Chapter 47 - Aldis (1)

“It’s food for the refugees, but the bread’s quality is terrible.”

The bread was as hard as a rock, hard enough that it could be used to split open a person’s skull. It also smelled like wood, almost like sawdust mixed with the bread.

“I think they put sawdust in it.”

“See? That’s the true form of the Rescue Knights. They receive a lot of donations, but, for them, charity is a mere formality.”

Azadine shook his head when Mediam slandered the Rescue Knights.

“It could just be a formality. But the reality is that only Rescue Knights are looking after refugees right now. With so many mouths to feed, they probably aren’t free to fuss over the food’s quality.”

Yet Azadine looked at the bread carefully and frowned.

“But I just can’t eat this bread by itself.”

Azadine took a piece of the bread, put it in his mouth, and grimaced.

“Ew, I want to spit it out, but I shouldn’t throw away food like that. After all, the Rescue Knights prepared food for refugees, so I was curious about its taste. Now that I’ve taken a bite, I can’t just throw it away.”

“What if you get sick?”

“Don’t worry about it. My body’s really tough. Nothing’s going to happen if I eat this bread.”

Azadine struggled to swallow the piece of bread already in his mouth.

“Should I heat up some porridge? That might help.”

“Yeah.”

“But I don’t want to eat porridge with that bread. How about you give it to the refugees?”

“No need to complain about food so much. I can boil the porridge without adding any bread to it.”

Azadine readied a pot and placed seasoning and marinated lard before adding water and oats. As he prepared the porridge, children began to gather around him.

“Merciful Sir, in the name of the Archangel of Benevolence, please help us.”

“I haven’t eaten for 3 days.”

“I’m hungry.”

The refugees nearby were sending their children to beg.

“What about the food the Rescue Knights are giving away?”

“They give food to the adults, but as children, we’re asked to join the Order instead of being given food.”

“There’s not enough food for everyone.”

Their eyes glistened as they saw the porridge cooking in the pan. Their faces were sunken, and only their eyes had any glint of life in them. They were likely telling the truth about their hunger.

Azadine then added the bread that he had been given from the Rescue Knights Order. There was more porridge, so he shared it with the children who had brought their bowls.

“Eat this here and go.”

“Huh?”

“I said eat it, and then you can go.”

Azadine fed the children some porridge.

“What are you doing?”

This time it wasn’t Mediam and Ismail who butted in. In fact, it was Tarki who had come over after preparing land for the camp.

“You tasked me with feeding horses and mountain goats even though I’m a knight. Why are you personally feeding those lowly kids when that’s the job of the Rescue Knights?”

“I received bread from the Rescue Knights, but I’m not a refugee. So, it’s only right that I pay off that debt with interest.”

“You’re paying back too much interest.”

“Don’t be stingy about feeding children. Who knows? They might grow up and… Huh?”

A group of strange people was approaching Azadine’s camp. Their luggage was adorned with the symbol of the Korasar Peddlers Guild. It seemed the clan’s members had located Azadine and were approaching him.

“What a wonderful deed you’re doing.”

The person at the lead removed his hood and revealed a middle-aged face with a stern expression and a wrinkled face.

“Azadine, what a surprise! The whole clan’s after you; you’re just out in the open.”

“District Chief?”

“You should address me as Mr. Salem, the District Chief. I heard you humiliated the members of our guild. Apparently, you ordered them around by saying servants are below messengers and belittled them, is that right?”

Azadine had been heading toward Salasma to meet Salem, the District Chief. Entirely by chance, Salem had already been personally leading his men to look for Azadine, but in a state of anger. He was a high-ranking member of the Savan Family, and he appeared to have received reports of Azadine’s so-called disrespect towards his guild members. His gaze then became murderous as he shouted.

“All of you, step back.”

The servants secured the area by forming a barrier to keep other people away.

“Tarki, get everyone out of here.”

Azadine also ordered Tarki to get everyone to leave.

“Oi, you little brats! I’m dying to eat the soft flesh of one of you young kids. If you come close, I’ll roast you up on a bonfire! Get lost before I eat you!”

“Whoa!”

The children ran away in fright. After they chased everyone away, Mediam and Ismail took Tarki away as well. Only Azadine and the chief were left alone in the center. The chief clapped, and servants set up a chair behind him. They also created an awning using poles and some cloth. The sun had already set, and the area was pitch black. The awning over them blocked them from any type of unknown surveillance or other similar things.

That wasn’t the end of the measures, however. The servants also played instruments to drown out any conversations between Azadine and the chief. The servants had created the perfect place for a private chat.

Finally, Azadine and Salem, the district’s chief of Salasma, could chat in private.

“Nothing less could be expected from a noble.”

Salem clearly enjoyed his wealth, and Azadine took a jab at that. The average traveler would never be able to carry around things like awnings, chairs, or musical instruments. Yet Salem made a point of carrying these extra things to show off his rank. His preferences were even more luxurious than the average noble.

“Shut up, Azadine. Plenty of people are dying to kill you right now, and I’m one of them. You’re lucky you hid in a place filled with people, or you’d be dead already.”

Salem threatened Azadine, but it was an empty threat.

“Didn’t you say Arael revolted? Judging from the current situation, I don’t think that’s true. Her followers would have revolted with her. It doesn’t make sense for her to be the only one.”

Arael, after all, didn’t belong to any of the Founding Families. She was merely a symbol for all those like her and had many followers. With her revolt, several of the more ambitious groups would have followed her. If so, they would have already torn the leadership to shreds.

“You bastard! I was right. You’re helping her, aren’t you?”

Salem’s fury was proof that Azadine was right.

“No, never. I guarantee that’s not the case.”

Azadine caressed the scar on his face. The wound inflicted by Arael still throbbed with pain.

“I hope you’ll withdraw the order for my dismissal as a messenger. I’m not supporting Arael.”

“You arrogant bastard. So what if there are rumors of bad blood between you and Arael? It could all be an act to fool others. Why should I do as you say?”

“Haha. How simple-minded of you. How would I be of benefit to Arael when the whole clan despises me? No one’s going to trust me or share valuable intel with me. You’re smart enough to know that’s true.”

“…”

Azadine’s words were self-deprecating but entirely truthful. He was detested by everyone in the clan and would be useless as a spy. Why would they pretend to be on bad terms for so many years? Besides, how would they have been able to plan this rivalry as children?

It was a preposterous claim. The chief knew Azadine made a good point, but his contempt towards Azadine came first.

‘I really don’t like him.’

Salem respected authority and the structure of hierarchy. For him, orders made by those above him were absolute. The Elders had decided to remove Azadine from his position, and he found it a reasonable choice.

‘Azadine wasn’t supporting Arael’. ‘Azadine wasn’t involved in the revolt’.- None of this mattered to him.

Guilt by association was the norm across the Eight Kingdoms and even in the lands of the dwarves and the elves. In this world, even a felon’s family would also be punished for his crimes. Simply by being Arael’s blood relative, Azadine was guilty.

While Azadine may not be helping Arael because of their rivalry, many within the clan still wanted to kill him to vent their rage. On top of that, he was claiming to be innocent. If they accepted this, it would upset the balance of authority and hierarchy. Had he groveled and begged the higher-ups, the matter might have been solved, yet how could a sinner like him speak so confidently.

‘And on top of that, he has the guts to mock ‘me’ by calling me ‘simple-minded’?!’

The chief had accused Azadine of supporting Arael. Naturally, Azadine simply voiced his own opinion out of frustration. However, the tone of his reply made the chief feel that Azadine was mocking him.

“Okay, I understand that you’re not on Arael’s side. But why should I request the Senate to cancel your dismissal?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do. I’m being falsely accused. Not just as a young man of the clan but also a messenger, would you turn a blind eye to that? Even though I’m innocent?”

“Hm, helping you is the right thing to do, you say. But what if it’s not? You could still be Arael’s spy. And if you’re not, we can use you to force Arael to act.”

“Are you planning on keeping me hostage to lure out Arael? Sorry to break your bubble, but that probably won’t work.”

“That doesn’t matter. The leader and elders can’t reverse the order for your dismissal. It’ll hurt the organization’s prestige. And right now, protecting and restoring the organization’s hierarchy, law, and order is more important than ever.”

“But Arael’s betrayal had already destroyed that prestige into pieces. You all pushed the narrative of Arael being the reincarnation of Harkonia and the greatest prodigy in history, didn’t you? Everyone could already see the proof of your lapse in judgment. Do you really think that forcing my removal would protect your so-called law and order?”

“How dare you criticize the judgment of the leader and the Elders?”

Salem was enraged by the fact that Azadine had criticized the Elders for their handling of the situation. In truth, however, Azadine and Salem had misunderstood each other because of a gap in their communication. Salem had meant to say that retracting the order for Azadine’s dismissal right away would potentially undermine the organization.

In other words, Salem had simply wanted Azadine to stop this open rebellion and calm down. Once the matter had cooled, they would quietly retract his dismissal so the organization’s reputation would not suffer.

Unfortunately, all Azadine heard was that they would rather let him die instead of tarnishing their honor. Many things were left unsaid, leading to understandable confusion.

Salem was Azadine’s superior, yet the latter kept pointing out every detail and flaw to him. This humiliated him as his mistakes were laid bare.

‘I’m the boss here, so I can handle it all on my own. He’s my subordinate. Who is he to nag and question me over every single detail about this? Is he trying to put me down?’

That was what Salem felt about Azadine. The boy was exceptionally smart, and Salem understood why Azadine had come forward like this. Yet, for this same reason, Salem also despised Azadine.

“Okay, then. I won’t rebel so openly. So, please lift the killing order immediately and give me a clear answer that you’ll retract my dismissal within the next 6 months. Write a contract…”

“You cocky bastard! How dare you demand a contract when my word will suffice?”

“No, your word isn’t enough when my life is at stake.”

Azadine also raised his voice.