Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 397



Only Noblemtl

Episode 397. Under the Lamp (1)

Isaac suddenly felt like he had been thrown into the middle of space.

He was a cold and lonely being. All that hung around him were masses of cruel and emotionless violence, tormented by endless hunger. He was a stranger, and despite all the love he had given to this world, his essence had not changed.

He was still a stranger, and he was to be banished.

[Nameless chaos watches you.]

‘but…….’

Isaac remembers that cold and lonely day.

I remember the warm hand that held his hand as he walked alone on the day I was wandering in the dark winter rain. I remember the upright and honest Inquisitor who grabbed me and pulled me out when I was in a crucible of chaos and becoming a mess.

As he thought of her, Isaac began to feel the texture beneath his feet.

He was still standing on solid ground. He belonged to the realm of order.

Not chaos.

‘I see.’

Isaac found himself laughing. The essence had not changed at all.

The scale had only grown a little, but he was still struggling with the same concerns he had when he was in the monastery. Even then, wasn’t he worried that he would die if his identity was discovered?

Even if the whole world is hostile to him and tries to kill him, he just has to survive somehow.

But he already knew that ‘the whole world would not be against him’.

Gebel, Isolde, Ethelred, Rottenhammer… … There were many people in this world who loved him.

As long as they were there, Isaac was confident that he would love this world too.

When I thought about it that way, something felt clearer.

‘Whether you’re a lighthouse keeper or an immortal emperor… … If you act like a dog, you’ll all die.’

The fact that he could be a force to be reckoned with on a ‘world scale’.

***

“It is not your life that you must protect, but your soul! Do not apostatize, even if it means dying! Why would you turn away when the gates of heaven are right before your eyes?”

The Dawn Army slowly advanced to the passionate roar of the priest. The bloody battle on the Katlan Ridge ended in a dramatic victory for the Dawn Army. The front line collapsed in an instant as the Sword of May struck down the Grave Lord.

To be precise, it should be said that Dera Heman, with the support of the Sword of May, achieved victory. Even though Dera Heman received the full power of the Sword of May, he suppressed the Grave Lord with a terrifying strength that was hard to believe was human, and finally succeeded in splitting half of his body.

“The opponent was not good.”

Rohen Otter muttered as he watched the Dawn Army advance from within its magnificently gold-decorated carriage.

“Dera Heman is the archangel’s secret weapon that our church has kept hidden as much as possible. His divine devouring body is an ability that even angels have difficulty dealing with.”

Although his abilities are not very strong when dealing with humans, Dera Heman is already the strongest among humans in terms of swordsmanship. In fact, he has virtually no flaws.

“The idiots treat Dera Heman like a guard dog who only knows how to protect Lichtheim, but they have no idea how much effort we put into maintaining security. Even when Dera Heman was defeated by Carlsen, we worked hard to hide it.”

In fact, in the battle with the Grave Lord, Dera Heman was also seriously injured. Even though dozens of priests took turns treating him, it was said that he would have difficulty performing on the battlefield for a while. However, the opponent in front of him did not need to know that fact.

[I really didn’t know you were hiding such a weapon… … .]

Another man in the carriage—a man whose entire body was covered by his uniform, not showing a single bit of skin—answered with a mental wave. There was a hint of irritation and defeat in his voice, but no anger or resentment.

The man’s true identity was a lich named Al Vilayet.

People would be shocked if they knew that Richie was talking to the Cardinal alone in the middle of the Dawn Army, but the two continued their conversation calmly.

Rohen considered bringing up the subject again to provoke him, but decided against it.

[We also didn’t expect the Graveyard Lord to be defeated so unilaterally. We’re currently trying to collect the defeated troops, but it’s not easy. Thanks to this, we thought the front line would be pushed all the way to the capital city of Ushak… … Why does the front line feel sluggish?]

Rohen smiled.

“Even though we’ve defeated the Graveyard Lord, the Undead Cult is still the Undead Cult. The army of the undead is difficult to deal with even against a defeated army. The division of the front lines is actually increasing the damage.”

Usually, defeated soldiers are collected from the rear or captured in nearby cities or villages as they flee. However, the undead, without fear of death, each carries out guerrilla warfare or ambushes based on their own judgment.

The ambush of the undead, who can lie in wait for decades if they want to, is terrifying. That’s why the Dawn Army was advancing at the speed of a search operation to find buried corpses.

But this is only superficial talk.

[Well, I understand that the Dawn Army has never slowed down its advance to reduce damage so far?]

Rohen smiled at Al Vilayet’s humorous words.

His words were true. Ambushes? Guerillas? Such trivial things would only leave behind weak fragments when the overwhelming force sweeps past. And such fragments cannot threaten the Dawn Army.

[Since you requested a meeting in the meantime, it seems like you have something to offer?]

“Shouldn’t we keep the lines of communication open even in extreme situations?”

It is common sense to keep channels of diplomatic communication open even during wartime. Of course, what they were doing was closer to collusion than dialogue.

[Let’s listen.]

“Actually… … there are some rather unpleasant rumors spreading within our Dawn Army.”

[It’s an unpleasant rumor… ]

Al Vilayet quickly figured out what Rohen was talking about.

They eavesdrop on the knowledge of the dead. They may not know the secrets of angels or gods, but they can easily learn rumors at the level of what humans know. This is also why complex strategies are meaningless against the Undead Cult.

[I guess that’s the rumor related to the Knights of the Holy Grail.]

“Yes… … It’s a bit disconcerting, but there are rumors going around that our proud Grail Knight, Isaac Isaacrea, who is approaching the Holy Land of Lua… … is involved in heresy.”

Al-Bilaet thought it was ridiculous that such a demoralizing rumor could spread in the midst of a war. If they had prioritized the Dawn Army, they would have hung or burned those spreading the rumors.

‘But the fact that the rumors keep circulating means that the ones spreading them are priests.’

The source is probably the opponent in front of him, Cardinal Rohen Otter. Al Vilayet asked, stroking his chin.

[Hasn’t the Code of Light already produced countless apostates? I guess there’s no need to be surprised anymore.]

“The scriptures say that the brightness of the sun that rose today is always the same as yesterday, so we should always be happy and thankful for its beauty. In the same context, even if the same darkness comes, we should always feel the same anger and sadness.”

It didn’t seem to matter much whether Isaac was a true apostate or not. Al Vilayet could tell what he was trying to say.

[Oh, my… … Pride and temptation always follow great heroes.]

“Yes… … I would like to have a serious conversation with him, but the Grail Knights are not responding to our summons requests, and they are too far away to call, so it is an awkward situation.”

[As a fellow believer, I understand your pain and feelings.]

“It is inevitable that the Dawn Army will lose morale and suffer as rumors like this spread. I wish the Grail Knights would correct these false rumors themselves… … .”

Here’s a quick summary of what Rohen had to say:

‘The Grail Knights are annoying. You guys take them out instead. In return, I’ll slow down the Dawn Army’s advance.’

Al Vilayet was in trouble.

Isaac was also a headache for the Immortal Church. They wanted to believe that it was impossible for the Isacrea Dawn Army alone to reclaim the Holy Land of Lua, but he even achieved the astonishing feat of annihilating the Archangel Pale.

I wanted to send troops to subdue him immediately, but with the Dawn Army right in front of the capital city of Ushaq, it was difficult to turn my troops around. I had no choice but to trust the defensive power of the Holy Land, Lua itself.

[Well, shouldn’t the Holy Grail Knight seek forgiveness for his sins after the situation has stabilized? In a situation where the fighting is fierce like this, he should prioritize fighting as a soldier.]

‘Just that much? Try calling a little more.’

“Hmm, that is valuable advice. At a time when the testimony of faith is needed more than ever, it may be sacrilegious to stand at the very front of the gates of heaven simply because you have distinguished yourself in battle… … Perhaps it would be a good idea to step back for a greater cause.”

‘I will consider not only accepting it, but also stopping the advance and withdrawing the front line.’

Al Vilayet couldn’t believe his ears when he heard this outrageous, if not ridiculous, proposal. The concept of ‘pushing back the front lines’ in a war against the Undead Cult was completely different from a normal war. There were countless corpses strewn across the front lines, and no matter how hard the Dawn Army burned them, there were still many corpses and debris that could not be collected.

Pulling back the front lines means providing a lot of ‘troops’.

Even when the Dawn Army, which had been advancing with full of morale, retreats, they may awaken from their fanatic selves and realize themselves as ordinary farmers.

[I sincerely respect your faith and prudence, Your Eminence. However, I am concerned that it may disturb the great plan you are pursuing… … .]

‘Did you guys get permission from the angels to do that????’

“Don’t worry. The grand plan won’t be shaken by trivial matters.”

Rohen smiled and muttered a small prayer. Suddenly, Rohen’s eyes began to burn and radiate heat. Al Vilayet could immediately tell that Rohen had been possessed by an angel. He moved his lips and spoke in both an angelic and human voice.

“The Burning Virgin has asked you to interrogate the heretics. In her great generosity, she has tolerated the delay in our advance and has agreed to give the Grail Knights a ‘trial’!”

***

Isaac was still standing on the windswept rock above the Labyrinth Valley. The cold wind whispered ceaselessly in his ears, but he could hear the voice of someone far away.

[… … There’s a story like that going around Yeomyeong-gun right now.]

“I see.”

It was none other than Siero.

An ear that Isaac made into a ‘parasite from beyond’ in place of Siero’s ear that he had previously removed.

It was still alive.

Siero contacted Isaac, recalling its functions and usage after a long time.

Thanks to this, Isaac had heard almost all the rumors going around within the Code of Light, the recent movements of the Dawn Army, and even the secrets of the priests that might be somewhat sensitive. Of course, he had not heard the information exchanged between the Watchers or the angels, but this was enough to deduce a conclusion.

“Then the Immortal Church, which has some spare money, will send troops to me.”

[Perhaps… … That’s highly likely. The cardinals seem to think it’s a good deal to get rid of you, an eyesore, and also drain the Immortal Cult troops that are protecting the capital city of Ushaq. The atmosphere in the Dawn Army’s main force is quite chaotic, though.]

The Watchmen’s Council seems to think that they can use the enemy’s hands to suppress the guys they don’t like.

It was a typical scam, but Isaac thought there was something odd about the flow.

‘There’s no way the angels would agree to this plan.’

It was none other than the lighthouse keeper and the angels who pushed Isaac on his back to reclaim the Holy Land.

He could not understand why the Watchers’ Council, which obeyed the orders of the Angels, had halted the Dawn Army’s advance and effectively betrayed him.

‘Is there something else going on?’

[I think… … I think you should step aside for a moment.]

Then Siero whispered cautiously.