Just in time, the soldier who had been disarmed and left empty-handed at the village entrance caught sight of another group entering and shouted in fright.
"Scribe! Over there, a Holy Knight!"
Was that not a knight clad in full plate armor, wearing the emblem of the King's Church, riding into the village?
"Damn it. What's going on?"
"Retreat!"
***
The soldiers of the Blue Sky Order knew they were no match and began fleeing, dropping their plunder and carrying off the wounded.
Azadin, who had climbed up from the coastal cliffs, had to wander for a while.
"Even the map from Aragasa doesn't mark this place very well."
When Azadin had been appointed herald for the Korasar front, he'd received a map of the area under his jurisdiction from the Aragasa elder council.
But this Adirof region wasn't marked on that map, so Azadin wasn't familiar with its geography either.
"Adirof… isn't that part of Count Lantarik's territory?"
"Yeah. There was supposed to be some secret about the Emperor's Treasury here."
According to Brand, the scribe who had served the former Count of Lantarik, Garnahair, the count had conducted research in Adirof regarding the Emperor's Treasury.
So Azadin had planned to visit a nearby village to gather some information…
"There seems to be an armed group in the village."
"Huh?"
"Sir Zebeck's appearance is too flashy, so I'll go ahead and check out the situation first."
Azadin had said that and gone in to investigate—only to run into a group called the Blue Sky Order.
"How could you go and fight after saying you'd just check things out?"
Zebeck scolded him.
"I wasn't sure how bad they were. They're looting, but they're posting requisition slips, and they're not killing or assaulting anyone."
Azadin was firm in his principles. If they were merely thieves stealing property, and not causing permanent harm, he wouldn't kill them.
By Azadin's standards, the Blue Sky Order weren't yet people to kill or permanently disable.
"We'll know more once we ask the villagers."
Azadin returned the stolen goods to the people.
"Th-thank you! Are you with the Holy Knight?"
"Something like that. Oh, right, I'd like to buy some beans and oats."
Azadin took out silver coins, placed them in the merchant's hand, and handed over a sack from his saddle. It was more than enough money to fill it with beans and oats.
'I'm helping them and paying fair price too. Sigh. This is truly dignified behavior befitting the Emperor's herald. But what if this merchant tries to return the favor and refuses the money?'
Just as Azadin was worrying about that…
The merchant, overjoyed, took the empty sack and scooped out a few bushels from the goods the Blue Sky Order had nearly requisitioned and filled Azadin's sack.
But then—
"Hm? That's it? I'm pretty sure I gave you silver coins."
"Well now. Food and grain are expensive these days. Ever since those refugees started pouring in from Coral Sahar, the price of grain has skyrocketed. If you want the sack filled more, you'll need to pay more."
The merchant said that and extended his hand to Azadin again.
"..."
He'd just saved this man from being robbed by the Blue Sky Order, and he still wanted full payment?
'I didn't do it expecting gratitude, but this guy is really annoying.'
Azadin sighed and took out more money to hand to the merchant.
"Alright then. With this much, I'll toss in an extra bushel of oats."
"Ah. Okay."
Azadin clicked his tongue inwardly as he watched the merchant make a show of generosity over a single extra bushel.
He had paid enough to buy a cartload of grain in normal times, yet the merchant only barely filled two sacks and tried to act generous with one extra bushel.
"I understand that refugees have been flooding in from Coral Sahar, but who are those guys with the blue scarves on their heads?"
"Oh, you mean the ones wearing towels dyed with blue fruit? They call themselves the Blue Sky Order. A heretical cult."
"A heretical cult?"
"That's right. It's a religion that recently came in overland through Bruma. What's the King's Church even doing? Though, come to think of it, Coral Sahar… Oops, forget I said anything."
Badmouthing the King's Church right in front of a Holy Knight—he had some nerve.
Still, ever since Coral Sahar was devastated by storms and flooded with refugees, respect for the King's Church had been rapidly waning.
'Only Ansethus IV is pitiful.'
Even though the waning light of the king's virtue was not his fault, he would go down in history as a tyrant.
"What do these cultists do?"
"What do you think? They lure in refugees and naïve youngsters, promising a new world. They abduct influential people, sweet-talk them into handing over money, and are training their own militia. The real problem is that dwarves have joined them."
"Dwarves? You mean actual Dwarves?"
"That's right. Ever since the Dwarves started supporting the Blue Sky Order, their momentum has surged. Be careful."
"Understood. Which way is Baron Adirof's castle? And would you happen to sell a map of the area?"
"Oh, a map, you say?"
The merchant extended his hand once again.
"You're my savior, so I'll give you a discount."
"..."
It was one of those moments when Azadin deeply felt the need for help from the Korasar pedders' guild.
***
"Damn it. Got ripped off big time. Should've waited to buy grain."
Azadin opened the map he had bought at such a high price.
Looking at the map of the Adirof region, Azadin was surprised to find that the area was located on the border between the Kingdom of Korasar and the Kingdom of Bruma.
Normally, such border regions are either active trade hubs or military garrisons, becoming economically significant in some way. But Azadin had never even heard of a place called Adirof.
"It's a border zone, so how did I not know about it?"
"That's because of the endemic diseases," Zebeck explained from beside Azadin.
"Endemic diseases?"
"Malaria, dysentery, fever, and various other diseases native to Bruma also exist here in Adirof. It's actually a famous case—after the Adirof barony family was wiped out by malaria and left without an heir, the land passed to Count Lantarik through the maternal line."
"Ah, so that's why Count Lantarik mentioned being the guardian of Adirof or something."
Azadin nodded.
"Anyway, according to the map, the only land route to Bruma runs through the regional capital of Adirof—Adif. Let's head there."
Azadin carefully folded the map so he could take it out easily, tucked it into his belt pouch, and set off.
Not long after leaving the village—
"You bastards!"
"How dare you interfere with the sacred mission of the Blue Sky Order!"
A mob wearing blue scarves on their heads rushed toward them. No less than twenty of them were armed with spears, bardiches, bows, and more.
"Wow. Looks like they've chosen death," Scott muttered, clicking his tongue.
Knowing Azadin's capabilities, he wasn't shocked or afraid by the numbers—they weren't even enough to make him nervous. Instead, he found himself worrying about the future of these self-proclaimed Blue Sky Order.
Shati, on the other hand, was visibly displeased.
"If a stray arrow hits someone, it'll be a whole thing again…"
She couldn't even imagine Azadin losing. He had already defeated powerful members of the herald clans before their eyes and even prevented the descent of an ancient reaper god. There was no way he'd be fazed by this ragtag bunch now.
But then—
"Hold on, everyone, let's calm down," Azadin said, raising both hands and kneeling before them.
"What the hell? This guy… you're—"
"Ah, leave that one alone. He's a Holy Knight. It'll only cause trouble," Azadin added, clearly drawing a line for those who tried to threaten Zebeck as well.
"..."
The Blue Sky Order members turned to look at their commander—the scribe.
Fighting a fully armed Holy Knight would be a burden even for them. But they'd come all this way to punish someone who had wronged their comrade. Was kneeling enough to let it go?
'We came to beat the guy who messed with one of us—are we just supposed to accept this?'
'Is our scribe a bit scared of this guy?'
As those doubts started to rise, the scribe cleared his throat.
"Hm-hm. You there—do you now understand what it means to interfere with the mission of the Blue Sky Order?"
"Yes, absolutely," Azadin replied with a nod, then asked a question.
"I heard the Blue Sky Order is a religious group. Lately, my heart has been restless, and I've begun to question whether my old faith is truly righteous. If there is a new teaching, I would gladly dedicate myself to it. Could you possibly enlighten me?"
"What…?"
"I'm curious about your doctrine, first of all."
"Doctrine…? Doctrine?"
The members of the Blue Sky Order were flustered. Despite claiming to be a new religion, they didn't really know anything about doctrine.
After all, the King's Church only demanded submission to the descendants of the Yaegas Divine Clan—kings and nobles—and even the Knights of Salvation mostly preached basic, simplistic virtues like "do good and you'll be blessed."
"Um, wear the blue scarf and follow our leader's will. The age of the Yaegas Divine Clan has ended!"
"Can we join as well?"
"Well… are you… potential converts?"
At those words from the scribe, the surrounding Blue Sky Order members began to grumble. They had come for revenge after hearing one of their own had been harmed. And now the guy who beat him was being invited to join—with no punishment?
As discontent stirred, the scribe grew uneasy.
At that moment—
"Well, this isn't much," Azadin said, handing some money to the scribe.
"W-what is this?"
"As a thirsty deer seeks a spring, so does a restless soul seek righteous teachings. I suppose, moved by this search, I find myself wanting to offer alms from the heart. Please use this to care for those I may have injured."
"..."
The scribe cleared his throat again and accepted the money, subtly showing it to the other members. Their expressions softened.
"But what about the Holy Knight beside you? Will he also submit to our teachings?"
"..."
Zebeck was taken aback, but seeing Azadin's signal, he let out a sigh and said,
"I'll hear what you have to say."
"…Good. Then follow me."
The scribe distributed the money Azadin had given him to his men and began leading the way.
***
Following the Blue Sky Order members over a hill, a massive refugee camp came into view.
Carts were scattered across the plains, and tents were pitched all around.
Since the well-drained lands had already been claimed by farms and villages, the refugees who had fled Coral Sahar were forced to camp in wetlands and barren ground near the water.
—Bzzzzz.
To exaggerate a little, mosquitoes as big as a palm—objectively closer to the size of a pinky fingernail—were buzzing in all directions.
Azadin waved his hand and smacked down every mosquito he could see.
But every time he killed one, his palm turned red with blood. The mosquitoes had already feasted on the blood of people nearby before flying about.
And it wasn't just mosquitoes here. Leeches clung to the bodies of refugees trying to catch catfish in the mud.
Despite the sheer number of parasites, the refugees expelled from Coral Sahar had no choice but to survive here, day by day.
Even a man dressed in fine clothes—someone clearly unaccustomed to physical labor—was struggling to catch catfish in the muck. As he did, members of the Blue Sky Order swaggered over and took half of his hard-earned fish from his basket.
Inside Azadin's helmet, a strange light flickered in his eyes as he watched the scene unfold.