Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 17



Only Noblemtl

Episode 17 Heretic Questioner (3)

Heresy Questioner.

Isaac tensed at the eerie tone. It was never a good sign.

‘Heresy Questioner? ‘Why them?’

“Why is the Heretic Questioner suddenly visiting?”

Gebel asked with a stern expression. He too seemed nervous.

The Inquisitors are like inspectors within the church. Since this was a position that looked for threats among allies rather than enemies, it was natural that it would not be welcomed anywhere.

Instead of speaking hastily, Yevhar glanced at Isaac. He seemed to have a hard time talking about it. Isaac recognized the meaning of the gaze and bowed his head and stepped back. But as soon as he turned the corner, he immediately pulled out a tentacle from his left hand.

[Rat in the wall / You can share your senses through tentacles.]

Through this power, Isaac has been constantly eavesdropping on secrets and whispers from around the monastery. Since he had a secret that should not be revealed to others, he could not help it.

“The reason for the visit is not detailed. “They said it was urgent.”

Yebhar showed Geber the letter he received through the jackdaw. The content of the scrawled letter was short.

“Urgent. Threat presence. Immediately close the monastery and be on guard.”

It was a short letter, but the exact meaning was difficult to understand. Gebel read it, mumbling it over and over again, as if trying to understand its meaning. However, it was clear that there was a threat to the monastery, and that the Inquisitor was visiting to deal with it.

But what exactly is that ‘threat’?

Yebhar looked at Gebel with concerned eyes.

“Mr. Gebel, what will you do?”

“If the monastery itself had been suspected of heresy, they wouldn’t have sent the jackdaws. This seems to indicate that a threat has lurked within the monastery or is coming. I think the monks can rest assured.”

Isaac felt a chill run down his spine as he heard those words.

‘… … ‘Is this about me?’

Up to this point, Isaac has never done anything that went against the tenets of the Code of Light or that would reveal his connection to Nameless Chaos. However, the fact that Isaac had tentacles was itself proof that he was an enemy of the church.

If, just in case, someone in the church noticed Isaac’s existence, it was natural to send an Inquisitor to check.

Gebel looked uncomfortable, but still calmly gave advice to Yevhar.

“They say the Heretic Questioner is coming, but if I avoid it, I may leave a more suspicious impression. “Let’s meet the Heretic Questioner first.”

***

‘What should I do with this?’

The monastery was in a chaotic mood upon hearing the news that the Inquisitor was visiting. The children stopped all work and returned to their rooms, and the monastery gate was tightly locked. That door will not open until the Inquisitor visits.

Isaac was troubled.

In the meantime, Isaac has already thought about and prepared for this situation hundreds of times. If he was in a situation where he had no choice but to be suspected or chased, Isaac had no choice but to run. Because he didn’t want to kill and eat all the monastery people.

So, Isaac hid supplies for that ‘just in case’ in the cave where he was almost eaten by a wild boar long ago. Everything from clothing to disguise themselves to daily necessities needed for life on the run.

If even in the unlikely event that the church discovered their existence and sent a heresy inquisitor, they had to flee immediately.

‘If you want to run away, just leave like this. Anyway, you can get food through tentacles, and thanks to the ability to store flesh, you can survive without sleeping or eating for a few days… … .’

I learned everything I could at the monastery anyway.

He said that his body had grown enough, and that Gebel had taught him all the sword techniques. The miracle is still immature, but this may be something that cannot be overcome as long as it has tentacles.

If you leave like this and join the knights of the border, you will be treated well.

However, the problem was that it was not clear that the Heretic Questioner was coming because of him. In fact, it’s not because of you, but what if you run away? ‘uh? Isn’t there something that stings that bastard? ‘I think we need to set aside some time and have a more intense conversation, don’t you think?’ What if the same story comes out?

‘This is why I don’t like inspectors.’

It makes you think about all kinds of confusing things, so the visit itself is bound to be stressful.

After much thought, Isaac decided to come to a conclusion immediately after the Heretic Questioner arrived.

‘If they point out me right away and look for me, then let’s go and run away right away.’

Isaac had already learned the structure of various parts of the monastery and the geography of the mountains. It wasn’t difficult for him to escape secretly. Besides, if he got help from the tentacles, he could get away with it.

Next would be the problem.

Isaac came out feeling depressed at the thought that the Holy Knight training he had prepared for so long might be in vain.

At that time, I saw someone approaching from across the dark hallway.

It was Geber.

Gebel looked the same as usual, but something felt different.

“Isaac? “What’s going on?”

“The atmosphere in the monastery is strange, so it’s hard to stay still.”

“Hmm, well. The monks are also in a very bad mood. Everyone is gathered in the chapel and praying. There is no doubt that the monks’ piety is deep… … “The Inquisitors are people who create sins that do not exist.”

Gebel did not seem to be very friendly towards the Inquisitor. Isaac suddenly realized that there was a rumor going around that Gebel was a deserter. No one is questioning that, but he may be accused of apostasy or heresy.

‘Ah, so the abbot asked Gebel what to do?’

From the abbot’s point of view, he would also feel uncomfortable as he would be holding two secrets about Isaac and Gebel and the church. Nevertheless, I was grateful for this protection.

Wooooow.

A loud wolf howl was heard outside the monastery. Over the past few days, the sounds of wolves have been getting closer and closer.

“Those damn bastards are barking again.”

“Is it because we ran out of food?”

“Maybe so. The mountain ranger says that the number of animals on the mountain has decreased significantly these days… … .”

Isaac felt a pang inside.

Isaac would leave the monastery whenever he had time and hunt animals in order to feast on the tentacles. The tentacle’s ability was stagnant thanks to all the dangerous beasts around it having been devoured to some extent, but it ultimately became a great foundation for Isaac’s growth.

‘But it won’t be enough to affect the ecosystem.’

“I’ll have to stop by the village sometime soon and go hunting. “The road between the monastery and the village should not become dangerous.”

“yes.”

Although they were pretending to be at peace and talking about the schedule for the next day, Isaac was able to read Gebel’s nursery rhyme. And he, too, is contemplating running away from the Heretic Questioner like himself.

‘What on earth happened in the Holy Knights of Avalanche that led them to live in hiding like this?’

“Isaac. “It’s the story we talked about earlier during the day.”

At that time, Gebel spoke as if he had read Isaac’s mind. The little boy was startled, but nodded his head.

“You may have already noticed… … There is an intention behind why I taught you swordsmanship. I was convinced that if I taught you swordsmanship, one day you would be able to kill someone for me. I can’t kill him now… … .”

Gebel stared into space with bloodshot eyes for a moment and then said.

“Let me just tell you that the destruction of the Holy Knights of Avalanche was caused by him. “Everyone died on the battlefield and only I escaped and survived.”

“… … .”

“In other words, what I want to entrust to you is my personal revenge. “I’m sorry.”

So, Gebel taught Isaac to entrust him with revenge.

But Isaac didn’t care. Anyway, Isaac approached him first, asking to teach him swordsmanship, and Gebel also just agreed with him.

No, if Gebel didn’t have someone he wanted revenge on, he might not have taught Isaac swordsmanship.

“If you kill just one person, they will charge you for swordsmanship lessons. “They say we’ll meet someday, so there’s no need for me to go find them myself.”

Gebel looked dumbfounded at Isaac’s words. Soon he smiled and shook his head.

“… … I don’t know how you passed the abbot’s ‘proof of faith’. “You don’t look like a devout church member at all.”

“Isn’t that the same for Mr. Gebel?”

The two giggled and shared an accomplice smile.

After the laughter died down, Isaac and Gebel looked out the window in silence. The Inquisitor said he would come before evening, but it was already getting late at night. Even considering that it was winter and the sun set early, it was too late.

Maybe it will come tomorrow morning. Isaac hoped he would come as late as possible.

Thump thump thump!

It was then. Suddenly, a loud knocking sound was heard from the front door of the monastery.

‘Has it finally arrived? ‘It’s earlier than I thought.’

Gebel headed to the front door with a stern expression. However, he had closed the door as ordered by the Inquisitor, so it took a long time just to open the door.

Meanwhile, the knocking on the door was loud.

“Is there anyone?! please! “Please open the door!”

“Hans? Isn’t it Hans? “What’s going on?”

“Mr. Gebel!”

The person knocking on the door was none other than Hans, who had become an adult and had entered the village’s blacksmith workshop. The monks who heard the commotion and rushed to help Gebel unlocked the door and opened it. As soon as the door opened, Hans collapsed inside, out of breath.

“Hans!”

Hans was covered in blood and had wounds all over his body. Fortunately, most of the injuries were caused by falls or scratches, so there were no fatal injuries.

“what’s the matter? “Have you been attacked?”

“Raid, wolves attack… … .”

Gebel’s expression hardened. I already thought that the wolves’ movements were unusual, but in the end, humans were attacked. But I didn’t know why Hans came across a wolf while coming to the monastery in the middle of the night. Then he spoke urgently.

“Heresy Questioner! “The Heretic Questioner is in danger!”

***

Isaac and Gebel were running hastily along the mountain path.

This is because the two people were the only ones who could save the Heretic Questioner, who was currently dealing with the wolves and might be in danger.

‘The Heretic Questioner asked for directions.’

Isaac recalled what Hans had said.

Hans, who worked in a blacksmith workshop, was asked by the Inquisitor to provide directions to the monastery. Although the Inquisitor was uncomfortable, he said that he complied because he could not refuse the request as a member of the church who had grown up in a monastery.

But on their way, a pack of wolves suddenly appeared, surrounded them, and attacked them. Hans was taken aback by something that had never happened before. However, the Inquisitor protected Hans, gave him an escape route, and instructed him to ask for help from the monastery.

So Hans ran up the mountain for nearly half a day and arrived at the monastery.

‘You saved Hans and you stayed behind… … .’

Isaac, who had preconceived notions about the Heretic Questioner, felt a little sorry. However, that did not mean that the Heretic Questioner was not a threat.

‘No, actually, wouldn’t it be better if he just died from being attacked by a wolf?’

Whether it was because of Isaac or some other threat, if the Heretic Questioner dies and becomes food for wolves, your worries will disappear.

“Huh… … !”

It wasn’t long before Isaac felt out of breath.

Among the things that could not increase due to the cursed blood was lung capacity.

Although I received the advanced swordsmanship ‘omen’ skill from Gebel, I have not yet been able to practice it properly. But maybe he should take risks and use his skills in real life right now.

However, I was exhausted just from running up the mountain ridge, so I had no idea how much it would hurt me if I used it carelessly.

This was also the reason why Isaac had to create his own advanced skills.

Although his physical strength has improved greatly compared to before as he has grown in size and gained muscle, he will only be able to use advanced swordsmanship without any burden if he is able to sprint up a mountain in the middle of the night like Gebel and still be fine.

As Isaac began to slowly sag, Gebel gave him a quick glance as if he understood and ran ahead. When Isaac finally arrived, he looked up at the sky, thinking that he might be out of breath and unable to do anything.

Caw!

A jackdaw was flying low in the sky. Isaac recognized it as a jackdaw that had visited the monastery. The clever jackdaw was trying to reveal the location of his master.

After Isaac was confident that Gebel, who was ahead, would not look back, he took out his tentacle. The jackdaw, which was flying low, was instantly caught by its thin tentacles.

Isaac was conflicted for a moment. If you kill the jackdaw like this, the Inquisitor will not be found.

But he eventually activated his ability.

[Parasite from beyond / Produces a short-lived parasite under the skin of the opponent touched by the tentacle. Targets infected with parasites suffer constant pain.]

A worm-like tentacle crawled into the body of a jackdaw that was caught in a tentacle. The separated tentacles instantly took over and dominated the jackdaw’s nervous system.

It was one of the perks Isaac gained from the hitherto nameless Chaos. Although it was stated to be used to inflict pain, Isaac discovered that it could be used in other ways as well.

Isaac activated the ‘Rat in the Wall’ perk on the tentacle again.

[Rat in the wall / You can share your senses through tentacles.]

In an instant, the vision of the jackdaw looking down from the sky was shared with Isaac. Isaac was able to immediately figure out where the Inquisitor was.