Chapter 61
Chapter 61
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Arael's Voice 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“By any chance, are you planning to go somewhere else? Or will you be staying in Salasma? If you’re staying in Salasma, we have an empty room at our house—why not stay there? With so many refugees right now, all the inns have been requisitioned by the Rescue Knights. You won’t find proper lodging anywhere.”
“Huh?”
“Of course, we’ll pay you in gold coins. But how could five gold coins from the Emperor possibly repay the debt of saving our lives? Please, let us host you at our estate so I can at least have a chance to express my gratitude.”
“…….”
In truth, five gold coins from the Emperor were more than enough compensation for saving their lives. But the baroness seemed genuinely grateful to Azadin and was desperate to show her appreciation somehow.
“And we’ve hired the children you sent us as servants at our estate. Don’t you want to check on how they’re doing?”
“Hmm, well, then I’ll impose on you without hesitation.”
Azadin was curious about what she had to say regarding Count Salasma, and he wanted to learn the baroness’s true identity, so he decided to stay at her house.
*********
“I was going to, but I’m sleepy.”
The next morning, Azadin was rolling around in bed. After taking a bath and lying down, exhaustion hit him all at once. He’d been traveling along the roads nonstop lately, so fatigue had built up considerably.
On top of that, he’d been locked in life-or-death battles nearly every day, so he was worn out. He’d pushed himself too hard.
‘I acquired five unused gold coins not used in the contract, plus three copies of the New King Scripture. That’s pretty impressive no matter where I go, right?’
Midiam kept teasing him because of the Curse of Service, but Azadin wasn’t going to die from that curse.
Maybe that was why—with his mind finally relaxed—he was resting his body in the accommodations prepared by Baroness Nort.
“What are you doing?”
Midiam knocked on the door to the room where Azadin was staying.
“Resting.”
“Is that so? We’re thinking of checking out the were-rat den one more time. To see if the Rescue Knights are handling the cleanup properly and if we missed anything.”
“Excellent. I should go too.”
He said that, but Azadin couldn’t get himself up. Muscle pain was wracking his entire body.
“But you look exhausted, with fatigue plastered all over your face. We’ll handle it ourselves.”
“Be careful.”
“No worries.”
*********
Midiam and Ismail surveyed the area near the were-rat den. The Rescue Knights were handling the aftermath. What they called handling it amounted to dragging out the corpses and incinerating the were-rats’ bodies.
The rats, fattened up on human flesh, were being neatly hunted down by the refugees.
“The Rescue Knights are cleaning up the incident.”
“Well, it’s their dirty laundry, so they’ll want to cover it up.”
“The Rescue Knights are a disorganized bunch.”
Hubris folk placed great importance on the afterlife, so whether good or evil, most responded openly when asked to donate merits. People were accustomed to acts of giving and charity in and of themselves.
During a drought like this, when everyone was starving, wallets didn’t open easily—but even so, substantial donations and offerings continued to flow to the Rescue Knights.
The problem was that the organization was notoriously lax. Even now, three branches vied for control in Salasma alone.
The Academy of Wisdom, the Institute of Mercy, the Knights of Courage.
With these three groups forming their own factions, one of their facilities had become a were-rat den, and even a holy knight turning into Mezzeri’s apostle had gone unnoticed.
“Hmm… impressive.”
Midiam marveled as she watched the Rescue Knights pull the bodies from the were-rat den and burn them. There were an enormous number.
“Azadin took care of all that by himself? The Rescue Knights are just dragging out the corpses and burning them?”
“Yeah. Though they’re claiming they subjugated them, of course.”
“It’s their own facility to begin with—like spitting in the air while lying down. They manage their organization so poorly that were-rats nested right in their building, kidnapping and killing people, even hunting for New King Scripture copies, and they didn’t notice a thing.”
Midiam muttered that and looked around.
“I sense a lot of chilling gazes.”
Mezzeri’s kin may have been destroyed, but the Kurt god-tribe followers weren’t just them. This city likely harbored many more Kurt cultists.
“Milady.”
“Let’s head back. There’s no point lingering here.”
*********
On the hilltop, at Baroness Nort’s estate, dispatched servants and cooks bustled in and out. The baroness, who usually lived frugally, had called in servants, maids, and cooks to clean the mansion and prepare meals, apparently to properly entertain her guests.
“She’s going all out. Hmm, you don’t think that woman’s fallen for Azadin, do you?”
“You’re being overly speculative. She’s a grown woman with a child, isn’t she?”
“No, but she doesn’t look a day over twenty.”
“Probably the Spider Queen’s blessing. She’s a Kurt god-tribe cultist, no doubt. Honestly, I think we should’ve refused her offer. We should’ve held a knife to her throat and tortured the info out of her.”
“That’d be unwise. She’s Count Kazel’s lover, isn’t she? Messing with her lightly could bring big trouble later. Ismail vents his worldly frustrations with these ridiculous stories sometimes, huh?”
Midiam said that—whether she knew she was the source of Ismail’s frustration or not—and headed back into the estate.
She ran into Tarky right at the entrance. He’d taken off his armor and was in regular clothes, looking every bit the noble-born son.
“Oh, Tarky.”
“Even kids like you talk down to me? Don’t Heralds value respect for elders?”
“That’s exactly why I’m talking down to you. Status matters a lot, you know.”
“Ugh.”
Tarky, born a noble and unused to hearing his status belittled except by the likes of Kozel, clicked his tongue at Midiam’s bold words.
“Where’s your mother?”
“She went to the castle to see Father, apparently.”
“What? Why?”
“Since he was kidnapped and released, she’s reporting on the situation. The servants are managing the estate, so tell them if you want anything to eat.”
“Oh, really? By the way, your parents seem to get along well?”
“I’m not one to say.”
“Being illegitimate and all?”
“No, I… Never mind. Let’s drop it.”
Tarky shook his head and suddenly looked at Midiam.
“By the way, I heard there was a New King Scripture copy in the were-rat den—is that true?”
“Where’d you hear that?”
“From Mother.”
“What?”
“They say after you defeated the were-rat leader, the New King Scripture copy acknowledged Azadin and came to him on its own?”
“Hmm. A New King Scripture copy?”
“A N-New King Scripture copy—if there’s one, I could be the family head….”
Tarky’s eyes bulged at the rumor that Azadin had obtained a New King Scripture copy.
“You should give up. It’s a copy, but not the complete thing. It’s probably in fragments. No way would a single page satisfy the count enough to name you family head, right?”
“But still!”
“And our Aragas needs New King Scripture copies too. No matter what you offer, we can’t hand it over to you.”
*********
Azadin was checking the estate’s escape routes. Baroness Nort might be showing him goodwill, but that didn’t guarantee the place was safe.
“It’s inconvenient without the Emperor’s Voice.”
Baroness Nort clearly felt goodwill toward Azadin. But separately, it was certain she was a Kurt god-tribe follower with items related to the Spider Queen Atra. She was not someone to let his guard down around.
Just then, a bird flew in.
[Azadin of the Herald Clan.]
“The Emperor’s Voice?”
Azadin looked toward the source of the bird’s voice. There sat a crow with a massive eyeball on its belly.
[Azadin….]
“Ugh!”
Startled, Azadin drew his dagger, ready to throw it and subdue the thing if needed. No normal bird like that could be the Emperor’s Voice.
[Calm yourself. I am the voice of Arael.]
“…What?”
Azadin was stunned. He’d heard endlessly that Arael was a genius. Had she created an artificial spirit mimicking the Emperor’s Voice?
[I’ve located your position, so I’ll send someone soon. Azadin, pledge loyalty to Arael, and you shall hold a position above all but one.]
“Are you sane?”
Azadin chuckled. It was shocking enough that Arael was trying to win him over, but what she was saying was laughable.
Above all but one.
Was she planning to become the new Emperor? Overthrow all the god-kings of the Yaegas tribe, seize their throne, and subjugate Hubris’s people by force?
To even make that possible, she’d have to scour every inch of Hubris for them.
For starters, people hated the Herald Clan. Even under the old Emperor, when their power was far greater, the Heralds never dared dream of usurping authority.
When the Emperor died and chaos engulfed the Eight Kingdoms—that was a much better opportunity—and even then they failed. And now Arael?
“You’re insane, right? Your clan isn’t even unified, and you’ve been dismissed from duty?”
[If dismissed, then you already know a way to evade the Curse of Service.]
That made sense—otherwise, so many Heralds wouldn’t have joined Arael in rebellion.
‘It’s too impressive to be mere bluff…’
The artificial spirit mimicking the Emperor’s Voice was flawlessly executed. The problem was…
‘I sense an evil aura.’
This artificial spirit reeked of black magic. It had definitely dabbled in forbidden sorcery.
[The Herald Clan won’t save you even if you offer the Emperor’s gold coins or New King Scripture copies. They’ll try to kill you with the Curse of Service, so seek salvation from Arael.]
With those words, the artificial spirit curled up. The eyeball that had been only on its belly sprouted across its entire body….
*Boom!*
With an explosion, it burst into a handful of flesh chunks, splattering Baroness Nort’s garden with blood, meat, and eyeballs.
“Wh-what happened?”
A maid rushed over, face pale with shock.
“Nothing—just a cat.”
Azadin said that and withdrew from the garden.
*********
After Azadin’s ominous encounter with Arael’s Voice, Midiam, Ismail, and Tarky returned.
“You’re awake.”
“I’ve got muscle pain and I’m tired, but I can’t sleep forever.”
Even trying to sleep, he couldn’t stay down in this situation. Azadin asked Tarky,
“So, what’s the mood at the count’s palace?”
“Well… I was barred from entering.”
“Hm? You’re illegitimate, sure, but you’re a knight now, aren’t you? Even so?”
“Yeah.”
“And your mother?”
“The guards at the gate said she’d already headed to the estate.”
“Hmm.”
Azadin half-doubted what he heard.