Paladin of the Dead God
chapter-128

Chapter 128. The Brant Family’s Concern (1)

“Lovely…?”

At Isaac’s grim expression, Dietrich burst into laughter.

“Ha ha, it’s a joke. She didn’t really say that.”

Isaac looked at Dietrich with an expression as if to say, what kind of joke is that?

“But listening to her, as a father, I can tell what my daughter wants to say. Even if she doesn’t use direct words.”

“…What did the inquisitor say about me?”

Isaac didn’t know what Isolde had said, but it was clear that Dietrich didn’t see him as just an ordinary holy knight.

It was an awkward situation for Isaac.

Facing the second most powerful man in the empire as a somewhat accomplished Grail Knight was one thing, but dealing with a father concerned about his daughter was another level of difficulty.

However, instead of telling Isaac what Isolde had said, Dietrich brought up a different topic.

“Ah, she’s not an inquisitor anymore.”

“What? Did she quit?”

In the Issacrea domain, Isolde had declared she would monitor Isaac. But after she left the domain, there had been no contact.

It was unthinkable that she had quit being an inquisitor.

“She’s been indefinitely suspended from the Inquisition Office and is under house arrest. It’s a shameful affair.”

“Indefinite suspension…”

It was as good as being expelled. Although she wasn’t the type to look around much, she wasn’t incompetent. There had to be a reason for her expulsion…

“…Actually, there are too many points to consider.”

She had always been treated like a burden by the Inquisition Office. Considering that inquisitors are often more involved in purges, assassinations, and cleansing operations, her position didn’t fit her status. Thanks to that, she only went to scenes where she wouldn’t have to dirty her hands.

Moreover, she was a fervent reformer, using words like ‘blind followers’ in her heart. It wouldn’t have been surprising if she had been expelled at any time.

“May I ask what happened?”

“Why don’t you take a guess?”

Dietrich asked Isaac back. It wasn’t a joke about his daughter’s issue; Isaac realized it was a simple test.

A test to see the capabilities of a successful Grail Knight.

It would be easy with the Eye of Chaos, but he didn’t feel the need to use it.

“Is it a heresy charge? Seems like she got entangled with the Red Chalice Club.”

Dietrich’s eyes widened in surprise. It was a test question Isaac had proposed, but he didn’t expect him to guess so quickly and accurately, even pinpointing the specific heresy in question.

“How did you know?”

The Inquisition Office is an organization with strong internal unity. It would be difficult to expel a duke’s daughter without a valid reason, no matter how much of a thorn in their side she was.

But more importantly…

“Otherwise, Duke Brant wouldn’t have come all the way here.”

The fact that Dietrich Brant was here was a clue in itself.

Isaac had disappeared from the world for the past few weeks, and the last place his whereabouts were known was here, Norden Harbor. It was there that the great Dietrich Brant had been waiting endlessly, for who knows how long.

“The lady was originally monitoring me. But after returning to the Inquisition Office, the contact was cut off. I thought it might be because the internal investigation results didn’t please the Inquisition Office, but since it’s a case involving the Prophet of the Red Flesh, I thought it was more likely she got entangled with that.”

Whether the Inquisition Office tried to frame Isolde to expel her is unknown. They are skilled at such acts, and that’s what they exist for. But regardless of the truth, just being accused of such charges is fatal for an inquisitor.

If you ask why they would do such a thing to the daughter of the church’s biggest donor, it’s because she’s an inquisitor. It’s an organization that looks into the dirtiest parts of the church.

If Isolde had been an ordinary priest, they would have rather pampered her than kept her in check.

“To summarize, it seems that you’ve come to ask me to prove Isolde Brant’s innocence and clear her name. Is my understanding correct?”

Dietrich Brant nodded as if surprised. A look of satisfaction crossed his face.

However, what bothered Isaac was Dietrich’s expression. For a father whose daughter was in crisis, he seemed too relaxed. Isaac wondered if he had missed something.

“Almost accurate, Sir Issacrea.”

“Is there something I’ve missed?”

Dietrich looked around and carefully adjusted his posture. Since they were alone in the VIP room, his actions were merely ceremonial.

Just an attitude that the words he was about to say were secret and should not be leaked outside.

“The truth is, Isolde is not innocent.”

“What?”

“That child is indeed a heretic, Sir Issacrea.”

***

Dietrich’s story was perplexing.

After returning to the Inquisition Office, Isolde had reported that Isaac was innocent and an excellent Grail Knight.

However, not long after, Ilya Dote, the Eastern District Chief of the Inquisition Office, concluded that Isolde ‘appeared to have been exposed to forbidden knowledge while investigating the Prophet of the Red Flesh’ and placed her under house arrest. The term was until all signs of heresy were completely removed.

Isolde was furious and strong protests followed. But she couldn’t fight against the Inquisition Office.

In fact, the fact that she received house arrest despite signs of heresy meant she was being treated incredibly leniently.

Of course, the Brant family’s position as the church’s largest donor in the empire must have played a part. Anyway, Isolde returned to the ducal family with just a light disciplinary result of house arrest, despite the fatal wound of heresy charges.

“That was indeed a light punishment. Because… Isolde was truly a heretic.”

Dietrich murmured, stroking his lips.

“I knew Isolde made radical statements, but not to the extent of being called a heretic…”

“Did she say that the church’s leaders all have eyes like melted candle wax in stone heads that need to be smashed? If that was the case, I wouldn’t have called her a heretic either. That’s just venting dissatisfaction.”

“…Well, she didn’t go that far, but, um.”

It seems Isolde’s temperament might have come from her father.

Dietrich Brant also seemed to have many complaints about the church. Even if he had heard about him, to say such things in front of a Paladin.

And yet, he’s the church’s biggest donor.

‘Either a devout believer or a great ambitious man. One of the two.’

Either way, it was clear he was more dangerous than he appeared.

“I also thought it was the church’s check when I first heard she was under house arrest by the Inquisition Office. She was indignant, claiming it was unfair. But the child who returned home was clearly not normal.”

“Not normal means… there were clear signs of heresy for anyone to see.”

And yet, Isolde was safely returned to the Brant domain by the Inquisition Office. This could only be interpreted as a result of her being the daughter of the Brant family.

It seemed like they were saying, “We’re sending her back, so deal with it at home.”

But still, Dietrich didn’t seem worried, although he might have been troubled.

“May I ask what the problem is?”

For a moment, Dietrich bit his lip hard. Isaac was surprised as Dietrich’s composure vanished in an instant, but Dietrich quickly erased that expression.

However, he still seemed somewhat anxious.

“I’m sorry. Honestly, I still don’t know how to accept this situation. I don’t even understand it very well.”

“The more detailed explanation you provide, the easier it will be for me to respond.”

“That’s… according to the Inquisition Office, it seems that she received some kind of ‘blessing’ from the Red Chalice Club.”

***

What Dietrich requested was simple.

He wanted Isaac to visit the Brant domain and ‘purify’ Isolde, who was afflicted with the heretic’s blessing.

There were many more capable people in the church who could perform purification miracles, but Dietrich insisted on Isaac. It seemed to be because of the blessing that Isolde had received. Dietrich was reluctant to mention or reveal what kind it was.

He acted as if he was just visiting a famous Grail Knight all along.

Isaac then set sail for the Brant domain.

However, the ships of the Salt Council did not return to Norden Harbor but instead requested to accompany him. It was essentially a siege disguised as an escort, but Dietrich accepted it calmly.

“I heard that Sir Issacrea has shown great favor to them. It’s not easy to receive such respect from heretics, but it seems that Grail Knights have an amazing charm, as I’ve heard.”

“That’s an overstatement.”

Isaac thought, does killing their angel also count as a favor? But he accepted it as a good thing. In reality, he was treated more like a prophet than just someone who had shown favor, but that was a secret for now.

In any case, it allowed Isaac to stand tall.

Even so, the difference in power between Isaac and Dietrich was as vast as the sun and a firefly.

The Brant family directly and indirectly controlled nearly one-fifth of the Gerthonia Empire’s mainland. The size of the territory directly governed by Dietrich was enormous.

He was a noble among nobles within the empire, with no equal.

Just comparing the nobles of the faction he led to Isaac was incomparable. He was even a contributor to the current emperor’s rise to power, and his daughter was devoted to the church.

‘I thought it was just a distant story…’

But up close, Dietrich was just a doting father.

During the journey to the Brant domain, despite the difference in power, Isaac quickly became friends with Dietrich.

Isaac’s charm might have had an effect, but Dietrich Brant himself seemed like a friendly person who easily got along with others. And it seemed that Isolde’s judgment had influenced him as well.

The problem was that his attitude was so ambiguous that it was unclear whether he was treating Isaac as a Grail Knight or as a potential son-in-law.

Of course, Isaac was under no illusion.

The Brant family had the power to change the political landscape of the empire. And Isolde, as the only daughter of that family, was a political entity in herself. Even if Isaac was a successful Grail Knight.

‘It’s true that Isolde views me positively, so maybe he’s checking to see if any strange fellows are entangled.’

Of course, Isaac assumed that Isolde’s favor was as a respectable Grail Knight, not as a romantic interest. It was natural for her to have some favor after all the effort he had put in. If Dietrich also thought favorably of him, that was enough.

“We’re almost there. This is my home, Rougeberg.”

Dietrich said as they entered the port city flanked by sheer cliffs. Atop the cliff was a massive fortress carved out of a red rock mountain, too grand to be called a ‘home.’ The castle built on the steep cliff looked majestic.

But the ship did not dock at the harbor. Instead, it anchored near the coast by the cliffs, and they transferred to a boat. They then joined the knights who had been waiting on the coast and headed straight for Rougeberg Castle.

During this time, Isaac had to move with his entire body covered in a robe and his hood pulled down to his nose. Even the warship that had brought them here did not return to the harbor but sailed out to the open sea. It seemed to prevent the sailors from even stopping at the harbor.

The ships of the Salt Council did not go to such lengths, but at Dietrich’s request, they agreed to refrain from entering the port for a few days.

“The fact that Sir Issacrea is currently in my domain could create a somewhat difficult situation if it becomes known. Since the secret will be out in a few days anyway, I would like to maintain security for at least those few days.”

“The security of the Salt Council is quite thorough.”

At that, Dietrich looked intently at Isaac.

“Sir Issacrea. How do you think I believed you would return and waited for you at Norden Harbor?”

That was something Isaac had also been curious about. Only Eidan knew that Isaac had returned from the afterlife, and they had been heading straight to Norden Harbor without any chance for rumors to spread.

“I bribed one of the Salt Council’s priests at Norden Harbor to get information about you. There’s no such thing as perfect security in front of sword and gold.”

Isaac fully agreed with that point.

There was no reason to refuse a polite request in the first place. Considering the power that Duke Brant could wield, it was better not to make an enemy for a smoother life.

Fortunately, the captains of the Salt Council understood.

Isaac felt like he was on a secret mission as he went to meet Isolde.