The Island Of The Naga (6)

“What, what is this?! What’s wrong with my eyes? Or have I gone mad?”

Dehashuram was horrified by the gruesome spectacle before him.

“Ah, there you are.”

To his surprise, one of Azadine’s companions, Jiswa, approached.

“Y-You are?”

Why is this guy here?

Azadine’s group only had three people. So why was one of them here? Did that mean the other two just attacked the Sea Serpent Nagas’ encampment by themselves?

As Dehashuram panicked, this guy had the audacity to speak.

“Ah, Azadine the Priest sent me. He said the deal is likely to go through, so we should load the borrowed boat with enough food and water.”

“What!?”

Dehashuram was so dumbfounded he couldn’t speak.

‘So he’s just assuming he’ll win and sent one of his three to prep the supplies?’

Meanwhile, Azadine skewered a charging Naga with a spit from the bonfire, then drove it headfirst into the flames before moving on to his next victim.

“You’ve truly made a wise decision, Lord Dehashuram.”

“Indeed, Shati.”

Dehashuram couldn’t deny Shati’s words.

“So this is the power of the so-called Messenger Clan member and disciple of the Demon King Kazas. Astonishing. I should’ve disarmed him and demanded the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth copy when we had him surrounded at the dock. No, wait. Had I done that, my head would’ve rolled first.”

The moment at the docks had been Azadine’s most vulnerable—yet also Dehashuram’s.

“Get the boat ready. It’s best to send him off quickly. Treating him as a guest according to tradition was divine providence. Truly fitting of the disciple of Demon King Kazas, who once shook the Naga Empire.”

Originally, Dehashuram had invited Azadine under the pretense of hospitality because he viewed him as a weakling who could be eliminated at any time.

A strong man’s arrogance, one might say.

But seeing Azadine rampage through the Sea Serpent Nagas, Dehashuram was glad he hadn’t fought him directly.

“Shati.”

“Yes, Nagaraja.”

“Relay this message to him.”

“…Understood.”

Azadine was growing exhausted from fighting the Sea Serpent Naga warriors.

The Sea Serpent Nagas, with terrifying strength and ferocity, tore through the undead created by Scott—undead who had been their comrades just moments before—as they charged Azadine.

At first, Scott had mocked them with corpse explosion magic, but the spell consumed a massive amount of mana.

“Boss. I’m almost out of mana.”

“Right. Time to retreat. What’s Jiswa’s situation?”

Azadine directed his question to the Emperor’s Voice.

[Jiswa and Shati have prepared the boat beneath the coastal cliffs. The Nagaraja is honoring the deal.]

“Is that so? Let’s fall back that way.”

Azadine widened the distance using the undead as a barrier and fired his bow. He had long since run out of arrows and now used his shooting bow to launch stones, Naga horns, and spiked fins from the ground.

The big stones had all been used up, and there weren’t many decent ones left in reach.

The Nagas’ thick skin and scales made it pointless to fire anything too light.

“Time to retreat. Cover the rear.”

“Got it, boss! But once I use this, I’ll be completely drained of mana.”

Scott used up his last mana to send the undead into a frenzy. Leaving the raging undead behind, he and Azadine swiftly retreated. Though usually reliant on a wheelchair, Scott could sprint decently in short bursts.

However…

“Huff… huff… I-I’m out of oxygen!”

“Your stamina is really lacking.”

“With all this muscle, huff… huff… I need more oxygen. I mean, oxygen is just air, boss. Besides, my brain demands as much as my—”

“Stop talking and just breathe.”

“Huff… high intelligence requires more oxygen—”

“I said breathe, not talk. Do you really need to chatter right now?”

Azadine descended the coastal cliff to reach the boat lit with fire. Jiswa and Shati were waiting.

“Why aren’t you staying with your people, Shati?”

“Well, the thing is…”

Shati looked troubled.

She was currently afraid of her own kind. Her low status, her failed mission, and her involvement with Azadine—even if forced—was evident.

In this situation, staying beside Azadine was safer than among her kin.

“Nagaraja taught me magic so I could pilot this little boat. Without my magic, we’d take ages to row to Vthuma. So I have no choice but to come along—don’t get the wrong idea.”

“Is that so? What a shame. I thought you were finally going back to your people.”

“R-Right? But hey, it’s not like Nagaraja can just send someone else. Anyway, he said he’s thankful you avenged his servant. Though… he also said it might’ve been too much.”

The Nagaraja, Dehashuram, had asked Azadine to search for his gardener’s son and take revenge if he couldn’t find him. But he surely hadn’t expected Azadine and Scott alone to kill so many Sea Serpent Nagas.

As a Naga of the Water Serpent tribe, Dehashuram appreciated seeing the Sea Serpent Nagas bleed, but he also needed the Kingdom of Vthuma to suffer. The best outcome was mutual destruction—but Azadine had dealt a massive blow to the Naga forces alone.

“These guys would’ve joined Vthuma’s army eventually anyway, so thinning their numbers now isn’t a bad thing. Still, this isn’t their only outpost. We need to get to Vthuma quickly, prepare its defenses, and organize the Blue Turban Party. So, Shati, is that all you heard from Nagaraja?”

“No. He left a message. Demon King Kazas was feared even in the Naga Empire and was considered a traitor. Just as he was rising in triumph, he had to halt his advance due to the side effects of Kazas Grimoire. If you’re using that Grimoire, wouldn’t you share the same weakness?”

“Hm. Well, it’s not like I’ve got any other options right now. Let’s head out, Shati.”

“Oh gods, boss. Just assume I’m dead for a while. Even for a genius orc like me, using that much mana and then running physically—it’s like the muscle mass I’ve gained is choking the life out of me… huff huff…”

“Stop talking and breathe, breathe.”

“Pant… ugh… I’m dying.”

Scott collapsed onto the boat and fell asleep as if he had fainted.

‘This group is so bizarre, yet I feel safer with them than among my own kin. Maybe I really am going mad.’

With a wry smile, Shati chanted a spell and set the boat in motion.

After the battle with the Sea Serpent Nagas, Azadine too collapsed from exhaustion and fell asleep as if dead. He was so deeply asleep that he didn’t even notice the boat rocking.

How long had he slept?

Azadine awoke with a stabbing pain in his gut.

“Ugh.”

“What’s wrong, Priest Azadine?”

“My stomach hurts.”

“Do you need the toilet? Since we’re on a boat, well… Scott’s using it right now.”

“Using what?”

Azadine looked over and saw Scott in the sea water. Apparently, he was taking care of business in the ocean.

“Hey, boss. Check this out. The moment I did my business, all the fish swarmed around!”

“…That’s not something I needed to see.”

Azadine turned his head away from Scott, who was relieving himself in the water.

“You slept for quite a while. Hungry? Here, have this. But wait—your nose is bleeding.”

Shati broke off some rations and handed Azadine his share, only to notice blood trickling from his nose.

“Mm. That’s what woke me up.”

Azadine felt the violent clash of power inside him—between his incomplete Flowers, Birds, Wind, Moon and the white mana drawn from the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth.

He quickly dispersed the turbulent energy throughout his body, and the pain vanished, leaving his limbs brimming with strength.

But then… he felt his muscles, tendons, and bones groan under the strain of his own power.

And then came the thirst for more power.

Azadine pulled out the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth copy and chose a page with fully charged mana, absorbing its power.

The pain subsided and relief washed over him—but each time this happened, the damage it caused would be worse.

Still, given the current situation, he couldn’t abandon the Kazas Grimoire or its power.

“Did we move while I was asleep? Where are we now?”

[About two hours from Bel Hoda. Another day’s travel to reach Vthuma.]

The Emperor’s Voice responded.

“We’re already near Bel Hoda? That’s pretty fast.”

“I manipulated the current, and Jiswa rowed like crazy.”

“My arms are about to fall off. Haha. But I think I can manage until we reach Vthuma.”

“You’re suggesting we continue along the coast to Vthuma?”

“Yes. No need to take land routes, right? Plus, we can take turns sleeping on the boat.”

“True, going by boat is the better option.”

Azadine found Jiswa’s suggestion reasonable.

But then, the Emperor’s Voice spoke again.

[Messenger Azadine. A petitioner calls.]

“…Ah.”

Someone nearby had used one of the Emperor’s gold coins.

Originally, Azadine was only responsible for the Salasma region—this area likely belonged to another Messenger. But…

Due to the internal war among the Messenger Clan, the petition must have been rerouted to Azadine.

[A petition has come in from a fishing village near Bel Hoda. It’s normally another Messenger’s jurisdiction, but…]

“They’re dead?”

[They refused.]

“Refused? You can do that?”

[The Arael branch and the Elder Council have been warping the Curse of Servitude with strange powers. To be clear, the contract binding you all has changed greatly from when the Emperor first created it.]

“……”

[Technically, I shouldn’t tell you this. But since proper Messengers are growing scarce, and you are Second Rank in the hierarchy, I have no choice but to entrust you with this knowledge.]

“So, the changes to the Servitude Pact are due to the Elder Council’s tyranny? So they can manipulate the younger generation as they please?”

[I can’t tell you who changed it or why. But I can tell you that it was not the Emperor. In the Emperor’s time, the Curse of Servitude didn’t kill people or force them to bear children until they died.]

“Hmm. Well, this is something. Being promoted has its perks—I even get secrets now. Still, I have to go to Vthuma. I might save a lot of lives there. Is it really worth wasting time here on one petitioner’s personal issues?”

[Will you refuse as well?]

“No. Of course not. I just took down a bunch of Nagas on Dehashuram’s island. I’ll figure it out.”

Azadine said lightly, but Shati was taken aback.

“That’s it? Weren’t you the one saying we needed to hurry to Vthuma just a moment ago?”