Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 82



Only Noblemtl

Episode 82 Taklan (3)

Isaac also approached Delia and spoke with similar logic to Juan.

“Bishop Juan has decided to dispatch three priests and five paladins here.”

Delia, who was preparing to leave Isacre Territory, was startled.

Priests who can actually use miracles have great status and influence. Among them, it was clear that the priest sent by Bishop Juan would be one who could truly perform miracles.

Of course, since they decided to build a monastery here, I expected to send priests and paladins, but I didn’t expect to send so many. This is a number that can only be dispatched to a large city the size of Soeur.

“Why so many? “Is it because an angel came here again?”

“You probably want to make it clear that this is monastery territory.”

Delia frowned and muttered insults about Juan in her mind. Their devotion to the Code of Light is unquestionable, but that does not necessarily extend to their reverence for the priestly class.

What Juan was doing to Delia seemed obvious.

‘The Holy Grail Knight will soon embark on a noble journey, so in the meantime, we will solidify our influence on the territory? Bullying Isaac? ‘That’s something that greedy old man would do.’

Delia thought she couldn’t let the situation continue like this. She already knows that Isaac is ambitious. He may or may not join the emperor’s faction right away, but if he joins the emperor’s faction later, whether he has territory or not will be a completely different problem.

“Lord Issacrea, is there anything you need for the territory? “There must be many things needed in the new territory.”

Delia, of course, knew well what the new lord needed most.

“If necessary, we can provide sufficient loans. “On very good terms.”

Under the emperor’s shadow, Delia held great wealth.

But I had no intention of just giving Isaac the money. If he gives money, it’s over, but if he turns it into debt, he can use it to exert as much influence as he wants.

Delia didn’t care even if Isaac couldn’t pay her back. It was enough for her to just keep herself under his shadow. No, she rather expected not to be able to repay.

“There is no need for a loan.”

But Isaac, who knew such thoughts well, refused early on. Delia, knowing full well that there was little other than money to rebuild the monastery, looked on in wonder.

But Isaac spoke like a skilled merchant.

“Rather, please exempt us from taxes for the time being so that the territory of Isacrea can fully establish itself. Then the rest can sustain themselves through the power of the territory.”

All territories in the empire naturally have to pay taxes. However, in this era, taxes were collected by the public through the residents and handed over to the lord, and the lord then passed a certain portion to his superior, who in turn handed it over to his superior. Each territory had its own tax rates and rules were not unified.

Since Isaac was currently granted territory by the Marquis of Delia Lyon, Delia had the authority to collect taxes. When Isaac asked for tax exemption, Delia burst out laughing even though she felt like she had been punched.

‘That’s something I never thought would come from a Holy Grail Knight.’

Isaac didn’t offer anything fresh. Whining about lower taxes and exemption was something that Delia, the High Lord, often heard. However, it was surprising because the person who made that statement was not a small lord or merchant, but a Holy Grail Knight.

The Code of Light Church, which is usually run by donations, enjoys as much wealth as the imperial family but does not pay taxes. It was natural because they did not have the necessary expenses to run an empire. So what the denomination usually wants is the money itself, and is not interested in taxes that do not have to be paid.

Delia could sense from Isaac’s talk about taxes that he was already a prepared lord.

“It is difficult to apply general tax rate regulations to the Issacrea Territory because its location is ambiguous. But it is impossible to completely avoid taxes. “This is the duty of a subject of the empire.”

“Is this true even though it is a monastery estate?”

“The governing body is only a monastery, and it is a territory received from me, the representative of His Majesty the Emperor.”

“great. Then, please exempt the mineral tax and trade tax for the time being. “These are the main source of income for the territory of Isacrea, so if you just exempt these, we will be able to find a way out.”

As if he had been waiting, Isaac brought out a compromise.

Delia felt once again that Isaac was a ready ruler.

From her perspective, she had to give Isaac something comparable to priests and paladins. However, if taxes were completely exempted, it could be seen as clearly indicating that this land was religious territory.

However, the main source of income for the Isacrea Territory was coal mining, so exempting the mineral tax and trade tax could clearly show that this land was owned by the empire.

Isaac naturally took care of Delia’s cause and also found his share of utility.

“That’s okay. Let’s see, we’ll exempt related taxes for the next three years. “Let’s adjust the remaining conditions later.”

Anyway, two years later, the Yeomyeong Army is formed. By then, religious madness would be rampant, and Isaac was confident that he would be able to trade on much better terms than now.

“great.”

“I will send my clerk to put the contents in writing. “We need to make sure we do this.”

With both parties satisfied with the deal, Delia prepared to set off again. As Delia grabbed the reins of her horse and was about to set off, she suddenly asked Isaac.

“Sir Isaac Isaac, how old are you?”

“I’m 19.”

Isaac deliberately made his age sound higher. It was difficult to think that he was too young.

“Huh, you’re older than you look. “Are you meeting anyone?”

Isaac froze for a moment at Delia’s words. Delia burst out laughing at his expression.

“No, you look like you’re thinking something strange. No matter how handsome you are, I have no intention of taking you as my lover. As you get older, do you think there is a need for you to act indecently? But I think my daughters will be happy to see your face.”

She frowned and started speaking.

“Come to the center later! “Because my cute daughters who look just like me will be waiting for me with full of joy!”

Delia, whose size did not lag behind the knights following her, burst out laughing and ran. Isaac just greeted me with a shocked expression.

***

‘good. ‘I received permission more smoothly than I thought.’

The reason Isaac was exempt from mineral and trade taxes from Delia was not only to maximize his income, but also to avoid being tracked.

Isaac was planning to steal part of Fallen Angel and sell it while redeveloping the coal mine. There will be people who buy fallen angel pieces with their eyes wide open because they can make precious equipment containing miraculous power. He also wanted to hide as much as possible what was happening inside this estate.

Tax ledgers were the easiest means to guess and look into in that respect.

‘When the FBI investigates drug organizations, they don’t look at tax ledgers for no reason… … .’

It seems that there is no such level of investigative technique in this world yet, but if the amount of movement of goods leaving the territory was confirmed, there was enough room to find it strange.

With this, Isaac completed the basic preparations to place a veil on Isacrea territory.

The next thing to do was to send letters to the people I met in Soeur.

“… … “Why do I have to do this?”

The Heretic Questioner, Isolde, looked at Isaac with a puzzled expression.

Isaac answered with a shrug.

“So you decided to keep an eye on me?”

“Then I have to stay here and watch over you. Is there any reason to run an errand for your letter?”

Isaac grinned and tapped the two letters with his hands.

“First of all, let me explain, this letter is addressed to Catelyn, the head of the Soeur branch at the top of the Golden Idol. Although the top of the Golden Idol is a friendly and loyal donor to the Code of Light, it does not change the fact that they are worshipers of other faiths. “I’m sending a letter to those people, but aren’t you concerned about the content or the person I’m sending a letter to?”

“… … “I’m worried.”

Isolde answered hesitantly.

Since she was staying to check if Isaac was suspected of heresy, it was right to check if he had any contact with paganism. Isaac tapped the second letter with his hand.

“This is a letter to Jacquelet, the bastard I met in Soeur. He is the leader of a group of Barbary thugs and tried to kill me… … .”

“yes?”

“… … Now I have recovered and am living a good life. However, it does not change the fact that she is from the Barbary who were apostates, and she still leads a group of other Barbary. I’m sending a letter to that person. Doesn’t it bother you?”

“Ugh… … “I’m worried.”

“Now then, would you rather sit next to me and watch me carry out trivial administrative tasks, or would you rather monitor and check the suspicious actions of a suspicious paladin?”

Because Isaac’s logic was perfect, Isolde had no choice but to obediently carry out the letter errand. This was because even if he censored the letters right away, he eventually had to go to Soeur to identify and investigate his opponents.

Isolde asked Isaac before leaving.

“Can I read your letter?”

“The Inquisitor wants to censor the letter, so how could I, a servant of the Code of Light, refuse? Do whatever suits you. However, if you know etiquette, I think you would ask permission from the person receiving the letter.”

It doesn’t matter if you read it, but I left it up to you to choose by saying that you should know that it is a shameful act.

Isolde let out a long sigh.

If it were a normal investigation process, they would have simply stolen it and read it without asking for permission. However, this letter was not hidden or stolen by Isaac, but was entrusted directly to Isolde.

This complicated her.

“… … These are the people you will meet anyway, so ask them. But even if you reject it, I will still read it.”

Isaac wasn’t worried at all despite Isolde’s words.

In fact, he didn’t mind if Isolde opened the letter on the way. If the letter was dangerous if its contents were revealed, I would not have entrusted it in the first place.

‘I’m probably curious about the contents of the letter, so I’ll come back quickly. ‘Do you think it will take about a week?’

It took Isaac nearly ten days to arrive from Soeur to the Isacrea territory. He was moved by several people, and along the way, he encountered obstacles such as troll attacks. However, Isolde was single and there was a reason to hurry, so I thought a week would be enough.

And if the content is something that doesn’t matter if it gets discovered anyway, it would be better to just throw it out there so they can censor it at their own convenience rather than having Zihilet or Hesabel raise suspicion for no reason.

‘We’ve had about a week, so something will happen in that time, right?’

The final reason for sending Isolde.

Isaac was waiting for someone.

Isaac himself was fully capable of avoiding her gaze, but there was a good chance that anyone waiting would not be able to do so. They will definitely target while the Heretic Questioner is away.

Isaac decided to wait while thinking about how to run the Isacrea territory.

***

night.

A man was climbing a mountain.

He was shocked to see traces of the valley where a fierce battle had taken place, but he climbed over the wreckage and headed toward the cave.

The cave was still leading to an abandoned mine. Eventually, the man stood in front of the fallen angel who had been sealed by the priests of the Code of Light.

However, the man let out a groan as if he were lamenting the sight of numerous seals and gold strings. The fallen angel stuffed into the wall looked as if it had been caught by gold strings. Even if she tried to approach her gold string, she had no choice but to take her hand away in shock due to the rising heat.

“I thought so, but I didn’t know there would be a heretic among the group of central nobles.”

At that time, a voice came from somewhere in the darkness of the cave. The man was startled and tried to pull out her sword, but she held it sloppily and dropped it. A mocking voice continued above the man’s head as he hurriedly picked up her sword.

“Did you say Aidan Verbeck? A merchant from the top of the North.”

Aidan Verbeck, a man with gray hair and a beard, glared at Isaac with nervous eyes.

Isaac remembered him.

Many people left when Delia and Juan left, but there were also a few people who stayed in the village. The priests and paladins that Juan left behind, Isolde and Aidan, were one of those types.

He was the man who spoke most loudly about receiving money, or rather territory, rather than a power struggle between the religious order and the emperor.

However, even though he was a merchant, he had the air of a scholar, and his knowledge and depth were different from other nobles. He left a deep impression on Isaac with some sharp remarks.

“Why did you come here? “Did you decide to take away the fallen angel because you couldn’t get all the money you lent?”

Isaac asked, even though he had an inkling of his purpose.

Aidan took the bait.

“… … A piece of fallen angel can easily make up for the loss… … .”

“No, no.”

Isaac immediately denied it. His smile stood out white in the darkness.

He took something out of his pocket and showed it. Aidan’s eyes shook violently.

What Isaac took out was the same white slab that Lishen Hendrak had made and Carlsen Milter had examined.

“Is this perhaps what you are looking for?”