The Island Of The Naga (3)

The Naga merchant, Deha, cracked a joke about Azadine and then began laughing to himself.

But from Azadine’s point of view, it wasn’t funny at all.

“That’s not a particularly good joke. It’s more of a scowl-inducer than a laugh-inducer.”

“To us, it’s a great joke. Isn’t that right?”

When Deha asked the other Nagas, they burst out laughing—“Kwahaha!”

“You all look like you’re laughing because your boss told you to.”

“More importantly—Shati, please come this way. You’re a Naga too, aren’t you?”

“…What?”

“No.”

At that moment, Azadine stopped her.

“If you’re going to call Shati over, at least guarantee her safety. Swear it on your honor.”

“Huh? Why would you demand such a condition?”

“Shati won’t betray her own people anyway. From my perspective, I can’t ask her to fight her own kind for my sake. So at the very least, in exchange for all the service I’ve gotten from her without pay, you could testify that she’s always tried to be loyal to the Naga and is innocent.”

“Huh? I really don’t get it. Why are you going that far for her?”

“I think it’s the best possible decision I can make in this situation. If I show this much consideration, maybe she’ll feel less resentment even if she was forced to help me.”

“It’s as if you think you can kill all of us and just go back to bossing her around again. Can’t you see the numbers here?”

“Well, you’ve got to stay optimistic.”

“Pfft.”

Naga merchant Deha burst into laughter.

“Very well. Shati, in the name of Nagaraja Dehashuram’s honor, I will not hold you accountable for your past faults. Come here.”

“Tch. If you put it like that, I don’t really have grounds to stop her.”

Azadine moved aside the hand that had been blocking Shati’s path.

“……”

Shati hesitated, then slowly stepped toward Deha—no, Dehashuram.

“Well then.”

With Shati gone, only Azadine, Scott, and Jiswa remained. With fewer targets to attack, the situation became more favorable for the Nagas. Even for someone like Azadine, surviving here wouldn’t be easy.

But then Dehashuram said something unexpected.

“I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse. Would you rather die a hero’s death in battle, or accept my invitation?”

“Invitation?”

“Yes. I’d like to speak with you seriously. According to the custom of hospitality, I will treat you as a guest. What do you say?”

When Dehashuram said that, the subordinate Nagas flinched in surprise.

The custom of hospitality. It was a kind of ancient pact—no matter how deep the enmity, once you welcomed someone as a guest, the guest would behave politely, and the host would provide food and shelter, never poisoning their food or attacking them in their sleep.

If someone was invited under the custom of hospitality, you couldn’t harm them again until the situation returned to the state it was before the invitation.

Breaking this custom was seen as disgraceful. For a common thug, that might not matter—but for someone of Dehashuram’s stature, the consequences would be severe.

In other words, inviting Azadine meant he wouldn’t be harmed—at least for a while.

Naturally, the other Nagas seemed to struggle with accepting Dehashuram’s decision. But his status was such that even minor objections were silenced, and they now waited silently for Azadine’s response.

“Before that—what’s your relationship to Dehares?”

“He’s my cousin. Don’t you think I’m better looking than him?”

“Then… I accept your invitation.”

Having accepted Dehashuram’s invitation, Azadine and his group headed toward his palace.

The path from the dock to the palace was laid out as an elegant garden. The paved walkway was lined with Bodhi trees and Flame Trees. In this rainy Vthuma climate, maintaining it would require the constant work of gardeners and laborers.

“The gardeners and servants are human.”

Azadine noticed that those tending the garden were humans.

“There are no Nagas particularly interested in landscaping. Oh, and our chefs are also human. At the very least, we don’t serve human meat to our guests—that kind of rudeness is beneath us.”

“However…”

As they ascended toward the palace, they saw tents pitched all over the hills. It was the Naga army, camping here in preparation for the invasion of Vthuma.

‘Now that they’ve shown me this, they won’t just let me go. No, that’s obvious. They already knew who I was.’

Given how much Azadine had disrupted the Nagas’ operations, it wouldn’t be surprising if they tried to kill him on the spot.

So why go to the trouble of inviting him as a guest and guiding him to the palace?

“Why are you inviting me? Don’t your subordinates complain?”

“The Naga caste system is stricter than the human one. If I decide something, no one can argue.”

Dehashuram said this with a smile.

“As for why I invited you—it’s because I admire heroes. Though I suppose that’s not very convincing, is it?”

“No, not really.”

“I simply wanted to hear your story. I first learned of your actions because a member of the Messenger Clan sold your information.”

“They sold my information?”

“To be exact—the Count of Salasma was dead, and none of the operatives had returned alive. We were curious, so we asked the Messenger Clan, and they told us you were the operative in charge of Salasma. From there, we began tracking your movements—and what a remarkable hero you turned out to be.”

Dehashuram said they had pieced together Azadine’s journey using both Messenger Clan intelligence and their own.

“How embarrassing. It really wasn’t that big a deal.”

“No, not at all. You’ve ruined so many of our operations that we’ve all grown quite wary—and frustrated. It’s far from a small matter. Honestly, I was amazed that all of that was accomplished by a single individual. Was it really all your doing?”

“Well…”

“Oh, let’s continue the conversation later. First, please refresh yourself with a bath. Then we’ll talk over tea and a meal.”

Dehashuram summoned the human servants and had them escort Azadine’s group to the baths.

After finishing their bath and changing into fresh clothes, Azadine’s group took a look around Dehashuram’s palace.

Perhaps because this was a trade hub, the building wasn’t in the traditional Naga style—it was thoroughly human in design, specifically of the Yaegas architectural tradition, and it overlooked the sea.

In the elegant garden that looked down upon the water, food and refreshments were being set out.

“Please, come in.”

Dehashuram was waiting under the pergola in the garden along with his servants. Of course, he was also accompanied by guards—Nagаs armed with tridents and nets had revealed themselves.

Though the custom of hospitality forbade harming guests, from the Nagas’ perspective, while they could trust the honor of their Nagaraja Dehashuram, Azadine’s honor was not something they could rely on.

Azadine also hadn’t fully disarmed, relying only on Dehashuram’s honor, so the presence of armed guards wasn’t much of a concern.

“Very well, then.”

Azadine accepted the invitation and took his seat.

“Shall we talk?”

He tore off a piece of the bread served as a starter and asked,

“You’re thinking of invading Vthuma, aren’t you? But didn’t the Messenger Clan already steal the Coral Sahar throne? And yet you plan to ride the palanquin they carry again? If you just ride whatever palanquin someone else carries for you, smiling like a fool, you might find yourself thrown off a cliff with it.”

“Do you really think so? Hm. From the Naga Empire’s point of view, this situation is quite favorable.”

“Why?”

“Do you think the Divine Gods of the Yaegas will accept the Messenger Clan sitting on the throne?”

“That’s true.”

Azadine immediately understood what Dehashuram was getting at.

A war between the Messenger Clan and the Divine Gods of the Eight Kingdoms was coming.

The usurpation of Coral Sahar was a perfect trigger for causing division among humans.

“So, are you planning to attack Vthuma as well? Are you on the side of the Council of Elders? Or Arael’s faction?”

“It doesn’t matter. If the Messenger Clan splits, that alone works to our advantage.”

“If you’re that indifferent, why invite me here at all?”

“Well, because your deeds are great enough to be called heroic even from our perspective. You quelled the Wendigo’s rage, executed the Count of Salasma, and made quite a name for yourself in Coral Sahar as well. I wanted to see such a hero for myself.”

“To split open my chest and devour my heart?”

“Of course not. In fact, the Messenger Clan did ask us to eliminate you if we came across you.”

“……”

“What’s fascinating is that both Arael’s faction and the Council of Elders submitted the request. To Arael’s faction, you’re the younger brother of their goddess. And to the Council, you’ve got a powerful patron of noble birth. So both sides see you as a thorn in their side, and came to us Nagas with their requests… which we don’t really understand, to be honest.”

“So this is just your way of satisfying your curiosity. Hm. Fair enough. Since you’ve shown me goodwill, I suppose I should return the gesture.”

Azadine removed the helmet that had been covering his face.

“Ah.”

It was only then that Dehashuram realized Azadine had no eyes.

“I’m called Azadine of Disgrace. Another name for me is Azadine the Cursed.”

Azadine began to tell his story.

Why the Messenger Clan despised and looked down on him. How he owed everything to Aldis and Kazas, who had raised him. How Arael’s rise to power stirred jealousy in other Messengers. He spoke of it all.

“Incredible. So the reason the Messenger Clan hasn’t left the Emperor’s service is because of such a powerful curse—and you are the product of that curse! And even Arael is part of it? What an astonishing story. Ah, by the way, would you mind if I told this tale to others someday? It would be great material for entertaining guests when I’m playing the merchant.”

“I’d rather you didn’t. It’s embarrassing.”

“Then I’ll wait until your fame rises so high that it can no longer be hidden. For now, you keep your face covered and stay out of public gossip, so it’s not the time yet. But if the day comes when everyone wants to know about you, then, Azadine of Disgrace—if your past slips out of my mouth, please forgive me.”

“If I live to see that day, I might have a chance to earn that fame. Both of us need to survive for that to happen, don’t we?”

“Hahaha. That’s true.”

Dehashuram laughed at Azadine’s words—then suddenly, his smile faded.

There was weight behind Azadine’s words. Both of them needed to survive—wasn’t he suggesting that Dehashuram’s life might be in danger, too?

Sure, Azadine hadn’t disarmed, but what could three people possibly do?