Chapter 49 – Aldis (3)

Aldis was the person who confronted those hysteric elders. Before anything else was even decided, she had insisted on naming the babies.

For Aragasa, the act of naming children was sacred. A person’s fate would depend on their name. That was not to say they killed nameless children. If any nameless children were dying, they would be rescued. However, the Elders despised these two babies because they feared that Acre had reincarnated into them. Regardless, Aldis continued to persuade the Elders to name them. The problem was none wanted to name the children, allowing Aldis to insist on naming them herself.

“Aldis, that’s such an underhanded trick. No matter what, I will not allow it. You are a Jeddaha, a high noble from the bloodline of the Founding Families and an inheritor to Harkonia’s eyes. I can’t allow such a talented person from our clan to do this.”

“But Master.”

“You’re naming them to protect them, right? To stop the Elders from killing them on a whim? But that’s just foolish and will only increase your burden. Why are you chaining yourself to these children?”

“I don’t know. For me, it’s just the right thing to do to protect these little lives.”

“I see. It’s useless benevolence. Why are you going so far as to be kind to your enemies?”

“I… was friends with Acre, that’s why. I somewhat understand why Acre betrayed the clan. In fact, even after his treason, I just can’t hate him.”

“Don’t ever mention that in front of anyone else. If the other Elders hear a word of this, you’ll be in big trouble. Okay then. I’ll name the children. The boy’s name is Azadine, and the girl’s name is Arael.”

“Huh? But those names…”

Long before they arrived in Hubris, Azadine was the name given to the eyeless imoogi, the Dragon of Destruction. Arael was the angel who fought against that monster. They were the main figures of a myth that symbolized light and darkness. They were destined to fight forever until their eventual ends.

“Aren’t those names more than good enough for them? After all, they’re the names of our Gods before we arrived in Hubris and started worshiping the Emperor.”

“Yeah, sure, they’re the names of Gods, but one of them is the name of a demon. Not to mention, how could you name them such that they’re ‘destined to kill each other until their doom’?.”

The naming of someone was a sacred ritual for the Aragasa, people of the Messenger Clan. It was part of their cultural superstition. No matter how grand someone’s name was, their fate was immutable. On the other hand, the Aragasa believed that a person’s fate was intertwined with their name, though none knew if this was true.

Therefore, Aldis was against using those ill-fated names, but the Grandmaster stood firm.

“It needs to be this way to satisfy the Elders. Aldis, do as I say if you wish to save those children. Then the Elders will understand too.”

“You mean to say that such names are to protect them… Ah, I hope those names don’t become a chain that binds them.”

Indeed, the Elders were satisfied with those names, just as Hathir intended, and no longer mentioned killing the children.

Originally, those of the Aragasa had names from their foreign ancestors who had boarded the five ships that landed in Hubris. The leaders of those five boats and their children became the Founding Families.

The people of Hubris called them Heavenly King Slayers and soulless blasphemers. Yet, even within them, there was a hierarchy. Members of the five Founding Families were considered to be the most prestigious, followed by their vassals. The lowly oarsmen formed the lowest ranks.

Everyone dreamed of becoming a messenger within the rigid hierarchy of the Aragasa. It was a rank the Emperor granted and transcended the class distinction.

Since the ranks within the Aragasa lost all meaning when faced with the status of a messenger, those who became one could escape the binds of a low social rank. They could also perform honorable missions and form bonds with renowned families through marriage. In other words, becoming a messenger was the only way for an Aragasa to rise through the ladder of hierarchy.

Parents did all sorts of things in an effort to make their children into messengers. From a young age, the children would be fed good food and raised with affection, and no stone would be left unturned to support them. Being without parents, Azadine and Arael were inevitably left in an unfavorable position.

Of course, that’s the story of every other person.

None of this was a hindrance for Arael.

The one who was affected was Azadine.

“Huh. He doesn’t have any magical ability?!”

The Senate of Elders thought that the Heavenly King’s Book might have reincarnated in the form of these two children. Therefore, the book Mages and Aldis thoroughly examined Azadine and Arael. Upon a closer examination, they came to an astonishing conclusion. Azadine could see despite not having eyes and possessed a surprising resistance against black magic. However, he also paid a large price for it.

“To be precise…”

Aldis shook her head.

“What Azadine has inside of him isn’t quite exactly the ‘Beauties of Nature, Flower, Bird, Wind, and Moon.’”

Every person in the Messenger Clan received the magical book when they were born. It was the gift of power that was passed down to them by the Emperor through the Contract of Service.

With this magical book, a person of the Messenger Clan who studied and researched Harkonia’s Writings and received understanding would be able to use the magic contained within them. However, they could only sense hints of their clan’s magic book inside Azadine.

“What happened most probably, I think, is that originally the Curse of Service was meant to result in only one child. Azadine and Arael were originally one, but then they split into two. And just like that, he was not able to receive the ‘Beauties of Nature- Flower, Bird, Wind, and Moon.’”

“…is that so?”

“Instead, the magical powers of the book that Arael possesses… are astonishing. Honestly, they could be the strongest in history.”

“Are you saying she’s the ‘Reincarnation of Harkonia’?”

The Elders asked Arael.

“Her powers are stronger than mine. This child will likely become the strongest messenger in history. I believe the name of Harkonia’s Reincarnation will also become hers.”

As she said this, Aldis’ expression became glum.

“Are you frustrated at the thought of a rival?”

“No. It’s not that… I feel sorry for Azadine. What was his was instead given over to Arael. Except for Azadine’s eyes and magical resistance, he can’t even match the foundational abilities of his peers.”

“His magical resistance?”

“Yes. The incomplete magical book inside him is releasing magic in a chaotic manner. There’s a whirlpool of different types of magic inside him. This makes him resistant to magic, but… on the other hand, he would be unable to use any of that magic either.”

“It seems Arael even took away Azadine’s share. How wicked. Does that mean she took away his eyes and magical book, essentially everything from him?”

Arael had opened her eyes and was able to recognize objects from the very day she was born. The day she took her first steps, everyone around her realized that the child would grow into an unparalleled beauty.

No one would be able to match her powerful magic. Nor would her peers be able to surpass her remarkable critical thinking, unmatched archery skills, or her formidable physical abilities. On the other hand, Azadine was closer to a commoner child of Hubris.

“A cruel fate awaits this child.”

The Elders said those words, but no one there pitied Azadine.

As he was the son of a traitor, his fate, no matter death or life, was just what he deserved. However, Arael’s talent piqued their interest greatly.

When their foundational training started, the other children hated Azadine and Arael as they were orphans without the backing of a family. However, with her peerless skills and beauty, Arael wrapped everyone around her little finger in no time.

It took less than a month for her peers to become her followers. Then, with just her skills, she crushed everyone else, even if they were her seniors. Even her instructors ended up dead in freak accidents or became her followers.

Then there was Azadine.

By the age of four, all Aragasa children would be house-broken. At the age of eight, they would be able to use a White Wood Bow, and by the age of 12, they would be able to shoot a two-string bow, dive two meters into the water, and jump as high as their own height.

But Azadine, at the age of eight, was still wetting his bed. Far from being able to use a White Wood Bow, he couldn’t even throw a stone decently. He did not meet the standards of a child of the Aragasa and was more similar to one from Hubris. The other children from the Messenger Clan could not stand him.

The Aragasa was clearly stronger than the Hubrisians. After arriving in Hubris, interracial marriage had diluted their bloodlines slightly. However, despite that, they were still sharp archers and possessed extraordinary physical abilities. Above all else, there was the Contract of Service.

They were imbued with a sense of purpose to become the Emperor’s Messenger by using the Magical Book of ‘Beauties of Nature, Flower, Bird, Wind, and Moon’. Their persecution from the outside also tempered into them the mentality of Proud Warriors. Yet that mentality often devolved into the oppression of the weak.

“Oi, idiot!”

“Oh God, this retarded bastard. You still wet your bed, huh?”

“Try pulling the bowstring, you moron!”

“Hihihi, did you see his nose running and looking like he’ll die just after running up the hill?”

The foundational training was difficult for those of the Aragasa. In fact, one in five children could not keep up with the training, and a majority of the dropouts were children of lower-class families. Yet even they despised and harassed Azadine.

As the son of the clan’s traitor, Acre, his existence was inferior to everyone.

Among the Hubrisians, he would have been an average child. To the Aragasa, Azadine was simply an incompetent child with a retarded development cycle.

“Ughhh….aaaahh…”

Under the waterfalls of the Messenger Clan’s sanctuary, Azadine was crying due to everything he had to suffer through. Without eyes, he was unable to even shed tears. He simply let out one scream after another.

He was an orphan with a dead parent and was persecuted by everyone. On top of that, the process of foundational training beat into him with proof of his powerlessness and incompetence that he desperately wanted to deny. He felt as if he would die.

He wanted to run away if he could, but he had nowhere to escape. Arael had been his shield prior to the start of the foundational training. If his peers tried to bully him, Arael had been his shield. If anyone had tried to bully him, she would appear like lightning and teach those children a lesson. Even the top-ranking children inside the foundational training program were no match for her.

This changed once his foundational training started. She no longer protected him.

As Arael distanced herself from Azadine, the other children were still wary of her but steadily increased their bullying of Azadine. Despite this, she turned a blind eye to it. In the end, many could not restrain themselves and openly hit Azadine. Still, Arael simply sneered and returned to her task.

‘Arael has finally abandoned Azadine.’

Everyone became certain of this. Since the foundational training was physically and mentally stressful, even for the strong-willed children of the Aragasa, they needed a way to release their stress.

And Azadine was a great target.