Paladin of the Dead God
chapter-173-2

At that moment, Isaac thought of the Nameless Chaos.

Chaos that breaks all order and seeps through.

Isaac began to exert force in his left hand.

Tentacles slowly started to emerge, piercing through his palm.

As Isaac struggled to break his bonds, the Green Knight continued the judgment.

“Yes, I am aware,” Rosalind managed to answer when finally allowed to speak.

“Do you know that the king of Elil is granted the use of my power as the foremost disciple of Elil?”

“Would that make my grievance unjustified?”

Rosalind shot back at the angel with blood running from her bitten lip.

“If that is a problem, then kill me right here. Throw me to the dogs on the battlefield overseen by Elil. Even if trampled by warhorses, I will not cease to bark.”

Whether it was a seventy-year-old man, blind, or armless, it didn’t matter. Followers of Elil are warriors both before death and beyond.

Rosalind had no intention of giving up. She was a disciple of Elil.

That was both the beginning and the end of all tragedy.

At Rosalind’s words, the Green Knight remained silent for a moment before speaking.

“You are a warrior.”

The Green Knight turned his head to look at Edelred.

“I do not favor petitioners. They remind me of whining children who run to their gods to tattle instead of overcoming their own problems.”

Suddenly, he was holding Kaldbruch.

“However, I acknowledge you as a warrior and will accept your petition.”

This meant he recognized her as a petitioner at the very least. Rosalind barely breathed a sigh of relief, wiping away the cold sweat. The Green Knight then approached Edelred.

‘This is not good.’

Frankly, Edelred was far from a model disciple of Elil.

He was neither exceptionally strong nor pursued courage and honor. He rather despised those knights who were bound by such things and did foolish acts. Regardless of the petition, he could still be an eyesore to the angel.

The Green Knight stood before Edelred, looking down at him.

“Rise, O king. Though you are the accused, you are the king of Elil.”

The words of the Green Knight were more a command than a request, and more a natural expectation than a command. Edelred staggered to his feet. The Green Knight peered at Edelred, the rustling leaves inside his helmet shifting.

Isaac, as if omitting Rosalind’s petition, knew that the Green Knight was scrutinizing everything about Edelred. The tentacles were constantly eroding the space of judgment but were not fast enough.

Isaac’s eyes flashed as he looked elsewhere.

Once the judgment ceremony had begun, it was maintained by the power of the angel. However, if he could disrupt the priest, at least he could attract the angel’s attention.

Bang. Isaac immediately charged at Cedric. True to his title as a swordmaster, Cedric quickly recognized Isaac’s hostile intent and responded promptly.

“Stop!”

With a whirring sound too sharp to be just the swing of a sword, Cedric’s blade narrowly missed Isaac.

What he had drawn was a slender rapier.

Cedric, with an angry face, shot back at Isaac.

“This is a sacred trial! There’s no place for heresy here!”

“Yes, I am a heretic here.”

Isaac growled.

That was hardly news.

He was a heretic not only here but everywhere. Unwelcome everywhere, he had no need to adhere to any rules.

“If you stand in my way, I’ll kill you too.”

***

As Isaac had feared, the judgment did not take long.

The Green Knight rustled as he continued to scrutinize Edelred.

“O aggrieved one, accused of the sins of a former king unjustly. Elil does not acknowledge the inheritance of a parent’s sins to their child. However, the position of king represents not just a personal parent-child relationship but all citizens and knights. You cannot escape responsibility.”

The Green Knight turned slowly back to Rosalind.

“The king must be responsible for the petitioner’s plea. However, the petitioner must also bear responsibility for driving an innocent child to death.”

Thud. The Green Knight struck Kaldbruch against the floor as he declared.

“Both shall die honorably through execution. This is the decision of Elil’s representative.”

An odd emotion, whether hope or despair, surged across Rosalind’s face. It wasn’t an emotion born from the fear of losing life. It was rather a feeling of being freed from all of this.

Whatever the outcome.

She intended to accept it with a choked voice.

“No, that’s not it.”

Then, Edelred spoke, sobbing.

“The faults of the subjects are the king’s lack of virtue. Why do you seek to pass the responsibility that the king should bear to the subjects as well? This is not the will of Elil.”

Edelred staggered, then knelt and collapsed in front of the Green Knight again.

“Please end this tragedy with one responsibility. I am prepared.”

It wasn’t mere lip service. The Green Knight had seen through everything about Edelred, his unbecoming attitude and disrespectful heart as a disciple of Elil.

Yet Edelred spoke sincerely.

Edelred’s words caused the Green Knight to slowly bend down.

“The world is not so soft, O king.”

–TL Notes–