Chapter 232
Chapter 232
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 232
Chapter Title: Northern Aragas 3
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“Enough, stop there. Isn’t this distance sufficient for a conversation?”
Azadin blocked their approach.
“Is that so? Then I’ll come alone.”
The Aragas ten-captain halted his subordinates and walked forward by himself.
A hundred paces—the distance at which Aragas warriors would begin a duel. The ten-captain strode boldly into that range and came to a stop.
“You’re the Emperor’s Herald, 108th Herald Azadin, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“…….”
The others listening grew puzzled.
He had clearly told them he was the 1st Herald, yet these people were calling him the 108th Herald?
In truth, Azadin was both the 1st Herald and the 108th Herald. With no other Emperor’s Heralds remaining besides him, what did the ranking matter?
Of course, the reason Azadin had introduced himself to them as the 108th Herald stemmed from a subtle matter of pride between them.
No matter how one sliced it, Azadin was still of the Herald Clan, and he couldn’t tolerate the Northern Aragas treating the Herald Clan with contempt.
‘Who would’ve thought I’d be bothered by something like this.’
Azadin gave a wry smile as he eyed the Northern Aragas ten-captain who had come to recruit him. The man, who appeared around Azadin’s age, spoke up.
“First off, I heard that all the Emperor’s Heralds in Btuma were wiped out. That they perished alongside the traitor Arael. And yet, are you truly an Emperor’s Herald, Azadin?”
“I am undoubtedly an Emperor’s Herald. Now it’s my turn to ask. Why are you targeting these people?”
“On orders.”
“From whom?”
“We don’t usually reveal our employers. Now it’s my turn again, isn’t it? Emperor’s Herald Azadin. I know you’ve contracted with them for imperial gold coins, but how long can you protect them with just one coin? You can’t guard them forever.”
“Until I escort them to a safe place.”
“There are no safe places, Emperor’s Herald. You seem to be alone, and you and those pathetic rescue knights won’t be able to hold out against us in the end. But I don’t want to kill one of my own kind. How about surrendering? Come over to our side, and we’ll treat you well. There’s no need to serve the voice of that dead Emperor who met his end bearing the insult of being a soulless heretic.”
The ten-captain had recognized Azadin’s exceptional skill ever since he’d shot back the arrow aimed at him, and he hated to see such talent standing against them due to the curse of service.
“I appreciate the offer, but I can’t side with people who slaughter helpless civilians and ally with heretics.”
“I heard your clan allied with heretics too.”
“Ah.”
Azadin found himself at a loss for words at the ten-captain’s retort.
Azadin himself was above reproach, but both the Hatir faction and Arael’s tribe had indeed joined hands with heretics.
“What’s this? Suddenly gone silent? Got nothing to say?”
“Sigh. Fine.”
Azadin shook his head.
“I’ve learned about what I wanted to know. I’ll let you live, so just go. Our tribes may differ, but I don’t want to kill fellow Aragas.”
“What? Are you telling me—”
But then, something unexpected happened.
-Crack!
A crack must have formed in the Moonhorn Bow Azadin held, as the bowstring snapped, sending shards flying.
One shard struck Azadin’s mask, startling him into covering his face—right over his eyes.
‘A trick? No, that would blind him. Even if it’s a trick, this is my chance.’
Seizing the opening, the ten-captain charged straight at Azadin.
Arrows then rained down from all sides. The ten-captain’s subordinates, who had been watching, loosed their bows at Azadin in unison.
‘He might die like this—what, if he falls to this, he’s not worth sparing anyway?’
With that thought, the ten-captain rushed straight at Azadin, only to pivot at the last moment into his blind spot. But—
-Whoosh!
A wheel of flames erupted around Azadin.
Celestial steel flare—the angel’s fire trailed Azadin’s swung ceramite longsword, incinerating the air and sweeping away the incoming arrows.
And then—
-Firebird Windmoon Revolving Gale!
A whirlwind followed the flames, gusting outward from Azadin and twisting away even the arrows his sword hadn’t caught.
*********
With Lord Plank’s help, Azadin had purged the rampaging ancient grimoires from his body.
It was an act that diminished his own power, but clearing out those wild forces brought certain gains.
Once all the grimoires were emptied, a subtle strength returned. The Firebird Windmoon grimoire, which should have been equally shared between Azadin and Arael, had now returned fully to Azadin.
And more powerfully than in anyone else.
In fusing with Arael, the twins’ divided fates had become one.
The portion of Azadin’s grimoire that Arael had taken returned in its complete form, granting Azadin the power of both.
If he refined this grimoire once more and reached the level Arael had attained, its potential would be limitless—but Azadin’s mana was still too meager to achieve that realm yet.
Even in this weakened state of mana, however, its efficiency was unparalleled. Even a slight use produced results rivaling the spells of top-tier Heralds.
Moreover, Azadin had already mastered Firebird Windmoon through Kazas Hesse, so he had no need to learn its applications now.
His body already knew which technique to use in which situation, making the original mana-based Firebird Windmoon feel more comfortable, in fact.
On top of that—
-Firebird Windmoon Revolving Gale, Kazas Hesse!
Normally, expending mana led to depletion, preventing follow-up spells. Yet Azadin could immediately unleash Kazas Hesse even after using mana.
A second wind arose around Azadin.
Having swept away all incoming arrows with two revolving gales, Azadin gave a wry smile.
His body wasn’t at its peak. His strength had weakened, and his reflexes had dulled.
Yet Arael’s legacy burned vividly and intensely within him.
*********
‘Kuh! Magic right on cue?! This bastard was watching me. It’s a trap!’
The ten-captain realized he’d fallen into a trap, but it was too late. Azadin’s sword deflected his blade and thrust toward his throat.
Yet the position of ten-captain wasn’t given lightly.
He gripped the center of his sword, half-sworded to switch his hold, spun the blade to parry Azadin’s attack, and aimed the hilt at Azadin.
‘Hmm. I could kill him with Firebird Windmoon? But thinking about it now, this guy’s Firebird Windmoon is truly specialized for duels. It’s made for killing people. The Herald Clan are God-King Slayers—techniques crafted to kill God-Kings.’
Azadin calmly parried the ten-captain’s assault.
He could tell now. The man had decent skill, but he was no match for Azadin.
To subdue him without killing, Azadin refrained from magic and exchanged blows with sword alone.
Both Azadin and the ten-captain half-sworded their blades, fighting up close like they wielded spears or staffs in an unrelenting clash.
But Azadin attacked while the ten-captain was steadily pushed back.
“Ugh.”
The ten-captain could only desperately defend. The moment they engaged, he knew Azadin’s swordsmanship surpassed his own.
‘It’s over. Even as the lowest Herald, he’s this strong...? Impossible!’
Realizing he’d been completely fooled by Azadin, he despaired—yet having closed for melee against a superior foe left no escape.
The ten-captain felt disappointment and despair at his own limits.
In the end, Azadin’s hilt struck the ten-captain’s jaw from below.
“Gah!”
The ten-captain tumbled to the ground.
Normally, a pommel strike to the jaw would shatter bone, but Azadin’s blow sank into the flesh of his jaw and neck? It was controlled to shake only the brain without breaking bone.
An attack that rattled the senses without injury—what kind of gap was this?
“You’ve got decent skill.”
Azadin snatched the falling ten-captain’s sword, leveled it at his throat, and sheathed his own ceramite longsword.
The seamless motion suggested Azadin had plenty of leeway even amid that chaotic exchange.
‘This is the 108th Herald? The lowest of the low? No way the Herald Clan would toy with their own hierarchy. This is bad.’
Unaware that Azadin was now the sole remaining Emperor’s Herald, the ten-captain panicked at the vast gap between them.
He’d had confidence in his abilities. His skill and talent should have matched anyone, yet to fall so helplessly?
But then, having subdued the Northern Aragas ten-captain, Azadin posed a strange question.
“If I take you hostage here, will your clan execute you or punish you?”
“…….”
For a moment, the ten-captain couldn’t grasp Azadin’s intent.
“W-What do you mean?”
“I asked if holding you hostage would bring severe repercussions for you or your family.”
“And if it would?”
“Then just go back.”
Azadin sighed and sheathed the sword.
“You seem to have come without much thought, just to recruit me, so I toyed with you a bit as the negotiation envoy. But I can’t harm an envoy over a prank. That said, negotiations are now over—so next time, you die.”
Camilla, who had been watching, jumped up at Azadin’s words.
“What are you talking about? Why let him go?”
“Capturing a negotiation envoy violates the gentlemen’s agreement.”
“Negotiation envoy my foot! He lunged to kill you the moment you showed an opening! You’d be justified in killing him, so why release him!?”
“Their attack was just because they couldn’t reveal their employer if they wanted to recruit me.”
“What?”
Now the ten-captain was stunned.
Azadin spoke as if he’d already deduced their employer.
‘Did I let that slip?’
But Azadin began to explain.
“For the Northern Aragas to recruit me, an Emperor’s Herald, there’s one problem they must solve: the curse of service. Without a way to lift it, they wouldn’t have bothered approaching me. Since they did, someone in their group—or behind them—must have the ability to dispel it. At minimum, a user of the God-King Scripture.”
Azadin snapped his fingers.
“In this case, that would be the Emperor of the North, Kohen Lionair. Right?”
“Y-You bastard.”
The ten-captain was aghast.
He’d come only to recruit, yet this guy had deduced from that alone that Kohen Lionair was behind them?
‘Well, Lord Plank drilled Kohen Lionair’s ambitions into my ears enough times.’
Azadin watched the ten-captain’s reaction, confirming his guess was correct.