Episode 87

“Naga woman, the only thing protecting you right now is this man’s chivalry. I am sparing you because I respect that. Do not insult my sincerity. Or what? Are you accusing the Emperor’s messenger of being deceitful? Are you saying that the Emperor’s intention to protect the people is false and delusional?”

“……”

A terrifying bloodlust radiated from Azadine. Whether through moral justification or sheer intimidation, Shati found herself unable to respond. At that moment, the elderly man with the brass washbasin helmet standing in front of Shati confronted Azadine’s aura of hostility.

“Don’t be too threatening.”

“Understood. For now, I will cooperate without question or protest until we get out of this predicament.”

Azadine dismounted from his Kerim goat and laid his weapons on the ground.

“Those capable of arming themselves, please use these weapons. Those who are struggling may ride on this mount.”

Although the group was suspicious of Azadine’s sudden appearance, they were too destitute to refuse his offerings.

“What do you say?”

“I see. In a world where chivalry has become a mockery, it is admirable that a young man like you still upholds it. I will permit you to join us.”

“Thank you.”

“However, resolve the issue with that woman only after we have reached a safe place.”

The old man extended his hand to Azadine.

“I am Sir Brand of Lantarique. And you are?”

“I am Azadine, the Emperor’s messenger, bearing the title of the 108th Messenger. But Sir Brand of Lantarique—are you a knight?”

“……”

When Azadine asked if he was a knight, Sir Brand’s expression darkened as if something within him had shifted.

“Then let’s go.”

Without answering, Sir Brand turned away.

“……?”

Azadine grew curious about the sudden shift in Sir Brand’s demeanor. Just then, a woman approached them. She was the leader of the runaway slaves who had taken the copy of the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth from Shati.

“Please help Sir Brand. In that sense, I humbly request to speak out of turn.”

“In that sense?”

“Yes, about how he, Brand, became Sir Brand. May I explain as we walk?”

“Please, go ahead.”

Azadine allowed her to walk beside him. This put Shati on edge.

‘That woman has my Heavenly King’s Book of Truth….’

Being next to a Messenger, she had no opportunity to steal it back and escape. In the end, she had no choice but to continue traveling with this strange band of refugees.

Azadine led the group from the front, while Sir Brand followed behind, keeping the women in the center as they walked.

“So, who are you?”

“My name is Delmere. I used to be an operative for Count Lantarique.”

“An operative?”

“Yes. That bandit group was planted by Count Lantarique to weaken the border Count of Salasma. Our mission was to provide the nearby bandits with connections to slave traders and supply them with weapons to further strengthen their forces.”

“But why?”

“Donear privatized the organization and purged me. I wasn’t killed because I’m a woman, but….”

“Then who is this Sir Brand?”

“He was a renowned scribe, lawyer, and teacher in Lantarique.”

Originally, Sir Brand—or simply Brand—was a celebrated scribe and lawyer in the city of Kozma, located on the border between Salasma and Lantarique. However, when he and his family were unfortunate enough to be captured by a bandit group, the Thief King Donear decided it was more profitable to extort ransom from Brand’s relatives than to sell them as slaves.

But Brand’s relatives refused to pay the ransom. In his anger, Donear and his bandits killed Brand’s son-in-law and grandson and attempted to force-feed their remains to Brand’s daughter and granddaughter.

When Brand’s daughter refused to eat her husband and his granddaughter refused to eat her brother, the enraged bandits attempted to kill them. Brand intervened, offering to eat the food himself in exchange for sparing their lives.

While the bandits mocked and ridiculed him, Brand endured the horrific act in silence. Eventually, the trauma drove him insane. After experiencing such a nightmare, it was impossible for him to remain mentally sound.

Thus, the scribe, lawyer, and scholar became the self-proclaimed “Sir Brand,” believing himself to be a knight from an old tale. Donear found this amusing and kept him alive as his personal jester.

“You’re telling me they killed his family and forced him to eat them? On purpose?”

Azadine was stunned upon hearing of the bandits’ atrocities. Cases of cannibalism out of desperation during starvation weren’t unheard of—sieges that cut off supplies or widespread famine could drive people to abandon morality.

But to kill family members and feed them to others purely for sadistic pleasure? Donear’s actions called his humanity into question.

‘I should’ve made him suffer more.’

Azadine recalled how he had made Donear a pincushion for arrows and frowned. Though the wounds would be painful and fatal without proper treatment, they now felt far too lenient for someone capable of such madness.

“Donear didn’t just cook human flesh to torment people; he also taught the bandits how to use poison. They would spread to various inns, drug food, kidnap people, and turn unnecessary captives into meat.”

“……”

“I was part of them, too. It feels hypocritical to speak out against their cruelty, but regardless, after that, Brand truly became like a knight from a story. Perhaps he needed to lose his sanity to endure it all.”

“So now he’s…?”

“Yes, his mind wavers. Please be cautious with your words and actions around him. If he loses his senses, the journey, already harsh, will become unbearable.”

“I see. But why are you telling me this, despite the bad rumors surrounding the Emperor’s messengers?”

“We were even willing to rely on a Naga. In desperate times, we’ll cling to anything that might help.”

Delmere’s eyes glinted as she spoke.

“And, no matter what, I want revenge on Donear. However, that revenge will come only after ensuring these people escape safely.”

Ismail, who had been listening, yawned.

“Are we really wasting time on stories like this while being chased? Let’s move.”

“……”

Delmere seemed hurt by Ismail’s cold attitude. To her, this was a sacred confession, confronting her soul’s wounds. To Ismail, it sounded like pathetic begging.

“……”

Azadine took Delmere’s hand in silence and looked at Ismail without saying a word.

Walking along the forest path, the day grew dark. Even soldiers accustomed to marching knew better than to travel at night unless it was a proper road. Delmere and Brand allowed the runaway slaves to rest, and they too took a break.

Before anyone could say anything, Ismail spoke up first.

“They’re all fast asleep. Let’s just take the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth now.”

“No. If I intended to take it, these people wouldn’t be a challenge to me. I would have done it already. But more importantly, Ismail, as a servant, you’re overstepping your boundaries.”

At Azadine’s words, Ismail clicked his tongue.

“If you say so, as a servant, I’ll follow your lead. But may I ask a question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why are you helping these people? For no reward?”

“The Emperor’s messengers are the Emperor’s agents sent to save the people in distress. The Emperor’s gold is just a mechanism to institutionalize that purpose. Ultimately, this is how we should act.”

“Yes, if the Emperor were still alive and we continued to wield the authority of the Emperor’s messengers, that would be fine. But why should we take responsibility for people we neither govern nor rule? Why take on obligations when there’s no reward of power?”

Ismail was genuinely asking this question. Azadine gave a wry smile.

“Well… I see your point.”

“Thank you for understanding. Then about the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth—”

“No. What I mean is, I understand why you’re acting this way. Judging by your attitude, the selection process for the Messenger Clan must have been too grueling for you.”

“What?”

“You had to outdo your peers just to prove your worth as a Messenger. But since you couldn’t win through talent alone, you skipped the part where you develop your character and focused all your energy on honing your skills. Now, when confronted with the atrocities committed by these villains who have destroyed so many souls, the only emotion you can muster is this… indifference.”

“……”

Ismail felt ashamed by Azadine’s words. If Azadine had simply accused him of being cold-hearted, he would have laughed it off. But Azadine was subtly mocking him.

‘You lack talent, so to secure your place in the clan, you sold out your character.’

‘With no abilities or skills to rely on, you threw away your integrity and became this.’

Azadine was essentially criticizing him this way.

“I don’t have a privileged background like you. I don’t have elders fawning over me or someone like Aldis acting as my patron,” Ismail retorted.

“Ismail!”

Mediam intervened. In the strict hierarchy of the Aragasa, a servant like Ismail openly challenging a messenger like Azadine was unacceptable.

“Please forgive him, Azadine. Ismail and I are still young, and this is the first time we’ve faced a situation like this.”

Mediam apologized on Ismail’s behalf, but Azadine shook his head.

“There’s no need to apologize. I don’t want puppets that blindly follow my orders. I want to know your genuine selves and thoughts. If you’re not free to speak your minds, any conversation we have is meaningless. However, it pains me to see this and makes me worry about the future of our clan. To be at an age when your sensitivity should be sharp, yet behave so despicably without any shame—”

“……”

“Well, if you speak rudely, you’ll be treated rudely, but still, feel free to express what’s in your heart.”

“You’re not exactly acting like an adult yourself. Fine. Then I’ll perform some reconnaissance.”

Ismail cast a reconnaissance spell, sending an artificial spirit into the sky. However….

“What?”

A black mist seemed to spread through the forest behind them.

“What is….”

Ismail ended the spell and looked at the forest with his own eyes. The night sky was dark, but the stars were visible. There shouldn’t be any black smoke rising.

“Something is approaching from behind!”

“…Is that so?”

Azadine mounted his Kerim goat.

“I’ll check the rear.”

“You need to rest too, don’t you?”

“I’ll take a quick look and return. You stay here and protect the others.”

Azadine turned his goat and headed back down the path to investigate.