At a pier near the Banema family estate, a corpse was hanging.
Unlike other farms that engaged in human trafficking, the Banema family was rumored to pay proper wages, so workers who had escaped from other farms flocked there.
But someone had murdered those workers and hung them up on that crane.
"These filthy guild bastards!"
Randa Banema was genuinely outraged at the death of a person.
This was the result of her own actions. Of course, the ones who killed were those guild scum, but who would have thought that the repercussions of her naive decision would be this great?
Randa Banema felt as though the death of that victim was her own responsibility, and that made her all the more angry and sorrowful.
"President Banema, what should we do?"
"Take the body down. And for his family, give them one seom each of rice and beans, one basket of dried fish, and eight silver coins as condolence money so they can hold a funeral."
"This is without doubt the work of the other farm bastards. At this rate, they'll kill us all!"
"Before that, we must retaliate!"
"Open the armory, and spread money to hire mercenaries!"
The workers shouted in agitation, but Randa Banema remained calm.
"Don't be foolish. Are you saying we should go to war with all the other farms alone? Just wait. I've called for someone who specializes in this kind of matter."
As she said that, a small boat docked at the pier. From it stepped a masked young man, who immediately approached Randa Banema.
"Are you the petitioner?"
"From the way you speak, you must be one of the Herald Clan?"
"That's right. The Emperor's Herald, 2nd Herald, Azadin."
"Hm. From yesterday to today, eight men calling themselves Herald Clan have come looking for me. Are you the real one?"
"What?"
Azadin was taken aback by the unexpected remark.
Impostors pretending to be Herald Clan?
'Not that it's never happened before. Usually, drunks bragging or conmen threatening people would use the Herald Clan's name, but never had there been impostors seeking out petitioners.'
As Azadin stood bewildered, President Banema gave a wry smile.
"It's a diversion tactic by the other farm owners. So, take off that mask. I'll judge by looking at your face first."
"…This, you mean? It's not exactly a pleasant sight, but I'll take it off."
Azadin removed his mask.
"Gasp?"
President Banema was shocked. Where eyes should have been, Azadin's face bore deep scars instead.
"You have no eyes? Yet you can still see around you?"
"I was born with such a power. Quite the unpleasant sight I've shown you."
"You do seem to be the real Herald. At least for now."
"Thanks for believing. Otherwise I thought I'd have to show my archery skills or something."
Azadin put the mask back on.
"You can shoot a bow without eyes?"
"If I couldn't, I wouldn't be a Herald. So, shall we move to a more secluded place? This doesn't seem like a conversation to have where there are many people."
"Let's do that."
Randa Banema summoned her servants. Armed men encircled Azadin's group.
"Now then, I'll guide you."
It was more an arrest than an escort.
***
Thus Azadin's party was led by Randa Banema's servants to the arena.
This arena was a pit, called the Pit, with sand spread across the ground, surrounded by wooden planks, and spectator seats arranged around it so people could look down from above.
"This place is…?"
"Normally, dogfights are held here, and sometimes human brawls as well. You've heard of Bruma Brawling, haven't you?"
Randa Banema said this while looking down at Azadin's group.
She stood in the VIP section of the arena, quite a height above where Azadin's party stood, creating an oppressive atmosphere that made Jiswa uneasy.
"What if that woman harbors ill intent?"
"Then that day will be her death anniversary. Didn't you see our captain snap the Nagas' spine backward?"
Scott, trusting in Azadin's abilities, yawned and sprawled on the ground, conserving strength and mana as much as possible.
"From the look of things, it doesn't seem like the petitioner's request was made in a climate favorable to the Herald Clan. Then let's hear the details of the petition. I have a rough idea, but I want to hear it clearly."
"It'll be a long story, but I'll try to explain as best I can."
Randa Banema explained to Azadin how she had inherited the farm, changed the way the business was run, and as a result, the surrounding farms had begun attacking.
"Ah, so that's why impostors of the Herald Clan came looking for you? Then it means someone who was present when you petitioned with the Emperor's gold coins is a traitor, doesn't it? Since your rivals knew about the petition."
"That's right."
Randa Banema nodded at Azadin's words.
At present, she had the support of farm workers who, thanks to her, were freed and became free citizens, as well as those who backed her because wages had risen.
But with more people came more traitors and spies.
Even among those who had served the Banema family since childhood, she could not guess how many might betray her.
In such circumstances, the only ones she could trust were the Herald Clan, summoned by a petition with gold coins.
"I've heard that the great farm owners of Bruma have money like stars in the night sky. Have you not considered hiring adventurers?"
"Money, I have. But using it to fight is foolish. They have more money than I do. At this rate, I can't even hire a tinker to mend a pot, so would sellswords come to me? The one saving grace is that they already have such vast private armies that they don't even need to hire sellswords. Their sheer strength alone is enough to crush me to death."
"So that's the situation, is it? Hm, I see."
Azadin nodded.
"But you studied with the Knights of Salvation?"
"I trained as a holy knight in Saint Malory on the Hubris Peninsula. My mother was a concubine. Originally, this farm was supposed to be inherited by my half-brother, but when he died of syphilis, I left the order of holy knights and returned to secular life."
"You were a knight of salvation? That's something to envy."
When Azadin heard that Randa Banema had been a knight of salvation, his eyes lit up.
"Hmph. A knight of salvation? Just trash with a fancy title. There's a reason why they can't stand against the holy knights of the King's Church. But envy, you say? What do you mean by that?"
At that moment Jiswa spoke to Azadin with delight.
"At one point I worried, wondering if it was worth spending time on such a petition, but to think the petitioner is a farm owner of Bel Hoda. That is fortunate, Master. The owners of Bel Hoda farms are wealthier than most nobles. If we secure their support, it will be of great help in carrying out the Way of Azure Heaven."
"The Way of Azure Heaven? And you call yourself of the Herald Clan? Don't tell me you are also of the Blue Sky Order?"
"By chance, I also came to serve as a master of the Blue Sky Order."
"By chance?"
"On top of that, I am a believer in angels. Since childhood, I grew up reading stories of the Archangel of the Trinity who devoted themselves to humanity, and of the heroic and virtuous knights of the Knights of Salvation. When I said I envied you, it was because I too wanted to become a knight of salvation."
'…Is this bastard really a Herald? Suddenly, an intense doubt is rising in me.'
As Randa Banema grew suspicious of Azadin, Azadin unstrung his bow and set the string. Randa Banema's guards flinched in alarm.
"Y-You bastard! What are you doing?"
They leveled their crossbows and bows at Azadin.
"It seems from what you just said that you don't trust me. I thought I might show you a little trick."
Azadin spoke thus and swiftly loosed an arrow.
"What?!"
The startled guards of Randa Banema fired their bows as well, but an even more astonishing thing happened.
The arrow Azadin had shot struck precisely the arrow that one of Randa Banema's guards had set on his bowstring, knocking it away.
And moreover…
Azadin batted away the arrows flying at him from the front, and with a sweep of his cloak deflected the arrows that came from behind.
Because of the pit-like structure of the arena, even if one shot from the spectator seats, unless standing directly in the center, the walls created blind spots, so only attacks from the opposite side could reach.
Azadin used those blind spots to knock away the arrows, protecting not only himself but his comrades as well.
"One arrow brings forth many. Good."
Azadin picked up an arrow that had fallen to the ground.
The volley that had just taken place was the sort of deadly exchange where ordinary people would have lost their lives.
In truth, Randa Banema's guards were dripping with cold sweat all over their bodies.
But Azadin calmly stooped to gather arrows.
"M-Madam."
"Enough. That one is truly of the Herald Clan."
Randa Banema cast aside her doubts about Azadin.
"Then let us speak in earnest. Shall we determine the specific scope of the petition?"
"Scope?"
"Yes. What is it that you want?"
"What do you mean? Of course I…"
Randa Banema faltered.
"You want to annihilate your rivals and take control of the entire sugar industry of Bel Hoda? To kill the other farm owners, exterminate their families, and leave not even the suckling babes alive, so that no one can inherit?"
"That…"
It was not as though she had never thought of assassination. There was no solution through straightforward means.
The sugarcane farm owners of Bel Hoda would often joke at drinking tables,
'With money, even Nagas can be commanded.'
'It is we who choose the king of Bruma.'
Though drunken boasts were common, when considering their wealth and power, such words could not be dismissed as mere idle talk.
To face such people formally was impossible, so she had considered assassination. But even if she killed one or two farm owners, their children would inherit, and those enraged heirs would never let her live.
And to kill all the heirs as well?
Even the sucklings, every last one?
If so, then what had Randa Banema freed the slaves for?
As Randa Banema delayed in answering, Azadin sighed.
"So you won't say you want that. Truly, a troublesome petitioner."
"Troublesome, you say?"
"What you did, improving the welfare of the workers, rejecting the kidnappings, trafficking, and slavery that were practiced in this region, was good and noble indeed. But to the other farms, it was a declaration of war, a war of systems, demanding that they either follow your way or kill you."
"..."
"You declared war without being prepared to kill. That's why I said you are a troublesome petitioner."
At Azadin's words, Randa Banema felt a pain that pierced her to the bone.
This foreigner who had only just arrived in Bel Hoda understood the situation of the farm owners far better than she, who was born and raised here.