Beldon was not a petitioner of the Gold Coin. Therefore, Azadin had no reason to reveal his identity to them.
More than anything, since Kozel had lost his eye to the Herald Clan—no, to Azadin himself—his emotions toward them would not be ordinary. If Azadin revealed himself as a member of the Herald Clan, there was a possibility that Kozel's emotions would spiral out of control.
'If he finds out that I'm the very person who turned him into a cripple, he'll probably drag the Holy Knights and whoever else to get revenge.'
When Azadin spoke nonchalantly, Beldon let out a sigh. Fortunately, it seemed Azadin's bluff had worked. But even if it hadn't, thoroughly investigating a group that had taken down a count who had transformed into a massive monster along with his mummy soldiers wasn't exactly a wise move.
'If he really is from the Herald Clan, then with Young Master Kozel's personality, a fight would be inevitable. But picking a fight with the one who killed the count wouldn't be a wise decision.'
Beldon, who preferred to avoid unnecessary turmoil and maintain stability, decided not to inform his employers even if Azadin was truly from the Herald Clan. Still, he had to negotiate.
"Why did you proceed with the task without agreeing on an advance payment or expenses?"
"I was infiltrating for reconnaissance when I saw that the count was preparing to slaughter everyone in the area. No matter how much we might view it as someone else's problem, if we wasted time, the damage would be catastrophic, and by then, we wouldn't be able to do anything. So, I had no choice but to act urgently. My comrades worked hard."
The "comrades" Azadin referred to, of course, were Midiam and Ishmael. However, to Beldon, it sounded like there were more assassins similar to Azadin. After all, there was no way that someone could have carried out such an overwhelming battle alone.
"So, I assume you brought the payment when you came to meet me?"
"O-Of course."
Beldon handed Azadin a leather pouch. When he opened it, inside were gold coins and a brooch adorned with gold and opal.
"This is…"
"We lacked enough gold coins, so we brought jewelry. It should be worth around fifty gold coins."
"This is a hassle to deal with. I don't even know if it's really worth fifty gold coins. And if someone tracks this…"
"My apologies. This was the best we could do."
In truth, the countess and Kozel had protested vehemently.
'Did an assassin really do this?'
'Do we really have to pay them?'
'We never promised fifty gold coins, so why did they proceed on their own? Considering that, shouldn't we be able to reduce the payment?'
They had tried to avoid paying or at least reduce the amount. Beldon had to break out in a cold sweat persuading them.
'If those people really are the ones who killed the count… then if we don't pay them, they might threaten the countess and Young Master Kozel. How will you handle that?'
Only after Beldon explained the danger of shortchanging an assassin did the countess and Kozel reluctantly hand over the brooch.
If Azadin wasn't satisfied with this, they would have no choice but to ask for help from the countess's family, which would be an incredibly troublesome process.
"Fine. I'll compromise with this. Everyone around here probably knows this brooch belongs to the countess, so I'll have to sell it in another city."
Azadin accepted the pouch and proceeded to ask Beldon a few more things.
"Is there anything else you need help with? I heard the countess and the church are engaged in a power struggle over Salasma's territory."
"Could you assassinate someone from the church?"
"Hmm. Who?"
"The Judge, Sir Zekt."
"A Judge? The Judge is the highest-ranking knight of the church, right? There are only sixteen of them in the entire world. And one of them is in Salasma?"
"Yes. He is intervening in Salasma's territory. The King's Church is trying to revoke the inheritance from the count's bloodline and reclaim Salasma's territory for the church. Since the count turned into a naga, they are claiming that his entire bloodline might be tainted."
"Aha."
Hearing this, Azadin clicked his tongue.
"They wouldn't reveal that to the public."
Stripping a noble count's bloodline of inheritance rights due to his transformation into a monster might seem like a strategic move for the church, but it wasn't necessarily beneficial.
It would mean publicly acknowledging that noble bloodlines, including the bloodline of the Yaegas Divine Clan, were not flawless. That would be akin to undermining the very foundation of the King's Church.
"Killing the Judge wouldn't really improve the situation, would it? I'll have to refuse that request."
"Ah… I see."
"Then, take care."
Azadin handed Beldon a signet ring and slipped away into the alley.
***
Azadin exchanged farewells with Baroness Nord and stepped out of the mansion.
"Where do we go next?"
"Let's track the Nagas. Where did their trail end?"
"It continues southwest, but…"
"Southwest, huh… Let's follow it for now."
As they descended from the highlands, they observed the situation along Salasma's outer walls. Refugees continued to pour in endlessly.
Throughout the city, the rivers were drying up, and filth accumulated due to the influx of people, accelerating the city's decline. Now that there was no leader, the future of those who had gathered in the city seemed bleak.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, something came rushing from behind as they reached the farmlands outside Salasma's walls.
Knights and sergeants on horseback were in pursuit. Leading them, something armored was running like a beast.
"…Huh?"
A human was running on all fours like an animal. Their eyes gleamed with a menacing light. With Azadin's keen eyesight, he could see a dark aura radiating from them. It was the work of black magic.
"What the hell is that?"
Focusing his vision, Azadin scrutinized those chasing from behind. They were the Holy Knights of the King's Church.
'Did an undead escape, and they're hunting it down? But…'
When a rightful king sits on the throne, the light of the King's Virtue protects the land.
The throne brought by the Yaegas Divine Clan, the Throne of the Eight Kings, is itself a grimoire of the Book of the Divine King and an immensely powerful magic artifact.
And the light of the King's Virtue truly exists. In cities, towns, and places where the faithful of the King's Church reside, the light actively suppresses the movements of undead and monsters, protecting humans.
'For an undead to act so openly in broad daylight, in a major city, would require an enormous amount of magic to sustain.'
Of course, it had been Count Kazel who made it possible. But even he must have needed an enormous amount of funds, manpower, and the assistance of the Nagas to create such an undead.
But this…
"They seem to be targeting us."
"What should we do?"
Midiam and Ishmael asked.
"What else? We run. There's no reason to deal with that."
Azadin wasn't mounted on his Kerim goat, merely holding the reins, while Midiam and Ishmael were already riding theirs. If he suddenly mounted now, it would look suspicious to those around them. So, instead, Azadin quickened his pace and gave Midiam and Ishmael a hand signal to move ahead first.
Fortunately, there was a fork in the road. Azadin and his group slipped into it, but—the undead veered off the main road and charged straight toward them. Moreover—
—Monglong!
A magic attack flew from the Holy Knights—not targeting the undead, but clearly aimed at Azadin's group.
It was a colorless, soundless basic spell, but that made it all the more dangerous.
The magic caused momentary disorientation. When used on galloping horses or beasts, its effect was immense. Though Azadin, Midiam, and Ishmael were unaffected, their Kerim goats were briefly dazed under its spell.
"Ah!"
"Damn it!"
Now, Midiam and Ishmael were certain—the attackers were indeed targeting them.
For Holy Knights, who valued honor, to launch a preemptive strike with magic—it was unheard of. Perhaps their identity as members of the Herald Clan had been exposed.
In this situation, Azadin gave an order to Midiam and Ishmael.
"Go ahead!"
"What?"
"I'll hold them off."
"But last time, you needed our help!"
"And your condition isn't good!"
Midiam and Ishmael protested, but Azadin turned around and stood in the path of the charging undead.
And then—
"Grrr!"
The creature rushing at them like a beast was shockingly familiar to Azadin.
'Wait, isn't that…? The guy who shot arrows at civilians and tried to wipe out civilian farms!'
It was none other than Gazrek—who had become an undead and was now charging at Azadin.
"Alright then! Sweater!"
Azadin gripped the reins of his Kerim goat and pulled a sword from his saddlebag.
Calmly gauging the incoming attack from the undead Gazrek, Azadin blocked with his sword and shouted,
"Now!"
At that moment, Azadin's Kerim goat, Sweater, delivered a powerful backward kick, sending Gazrek's corpse flying. Thanks to the goat's incredible leg strength, Gazrek's body was launched through the air.
"Uh…"
The pursuing Holy Knights were stunned.
It had looked as though Azadin was simply drawing his weapon—but instead, his goat had delivered a devastating kick. They had been completely caught off guard.
'It was fine because it hit the undead Sir Gazrek… but what if it had been me?'
Even with armor, would he have survived unscathed? The thought sent a chill down his spine.
While the Holy Knights were still reeling from the unexpected turn of events, Azadin rushed after Gazrek to finish the job.
With only one foot hooked onto the stirrup of his Kerim goat, he sped forward—like someone hanging onto the side of a racing carriage.
"Grrrr…"
The undead Gazrek rose to his feet.
A normal human would have suffered severe internal bleeding or broken bones from the impact of the Kerim goat's kick. But Gazrek stood up as if nothing had happened.
However, before he could fully regain his balance, Azadin and his goat stormed toward him, and Azadin drove his sword straight toward Gazrek's skull.
Under normal circumstances, the strike would have been a guaranteed hit. But at that moment, black magic suddenly flared from Gazrek, and he retreated—like a beast instinctively leaping backward.
"...."
Azadin narrowed his eyes at the source of that magic.
A Holy Knight in golden armor was approaching.
His face was hidden beneath his helmet, but his voice was young.
"Well, well. Quite impressive. No ordinary pilgrim, I see."
"Holy Knight, an undead is roaming in broad daylight, and you stand idly by?"
"That is Sir Gazrek. Tragically, he was slain somewhere by the Herald Clan and, fueled by his desire for revenge, became a Wraith Knight."
The Holy Knight continued, his voice calm.
"But do you know what is most distinctive about these wraiths?"
"...."
"They have an innate ability to sense and track their killers within a certain range. In other words, he is pursuing you as the one who killed him."
The Holy Knight in golden armor pointed at Azadin—accusing him of being the one who had murdered Gazrek.