Paladin of the Dead God

‘Becoming a god, huh.’

Isaac knew that Kalsen’s plan had already failed, so there was no reason for him to follow in those footsteps. However, the key difference between Kalsen and Isaac was that Isaac was already favored by the Nameless Chaos.

Of course, when it comes to tampering with someone else’s corpse, the permission of the deceased is rarely considered important. This was clearly the case with the maggots writhing in the Nameless Chaos’s corpse.

But it’s a different story when one uses the power of the Nameless Chaos.

In some sense, Isaac had effectively inherited all the legacy left behind by the Nameless Chaos.

The idea that a paladin, working as an intern for a rival company, is actually the full-fledged proxy, heir, new chairman, and undercover boss of the Nameless Chaos Corporation was rather fitting.

Even if he didn’t plan to create a new god, the conditions were certainly sufficient to resurrect the Nameless Chaos.

“Let me be perfectly clear. I won’t do it. I’m not going to do it. I won’t.”

Isaac’s firm tone made Tuhalin quietly observe him.

“As I said, I believe the Codex of Light is meant to rule the world. I may not be pleased with the current state of things and intend to make some changes, but that’s all. If it ever looks like tentacled monsters might start swarming around, well… I’d rather move far away.”

Even saying something like ‘I’d rather kill myself’ was a bit much, as he valued his life too much for that.

Back when he lived a monastic life with nothing, it might have been a different story, but now he had many people following him.

Isaac wasn’t sure if Tuhalin would accept his reasoning, but fortunately, it seemed Tuhalin had a grasp of Isaac’s inner thoughts.

“You yourself said it, didn’t you? That gods are swayed by their followers. They’re not omnipotent beings. Why would I want to become one of them? I’d rather be an emperor.”

“A fair point.”

Tuhalin gave a somber smile.

“But no one becomes a god simply because they want to rule others and wield absolute power. Everyone who has made that choice did so because they had no other option.”

Isaac let out a long sigh. He didn’t know how else to persuade him.

“My settling in this land was purely coincidental. Lord Hendrake invited me in the first place. You can ask Kyle Hendrake if you don’t believe me.”

Of course, that was a lie. Isaac knew from the start that the Hendrakee Estate was valuable land.

Though he hadn’t realized just how valuable it would turn out to be.

Its value was rising every day, and while he felt like he had made the right choice in settling here, it also felt like he was standing on a precarious manhole cover floating in midair.

“I believe in your character. But I find it hard to believe that you won’t become a god.”

‘Isn’t it the opposite?’

Even Isaac himself felt that his character was somewhat questionable, yet he had no desire to become a god.

After all, he had already struggled with the discomfort of being offered the status of an Archangel and had failed to refuse it; the idea of becoming a god was even more daunting.

“If those who believe in you were unjustly slaughtered and oppressed by the Codex of Light, and the only way to protect them was by becoming a god, could you say with certainty that you wouldn’t choose that path?”

“That’s…”

Isaac was at a loss for words.

Elil had become a god for that very reason.

To win the war against the Codex of Light.

Although he ultimately failed, if protecting people was the only option, Isaac wouldn’t have many choices either.

And given that he might one day have to confront the Lighthouse Keeper, Tuhalin’s words felt more like a prophecy with a high chance of coming true.

As Isaac remained silent, the hissing sound from the forge grew louder.

Tuhalin stared at the forge for a moment, then nodded. He stood up, signaling the end of their conversation. Isaac’s face twisted in frustration, thinking the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

Tuhalin extended his hand to Isaac as if bidding farewell.

“You’ve given a good answer, Isaac. I look forward to working with you.”

“Pardon?”

“The World’s Forge will stand with Issacrea.”

***

“Do you still hold the same thoughts, Thunder Artisan?”

After Isaac had left, Tuhalin stared into the embers that remained in the forge and murmured to himself.

“To be honest, I still don’t fully trust that Holy Grail Knight. He is selfish, cunning, and secretive. The positive reputation he has seems to be due to the misguided admiration of those enthralled by the fact that he’s a Nephilim.”

The embers crackled softly in response. Tuhalin chuckled as if amused by the reply.

“All gods are like that, you say? Well, that could be true. All gods are bound to be selfish, cunning, and secretive for the sake of their followers.”

Tuhalin absentmindedly stroked the handle of his hammer.

With this hammer, there was nothing he couldn’t repair, nothing he couldn’t destroy. He had created and annihilated with it.

And now, he was faced with the most extraordinary material he had ever encountered.

The flames in the forge whispered. Tuhalin bowed his head, eyes heavy with guilt.

“I understand why you oppose this campaign, Thunder Artisan. But…”

He clenched the hammer tightly and continued speaking.

“But even without me, that young man will undoubtedly become something in the future. Perhaps something terrible, as you fear. But it is the duty of the old to forge, discipline, and persuade, to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

Lightning crackled from the hammer, sparking between the nearby swords and tools.

“And if it can’t be fixed, it will be my burden to destroy him with my own hands before he becomes something monstrous.”

***

Isaac was ecstatic at the unexpected boon of the “World’s Forge cooperation,” a trump card he hadn’t anticipated.

Of course, as a lord and Holy Grail Knight, Isaac expressed his joy in the most dignified and humble way possible—by rolling around on the bed in his room. He was so delighted that he momentarily forgot that Hesabel was hanging from the ceiling.

After rolling around for a good while, Isaac finally noticed Hesabel looking down at him from the ceiling. He quickly straightened his clothes and stood up with as much composure as he could muster.

“It was a ritual to give thanks for the victory.”

“Oh, if you hadn’t said anything, I would’ve pretended not to see it. But it turns out it had such a deep meaning. Could you share the exact steps of the ritual with me?”

“Then just pretend you didn’t see it. Anything unusual happen?”

Hesabel descended from the ceiling.

Having been caught in the fallout of the Netherworld’s barrage, Hesabel had long recovered from any injuries caused by the fall. As long as she could replenish her blood, she could use the miracle of healing as much as she needed, so the battlefield littered with orc corpses had served as a free field hospital for her.

Thus, she had spent her time under the guise of convalescing, keeping an eye on the estate, mainly focusing on areas where significant figures were present.

Currently, the Issacrea estate was overrun with high-ranking individuals from both Elil’s side and the World’s Forge. It was on the verge of oversaturation.

It would have been strange if no problems had arisen.

As expected, Hesabel spoke with a serious tone.

“King Edelred and Lianne Georg seem to have finally come to an understanding just a couple of days ago. But honestly, with how clueless they are, when do you think they’ll get around to sleeping together and having a child? Edelred is young, so it would be better if Lianne took the lead, but she seems disinterested in anything that isn’t a battlefield.”

“Alright, next.”

“A warrior named Raulok from the Lycanthrope Warriors confessed his love to Reyna Hilde. He said he was smitten by her arms, the way she effortlessly won at arm wrestling.”

“Okay, next.”

“Priest Kless had a late-night rendezvous with Miss Neria…”

“Hold on, Hesabel. What exactly are you doing right now? Are you gathering gossip? Why is all your information so skewed?”

“This is my specialty. Is there a more important topic?”

“Aren’t there any plots about someone grinding their teeth, planning to kill someone? Or any suspicious individuals sneaking in and being harbored? I want to get this expedition underway before these hot-blooded warriors kill each other. As soon as we’re ready!”

“Oh, of course there is. Someone who’s likely to kill you has snuck in, and King Edelred is the one hiding him.”

“What did you say?”

***

“…It’s been a long time, Sir Cedric.”

The ‘Mercurial’ Cedric.

Elil’s Swordmaster, who had once almost killed Edelred with the help of Lady Rosalind, stood at the opposite end of the alley.

Cedric froze, unable to respond as Hesabel stood before him.

Isaac strode toward Cedric and spoke.

“Never would I have imagined that His Majesty King Edelred would harbor someone who once tried to kill him. What were you thinking, sneaking in here? Have you taken up another contract?”

It had been easy to lure Cedric out of the room Edelred had arranged for him. All it took was for Hesabel to show herself outside his window, pacing the alley a few times.

The Swordmaster, who was undoubtedly told to stay hidden, had been caught so easily.

“Ah, uh. It’s good to see you, Holy Grail Knight. It’s not what you think… I was just passing through, but His Majesty insisted that I see you before leaving. I wasn’t ready, so I hesitated, but I didn’t expect to meet you so suddenly.”

It seemed Edelred, in his consideration, had decided to wait until Cedric was ready to meet Isaac.

There was no longer any sense of animosity or grudge emanating from Cedric. Given that they hadn’t parted on terrible terms before, Isaac assumed Cedric wasn’t here with any malicious intent.

“Passing through? Where were you headed?”

“Well…”

Cedric hesitated, glancing briefly at Hesabel. Isaac paused for a moment, feeling a strange sense of disbelief.

It was as if the topic of conversation tonight would never stray from this subject.

“Were you coming here to see Hesabel?”

“No, no. You misunderstand. I was on my way east. I just happened to remember an old acquaintance and decided to stop by.”

“We’re not exactly what you’d call acquaintances. Where exactly in the east?”

“Well…”

“Surely not the Kingdom of Wallachia?”

“…”

Cedric averted his gaze. Hesabel stifled a laugh.

Isaac couldn’t help but feel sorry for the aging Swordmaster.

Even though Hesabel occasionally acted like a fool around Isaac, she was, in reality, a member of the Duke’s family from the Kingdom of Wallachia.

To someone like her, wrapping someone as naive as Cedric around her finger would be child’s play. Despite having once been defeated because of Hesabel, Cedric still didn’t seem to have learned his lesson.

With a sigh, Isaac opened his mouth, thinking he might as well rescue the man.

After all, he had been looking for Cedric to take him along before leaving Elil’s Kingdom.

“Instead of hiding in an inn, stay at the monastery. While you’re there, let’s discuss our future.”

He couldn’t let such a valuable asset as a Swordmaster slip through his fingers now that Cedric had walked right into his lap.

Even though Cedric might seem a bit pathetic, he had demonstrated surprising wit and skill when needed, like during the incident where he helped Lady Rosalind.

As Hesabel brushed her hand lightly against Cedric’s as she passed by, she smiled.

“It’s good to see you again, warrior of Elil.”

That is, as long as it didn’t involve a woman.

Since he was easily swayed, it seemed wise to bring him to their side early on.

***

With the World’s Forge now integrated into the new plan, Isaac began the process of selecting who would stay behind at the estate and who would join the expedition.

Not everyone could leave for the expedition. There was a risk that the Olkan Code might resume the Great Raid, the Codex of Light couldn’t be trusted, and if the Immortal Order felt their Holy Land was threatened, they might resort to guerrilla tactics.

‘There’s no shortage of forces ready to oppose me.’

And considering the nature of the mission, which involved deep penetration into enemy territory, a small, elite strike force would be more effective than a large army. Isaac already had a suitable route in mind for that.

Naturally, all of Elil’s knights would be joining the expedition. They had come prepared to die on the battlefield.

Half of the Lycanthrope Warriors and the artisans from the Forge would also join. The Paladin Order of Gebel and Rottenhammer, along with soldiers from the Issacrea estate, would also participate. A small, elite force still required logistics, so there had to be people responsible for supplies and maintenance.

However, there was one unexpected addition to the group that Isaac hadn’t anticipated.

“What do you mean we can’t cancel the death insurance? How is that possible?”

Isaac was taken aback when he learned that they couldn’t undo the miracle attached to Angela, the orphan girl they had brought from Syracusa to Issacrea.

The death insurance miracle wasn’t supposed to be difficult to lift; even a local priest could cancel it. But despite the efforts of numerous priests at Issacrea and even the artisans of the Forge, the miracle stubbornly resisted dispelling.

A priest, who had finally managed to decipher the complex structure of the protective doctrines surrounding Angela, wiped the cold sweat from his brow as he explained.

“It’s not an ordinary contract. Multiple protective doctrines have been layered, each preventing the disclosure or revelation of any specific knowledge.”

(Continued)