The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger

Chapter 46: The Curse Of Service (7)

Well do it.

No, lets make them do it.

Make compensations for all the things you looted too. I wrote down your addresses. Dont go fooling around unless you want to meet me again.

Azadine tried to pay back the victims as best he could. He found their victims crying on the roadside or stumbling along on foot. He then received their testimonies to make a list of all remaining victims.

He and his party had to hurry, so he couldnt continue to make any more compensation, but he did all he could.

We-Were done now, right?

Azadine smiled at Vinets question.

No, theres one last compensation left.

What?

Taking away your ability to fight.

Huh? What? What are you talking about?

Azadine didnt reply. He instead took out a pair of pincers from his pack. These were used to craft arrows or arrowheads.

Consider yourself lucky. For murder, youd suffer permanent damage. But from what I checked, you didnt murder anyone. So, Ill go easy on you.

Huh? Go easy on us with pincers? What are youAaaack!

The pain of pulling their nails from their flesh was enough to make them scream like children.

Azadine only pulled out the thumb and index fingernails from Vinets group and then chased them away. Only then did Tarki sigh in relief.

How could a blood relative try to kill me for the inheritance? People are so nasty. But, brother, I was really close to Vinet.

Yeah, youre right. Your inheritance doesnt matter anyways.

Azadine cleaned the pincers after replying to Tarki. Mediam then asked him a question.

Regardless, it looks like youre relieved now.

Why?

Well, you returned all the looted belongings to their owners. And it seems like youre back to your original self. As expected, pregnancy gives you mood swings, doesnt it?

OH, MY GOD!

Azadine sighed in frustration.

With the Curse of Service, the childs not born by a normal pregnancy. So, mood swings will not happen.

But you really looked different than usual.

I can get angry and emotional too. Everyone loses control at some point in time. Like right now, Mediam, youre making me lose control.

Huh? Me?

Yeah.

Then Ismail raised a question.

Didnt you sell the silver candlesticks from the loot of Tarkis mercenaries? So, why are you so bent on returning the loot now?

They looted so much. I couldnt have returned it all on my own. And there were too many mercenaries there. Not to mention, the looted villagers would have fled from there anyways.

Why would they flee

Well, because more ogres were coming their way. So, theyd have to flee. I couldve returned the looted items, but they were all furniture. It would only slow them down in their escape.

So, basically, you took advantage of Tarkis extortion, right?

Nothing I can do about it. I simply go with the flow of life, adjusting as needed.

Azadine was a virtuous man, but he wasnt an idealist. A grip on the cold, hard reality was expected from an Emperors Messenger.

But this time, there wasnt a lot of loot. Returning it was fairly easy. Why, though? Did that bother you?

No, I just cant understand you. Youre like an alien. Compared to you, understanding murderers or looters is a piece of cake.

Is that so? But I get you, to some extent.

Wait, you can understand me?

Ismail was offended. I can see through you, kid.- thats what Azadines words sounded like to him, and that was infuriating.

In the front of the group, Tarki clicked his tongue.

Everyone, quiet down. The Rescue Knights Order is in front of us.

Huh? The Rescue Knights?

Azadine was visibly excited.

As they approached Salasma, the area around them began bustling with people. Refugees were swarming in from every part of the continent.

Rivers had dried up during the month-long drought. The affected areas had received zero support, and horrible incidents happened here and there. Yet the Counts illegitimate children had plundered everywhere in search of the Heavenly Book. Those displaced would then head to Salasma in hopes of fulfilling their basic needs.

An inn had been set up by the Rescue Knights Order as well as a few companies. They were providing shelter for the refugees in a vacant space near Salasma.

Oh! The three-winged wheel!

Azadine was elated to see the symbolic flag of the three-winged angel of the Rescue Knights Order.

As expected of the Rescue Knights. Hmm, impressive.

Azadines cheering for the Rescue Knights good deeds left Mediam and Ismail speechless.

The Rescue Knights Order wasnt like the Kings Church. They didnt pounce on people of the Messenger Clan to kill at first sight, but regardless, its members were people of Hubris. They were no different than other people. For them, the Aragasa were soulless blasphemers and cursed beings worthy of contempt.

This shelter of theirs was funded using money extorted from merchant companies as donations. They even accepted abandoned refugee children to expand their ranks.

There were even rumors that the Rescue Knights had a vast estate at their Headquarters, the Inland Peninsula. Therefore, they needed to use countless serfs to reclaim the land. Darker rumors even reported the trafficking of orphans and refugees to their headquarters under the guise of rescue. Apparently, they were further exploited to restore the region.

Should I tell him? No. Its like he worships the Rescue Knights. No point telling him, right?

Mediam kept her mouth shut as she saw Azadine admire the Rescue Knights virtuous deeds.

What a shock! Youre being considerate of someone.

No, b-but you know, dont you?

Mediam shrugged and looked ahead.

He might have a new living being in his body. Stress isnt good for pregnant people.

Oi. I can hear you.

Azadine snorted at Mediam, treating him like an expectant mother.

The higher-ups were probably scared of Arael, so they fired me. Talking it out with them will settle everything.

Azadine had cooled down with time. He realized he had plenty of leverage against the Aragasas upper ranks.

He had as many as two copies of the Heavenly Kings Book. He had also collected many gold coins in a brief period, breaking the record for completing three Golden Coin petitions.

For Hubrisians, calling on a messenger is like selling their souls to the devil. But times are turbulent, so people arent hesitating to use the coins for petitions.

Normal people tended to keep the Emperors Gold Coins only for times of crisis and not because they were fond of the Messenger Clan. In other words, events like the droughts and raids by the Kurt Clan to find the Heavenly Book happening everywhere counted. Other messengers were also likely having record-breaking times in collecting their own gold coins.

This made Azadine a little anxious.

The whole clan hates me. What if they dont consider my request at all? They might even kill me for the copies of the Heavenly Book of Truth.

Azadine shook his head at this. He hated thinking about the possible outcomes. However, forcefully making himself anxious with this train of thought bordered on paranoia.

Lets set up camp!

They made preparations to set up camp on the dried-up riverbed. They didnt carry tents with them because of the weight. To prepare, the main task was to level out the ground.

I dont get why I have to do this. Im an aristocratic knight.

Tarki was removing the rocks from the ground while grumbling.

Go work there for a while.

Azadine ordered Tarki to perform another chore and then glanced around. The other refugees were also working but slowly stepped aside for Tarki and his visible rank as a knight.

At dinner time, the inn employees handed out cotton blankets and bread with the Rescue Knights crest stamped on it.

Anyone who needs a blanket can borrow it, but remember to return it.

Those who dont return the blanket will be punished in hell or reincarnated as a member of the Messenger Clan.

Mediam couldnt help but laugh.

Their motivation method is on point.

Well, I doubt theyll get most of the blankets back. Will so many people reincarnate as messengers?

I guess.

Mediams gaze floated towards Azadines stomach.

What? Why are you looking at me?

Nothing. Its just that, what if some of them will be born as messengers, and with the Curse of Service awakened, your child might be

Oi. Droopy eyes. Has she always been this way?

Yep.

Ismail replied with his head down, suffering from second-hand embarrassment due to Mediam.

Her peers probably hated her, am I right?

What are you talking about? They worshiped me.

Mediam shrugged and made a boast.

Ah, anyways, lets try some of that bread.

Huh? But we have enough food. I thought youd say no to rations for the refugees.

From Mediams point of view, Azadine was someone with walls. However, she thought he was a good man by nature. After all, he held no resentment for the Hubrisians, protected the weak, and stood up against those with power and ill intent.

But to think he would take rations from food meant for refugees. Wouldnt that mean that there was less food for the rest?

No, I just wanted to check out what type of rations Rescue Knights give out.

Azadine approached the cart with the rations and talked to the member of the Rescue Knights Order.

He must be busy dealing with people. Why is he chatting?

Hes probably a fan of the tales of the Rescue Knights Order. It looks like he wants to get close and mix up with them somehow.

A few moments later, Azadine returned with some bread from the Rescue Knights alms.

You really took the bread from them?

Yeah, but I didnt exploit them. I made a donation.

Are you saying that you, a messenger, donated money to the Rescue Knights?

Yeah.

What, why? Are you bothered by that?

But it took you so long. What were you talking about?

Ismail coldly raised the question.

Um, the blankets have the Rescue Knights crest on them. I wanted to get that stamped on this parchment paper. But they said no.

But why do you want that crest?

Well, I wanted the Rescue Knights symbol. I mean, its cool, isnt it?

Mediam and Ismail glanced at each other.

Not really. Its just a useless wheel.

But its the crest of The Rescue Knights. Hm, we, Aragasa, dont really have an official crest. The closest is the hawk, but its not like we can carry it around.

Azadine fiddled with the hawk mask inside his inner pocket. It was a symbol of the Aragasa, but it was not something he could wear in the open without suffering persecution.

The Rescue Knights may be the undiscriminating heroes in the storybooks. However, this is reality. I bet theyll kill us the instant our identity is revealed to them. You may admire them, but they would betray that respect in a second. Doesnt that scare you?

Mediam phrased the question in a subtle way to press Azadine.

Thats okay. They could persecute and kill me. But I still wouldnt feel betrayed. Lets say that my faith is a different kind of trust.

Mediam understood Azadines admiration for the Rescue Knights wasnt just childish hero worship. Instead, it was a deep, intense conviction.

Could his faith actually withstand betrayal?

Suddenly, Mediam had a hunch that Azadines faith would be tested to its limits by fate.