Dehashuram felt a subtle displeasure at Azadin's words, heavy with hidden barbs, but he was a man who, though a Naga Raja, lived well by pretending to be a merchant.
'Truly like a hero, prideful indeed. Yes, a man should at least have this much arrogance.'
Dehashuram brushed aside Azadin's remarks with the leisure of the strong.
"Regardless, you have achieved remarkable feats. Even if the world does not know, if you explained to the Herald Clan what you have accomplished, they too would accept that you have the skill and worthiness to claim such a position. Why have you not done so?"
"Because… it is my pride."
"Pride?"
"I don't want to bow my head first and beg acceptance from a tribe that refuses to acknowledge me, to prove I've done this much and that they should favor me. Above all, I don't agree with what our tribe is doing now. To be recognized by them, I'd have to help in their work and act in their way, wouldn't I? But that, I can never allow."
"What exactly is it that you cannot allow?"
"The expansion of unnecessary slaughter. The massacre of residents who are not even enemies."
"The elder council of the Herald Clan, and the Arael faction, will not think that slaughter unnecessary. I too think the same. Those who serve the king's church will never permit you to claim the throne. So what is wrong with striking first and killing them to weaken them?"
"Even so, I think it unnecessary. Even if they are irredeemable villains, one must deliberate before killing them, and I do not want to massacre in groups those who bear no particular grudge—farmers, merchants, fishermen, people who know nothing."
"So then, you mean you belonged neither to the elder council nor to the Arael faction, but simply, to stop the Bruma invasion, to give warning, you were heading toward Bruma. You sought to guard against the Nagas' invasion, and, using the title of Taoist Master of the Blue Sky Order which you happened to obtain, you organized the Blue Sky Order to most effectively resist our Naga invasion?"
"That's right."
Azadin said so, and drew the Azure Steel longsword slung across his back. The blade's cry was chilling.
"Surely you don't mean to try to break through all these Nagas and flee? Hahaha."
"It's not about whether I can. It's about whether I must."
"I invited you. After inviting you, I maintained as much courtesy as possible, did not disarm you of your weapon, nor drug your food. We have kept well the custom of hospitality, and you mean to break it?"
Dehashuram smiled as he looked at Azadin.
Dehashuram's guards, on alert, drew their weapons and hissed as they glared at Azadin, but Azadin was confident he could sever Dehashuram's neck much faster than they could move.
Yet the problem was that, as Dehashuram said, he had indeed kept well the custom of hospitality.
To kill one who upheld the custom with goodwill—how could Azadin, who was heading to Bruma precisely to prevent unnecessary slaughter, commit such a shameless act?
Still, to attack Dehashuram and the Nagas here was an act consistent with Azadin's purpose of stopping Bruma's slaughter.
Would he break the custom of hospitality and strike Dehashuram to protect Bruma?
Or uphold the custom of hospitality?
Azadin sighed deeply and looked at Dehashuram.
"Dehashuram. Is there something else you want? If there is, let's trade. To cling to the custom of hospitality just to buy time and prolong life—I cannot endure such a thing in my current state. I wish to go to Bruma as soon as possible."
"Surely you don't think that, with you already meat caught in my hand, I would make some sort of bargain with you?"
"If what you want is more than just a conversation with me, then surely there is something to trade."
Even Azadin could not be certain now. From what he had seen, Dehashuram was a curious being, no, a curious Naga.
If Azadin's reasoning was correct, then Dehashuram indeed wanted more from him than merely stories of the past.
'Normally I would have bluffed first….'
Azadin felt sweat bead on the hand holding the Azure Steel longsword, "Bluey."
'To kill a host who treated me sincerely, breaking the custom of hospitality—that would weigh heavily on me.'
In other words, he was already prepared, if necessary, to sever Dehashuram's head.
At that moment, Dehashuram opened his mouth.
"If that is how you think, then you have judged me well. Huhu. By chance, I do indeed have something to trade with you."
"Ah. That's a relief."
"Isn't it? I too think it a relief."
Dehashuram smiled with meaning.
'I said it was a relief because I don't have to sever your head.'
Azadin thought so, but he had no intention of carelessly speaking it aloud and souring Dehashuram's mood.
***
The Nagas originally served Debislin, the Cobra Queen of the Kurt Divine Clan, and took pride in having once fought the evil ancient beings of the Nether who threatened the continent of Hubris.
Yet even among the Nagas, the faith of the Nether was spreading.
Those most susceptible to the Nether's influence were the Sea Snake Nagas, who were already deeply affected by the deep sea. When the already large and powerful Sea Snake Nagas received the blessing of the Nether and became utterly savage, the other tribes of Nagas could do nothing against them.
But naturally, the other Nagas could not help but feel discontent with this situation. They were Nagas who took pride in having fought the Nether to protect civilization.
And now, to admit that their own kin, corrupted by worshiping the Nether's reapers, were stronger than they?
"So we try, as much as possible, to pit the Sea Snake Nagas against the people of Hubris or against the Herald Clan, so their numbers will dwindle. From a human point of view, this may not sound pleasing, but for us there is nothing to lose."
"Isn't that a bit too blatant? Don't the Sea Snake Nagas complain?"
"The Sea Snake Nagas, who became vassals of the Nether, lost their judgment. It is not so hard to coax and deceive them. But…."
"But?"
"Becoming beasts without reason, they force their demands upon us recklessly. They are so rude and foolish that they will not listen. Even now, those brutes, though I told them not to touch my servants, have taken the son of our gardener."
"...."
"Gardener."
"Ah, yes."
A middle-aged man came holding a small shoe and a dog's leash.
"My boy went out searching, saying the dog had gone missing… but then, he was caught by the Nagas."
"You're asking us to save the child, or, if he's dead, to avenge him."
"Yes. Please. If you succeed, I'll officially say that you escaped. I'll provide a small boat. And I'll teach Shati water-flow control magic, so if she steers the boat you'll be able to escape."
"And if we fail and get caught along the way?"
"In that case, I'll feign ignorance. You'll be branded as a scoundrel who tried to exploit the custom of hospitality for espionage and assassination, you'll have your honor stained and be executed… but, that can't be helped."
"Hm. I see. I'll try."
Azadin decided to accept Dehashuram's request.
"A-are you sure? Master Azadin? There are so many Nagas…"
Jiswa was flustered. No matter how you looked at it, Dehashuram's request was absurd.
In the Naga encampment there were at least several hundred Sea Snake Nagas, creatures with sharp senses and immense combat prowess.
And now they were being asked to slip through that camp, find the gardener's son, or take revenge? No matter how skilled Azadin or Scott were, it was not something such a small group could possibly do.
"It's not too difficult, so don't worry, Jiswa. More importantly, you prepare the supplies."
"Supplies?"
"When we take the boat and escape, to get from here to Bruma we'll need food and water. Pack those well into a backpack and get them ready."
"…Oh. Yes?"
In other words, Azadin meant not to bring Jiswa along on the infiltration mission near the Naga camp. He was being told to just pack baggage in the rear.
Jiswa was taken aback by Azadin's attitude, as if success was already certain.
"Are you truly sure? For me it's fine not going somewhere dangerous… but if I don't go, then it'll just be you and Scott, the two of you alone."
"Do you want to fight, Jiswa? Want to boast of your valor?"
"N-no, nothing like that. I may be a blood mage, but I'm not at such a high level…"
Jiswa looked embarrassed.
"The more people move, the more noticeable they become. For infiltration, a small number is best. So then, shall we begin, Scott?"
"Yeah. Captain. I've rested, my mana's recovered, I'm ready anytime. Just, since there's no corpse, I can't start off first."
"A corpse can be made soon enough."
Azadin said that, and looked up at the sky. The sun was setting.
Jiswa gave Azadin a warning.
"The Sea Snake Nagas can see well even after the sun sets. They are creatures who live in the depths of the sea where light barely reaches, and everything that flows in their bodies, whether skin mucus or blood, is poison to humans…"
"It doesn't matter."
Azadin said so, and bid Jiswa a temporary farewell.
"Then let's begin."
***
Parting with Jiswa, Azadin and Scott walked into the darkness, approaching the Sea Snake Naga encampment.
"Voice of the Emperor."
[You want me to find the human boy and the dog?]
"You've been listening, it seems. What do you think?"
[I'll look for them.]
A moment later, the Voice of the Emperor responded.
[…I found them. But they are dead. Not a sight fit to show their parents.]
"Which one is it?"
[From the ridge where you are, go down. It's the fourth tent. Both the child and the dog have been devoured.]
"Then it's a death sentence."
Azadin approached the Sea Snake Nagas' tent.
"Ah, Captain, but if you plan to infiltrate, I can't follow you."
Scott said this while trailing behind Azadin.
Azadin, being agile, could approach the fourth tent without being noticed by the Nagas, but Scott could not.
That was what he meant, but Azadin looked puzzled.
"What are you talking about? From the nearest tent up to that fourth tent, we'll kill them all."
"Eh?"
"Do you think the boy and dog just walked all the way to the fourth tent? They were already abducted at the first tent, only slaughtered at the fourth. Meaning, every Naga along that path is an accomplice."
"Ah. So you mean to hold them guilty. Captain. But you said all of them will be killed? Did I hear that right?"
As Scott voiced his doubts, Azadin drew Grimslawn's bow. For the first time in a while he strung the twin-strung slingbow with a leather cord, and fired a stone.
The slingbow had two bowstrings with a leather strap in the middle to launch stones, and the power of a stone shot from it was tremendous. But would it work against Sea Snake Nagas, with their thick hides, scales, and venomous slime?
Scott's doubt was soon answered.
—Pwooshk!
With a dreadful sound, a Naga's head was ripped clean off.