The Curse of Service.
It was a contract between the Emperor and the Herald Clan. The Emperor provided numerous benefits and grimoires, while the Herald Clan, in return, continuously supplied capable individuals suited for the role of messengers and wholeheartedly cooperated with the Emperor's herald system as a family.
However, this contract came with a clause allowing a horrific death to befall those who betrayed the clan or the Emperor.
So far, only one person has ever activated this clause.
That person was none other than Azadin's father, the "Traitor Akre."
***
The Herald Clan, seeking liberation from the Curse of Service, participated in the royal succession war of the Kingdom of Tarasar and, after many sacrifices, finally obtained a copy of the Book of Divine King.
But within the clan, someone stole that copy of the Book of the Divine King and fled—none other than Akre. As a result, the elders and the leaders invoked the Curse of Service to threaten the traitor Akre.
— "If you don't return the copy of the Book of the Divine King, the curse will kill you."
— "If you don't want to be killed by the curse, hand over the book."
However, Akre scattered the copy of the Book of the Divine King into the sky from the Heart of the World mountain range, spreading it across the entire Eight Kingdoms.
In the end, the enraged elders refused to lift the curse, and Akre, as a result, gave birth to twins in a man's body and died. Those twins were Azadin and Arael, a brother-and-sister pair.
Ironically, among the twins, Arael grew into a peerless beauty, a powerful mage, and a genius swordswoman, becoming the strongest herald in the history of the clan.
Azadin, on the other hand, was a complete fool.
While Arael was blessed in every way, Azadin couldn't even meet the average capabilities of the Herald Clan.
In the Herald Clan, by the age of 8, anyone should be able to string a bow, and by 12, they should master the Dual Immortal Bow technique.
A technique in which the first arrow strikes down the second arrow in flight.
A sign of a master archer.
But Azadin occasionally wet his bed until he was 8 and couldn't even string a bow. Among the common folk of Hubris, this might not be seen as strange, but for the Herald Clan, it was an unforgivable weakness.
As a result, Azadin fell behind during the clan's basic training, was bullied by other children, and at 12, he was taken in by Elder Kazas and became his attendant.
Then, just three months ago, Elder Kazas, through sheer force, appointed Azadin as a herald.
Although the Curse of Service forced him into the role, being a herald of the Emperor was a position of honor and glory among the Herald Clan.
Everyone in the clan strove to become a herald. By the time they turned 8, they gathered for the "selection process," where their talents and abilities were assessed to determine their suitability for the role.
Azadin had failed that selection process.
— "Azadin is the dullest and most foolish of the Herald Clan."
— "He couldn't even master the Dual Immortal Bow like the others, and until he was 12, he couldn't string even the lightest bow."
— "There's no way someone like that can carry out the duties of a herald."
— "He's not even fit to be a servant, let alone a herald or an attendant."
Those who grew up with Azadin remembered him as weak, powerless, and timid, insisting that, no matter the elder's recommendation, it was unjust for him to become a herald.
In fact, the parents in the Herald Clan often used this as a threat when their daughters misbehaved.
— "If you keep this up, I'll marry you off to Azadin."
To the Herald Clan, Azadin was the very embodiment of disgrace.
Azadin, the cursed incompetent.
That was how the clan viewed him.
***
"Is it true that he can't use magic? That he's cursed?"
"I don't know if the curse is real, but it's true that he's known for being unable to use magic. Still, that strict Elder Kazas took him in as his disciple."
"So what? He's just the child of a traitor anyway, right? A traitor's child who can't even use magic being a herald—because someone like him is taking up the position, talented people like me don't get the chance. I should test his skills if I ever meet him."
"No, you mustn't."
The boy panicked at the girl's suggestion to test her skills.
"Why not?"
"An attendant can't recklessly attack a herald."
"But we can challenge them to a duel, can't we?"
"If an attendant challenges a herald to a duel and loses, they'll be punished. The herald would have the right to decide their life or death, as well as any other rights."
"That's if I lose, right? Hehe. There's no way I'd lose to a half-wit who can't even use magic."
"But Elder Kazas is a mysterious figure. He's listed among the Elder Council, but no one has seen him in person. Rumor has it he's an elf. Do you think he made Azadin a herald simply because he was once his attendant and wanted to reward him with favor?"
"So then what? Elder Kazas took in the fool who couldn't string a bow until he was 12, trained him, and sent him down the mountain earlier this year or late last year, right? So how many years of training did he have? About 10? Did he transform him into a powerful being capable of outclassing the other heralds?"
"Well…."
It would be great if that were possible, but unfortunately, it wasn't.
The training methods of the Herald Clan had already been refined to near perfection. While there were occasional late bloomers, if someone lagged significantly behind by the age of 12, that gap usually remained for life.
At the very least, they needed to keep up with the basic training until age 12 to have any hope of later distinguishing themselves or showing significant growth.
At that moment, a bird descended from above and landed on her shoulder. The bird was a semi-transparent spirit composed of a faint glow.
A farsight bird, an artificial spirit created through magic.
It could share its vision and monitor the surroundings while its semi-transparent body made it difficult to detect in the air.
"Hmm. It seems I've found the herald from the rumors. Perfect timing. Ishmael, hide behind that boulder with the goats."
"What?"
"I need to check Azadin's skills."
The girl said this as she unfastened the crescent bow from her waist and strung it.
"Oh, no. Lady Midiam…."
The boy was flustered but couldn't disobey the girl's orders, so he led the goats behind the boulder by the roadside.
"Alright, then!"
The girl drew two arrows from her quiver and removed the arrowheads.
"Not that it'll happen, but just in case, I don't want to injure him. Let's make this a friendly greeting."
She fired one arrow high into the sky and the other at a slightly lower angle. The technique adjusted both arrows to strike the target simultaneously—a herald technique of the clan known as the Dual Immortal Bow.
After releasing the two arrows, the girl quickly hid behind the boulder.
***
-SWISSSHHH!
Arrows flew toward Azadin, aiming directly for him.
"Ugh?!"
He pulled out an empty quiver, twisted his body sideways, and caught the incoming arrows. Both the low-trajectory and high-trajectory arrows were sucked into the quiver almost simultaneously.
Two arrows had targeted him at almost the same time.
The technique of the herald clan, the Dual Immortal Bow.
The arrows struck the bottom of the quiver but didn't pierce through, suggesting they were blunt-tipped practice arrows without arrowheads. Even so, getting hit would have been troublesome.
"Who's there?"
Those hiding behind the dry boulder revealed themselves—a boy and a girl with goats in tow.
"Hmm. According to rumors, you're a half-wit who can't even handle magic, but you're still a herald after all."
The girl approached, boasting confidently. With radiant blonde hair and a condescending gaze, she was as beautiful as a fairy.
Judging by the crescent bow of the Herald Clan in her hand, it was clear she was the one who had fired the arrows at Azadin.
"Were you the one who just shot those arrows?"
"Yes, it was a light greeting. How was my greeting?"
"Ah... I, I'm…"
Unlike the bold girl, the boy following her was trembling with fear. The brown-haired boy with drooping eyes seemed lower in status and flustered.
"What are your names?"
"I'm Midiam, from Aether."
"I'm Ishmael. I've been assigned as an attendant to assist you."
"Assist me? Like this?"
Azadin chuckled at the antics of the audacious kids. Having been bullied since childhood as the son of a man who betrayed the clan, he was used to such treatment.
But for even the children claiming to be his attendants to attack him?
"I noticed your quiver was empty, so I added my arrows to it. Wasn't that a splendid form of assistance?"
The girl brazenly justified her attack with those words.
"And surely, a herald wouldn't die from blunt-tipped arrows shot from such a distance, would they? If that were the case, they wouldn't deserve to be a herald, would they?"
"Do you think this is funny?"
Azadin's expression hardened.
Blunt-tipped arrows or not, an ambush was an ambush. He already knew the clan held him in contempt, but he wasn't the type to quietly endure being humiliated by a child.
"Apologize for your rudeness, Midiam. If you don't, I won't speak with you."
"Won't speak with me? But…"
"If you want something from me, show me respect. Whether as a member of Aragasa or as an enemy—which will it be?"
Friend or foe?
Azadin was asking for her stance. Midiam was about to say something, but she quickly realized that Azadin wasn't someone she could joke around with and apologized.
"I, Midiam of Aether, apologize for my rudeness, Herald Azadin. I am an Aragasa."
Under the terms of the Contract of Service, the Aragasa were one.
Her statement meant she was asking to be treated as an ally, not an enemy.
"Fine. I'll accept your apology. But from now on, never recklessly shoot arrows at anyone again. If I had reacted impulsively, my arrows would have had arrowheads. Got it? If you don't intend to kill, don't play around with weapons."
"Yes."
Azadin's warning was reasonable. Among the Herald Clan, due to the strict hierarchy, it was common for pranks using blunt arrows to be played on one another.
But outside the clan, if an arrow was fired, it usually meant a life-or-death situation. The girl wasn't foolish; she understood Azadin's point immediately.
"By the way, do you have any water?"
Severe dehydration was making him dizzy, especially after the sudden movements to deal with the incoming arrows.
"Ah, yes. H-here."
Ishmael dismounted from the goat and handed his canteen to Azadin. Azadin took the canteen and brought it to his lips.
He carefully held the water in his mouth, letting it be absorbed gradually through his mucous membranes. Even this slow intake was enough to bring some life back into his body.
"You seem thirsty."
"Yeah."
The boy and girl silently watched Azadin as he focused on drinking the water. He took his time, drinking in small amounts to avoid upsetting his body, and then sat down to meditate.
'He's completely different from the rumors.'
Midiam, a girl of the Herald Clan, was confused.
The cursed Azadin was a figure of mockery and scorn among the clan. Even the humorless Herald Clan members would laugh when the topic of Azadin became the subject of ridicule and jokes. But the young man before her seemed like a stern and dignified herald.
Still, having come this far, she knew there was no turning back.