Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 415



Only Noblemtl

Episode 415. Holy Land Lua (2)

[It’s been a long time, Miss Leonora Becia.]

The Immortal Emperor opened his mouth quietly.

The Immortal Emperor, as usual, was wearing a shabby robe covering his entire body.

Leonora knew that the attire was the one worn by the locals when the Holy Land of Lua functioned as a city, but she couldn’t understand why the Immortal Emperor still insisted on wearing it. Even the coachman who guided them was adorned with all sorts of jewels and sacred objects.

[I’m sorry to guide you to such a shabby place, but I have some circumstances that make it difficult for me to leave this place right now.]

The narrow alleys were too shabby a place for a god and an emperor to reside, but Leonora didn’t care much. She was content with just having met the immortal emperor.

“Your Majesty, wherever you are, it is both a temple and a palace. What difference does it make?”

This was the truth.

The place where the god resides becomes a holy place in itself, and anything the god touches becomes a holy object in itself. This place is even the holy place among holy places, Lua. This place itself is no different from a huge temple.

But the black darkness beneath the Immortal Emperor’s hood did not move at all. Instead, the Immortal Emperor spoke heavily.

[I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to be fancy. I heard from Al Theodore that you have some very valuable… connections.]

This is why the Immortal Emperor allowed Leonora to meet him even in the midst of chaos. Leonora also gave him a precious gift, but such a gift was of little importance in the midst of the attack on the Holy Land of Lua.

What matters is what Leonora can do.

“Yes. Isaac, the Knight of the Holy Grail, is a member of the Platinum Order, like me.”

The Immortal Emperor let out a low sigh.

He, who eavesdropped on all the secrets of the dead, naturally knew about the Platinum Society. There were members of the Platinum Society among the undead.

[Is he also looking for the Hand of Midas?]

“Not as desperate as our top tier, but yes, that’s right.”

Isaac would try to secure the Hand of Midas, if only to prevent anyone from using it. So Leonora did not doubt Isaac’s will.

The Immortal Emperor opened his mouth as if he was thinking back on the conversation he had had with Isaac.

[Come to think of it, you had Angela with you. I thought she seemed to know something. But the Hand of Midas? Why are you coveting something that should never fall into his hands?]

Leonora wondered why the Hand of Midas was never meant to be in Isaac’s hands, but the situation left no room for questioning.

Thump. A sudden sound from outside shook the dome of the Holy Land Lua, sending up clouds of dust.

As Leonora looked up at the ceiling, the Immortal Emperor silently raised his hand.

A faint vibration of the dome was heard. It was so low that it was painful to listen to, but it didn’t seem to be the case outside. From outside, an unknown loud noise, a popping sound, and a dripping sound could be heard.

After a while, the Immortal Emperor lowered his hand again.

[Excuse me. There was a hole in the wall a while ago, and the bugs have been rampant ever since.]

“A hole?”

Leonora asked in surprise. She had already observed her surroundings closely before entering the secret passage leading to the Holy Land, Lua.

And I saw countless monsters of different shapes surrounding and attacking the Holy Land Lua. I knew at a glance that they were monsters from the Outer Realm, but I couldn’t figure out why the Outer Realm was being eroded during this time.

[My people are defending the Holy Land of Lua against monsters. But we lack both time and strength.]

Leonora did not ask why the Immortal Emperor did not use his power to cut down all the monsters himself.

The Immortal Emperor did not want to become omnipotent himself any more than he did to force his will upon his subjects.

But regardless of one’s personal beliefs, it was foolish to waste one’s strength when faced with an army of hundreds of thousands of people, angels belonging to the Code of Light, and Grail Knights who had cut down the Archangels.

If you’re not careful, you might end up offering up the well-cooked Holy Land Lua after defeating the monsters.

[There is no time, Leonora.]

The Immortal Emperor looked at Leonora and said.

[Can you convince the Grail Knight to stop the expedition?]

Leonora savored the divine request with sweetness.

It was so sweet to see the richest god in the world begging her to spare his life.

But on the other hand, it was sad, because Leonora didn’t have the ability to grant that request.

Instead, bargaining was possible.

“You know what I want in return, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

A merchant never says no. He says yes and then compromises his terms. The immortal emperor stared at Leonora silently. She silently showed him the platinum ring on her finger.

“I am also a member of the Platinum Order. Our group has made it our mortal mission to retrieve the Hand of Midas. In exchange for the Holy Land of Lua, I demand the most precious treasure, the Hand of Midas.”

[How is handing it over to you any different from handing it over to Isaac?]

“It is different, Your Majesty the Emperor.”

Leonora smiled coldly.

“You said that the Hand of Midas should not fall into the hands of the Grail Knights, right? Then I don’t care. I know what the Hand of Midas is.”

[Do you know what it is?]

“It is a holy relic that grants wishes. However, it is a cursed relic that will never grant the user’s wish as intended.”

Leonora said, recalling her conversation with Isaac. Leonora had never had much desire for Midas’s Hand. However, if the ability of the relic was ‘to grant wishes without absolutely conforming to the user’s intentions’, she had no intention of using it in the future.

“As a member of the Platinum Society, I only wish to retrieve the hand. I have no intention of using it.”

[Then why do you want to take it back?]

“Well, isn’t it natural that the most valuable treasures are kept in the Golden Idols? Since ancient times, assets have been said to be more valuable when they are rare. If someone were to use the Hand of Midas to make treasures common and disappear, there is a risk that the value of our assets would fall.”

As expected, the Immortal Emperor seemed to like Leonora’s answer.

The Golden Idol Top liked gold, but was not foolish enough to wish for ‘gold to be made.’

[Your thinking is wrong.]

“… … You’re saying I’m wrong?”

[The Hand of Midas is a much more dangerous monstrosity. It is something that is outside the laws of the world. It should not be here in the first place, but exists for some unknown reason.]

Leonora tried to figure out if this was a rejection, a bluff, or a warning. But surprisingly, the Immortal Emperor answered coolly.

[But now I rather like that ignorance.]

“what…….”

[It was burdensome to keep this monstrosity. Take it. If it were a god who does not answer and does not rule, a golden idol, I would feel safe entrusting it to the Hand of Midas. Perhaps it is going to find its master.]

Leonora’s heart trembled. Would he give up the Hand of Midas so easily?

But the Immortal Emperor was not so easy.

[However, the compensation will be given after the Grail Knights have withdrawn from the Holy Land of Lua. At that time, I will personally hand over the Hand of Midas to you.]

Leonora smiled.

“I will definitely do that.”

***

A soldier appeared above the dark blue desert of the night.

After that, one soldier after another followed.

Soon, a vast army of hundreds of thousands of men filled the horizon.

The exact number was not known.

Neither the generals, nor the officers, nor the knights, nor even the priests knew exactly how many there were, where they were, what the plan of action was, or what supply routes they were following on the expedition.

All systems and ranks were meaningless in the face of the overwhelming authority of the Archangels. Under the solemn orders of the Archangels to simply advance, even the generals and knights would gather to eat when they were hungry, sleep anywhere, and only advance toward the Holy Land, Lua.

And when at last a great dome appeared on the horizon, the soldiers were relieved rather than jubilant.

The fact that there is no need to march as if being chased anymore.

[Look!]

Then suddenly a bright beam of light appeared in the sky. At the center of the Dawn Army’s main force, a huge statue was standing on top of Dera Heman, and flames were rising up like a giant tree. The burning maiden who had come to Dera Heman swung the branches made of flames like a whip and shouted.

[The Holy Land of Lua is approaching! The Gates of Glory are opening! The advent of the Millennium Kingdom is imminent!]

After all systems were neutralized, the real leader of the Dawn Army was the Angel of Light, the Burning Maiden. The lighthouse keeper had not been seen since the fall of the capital city of Ushaq, and it seemed unlikely that she would return until the Black Threat of May appeared.

Although Dera Heman had not yet fully recovered from his wounds in the fight against the Grave Lord, he was recovering quickly thanks to the help of the Burning Maiden. Instead, he was gaining a deep influence.

[Gather, warriors of the Dawn Army! Open the gates of heaven with your own hands!]

“Ohhhhhhh!”

Thump thump thump thump… … Now, the charred ones, numbering well over ten thousand, cheered as they beat their obsidian-like bodies. They had shiny, tough, and hard skin, and they were even walking around naked as if they were proud of their bodies. They even insulted and ridiculed the paladins.

However, those who saw how terrifying the Charred Ones were in battle admired them as ‘the chosen sign’ and wished to become like them.

In a situation where the entire Yeomyeong Army was steeped in a fanatic atmosphere, it was difficult to make rational judgments.

“Everyone is going crazy.”

But as the light grows stronger, so does the shadow. There were those who found their sanity in the midst of this fanatic atmosphere. In particular, the knights of the Imperial Order, including Feltron,

“What kind of war is this? This is a suicide parade.”

“I serve the Code of Light. But this… … This doesn’t feel like the Code of Light is sparing its followers. Could this also be some kind of test?”

Feltron listened to the knights’ self-deprecating lament.

It was natural that they were agitated. It was natural that the Imperial Knights, who were not even followers of the Light Code in the first place but were strongly influenced by Peltran, would not be swept up in the fanatic atmosphere. Furthermore, Siero was pretending to preach behind them and cleverly inciting them to come to their senses.

“If only His Majesty the Emperor had been by our side and guided us… … .”

He even made a rebellious remark that should not have been made, but no one pointed it out or stopped him. They just looked around with fearful eyes.

Most of these are knights who had gone with Waldsemer to invade Lichtheim.

They were simply paralyzed by fear when the Emperor was deposed, but their loyalty to the Emperor did not disappear. And when the Dawn Army fell into this state without the Emperor, and the knights who were supposed to be noble were treated like common soldiers, they could not help but yearn for the past.

The time when the emperor and the nobles faced each other and competed with the religious order.

‘I don’t seem to remember the Emperor throwing away the Treaty of Licht with his own hands.’

If the Emperor had led the Dawn Army while the Treaty of Licht was gone, the result would have been the same as now. If it had been changed, the Emperor would have been burning instead of Dera Heman.

There was no way they would know.

Feltron laughed inwardly, but did not show it. The battle was about to begin. The moment was important.

“Chief, are you going to let these fanatics control you like this?”

Feltron thought that the time was ripe, even though his strategy of basically omitting it had gone awry. The excessive marching of the past few days had caused discontent to run rampant within the Dawn Army.

Feltron slowly looked around the knights.

“Do you all think similarly?”

There was no one who expressed dissent. Although this public opinion itself was the result of Feltron’s own efforts, he spoke as if he had no choice but to follow the will of his subordinates.

“Then there’s nothing we can do.”

Peltran turned to Siero, who was standing to one side, and said.

“While the Angels are busy fighting the Immortal Emperor, we will withdraw from the front line when the time is right. We will lead the soldiers well so that they will not be caught up in this meaningless battle and survive. Luck will be on our side.”

Peltrun began a secret rebellion.

If the Dawn Army can’t fail, make it fail.

There were already human hunters from the Red Grail Club hiding within the Dawn Army.

And the most decisive blow was now coming from the west.

‘Holy Grail Knight… … I think that’s enough to create variables.’