Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Brazen Challenger 2
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The Curse of Service.
It was a pact between the Emperor and the Herald Clan. In exchange for various benefits and grimoires, the Heralds were obligated to continuously provide suitable candidates for heralds and fully cooperate with the Emperor's herald system with utmost sincerity.
However, this contract included a clause allowing for a horrific death to be inflicted upon any who betrayed the clan or the Emperor.
Yet, to this day, only one person had ever triggered that clause.
That was 'Traitor Acre,' the father of Azadin.
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To free themselves from the Curse of Service, the Herald Clan had joined the royal succession war of the Tarasar Kingdom, sacrificing many lives to finally obtain a copy of the New King True Scripture.
But one among the clan stole that copy and fled—Acre. In response, the elders and chieftains invoked the Curse of Service against the traitor Acre to threaten him.
'Return the New King True Scripture copy, or the curse will kill you.'
'If you don't want to die by the curse, hand over the New King True Scripture copy.'
But Acre scattered the copy from the Heart of the World Mountains into the skies, letting it rain down across all Eight Kingdoms.
In the end, the enraged elders refused to lift the curse, and Acre died giving birth to twins as a man—that was Azadin and Arael, the twin siblings.
Ironically, of these twins, Arael grew into a peerless beauty, a powerful sorceress, and a genius swordswoman, becoming the strongest herald in clan history...
While Azadin was a hopeless dimwit.
Arael was blessed in every way, but Azadin was an incompetent who fell short of even the average Herald Clan member.
Any Herald Clan child could string a bow by age eight and master the Twin Celestial Shot by twelve.
The feat of shooting a second arrow to knock down the first.
It meant becoming a master archer.
But Azadin wet the bed occasionally even at eight and couldn't string a bow. That might not seem unusual among Hybris folk, but to the Herald Clan, it was an intolerable weakness.
In the end, Azadin fell behind in the clan's basic training and was bullied by the other children until, at twelve, Elder Kazas took him in as his squire.
Then, just three months ago, at Elder Kazas's insistence, Azadin had become a herald.
Though forced by the Curse of Service, becoming the Emperor's herald was an honorable and glorious position for the Herald Clan.
Everyone in the clan strove to become one... From age eight, they all gathered for the 'selection process,' where their talents and abilities were evaluated to determine who would become heralds.
Azadin had failed that selection.
'Azadin is the dullest, stupidest one in the Herald Clan.'
'He couldn't even string the lightest bow by twelve, let alone master the Twin Celestial Shot like everyone else.'
'There's no way such a guy could carry out herald duties.'
'He's not fit to be a herald, let alone an attendant—no, not even a servant.'
Those who grew up with Azadin insisted he was weak, powerless, and cowardly, shouting that no matter the elder's recommendation, it was unjust for him to become a herald.
In fact, Herald Clan parents would scare disobedient daughters with such threats:
'Keep it up, and I'll marry you off to Azadin.'
In the eyes of the Herald Clan, Azadin was an insult in himself.
The cursed incompetent, Azadin.
That was the clan's evaluation of him.
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"Is it true he can't use magic, like the rumors say? He's cursed?"
"I can't confirm if the curse is real, but he's known for being unable to use magic. Still, that finicky Elder Kazas took him as a disciple."
"So what? He's the son of a traitor anyway, right? A traitor's son who can't use magic becomes a herald. He's just hogging the spot, keeping capable people like me from becoming one. I should test his skills if I meet him."
"Ah, no, you can't."
The boy gasped at the girl's declaration to test his skills.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Attendants aren't allowed to attack heralds recklessly."
"But duels are fine, aren't they?"
"If an attendant challenges a herald to a duel and loses, they face punishment. Your life and death, all rights, become his."
"If I lose, you mean? Heh. No way I'd lose to a half-baked cripple who can't even use magic."
"But Elder Kazas is a mysterious figure. His name's in the council records, but no one's seen him in person. Rumors say he's an elf—maybe he pushed Azadin as herald just to repay a squire's favor?"
"So what? The dimwit who couldn't string a bow till twelve—Elder Kazas took him, trained him for what, a few years? Down from the mountain early this year or late last? Ten years of training turning him into some powerhouse who crushes other heralds? Yeah, right."
"That's..."
It'd be nice if possible, but sadly, no.
The Herald Clan's training methods were already near perfection, so late bloomers happened, but a massive gap at twelve usually persisted for life.
You needed to at least keep up in basic training at twelve to have any chance of shining later or making great strides.
Just then, a bird descended from above, landing on her shoulder. It was a translucent spirit made of faint light.
Foresight Bird, an artificial spirit conjured by magic.
It shared vision and scouted surroundings, its translucent body making it undetectable when sent out.
"Hm. Looks like we've spotted that rumored herald. Perfect. Ismail, hide behind that rock with the goats."
"Huh?"
"I need to check Azadin's skills."
With that, the girl unslung the crescent bow from her waist and strung it.
"Oh god, Lady Midiam..."
The boy panicked but couldn't defy her, so he led the goats behind the roadside rock.
"Alright then!"
The girl drew two arrows from her quiver and removed their tips.
"Not that it'd happen, but just in case. A little greeting shot?"
She loosed one high into the sky, the other at a shallower angle. Aimed to hit the same target simultaneously for someone climbing the mountain path below—the Herald Clan's feat, the Twin Celestial Shot.
She fired the two arrows and swiftly ducked behind the rock.
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-Whoosh!
Arrows streaked toward Azadin.
"Urk?!"
He pulled an empty quiver and twisted aside, catching the incoming arrows. Low trajectory and high—both sucked into the quiver almost simultaneously.
Two arrows targeting him at once.
The Herald Clan's feat, the Twin Celestial Shot.
They hit the quiver's bottom without piercing, so likely blunt tips removed. Still, a close call.
"Who's there?"
Figures emerged from behind the barren rocks. A boy and girl with goats.
"Hmph. Rumors said he was a halfwit who couldn't handle magic, but a herald's still a herald."
The girl approached smugly. Lustrous golden hair, haughty eyes, yet fairy-like beauty.
Holding a Herald Clan crescent bow, she was clearly the shooter.
"Those arrows just now—your doing?"
"Yes, just a light greeting. How was it? My hello."
"Ah, uh, I..."
Unlike the bold girl, the boy trailing her was terrified. Droopy-eyed, brown-haired, lower status, he fidgeted.
"Your names?"
"Midiam of Etar."
"I'm Ismail. Newly assigned as your attendant."
"Attendant? This?"
Azadin chuckled at the brash kids' antics. As the traitor’s son, bullied by the clan since childhood, he was used to this.
But self-proclaimed attendants attacking him?
"Your quiver looked empty, so I lent you some arrows. Wasn't that fine service?"
She brazenly defended her assault.
"And no herald worth his salt would die to blunt arrows from this distance, right? If so, he'd be unworthy anyway. Isn't he?"
"You think this is funny?"
Azadin's face hardened.
Blunt or not, a sneak attack. He knew the clan despised him, but he wasn't spineless enough to take humiliation from a child lying down.
"Apologize for your rudeness first, Midiam. Or no talking to you."
"No talking? But..."
"If you want something from me, respect me—as a fellow Aragasa, or as an enemy! Which is it?"
Enemy or kin?
That's what Azadin was asking. Midiam started to retort, then realized he wasn't joking and apologized.
"Midiam of Etar apologizes for my rudeness, Herald Azadin. I am Aragasa."
Under the Service Pact, all Aragasa were one.
Meaning: treat me as kin, not foe.
"Good. Apology accepted. But never aim a weapon at anyone like that again. If I'd snapped back, my arrows would've had tips. Got it? Don't play with weapons unless you mean to kill."
"Yes."
Azadin's warning was fair. Among Herald Clan, rider ranks strictly enforced hierarchy, blunt arrows for hazing common...
But elsewhere, an arrow meant kill or be killed. The girl wasn't dumb; she got it.
"Got any water?"
Dehydration was severe; dodging sudden arrows had worsened his dizziness.
"Ah, yes. H-here."
Ismail dismounted, pulled his canteen, and handed it over. Azadin took it and brought it to his lips.
He sipped carefully, letting it absorb slowly through his mucous membranes. Vitality trickled back.
"Thirsty, huh."
"Mm."
The boy and girl waited silently as Azadin focused on drinking, little by little to avoid shock, then sat in meditation pose.
'Nothing like the rumors?'
Midiam, the Herald Clan girl, felt perplexed.
The cursed Azadin was the clan's laughingstock and insult. The humorless Heralds cracked jokes about him, but this young man seemed a strict, proud herald.
Still, having come this far, she couldn't turn back.