Scott McGreen was crunching through several fish, bones and all, that Ishmael had caught from the river, while using his other hand to scoop up a large serving of oatmeal.
"If you're afraid of getting too muscular, you could eat a little less," Ishmael complained.
Thanks to the supplies found at the bridgehead outpost from Count Lantarik's army, there was plenty of food for both people and the horses and goats. However, food always took up a lot of space and weight during travel….
Seeing this one eat made him worry about the future. Did he really have to take this guy along? Food supplies were bound to become a major issue.
The reason they had camped immediately after crossing the Kora River was to ensure that the Herald Clan could secure as much food as possible from the riverbank, preventing any issues with future supplies.
And that turned out to be a wise decision. Seeing how much this orc devoured, they would have been in serious trouble if they hadn't camped here.
"Everywhere I go, people complain about my eating. But hiring an orc means accepting this. With these provisions, you're getting access to my great knowledge and magic."
"Necromancy is legally forbidden, so I don't want to borrow it," Azadin retorted.
As a herald of the emperor, Azadin took pride in upholding imperial law, and necromancy was outlawed under the empire's legal code.
"My talents extend far beyond necromancy."
"Right, you said you'd interpret the Book of Divine King and teach it to me and Sir Zebeck?"
"To be precise, I'll be teaching that holy knight, Zebeck, while merely showing you the path."
"Hmm?"
"What you're using is different from the other Heralds. You're wielding an untamed, wild mana—like those savage elves."
Scott had recognized that Azadin was using the Kazas Haeseo.
"It's out of necessity."
"How many pages of the Book of Divine King do you have?"
"Four."
That was what Azadin said. Just yesterday, after facing Scott McGreen's Nightcrawler, he had acquired another page, bringing the total to five—but there was no obligation to mention that.
"Four? That's a lot! Can I take a look at them?"
"Wait a moment. Are you seriously letting this orc necromancer analyze the Book of Divine King?"
Zebeck was taken aback, stopping Azadin.
"The Book of Divine King is the supreme treasure of the King's Church. If a follower of the Kurt Divine Clan were to interpret the secrets of white magic, it would surely bring disaster upon the Eight Divine Kingdoms."
"The interpretation of a copy of the Book of Divine King is not something that can be done so easily."
When the Herald Clan first acquired copies of the Book of Divine King, all of their mages had poured over them for more than a year, using every resource available, but they had been unable to create a proper interpretation.
And now, this orc was claiming he could do it alone? If that were possible, then he wasn't just some genius of the age—he was beyond that.
"And probably, if I'm right, I won't even need to interpret the Book of Divine King for myself. Isn't that so?"
"How interesting. You understand what I'm getting at?"
"It occurred to me earlier when I was facing the shadow wraiths."
Azadin pulled out a copy of the Book of Divine King.
"Even though it's just a handwritten copy on ordinary paper, it's still brimming with white mana. That's because the Book of Divine King itself is the light of the king's virtue, isn't it?"
"That's right. It is the pinnacle of pure white mana, and even if its energy is depleted, over time, it will naturally replenish itself by absorbing the surrounding light of the king's virtue. Just that alone makes it an incredible magic artifact."
"Kuh!?"
Zebeck, who had been listening, was about to faint.
"Are you seriously saying you're going to turn a copy of the Book of Divine King into a magic artifact? Are you out of your mind? The Book of Divine King, and the secrets within, are the sacred treasures of the King's Church, a power that protects every human living in this Hubris! Claiming that power for personal use by making it into an artifact is an unforgivable act of blasphemy."
Zebeck's words made Azadin's heart skip a beat.
'I've already wrapped it in an arrow and fired it at undead before. If he finds out, I'm screwed.'
Fortunately, back then, Zebeck had been busy commanding soldiers and hadn't seen firsthand how carelessly Azadin had been handling the copy of the Book of Divine King.
"Well, since we're talking about it, I might as well give it a try."
Azadin had already made up his mind—no matter what Zebeck said, he was going to make use of the Book of Divine King.
***
Azadin attempted to directly absorb the white mana from the pages of the Book of Divine King into his body.
"Normally, you wouldn't be able to absorb mana from a magic artifact. The repelling force is too strong. You must have an incredibly high resistance to magic."
"You know quite a lot."
"But the Book of Divine King is an exception. This world is already saturated with the light of king's virtue, and you're already attuned to that light. On top of that…."
Scott examined the pages of the Book of Divine King.
"These copies are acknowledging you."
"Acknowledging me?"
"Of course. If simply killing someone was all it took to manifest a revelation, then everyone would be doing it. The Book of Divine King and the light of the king's virtue both have their own will to some extent. They actively avoid the Kurt Divine Clan and their followers. That's why the Nagas hired me."
"Why were you hired by the Nagas?"
"Because the current leader of the Kurt Divine Clan alliance is the Nagas. The Naga Empire is being revived."
"You bastard!"
Shati, who had been listening, seethed with anger. A mere orc, hired with money and food, had just casually revealed one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Naga Empire. She had deliberately kept her mouth shut about it, yet he had let it slip so easily.
"Ah, so the Kurt Divine Clan's followers are merging under the leadership of the Nagas? Well, I figured as much."
"Yeah. The Nagas are the only ones who can actually organize things. The Followers of Fang and the ogres? There's no way they could form a proper organization. And the Mezeri apostles, those bloodthirsty maniacs… Well, plenty of orcs have joined the Mezeri apostles too."
Orcs, too, suffered from relentless hunger, just like the apostles of Mezeri. By receiving Mezeri's blessing, they could eat rotten flesh without issue, which led many starving orcs to pledge themselves to Mezeri.
But when it came to organization, nothing could compare to the Nagas, who had once ruled all of Hubris through their great empire. If the Kurt Divine Clan's followers wanted to reclaim the world, it was only natural that they would unite under the Nagas.
"So, what do you think? Need any help?"
"Hmm. A little… Help me."
"Understood."
Scott held the copy of the Book of Divine King and carefully adjusted his breathing as he stood beside Azadin, who was concentrating.
"To truly comprehend a grimoire is to tread the path of madness. But the talent, the genius of a mage, lies in understanding madness without succumbing to it. Half-blood herald, inside you, the shattered remnants of a grimoire have left behind an unprocessed, raw madness running wild. You need to insert the white mana of the Book of Divine King without causing a collision—let it harmonize. Imagine storing it within yourself."
"…I asked for help, not a lecture. Do it, don't just talk about it."
"Focus your mind on the center of your soles, channel the white mana absorbed through your hands back into the earth!"
As Scott said this and placed his hand on Azadin, he immediately pulled back with a groan.
"I'm a necromancer, you know. White mana is my natural enemy."
"That's a relief. I was worried you might try to hoard this for yourself."
"Well, I wouldn't say no to it. Even if it's the opposite of my black mana, it still has its uses. But…."
Scott clicked his tongue as he watched the copy of the Book of Divine King glow in Azadin's hands.
"You actually succeeded? Hah, not bad for a dim-witted species."
"Was that a compliment?"
"Of course it was. Write it down in your journal—today is the day you were reborn. Consider this your second birthday."
"...."
Azadin glared at the arrogant Scott before looking at the Book of Divine King in his hands. The glow had vanished, and it had returned to being an ordinary piece of paper.
"Is this… okay?"
"It'll recover in about a week. Besides, you didn't damage the light of the king's virtue—you returned it to the earth, so you actually strengthened it. If you keep doing this, your power will only grow stronger."
"Really?"
Azadin reverted the copy of the Book of Divine King back into a bracelet and moved his body around.
"I don't feel much of a change."
"You wouldn't, not after the first attempt. This is just the beginning. So? Do you see how useful I am now?"
"Not really. Plus, I've already gotten everything I need from you."
"No, you haven't!"
Scott scowled as he spoke.
"Aren't you curious about what the Nagas are planning? And about the next location where the Book of Divine King will manifest? I can provide all that information."
"You filthy traitor! You have no shame! How can you betray the Kurt Divine Clan alliance and the Naga Empire so easily?!"
Shati was furious at Scott for trying to interfere with the Naga Empire's plans.
"Hey now, what are you talking about? I'm just a mercenary. I always serve my employer with sincerity. Right now, this guy is my employer, so betraying him would make me a traitor, wouldn't it? If I suddenly turned loyal to the Naga Empire now, that would be a betrayal of my current employer."
"…I suppose I should thank you for that," Azadin said, his expression uneasy as he acknowledged Scott's supposed loyalty.
Meanwhile, Zebeck, who had been watching everything unfold, was at a loss. If the Book of Divine King copies were filled with the light of the king's virtue, then as a holy knight, he was obligated to bring them back to the church. And yet, a herald and an orc necromancer were using them for personal gain?
The real problem was that Zebeck himself had chosen to follow this herald. When deciding between Azadin and Zekt, he had chosen Azadin, and he had no regrets about that decision.
'I understand, but this is a difficult position to be in.'
"Sigh… Fine. Should we do the same for the other pages?"
Just as Azadin said this, the bushes rustled, and a group of armed men emerged.
***
Guillaumevalt, son of Count Garnahair, was an ugly man with a long, horse-like face.
Unlike his other siblings, who were all blessed with exceptional beauty, he had been born unattractive and was often the subject of gossip. But he took great pride in being the legitimate heir of Count Lantarik and deeply loved his father.
At present, he was patrolling the banks of the Kora River with a group of adventurers hired from the Cell Sword Guild.
"Damn it! Those useless vassals!"
Guillaumevalt furiously slashed through the weeds blocking his path.
"Now, now, calm down, Sir Guillaumevalt," the mercenaries from the Cell Sword Guild chuckled as they tried to pacify him.
"How can I calm down? The signal fire went up at the bridgehead, and they ignored it! Now we've lost the bridgehead fortress!"
When Count Lantarik's army invaded Salasma border, they had secured a bridgehead across the Kora River to transport supplies and reinforcements with ease. They had even repurposed one of Salasma's fishing villages into a military outpost.
But yesterday, a signal fire had risen from that outpost.