Chapter 269
Chapter 269
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 269
Chapter Title: Chadra's Conqueror 7
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A familiar name came up, but Azadin wasn't surprised.
Bishop Sehnat was the very man who had appointed Sir Pavel as the lead investigator in an attempt to spirit away Izmira.
In a way, it was inevitable that his name would surface again this time.
As the circumstantial evidence began to piece together into a larger picture, Azadin nodded in understanding.
"So it really is Bishop Sehnat?"
"That's right. Bishop Sehnat realized that spies planted by malevolent forces within the church were rampant, and he entrusted me with the mission of raising hippogriffs and delivering them to the chosen ones."
"What?"
Azadin sensed from Selim's reaction that he had misinterpreted Azadin's admiration.
Selim believed without a doubt that Bishop Sehnat's intentions were pure and good.
That's why he took Azadin's exclamation upon hearing the bishop's name as awe at the bishop's integrity and righteousness—as a bulwark of goodness standing against Azadin's evil deeds.
In Selim's mind, the flawed equation of Azadin as evil and the bishop as good had already been proven as an absolute truth.
"To think I have to kill someone who looks like Mary Bell—it pains me too. But since you're a threat to the Salvation Knights, I can't let you live."
"Wait a second."
Azadin countered Selim's words.
"Are you begging for your life?"
"No, before that—why do you think I'm the villain?"
"Because the bishop said you are."
"But what if the bishop is the bad guy?"
"No way. The bishop is the one who made me a knight. If he's bad, then I'm bad too. I don't want to be bad, so I trust the bishop."
"Ah, I see."
Azadin realized there was no point in saying more—Selim wouldn't get it. Insulting the bishop in front of him was as good as insulting Selim himself. At this point, Selim had gone beyond defending the bishop; he had become one with him.
But just then, a whistle sounded.
"Huh?"
The moment Selim turned in surprise, an arrow flew from a perpendicular direction—different from the whistle—and lodged in the back of his neck.
"Azadin! This bastard's an assassin sent by Bishop Sehnat! There's a kill order!"
Camilla shouted at Azadin as she nocked another arrow on her shortbow.
"Huh!? You thieves! You stole from my office!"
Selim yanked out the arrow in his neck, fuming. It was a wound deep enough to be fatal to a human, but to a minotaur's thick hide, it was just a scrape.
"Damn! He's a monster?!"
Camilla fired another arrow at Selim, but as he started moving, it slid off him like a leaf drifting on flowing water.
He hadn't even made a proper defensive motion—just moved—and the arrow glanced away.
*One Inch. Camilla's bow is ridiculously weak.*
Azadin grumbled inwardly about the weakness of her bow.
He knew full well with his head that it was a bow she could easily handle with her strength—small, portable, and quick to shoot. But from the perspective of the herald folk, who treasured every arrow, that bow was just a wasteful contraption.
It might as well be more effective to throw the arrows by hand.
Yet that line of thinking aligned all too well with those who had tormented him in his childhood.
*I've become one of the herald folk, alright.*
Azadin had been about to step in and deal with Selim himself, but Selim didn't even glance his way—instead charging straight at Camilla.
Attacking now would mean striking from behind, so Azadin hesitated for a moment.
It would be perfect to take him down, but since Selim insisted he was a knight, ambushing him from the rear felt off.
Just then, Kuntachi—the one who had blown the whistle—drew his falchion and approached Selim.
Both barreled forward with heavy thuds, ready to clash head-on.
"Don't mess with my sister!"
"Hmph! Stupid half-orc!"
"You're pretty damn stupid yourself."
Azadin chimed in as he listened.
"I can read and write!"
Selim protested Azadin's remark as he snatched up an axe leaning against the pasture fence and swung it at Kuntachi.
"What?!"
Kuntachi swung his falchion in surprise...
*BOOM!*
With a deafening crash, Kuntachi's falchion bounced away.
Selim was stronger.
"Urk!?"
In his panic, Kuntachi instinctively headbutted him.
"You dare!?"
Selim countered with a headbutt of his own.
If Kuntachi hadn't twisted his head mid-motion, Selim's horn would have crushed his skull.
But Kuntachi, aware of the minotaur's horn, deftly angled his head so their foreheads collided squarely.
*CRACK!*
The impact echoed like thunder—it was hard to believe it came from living flesh.
Once the thunderous reverberation faded, Kuntachi dropped to one knee.
"N-No way? Did I... lose?!"
From his words, it seemed he'd been undefeated in headbutting contests until now.
Even so, to go toe-to-toe with a minotaur and only end up on one knee—Kuntachi's head was no ordinary rock.
"You can read, and you're still this strong?!"
"Hmph. Fool! You dare try to beat me?"
Selim raised his axe over Kuntachi, now kneeling. But suddenly, the axe grew heavy.
"Hm?!"
"Unbelievable. A headbutt with a minotaur."
Selim whipped his head to the side at the sound of Azadin's voice right by his ear.
Azadin had somehow closed in and grabbed the axe.
The startled Selim tried to shake him off with a swing, but Azadin's palm filled his vision.
And then...
*Slash!*
Azadin leaped upward.
A streak of blue sword-light followed him, severing one of Selim's horns.
"GRRAAAAH!"
Blood sprayed from the root of the horn.
Azadin had sliced it clean off with his Ajustil dagger.
"You bastard!"
Enraged, Selim whirled his axe like a windmill, but Azadin slipped between the strikes like flowing water and drew Aurelia Dun.
The ceramite longsword blazed to life, golden flames dazzling the eyes.
Scorching heat washed over Selim's face.
Azadin had dodged the axe's swing with perfect precision and thrust Aurelia Dun at Selim's face—straight at the severed horn stump.
*Sizzle!*
The golden flames cauterized the wound, staunching the blood.
And...
*The smell of seared beef...*
The scent of burning flesh filled the air like roasted steak.
"GRRAAH! You pest! Quick as a fly!"
Selim charged wildly, swinging his axe in a frenzy.
Even a graze would be lethal.
Even if it didn't touch his clothes, a clash of weapons would give Selim the edge in the exchange to follow.
Confident in his brute strength, Selim unleashed a storm of blows, but Azadin calmly evaded them all—then urged him to surrender.
"By the authority of the acting Fireguard Captain, I order you to surrender, Sir Selim."
"You slippery gnat! But one graze, and you're—"
The gale from Selim's axe swings shredded even the pasture flies. Yet Azadin dodged with unflappable calm.
*Grr. This guy's too composed!*
Selim panicked at the sight of Azadin's steady gaze—unlike any opponent he'd faced.
Those he'd fought before, no matter how nimble, would pale and falter in terror as his axe whipped up the whirlwind, their limbs tangling until they collapsed.
But Azadin showed no such fear, evading with perfect poise.
Impressive nerve.
"Can't be helped, then. Azadin. I didn't want to use this if I could pass you off as a Salvation Knight. Aren't you curious why the cows roam free in our pasture?"
"...Yeah, I am curious about that."
Even Azadin, who had been indifferently dodging, perked up at those words.
"It's because of this! Come on, griffins! Dinner time! Gugu-gu-gu-gu!"
In that instant, the presence of the griffins circling overhead shifted.
Until now, they had simply been flying high; now, they gazed down at the ground with clear murderous intent.
"Griffins I hatched myself from eggs! They see me as their mother and won't attack cows like me!"
A griffin dove from above, transitioning into a glide to strike at Azadin.
Slower than a falcon's dive, but the sheer power of its massive bulk hurtling down in a gliding pounce was overwhelming.
Even for Azadin, an attack mid-dive from the griffins would be threatening! And with Selim attacking from the ground?
A relentless three-dimensional assault—lethal with even a single graze.
"I wanted to handle you myself, but no choice! It's all for the knight order's safety! Azadin!"
Selim regretted having to let the griffins finish him but was confident of victory.
*********
"Ah, really?"
Azadin responded to Selim by casually shifting position—toward the black dairy cow, Marybell.
"Huh?!"
Selim panicked at the sight.
The griffins' dive attacks were now unusable because of Marybell.
They couldn't strike Azadin without inevitably colliding with her.
The griffins circled restlessly, trying different angles, but each time, Azadin circled with Marybell in tow, stroking her neck.
"Your griffins are well-trained, Selim. You raised them with love, huh?"
"Urk! Coward! Azadin! Get away from Marybell! Marybell! That guy's bad!"
But Marybell just wagged her tail happily as Azadin petted her, beaming.
"Aww, she's a cutie. You're right, Selim. This cow's adorable."
"You! My Marybell!"
Just then, the griffins landed in the pasture.
Unable to succeed with dives, they descended for close-quarters combat.
Griffins the size of massive grizzly bears touched down one after another, surrounding Azadin.
"A-Azadin!?"
"Captain!"
Camilla and Kuntachi gaped in horror at the descending griffins.
No way they could break through.
If these beasts turned hostile, even Camilla and Kuntachi had no guarantee of survival.
*Damn. Have to use it here?*
The moment Camilla reached into her clothes—
"Selim. Last warning. Surrender."
"What? You mean you're surrendering, right?"
Selim scoffed, but in that instant, Azadin vanished from his sight.
*Blossom-Bird Breeze-Moon: Twilight!*
The power of the Blossom-Bird Breeze-Moon grimoire—the one that made herald folk the natural predators of magicians—activated.
Startled, Selim swung his axe, but Azadin was already bringing Aurelia Dun down on his head.