The Storm Of Coral Sahar (3)

Azadine thought Sion had a rather peculiar personality.

Were all members of the Ethar family like this?

‘I kind of agree that it should’ve been Aleph of the Wind who summoned the storm rather than Dimia of the Flower… But saying that out loud would be ridiculous, right? Is this really the time to care about that? Looks like someone fled after their base was raided.’

Besides, didn’t he see Dimia later at Count Lantarique’s castle?

“Do you believe this is her doing?”

“Yes. Because after that, a significant number of copies of the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth manifested. Dimia of the Flower and Janis collected those books.”

“……”

As Scott had mentioned, when the masses suffered, their screams and cries seemed to trigger the manifestation of the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth copies.

But did they really do all this just to make those books appear?

‘No, seriously, how could they keep it raining over the king’s city for this long?’

Azadine decided to ask.

“Do you know how they made it rain?”

“I’m not sure. Honestly, I left Coral Sahar when the rain first started….”

“Aren’t you the head of the Korasar Peddler Guild here?”

“Well, technically, I am the head of the Korasar Peddler Guild. But the real power lies with my uncle. You know Elder Sevali Ethar from the Senate, right?”

“Ah. So, is the Elder still in the city?”

When Azadine inquired about the Elder’s whereabouts, Sion turned to Mediam.

“Mediam. Can we really trust this guy? He’s Arael’s brother.”

“You can trust him.”

“Hey, kid. What about you?”

“He’s not on Arael’s side. Well, who knows about later, but for now, he’s genuinely against her.”

“Alright. If you say so, I’ll believe it.”

Sion puffed up his chest proudly.

“Azadine the Messenger. Rejoice. I’ll give even a low-ranking messenger like you a chance to make a name for yourself.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll get the chance to join the operation to rescue Elder Sevali. Helping the Ethar family is an honor far beyond what you deserve… huh?”

While talking, Sion’s eyes landed on Zebec.

“Hey, who’s the guy dressed like a Holy Knight from the King’s Church?”

“I am Zebec of Scalabes, a Holy Knight of the King’s Church.”

“Wha—what?!”

Sion was taken aback.

“D-don’t worry. Probably,”

Mediam tried to calm him.

“And this one’s an orc necromancer.”

“I’m Scott McGreen.”

“And over here, a Naga.”

“Why are we suddenly introducing ourselves? I’m not doing it.”

Shati refused to introduce herself, but thanks to Mediam pointing out Scott and Shati, the suspicious gazes on Zebec, the Holy Knight, lessened.

“Why are all these people here?”

“When your cause is noble, allies will follow.”

It was all Azadine could say.

Ismail, having once been a servant to the Ethar family, was already familiar with the attendants traveling with Sion Ethar.

After talking with them, he learned that Sion Ethar had once faced Janis in battle and lost, sacrificing many Korasar Peddler Guild members in his escape.

Even after all that, Ethar was still Ethar. Sion Ethar was now traveling with twenty attendants.

“We originally planned to face Arael’s followers around here. But if Mediam vouches for you, that changes things.”

“Sounds like you were too scared to enter Coral Sahar.”

“No, that’s not it. The details are confidential.”

“What kind of secret?”

“I said I can’t tell you.”

Sion shook his head at Azadine’s questioning.

“Anyway, what do you say? Will you join the mission to rescue Elder Sevali?”

“…Of course. I’m in.”

“Good. Glory awaits us.”

Sion Ethar was practically vibrating with excitement.

“The way you say that makes me nervous.”

“Glory always follows hardship. I won’t pretend this will be easy.”

Sion puffed out his chest as he spoke.

As they entered the Coral Sahar region, the winds and rain could be felt blowing from the distance.

The river had swelled, overflowing its banks. Far away, towering black clouds rose into the sky like some mythical giant, lightning flashing through them, casting flickering shadows across the plains.

“Whoa, what is that…?”

“It’s still raining…”

The attendants following Sion gasped in fear.

“We’re still three days away from Coral Sahar.”

“And it’s been raining non-stop for two weeks.”

“What should we do about this?”

Even the imperial highway built by the Emperor was submerged in low-lying areas, making it difficult to access. They could take a detour, but with the relentless downpour, there was no telling how long that would take.

“There just so happens to be a boat I had sent for repairs nearby.”

Sion pointed toward a barn.

“It won’t hold too many people. We’ll have to leave the horses and goats behind and keep some people here as well.”

“We need to select the elite. We don’t know what we’ll be facing inside.”

“Agreed.”

Sion looked over his attendants.

“Anyone willing to volunteer?”

“Hold on.”

Azadine stopped him.

“If we’re picking elite members, my companions are the better choice.”

“You think they’re better than the Aragasa? Aren’t you underestimating the Ethar family too much? Many of my attendants, despite being servants, are as skilled as messengers. That’s the power of the prestigious Ethar lineage.”

“That’s not something for the Ethar family to boast about—it’s something they should be ashamed of. It sounds like they’re blocking the paths of many capable people.”

“When one is born noble, followers naturally gather.”

“That sounds like a distorted version of something I’ve heard before.”

“Frankly, someone like you, Azadine, who has no background whatsoever, should be honored just to be speaking with me like this. But Arael has proven her capabilities, so as her brother, your value has increased as well.”

“I should be angry at that, but you’re so out of touch that I can’t even get mad.”

Azadine found Sion Ethar’s arrogance more absurd than infuriating.

“So why should I pick your companions over mine?”

“If we take too many Aragasa, we’ll run out of arrows too quickly. If we’re traveling by boat, we can’t bring horses or goats—that’s already an issue. Plus, we still need the Korasar Peddler Guild. Your attendants are all guild members, right? If they travel as merchants, Arael’s faction won’t target them.”

“Huh?”

Sion finally seemed to understand Azadine’s point.

“I see. Fine, we’ll take your companions. They seem eager to rescue my uncle as well. The noble reputation of the Ethar family is clearly well known even beyond the Aragasa.”

‘As if.’

Azadine thought to himself but didn’t say it aloud.

“Anyway, you’ve hidden a boat here? Wouldn’t soldiers or refugees have requisitioned it?”

“It should still be there. I locked it with magic. No one should be able to break my spell so easily.”

“Scott.”

“Yeah.”

Scott stopped at the foot of a hill in his wheelchair, prompting Shati to push him forward in frustration. As soon as Scott approached the barn, the chains unlocked with a click, and the doors swung open on their own.

“Hmph. As expected of an orc.”

Since orcs were known to be highly intelligent and adept at magic, Sion didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed that Scott had easily dispelled his lock.

The boat inside the barn was a small cargo vessel, not particularly large. Considering they needed to transport food, water, and weapons, there wasn’t enough room for everyone.

“So, we’re supposed to enter storm-ridden Coral Sahar with this…?”

Sir Zebec felt uneasy.

The river had swelled violently, possibly due to seawater pushing upstream. Debris from submerged villages swirled in the current, making it clear that falling in would mean vanishing without a trace.

“The rain leaves us with no other choice. We should be grateful we have this at all. Sir Zebec, you’ll need to remove your armor. We don’t know when the storm will capsize us.”

“But—”

A few of Ethar’s attendants stepped forward.

“We would like to volunteer to rescue the Elder. Chief Sion is well aware of our skills, is he not?”

“Yes.”

“Meanwhile, this messenger and his group…”

“Someone as young as Ismail should stay behind, don’t you think?”

“And Lady Mediam is of noble blood. She shouldn’t be exposed to such danger.”

They found various reasons to exclude Azadine’s group. It was clear they wanted to take this opportunity to distinguish themselves by rescuing the Elder.

‘I thought Arael’s ideas would appeal to the servant-class bloodlines, but that’s not entirely the case.’

Arael’s proposal to reform the Aragasa system, which was dominated by the Five Great Bloodlines and noble families, seemed like something the lower classes would support. Yet, these attendants saw this as an opportunity to gain favor with their masters instead.

‘Then again, if the Ethar family is wealthy enough, they might think it’s better to earn their recognition.’

Just as Azadine was mulling over these thoughts—

“That’s why I challenge you to a duel, Azadine.”

“Hmm? Me?”

At some point, the attendants’ distrust had shifted toward Azadine himself.

“I was zoning out, and suddenly things escalated this far? Why are you challenging me to a duel?”

“Even if you haven’t betrayed the Senate, you are still the brother of the traitor Arael.”

“And, to be frank, we’ve heard rumors that you lack skill as a messenger.”

“It’s said that Elder Kazas pushed you through unfairly. If you take up one of the few available spots for the mission and endanger the Elder’s rescue, how will you take responsibility?”

“And if we defeat you, we might be able to claim the messenger position for ourselves.”

“…So you, a servant, are challenging me, a messenger? And you’re wagering the messenger’s title on it?”

Azadine asked the attendants who had challenged him.

“That’s right.”

“Hmph. You do realize that if you’re aiming for a messenger position and lose, I will have full authority over your life and death, right? I could kill you, and no one would question it.”

“We are aware.”

“Are you all really underestimating me this much?”

Azadine didn’t seem angry at all. In fact, he took it as a good sign.

‘I thought word had spread about my strength after beating several people, but I guess perceptions vary by region and class. This might be useful.’

As seen in the case of Calypso, who had underestimated him and was swiftly defeated, it was always beneficial when opponents let their guard down.

“Alright. We’re busy, so let’s do this all at once.”

“What?”

“All at once? What do you mean—?”

At that moment, Azadine made his move first.