Paladin of the Dead God
chapter-169-1

As the excitement of the speech subsided, the hall was filled with the thrill of war.

Of course, there was still some anxiety about having to face ‘that’ Georg’s army. However, the ‘minority’ knights who were not knights in Ellel had no choice but to watch the situation unfold silently in the corner, unable to speak.

Especially if it was a royal court filled with nobles of knightly origin.

Regardless, the meeting soon began, driven by the loud voices of those favoring aggression.

More bandit chief than knight, these individuals took control of the meeting not with elegant opening remarks but with their booming voices alone.

“Of course we should take the lead!”

Thud. A large nobleman stood up abruptly during an argument and shouted, causing all eyes to turn toward him. His face reddened as he continued loudly after a heated exchange with other nobles.

“If our Galverd Knights aren’t at the forefront crushing the enemy, who else will do it? Certainly not the armored knights of your domains!”

“Those slow pigs will be like children against Georg’s knights, you fool! The traitorous Georgs will knock down your swine like twisting a child’s wrist!”

The retort came from a one-eyed noblewoman involved in the argument.

Isaac decided to nickname the participants based on their features as ‘the bulky one’ and ‘the one-eyed’.

“The vanguard should be our Hillsner Knights! Our knights can disperse the enemy forces with their swift guerrilla tactics! You others should follow and clean up!”

A mustachioed nobleman joined in angrily from a distance.

“What nonsense! Are you ignoring our Carvanah heavy infantry who can hold the line like a wall of iron?”

Isaac gave him the nickname ‘mustache,’ but soon gave up on labeling as everyone clamorously claimed their knights were best suited for the vanguard.

If this had been the Gerthonia Empire, only a few obsessed with glory would vie for the vanguard; most would be thinking about how to avoid fighting and return to their domains. However, in the Kingdom of Elil, everyone wanted to be a leader, which was headache-inducing.

“Everyone looks brave,” Edelred commented as the nobles quieted down at his intervention.

‘Bulky’ quickly pleaded with Edelred.

“Your Majesty, please let our knights lead the vanguard!”

“The Galverd Knights are indeed worthy of the vanguard.”

As ‘bulky’ smiled triumphantly, Edelred added,

“However, the opposing side might have Lianne leading their vanguard. Does your knight order have a Swordmaster to counter hers?”

‘Bulky’ quieted down, clearly having forgotten about facing Lianne. The desire for glory had outweighed his fear.

“I will face her! I will bring you Lianne’s head!”

“Your bravery is admirable, but I prefer not to endorse recklessness. We need a force capable of confronting Lianne in the vanguard.”

The room fell silent at the challenging condition.

Swordmasters, rare and usually independent, were often not tied to any house but wandered seeking challenges.

Currently, Lianne Georg was the only known affiliated Swordmaster.

“If none are available, I would like to recommend someone.”

Edelred stood up and pointed at Isaac.

“Isaac Issacrea of the Holy Grail Knights, he too is a Swordmaster.”

“No way!”

Shock spread among the nobles. Isaac, known to belong to the Codex of Light, worried about the repercussions of his swordsmanship becoming widely known.

He needed to prove his divine blessing from Elil to justify his actions in this campaign, as the Codex of Light was unlikely to be aware of his deeds across the sea.

Then ‘one-eyed’ protested loudly.

“A heretic leading the crusade to reclaim the Holy Land! Unacceptable!”

Despite open defiance of the king’s command, this was typical in the Kingdom of Elil. If something was not accepted, it often had to be enforced through conflict.

To fulfill Edelred’s goal, Isaac had to quiet ‘one-eyed.’

Approaching her with an object intended for such disputes, ‘one-eyed’ flinched but met his gaze fiercely.

Thud. Isaac set a large, cloth-wrapped object before her.

“What is this?”

“A substitute standard for the vanguard.”

Skeptically, ‘one-eyed’ cut the cloth with a dagger, revealing its contents.

Gasps of shock and awe filled the room.

“It’s the head of the Witch Hectali. I severed it myself recently.”

Despite being disfigured from being trampled, the head’s shocking appearance—a mix of wood and an old woman’s features—silenced ‘one-eyed’.

Capturing the Witch Hectali was known to be a formidable task.

“Not only that, but I have also banished the Prophet of the Red Flesh and slain the Drowned King. I’m curious if there’s anyone better than me to face Lianne.”

“But…”

There it was, the inevitable ‘but.’

Isaac knew that mere words wouldn’t convince these stubborn nobles. However, he had a much simpler and more effective method of persuasion at his disposal.

Sometimes, it was necessary for Isaac to stoop to the level of his adversaries to persuade them effectively.

“If you really don’t like it, then let’s leave the decision to Elil,” he suggested, meaning if they had complaints, they should come forward and fight it out.

Isaac was aware of how his achievements had been exaggerated and widely known across the seas.

Thus, he thought the debate would be resolved with the striking display of the witch’s head and the added charisma of a Nephilim.

However, as soon as Isaac finished speaking, nobles sprang from their seats around the hall.

“Dever’s son, Horn Galverd! I challenge the Holy Grail Knight!”

“Carvanah heavy infantry commander Dalton, I seek to learn from the renowned Holy Grail Knight…”

‘Damn.’

Isaac had underestimated the fanaticism of the followers of Elil, even though he had been challenged to duels from his very first night at the port of Aldeon.

These nobles weren’t underestimating Isaac’s skills; rather, they realized the immense honor it would be to cross swords with him.

Isaac realized he was in for a tiring day.

***