Deep within the Kerim Mountains of the Arangi Kingdom lies the holy land of the Herald Clan. Hidden within the treacherous rocky peaks, where whirlwinds and mists frequently arise, making it nearly impossible for ordinary people to traverse, the Herald Clan trains. Afterward, they spread across the world, serving the emperor under the contract of service, living with the aspiration of their clan's liberation.
However, once every two years, during the Summer Solstice Festival, the heralds scattered across the world return to the holy land. They report on their training progress, handle the procedures for the fallen and the injured, reward those who deserve it, punish those who must be disciplined, and conduct personnel transfers.
It was during a time when the Summer Solstice Festival was still far off that a lone herald was climbing a cliff, humming a tune. The silver-haired girl, Aldis.
"Ah, I brought way too many gifts this time. I wonder if they'll like them."
Excited to be nearing her homeland, Aldis stood before the holy land. A path hidden by frequent mists and whirlwinds, impossible for ordinary people to find. However, Aldis called upon the Emperor's Voice and, following its guidance, navigated through the labyrinthine terrain to enter the holy land.
—Swoosh...
What spread before her eyes was a waterfall and a valley nestled atop the mountains.
"Hmm, I entered from the southeast this time. Ah, no matter how many times I see it, this place is breathtaking. If only there weren't so many mosquitoes."
Aldis was speaking to the Emperor's Voice.
[The blood of the Yaegas Divine Clan flows thick within you. Do not offer your precious blood to the mosquitoes. If there is any benefit in killing, it is in slaying mosquitoes.]
The Emperor's Voice advised Aldis to exterminate the mosquitoes.
"If you say so."
Aldis cast a light spell at the mosquitoes swarming toward her.
—Beauty of Nature, Swallow and Sparrow!
Countless bullets of force shot out, intercepting every mosquito in the air. Even the remaining bullets seeped into the bushes, mercilessly hunting down hidden mosquitoes until the magic prowess was exhausted.
Satisfied with the result, Aldis led the Kerim mountain goats along as she walked. It was then—
—Splash…
Something fell into the valley's waters.
"Hmm… What was that?"
[A child.]
The Emperor's Voice answered Aldis's question.
"What?!"
Startled, Aldis rushed to the valley. The water here was extremely rough, the temperature too low for even an adult to swim in. Yet, a child had fallen into this deadly current.
"Hey!"
Without hesitation, Aldis threw off her Dual Immortal Bow and various valuables, diving straight into the water.
***
When Azadin regained consciousness, he was met with a pair of beautiful violet eyes staring down at him. Aldis was crying.
"Azadin! Are you okay?"
"Uh… Aldis?"
"Why would you do that?! Why did you go all the way to the outer edges of the holy land… You idiot!"
"...."
Azadin realized that both he and Aldis were naked. Embarrassed, he tried to turn his head away, but Aldis pulled him into a tight embrace. The cold valley water had drained his body heat, and the warmth of Aldis's arms felt overwhelmingly comforting.
"...."
Seeing Aldis cry for him made his heart ache unbearably. In truth, he had wanted to die—life was too painful, too difficult. But he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"A-Aldis, what brings you here? There's still a whole month left until the festival."
"I was worried that some troublemaker might fall into the water while I was gone, so I came early. I also bought a ton of gifts."
"...."
"Training must be tough, huh?"
"N-No. Training doesn't even bother me anymore. I got kicked out anyway."
"You got kicked out?"
"Yeah. They said I can't become a herald…"
"Hmm, well, it's fine. There are plenty of jobs besides being a herald. Honestly, wanting to be a herald is the weird part. It's just constant travel and sleeping outdoors. You know, when I was little, I really wanted to work in a snack factory just so I could eat all the snacks I wanted. Did you know that?"
"Haha, really?"
"Yeah."
With that, Aldis checked on the campfire.
"We're out of firewood. I'll go gather some kindling."
She stood up, still naked, and walked around picking up firewood. Meanwhile, Azadin sat blankly inside the blanket Aldis had prepared. Once she reignited the fire, Aldis wrapped the blanket around them both again, holding Azadin close.
"A-Aren't we going back to the village?"
"I thought we could just watch the stars together tonight."
"The stars? You mean those things shining in the night sky?"
"Yeah. Oh, today I brought a book about the constellations of the fairies."
"Constellations?"
"It's from the mythology of the fairies who lived on this land before the Yaegas Divine Clan arrived. They connected the brightest stars in the sky and created shapes, weaving stories around them. Hehe, I've been learning fairy languages lately. Let me read it to you."
Aldis opened the snacks she had brought and shared them with Azadin. As the midsummer night fell, they gazed at the stars while she recounted the legends of the fairies.
Azadin could say this with certainty—until then, he had never known what beauty was. The night sky had always been nothing but a vast emptiness, and the stars too insignificant to matter.
But that night, counting the stars with Aldis, he learned what beauty was. From then on, the stars became a longing carved deep into his heart.
***
Having failed the basic training, Azadin was assigned to vocational training. As part of the Herald Clan, if he couldn't become a herald, he would either have to serve as a servant, join a firm as a merchant, or work as a laborer.
During the basic training period, all available manpower in the holy land was focused on the training course, leaving Azadin, a dropout, with ample free time. Since Aldis was visiting, Azadin sought her out every day.
Aldis, in turn, knowing how much he had suffered in her absence, devoted her time to him without hesitation.
"This book was really interesting. I-I came to return it."
Azadin handed Aldis a beginner's guide to the Knights of Salvation.
"No, Azadin, you should keep it."
"Huh? I-Is that okay?"
"What part did you like so much?"
"The three virtues. The Knights of Salvation say that if you uphold the virtues of courage, wisdom, and mercy, you can receive power from the Archangel of Trinity and use white magic. White magic, that's the power, right? The one used by the Yaegas Divine Kings?"
"Ah, that's right. Hmm… Haha."
"I wish I could use magic too."
Young Azadin was captivated by the Knights of Salvation because they claimed that anyone, regardless of bloodline, could use white magic as long as they upheld the virtues.
A defective, a dropout, a half-wit, a monstrosity, an eyeless abomination.
Among the persecuted Herald Clan, he was one of the most despised. It was only natural that he would be drawn to the ideals of the Knights of Salvation.
However, from what Aldis had seen during her travels as a herald, she had never encountered a single knight of salvation who actually used white magic. Or at least, none who used it through the power of the three virtues.
Those who wielded white magic among the Knights of Salvation were just like those in the King's Church—nobles of the Yaegas Divine Clan who had no inheritance rights and were forced into religious service.
'Hmm, the Knights of Salvation, huh? From what I saw, they seemed like a bunch of con artists. Well, there were some good people, but the clergy… they were all kind of…'
The Knights of Salvation boasted that they defended humanity from the abyss of the world known as the Nether. According to their claims, beneath the Hubris continent lay the Nether, a deeper abyss where unspeakable, inhuman evils resided.
Compared to that Nether, even the Kurt Divine Clan was nothing, and even the Yaegas Divine Clan, who had vanquished the Kurt Divine Clan and saved humanity, were insignificant.
Such claims had once led them to be branded as heretics, sparking a religious war. However, after the King's Church became corrupt, the status of the Knights of Salvation rose, and they were no longer considered heretical but acknowledged.
'White magic, huh. Some of the upper-class knights did use it, but those guys were all noble-born.'
In the end, only those who carried the blood of the Yaegas Divine Clan could use white magic. Unless, perhaps, there were more white magic users at the Knights of Salvation's main holy land on the Inland Sea Peninsula…
But Aldis had never confirmed that.
'Even if the King's Church has become a dumping ground for illegitimate children and fallen into disgrace, its holy knights are still far superior in manpower compared to the Knights of Salvation.'
But now wasn't the time to talk about that. Seeing Azadin, who had been so downcast, suddenly brimming with life, Aldis simply wanted to encourage him.
***
"Do you want to become a knight of salvation?"
"A-A knight of salvation? Yes, but… I'm an Aragasa… Would they even accept me?"
"Hmm?"
"I heard that everyone hates the Aragasa. They say we killed their precious Divine Kings. But the others… they love it. They brag about how we're so strong that even the Divine Kings feared us. But then, what about me? I'm an Aragasa, but I'm weak, powerless… And yet people will still hate me just because I'm Aragasa. No… even before that."
Azadin touched his face, running his fingers over the flesh where his eyes should have been.
"The real issue comes before being an Aragasa. This face! Everyone says it's disgusting to look at. Last time, some kids threw a sack over my head, and I almost suffocated to death."
"Who did that?! Who were they?!"
A quiet fury laced Aldis's voice.
"Ah, w-well, that's…"
Azadin knew from experience that involving an adult in a fight between children wouldn't solve the problem—it would only make things worse.
Aldis was of the Jedaha Family, a herald, and a scholar at the Academy of Magic. Her voice carried great authority, but she had too many responsibilities to stay by Azadin's side. Even if she protected him, it wouldn't help when she wasn't around.
Right now, he was happy that she was here. But knowing that she would eventually leave made his heart sink once more.
"The Knights of Salvation will hate me too, won't they?"
"Azadin."
Aldis pulled Azadin into a tight embrace. A faint scent of lavender filled his nose.
"You read the book, didn't you? The Knights of Salvation believe that anyone can become a knight as long as they uphold courage, wisdom, and mercy."
"Yes."
"Then all you need to do is embody courage, wisdom, and mercy. You can become anything you want."
"Even though I was born an Aragasa and can't even be a herald or a servant?"
"Only a small fraction of the Aragasa become heralds. Most don't even qualify as servants—that's just how it is. In the end, what matters isn't how others see you, but how you see yourself."
"T-That's…"
Azadin's face twisted, on the verge of tears.
"That's the problem. I hate myself."
"Then, Azadin, do you hate me?"
"T-That could never happen!"
Azadin flailed his hands in alarm, as if he had just heard blasphemy.