Paladin of the Dead God
chapter-167-2

“Don’t be anxious. Your skills are improving remarkably fast. If you continue training like this, you might soon be able to use advanced swordsmanship techniques.”

A flush of excitement colored Edelred’s face. His foundation was solid, and with added effort and focus, he was rapidly absorbing the sword skills.

Isaac, honestly, had his reservations about teaching his young king his own chaotic style of swordsmanship, which was a mix of practicality and tricks, but he did it out of personal ambition.

‘Admittedly, my techniques are somewhat infamous, but if it’s the swordsmanship of the King of Elil’s knights, who would dare criticize it?’

Encouraged by Isaac’s words, Edelred sheathed his sword.

“Are you nervous because of the summoning order?”

“…Honestly, yes. When the previous king was alive, almost everyone came. I even heard that at his coronation, the angel Nimloth came and placed the crown on his head.”

Nimloth, named ‘Lady of the Lake’ within the Elil faith, was akin to a Valkyrie who led knights into battle and guided the deceased to the afterlife.

It wasn’t odd for the previous king, despite his tyranny, to be acknowledged by an angel since, in the Elil Kingdom, the king is as pivotal as a pope.

‘But it seems he doesn’t wield absolute power like the Codex of Light.’

“But my coronation was simple, and everyone knows I’m just a naive young kid. Plus, I’ve never even met an angel.”

“Angels aren’t that special, anyway.”

Isaac spoke without thinking and immediately regretted it; such a statement could be construed as blasphemous.

He was about to correct himself when Edelred’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Angels! Speaking of which, I heard that you defeated the Prophet of the Red Flesh and faced the Drowned King. Is that true? Did you obtain the Rite of Division after defeating the Prophet of the Red Flesh?”

“Well, that is true. Though I acquired the Rite of Division before that…”

Tales of ‘who is the strongest’ are universally thrilling for young men regardless of era or culture.

For Edelred, who typically despised knights, this seemed to be an intriguing topic.

Isaac wanted to explain that battles between angels often involve complex theological and elemental matchups, which are also influenced by divine will, but he decided against complicating the conversation.

“It seems that the angels of Elil are the strongest. Even excluding mages like Calurien and Nimloth, the other archangels are not specifically warriors, right?”

Ultimately, Isaac gave an answer that would most please Edelred, who eagerly responded.

“You seem to know a lot about Elil’s angels! But doesn’t the Codex of Light have an angel called the ‘Sword of May’? I heard she was a highly regarded knight who became an angel. Could she stand against Elil’s angels?”

Isaac was taken aback by the sudden mention but managed to respond.

“That might be possible. However, she is renowned not so much as a knight but as a master of swordsmanship. All the techniques of the Codex of Light Paladin Order are derived from her teachings. Isn’t the Elion Knight the most famous among Elil’s angels?”

“Elil is said to master ten thousand arms in ten thousand ways. The Sword of May sounds similar. It’s often harder to be an outstanding teacher than a great swordsman.”

Somehow, the conversation evolved into Isaac seemingly supporting Elil’s angels, while Edelred seemed to champion the angels of the Codex of Light, but even Isaac, who had played the game, found it hard to predict who would win.

Truthfully, at a certain level, angels are less like powerful beings and more like natural phenomena.

Is the Sword of May stronger, or is the Elion Knight stronger? Such battles are essentially like asking whether a volcanic eruption is stronger than a typhoon.

The Sword of May is known for his swordsmanship, and the Prophet of the Red Flesh is weaker in combat. But what if the Prophet schemes against the Sword of May?

Perhaps the Sword of May would unwittingly find a cat on his bed ready to strike.

Ultimately, each excels in their own domain.

‘Wow, I got carried away there.’

But Isaac understood why Edelred was excited.

It was a popular topic among the players of Nameless Chaos, though angels fighting each other like in a grand war such as the Dawn Army was rare.

‘Well, if it happens, better to watch from a distance… I’d prefer not to get involved.’

Considering the fight with the Drowned King was a life-risking battle, he preferred to avoid such conflicts. Isaac then remembered something he had been too busy to think about.

‘By the way, what exactly does the Sword of May want from me that she’s still keeping silent?’

***

As the date of the summons approached, Aldeon buzzed with nobles and knights from across the Elil Kingdom. For safety reasons, nobles did not travel alone, filling up all available accommodations in Aldeon and even requiring camps outside the city.

“You need to be wary of security issues, Your Majesty. This is exactly the kind of time when assassins and spies can infiltrate.”

On the fateful day in the royal hall, Isaac recalled an incident where Emperor Waltzemer nearly got assassinated.

However, Isaac’s mention of assassination puzzled Edelred and Mors.

“Assassination? Who are you talking about?”

“Georg… no.”

Isaac realized he was thinking too much in terms of Gerthonia strategies. Knights of the Elil Kingdom might lead armies to ambush, but they wouldn’t plan assassinations.

Assassinations were too ‘Red Chalice’-like.

Even the rebels were too honorable to consider assassination.

Isaac understood why, despite their strength, they still hadn’t managed to retrieve the Red Chalice.

If it had been Gerthonia, they would’ve long since sent a small elite force to assassinate the high command and seize the Chalice.

‘Wallachia would have tried it a thousand times by now.’

Whoo─

Just then, as the long horn sounded and the doors opened, nobles began to enter.

Although they were all well-dressed, the lack of uniformity made it look somewhat disorganized. To Isaac, who had seen noble gatherings in Rougeberg, this looked more like a meeting of bandit chiefs than nobles.

Edelred was pleased to see more nobles than expected.

Most of the nobles he remembered from his childhood were there.

Isaac asked Mors, “Is this a good turnout?”

“Excluding the Georg faction, it seems almost everyone has been summoned.”

It was a successful gathering. Isaac felt proud that the Rite of Division had worked its magic, as he had heard some nobles had distanced themselves due to incidents in Saltain.

The nobles quietly murmured to each other as they noticed Isaac standing next to Edelred.

Suddenly, the atmosphere among the nobles at the end of the hall changed.

The whispering died down as an awkward, guilt-ridden silence spread. Isaac saw Edelred and Mors’s expressions harden too.

Isaac’s eyes followed their gaze.

Squeak, squeak.

Amidst the silence, the distinct sound of something heavy being dragged was heard.

A gaunt old woman with deeply sunken eyes under a scorched seal skin cloak that dragged on the floor approached silently.

In her hand, she dragged a large sack big enough to fit a person.

Indeed, Isaac realized that there really was someone inside that sack.

Before he could act, Edelred stood up and spoke.

“Lady Rosalind Saltain, welcome after such a long journey.”