The Naga merchant, Deha, made a joke at Azadin's expense and then started laughing to himself.
But from Azadin's perspective, it was nothing to laugh about.
"Not exactly a good joke. It makes me frown more than laugh."
"To us, it's a good joke. Isn't that right?"
When Deha asked the Nagas, they burst out laughing with a loud "Khahaha!"
"Looks more like you're laughing just because your boss told you to."
"More importantly—Shati. Why don't you come over here? Aren't you one of the Nagas?"
"…What?"
"No."
At that moment, Azadin intervened.
"If you're going to call Shati, then at least guarantee her safety. Swear it upon your honor."
"What? Why place such a condition?"
"Either way, Shati won't betray her kin. From my standpoint, I can't ask her to fight against her own people for my sake. But at the very least, in return for the wages you withheld while using her, you could at least testify that she was innocent and always tried to remain loyal to the Nagas."
"What? I understand even less. Why do you care so much?"
"Because right now, this seems like the best choice I can make. If I look out for her like this, then even if she's forced to help me, maybe she'll harbor a little less resentment."
"It almost sounds like you think you'll wipe us all out and continue using her again afterward. Do you not see the numbers here?"
"Well, a person needs to stay positive."
"Pfft."
The Naga merchant Deha burst into laughter.
"Very well. Shati, I, Dehashuram of the Naga Raja, swear upon my honor that I will not hold you accountable for any past mistakes. Come here."
"Tch. With him saying that much, I've no grounds to stop you."
Azadin moved his hand, which had been blocking Shati's path.
"..."
Hesitant, Shati slowly walked over to Deha—no, Dehashuram's side.
"Well then."
With Shati gone, Azadin's group now consisted of only Scott, Azadin, and Jiswa. With fewer targets, the Nagas' position became much better. Even for Azadin, surviving here would not be easy.
But then Dehashuram spoke unexpected words.
"I'll make you an offer you cannot refuse. Will you fight heroically here and be consumed in flames, or will you accept my invitation?"
"Invitation?"
"Yes. I wish to speak with you seriously. In accordance with the custom of hospitality, I shall receive you as a guest. What do you say?"
At those words, the subordinate Nagas flinched in surprise.
The custom of hospitality—it was an old promise that even mortal enemies, once treated as guests, would abide by manners: the guest must treat the host with respect, the host must provide food and lodging, never poison the food, and never attack while the guest slept.
If one was invited under this custom, neither side could harm the other again until they returned to the same footing as before the invitation.
Breaking such a custom would mark one as dishonorable. For a petty thug it might not matter, but for someone like a Naga Raja, breaking it would cost too much.
In other words, to invite Azadin was to promise not to harm him, at least for a while.
Naturally, the Nagas found it difficult to accept Dehashuram's choice. But his status alone was enough to crush even such small dissent. None of them dared to speak, waiting instead for Azadin's reply.
"Before that, let me ask—what relation are you to Dehares?"
"My cousin, of course. And don't you think I'm more handsome than he?"
"As for the invitation… I'll accept."
***
Azadin and his companions, having accepted Dehashuram's invitation, headed toward the court.
The path from the pier to the court was adorned with an elegant garden. To maintain the paved path lined with bodhi and flame trees in Bruma's climate—where rain often fell—would surely require constant care from gardeners and laborers.
"The gardeners and servants are human."
Azadin noticed that those maintaining the trees were humans.
"Our people have little interest in landscaping. Ah, and our cooks are also human. At the very least, we do not commit the discourtesy of serving human flesh to our guests."
"But then…"
As they climbed toward the court, they saw tents pitched all over the hills. The Naga army, preparing to invade Bruma, was encamped on the island.
'Showing me this means they won't simply let me go. Well, that's only natural. These bastards already knew who I was.'
Considering how often Azadin had thwarted the Nagas' plans, it was no wonder if they wanted him dead right away.
Why then did they insist on receiving him as a guest and guiding him to their court?
"Why exactly invite me? Don't your subordinates object?"
"The Naga hierarchy is stricter than that of humans. If I decide something, no one can object."
Dehashuram smiled as he said this.
"And why invite you? Because I admire heroic figures. You might not believe that, of course."
"Right."
"I simply wish to hear your story. In truth, I first learned of your deeds because of the Herald Clan who sold your information."
"They sold my information?"
"To be precise, when Count Salasma died and none of his operatives returned alive, we became curious. Upon asking the Herald Clan, they told us that you were the herald assigned to Salasma. Tracing your steps from there… well, it was astonishing. A true hero."
Dehashuram explained that he had pieced together Azadin's history by combining information from the Herald Clan with that of the Nagas.
"How embarrassing. They were trifling matters."
"No, hardly. You've disrupted our affairs too often. Many were angered and grew wary because of you. Such things are never trivial. Truly, your feats were too great to be the work of one man. Was it really all you?"
"Well…"
"Ah, let's leave the story for later. First, relieve your travel fatigue with a bath. Afterward, we'll talk over tea and a meal."
Dehashuram summoned human servants to guide Azadin's group to the bathhouse.
***
After bathing and changing into fresh clothes, Azadin's party looked around Dehashuram's palace.
Since it was a trading hub, the architecture was not Naga-style but thoroughly human—in fact, a mansion built in the Yaegas style overlooking the sea.
In the elegant garden that faced the ocean, food and refreshments were being prepared.
"Welcome."
Dehashuram was waiting with his servants beneath a pergola in the garden. Naturally, he was accompanied by guards—Nagаs openly armed with tridents and nets.
Because of the custom of hospitality, they would not attack, but from the Nagas' perspective, while Dehashuram's honor was trustworthy, Azadin's was not.
Azadin, likewise, did not lay down his arms merely on the strength of Dehashuram's honor, so these armed guards were a trivial matter.
"Very well then."
Azadin accepted the invitation and took a seat.
"Shall we talk?"
He tore a piece of bread from the table and asked.
"You intend to invade Bruma, don't you? But haven't the Herald Clan already seized the Coral Sahar throne? And yet you still plan to ride in the palanquin they bear? If you just climb into a palanquin carried by others and enjoy the ride without thought, you'll end up being tossed off the cliff together with it."
"Do you really think so? Hm. From the perspective of the Naga Empire, this situation is actually very good."
"And why is that?"
"From the viewpoint of the Yaegas Divine Clan, do you think they will truly acknowledge the Herald Clan's claim to the throne?"
"True enough."
Azadin immediately grasped what Dehashuram meant.
A war between the Herald Clan and the Clan of the Eight Divine Kings was about to begin.
The usurpation of Coral Sahar would serve as an excellent trigger to fracture humanity.
"Then are you planning to attack Bruma as well? Are you siding with the elder council? Or with Arael?"
"It doesn't matter which. If the Herald Clan splits, that in itself is favorable."
"If you don't care either way, then why invite me here?"
"Because your deeds are worthy of being called heroic, even from our standpoint. You quelled the wrath of the Wendigo, slew Count Salasma, and even made a considerable showing at Coral Sahar. I wished to meet such a hero."
"To split open my heart and devour it?"
"Of course not. In fact, the Herald Clan petitioned us to secretly eliminate you, should you appear."
"..."
"Interestingly enough, both the Arael faction and the elder council sent such petitions. From the Arael faction's side, you are the younger brother of their goddess. From the elder council's side, you have a high-ranking patron. Because of that, both view you as a thorn in their eye and sought to hire us Nagas to deal with you. It's curious, really."
"So you want to satisfy your curiosity. Hm. Very well. Since you've shown me sincerity, I'll show you some in return."
Azadin removed the helmet covering his face.
"Ah."
Only then did Dehashuram realize that Azadin had no eyes.
"I am called the Eyeless Azadin. By another name, the Cursed Azadin."
Azadin told him of his origins.
Why the Herald Clan despised him, why they looked down on him, how he had been raised through the grace of Aldis and Kazas, and how, as Arael rose in stature, jealousy from the other heralds had festered.
"Incredible. I always wondered why the Herald Clan continued to live on as the Emperor's heralds instead of departing—but to think such a powerful curse bound them, and that you are its offspring! Even Arael too, born of that curse? Truly astounding. Ah, may I tell this story to others? It would sell wonderfully when I play the role of a merchant."
"Spare me the embarrassment, won't you?"
"Then I'll wait until your fame rises so high that it can no longer be hidden. Right now, you still go about masked, avoiding gossip, so the time isn't ripe. But later, when everyone wishes to know about you, then—Eyeless Azadin—if your past comes from my lips, I hope you will forgive me."
"Well, I'll need to survive first if my name is to rise in fame. You and I both, don't we each need to live on for later?"
"Hahaha. True enough."
Dehashuram laughed at Azadin's words—then suddenly stiffened.
There was weight in those words. Both of us must survive later?
Azadin was implying that not only his own life but Dehashuram's as well was in danger.
Of course, Azadin hadn't disarmed, but with only three companions, what could they possibly do?