"Damn it!"
Azadin took the black whirlwind head-on with his body.
"Hah… Playing the knight, are we? Enduring for the lady, huh?"
Azadin withstood it without much impact. A normal person would have weakened in an instant, but he appeared unfazed.
"Oh, right. My apologies. I have a bit of resistance to black mana."
"What?!"
"More importantly, everyone! I know you're exhausted, but muster your strength for a moment! I'll put an end to that bastard!"
Azadin called out to those who were tied up, then leaped backward and grabbed the rope that held the baroness.
"You bastard!"
The holy knight tried to chase after Azadin, but he swung the rope forcefully like a swing and flung himself sideways, then jumped to the next rope.
"Damn trickster…."
The holy knight moved to pursue him, but Azadin had already leaped onto another rope.
'He, he's too fast! This bastard!'
Azadin's movement was faster than the knight could turn his body. On top of that, he kept circling behind the bound captives, making it difficult to keep sight of him.
"Ugh!"
Azadin moved from rope to rope, increasing his speed, with the holy knight trapped in the center, as if caught in a giant vortex.
"W-What is this?"
As the holy knight grew flustered, Azadin had already flown behind him, attaching himself to his back.
"You little—!"
The holy knight was shocked, but it was already too late. Azadin, having built up momentum, launched himself, sending the tide of rats crashing down.
"Kept you waiting, huh? It's over now."
Azadin spoke to the holy knight before grabbing onto him and throwing himself backward.
A terrifying force and speed!
All the momentum Azadin had built up from spinning around on the ropes was transferred directly to the holy knight.
—'Azure Lone Pine, Evergreen in Solitude! Kazas Haeseo!'
The grimoire of Beauty of Nature was originally structured as poetic verses, allowing skilled mages to link spells inspired by images of birds, flowers, landscapes, and the moon to enhance their magic.
Azure Lone Pine, Evergreen in Solitude was an advanced form of the Azure Lone Pine spell, but what Azadin unleashed was a ferocious vertical dive attack that delivered immense kinetic energy directly to his target.
—Boom!
The holy knight was violently slammed into the ground.
Azadin had grabbed him, spun in midair, and driven him straight down headfirst.
Falling from the height of a giant barrel, landing headfirst in a straight vertical drop—such an impact would kill even a bear or an ogre instantly.
Sure enough, the holy knight's spine was utterly shattered. His vertebrae cracked, collapsing his ribcage, and the broken bones tore through his organs, leaving him in a grotesque state.
"Guh! I, I haven't even… fully used the Apostle of Mezeri's power… I haven't transformed yet!"
It seemed the fallen holy knight, as an Apostle of Mezeri, still had much hidden power. But no power in the world could compensate for a shattered spine and mangled organs.
In the end, the holy knight perished without being able to use any further tricks.
"If you had something like that, you should've used it earlier. Want me to wait until you transform?"
Azadin let out a sigh and got up.
"Ugh, my body aches. This is exhausting."
He had fought far too many enemies alone.
"Damn it, now that I think about it… the rats…."
There were still many rats around Azadin. Having already tasted human flesh, they remained ferocious even after the Apostle of Mezeri died.
The swarm of rats lunged at Azadin. Being on the ground, he had no way to escape.
At that moment, the copy of the Book of the Divine King descended from the sky, radiating a brilliant light.
—Squeak!
—Crackle!
The rats' bodies began to ignite. Those nearest to the copy of the Book of the Divine King died instantly, while those further away were blinded and fled.
Despite their overwhelming numbers, they receded like the tide.
"What the hell…?"
Azadin reached out toward the copy of the Book of the Divine King floating before him.
As if drawn by an invisible force, the book flew into his hand.
"Has it chosen me as its bearer? Whatever it is, thanks."
Azadin stored the copy of the Book of the Divine King in the bracelet Aldis had given him, then set about untying the captives.
"Phew. That makes three now. I'm exhausted. Absolutely drained."
Supporting Baroness Nord, Azadin began retracing his steps.
"Ah… my savior."
Baroness Nord's face was flushed. She was the mother of Tarkiev, but she appeared no older than her early thirties—a stunning blonde beauty.
"Oh, my apologies. There should be proper decorum between men and women, yet I touched you without permission…."
"No, please, support me. I can barely stand… but I'm more worried about you, my savior. You don't look well either."
"No, I'm fine. Just haven't been getting enough sleep. And I had to take down all these guys on my own…."
"A-Alone, you say?"
"It was a foolish thing to do."
Just as Azadin said this—
"Mother!"
Tarkiev was waiting at the entrance, his face filled with relief. Alongside him was Midiam, fuming with anger.
"Azadin! No matter how strong you are, what were you thinking?!"
"What?"
"Why did you go in alone?! Didn't we agree to take them down one by one? Rushing in solo like that…."
"There was a member of the clan among them. He recognized me."
"What? A member of the clan was there?"
"Yeah. Whether I recognize them or not, they recognize me—since, for better or worse, I'm famous in the clan."
"In any case, stop being reckless. You're not alone anymore."
Midiam said, moving to support Azadin.
"N-Not alone… You don't mean…?"
Baroness Nord looked at Azadin and Midiam, flustered. It was the perfect situation for a misunderstanding.
"Ah, well, you see… Ugh, this is such an awkward situation to explain."
Azadin resented Midiam for making things more complicated with her unnecessary jokes.
"Anyway, more importantly, what about the other people who were captured here?"
Azadin was concerned about the others who had been held in the wererat den.
"For now, they're fine. There's nothing we can do for the dead, but the living managed to escape on their own."
"Escape?"
"Well, even if it's unlikely, if the King's Church comes to investigate, they'll interrogate everyone involved. They might suspect them of having turned into wererats…."
The holy knights and inquisitors of the King's Church believed that even if they executed a hundred innocent citizens, not a single cultist could be allowed to escape.
In other words, if there was even suspicion, they would execute. The more executions they carried out, the easier it was to seize the property of the condemned. That was why the hostages, despite suffering at the hands of the wererats, fled before the King's Church could intervene.
"But there are still many injured people inside. If we want to save them—"
"We should leave the aftermath to the Knights of Salvation. It's their responsibility in the first place."
"Yeah, that would be best."
Azadin agreed with Midiam's suggestion and took a deep breath.
***
Those who could walk on their own managed to leave, but many still remained in the wererat den. Some were too injured to move, and it was too dangerous to relocate them carelessly.
Azadin and his group decided to request aid from the Knights of Salvation.
Azadin found the doomsayer he had recently recruited with a single biscuit and asked him to contact the Knights of Salvation. Only after ensuring the situation was under control did they withdraw to Baroness Nord's mansion.
"It is an honor to welcome you as guests to my home."
Baroness Nord guided Azadin and his companions into her mansion.
"Ah, well…."
Upon entering the estate, Azadin suddenly remembered the emperor's gold coin.
'I should ask for the gold coin, but it feels strange to demand a price from her when I released everyone else without compensation….'
Just as Azadin was struggling with the dilemma—
"When we rescued you, your son promised an emperor's gold coin in exchange for your life."
Midiam directly demanded the emperor's gold coin.
Azadin admired Midiam's straightforwardness.
'In moments like this, she makes things easier. Or maybe I'm just too timid?'
As Azadin turned his head in thought, his eyes met Baroness Nord's.
"Savior, your name is… Azadin, correct?"
"Yes."
"By your old name, you would be Asahdin. The Eyeless Evil Dragon—isn't that an ancient myth from Anukia? Asahdin and Arael."
"Oh, you know of it?"
"Y-Yes, a little. I studied a bit while learning magic. It's embarrassing, really."
She blushed slightly and straightened her posture.
Despite having been tied up for so long, she carried herself with remarkable grace. Simply sitting still, she looked like a painting—a stunning beauty, making it hard to believe she was Tarkiev's mother. In fact, judging by her appearance alone, she didn't look old enough to have a grown child.
"By the way, where did you acquire those emperor's gold coins?"
"It has been passed down as an heirloom in my family."
"I see. Then, how did you hire that mercenary group?"
Baroness Nord possessed magic artifacts linked to Arthra, the Spider Queen. Arthra, the Spider Queen, granted her female followers abilities specialized in court intrigue—seducing rivals and assassinating competitors.
It was well-documented that many noblewomen secretly worshipped the Spider Queen. The mercenary group was also among Arthra's followers. It was unlikely she had simply hired any random mercenaries off the street and ended up with them by chance.
"They were adventurers who procured magic artifacts I needed. Was there a problem?"
"Yes. You see…"
Azadin explained what had happened.
"Oh my! So that's what happened. Tarkiev, are you alright?"
"Ah, yes. Thanks to the gold coin you gave me… they saved my life."
"I see. This is quite something. Not only my own life, but also my child's life has been saved by my benefactor. How can I ever repay such a debt?"
Baroness Nord smiled as she spoke, her beauty shining even more radiantly.
'Something's off.'
Azadin sensed something strange about her.
'Did she truly hire those corrupted followers of Arthra without knowing what they were? But why would she, of all people, deliberately fill the mercenary ranks with Kurt Divine Clan cultists just to support her son? That would contradict her purpose.'
It was suspicious in many ways. The graceful yet alluring aura she exuded—was that Arthra's gift?
But she herself didn't seem like one of Arthra's followers. If she were a monster, she wouldn't have been so easily captured by the wererats.
As Azadin mulled over the possibilities, Midiam stepped in.
"Five gold coins should be enough."
Azadin should have reprimanded Midiam for rudely interrupting his conversation with the baroness… but, in truth, he also coveted the emperor's gold coins.
"Midiam, this is my business. Stay out of it."
"But Azadin, you look exhausted. And Baroness Nord looks just as tired, so wouldn't it be better to settle this quickly and rest?"
As Midiam spoke, Baroness Nord asked—