Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Brass Knight 7
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“Lord Jekt, I presume.”
As Azadin passed through the forest, he felt a curse prickling at his skin.
He had no eyeballs, instead viewing the world through a special sight that let him see the black mana of the curse flying toward him. It was undoubtedly Lord Jekt and his wraith knight in pursuit.
“Good lord. My skin’s tingling. Well, at least it tells me where they are.”
Feeling the presence of the wraith knight targeting him, Azadin brought his goat to a halt.
At this distance, no one else would get caught up in it. With that thought, Azadin pulled cheap weapons from his saddlebags and laid them out on the ground. He filled his quiver with arrows, then jammed extras into the leather straps on his thigh for good measure.
“Come on, then.”
At that moment, a monster burst through the underbrush. It was some nameless beast loping along on all fours with long arms and legs.
From the black mana power emanating from it and the familiar curse mark, Azadin knew it was the wraith knight Gazrek. Without Azadin’s special sight, no one would have recognized it as the former Lord Gazrek—it had mutated into something utterly grotesque.
“Good heavens….”
Azadin stared in shock at Lord Gazrek, twisted beyond recognition by the curse.
This was no ordinary wraith knight. Powerful black magic swirled within Lord Gazrek. Had the paladins really brought this thing along?
“Hup!”
Azadin drew his bowstring. Lord Gazrek charged, shielding his head with his forearm, but….
*Ping!*
The arrow Azadin loosed swerved freely through the air like a fish darting across rapids, striking Lord Gazrek’s foot and severing his big toe.
Lord Gazrek, now the size of a massive bull, lost his balance and tumbled across the ground.
“Nice!”
Azadin snatched up an axe from the weapons he’d dropped and leaped forward. At that instant, Lord Gazrek swung his arm. It looked like a broken sword slicing through his body, but Azadin froze mid-leap.
*Firebird Windmoon Mirage, Kazas Hasse!*
While other heralds wielded illusion magic through spells, Azadin executed it purely through physical technique.
He deflected Lord Gazrek’s attack, then swung the axe wide to smash his elbow before launching himself forward in a full somersault. With tremendous force, he swung the axe again.
The axe ripped free from Lord Gazrek’s arm, accelerating with ferocious power to smash his skull, severing his neck vertebrae and collarbone.
“Kraaak!”
Despite the grievous wound, Gazrek swung at Azadin to trade blows. But Azadin abandoned the axe embedded in his body, backflipping lightly to evade and scooping up a shortsword from the ground.
“Try me!”
He slashed at the attacking Gazrek, severing fingers, then hurled the blade to embed it in his body. Azadin retreated again, grabbing another weapon—this time a short spear, which he jammed into Lord Gazrek’s knee.
“Grrrraaawr!”
The wraith knight Gazrek spat curses from his mouth as he swung his broken sword and arms at Azadin. But Azadin wasn’t about to take hits from a Gazrek who could no longer walk. That was when it happened.
“Chains of Light!”
A rope of pure white light wrapped around Azadin. Weightless as it was, merely force, Azadin shook it off—but another caster cried out.
“Chains of Light!”
The second spell bound him. The first voice had been a woman’s, the second a man’s.
“Urk!”
Lord Gazrek’s attack hurtled toward the restrained Azadin.
*Thwack!*
Azadin’s body flew back, rolling across the ground before springing up. Lord Gazrek’s blow packed devastating power, but Azadin stood immediately and caught his breath.
“Grrraaak!”
Hideous worms writhed from Lord Gazrek’s body. Not earthworms—intestinal parasites, countless ones squirming to stitch up the wounds Azadin had inflicted. Full restoration was impossible, but they patched him enough to keep his limbs from flopping uselessly.
“Disgusting.”
Azadin panted at the sight as the ones who had cast holy magic on him stepped into view.
“Father’s murderer!”
“…….”
Trailing behind Lord Gazrek were two paladins on horseback. One was Maya, aide to Bishop Sarasma; the other was Lord Zibek, swordmaster to young Lord Kozel.
Azadin gave them a wry smile.
“Your father’s right there, isn’t he?”
“You killed my father and dared to mock me to my face!?”
“Sorry about that. Even a paladin who slaughters civilians doesn’t want to insult a man in front of his daughter. But who’s insulting your father’s death right now?”
“Sh-shut up! Don’t insult Father! He’d never kill civilians without reason! How dare you slander him—you have to die for Father to find peace!”
Enraged, Maya charged at Azadin.
“Lady Maya!”
Lord Zibek tried to stop her, but it was no use.
Maya charged confidently because Azadin, flung back by Gazrek’s attack, seemed to be clutching himself in pain, in no shape to fight.
An arm or ribs—or both—must be broken. She had to dispatch him quickly and free Lord Gazrek, no, her father.
With that in mind, Maya spurred her horse and thrust her spear at Azadin from the saddle. But….
“Welcome!”
Azadin deftly wrapped his cloak around her spear to block it, then slithered up like flowing water to cling to her saddle behind her. In an instant, Maya’s throat was in Azadin’s grasp.
“Oh, dear….”
Lord Zibek clicked his tongue at Maya, taken hostage in a flash. Maya excelled more in magic than swordplay, so they had planned for Zibek to handle close combat while she supported with spells from afar.
But Azadin’s provocation had excited Maya, making her forget their prior agreement as she rushed in.
“Impressive acting. That roll from Gazrek’s attack… he threw himself to absorb the impact.”
And yet he’d feigned injury to bait Maya.
Lord Zibek already knew Azadin’s skill from before, but it bore reaffirming: truly strong and seasoned.
“You’ve lost your cool, Lady Maya. You know who’s really insulting your father right now, don’t you?”
Azadin addressed the easily captured Maya. But she had no intention of talking.
“Urk! Just kill me, you vile heretic!”
“Why toss away such a fine shield?”
Azadin glanced at Lord Gazrek charging from behind and yanked the reins, shoving Maya into his path. Lord Gazrek recoiled in surprise. It wasn’t recognition of his daughter—the one controlling him had imposed a restriction preventing attacks on paladins of the King’s Church.
“Stand down.”
Lord Zibek addressed Azadin.
“Lord Zibek, I respected you. This is disappointing.”
“Pardon?”
Maya blinked in shock at Azadin addressing Zibek familiarly. From Lord Zibek’s demeanor, were they acquaintances?
“We’re just bait right now. The bandits have already circled back to your rear.”
“Hm? Allied with bandits? I had no expectations of the King’s Church, so no disappointment expected—yet here we are.”
“Lord Jekt cast black magic on them. Not mere necromancy… Nether power.”
“…….”
Azadin realized the situation had turned truly dangerous.
“As paladins of the King’s Church, can you tolerate that?”
“Inquisitors are all versed in black magic. Know your enemy or fail in battle.”
“Then you know he’s crossed the line. I held Gazrek’s funeral myself. Him rising as a wraith knight is undoubtedly Lord Jekt’s….”
Maya, gripped in Azadin’s hold, stomped her feet in rebuttal.
“Lies! All lies!”
“Isn’t that what you want to believe? It’s what lets you keep being a paladin.”
“L-Lord Zibek! Don’t mind me—attack!”
“No. He’s right.”
“Pardon?”
“Lord Gazrek massacred civilians, and his funeral was held when he was found. He became a wraith knight because of Lord Jekt’s magic.”
“N-No way. Even you’d sully my father’s honor? That he slaughtered innocents without cause?”
“There was a reason. A shameful one….”
“Then….”
Azadin released Maya’s throat and seized the reins, wheeling her horse toward Lord Gazrek. He couldn’t counter due to the restriction against attacking paladins.
“Lend me your blade!”
Azadin yanked the sword from Maya’s scabbard and swung it horizontally, decapitating Lord Gazrek. His already-weakened head from the prior axe flew clean off.
“Kyaaak!”
Ignoring Maya’s scream, Azadin drove the sword vertically into the stump of the severed neck, then kicked the horse to slam Gazrek’s body fully to the ground.
The axe and spears Azadin had embedded tore the flesh to shreds, and Lord Gazrek finally fell silent.
“Uwaaah! You monster!”
Maya sobbed at the gruesome remains of Lord Gazrek. The feat combined her horse’s speed and Azadin’s superhuman strength, but Maya’s lack of resistance had enabled it. Had she struggled, even Azadin couldn’t have severed the head so cleanly.
‘Despite her words, she knows what we say is true—something she can’t put into words.’
Azadin understood Maya’s unspoken turmoil.
“So, Lord Zibek—what now?”
“Release Lady Maya.”
“Hm. That all? Tell me about the bandits.”
“Lord Jekt cast magic on them and ordered them to retrieve copies of the New King’s Scriptures. They said fleeing slaves must have taken them, so they left you to Gazrek and flanked around.”
“Then we’ve no time to waste.”
Azadin dismounted Maya’s horse. He neither held her hostage nor crippled her—just let her go.
“What of you two? Will knights stand by as bandits and monsters prey on the innocent?”
Maya snapped back in fury.
“Traitors who leaked New King’s Scriptures copies aren’t innocents….”
“Hm. So slaves who fled torment with a few scripture copies deserve death? Guess only doddering old knights in brass washbasins are the real deal.”
Azadin sneered at Maya’s words and turned his back. It was the perfect moment for a sneak attack, but even Maya had no retort to the rebuke.