"W-Well, the truth is, this weapon was at the murder scene. It looked nice, so I picked it up…"
"What a ridiculous excuse. The bandits left a murder weapon behind, and you just decided to bring it along? Earlier, didn't you claim it had nothing to do with the corpse?"
"W-Wouldn't it be such a waste to leave a weapon lying on the roadside? So I just brought it along… but then I got scared there might be a misunderstanding, so I made up that excuse."
Even as the Korasar Pedders' Guild members spoke, Azadin found their explanation nonsensical.
"Sir Guillaumevalt?"
In the end, the person of the highest status here—Guillaumevalt—would have to conduct a summary judgment of sorts, if there was to be any hope of resolving this without bloodshed.
"Hmm. Let's see the letter first. Hand it over."
Guillaumevalt requested the letter.
"Ah!"
The armed merchants flinched in surprise.
"Uhm, that letter contains our trade secrets…"
Guillaumevalt gave a subtle glance at Brand. With that, Brand practically leapt at the chance and shouted with delight.
"How dare you! The Acting Count of Lantarik wishes to examine your letter in order to properly grasp the situation and deliver a fair judgment. And yet you merchants now question the honor of the Acting Count of Lantarik?"
"..."
Had he been practicing for this moment? A torrent of archaic scolding poured out of him with dramatic flair.
The merchants silently exchanged nervous glances.
'Oh?'
Azadin noticed a glint of murderous intent in their eyes.
Whatever was written in that letter, it seemed to be the kind of content that made them feel compelled to kill anyone who saw it. Even if that person was a knight like Guillaumevalt.
The problem was… Azadin's group wasn't exactly small. Even if the Telbarin armed merchants outnumbered them, it was doubtful they were confident enough to take on a knight and a holy knight.
And yet, they still radiated killing intent.
'Who the hell are these guys?'
Azadin sensed these merchants were far from ordinary.
'The elf seems to be the leader, so let's try talking to him.'
Azadin attempted to speak to the elf using the elven language he had clumsily learned. When he used the elven language taught to him by Kazas, the elf looked visibly surprised.
"To think someone here would speak elven language…"
The elf responded in elven language.
Those around them were curious about the conversation between the elf and Azadin, but Azadin deliberately offered no explanation and continued talking in elven language.
"Very well. Show them the letter."
Persuaded by Azadin, the elf instructed his men to show the letter.
"What? But boss…"
"It's fine. Show them."
The merchants reluctantly handed their letter to Guillaumevalt. As he examined it, the wax seal had clearly been broken, and there were traces of blood on it. The recipient was Adler.
"Ah."
Now it made sense why the merchants had been so resistant to handing over the letter, even when demanded by a knight.
The letter was essentially an invoice—a list of supplies ordered by Adler: bone saws, hooked surgical blades, preservatives, high-purity spirits, opium, and various magical and alchemical materials, along with estimated delivery dates and unit prices.
Several of the items were contraband, including the opium, and a note requesting cooperation when entering the city suggested this wasn't their first time dealing with Adler.
"You've been trading with Adler. And these items…"
Guillaumevalt handed the letter to Azadin. Azadin glanced at it and frowned.
'Materials used to make undead.'
Adler had been stockpiling ingredients a necromancer might use. Just like Count Garnahair, Adler too was clearly a corrupt noble dabbling in vile black magic.
Guillaumevalt ignored the alchemical and magical components and focused on the narcotics.
"To brazenly bring narcotics into the territory of Lantarik… Even if Adler requested it, this is not something we can let slide."
"That's why…"
The elf, leader of the Telbarin armed merchants, spoke up.
"What if we sold you Young Master Adler? How much would you pay?"
"What?"
"The moment you set foot in Lantarik, you'll all be killed. I can guarantee it."
With that, the elf pointed at Azadin and Zebeck.
"You two must be skilled enough to easily handle any bandit or thug you've met so far. I can tell just by your breathing and your footsteps. But under Young Master Adler, there are monsters far worse than you."
"..."
"If it were up to me, I'd make sure you had a clean shot at taking down Young master Adler."
Guillaumevalt looked shocked and turned to Azadin.
"What in the world did you say to that elf in elven language earlier?"
"I just said we wouldn't punish them no matter what…"
But as soon as Azadin spoke elven language, the elf had apparently decided to trust him. Without hesitation, he had revealed not only that they were dealing with Adler, but even the proof of the narcotics trade.
"Why are you betraying Adler? Just for the reward?"
Azadin asked him directly.
"Because I know exactly what he's buying. I've seen nobles buy things for magic research, or noblewomen request cosmetics said to be good for the skin, or someone from the Arthra Order ask for something rare. But this goes beyond all of that."
"What makes you so sure we'll die the moment we enter Lantarik? What's your basis for saying that?"
"Young master Adler has the Heralds under his command. Every last one of them is a monster."
"Ah…"
"Tch."
When the elf from Telbarin praised the Herald Clan, both Azadin and the Korasar Pedders' Guild members looked troubled.
"And those Herald Clan bastards have even blasphemously declared… that a new goddess has been born."
"A goddess?"
"Her name is Arael."
"Ha. Arael, you say?"
Azadin couldn't help but laugh the moment he heard that name.
Even having one of his own blood become the leader of the traitorous Herald Clan wasn't enough—now she was even proclaiming herself a god?
Of course, she had been spreading her voice everywhere like the Emperor himself, projecting her power. In an age when even the light of the king's virtue was fading, and even angels were losing their strength, she alone was rising radiantly, empowered by something new.
If there were those who feared and understood the Era of Jupiter, they might very well choose to worship this rising being, Arael, as their goddess.
'The wound… stings.'
Azadin felt an old wound from Arael begin to ache, and with it, anger.
That Arael—who trampled on the feelings he held dearest, in his most painful and miserable time—would become a goddess? He could never accept that.
"Hmph. Seems like there's a story here."
Sensing Azadin's anger, the elf took a step back.
"Well, I don't know if she's a real god or not, but what's certain is, those bastards are terrifyingly strong. I'm not bold enough to face them and say I've never even heard of the goddess you serve."
"You're that scared, and yet you're still willing to betray Young Master Adler?"
"The Herald Clan is only interested in something Young master Adler possesses. If he dies, they'll probably go after that rather than try to retaliate against me."
"Alright. I get it. So what you're saying is—you can sneak us into Lantarik Castle without being detected by the Herald Clan members?"
"That's right. If we disguise you and slip you in among our porters, getting into Lantarik itself should be no problem. But after that, I can't make any promises."
Guillaumevalt turned to Azadin, gauging his thoughts.
"What do you think?"
"It's probably… true."
Listening to the elf, Azadin realized that Adler had lured the Arael faction to his side using the promise of the Emperor's Treasury.
"Well then…"
"Before that, just a moment…"
Azadin beckoned the Korasar Pedders' Guild members aside with a gesture and asked them bluntly,
"You were the ones who killed him, right?"
"Hey now. Mind your words. Even if you're a Herald, that's going too far, isn't it?"
One of the guild members bristled at Azadin's accusation.
"Then what happens if I do choose my words carefully? What the elf said doesn't sound like a lie."
"Well, just like that elf said, it's true that the handle of this blackjack got lightly stuck in that courier's head."
"..."
"The important thing is that it was the handle, not the striking end. Please understand that we had no murderous intent."
"So you tried to knock him out with the handle, but the handle had a hook on it, and by mistake, it got stuck in the courier's head? Cracking his skull."
"Exactly."
"Haa… well, I've already covered it with compensation in money and supplies, so I'll let it go…"
That elf merchant and his underlings, those armed merchants—they weren't ordinary men either.
The Telbarin Guild was infamous to begin with, known for slave trading, drug trafficking, and smuggling of all kinds. They overpowered competitors with brute force, so this wasn't surprising.
"What do you mean, Arael is becoming a goddess?"
"Exactly what I said."
"What do you mean, 'exactly'?"
"She grants power and protection to her followers. With that, her grace intends to become a living, sage-goddess."
"You called her… 'Her Grace'?"
Azadin could feel the merchants' deference toward Arael. Even though the Herald Clan's influence hadn't fully tipped in her favor yet, it was clear her authority and renown were only growing.
'And… the sage-goddess strategy. It's possible…'
Azadin recalled Arael's voice.
An artificial spirit functioning like the Emperor's Voice—except, unlike the Emperor's Voice, it carried a strong stench of nether magic.
Yet even that alone was power enough to be called divine.
Watching over the people, subjugating monsters and beasts to keep them safe, distributing resources to ensure none starve… would that not be the very image of a god that people of this world yearn for?
"Why did Arael ally with Adler?"
"..."
The merchants didn't answer Azadin's question.
The Herald Clan members of the Korasar Pedders' Guild were weighing the Arael's faction and the Elder Council, waiting to join the winning side. With one foot in each camp, they likely didn't want to give away such information for free.
"Come on, tell me. I'm even covering your compensation, aren't I?"
When Azadin handed them a gold coin, they finally opened their mouths.
"They say Young Master Adler holds the key to the Emperor's Treasury."
"And he's also rumored to be researching powerful nether magic."
"And those bastards he deals with—they're smugglers, assassins, and slavers, infamous Telbarin Guild thugs who'll do anything for money."
"..."
Azadin couldn't help but chuckle at that.
The merchant faction of the Herald Clan—the Korasar Pedders' Guild—was also knee-deep in assassination and smuggling. They just didn't deal in slaves. And yet, just that one difference let them look down on others so haughtily. Astounding.
'People never see the beam in their own eye, but they're sharp-eyed about the speck in others'.'
Still, what surprised him more was that even these people had heard of the Emperor's Treasury.
"So the story of the Emperor's Treasury has spread that far. Alright. Then what do you think? About going along with what that elf suggested?"
"Well, that's… hard to say…"
The Korasar Pedders' Guild members looked troubled. They were invested in both the Arael's faction and the Elder Council, and couldn't afford to favor one side too openly.
But just from the way they spoke, Azadin could tell that the elf was, at the very least, trustworthy.
'If he were a complete con artist, these guys wouldn't hesitate to advise me.'
The only reason they were holding back must be because this could actually deal a real blow to the Arael's faction.