Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 392



Only Noblemtl

Episode 392. The Masked Monster (4)

The suspicions about Isaac were old.

In fact, anyone who has achieved success this quickly would be subject to suspicion. Even when the Lighthouse Keeper’s representative appeared on this earth, did not the Burning Virgin dare to perform a demonstration of faith?

In order for a saint to be recognized as a true saint, he must overcome the politics of jealous people.

Naturally, Isaac had similar doubts.

The church tried to manipulate him as they pleased, but it didn’t work out as they wanted, and there were reports that he made blasphemous remarks that were interpreted differently by the church. Some priests felt a suspicious aura.

But there was only one reason why the church could not drive out Isaac.

“Isaac carried out the orders of the angels and received their approval. Don’t speak carelessly.”

Horgel spoke somewhat stiffly.

Rohen’s words were so blasphemous that they deserved to be reprimanded. Rohen had already been a faithful servant before he entered the Watchmen’s Council, but this brutal war seemed to have somewhat worn down his faith.

The angels’ orders were equally irrational.

Rohen groaned briefly and knelt before Horhel.

“I have overstepped my bounds. Please forgive me.”

“Don’t ever say that again.”

Horgel warned him firmly once again, but he knew very well what Rohen wanted to say.

If Isaac is the main character of this stage called Dawn Army, chosen by the angels.

If they are just the ancillary items for the hero’s appearance.

Ultimately, what if the lighthouse keeper’s plan is different from theirs?

‘Even the Watchmen’s Meeting is just a stage set, Lighthouse Keeper?’

Horhel held back a groan and placed his hand on his forehead.

A cold sweat broke out.

Until then, I thought that whatever unreasonable orders the angels gave were part of the grand scheme, and ultimately part of the plan for the Code of Light to bring Heaven to earth.

And they will become gardeners who will tend the garden called the Millennium Kingdom.

But will the lighthouse keeper really be picky about his tools?

Angels do not necessarily need a watchman’s council.

Horgel had to prove that the Watchmen’s Council was a faithful tool and servant, no matter what. Horgel lifted Rohen up from his knees and patted him on the back.

“But let’s be more specific. If the angels carry rocks to build a big wall, shouldn’t we fill in the small gaps?”

Horgel’s eyes flashed sharply.

“… … Bring us proof that we are more useful than the Knights of the Holy Grail.”

This statement could be interpreted in another way.

Isaac should become more useless than the Watchman’s meeting.

***

The Dawn Army’s strategy has not changed.

They still ignored the Olkan Discipline and fought against the Immortal Cult’s army that guarded the Katla Ridge. On the battlefield, countless corpses that had not yet been recovered were left behind, with only bones and muscles left, writhing like rags. It was a disgusting sight, as if the ground was alive, but it was also the battlefield they had to step on.

But this time it was a little different.

As the war seemed about to begin, the dark clouds parted and a brilliant flash of light poured down. Just the sunlight pouring down on the battlefield filled with dark clouds made the morale of the Dawn Army soar. And in the flash of light, just like yesterday, the Sword of May appeared.

The captain of the paladin shouted, suppressing his pounding heart.

“Baptist─ Forward!”

Heavy catapults were led forward by soldiers. Inside the catapults, instead of the rocks commonly used in siege warfare, there were large pieces of pottery. However, the hot air flowing out of the pottery was so strong that even the soldiers standing nearby took a step back.

“The Sword of May is watching! Let us show Him the field of flowers in full bloom─ Fire!”

Boom, boom boom! The moment the ropes that were holding the catapults were released, countless jars shot up. The moment their orbits reached their peak, the rusty weapons that had been circling around the May Sword all moved toward the jars.

Kwakwakwakwang!

The jars exploded in an instant, sending countless fireworks into the sky. However, the blue flames that burst out of the jars did not disappear into thin air, but flowed down like a waterfall through the air. The blue sacred fire rode the wind and engulfed the Immortal Cult’s army.

As the Undead army of the Immortal Cult was instantly engulfed in flames, enthusiastic cheers erupted from the Dawn Army. Taking advantage of the rising morale, Dera Heman gave the order to advance.

The adjutant repeated until his throat was hoarse.

“Dawn Army─ Forward! Erect the graveyard lord’s tombstone!”

The Dawn Army began to advance forward simultaneously.

The Holy Flame did not go out, and even caused suffering to the soul. The undead army was no different from a hellish hell, but the soldiers of the Dawn Army rushed into it without hesitation.

Dera Heman’s adjutant saw the sight and thought, ‘If there’s something this good, why don’t you use it sooner?’ but he didn’t say anything.

In fact, the person who was most opposed to the use of baptism was Dera Heman.

This is because the holy fire used for the baptism can only be obtained in Lichtheim. Above all, this holy relic had to be used when attacking the capital city of Ushak. Right now, it had no choice but to use it to break through this entire area, but the task of attacking the impregnable capital of Ushak had become more distant.

Although I had used a secret weapon, I didn’t think that the Undead Cult would be easily defeated even with this.

At one moment, Dera Heman pulled out the Ruaddin Key, and at the same time, a cold air that seemed to explode from the blazing undead army swept through the Dawn Army.

[Coming.]

The smell of rotten wood, dirt, maggots, raccoons, darkness. Disgusting and unclean images and smells brushed my nose.

What appeared among the undead army was a giant made up of hundreds of skeletons intertwined to form a single figure.

“Graveyard Lord! Graveyard Lord!”

The giant looked up at the Sword of May, holding a rusty sword as big as his body. At the same time, the swords that were circling around the Sword of May, which was looking down from the sky, also began to rotate quickly.

The Angel Cemetery Lord laughed, his head made up of dozens of skulls rattling.

[Are you just going to look down on your lord from there, Arte?]

May’s Black was not shaken by the provocation of her long-awaited master and disciple. She had tens of thousands of disciples. Considering that all the swordsmanship of the Holy Knights originated from her swordsmanship, it would not be an exaggeration to say that all the current holy knights were her disciples.

The Graveyard Lord, King Sarkanua, was not a particularly special disciple.

So instead of giving a specific answer, she answered with her numerous disciples.

The swords of the numerous knights on the battlefield began to burn simultaneously. The heat that drove away the cold and endless vitality spread through their hearts and throughout their bodies.

It was the same with Dera Heman.

Dera Heman rushed into the battlefield with a sense of vitality and fighting spirit that seemed to have returned him to about 20 years ago. The Graveyard Lord ground his teeth as he watched the Light Codex Knights overwhelming the battlefield in an instant.

[Disgusting. You send them out to fight as if they could come back to life tomorrow. Even if the lighthouse keeper is like that, have you been infected by that guy too?]

The Black of May did not answer. The Graveyard Lord decided not to talk to the wall anymore. He only looked at the golden mask of Dera Heman running towards him.

[Poor bastards. I will free you from those disgusting chains.]

***

“It looks like the Katla Ridge front has resumed fighting again.”

“Yes… … It seems so.”

Siero carefully fiddled with his teacup and observed the expression of the opponent in front of him. The priest who once carried the first flag of the Dawn Army under the name of Siero Dawn Army, who had breathed the wind of passion and fanaticism into it, and who had even received the naming notice, had now become the propaganda priest of the Code of Light.

Unlike the front lines, where fanaticism was already rampant, the propaganda priest was a priest who provided ‘spiritual education’ to the relatively less fanatic rear, especially to new recruits. If Isaac had seen him, he would have thought he was some kind of propaganda broadcaster or a political officer, but he was far to the south.

And the one standing before him was the commander of the Imperial Knights, Feltron Sevan.

“On the other hand, this front is incredibly quiet.”

“Yes… … Well, that’s right.”

Siero wiped away the cold sweat and tried to figure out why the infamous commander had come looking for him.

When Emperor Waldsemer was excommunicated, it was Feltron who immediately turned around and led the soldiers to capture the emperor. He even personally killed Dietrich Brandt, the most powerful lord, by throwing a spear at him.

Afterwards, he used the abilities of the Imperial Knights, a sort of intelligence agency, to root out the rebels who supported the Emperor. In return, he not only survived, but also became one of the four sub-commanders of the Dawn Army, so he was a great success despite his traitorous origins.

There were even rumors that he strengthened his subordinates by feeding them strange drugs or bribed bishops.

Siero could not understand why this creepy human butcher had come to see him, who was now nothing more than a mere propaganda priest. But instead of getting down to business, he just sipped his tea and looked at Siero. Siero could only endure it and let the tea brew until it became bitter.

Finally, Peltran put down his glass as if his thoughts had been completed.

“I don’t like it here.”

“Huh? I, I… … No, ah, here… … Over here, you mean the Gehenna Prison Fortress Front?”

Siero glanced back at the formidable, massive fortress built along the valley.

This sinister fortress, with its gloomy atmosphere and ghosts constantly wandering about, stood in opposition to the Dawn Army across a large bridge. However, there had never been a single battle here. As a result, it was considered a ‘rear’ area by the Dawn Army.

“Yes. I would like to fight on the front lines. It would be better if you could make a contribution. However, the Code of Light does not seem to have any intention of recapturing the Gehenna prison fortress and recovering the relics of the old saints and angels, or of destroying it altogether to prevent the evil seeds sealed within from crawling out.”

The Gehenna Prison Fortress is a space similar to the secret archives located beneath Lichtheim. It was a space where the Undead Cult sealed their own absurd beings, including those that were ‘impossible to kill’ and those that ‘must be captured before being killed’.

In the basement of this prison fortress, the dead December is meditating with his body still intact, and the sect leaders have deployed some of their troops in case this infamous angel crawls out.

Peltrun was the commander leading that army.

“Ha, but isn’t the mission of guarding this place important? If the dead December were to crawl out… … .”

Feltron smiled brightly.

“The Order of the Light’s Law doesn’t seem too worried. If they were really worried, they should have given up some of the Templars instead of just leaving these rabble-rousers and propagandists alone.”

“That’s true, but… … .”

Certainly, if December, who died in Gehenna Fortress, were to send out an undead army, this level of power would not be able to last even a day and they would be completely annihilated.

Feltron said calmly, bringing the teacup to his lips.

“We are larks. Our role is to scream when we die.”

“… … What do you want to say?”

“Let me be honest with you, Father Siero. I am after the position of Dera Heman.”

Siero held his breath. If it was Dera Heman’s position, it meant the commander-in-chief of the Dawn Army.

There are rumors that he is just a figurehead and that the cardinals are actually in control, but still, the commander in chief is the commander in chief.

I knew that Feltron was dissatisfied with his position, but I never thought he would say such outrageous things.

But practical barriers remained.

“Sir, how could someone who isn’t a paladin command the Dawn Army… … .”

“The ability of a commander is not determined by how many miracles one can perform or how strong one is. It is determined by one’s ability to command. In that sense, it is strange from the beginning that a mute who cannot even show his face became the commander-in-chief. Far from having any experience on the battlefield, all he did was protect the safety of Lichtheim.”

Feltron’s ridicule was genuine.

Even if the Watcher Council were to command it anyway, the Dawn Army would not have been very active even if Dera Heman had commanded it. The Immortal Cult has a number of veteran commanders stationed there, and Dera Heman is no better than a lad in terms of war-fighting ability.

“I, I, I should have said something like that before the dawn army started, but now… … .”

“Hmm, I think… … the Yeomyeong Army will fail.”

“Huh? Stop saying such irreverent things. Why do you say such things?”

Siero looked around hurriedly. As a propaganda priest, he should have scolded her immediately if he heard such words, but he didn’t want to raise his voice in front of Peltran and die without anyone knowing.

But Feltron continued speaking as if nothing had happened.

“No matter what I say, the Dawn Army will fail. It’s because of none other than the Holy Grail Knights.”