The Fever Cure (5)

Indim took Azadine’s warning about the Blue Turban Group group as a challenge to her own abilities.

“Hmph. That rabble of misfits.”

“Not afraid, are you? Didn’t you get caught off guard by the Elders’ Council last time?”

“……”

Indim fell silent, like a mute who had swallowed honey.

Back when Arael’s faction was on the rise, they had likely looked down on the Elders’ Council and Aldis. But in the crucial moment, they lost the most important throne to them, and the Arael faction ended up floating adrift.

To those who had lost most of their foundation through complacency, Azadine’s words struck like a sharp blow to a pressure point.

“What the hell are you? Weren’t you on the Elders’ side?”

Aleph of the Wind had just sent off some bothersome visitors with a smile and now came running to Azadine with questions.

Unlike Indim, who hid her face with a mask, Aleph had his face revealed—a handsome man with a bold, masculine face, handsomely grown beard, and mismatched eyes—his right eye green and his left black, a heterochromia that exuded mysterious charm. Perhaps because of that, even in these harsh conditions, he still attracted the attention of women.

“I act according to my convictions.”

“Then hand over the copy of the Heavenly Kings’ Grimoire you took from Dimia. Prove you’re not on the Elders’ side.”

“It seems you’ve misunderstood me. You all don’t align with my convictions either.”

“Hey, Azadine. This isn’t a request. It’s an order. Just because you’re Arael’s brother…”

“I’m not whining to a superior either, Aleph. As of now, I am the Second Messenger.”

“Ha. Azadine of Disgrace. You? Second Messenger? The Elders must’ve been very generous.”

“If I weren’t the Second Messenger, it would be an embarrassment to Dimia’s honor.”

Azadine reminded him that Dimia of the Flower had lost to him. Aleph bristled with anger.

“You bastard. Dimia wasn’t at full strength then—she was in the middle of a ritual, and the harmony of Flowers, Birds, Wind, and Moon was broken. She wasn’t at her best. Don’t tell me you’re looking down on our elite four.”

“Ah, now’s not the time for a pride battle. I was wrong. If Arael is here, let me see her.”

“Lady Arael will contact you. For now, back off. The Blue Turban Group is watching.”

The Blue Turban Group had ordered Azadine’s group to investigate Arael’s faction. If the two seemed familiar with each other, it would draw suspicion.

‘That already seems blown, honestly.’

That’s what Azadine thought, but for now, he withdrew.

That night, rain began to fall in Adirov, likely driven by storm clouds from Coral Sahar.

The tents in the camp flapped in the wind. The refugees didn’t have proper tents, so the rain soaked them.

Adirov was warm year-round, so the wetness wasn’t cold—but to the fever-stricken, it was a serious threat.

“This is bad.”

Azadine stood beneath a roof made of waterproof cloth.

Neither he nor Zebec had brought tents with them. All they had were small waterproof tarps meant for multipurpose use.

They managed to cobble together a makeshift roof using the tarps, but it was flimsy.

If it were just Azadine alone, one tarp would have sufficed. But Shati and Scott didn’t even have those, so their crude roof offered little help.

“Boss. If I gather muscle tissue from various creatures, I could use necromancy to support the roof. That way, one sheet could cover a wide area like a board.”

“Don’t. People are watching.”

Azadine stopped Scott, who was about to use necromancy for such a trivial task.

Then, through the rain, a woman’s voice rang out.

“Azadine. I expected to see you in Vthuma, yet here we are.”

“Arael…”

Azadine knew the voice. Arael had come to find him.

“You traveled by land and stopped here, huh?”

“This place—the Barony of Adirov—is where Count Garnahaer obtained the key to the emperor’s treasure vault. I planned to investigate while fleeing toward Vthuma.”

Surprisingly, Arael was explaining their movements. At that, her confidante Indim spoke in a flustered voice.

“Lady Arael, that guy could be a spy for the Elders. Is it wise to tell him about the emperor’s treasure vault?”

“No. Azadine is not a spy for the Elders. Right?”

Arael was resolute.

“Well, Aldis gave me the position of Second Messenger. If my patron becomes the most powerful figure in Aragasa, then naturally, I’ll enter the core of power. Why wouldn’t I be on the Elders’ side?”

“You’ve got a holy knight in your party. And an orc and a naga. Quite the diverse group.”

“……”

Even though Scott and Shati were disguised as humans with transformation magic, Arael had seen through them with ease.

She stepped under Azadine’s shelter. Still beautiful and powerful, yet her eyes seemed tired.

“I’m glad to see you safe, Azadine.”

“Since when do you worry about me? So, what happened? After you lost the throne of Korasar to Aldis? Did all your loyal followers abandon you?”

“They did. I lost everything I’d envisioned. It’s only natural.”

“Serves you right. So what now? Aldis says she’ll pardon you if you come back willingly. Changed your mind yet?”

When Azadine asked, Arael scoffed.

“My will hasn’t broken yet. I appreciate Aldis’ kindness, but I can’t return just because of that. And Azadine—you’re suspicious of Aldis too, aren’t you?”

“Me? Suspicious of Lady Aldis?”

“If not, why would you be here meeting me like this? Watching the Elders scheme, always making others do the dirty work while they reap the rewards… Didn’t that make you suspicious?”

“……”

Arael’s words struck a nerve. But Azadine tried to deny it.

Because if he doubted Aldis’ kindness, it would mean denying everything that made him who he was.

“It might be true for the Elders, but not for Aldis.”

“I think so too. Aldis is someone who was created in complete purity.”

“What do you mean?”

“Azadine. This might sound like an excuse now, but the disgrace in Coral Sahar was actually a calculated move.”

Arael’s claim was so outrageous that it took Azadine a moment to fully grasp it.

He burst into laughter, dumbfounded.

“So you’re telling me you cooked the rice just to have it stolen by Aldis on purpose? That luring in most of our clan to your Arael faction only to lose them all in one blow was part of your plan?”

“Yes.”

“That’s incredible. You must have nerves of steel. How can you say that with a straight face? Arael, are you seriously claiming you intentionally let your vision, policies, and foundation be taken? Let me ask you sincerely—did you study Nether magic too much and go mad?”

As Azadine asked, Indim exploded in anger.

“Shut up, you Elders’ dog! The Elders of Aragasa are far more wicked than you imagine. We must never let them rule this world! Lady Arael is our only hope, and you dare insult her?!”

“She’s your hope? The one who almost destroyed the Kingdom of Korasar by summoning a Nether god? That’s rich.”

Zebec, who had been listening silently, couldn’t hold back any longer.

Indim glared at him.

“Shut it, Holy Knight. I’d kill you right now if I could. Insult Lady Arael again and…”

“Hey Arael, could you shut Indim up for me?”

When Azadine asked, Arael silently looked at Indim.

“I’m sorry.”

Indim apologized, looking away from Azadine and toward Arael instead.

“I won’t deny that what I did hurt the people of Hubris. But to avoid greater harm, some theater was necessary.”

“Judging the value of lives like that? That’s disgusting. Though to be fair, I’ve found you disgusting for a while now. So then, what’s your excuse for claiming all of this was planned?”

“It was to draw Aldis out. And it worked.”

“How exactly did it work for you? You lost all the support you built up. And you seriously wanted that throne, didn’t you?”

“If I’m being honest, yes. Gaining the throne and using its power would’ve been great. But if Aldis came and took it from me, that would be an even better outcome.”

“So losing the throne was better for you in the end? Are you joking?”

“It’s hard to understand, I know, Azadine. But there’s still one more person I needed to draw out.”

“Not Aldis? Then who?”

“Leader Hathir.”

“Leader Hathir?”

“Yes. He’s the son of the emperor and Harkonia. That makes him Aldis’ father. He disappeared about five years ago.”

“……”

If that were true, he’d be even more legitimate than Aldis.

“So, now that you’ve lost the throne, what’s your plan?”

“I can’t tell you everything, Azadine. But I can’t expect you to join us if I say nothing, right?”

“Are you trying to recruit me?”

“Yes. So listen closely, Azadine. Right now, we’re trying to locate the emperor’s treasure vault. But the Blue Turban Group bastards have seized control of the entrance.”

“And?”

Arael pulled out a small ceramic medicine bottle.

“Put this in the Blue Turban Group’s food. It’ll lull the Netherspawn to sleep so they can’t interfere when we approach the vault.”

“Something this simple? Why not do it yourselves?”

Poisoning food would be an easy task for someone like Arael or the elite four of the Flowers, Birds, Wind, and Moon. So why was she asking Azadine to do it?

“We can’t. That shaman is incredibly sharp.”

Then Zebec added,

“They already carry powerful Nether magic in their bodies. If that shaman is also a Netherspawn, then he likely has heightened awareness of other factions’ forces.”