Chapter 50 - Aldis (4)

Deep in the Kerim Mountains of the Arangi Kingdom was the Sanctuary of the Messenger Clan. It was in the middle of rugged, rocky mountains that saw frequent gales and haze, a place no commoner would dare to cross. It was a place where the Messenger Clan trained, and messengers were sent to different parts of the continent to dedicate themselves to fulfilling the Contract of Service with the Emperor. They lived their lives like that in the hope of eventual freedom.

However, once every two years, messengers from around the continent would return to the Sanctuary for the summer solstice festival. They used this chance to report on casualties, the dead and wounded, as well as made reports on their performances during certain missions. Those that deserved rewards were compensated. Accordingly, those who deserved punishment were punished, and those who requested transfers were also heard.

It was still quite a while until the following summer solstice festival. Still, a messenger was spotted humming a tune as they moved across a cliff in the Kerim Mountains. It was Aldis, the silver-haired girl.

“Oh, I have so many presents with me this time, but I don’t know if the children will like it.”

Aldis stood before the Sanctuary, feeling giddy at the thought of being so near home. It was a path that was impossible for a commoner to find with the frequent strong winds and fog. However, Aldis simply called for the Emperor’s Voice and followed the path with its guidance to reach the inner region of the Sanctuary.

The wind blew all around her.

The view that revealed itself before her was one of a waterfall and a valley at the top of the mountain.

“Um, I guess I entered through the southeastern side this time. Ah, this place always looks magnificent. There’s a lot of mosquitoes, though.”

Aldis was talking to the Emperor’s Voice.

[The Blood of Heavenly Yaegas Gods runs thick through your veins. Do not donate your precious blood to the mosquitoes. If ever there was a benefit to taking life, it would be by taking the lives of these mosquitoes.]

The Emperor’s Voice was suggesting that Aldis kill the mosquitoes.

“If that’s what you say, then…”

Aldis easily cast a spell on the mosquitoes that were flying toward her.

-Beauties of Nature- Flower, Bird, Wind and Moon, Swallows and Sparrows!

Multiple shots of energy blocked the flying mosquitoes. The rest of the shots entered the forest and killed every mosquito it encountered. Each shot flew through the forest until the magic behind them ran out.

Satisfied with the result, Aldis began to walk further in with her Kerim Mountain Goats in tow. At that moment.

-splosh…

Something fell into the ravine.

“Hm.. what’s that?”

[It’s a child.]

The Emperor’s Voice gave Aldis a calm reply.

“Huh?!”

Surprised by this answer, Aldis ran into the valley. The ravine there had very turbulent water currents and cold waters. Because of that, swimming there would be difficult even for adults. In such a ravine, a child had fallen in.

“Ayy!”

Aldis threw her Moon Horn Bow and other valuable goods to the side and dived into the ravine.

When Azadine awoke, he saw a pair of beautiful purple eyes looking down at him. Aldis was crying.

“Azadine! Are you okay?”

“Huh, Aldis?”

“What happened exactly! Why are you on the outskirts of the Sanctuary of all places… you idiot!”

“… …”

Azadine then realized both he and Aldis were naked. He tried to turn his head away due to embarrassment, but Aldis hugged him tightly. The ravine’s water had drastically lowered his body temperature, so her warm embrace gave him a very good sensation.

“… …”

Seeing Aldis cry because of him hurt him greatly, and he could not bear to see her like that. He didn’t have the courage to tell her that he had chosen to commit suicide because of all the suffering and torment he was suffering in life. This was something he simply couldn’t say.

“Ah. Aldis, how are you here? There’s still a month remaining till the summer solstice.”

“I came early because I was worried some naughty kid would fall into a river while I wasn’t around. Seriously. I even bought tons of presents.”

“… …”

“Training is really hard, isn’t it?”

“N-No. Training’s basically nothing at this point. I was dismissed anyway.”

“You were dismissed?”

“Yeah. I can’t become a messenger…”

“Hm, well, it’s okay. There are so many jobs in the world aside from being a messenger. In fact, it’s weirder for someone to want to become a messenger. Every day’s a struggle. You’re basically homeless. When I was young, I wanted to eat sweets all the time, so I wanted to become a worker at a sweets factory. Did you know that?”

“Ah hahaha. Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

After saying that, Aldis took a look at the bonfire.

“The firewood’s running out. I’ll get some more kindling to rekindle the fire.”

She stood up in all her naked glory and gathered some dry leaves and twigs from nearby. In the meantime, Azadine was sitting wrapped in a blanket she had prepared. After rekindling the fire, Aldis returned to hug Azadine and wrapped the blanket around them again.

“Ar-Aren’t you going to the village?”

“Hm, but I was planning on seeing the stars with you here today.”

“Stars? Those things that shine in the night sky, right?”

“Yeah. Ah, I brought the constellation books of fairies with me today.”

“Constellations?”

“These are the myths of fairies who inhabited this land before the Yaegas Gods descended here. Constellations are patterns made by connecting the stars that twinkle brightly in the sky; these are the mythological stories about them. Whoo-hoo~. You know, I’m learning the language of fairies these days. I’ll read it for you.”

Aldis opened up the gift of sweets she had bought for Azadine as a present. While they counted the stars shining brightly in the sky as the sun set on that early summer evening, they shared the sweets and chatted about the legends of the fairies.

Something was certain. Before this, Azadine did not know what beauty was. The night sky was merely a large void for him, with the twinkling stars too trivial for his attention.

However, after counting the stars with Aldis that day, Azadine realized what beauty was. The stars awakened a painful yearning within him.

After failing the foundational training, Azadine was sent to receive vocational training. Once someone from the Messenger Clan became disqualified from becoming a messenger, they either had to serve under someone, join a merchant company, or become a worker.

Azadine happened to become awash with newly-found leisure time after his dismissal from foundational training. So while that training occupied the days of the rest of his peers, Azadine found the freedom to follow Aldis every day with her fruitful visit.

Aldis also generously gave her time for him to make up for the torment he had suffered while she was away.

“This book is really interesting. I-I came to return it to you.”

Azadine returned the introductory book about the Rescue Knights Order to Aldis.

“No, Azadine. You can keep it.”

“Huh? Ca-Can I really?”

“But tell me, what part of it did you like so much?”

“The Three Virtues. The Rescue Knights Order said that by upholding the virtues of courage, wisdom, and mercy, a person can be bestowed upon by the three Archangels with the ability to wield white magic. White magic is that magic, right? The one that the Yaegas Heavenly Kings wielded?”

“Ah, right. Um. *Puff puff*”

“I wish I could use magic too.”

The reason for young Azadine’s fascination with the Rescue Knights Order was due to their claim that anyone could wield white magic as long as they upheld the Three Virtues, irrespective of their bloodline.

Disqualified for not being able to use magic, failure, fool, monster, the eyeless freak.

The Messenger Clan was a people that was persecuted all through the continent. Yet, within the clan, this young boy was despised by his own people. Inevitably, this led him to become fascinated with the claims of the Rescue Knights Order. Yet, from what Aldis had seen during her travels as a messenger, there was none among the Rescue Knights Order who could wield white magic, at least not as a result of upholding the Three Virtues.

‘Hm, the Rescue Knights Order, huh. They looked like fraudsters to me. Well, not all of them. There were a few good people, but the priests there were all somewhat…’

The Rescue Knights Order was made of people who claimed to be protecting humanity from the abyss of the Netherworld. They claimed that beneath the Continent of Hubris was the deep abyss of the Netherworld that was home to indescribably grotesque evil beings. Compared to the Netherworld, which was the origin of powerful black magic, the Kurt Clan and even the saviors of humanity, the Yaegas Gods, couldn’t even compare.

Because of these claims, the Rescue Knights were, at one point, considered a heretical order, leading to the breakout of a religious war. Following this, as the King’s Church devolved into disaster, the Rescue Knights rose in status and became acknowledged by the people, but…

‘Hm, white magic, huh. The high-ranked knights did use white magic, but the wielders were all aristocrats.’

In the end, only those who had inherited the blood of the Yaegas Gods could wield white magic. Other than that, it was said that there were more white magic users in the headquarters of the Rescue Knights in the Inland Peninsula, but…

Aldis hadn’t confirmed for herself whether this was true.

‘The King’s Church became a disaster after turning into an illegitimate child management organization. Regardless, the Holy Knights of the King’s Church had extraordinarily remarkable personnel when compared to the Rescue Knights.’

However, there was no need to mention that at that moment. Seeing that the gloomy Azadine was returning to high spirits, Aldis wanted to comfort him in whatever way possible.

“Do you want to become a Rescue Knight?”

“Re-Rescue Knight? Yeah. But I’m Aragasa… will they like me?”

“Hm?”

“I heard everyone hated the Aragasa and that we killed their precious Heavenly Kings. But all the other children like that. They say they’re strong enough to kill someone like the Heavenly Gods, so everyone would obviously be scared of them. So, they scoff at the hate. But what about me? I’m an Aragasa, but I’m weak and powerless… yet people will still hate me being for Aragasa. No… even before that.”

Azadine touched the spot on his face where flesh filled a place where eyes should have been.

“Even before being Aragasa, this is a problem. This face! Everyone says my face is disgusting to look at and that I should cover it up. Last time, the other kids threw a sack over my face, and I almost suffocated to death.”

“Who did that? Who was it!?”

Aldis’ voice was laced with a hint of anger.

“Ah, th-that’s-”

Azadine knew from experience that involving adults in a children’s fight never solved the problem. It only exacerbated it.

Aldis was a descendant of the Jedaha clan and a scholar researching magic. Her words held great authority and power, but she was also assigned countless missions. As a result, she couldn’t stay with Azadine. In other words, even if Aldis were to protect Azadine, it wouldn’t help him that much while she was away.

He was happy now that Aldis had come back, but the thought of her having to leave again sent him back into depression.

“The Rescue Knights will hate me too, won’t they?”

“Azadine.”

Aldis hugged Azadine in a tight embrace. Azadine caught a light scent of lavender.

“You have the book, so you must know, don’t you? The Rescue Knights’ ideology is that anyone can become a Rescue Knight with courage, wisdom, and mercy.”

“Yes.”

“All you need to have is courage, wisdom, and mercy. You can become anything.”

“But even after being an Aragasa, let alone a messenger, I couldn’t even become a servant.”

“It’s always been that way that only a small fraction of Aragasa become messengers. So, of course, it’s normal for most people that couldn’t become a messenger to become their servants. In the end, What’s important isn’t how others look at you, but how you look at and perceive yourself.”

“Th-That.”

Azadine frowned.

“That’s the problem. I hate myself right now.”

“Then, by any chance, Azadine, do you hate me too?”

“No-No way, how could I!”

Azadine raised and waved his hands as if he had just heard something startlingly blasphemous.