Paladin of the Dead God

“Excuse me, but who might you be, Paladin…?”

“Hurry up.”

Isaac urged them to move quickly instead of introducing himself. It was a touching reunion, but this was no place for sentimentality, surrounded as they were by zombies on all sides. Finally, the Dawn Army huddled around Ciero and began retracing the path they had just cleared.

Going back through the route they had already fought through wasn’t too difficult, but suddenly Isaac felt an ominous sensation near his heart.

[The Nameless Chaos watches you.]

Instinctively, Isaac twisted his body to evade.

He felt an intangible force gathering where his heart had been and then violently shifting—a death curse aimed at his heart.

Isaac immediately skewered a nearby zombie with his sword and looked toward the source of the attack.

A Lich had somehow snuck in among the zombies. To cast a death curse, you needed a clear sight of your target, which meant the Lich had gotten dangerously close.

The Lich, shocked by how Isaac had dodged the curse, and even more so by how Isaac had immediately pinpointed him among the countless zombies, hesitated.

The Lich quickly gave up wasting his precious curse and mounted his Phantom Steed, taking to the sky.

Isaac scoffed at the sight and continued toward Kran Fortress with the Dawn Army.

Despite showing his back, there were no further attacks.

The Death Knights and the Lich, uncertain about how to deal with the sudden appearance of the “Holy Grail Knight,” hesitated and watched from above. The pressure from the zombies hadn’t increased; in fact, it had weakened.

‘They think I didn’t come alone.’

Isaac smirked. That was exactly what he wanted them to think.

A heated and anxious debate was likely unfolding among the Death Knights and the Lich.

‘That’s the Holy Grail Knight of the Issacrea Dawn Army! He couldn’t have come alone!’

‘But we only see him! If we’re going to capture the enemy commander, we should strike when he’s isolated!’

‘Didn’t you see the Death Knight’s head get split in one strike? That monster dodged a death curse. Who among us can take him down quickly?’

Isaac imagined this was the kind of conversation they were having.

And his guess wasn’t far from the truth.

The undead of the Immortal Order preferred long-term strategies that were careful, sturdy, and sure. In such a sudden situation, it was wise to assess the scenario rather than take risks.

More importantly, this location was far from the Immortal Order’s territory. They wouldn’t want to engage in an unplanned battle.

‘The Immortal Order deploys elite forces in small numbers.’

For a human army, deploying small elite forces is no simple task.

If there’s a knight, there’s also a horse, squires, and a supply unit to carry provisions.

But the Immortal Order is different.

There is no concept of “supply,” and their numbers can be easily bolstered by “local recruitment.”

It’s convenient, but it also means that if the few elite units—namely, the Death Knights and the Lich—are defeated, the battle ends immediately.

Zombies that lose control become sluggish and less aggressive. It would be absurd for them to risk being overpowered while trying to capture Isaac. And if they drove the zombie horde into battle, they would lose their wall of protection against the potential threat of the Issacrea Dawn Army lurking nearby.

In other words, they couldn’t recklessly attack Isaac.

No one in their right mind would charge into this mass of undead.

But the madman was right in front of them.

As a result, Isaac gained easy access to Kran Fortress.

The Death Knights quietly watched him.

‘Well, it’s not foolish.’

If Isaac had truly come alone, it would only add the strength of one paladin, but if a larger force was hidden, it was wise to conserve their strength. Adding Isaac alone wouldn’t change much in this overwhelming sea of undead.

Kran Fortress still seemed like a small boat caught in a raging storm.

***

After finally reaching the fortress, Ciero, overwhelmed by relief, collapsed in the middle of the path, gasping for breath. Ciero’s Dawn Army surged forward at the sight of their leader.

They gathered around Ciero, touching his hands and feet as tears streamed down their faces.

“Priest, you were hurt so badly for our sake…”

“We knew you’d come back, Priest! I kept saying you would bring reinforcements!”

“I… I’m sorry for doubting you. Priest, you’re so badly injured…”

Of course, most of Ciero’s injuries were from Isaac beating him. When they charged into the zombie horde, the worst Ciero had suffered was torn clothes. But to his followers, the wounds looked like injuries Ciero had sustained while trying to bring back a savior to help them against the undead.

Ciero, whose eardrums were still damaged, couldn’t hear their words, but he could sense the atmosphere. At the very least, it wasn’t one of resentment.

And so, Ciero couldn’t lift his head.

‘So he does know shame.’

Once the crying and wailing subsided, some members of the Dawn Army turned their gaze toward the “savior” who had fought valiantly among the countless zombies. The first to approach was a scruffy, hardened old man who didn’t seem to have lived an ordinary life.

“Pardon me, but are you Isaac Issacrea?”

“Yes.”

“I thought so. I’ve heard much about your great deeds and reputation.”

The old man bowed deeply, showing his gratitude. Others around him also quickly offered thanks to Isaac, some even kneeling and crying.

They seemed to view him as their savior.

‘Can’t imagine they’ve heard much good about me.’

Isaac hadn’t been particularly kind to those who joined Ciero’s Dawn Army. He saw them as a group willingly marching to their deaths, and they often caused trouble around his territory.

There were more than a few times that Ciero’s followers were beaten down by the Traelgul in the mist, so their reputation was more infamous than famous. Rumors had spread that the territory harbored demons because of them.

But the old man showed none of that suspicion. Instead, he courteously led Isaac further into the fortress, tended to the wounded Ciero, and commanded the fortifications with a practiced hand.

‘This old man must be the second-in-command or the real power behind the group.’

Ciero clearly didn’t have the capability to manage the organization, so it seemed likely that this old man was the one wielding real control.

“What’s your name?”

“Call me Devan.”

“What’s the situation in the fortress?”

Isaac asked as they walked. Devan, looking weary, mumbled under his breath.

“It’s not good. Our food storages were burned, zombies fell into the wells… and with Death Knights flying overhead all night, many haven’t slept properly.”

Devan pointed beyond the walls of the fortress.

“The zombie horde out there was originally half that size. It grew after those who tried to escape were turned into zombies. Ever since Priest Ciero went to… ask for reinforcements, the numbers have surged.”

Since Devan had been close to Ciero, he likely knew that Ciero had fled, and he could see that Isaac had forcibly brought him back. But seeing Isaac as a ‘savior’ was still hard to fully believe.

Devan stopped briefly to ask.

“…Pardon me, but did you come here alone, Holy Grail Knight?”

“Yes.”

“And where is the famed Issacrea Dawn Army…?”

“They are each carrying out their assigned tasks.”

“…Then, could you perhaps use your renowned ‘Angel-Slaying Swordsmanship’ to deal with the zombies out there…?”

Where in the world did they get that sacrilegious and blasphemous title? It was undoubtedly the work of some malevolent figure intending to slander Isaac. It wouldn’t be surprising if it were part of the Red Chalice’s schemes.

“There’s no such crazy swordsmanship. And I can’t take them all on by myself.”

“…I see. Then why did you come here?”

Though Devan didn’t directly ask if Isaac had come to die, his question carried a similar implication. Isaac pointed at Ciero, who was being dragged along, and answered.

“I’m here to find a grave for him.”

He then turned to Devan with a cold expression.

“To be honest, I don’t particularly like any of you.”

Devan’s face stiffened. He knew all too well that their reputation was poor, not just with Isaac but with most people in the empire.

But knowing it and hearing it said to your face were two different things.

“You probably know why. Neither you nor Ciero are worth saving. Frankly, it wouldn’t matter if you died here. In fact, it might be more beneficial if you did. But if you leave behind corpses, it’ll be a hassle, so maybe burn yourselves and commit mass suicide. Jump into the well. I’ll even put the lid on for you.”

“What are you saying…?!”

“But I’ve already decided to give Ciero a chance. If that’s going to happen, you’ll have to help as much as possible.”

Isaac glanced around at Devan, Ciero, and the surrounding Dawn Army members.

“You’ll either all die together or live together. It’s one or the other. I’m just a neighbor who happened to stumble upon you. But this coincidence will only be a brief stroke of luck unless you make it your own miracle. Whether this becomes a miracle or not is now up to you.”

***

The feared ‘Codex of Light army that the Holy Grail Knight might have brought’ never arrived. Realizing they had been deceived, the Death Knights grew furious, and their air raids became more aggressive than before. That very night, the Dawn Army was introduced to the unfamiliar concept of “bioweapon airstrikes.”

Boom, boom! Zombies rained down from the sky, crashing onto roofs and the ground with deafening noises. Most were smashed to pieces upon impact, but those that survived were barely capable of moving. The accuracy was poor, and they didn’t manage to hit any of the soldiers on the walls.

But morale was certainly plummeting. And it was stirring up anger among the remaining residents of Kran.

“At this rate, we’ll have a revolt on our hands.”

Ciero’s Dawn Army had killed Kran’s king and seized the fortress, but they hadn’t resorted to mass slaughter against the residents, even though they had looted them.

The residents were terrified of Ciero’s army and had kept quiet, but now that the undead were attacking relentlessly, it was likely that some would suggest killing the Dawn Army and surrendering instead.

“So, what do we do?”

Ciero, who had regained his hearing through a miracle, looked at Isaac for guidance.

He watched the Death Knights flying overhead, tossing zombies from their corpse-filled sacks like twisted versions of Santa Claus.

“Why aren’t they coming down? It’s not like they’re scared of our soldiers.”

If the Death Knights landed their Phantom Steeds on the walls, they could crush the defenders in an instant. They didn’t need to lay siege; just killing a few of the Dawn Army would bolster their ranks without any need for encirclement.

Isaac looked at Ciero incredulously and explained.

“The fortress of Kran is under a protection miracle. If you don’t enter through an authorized gate, you’ll suffer severe damage.”

Ciero’s expression suggested he had no idea this protection existed.

He had occupied and defended Kran Fortress without even realizing it? Then again, the protection miracle on Kran Fortress was especially powerful, yet obscure, given that it wasn’t in Codex of Light territory. Had he known, Ciero might not have risked his life fleeing.

It seemed that the chaos each time a zombie crashed to the ground was not just from the impact but also due to the protection miracle. Thus, unless the undead broke the protection or conducted a traditional siege, the fortress would be difficult to breach.

Both options were hard for the small, elite group of Death Knights. Zombies weren’t exactly skilled in constructing siege equipment.

“So we’re not easily conquered. But they’re trying to incite a revolt… Devan, how is the Dawn Army managing supplies?”

“Well, we’re using what we initially stole from the warehouses…”

“Distribute it all.”

“What? But if we’re to hold out, we must consider a prolonged siege…”

“This battle will never become a prolonged siege. The main Dawn Army of the Church forces is approaching, and the Immortal Order knows it. They’ll try to end this before that happens. Release all the hoarded supplies, return what you looted, and punish any wrongdoers. Apologize to the residents.”