Paladin of the Dead God

“You can come out now.”

Isaac was the first to crawl out of the low tunnel and whispered. He was followed quietly by Bashul.

Both of them were covered in mud.

As is often the case with ancient cities, Lichtheim had a layered underground structure. However, the priests of Lichtheim were particularly interested in making use of the underground, where they imprisoned things that didn’t need to exist in the world: criminals, forbidden knowledge, and evil relics, sealing them beneath the city.

As a result, Lichtheim had undergone several planned redevelopments of its underground, unlike other cities.

Naturally, the prison where the Emperor was held and the secret archives of the Censorship Bureau were also constructed underground. But with such repeated redevelopment, there would inevitably be parts that were left out or abandoned. If these spaces were not properly understood, they would become secret passages unknown even to the designers.

And Isaac was very knowledgeable about these secret passages.

Bashul felt overwhelmed as he emerged from the claustrophobic waterway into what appeared to be a corridor.

It truly was one of Lichtheim’s underground passages.

“I didn’t know there were secret passages like this under Lichtheim…”

His biggest concern had been how to get through Lichtheim’s high walls. The walls, protected by powerful divine forces, were not easily damaged or overcome with miracles. If they tried, they would surely be detected.

However, Isaac had easily bypassed them using a secret passage.

“If this information had leaked to the Immortal Order or the Red Chalice, it would have been a disaster… No, more importantly, how do you know about this? Who exactly are you?”

“Is it important for you to know that, or is it more important to rescue the Emperor?”

“The Emperor is more important. Let’s go.”

Bashul did not have deep loyalty to the Emperor. However, the Emperor was a crucial means for achieving revenge, and he did not want to succumb to the machinations of the angels.

“As I mentioned, we will go to the secret archives of the Censorship Bureau first.”

“Hmm, right. That. You said you had business there, and you helped us get past the walls, so I won’t argue. But is it really more important than rescuing the Emperor?”

“My people in the Issacrea estate are more important to me than a hundred Emperors.”

Isaac looked at Bashul as if he were absurd.

Of course, he did have some personal connection with the Emperor, but it wasn’t exactly a warm and friendly one. And in this situation, honestly, the Emperor’s greed had played a significant part, so he had to bear some responsibility.

However, the residents of the Issacrea estate couldn’t do without Isaac.

It was only natural for Isaac to care more about them.

Bashul seemed as if he wanted to say more, but Isaac boldly strode through the underground corridor. Since Isaac was the one who knew the complex structure of the underground corridors, Bashul had no choice but to follow him.

Then, Isaac suddenly felt a strange dizziness and staggered.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. Is it because we entered the Holy City?”

Isaac was puzzled by the sudden dizziness that made his vision double, but he soon felt better. Just in case, he checked his physical condition but found nothing wrong.

Footsteps echoed, and Isaac and Bashul held their breath. Two priests wearing white hoods that covered their faces were pulling a cart along the opposite corridor. The cart was filled with various sinister tools.

Bashul whispered.

“They’re torture priests from the Inquisition. Where are they going?”

“There must be a lot of ‘guests’ in the underground prison today, so they’ll have plenty to interrogate.”

Their official title was “Confessor Priest.”

While inquisitors went out and acted as enforcers for the church, confessor priests were tasked with extracting confessions or inducing repentance from captured prisoners. However, since they often dealt with involuntary confessions and repentance, they were more commonly known as torture priests.

Isaac and Bashul exchanged glances and silently approached the two priests. It was not difficult to take them out quietly in the darkness. Lichtheim’s underground was designed to hide things that didn’t want to be revealed, so there was little fear of being discovered.

They dragged the bodies of the confessor priests back into the passage they had come from and changed out of their muddy clothes.

The hoods that covered their heads were perfect for concealing their faces.

“Though I’ve already apostatized, you really don’t hesitate to kill a priest.”

“Do you think it’s the first time I’ve cut down a priest? Killing these kinds of people doesn’t weigh on my conscience.”

Isaac had previously beheaded a priest in Syracusa.

Of course, at that time, he had acted with the confidence that the church would protect him, but whether they would do so knowing he had secretly infiltrated Lichtheim’s underground and beheaded a confessor priest was uncertain.

***

Bashul and Isaac had agreed that if any trouble arose, they would prioritize their own objectives rather than risk their lives to save each other.

Of course, they made this promise because neither of them believed they would die.

When Bashul had first entered Lichtheim, he had considered parting ways with Isaac to attend to their own business. However, after walking through the underground corridors for an hour, he changed his mind.

Bashul couldn’t do without Isaac.

Without Isaac, Bashul would be lost in this labyrinthine corridor forever, starving or collapsing from exhaustion.

“…Isaac, do you know where you’re going?”

Isaac glanced back at him, knowing what he was worried about.

“All of Lichtheim’s underground is connected, so don’t worry. It’s not difficult to get from the Censorship Bureau to the underground prison.”

“Then why are we taking such a roundabout route?”

Isaac paused at a fork in the path. He stared down the corridor for a moment before picking up a small stone from the ground and tossing it. The moment it entered the corridor, a low hum sounded, and the stone burst into flames, turning to ash before it even hit the floor.

“It’s a Blind Sentinel trap. This place was designed by an Archangel. Only those who have memorized the ‘true path’ can walk here. Otherwise, you need to have the power to cancel the miracles.”

Isaac turned right and continued walking. Now, Bashul followed him without further complaint. Although he had no idea how Isaac knew these things or what he was seeking in the secret archives, he had no one else to rely on.

“If it were just traps, I’d consider breaking through them, but there are traps that summon divine beasts or trigger alarms. If there’s a commotion, the prison guards will tighten their security…”

Isaac said this as he glanced back at Bashul.

“If we’re discovered, rescue the Emperor while I’m raiding the secret archives.”

“What did you say?”

“Rescue the Emperor, rally forces, and protect the Issacrea estate. Even if I don’t die here immediately, it might be difficult for me to escape for a while.”

“That’s weak talk…”

“Even if you die, I’ll make sure to rescue the Emperor. I’ll also take the opportunity to cut down some of the Blind Sentinels. Does that sound good?”

Bashul snorted at Isaac’s words. It was merely an extension of the agreement they had made before entering.

Instead of risking their lives to save each other, they agreed that the surviving party would fulfill the other’s objectives.

“I feel like I’m getting the short end of the stick since I’m not going to die.”

“You’re awfully confident. Ah, we’ve arrived.”

As they turned the corner, Bashul flinched in surprise at the sudden appearance of a massive stone door. He had felt like he had been circling the same corner repeatedly, yet a completely different structure lay before him.

Isaac spoke to the startled Bashul.

“It’s a trick using the refraction of light and illusions. It’s not a difficult concept once you understand it, but we won’t need to come here again.”

“Forget what I said earlier. I wouldn’t be able to escape from here if you died.”

Engaging in some trivial banter, they opened the door.

As Isaac knew, the stone door opened without any particular locking mechanism. The true security of the secret archives didn’t lie in the door itself.

As soon as the door opened, a chilly breeze carrying the scent of dust wafted out.

Bashul swallowed nervously as he stepped into one of the most secretive places in the Empire.

***

A vast space stretched out endlessly.

The ceiling was so high it was out of sight, and numerous boxes were stacked neatly in several layers. As Bashul looked at the corridors formed by these boxes disappearing into the pitch-black darkness, he realized that the same scene extended right to the space beside the door.

He was about to mutter about the impossibility of it all when he realized that it seemed too weightless and cleared his throat.

“I guess this is also a trick using the refraction of light and illusions. It’s not actually that big, is it?”

“Of course not. The Blind Sentinel used miracles to twist the order of time and space.”

Bashul looked betrayed, but the scene before him was overwhelming even for Isaac.

The secret archives were not merely a place to store books, as the name might suggest. What the Censorship Bureau sought to imprison was knowledge, and books were not the only containers of knowledge.

Forbidden miracles sealed in relics, phenomena with unknown origins, mysterious creatures, objects that shouldn’t exist… All these chaos-inducing items were subjects for ‘censorship’ by the Censorship Bureau of the Codex of Light. Among them, those that couldn’t be erased or were too valuable to destroy were hidden in the safest and most secret places.

This vast space, therefore, was filled over a millennium by the dedication and sacrifices of the Paladins and inquisitors.

Isaac began walking. As soon as they started moving, light suddenly poured down from above. Bashul was startled and almost drew his sword.

“It’s just light that reacts to movement. It’s a convenience feature for visitors to the archives, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Oh, right, okay.”

Bashul awkwardly tried to touch one of the boxes beside him, but Isaac warned him.

“Don’t touch the boxes carelessly. They’re sealed with chains and scriptures, but they’re old and could be easily damaged. Especially the ones wrapped in chains—they’re likely to be dangerous.”

“Dangerous to people? These?”

“You’d be lucky if it only harms you.”

Bashul withdrew his hand at Isaac’s warning. On reflection, it was foolish to touch anything in this notoriously secure secret archive.

Though he vowed not to do anything foolish again, it wasn’t easy.

“Bashul, don’t try to look closely at anything in the dark. The moment you focus, you might get pulled in. Just concentrate and follow me.”

“Bashul, don’t hum. ‘They’ imitate the sounds of singing. Unless you want the archives filled with a choir, keep quiet.”

“Bashul, that’s not a wall, it’s a giant box. It seems like they’ve moved an entire house into it.”

Bashul finally gave up.

He thought he was a seasoned warrior, but here, he felt like a newborn. The hardest thing to bear was Isaac’s calm voice as he identified and warned about all these threats.

“This is driving me crazy. Can’t I just wait at the door with my eyes closed until you’re done?”

“Bashul, who are you talking to right now?”

Bashul was about to retort at Isaac for whatever he was saying, but then he realized that the voice came from behind him. Isaac, holding a box in his arms, was walking toward him with a strange look.

Bashul felt a chilling sensation as he looked back at the Isaac who had been warning and leading him earlier. Then the Isaac in front of him let out a creepy laugh and ran into the darkness. From where the figure disappeared, the sound of the song Bashul had hummed earlier echoed.

“…A ghost?”

“I can guess what you saw. It’s not a ghost, but it’s better not to know. If you’d followed it to the end, you’d be trapped in the archives forever, unable to die.”

Isaac said as he looked around the secret archives.

“The most powerful security feature of the Censorship Bureau’s secret archives is its vastness. The absurdly large and complex structure prevents intruders from finding their targets. Without damaging the archives, they also release some moderately dangerous sealed items, letting them act as the archives’ own wardens.”

Bashul looked wearily at the box Isaac was holding.

“For all that, you seem to have found something already.”

“This isn’t what I’m looking for. It’s just a box containing a mysterious dish that turns water into alcohol.”

“Then how are you going to find what you’re looking for?”

“Like this.”

Isaac lifted the box and threw it hard onto the ground. The sound of shattering echoed through the secret archives. Under Bashul’s astonished gaze, the lights overhead flickered intensely.

Bashul instinctively drew his sword.

Something unusual was happening.

_____________

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