CH 9

Precision shooting used a large angle to ensure that objects fired from the bow line didn’t hit the archer’s hand. It simply required a strong grip, great forearm strength, and an impeccable sense of timing.

Azadine was treating his bow as if it was a catapult imbued with high-class magic and fired the stone. The stone that flew from his bow acted as if it had been pierced with an arrow.

“Euk?!”

Unlike an arrow, a stone was not designed to fly. As Mediam flinched from her panic, the stone hit the ground, bounced, and split into several fragments toward her.

-‘Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon! Halo!’

Mediam created a soft moonlight shield to block the stone fragments and stepped back. It was just stone dust and fragments, but the split pieces of the rock flew with terrifying speed.

‘Uh?!’

Mediam then realized that Azadine’s form had disappeared from sight. He had taken a slight detour through the mountain path in the desolate, barren lands.

Another stone flew through the air.

Swish!

Mediam was terrified of the flying stones and twisted her body freely in the air.

‘The Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon, and Hail? I thought he could not use magic?’

Azadine demonstrated a special skill of the Messenger Clan, the ability to bend projectiles using magic.

However, Azadine was not a mage. He had simply created an effect similar to magic by using force to spin the projectile.

“What is this!?”

Mediam panicked further and began to dodge the fragments. Even though her opponent was out of sight, the stones flew from all directions.

“Mediam! To the left!”

Ismail, in his worry, shouted out a warning.

[Serious Infringement!]

The Emperor’s Voice sharply rushed in. Ismail had made the mistake of providing help during a duel.

“Don’t meddle, Ismail! If you stain this duel, you will also be punished.”

Mediam freed her hand to pull out the sword from her waist. While she did this, Azadine had already jumped in and launched his finger toward the center of her eye.

Mediam reflexively slashed her sword but only cut down an afterimage left by Azadine. Surprisingly, Azadine had twisted in the air and, as expected, lightly dodged her attack.

Actually, Azadine’s stabbing speed was much faster, and he could have gouged out her eyes if he wanted to. Instead, he simply poked her between her eyes and then waited to snatch her wrist as she struck.

And…

“It’s done.”

“What?”

In an instant, Azadin’s fist slammed into Mediam’s abdomen.

“Ah!”

Her hand was caught, and there was no escape! Azadine held her by the arm and then punched her.

Kwang!

A roaring scream

“WAKKK!”

Mediam screamed as she closed her eyes.

“Miss Mediam!”

Ismail, who had been watching, could no longer stand it and rushed in. A duel within the Messenger Clan was sacred. Yet, no matter how much of the traitor’s blood flowed, would it be right to kill a daughter of one of the clan’s noblest families?

‘I will never forgive you, you trash that dare to do this!’

Ismail bared his teeth at Azadine and rushed in to save Mediam.

Mediam had closed her eyes tightly. That roar wasn’t the sound that came from a person who was being hit.

‘Ah, I am dead. If it is this loud, then I should be in pieces. Is it somewhat painless because it is so powerful?’

She closed her eyes… and yet nothing happened.

“Uh?”

As Mediam opened her eyes in surprise, she saw that Azadine had already turned away. She held out her hand at Ismail, who had jumped towards them in anger.

“Stop now, Ismail. Will you be making the challenge too? I think you already did something quite reckless.”

“No, wait! I am fine. It isn’t finished yet!”

Mediam insisted on this and took a step forward. Yet, at that moment, something unexpected happened.

-rumble

The tall stone pillar behind her had broken and collapsed.

“Uh?”

While Mediam had been the one hit, the impact had pierced through her and smashed through the rock behind her.

What kind of technique was this?

Mediam tried to recall every magic used by the Messenger Clan from her memory.

‘I think it is similar to the Flower, Bird, Wind, and Moon, right? But this man can’t use magic.’

One thing was certain. If that power had been directed at Mediam, she would not have survived.

[The duel has ended.]

The Emperor’s Voice, who had stood witness for the duel, made its declaration.

[Mediam of the Ethar. As a servant, you challenged the messenger and were defeated. Your fate now belongs to the messenger, Azadine. Unless he frees you, you are no longer a free person. And since you, Ismail, interjected yourself in the duel, you have made yourself a slave to the messenger alongside Mediam.]

The Emperor’s Voice announced the duel’s conclusion and outcome.

“Euk!”

Mediam sat down on the ground.

A slave?

Would a child of the Ethar, one of the first five families of Aragasa, a pre-eminent member of the Messenger Clan, become a slave to a traitor’s son?

A single rash action had ruined her life. Azadine’s skills were clearly superior to hers. They had been too careless and believed rumors while ignoring the aura of the man in front of her and the warning of her instincts.

These thoughts made her feel pathetic and stupid to the point that she could no longer stand this.

“How can I be humiliated like this?”

She pulled out her dagger and moved to stab herself in the throat.

“Miss Mediam!”

Ismail rushed towards her in panic, but…

Tang!

The dagger flew out of her hand with a metallic sound. Azadine had thrown a stone and knocked the dagger out of her hand.

“How could you even think of doing that?”

Azadine had also predicted that Mediam would attempt something like this after their duel.

“I am sorry, little one, but your life is mine now. So can you please not carelessly damage my property?”

“….”

“Did you fight in our duel with only that much determination?”

Mediam pressed her trembling hand with her other hand to calm it.

‘What kind of stone…’

It had flown as strong and accurately as if shot from a bow. Azadine then walked over.

“Since you have lost the duel, you do not have the choice to die. You will die only when I desire it or when your life is in true danger. Besides, you must now be faithful and loyal to my orders, whether they be personal or business. Not as servants, but as my slaves.”

“Euk.”

Mediam shuddered at this. As was stated, her very existence was now in Azadine’s palm, and she no longer had the luxury to even die.

The terrifying way that this duel had ended also made her groan in pain. She had thought she would win easily, but she never thought she would be defeated so easily by the weakest person in the clan.

‘What can I do next? Should I try to kill him for my freedom? But the Emperor’s Voice always watches over the messenger.’

Mediam suddenly became truly worried about the tough future in front of her.

‘Well, isn’t this kid surprising?’

Azadine grinned as he watched Mediam’s face crinkle.

“Now then, what was the lesson of all this? Anyways, it’s fine. I will set you free. Mediam of the Ethar clan and Ismail, you are both free.”

“What?”

“Uh?”

Ismail, who had watched all of this, became shocked. The reason why servants and fellow messengers in the clan were allowed to challenge a ranking messenger was because the position required skill.

However, if everyone was allowed to make these challenges easily, the hierarchy within the system would be destroyed. This was why a losing challenger would be enslaved.

Yet Azadine was freeing Mediam despite her rude challenge?

“ON top of that, let’s pretend that today’s duel never happened. It would be troublesome if there were records of your quarreling with a messenger for no reason, right?”

“Ah, no, but why?”

Mediam could not understand why Azadine had done this.

“A girl like me, with beauty and talent, is enslaved and released on the same day with nothing being done to me?”

“Beauty and talent?”

Azadine snorted in amusement.

“I don’t know about your beauty, but you didn’t think you’d end up like Arael with this level of talent, right?”

“Euk.”

Mediam blushed in embarrassment at his words.

“S-still, I am pretty, right? And I was right before…”

“It was done to intimidate you. How was it? Weren’t you scared of that little threat just now? I note that the little lady could not help but flinch.”

“….”

“You’re safe with me, but there are people in the world who prefer young girls, and many cultures have traditions of marriage at an early age. When you do something like a duel, do it after careful thought. Actually, don’t do anything like a duel for the rest of your life. If you need to kill someone, assassinate them. Don’t fight them head-on.”

“Still, why are you letting us go?”

“Because it is annoying.”

“Uh?”

“I hate having to take care of kids.”

‘W-hat is with this person?’

Mediam was taken aback by Azadine’s attitude that they were seeing for the first time. It was quite… fresh.

“We are not kids!”

“You’re children enough. Even though I warned you several times to not be rude, you ignored it all and ended up challenging me anyway, right? Moreover, this kid…”

Azadine pointed to Ismail.

“Wasn’t he trying to interfere in the duel and ended up becoming a slave with you? You two come as a pair.”

“Kuak.”

This was an undeniable fact. Wouldn’t this mean that Azadine, the most neglected of messengers, did not have any need for them?

It was so insulting to Mediam that she ended up making an appeal.

“But don’t you want to have a talented servant like me around?”

“Are you calling yourself talented with your own mouth?”

“I am just stating a fact!”

“Whatever, you are just a child.”

“I will not deny that I am a little too youthful now. However, if you wait a bit longer, it will greatly help you, right? Besides, I am an Ethar. If you take me as your slave, everyone in the clan will see you for who you really are.”

Azadine was stunned by Mediam’s words.

“Are you suggesting that I take you as a slave? Do you want to be a slave?”

“W-well, that isn’t it either! It’s because it’s hard to understand your behavior. I’d rather lose money in a way I understand instead of profiting from something I don’t understand.”

“That is such a stupid idea. What would you do if I really took back the offer to release you?”

Azadine was puzzled by Mediam’s stubbornness and tilted his head.

“So, if I tell you why I am freeing you, you will understand?”

“Yes!”

“So what I’m saying is, since you are of the Ethar, you don’t stand out.”

Azadine laughed at her.

“Now think about that yourself.”

Azadine concluded as such and began to climb up the path.

“….”

“W-what?”

Mediam was shocked and asked Ismail.

“What is it? He said that we should head back?”

“T-that is a bit…”

Mediam panicked and ran after Azadine.