Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 411



Only Noblemtl

Episode 411. A Country for the Dead (4)

“A town where you can rest?”

Tukhalin asked in a puzzled voice.

“Did I hear you correctly? There’s a village within the territory of the Immortal Cult where you can rest?”

“Is this the same ruined village we visited before?”

Ethelred asked cautiously.

The town wasn’t bad for a short stay, but many soldiers had trouble sleeping because the immortal emperor Beshek had come to visit. It was far from the concept of ‘getting a good night’s rest.

Isaac nodded.

“Let’s talk after we get there. It’s not too far away.”

Once Isaac had made his decision, any further disagreement was nothing more than nitpicking. Up until now, thanks to Isaac’s guidance, they had been on a winning streak, so everyone thought that if it was Isaac, he might be able to find a hot spring even in the middle of this cold desert.

“By the way, the Salt Council has joined at a very opportune time, Aidan.”

Isaac thanked his new commander, Aidan.

Among the Isacrea Dawn Army, the only ones who were not suffering from the aftereffects of the miracle were the sailors of the Salt Council. In addition, the fresh supplies, horses, and wagons they brought were like rain in a drought for the exhausted soldiers. Aidan was not joking, but had joined at the perfect time.

“Thank you for saying so, Holy Grail Knight.”

“Thanks to that, I was able to defeat the Cemetery Lord of the Angelic Tomb. I guess I’ve added another page to the legend of the Angelic Lantern.”

“Oh, please… … .”

Aidan squirmed in embarrassment.

He knew that the defeat of the Graveyard Lord was not entirely due to his joining. For some reason, the Graveyard Lord was desperately trying to retreat, and he just happened to show up at the right time.

However, the common soldiers believed that the Lunar Eclipse Army had collapsed due to the sudden appearance of reinforcements, something that could only happen in a living human army. And they also praised the keen insight of the Grail Knights who did not miss that moment.

Isaac didn’t care if all of these achievements went to Aidan. Isaac had more than enough achievements anyway. Rather, it was more appropriate to give them to Aidan to emphasize the necessity and strength of the alliance.

“But actually, it was a bit later than expected. Of course, I thought it would be late because Leonora had supplied it… … Was there a reason it would be later?”

“Ah, that’s… … The situation in the sea off Mirmia has changed a little.”

“The sea in front of Mirmia? Where the salt desert used to be?”

Isaac was surprised by the unexpected story.

There is no way the caller has already come out, and now that the cursed sun is gone, there is no reason for abnormal weather to occur.

But it was a change quite different from what Isaac had expected.

“Yes. In the Mirmia area… … giant sea creatures and strange fish that I’ve never seen before have been observed. That’s why the merchants at the top of the Golden Idol got scared and delayed their schedule. I had to personally guide them and bring in supplies.”

‘The appearance of giant marine creatures.’

Isaac wondered if the Salt Council’s influence was being revealed as its power grew. When he thought about it, it wasn’t surprising. In the game, the ocean environment gradually began to change as the salt desert was destroyed.

It’s not just the Salt Council. As all faiths, including the Code of Light, get closer to their victory conditions, strange phenomena and signs begin to appear all over the world. Not only do the gods of the faiths appear frequently, but physical changes and prophecies also appear frequently.

“Aidan, look over here for a sec.”

“yes?”

Isaac turned Aidan’s head and examined the area behind his ear. There was the expected mark.

Isaac put his finger into the gap behind Aidan’s ear, and Aidan shuddered in horror.

“What, what, what?!”

“It has gills.”

“Huh?! Gills? Oh, what, really?! Oh, no. I thought it was ticklish lately!”

Just because Aidan has gills doesn’t mean he can’t breathe on land, but rather that he gains a kind of additional blessing. Just as the bishops of the Salt Council were called “the ones with the slings,” it’s only natural that Aidan, chosen by the angels, would be given a “sign” that would involve physical changes.

It was a kind of acquired adulthood.

‘Then, I guess there must be changes in the Yeomyeong Army by now.’

Since I saw glass eyes, I guess there must have been a few soot ones. I don’t know how the other faiths are going, but seeing this change in the Salt Council, it seems like other faiths are slowly influencing the world.

‘Wait a minute, then other people too… … .’

***

While Isaac was moving around the village, he investigated people within the Isacrea Dawn Army who had begun to feel physical changes or a sense of alienation.

As a result, some surprising facts were revealed. The transformation was taking place first among those who were devoutly religious, and especially those who had the ability to be cared for by angels.

The first to manifest was Lyanna Georg, the Swordmaster and second in command of Elril. Lyanna was extremely embarrassed by the physical changes that had been revealed to her.

“I’m just tired.”

“My ears don’t point when I’m tired.”

Rihanna’s ears were slightly pointed and longer than before.

It was a distinct part of the elves that had now become extinct. Of course, it was shorter than the ears of the Ellis that Isaac had seen in Urbansus, but it was still clearly different from humans.

Of course, her appearance did not change to that of an elf; her face remained the same. However, Lyanna was not the only one in the Elril Army who experienced this change.

The one who underwent the biggest and most dramatic change was Reina Hild.

A female knight who almost crushed Isaac with her advanced swordsmanship and brute force under the pretense of a duel when he first came to the Kingdom of Elril.

Not only did she have pointy ears, but white flowers and leaves were growing between her hair.

“I thought it was just dandruff. It’s been a while since I washed it.”

“I thought my sister had gone crazy because of the war and started to dress up.”

“I thought you were being a bit nicer to me lately. Was that why?”

The Hild siblings’ reaction was calm.

As expected, her appearance hadn’t changed much. Reina Hild still had a sturdy build rather than a slender figure like Elril, and apart from her ears and hair, she had no features reminiscent of an elf.

“Are there any other changes?”

“Well, I feel like my body has become lighter and more flexible.”

Compared to Rihanna, Reyna definitely showed a noticeable improvement in her specs.

Since he was originally strong, his refined body control ability was of great help.

In addition to these, there were about nine more people on Elril’s side whose bodies were thought to have changed.

Next were the people from the world’s melting pot sect who came with Tukhalin.

The world’s furnace priests were originally of a nature that preferred isolation, so they were changing without a sound.

Among them, Tukhalin, which had changed the most, had a scarlet color with more visible blood vessels than before.

It stood out because it glowed faintly in the dark. It was clear that it wasn’t normal blood, but other than the fact that it felt hotter than other blood, it was no different from normal blood.

“Originally, when the Thunder Master came, it would be like this. At that time, not only would it be clearer, but the entire body would turn crimson. However, after defeating the Graveyard Lord, some traces remained.”

Other differences include that their hands have become as hard as stone, and their voices have become louder, but since these were things that were the case from the beginning, it was hard to tell them apart. In fact, it was hard to tell the people of the Lycanthrope Warriors apart for the same reason. They originally wore wolf skins and were in an area where it was difficult to tell whether they were human or beast.

In fact, the most unexpected thing was the Isacrea Knights.

“No one has changed?”

“Well, that’s right.”

Within the Isacrea Knights, not even a single glass eye appeared, let alone a single charred one.

I knew that there weren’t any fanatics of that magnitude within the Knights of Isacrea, but it was still strange that nothing had changed, considering that other units had begun to show signs of at least a dozen.

‘It’s a group that I have a lot of influence over, but… … Could it be that it has any influence?’

Perhaps the conversation they had with Linde, the leader of the Avalanche Knights, had an effect on their faith. However, it had no effect on their ability to perform miracles.

It was a bit of a shame, considering that those who had begun to show signs had shown a significant increase in combat power. But on the other hand, I felt a sense of relief.

It was because he felt that they were not fanatics steeped in the doctrines of the Code of Light, but rather Isaac’s own people.

‘Of course, it would be a problem if tentacles appeared or something.’

***

The village appeared as if by magic.

The moment they crossed the ridge, the soldier in the lead looked around, bewildered by the sudden change in weather. A green color that he had never seen since setting foot in the Urdantu Empire caught his eye.

The soldiers who entered slowly soon recalled the scenery of their longed-for hometown. In the warmed ground, pumpkins planted for the spring harvest were forming vines, and barley sprouts were growing neatly.

It meant that people lived and farmed in the land of the dead, ruled by the undead.

The Isacrea Dawn Army slowly advanced, feeling as if they were possessed by a ghost.

“No, how… I never imagined that there would be a place like this within the territory of the Immortal Cult.”

Tukhalin’s words spoke for all the soldiers. Ethelred spoke with a serious expression.

“Holy Grail Knight. Is this perhaps the land connected to heaven that only exists in legends?”

“A land connected to heaven?”

“It is the land where humans first set foot on Earth after being banished from Heaven. Somewhere in the East, the gate is still open, and the warm winds of Heaven blow through… … .”

“It’s a wonderful legend, but this place is not like that, Your Majesty.”

Isaac pointed out incredulously. It’s like coming in from a cold place and feeling warm, but in terms of actual temperature, it’s like early spring.

“Of course, it is a miraculous land that would be difficult to create within the realm of the Immortal Church, but in reality, this place is far from heaven. Rather… … .”

Isaac struggled for the right words and said,

“It’s more like a pasture.”

“pasture?”

“A human ranch.”

The moment Isaac spoke, someone appeared on the road ahead.

The soldiers, who had been intoxicated by the peaceful atmosphere, belatedly discovered the person and grabbed their swords in surprise. However, they were shocked to find out that the person was not an undead, but a normal human.

The man who had been plowing the field for a while also looked at the soldiers with a bewildered expression. At that moment, the man screamed something and started to run away. Rottenhammer looked bewildered at the words he let out.

“What is it? I don’t know what regional dialect it is. Even the Siraxa dialect in the westernmost part of the country doesn’t sound like that.”

“uh…….”

It was Tukhalin who groaned at that time.

It was only after he pondered the meaning of Isaac’s ‘human ranch’ that he realized the eerie possibility. A cold sweat formed on his forehead.

“It’s the speech from the Unified Empire era.”

“yes?”

“That’s the speech from 300 years ago. It’s barely changed since then.”

There was no room for doubt, since it was the words of a 400-year-old dwarf and not someone else. No, in the first place, there was no one else in this place who could distinguish the speech from 300 years ago except Tukhalin.

Rottenhammer looked even more incomprehensible.

“Why on earth do you still speak with the same language from 300 years ago… … And why did you run away when you saw us?”

“Do you know what the author was screaming and running away from?”

“What did you say?”

“The army of Sarka Nua has come, King Nua has come to recruit us,” he said.

Tukhalin looked at Isaac as if asking for confirmation.

“The people here have been living here in isolation ever since the Immortal Cult was created. They’ve been eating, sleeping, caring for each other, and raising their own young, providing ‘population’ for the Immortal Cult?”