Forming A Bond (2)

King Manza-Jadek of Vthuma personally granted the Heavenly Lord of the Blue Turban Party a building—an old theater site clearly visible from the royal palace.

He had gifted them the Heavenly Hall in a place where their movements could be monitored at all times.

Even Azadine, who wasn’t deeply informed about Vthuma’s politics, could tell what the king was aiming for with this gesture.

Regardless of the true intent, the fact that the king personally commissioned and granted a building meant that the Blue Turban Party was being officially recognized by the Vthuma Kingdom.

It was an immense favor, one they couldn’t possibly refuse.

“Hmm, why didn’t I know about this?”

Azadine looked at the Heavenly Hall, visible even from afar, in surprise.

There was no way the Messenger Clan wouldn’t have known about such a movement from a rising cult.

Next to the old theater site, an eight-story wooden tower had been erected, and many people wearing blue turbans were visible along the path leading there.

“The Blue Turban Party is a rapidly growing religion. The Messenger Clan probably couldn’t keep track of the details.”

“Fair enough. If they’re curing malaria, growth is inevitable.”

“…….”

Jiswa felt a tinge of unease at Azadine’s remark.

Azadine was the one who had approached the body of Grimslone and received a miracle that imbued his bow and club.

That miracle rivaled or even surpassed the Heavenly Lord’s miracles.

If this fact were to be revealed, wouldn’t many rally to Azadine’s cause if he claimed the Blue Turban Party for himself?

And yet, Azadine seemed distrustful of the Blue Turban Party as an organization.

‘A miracle’s executor doesn’t even believe in the faith? How strange.’

As Jiswa felt, Azadine didn’t believe in the Blue Turban Party.

‘After what happened in the Barony of Adirov, you’d have to be a fool to believe in them.
Still, Jiswa probably trusts them because he was saved by one of their elixirs.’

To Azadine, the cult leader—the Heavenly Lord—was a typical Vthuman.

Vthumans were full of pride from the immense wealth they had built through commerce and mining, yet they carried deep inferiority and victim complexes from being culturally out of step with the general standards of Hubris.

Despite their gold mines and thriving sugarcane, Vthuma was seen as a backwater, a remote and foreign place to the Hubris people due to its severe tropical diseases.

Among the Eight Kingdoms, Vthuma had the most distinctly isolated environment.

Even the nobles and wealthy of Vthuma, despite their riches, felt inferiority and even rage toward the rest of the Eight Kingdoms.

The events at the Barony of Adirov were a blatant manifestation of that hostility.

‘In the end, this religion has reversed its purpose.’

A religion is supposed to be created to spread its teachings.

But once it gathers people, power follows, and with concentrated power comes those who seek power for its own sake.

The Blue Turban Party was exactly that—a religion created to seize power.

Its teachings were shallow, and its expansion aggressive.

But those who survived the fever had already emotionally committed themselves to the Blue Turban Party and regarded its thin doctrines as sacred commandments.

‘If they’re going to treat their teachings like scripture, they should at least try to live by them. But they don’t even follow their own doctrine of kindness. No point in trying to lecture them—better to just meet the Heavenly Lord and secure cooperation in defending Vthuma. Arguing with Jiswa here would be a waste of energy.’

Azadine headed toward the Heavenly Hall of the Blue Turban Party.

The Heavenly Hall, being a hastily built wooden structure, was essentially a tower consisting only of pillars and stairs.

However, the Vthumans had a construction style where they firmly erected pillars and used decorated cloth as walls.

Colorfully adorned fabrics were skillfully arranged to decorate the building and divide its spaces,
so it didn’t come across as a shoddily built structure.

‘A form of architecture suited to hot climates. Cool and quite nice.’

Azadine stopped before the chamber for a royal audience with the Heavenly Lord.

“Priest Jiswa. Welcome. And this guest is…?”

“Oh, someone who will be joining me to meet the Heavenly Lord.”

“Then please set down your belongings and change into the clothes we have prepared.”

“Please also remove your helmet.”

Azadine complied and removed his helmet.

Seeing the scars on Azadine’s face and the damage to his eyes, the attendants gasped.

“A-Are you all right?”

“We didn’t realize you were blind. H-However, our laws forbid any weapons or even canes before the Heavenly Lord…”

They had mistaken Azadine for a blind man and were flustered, as even a blind cane was apparently prohibited before the Heavenly Lord.

“No need to worry. I’m used to this. And if it’s procedure, then I’ll follow it.”

Azadine comforted the flustered attendants and changed into the clothes they had prepared.

Not only were they disarming him—they were even changing his clothes.

It was likely due to fear of an assassination attempt on the Heavenly Lord.

‘Tight security. But I’ve always wanted to try Vthuman clothing.
I expected to be disarmed anyway.’

Azadine set aside his weapons and changed into Vthuman attire.

Vthuman clothing involved wrapping cloth around the body, which for Azadine felt no different than being naked.

‘It’s cool, sure, but… feels like I’m walking around naked. Shouldn’t have agreed to wear this.’

Rather than enjoying a taste of local culture, Azadine was plagued by the shame of walking around half-naked in public.

After he changed, a formal guide arrived to teach him the proper etiquette.

“Now then, you must not look directly at the Heavenly Lord here. Let me teach you the procedure according to the laws of the Blue Turban Party.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Please follow the ceremonial procedure. First, you bow your head and recite a hymn in praise of the Heavenly Lord. Only when you are granted permission to raise your head may you look upon him.”

‘They’re even fussier than the Divine Gods of the Eight Kingdoms descended from the Yaegas God tribe. Are they trying to assert authority? This is overkill.’

Azadine realized the Heavenly Lord was using pointless rituals to establish their authority. But what could he do? For now, he had no choice but to comply.

After rehearsing the ritual as instructed, Azadine was finally allowed to meet the Heavenly Lord.

“Priest Jiswa of the Blue Turban Party and his close friend Adan seek an audience with the Heavenly Lord.”

“Raise your heads.”

Azadine lifted his head at the Heavenly Lord’s voice.

In truth, even before lifting his head, Azadine had already seen the Heavenly Lord. His gaze was not bound by physical sight. Even while bowing, he had raised his spiritual vision to observe him.

Yet the Heavenly Lord stood behind a screen of fine Nasham fabric, so all that could be seen was a faint shadow.

One thing was certain—from the mature appearance of his daughter Gimela, he must have been of considerable age, yet his voice was androgynous, at times like a young boy, other times like a little girl—very striking.

“Well now, who do we have here? Isn’t this Jiswa? I distinctly recall sending you to Korasar. Why have you returned? Your mission couldn’t be over yet. Or has all of Korasar already pledged itself to the Way of Azure Sky?”

“Heavenly Lord. I have witnessed a miracle.”

“A miracle?”

“Yes. While preaching doctrine and aiding people in the border region of Adirov under Korasar, those who took the elixir suddenly transformed into servants of the Nether and began rampaging.”

“Oh my.”

The Heavenly Lord’s voice still carried a trace of amusement.

Whether the rampage in the Barony of Adirov was the Heavenly Lord’s own doing or the rash action of Vthuman priests who disliked Korasar, it was unclear. But the Heavenly Lord seemed indifferent to the disaster that occurred there.

To show such indifference despite the loss of life—Azadine disliked him from the very beginning.

“So the one accompanying you is that member of the Messenger Clan?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve already heard. He’s the one who purified the rampaging servant of Grimslone and stole the sacred item, correct?”

“N-No! Stole? Absolutely not! Lord Grimslone chose him directly. The relic has taken residence in his weapon and is guiding him.”

Jiswa was startled by the Heavenly Lord’s accusation and quickly responded. But the Heavenly Lord seemed uninterested in listening.

“Nonsense. Jiswa, he is of the Messenger Clan. A godless blasphemer with no soul.”

Azadine let out a dry laugh at being called a godless blasphemer.

Calling the Messenger Clan godless blasphemers was a slur created by those who worshipped the Yaegas God tribe. They simply could not comprehend the actions of the Messenger Clan—slayers of the divine bloodline.

For a cult leader who showed neither reverence nor basic courtesy toward the Yaegas Gods to use such a term—it made no sense.

“My, my. Heavenly Lord, at the very least I came to you in peace. There’s no need for this hostility.”

“You call it peace when you bring false miracles and attempt to tarnish our doctrine?”

“I’ll apologize for that, then. In truth, it was Jiswa who claimed it was a miracle. I never did.”

“Hmph.”

The Heavenly Lord shook a small bell, and at the sound, the veils around them fell away. Armed members of the cult, wielding spears, surrounded them.

Azadine, unarmed and barely dressed, sighed and raised both hands.

“Surrender?”

“No.”

The moment Azadine said that, screams rang out behind him.

“Aaah!”

“S-Stop him!”

Grimslone’s club flew through the crowd, straight into Azadine’s hand. Then, a wooden snake-like object slithered through the ground and coiled itself around Azadine’s waist.

Grimslone’s bow and club had rushed to Azadine of their own accord.

‘They were always weapons that struck the target and returned. As their master, I just need to think it, and they’ll come flying.’

Azadine had always known the club would return to him when he willed it. That was why he hadn’t objected to being disarmed and changing into Vthuman attire.

But from the others’ perspective, the divine relics had chosen Azadine. It would certainly appear as if he had been chosen as their master.

“…….”

“Huh?”

“T-The priest’s club!”

“No… that’s…”

The members of the Blue Turban Party who witnessed this scene were stunned.

Most of them had become servants of Grimslone, so they knew the club wasn’t merely a priestly symbol—it was imbued with the very essence of Grimslone.

“It’s a miracle! A miracle!”

Jiswa kept shouting “miracle” over and over again, supporting Azadine even in this moment.

‘Stop it already, you fool. All I want is the Blue Turban Party’s cooperation in defending Vthuma.
I’m not trying to steal their leader’s seat. The more you push this, the harder it gets for me.’

Azadine had made Jiswa swear several times before entering, but clearly, it was all for nothing.