ajaji faction serve a different master, yet we cherish our kin. However, those you protect are arrogant zealots of a faith unworthy of safeguarding. It is well-known that you are bound by the Emperor's contract, but you have surely fulfilled your duty for the gold received. As fellow kin once, can we not find mutual ground? Even if not, we wish to speak with you. May we approach?'
It felt brazen to attack with a javelin first, then say such things. If it had been a fellow Herald clan pulling this arrow-letter stunt, Azadin would have smashed them without a second thought, making them pay for the presumptuous preemptive strike.
But since they were Aragas from another faction, a strange competitive urge arose.
If he flew into a rage over their first strike, only for them to shrug it off with, "You call this an attack? It's just a greeting to us," it would amount to admitting that the Emperor's Heralds were inferior to the Northern Aragas.
'Can't let pride take a hit like that. Time to return the arrow.'
Without anyone broaching the topic first, a bizarre contest of pride began.
Azadin immediately wrote a reply, tied it to his arrow, and drew his bow.
Azadin's bow was a standard crescent bow, with a shorter range than the two-man one-horn bow.
However, he decided to extend its range using advanced Aragas archery techniques.
Typical advanced techniques involved wrapping the bowstring to increase arrow speed—sacrificing a bit of accuracy for greater velocity, also known as string-twist shooting.
But that alone wouldn't match the one-horn bow's range. So Azadin added a run-up and full javelin-throw motion.
Accelerating with a sprint, twisting his body to unleash the bow like hurling a spear, firing the string-twist shot at peak acceleration. It sacrificed tremendous accuracy, but Azadin was confident his skill could still land it on target despite the loss.
Thus, the accelerated arrow soared into the sky.
*********
"Huh? Is he insane?"
The Aragas squad leader had been watching Azadin's group through farsight magic.
He had smirked inwardly upon seeing the Herald read the letter tied to the one-horn bow shot he had deflected. No matter how hard he tried, a mere crescent bow couldn't reach this distance.
Yet the Herald suddenly sprinted, employing nearly every advanced Aragas technique to maximize range—and fired back?
As if that wild shot would even come close. Even if it did, it'd veer off wildly.
But then.
—Thwish!
An arrow flew precisely toward the Aragas squad leader's head.
"This guy's actually crazy!"
The squad leader snatched the incoming arrow from the air, aghast.
It had traveled an immense distance, exhausting its momentum... yet it still carried an awe-inspiring force that demanded respect.
"Impressive!"
He was genuinely impressed. To return fire with such an absurd technique—and with that accuracy. What kind of master archer was he?
Even among the bow-expert Aragas, he stood unrivaled.
"Huh?"
"He returned it?!"
"Impressive guy!"
"What's his Herald rank?"
"Quiet."
The squad leader silenced them and unfolded the letter.
'The 108th Herald of the Emperor, Azadin, speaks. Regardless of your reasons, slaughtering innocent farmers and the unarmed, colluding with Mezzeri's apostles—it is too shameful to call you kin. But even an untaught child errs naturally. If you see me as an elder and seek my guidance, I shall gladly accept you as kin and lead you on the righteous path.'
Having finished reading, the squad leader burst into a chuckle.
"Not bad."
"Captain, what does it say?"
"Can I read it too?"
"Whoa, terrible handwriting."
They read it and snorted with laughter.
"But 108th Herald—isn't that the lowest rank?"
"Returning the arrow? Pretty good."
"Isn't it the Wind-Flower-Bird-Moon? They say they're cursed with servitude but inherit grimoires through bloodline from the Emperor."
"Makes sense if magic was involved for that range."
"If it's magic, it's no big deal."
They chattered on, but the squad leader, who had witnessed Azadin's return shot via farsight magic, stayed silent. He knew no magic was used—it was pure archery skill.
No need to spoil the mood by pointing that out to his subordinates.
"Quiet, all of you."
The squad leader hushed them.
"Let's meet them first."
*********
Azadin sat cross-legged in the center of the crossroads, eyes closed.
Even with eyes shut, he could perceive his surroundings. Soon, the approaching Northern Aragas revealed themselves.
Arael's voice kept watch regardless, naturally alerting him to anything noteworthy.
"Impressive, Emperor's Herald. Shall we talk?"
The Aragas squad leader's voice rang out. Still a hundred paces away, it sounded as if whispered directly in their ears.
"Ah!"
The Rescue Knight Order pilgrimage members gasped at the voice echoing in their ears, identical in distance feel to the one that had mocked and deluded them.
"So that's the trick. Without the fog, we can see them clearly."
"But sis, there's a lot of them."
"......"
As Kuntachi pointed out, ten Aragas approached.
Aside from the man in the lead, they were all boys and girls in their mid-teens—and that made them all the more terrifying.
These were the very ones who had ambushed and ravaged the Rescue Knight Order pilgrimage.
To possess such demonic prowess at that age.