"This bread may be relief supplies, but honestly, the quality is terrible."
The bread was so hard that it seemed like it could crack a human skull if used to strike someone. When Azadin sniffed it, he noticed a woody scent, as if sawdust had been mixed in.
"Sawdust is mixed in?"
"Right? That's how the Knights of Salvation are. They receive plenty of donations, but their charity is merely for show."
As Midiam badmouthed the Knights of Salvation, Azadin shook his head.
"Show or not, they're the only ones taking care of the refugees right now. With so many mouths to feed, they can't afford to worry about food quality."
However, as Azadin examined the bread further, he frowned.
"But this bread is just impossible to eat as is."
He broke a piece and put it in his mouth, only to grimace in disgust.
"Ugh, I want to spit it out. But if I put it in my mouth, I have to eat it. This bread was prepared by the Knights of Salvation for the refugees, so I can't just throw it away out of curiosity."
"Isn't it bad for your health?"
"I'll be fine. I'm incredibly tough. I should at least be able to digest this."
Azadin barely managed to swallow the piece of bread and struggled.
"Should I make porridge? That might make it easier to digest."
"Yeah."
"But I really don't want to eat porridge with that bread in it. Can we just leave it out? Give it to the other refugees instead."
"Don't be picky. I'll cook it separately so it doesn't mix too much."
Azadin prepared a pot, first coating it with spices and rendered lard before adding water and oats. As the porridge cooked, children began to gather around.
"Kind sir, in the name of the Archangel of Mercy, please give us alms."
"We haven't eaten in three days."
"We're hungry."
The refugees near the camp were openly sending children to beg.
"What about the food from the Knights of Salvation?"
"They only give it to adults and tell the children to join them."
"There are too many people, but the food is too little."
The children pleaded, their eyes fixated on the bubbling pot. Their faces were gaunt, but their eyes shone brightly, making it clear that they were indeed starving.
Azadin threw the bread from the Knights of Salvation into the pot, increasing the volume of the porridge, then scooped portions into the bowls the children had brought.
"Eat here before you go."
"Huh?"
"Eat here."
Azadin made the children eat the porridge on the spot.
"What are you doing?"
This time, it wasn't Midiam or Ishmael who objected, but Tarkiev, who had been maintaining the camp.
"You're making a knight like me take care of horses and goats, but you're giving food to such lowly things? The Knights of Salvation are already handling the relief efforts!"
"I brought this bread from the Knights of Salvation myself. I received relief supplies despite not being a refugee, so I should pay it back with interest."
"That interest seems excessive."
"Well, don't be so stingy about feeding kids. If they grow up well… Hmm?"
At that moment, a group of people approached Azadin's camp.
On top of their cargo, a small flag of the Korasar Peddlers' Guild was planted. It was a clan member, who had come searching for Azadin.
"You're doing quite the noble deed."
The leader of the peddlers pulled back his hood, revealing a middle-aged man with a dry, stern-looking face.
"Azadin, I never expected you to walk so boldly down the main road while being wanted by the clan."
"Regional Head?"
"You should address me as Regional Head, Lord Salem, shouldn't you? I heard you thoroughly humiliated our guild members? Beating them and disgracing them, claiming that a herald outranks a servant and that they should listen to you?"
Salem, the Regional Head of Salasma, whom Azadin had been heading to meet, had been traveling with a merchant caravan.
And this Regional Head was absolutely furious. As a high-ranking member of the Savan family, he seemed to have received a full report of Azadin's so-called offenses against the Korasar Peddlers' Guild members. With a gaze that looked as if he wanted to kill Azadin on the spot, he shouted,
"Clear the area of people."
His attendants formed a human barrier to prevent others from approaching.
"Tarkiev, clear out the bystanders."
Azadin also instructed Tarkiev to drive away the onlookers.
"Hey, you little brats! This old man is craving some child meat, so if you come too close, I'll roast you over the fire! Now scram!"
"Eek!"
The children shrieked and fled. In an instant, the surroundings were emptied, and then Midiam and Ishmael made Tarkiev step back as well, ensuring that Azadin and Regional Head Salem could meet privately.
At Salem's clap, his servants brought a folding chair and set it behind him. They also raised poles and draped cloth to create a canopy. As the night deepened and the surroundings grew darker, the canopy completely blocked the view from outside.
And that wasn't all. The servants took out instruments and began playing music, drowning out any conversation between Azadin and the Regional Head.
Thus, the private discussion between Azadin and Regional Head Salem began.
***
"You're no different from a noble."
Azadin sneered as he watched Regional Head Salem indulge in his wealth. The canopy, the chair, the musical instruments—none of them were items that ordinary travelers would carry. Salem deliberately transported such luxuries to emphasize his status, living more extravagantly than most nobles.
"Shut up, Azadin. I'm itching to kill you right now. If you hadn't hidden among a crowd, I would have killed you already."
Salem threatened Azadin, but it was an empty threat.
"I heard Arael betrayed you. Then isn't this the least of your concerns right now? It's unlikely Arael acted alone. Didn't those who followed her betray you as well?"
Arael was a symbol for those who didn't belong to the Five Founding Families, and she had many followers. If she had betrayed the Herald Clan, then a fervent faction would have followed suit, leaving the leadership of the Herald Clan as if they had been struck by a bomb.
"You! So you're in league with Arael after all?"
Salem's anger only confirmed that Azadin's guess was accurate.
"No. Absolutely not. That would never happen."
Azadin touched his wound. The scar on his face, inflicted by Arael, throbbed with pain.
"I want my dismissal revoked. I am not on Arael's side."
"You insolent brat. Why should I do that? I've heard that you and Arael don't get along, but that could just be a ploy to deceive others."
"Hah, what a foolish thing to say. What would be the point of infiltrating me into the clan? Every single person in the clan despises me. If I infiltrated, do you think they would trust me and share valuable information? You know that's impossible."
"..."
Azadin's words were self-deprecating and sharp, but they were true. Everyone in the Herald Clan looked down on him. To suggest that he had been playing the role of a hated sibling just to infiltrate the clan, and that he had been doing so since early childhood?
It was absurd. The Regional Head knew there was logic in Azadin's argument, but that didn't change the fact that he despised him.
'I don't like him.'
Regional Head Salem was a man who valued authority and hierarchy. To him, orders from superiors were absolute. The elders had dismissed Azadin, and to Salem, that decision was entirely justified.
Azadin wasn't on Arael's side? He hadn't participated in the rebellion? What did that matter?
Throughout the Eight Divine Kingdoms, even in the nations of dwarves and elves, collective punishment was the norm. If there was a felon, their family was punished as well. In a world where such laws were natural, just being Arael's kin made Azadin a criminal.
Even if Azadin wasn't on Arael's side, there were many who wanted to kill him simply to vent their frustration.
Yet here he was, recklessly shaking the very foundations of authority and hierarchy while claiming his innocence. If he had simply prostrated himself and begged, the higher-ups would have handled things in due time. But instead, he couldn't wait and dared, as a criminal, to assert himself.
'And he dares to mock me, calling my words foolish?'
Azadin had only spoken out of frustration that he was being suspected of siding with Arael. But to Salem, it sounded like outright ridicule.
"I understand now. So you're not on Arael's side. But why should I even consider speaking to the Elder Council about revoking your dismissal?"
"Because it's the right thing to do. A young member of the clan, a Herald no less, is about to suffer under false accusations, and you, as the Regional Head, whose duty is to support the Heralds, would ignore that?"
"Hmph, so helping you is the right thing to do? That might not be the case. You could still be Arael's spy, and even if you aren't, we could use you to threaten Arael and limit her actions."
"So you're saying you'll use me as bait to draw Arael out? That won't work."
"Even if it doesn't, if the elders and the chief rescind their decision so quickly, it would damage the organization's authority. Right now, maintaining order and discipline is the top priority."
"No, the organization's authority was already shattered the moment Arael betrayed you. You were the ones who praised her as the reincarnation of Harconia, the greatest genius in history. You've already proven your judgment is worthless, so do you really think dismissing an innocent man will restore order?"
"You insolent brat! Are you daring to criticize the decisions made by the elders and the chief?"
Salem was furious that Azadin had the audacity to question the elders' judgment.
This was a fundamental miscommunication between Azadin and Salem, caused by their inherently incompatible personalities. Salem had meant that if the elders and the chief immediately rescinded their decision, it would damage the organization's authority.
In other words, if Azadin simply endured for now, once the situation calmed down, they would quietly revoke his dismissal to avoid a loss of prestige. He was telling Azadin not to openly resist and to wait patiently.
But to Azadin, it sounded like, "For the sake of our dignity, you'll just have to die." With so much left unsaid, it was inevitable that they misunderstood each other.
From Salem's perspective, explaining everything in detail to a subordinate felt demeaning, so even that alone made him feel humiliated.
'I am the superior here. Why doesn't he just trust that I will handle things? Why is this lowly brat pestering me like this? Is he trying to damage my dignity?'
That was how Salem felt about Azadin.
Azadin, being sharp, understood Salem's true intentions and why he was behaving this way. And because he understood, he found it revolting.
"I understand. I won't openly resist. But in return, revoke the execution order immediately, and give me a clear guarantee that my dismissal will be reversed within six months. Put it in writing…"
"You arrogant wretch! A verbal promise should be enough, and yet you dare demand a contract from me?"
"My life is at stake. A verbal promise is far from enough."
Azadin raised his voice as well.