Chapter 193. Quantum Bond (2)
King Manza-Zadek of Bruma personally granted the Sky Lord of the Blue Sky Order a building, and it was none other than the site of an old theater that could be clearly overlooked from the royal castle. He had given them the Sky Lord Pavilion in a place where their movements could be observed at any time.
Even Azadin, who was not deeply familiar with Bruma’s political situation, could guess why the king had built and handed over the building.
Whatever the true reason, on the surface the king personally constructing and bestowing a building meant that the Blue Sky Order was now officially recognized by the Kingdom of Bruma. It was a great favor they could never dare refuse.
“Hm, why didn’t I know about this?”
Azadin marveled as he looked at the Sky Lord Pavilion, visible even from a distance. If such movements from a rising religion existed, there was no way the Herald Clan wouldn’t have known.
Beside the old theater stood an eight-story wooden pagoda, and on the path leading to it many people could be seen wearing blue scarves.
“The Blue Sky Order is a religion that has grown rapidly only recently, so it must have been difficult for the Herald Clan to know the details.”
“Well, indeed. If they’re curing malaria, they can’t help but grow fast.”
“……”
Jiswa felt a sense of unease at Azadin’s words.
Azadin was the very man who had approached the body of Grimslawn, and had received the miracle of that body dwelling in both bow and cudgel.
That miracle was equal to, or even greater than, the miracles of the Sky Lord, so if this fact were openly revealed, and Azadin claimed he would usurp the Blue Sky Order, would not quite a number rally to him?
Yet Azadin seemed to have no trust at all in this organization called the Blue Sky Order.
‘That the executor of miracles himself does not believe, how strange a thing this is.’
Just as Jiswa felt, Azadin did not believe in the Blue Sky Order.
‘I saw what happened at Baron Adirof’s domain, only a fool would believe in them. Still, since Jiswa was saved by the Order’s elixir, perhaps that’s why he still clings to his faith.’
In Azadin’s eyes, the leader of the Blue Sky Order, the so-called Sky Lord, was likely a typical Bruma man.
Brumans brimmed with confidence from amassing immense wealth through commerce and mining, yet they felt inferiority and victimhood for being estranged from the common culture of the Hubris people.
Though rich in gold mines and blessed with sugarcane, the land was plagued by severe endemic diseases, so no matter how much wealth they possessed, to the Hubris people Bruma was nothing more than a wilderness, a frontier, a foreign land.
Among the Eight Divine Kings’ realms, it was the most peculiarly estranged environment. Thus, despite their wealth, Bruma’s nobles and the rich felt inferiority and even anger toward the other realms, and the events in Baron Adirof’s domain had revealed that hostility blatantly.
‘In the end, this religion has become the cart before the horse.’
Originally religion should have been created to convey teachings. Yet once religion gathered people, it gained power, and with power concentrated, there arose those who sought only that power itself.
The Blue Sky Order could be said to be a religion created precisely to seize such power. Its teachings were shallow, while its expansion was aggressive.
Yet those who had survived fever were emotionally bound, already devoted wholly to the Order, and they treasured those shallow teachings as if they were golden scripture.
‘If they’re going to engrave teachings as golden scripture, it’d be better if they truly lived by them. But these people don’t even keep their own doctrine of living righteously. Would they listen to me if I said a few words? I should just meet the Sky Lord and obtain his cooperation for Bruma’s defense. Arguing pointlessly with Jiswa here would be useless.’
Azadin headed toward the Sky Lord Pavilion.
***
The Sky Lord Pavilion, built hastily of wood, was in truth a kind of tower consisting mostly of pillars and stairs.
But the Brumans had a style of architecture where they set up solid pillars and replaced walls with cloth, and they arranged richly decorated fabrics with great skill, partitioning the space and adorning the building so that it did not give the impression of being roughly made.
‘It’s the kind of architecture possible in a hot land. Cool, and not bad.’
Azadin stopped before the Hall of Audience where he was to greet the Sky Lord.
“Master Jiswa, welcome. And this gentleman is?”
“Ah, a guest who will pay respects to the Sky Lord with me.”
“Then please set down your belongings first, and change into the clothes we have prepared for you.”
“Please also remove your helmet.”
Azadin complied with their request and removed his helmet.
When they saw the scars on his face and the damage to his eyes, they gasped, startled.
“Are, are you all right?”
“We did not know you could not see. B-but, before the Sky Lord, no weapon or staff of any kind may be brought, it is our law….”
They had mistaken Azadin for a blind man and were flustered, since apparently even a blind man’s staff was not permitted before the Sky Lord.
“You needn’t worry. I am long accustomed. If it is the procedure, I shall follow it.”
Rather than being flustered, Azadin reassured the attendants and changed into the garments they had prepared.
It was not just disarming, but complete changing of clothes, which showed they were wary of any assassination attempt against the Sky Lord.
‘Strict indeed. But I did want to try on Bruma clothes. I had expected to disarm anyway.’
Azadin laid aside his weapons and changed into Bruma’s attire.
Bruma’s clothing was little more than wrapping cloth around the body, and to Azadin it felt no different than being naked.
‘It’s cool enough, but, hm, feels like I’m walking around stark naked. Shouldn’t have agreed to wear this.’
Rather than joy at experiencing Bruma’s culture, the shame of feeling naked in public tormented Azadin. After he changed, an instructor came to teach him the proper etiquette.
“Now, here you must not look upon the Sky Lord recklessly. I shall teach you the ritual procedure.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There is a ceremonial order, please follow. First, bow your head and recite a hymn praising the Sky Lord. Only when permitted to raise your head may you gaze upon him.”
‘They fuss more than the Clan of the Eight Divine Kings, who inherit the blood of the Yaegas. Is this just to establish authority? This is excessive.’
Azadin realized the Sky Lord intended to bolster his own authority with such needless rituals, but what was the point of saying so? He could only comply for now.
After rehearsing as instructed, Azadin was finally able to meet the Sky Lord.
“Taoist Jiswa of the Blue Sky Order, and his companion Adan, pay respects to the Sky Lord.”
“Raise your heads.”
Azadin raised his head at the sound of the Sky Lord’s voice.
In truth, even before raising his head Azadin could already see the Sky Lord. His gaze did not rely on flesh. Even while bowing, he had lifted his inner sight to behold the Sky Lord.
Yet the Sky Lord was seated behind a finely crafted folding screen, so only his shadow could be faintly glimpsed.
One thing was certain, judging by the fact that his daughter Gimela was a grown woman, the man must be of considerable age, and yet his voice, sometimes sounding like a boy’s, sometimes like a girl’s, left a striking impression of androgyny.
“Well, well, who is this? Is it not Jiswa? I clearly sent you on dispatch to Korasar, why have you returned? The mission should not yet be over. Or is it? Has all of Korasar already declared conversion to the Way of the Blue Sky?”
“Sky Lord, I have witnessed a miracle.”
“A miracle?”
“Yes. While proclaiming doctrine and aiding the people at Baron Adirof’s borderland of Korasar, to spread your Way, suddenly those who had taken the elixir transformed into minions of the Nether, going berserk and attacking those around them.”
“Ah, what a pity.”
The Sky Lord’s voice still carried a note of laughter.
Whether the catastrophe in Baron Adirof’s domain had been by the Sky Lord’s intent, or the arbitrary actions of Bruma-born Taoists who despised Korasar, no one knew, but even to the disaster in Korasar the Sky Lord showed indifference.
Despite the loss of lives, such an attitude—Azadin disliked the Sky Lord from the very start.
“And so this one with you, is he that Herald clansman?”
“Yes?”
“I have already heard the tale. That he purified Grimslawn’s rampaging minion and plundered the sacred relic.”
“N-no, never plundered. Grimslawn himself chose! His essence dwells within his arms, aiding him directly.”
Jiswa exclaimed in shock at the Sky Lord’s words, yet the Sky Lord seemed unwilling to hear.
“Nonsense. Jiswa, he is Herald Clan. A godless blasphemer, soulless.”
At being called a soulless blasphemer, Azadin let out a quiet laugh.
Calling the Herald Clan soulless blasphemers was a slur used by those who worshipped the Yaegas Divine Clan, unable to comprehend the actions of the Herald Clan who dared slay the children of the gods.
For the leader of a new religion, one who could not even muster reverence or the barest etiquette toward the Yaegas, to use that slur—how absurd.
“Well, well, Sky Lord. At the very least, I have come in peace. There was no need for this.”
“And you call it peace, to disrupt the doctrine of our Blue Sky Order with false miracles?”
“On that point, I will apologize. In truth, it was Jiswa who claimed miracle, not I.”
“Hmph.”
At that, the Sky Lord picked up a small bell and rang it, and at once the curtains parted, and armed followers of the Order with spears rushed in.
Azadin, barehanded and stripped, only sighed and raised his hands.
“Is this surrender?”
“No.”
At the moment Azadin spoke, suddenly screams arose from behind.
“Ugh!”
“B-block it!”
But breaking through the crowd came Grimslawn’s cudgel, flying into Azadin’s grasp, and at the same time, something like a wooden serpent writhed across the ground and coiled itself around Azadin’s waist.
Grimslawn’s bow and cudgel had come running of their own accord to Azadin.
‘They were weapons that, when thrown, struck the foe and returned, so as master, just by my will they would fly back into my hand.’
Azadin knew the nature of Grimslawn’s cudgel, that whenever he wished, it would return of its own will. That was why he had accepted disarmament and Bruma dress without much resistance.
But from the perspective of others, what was once a returning weapon was here no less than a divine relic. Did it not appear as though the relic had chosen Azadin as its master?
“……”
“Oh?”
“The Taoist’s cudgel.”
“No, that is….”
Witnessing it before their eyes, the members of the Blue Sky Order were struck with shock.
Most of them, having become minions of Grimslawn, knew well that the cudgel was not merely a Taoist’s symbol, but that it contained Grimslawn’s very essence.
“A miracle! A miracle!”
Even in this situation, Jiswa loudly proclaimed miracle after miracle in Azadin’s defense.
‘Enough, fool. All I need is the Order’s cooperation to defend Bruma. I have no wish to seize the seat of leader. The more you say, the more difficult my position becomes.’
Before coming in, Azadin had extracted Jiswa’s promise many times, but it seemed mere empty words.
No comments yet. Be the first to leave a review!