Forming A Bond (3)

Jiswa truly believed in the doctrines of the Blue Turban Party. To someone like him, Azadine was a prophesied figure. So even when Azadine said he had no intention of taking over the cult, Jiswa only saw it as humility.

‘Truly the prophesied one, and so humble at that.’

So moved was Jiswa that he became all the more eager to spread this gospel to everyone.

“Strike.”

For the Heavenly Lord, Azadine’s existence could not be tolerated. From the perspective of the Heavenly Lord, who had gained power through Grimslone’s body, Azadine—claiming to be chosen by Grimslone—was a source of unease.

“…Well, damn.”

Azadine lightly tossed Grimslone’s club held in his hand. The club spun around him, striking down the spears pointed at him.

Spear shafts snapped and splintered. Though Grimslone’s club moderated its power when striking people, it showed no mercy to objects.

“Wha—!?”

“Kugh?!”

The spear-wielders, shocked by the impact transmitted through their hands, dropped their weapons.

They had been disarmed upon entry and even stripped of their clothes, so they never expected this. As they panicked, Azadine strung a bow and picked up a broken spear shaft, fitting it to the bow.

It lacked feathers or a proper fletching, so it wouldn’t fly far, but it was more than enough for shooting indoors. At this distance, Azadine could easily pierce the Heavenly Lord.

‘But I can’t kill him here. There’s a reason the King of Vthuma spared this man, after all.’

The Blue Turban Party members were a latent threat. The King of Vthuma recognized the cult precisely to manage such numbers effectively.

If Azadine killed the Heavenly Lord now, the cult would collapse. So, with the spear shaft nocked, he issued a warning.

“Withdraw your soldiers at once. I don’t want to harm your followers, Heavenly Lord.”

“Y-You… Jiswa. I sent you to Adirov, and this is how you repay me…?”

“That’s not it, Heavenly Lord. Things are complicated—perhaps we should dismiss the audience and speak privately?”

Azadine gave a faint snort at the Heavenly Lord’s reaction.

He couldn’t have always been this foolish. Has power made him an idiot?

At the very least, the Heavenly Lord should’ve known that Jiswa pursued doctrine sincerely, regardless of power.

‘He assumes Jiswa would act like he does, so he ends up overly cautious with me. Tsk.’

Azadine, seeing the Heavenly Lord wouldn’t listen, loosed the spear shaft.

“Left ear first!”

Thwack!

As the spear pierced the foot, the Heavenly Lord’s scream followed shortly.

“Heavenly L-Lord!”

Alarmed attendants rushed forward, but Grimslone’s club, dancing midair, immediately smashed the jaw of the first one who approached.

Seeing the club knock people out on its own, the others hesitated.

“Uh…”

“Hear me, all who wish to walk the path of Clear Skies.”

Azadine addressed the startled Blue Turban followers.

“I have come to deliver the revelations of Grimslone. In addition to the first revelation granted to the Heavenly Lord, I come as a messenger sent to elevate him to a higher plane. Those unworthy of receiving divine revelation shall die.”

“B-But you just hurt the Heavenly Lord!”

By then, Azadine had picked up another shaft and fired again.

“Right ear!”

“Kyaaaagh!”

“These wounds are stigmata. Injuries through which the Heavenly Lord will attain greater enlightenment—so have no doubts.”

Azadine brazenly proclaimed, then picked up a third shaft.

“Gah! Fine! I understand! Everyone, stand down!”

Finally realizing Azadine was choosing not to kill him, the Heavenly Lord ordered the soldiers to withdraw.

“Jiswa, you too.”

“Eh? Me too?”

“Yes. Go watch for reinforcements and report back to me.”

Azadine sent Jiswa off under the pretense of needing a lookout.

“Urgh… Is that enough now?”

The Heavenly Lord began to suspect something was off now that even Jiswa was sent away.

“Phew. Good. At least you’re not completely clueless. Heavenly Lord, I’m glad you finally understood—before I had to shoot somewhere worse than the ears.”

“Ugh…”

“Shall we talk face to face now?”

Azadine stepped up onto the platform and pulled back the curtain. A young boy, bleeding from both ears, lay groaning on the floor, trying to stem the bleeding with silk cloth.

“You’re the Heavenly Lord? Or just a stand-in?”

“I-I am the Heavenly Lord. This appearance is due to Grimslone’s influence…”

“You look younger than your daughter. But I do sense you’re a servant of Grimslone.”

Though Azadine had received Grimslone’s oracle, he had not taken its bodily fluids and thus wasn’t a full servant. But now that he was close, he could faintly feel Grimslone’s power emanating from the Heavenly Lord.

“First, I’m sorry. I tried to stop Jiswa, but he really believes in your religion, so he wouldn’t listen.”

“……”

“As you can see, it’s true I possess Grimslone’s body. But I’m of the Messenger Clan—I’m not interested in your church. What I care about is stopping the traitors among my people from teaming up with the Nagasura Empire to invade Vthuma like they did Korasar.”

“What exactly do you want?”

“Provide relief to the people of the floodplain. Shelter them from the rain and feed them. Also, I want the cult’s full support—material and otherwise—in defending Vthuma.”

“If we do that, we won’t last long. When the siege begins, our food reserves will run out quickly… Even if the King of Vthuma has acknowledged our religion, I doubt he’ll prioritize us during a shortage.”

“Really? He only legitimized your religion because of public opinion. It wasn’t because he was moved by your doctrine. But can he really throw away those who helped defend Vthuma like old shoes? Public opinion would turn even more in your favor then.”

“You don’t understand. When food runs low… we go berserk.”

“Berserk?”

Azadine was taken aback. Instantly, his mind recalled the outbreak in the Baron of Adirov’s territory.

“Yes. Even Blue Turban Party members who’ve taken the untainted elixir go berserk and start eating people if their lives are threatened by hunger.”

“…What the hell did you feed them? Turning people into monsters like that.”

“It’s better than dying of malaria and fever. You… you seem like you’re from the North, yet you don’t seem to have suffered from endemic diseases.”

“Well, I don’t get bitten by mosquitoes, and I boil all my drinking water.”

“That’s possible…?”

“I did get bitten a few times, but luckily I haven’t caught anything yet. Anyway, you don’t have to worry about food. Bell Hoda promised to supply provisions.”

“What? Bell Hoda? Those arrogant sugarcane barons who think the world belongs to them?”

“Arrogant barons who think the world belongs to them, huh…”

Azadine smirked at hearing that from the Heavenly Lord, who had just flaunted his own power so theatrically. So quick to spot the speck in another’s eye, yet blind to the plank in one’s own.

But perhaps being the leader of a new religion required a certain degree of self-delusion to survive.

“I’ve already persuaded the plantation owners in Bell Hoda. So you don’t need to worry about that.”

“You sound quite confident. Any other demands?”

“Yes. My enemies are likely to contact the Quartz Throne of Vthuma to weaken the Light of the Crown. That’ll happen before the Nagas begin their full-scale invasion. I want to stop it. Do you know anyone well-versed in the layout of the throne and palace?”

“Hah, as a matter of fact, I do.”

“Who?”

“Manja-Jadek.”

“Manja-Jadek—as in the King of Vthuma?”

“Correct.”

“You can introduce me to him?”

“Yes. But can a member of the Messenger Clan even stand before a king?”

“Well, he eats bread and drinks tea like anyone else, doesn’t he? Why not? Besides, I’ll be meeting him under the Blue Turban Party’s endorsement, right? Wouldn’t it be better to inspect the throne legally than sneak in and touch it in secret?”

“……”

“I’d appreciate it if you could make the introduction soon. So, what should I do to stabilize your cult?”

“What?”

“Well, I did kind of tarnish your image with my sudden appearance. Surely there’s something I can do to compensate. As long as it’s not unreasonable, I’ll agree.”

“You’re quite reasonable. Are you truly not here to seize my cult?”

“I told you—I’m not. Though I do want to make you atone for killing innocent people in Adirov. But right now, I need your help to save the lives of the people of Vthuma. I need support to stop the disaster unfolding before our eyes.”

“You’re a strange one. Are you really doing all this just to stop the Nagas from invading Vthuma?”

“Tell me, when you founded the Blue Turban Party, did you start with such lofty ideals? Judging by how much Jiswa trusts and admires you, I don’t think you did this just for power.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Losing sight of your original intent is what makes you see Jiswa’s actions as a power grab. But Jiswa’s not that kind of guy.”

Azadine’s assertion that Jiswa’s motives were pure made the Heavenly Lord chuckle.

“Everyone claims they act out of pure goodwill—even the ones hiding knives behind their backs.”

“Still, if you can’t tell real goodwill from fake, doesn’t that make you a fool? I think you’ve grown paranoid from constant power struggles. Besides, Jiswa isn’t smart enough to play politics. He’s far too… ‘pure-minded’ to care about power.”

Azadine was politely saying Jiswa was too dumb for court intrigue.

“So, you’re saying you came to save Vthuma out of pure goodwill, without any interest in power?”

“That’s right.”

“No such thing as pure goodwill. Especially not from a Messenger. Aren’t you all monsters hungry for blood and carnage?”

“Well, even the Messenger Clan is in internal turmoil these days.”

“Hm. Alright. I’ll recommend you to Manja-Jadek. But first, there’s something you must do to restore my authority. You promised to help, didn’t you?”

“Fine. What is it? As long as it’s not too unreasonable, I’ll do it. I want your cult to be stable, too.”

“It’s simple, if you think of it that way. Complicated, if you don’t. It depends on how you take it.”

“…Why are you being so cryptic?”

Azadine asked, and the Heavenly Lord took a deep breath. Perhaps he was bracing himself, knowing that his request might provoke Azadine into becoming an enemy.

Finally, the Heavenly Lord spoke with resolve.

“You’ll become my adopted son.”

“……”

Azadine, despite his quick wit, needed a moment to comprehend the statement.

“What? Adopted son? Me? Yours?”