Ject The Arbiter (2)

A man who could shoot an arrow to hit another arrow mid-air couldn’t even pick up a water bowl right next to him.

Azadine realized how bad his condition was and let out a dry chuckle. In this state, he wouldn’t even be able to catch a chick.

At that moment, the door opened.

“Are you awake, Savior?!”

It was a child in a maid’s outfit—the very child Azadine had rescued from the baker.

The child, thrilled to see Azadine awake, let out a cry of joy and ran into the hallway, shouting. Moments later, a group of orphans rushed into the room.

“You’re awake!”

“Are you feeling alright, Savior?”

“I brought you a meal.”

The children were genuinely overjoyed to see Azadine awake.

Unlike their previously dirty and sickly appearances under the baker’s abuse, the children now looked healthier and cleaner, both in attire and body, reflecting the better living conditions they enjoyed as servants of Baroness Nort.

“Calm down, everyone.”

Azadine gestured for the excited children to settle down.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“You slept for an entire day.”

“Ah, no wonder I’m so hungry. Alright, I see. Ugh…”

Azadine tried to sit up but found it difficult to move.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine. Do you happen to have a cane?”

“A cane?”

“I’ll get one right away!”

The children scurried out like a receding tide, only to return moments later, each carrying a cane.

Azadine selected one and used it to help himself up. After drinking water and visiting the restroom, he moved slowly, the children trailing behind him.

“Ahaha, Azadine, you’re up?”

Mediam and Ismail, who were tending to their bows and leather armor, called out as they saw Azadine with the children following him.

“You’re both safe.”

“Thanks to you, of course.”

“But could you take care of these kids for me?”

“Let’s call the head maid.”

At Mediam’s suggestion, the children flinched. Like rats scattering when a light is turned on, they darted off in all directions.

“Looks like they’re scared of the head maid.”

Azadine chuckled at the sight.

“Have you eaten yet?”

“I will. Still feeling a bit sleepy. By the way, what happened after all that?”

“There are rumors that the Count turned into a monster.”

“What about the Count’s castle?”

“The church has taken control since the monsters appeared after the Count’s death. Baroness Nort said there’s tension between the church and the Countess.”

“I see. What about the naga that fled with the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth? Did you try to track it?”

“We did, but we couldn’t find it. It disappeared among the refugees. We couldn’t use the wand in public—just holding something like that makes people accuse you of being a heretic.”

“Hmm. Did you use the wand again afterward?”

“Well…”

Mediam hesitated, so Ismail stepped in.

“It moved farther away and then changed direction. The naga spellcaster likely used a method to conceal the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth from pursuit.”

Azadine had ordered Mediam and Ismail to track the naga carrying the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth, but they had abandoned the mission partway and returned. If Azadine had ordered them to pursue until death, their decision would have been considered insubordination and punishable.

Mediam had made the decision independently, but was that okay?

“Well done. It’s better than putting yourselves in danger. If you had continued, you would’ve faced serious risks. The Nagasura faction is extremely powerful. Even the Count was planning to secure more support from them.”

Azadine praised them, then fell into thought.

“If the Countess and the church are at odds, this place has become dangerous. We’ll need to leave. But before that, I’ll need to get my payment, won’t I?”

Azadine had agreed to kill the Count for 50 gold coins from the Countess. While he had reasons beyond her request—such as retrieving the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth—he still expected his reward.

“I worked, so I should get paid.”

With that, Azadine sat down to the meal the children had prepared for him.

But after eating, Azadine washed up and fell asleep again.

When he woke up, it was already the next day.

“Wow, I’ve been out like an invalid for two days? Really? Well, I guess I am an invalid right now.”

Azadine tried to lift himself out of bed, but—

“What?”

He felt even worse than the day before.

“Ugh… Oh no.”

Moments later, Mediam entered the room and laughed as she saw Azadine groaning on the bed.

“Rest, please. Do you even know what state you’re in? Your whole body is bruised.”

“Is that so? Did you take a look?”

“If you went to the Kozel household or the Countess’s estate looking like this, you wouldn’t even get past the dogs, let alone the guards.”

“True.”

“Take your time to recover before you try anything. Should I give you a massage?”

Mediam offered, but Azadine shook his head.

“No. Don’t do it.”

“Why not? You need this for a quicker recovery. You don’t have the right to refuse.”

Mediam forcibly began massaging Azadine’s body.

“Ahhh!”

Azadine screamed, but in his current state, he couldn’t even muster the strength to push her away.

In the end, it took Azadine four days before he could walk around like a functional person again. For those four days, he ate, washed, and slept, repeating the cycle while remaining bedridden.

Even after all that rest, he was still plagued by muscle aches and bruises. But considering he had fought the Count and survived, this condition was quite favorable. Surviving the collapse of a bell tower and a fight with a naga the size of a house was something to be grateful for.

“Hm.”

Azadine polished his Moon Horn Bow and strapped it to his waist.

“I’ve wasted too much time.”

“Going out in your condition is dangerous.”

“I know.”

While lamenting the lost time was reasonable, forcing himself to act while injured would have been even riskier. The rest had been necessary—some things had to be let go.

“Alright, shall we go meet Kozel and the Countess?”

“Are you seriously going to collect your payment?”

“It’s not just about the money. I’m also curious about the situation.”

“Why insist on collecting money? Shouldn’t your priority be meeting the elders or the leader to revoke your dismissal?”

“Or gathering more pages of the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth,” Ismail added, unable to hide his attachment to the book.

“I dislike my sister, but I can’t deny her abilities. Given her influence, the Messenger Clan is probably in chaos right now—a significant one, too.”

“Huh?”

“The elders and the leader are likely on the run. If they had stayed in the sanctuary, Arael would have killed them.”

“No way…”

Ismail was visibly shocked by Azadine’s words.

In the Messenger Clan’s hierarchy, the elders and the leader were revered as figures far above anyone else. While those from lower statuses might resent the system, they still respected the elders’ magical knowledge and overwhelming power, making rebellion against them unthinkable.

“That means even if we reported this through the clan’s usual chain of command, there’s no guarantee it would work. Aldis didn’t just recruit me because she’s my sponsor; it’s also because no one else has the capacity to act as a substitute leader.”

The Messenger Clan’s leadership had likely collapsed due to Arael’s rebellion. Thus, acting hastily wouldn’t accomplish much.

“Furthermore, we might lose support from the merchant guilds. Traitors like Derek could emerge from within their ranks. Derek was backed by the Savan family, and even he betrayed us. So, we need to secure operational funds for future activities.”

Azadine rummaged through his saddlebag, picking out weapons. He discarded two swords that were in poor condition before leaving Baroness Nort’s estate and heading for the Blue Rose Pavilion.

The streets were teeming with holy knights of the King’s Church, their subordinates, and church soldiers.

The tension in the air was palpable. Even a casual stroll revealed the friction between the regular soldiers and the church personnel.

“We’ll need to be careful.”

Azadine, remaining cautious, arrived at the Blue Rose Pavilion and asked a staff member to call for Veldon.

“…Veldon, you say? Alright. Will you wait inside?”

“Yes.”

After ensuring the staff member went to summon Veldon, Azadine quickly slipped out of the Blue Rose Pavilion. If Veldon reported him to the holy knights, staying in such a building would make him an easy target for a siege.

“Guess I’ll wait in the alley. Ugh, my aching body.”

“Shouldn’t you still be resting?”

“I’d like to, but time is short, and there’s a lot to do.”

“Well, I suppose staying bedridden for too long isn’t good either. Maybe a bit of movement will help, considering…”

Mediam nodded, seemingly agreeing with herself.

“Hey, that’s a horrible thing to say! That kind of stuff only happens when someone dies from the Curse of Servitude. Are you wishing for my death?”

Azadine frowned at Mediam’s dark humor. Even if it was a joke, it was far from amusing.

Soon, Veldon appeared, walking toward the alley alone. Thankfully, he hadn’t informed anyone else.

“Greetings.”

Azadine stepped out from the shadows, quickly approaching Veldon.

“You’re… alive.”

“Sounds like you were hoping I wouldn’t be.”

“N-no, not at all. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“Did you really… take care of the Count?”

“You don’t seriously believe it was natural causes, do you?”

“Well, no, but…”

Veldon knew what had happened to the Count’s estate: it had been completely devastated. The sight of countless monsters, the traces of fierce battles, and the rumors of the Count transforming into a monster and being crushed under the bell tower suggested the involvement of an entire armed force.

But this man claimed he had done it alone?

“Well, believe what you want. Anyway, can you identify this?”

“….”

Veldon fell silent as Azadine revealed the Count’s signet ring.

“It’s a shame I didn’t get his sword or any other jewelry. The only thing I could take was this, as he wasn’t exactly well-dressed at the time.”

“Good heavens. Who are you? There’s a rumor that the Messenger Clan killed the Count. Could it be…?”

“If it were the Messenger Clan, they would’ve asked for the Emperor’s gold coins. If you have any of those, I’ll accept them. They’re worth far more than regular gold coins.”

Azadine smirked playfully.