Ishmael decided to hide his thoughts about Arael's motives from Midiam and changed the subject.
"Azadin might be swayed."
"Swayed?"
"Yes. Even if he and Arael are not on good terms… you never know. Arael may have her followers, but she is still lacking in numbers, so she will want to recruit her own kin."
"Ah, I see. So in other words…."
"The elders probably want to use him as a spy to infiltrate Arael's faction."
"Then, Ishmael, there's no need for you to warn me. If the elder council makes that decision, they wouldn't send us along with him."
"...."
Of course, that was true. If the elders made such a decision, they wouldn't bother sending Midiam, who was of the Aether bloodline, to infiltrate as well. More likely, they would eliminate the servants and claim that Azadin had defected alone.
But in that process, what about Ishmael? He might be sacrificed as a decoy to deceive the enemy.
"Hmm, I see. I get it. Ishmael, you're scared, aren't you?"
Midiam looked at Ishmael's demeanor and laughed.
"Y-yes."
Ishmael was terrified at the thought of being a pawn in this scheme, but did Midiam truly understand that much? Or did he simply think Ishmael was just frightened?
"Ahaha. Well, don't worry too much. Ishmael, your mother was my wet nurse, wasn't she? We're milk siblings. No matter what, do you really think I'd let you die?"
"…Thank you."
"Hmm. But now I'm curious. What exactly are Azadin and Aldis up to right now? Could it be…?"
"Whatever it is, it's nothing like what you're imagining."
Ishmael clicked his tongue as he watched Midiam letting her imagination run wild.
***
Azadin and Aldis spent time catching up. But when it came down to it, Azadin didn't have much to say.
All he had done was diligently learn 'Kazas Haeseo' under Elder Kazas and acquire various strategies and skills required of a herald.
The detailed training methods and curriculum of 'Kazas Haeseo' could not be disclosed, and even if he spoke of them, they wouldn't be easy to follow.
"Alright, let's assume the training is classified. What kind of person is Elder Kazas? I only know that he's an elf."
"A pervert."
"A pervert?"
"Yes. A madman. A lunatic. But…."
Azadin gave a bitter smile. Kazas was undeniably insane, yet he had treated Azadin far better than the other members of his race.
The Aragasa despised Azadin. They had been on the verge of fulfilling the clan's long-cherished wish, only for it to be thwarted by a traitor, the son of Akre, who was weak. Born cursed with eyelessness, his appearance was also hideous.
Among them, only two people had never persecuted Azadin—Aldis and Kazas.
"At least his perversion was tolerable. Unlike in the Nagashura era, he didn't eat humans."
"That's a relief. When I heard you had been placed under Kazas, I had nightmares every night about you being eaten."
"Haha… is that so? Hmm?"
Azadin was puzzled by Aldis's words.
"My master rarely takes disciples. So why did he take me in?"
Until now, Azadin had assumed it was Aldis who had persuaded Kazas. But judging from Aldis's words, she seemed unfamiliar with Kazas.
Of course, even if they hadn't met, Aldis was a member of the Founding Families, someone hailed as the return of Harconia, a rising star whose requests the elders could not easily ignore.
But Kazas?
He was different. He was a weirdo who cared nothing for the political strife within the founding families or the Herald Clan.
Kazas was an elf and a member of the Aragasa Elder Council. Since he wasn't of Aragasa blood, he had never received the Beauty of Nature nor inherited its traits.
Yet he had only stepped forward actively when appointing Azadin as a herald. Before that, even the heralds had scarcely heard of him.
Still, if it was Aldis, perhaps she could have moved Kazas to take in a strange, eyeless boy as his disciple.
That was what Azadin had assumed—until now. But then she said she had nightmares about Kazas eating him? Did she really know nothing about Kazas?
"Come to think of it, why did someone who had stayed out of everything suddenly take you as his disciple?"
So it wasn't Aldis who recommended Azadin to Kazas.
"Then… no, never mind."
There were still many stories left untold. Sitting before Aldis, whom he had always longed for, he couldn't afford to waste time on such strange thoughts.
***
Azadin and Aldis talked endlessly, unaware of the passing time. At last, the time for parting arrived.
"I was supposed to sleep, but the sun is rising."
Aldis smiled as she looked at the sun rising in the distance. There was no sign of fatigue.
"Are you alright? You should rest…."
"No, I'm fine. I haven't been sleeping much lately. Well, I should get going, Azadin."
"Where are you headed?"
"I've already traveled through Korasar. Now I'm thinking of heading to Bruma. I want to lift the assassination order on you and meet Arael."
Bruma was one of the Eight Kingdoms, located south of Korasar.
"Arael is in Bruma?"
"I'm searching for her. Along the way, I'm also looking for copies of the Book of Divine King."
"Mm."
When Azadin fell silent, Aldis smiled and placed her hand on his cheek.
"You've really grown. You're a full-fledged man now."
"Of course."
"Maybe… the elders or the chief will order you to kill Arael, to prove your innocence."
"They probably will. After all, we were named that way from the beginning."
The Eyeless Evil Dragon, Azadin, and the Angel of Justice, Arael.
They were no longer objects of Aragasa faith, now reduced to mere old folklore. But the meaning remained clear—names signifying mutual destruction.
"If we follow the myth, wouldn't it be better if Arael wins?"
"Are you going to fight her?"
"If Aldis wishes for it."
If Aldis wished for it, Azadin could kill Arael. That was what he was saying. But this was proof of just how much anger Azadin still harbored toward Arael.
Aldis gave a sad smile, realizing that Azadin's wounds had not yet healed.
"No. If the two of you were to fight, I would be sad."
"Then I will avoid it. But would Arael think the same? If Arael comes at me, then I have no choice."
Azadin did not bother to hide his discomfort when speaking about Arael. The wounds left by Arael still ached, and he could not ignore them.
"Hmm… so if Arael attacks, you will fight back?"
Aldis was surprised that Azadin still did not conceal his hostility toward Arael.
Even Aldis, once hailed as the return of Harconia, had felt an insurmountable wall when she looked at Arael.
Arael, an unparalleled genius. The title of Harconia's return now belonged to her.
Yet, Azadin showed no signs of intimidation when speaking of Arael. Could he possibly believe he could win in a fight?
'It must just be sibling rivalry and pride. They won't actually fight.'
Aldis regarded Azadin's composure as mere bravado and smiled.
"Ah, Aldis, actually… I found two copies of the Book of Divine King."
"Oh really? Two copies? That's impressive."
"Would you keep them for me?"
"Hmm, why do you want me to keep them?"
"Well, I thought you might need them…."
"No. You should keep them, Azadin. I'll do my best to persuade the others, but there's still a chance that the other families will try to oppress you. If that happens, it would be better if you hold onto them as a guarantee."
"But the followers of the Kurt Divine Clan have created some strange wand to track them. If I keep them, won't I keep getting pursued?"
"If you store the grimoire within yourself, you can avoid the tracking magic of the wand. Ah… but you can't use magic, can you?"
Aldis rummaged through her belongings, pulled out a silver bracelet, and began writing in the air.
A faint silver light, like the color of her hair, shimmered in the air before overlapping with the bracelet, engraving letters onto it.
"If you use this bracelet, you can store the Book of Divine King inside. Simple tracking spells won't be able to find it, so keep it in here."
Aldis smiled as she fastened the bracelet onto Azadin's wrist. Then, just as she used to, she embraced him. She still smelled of lavender.
"Goodbye, Azadin. Stay safe. Let's meet at the holy land during the Summer Solstice Festival."
"Yes… if the festival is even held."
Azadin bid farewell to Aldis.
***
Thanks to Aldis's mediation, Salem, the regional head of Salasma, seemed to have calmed down.
"Looks like you stayed up all night. I'll arrange a carriage for you."
"Thank you."
"I understand that you were caught off guard when you were suddenly dismissed despite being innocent. But you should have realized that from the central command's perspective, overseeing agents spread throughout the Eight Kingdoms, such measures were inevitable."
Now that a day had passed and his anger had somewhat subsided, the regional head was more understanding of Azadin's situation. However, claiming that his dismissal was an unavoidable organizational decision was nothing more than an excuse.
'Is this supposed to be an apology? Just more excuses. But if I rudely reject this olive branch, I'll make an enemy for life. For him, even this much is probably a great effort in swallowing his pride.'
Azadin did not appreciate the regional head's way of extending an apology while still making excuses. But considering the man's temperament, this much effort at reconciliation must have required significant self-restraint.
"Yes. I understand. Thank you for arranging the carriage."
As Azadin accepted the gesture of reconciliation, the regional head shared some information about Salasma.
"Then let me give you a piece of advice. Right now, Salasma… is hell."
"Hell?"
"Yes. The count has always been an eccentric man, but lately, he has been far worse. He brought in some strange witch from somewhere, and now his barracks are swarming with suspicious barbarians. Refugees have gathered, but among them and the lower classes, disappearances keep occurring."
"Disappearances? Have they been investigated?"
"I hired adventurers to look into it… but they also disappeared."
Adventurers—mercenaries, noble offspring who refused to join the king's church, various rogues—were people with some level of combat and intelligence skills.
If even they had disappeared…
Something was definitely wrong in Salasma.
'He's making it sound like he's sharing some important secret, but wasn't this something I should have been informed about anyway?'
The herald clan originally managed merchant guilds to support the heralds. Yet, this regional head had specifically barred Azadin from entering Salasma.
The reason? He had claimed that a "low-caliber" herald like Azadin might expose his identity and bring trouble to the Korasar Pedlars' Guild.
'And yet, you're the one who's made a mess of things.'